ters, waiting patiently in Wally's room for the clock to
strike the half-hour, would have turned the scale!

Ashby wished the majority had been greater or less. But he tried to be
jubilant, and in response to D'Arcy's thumps on the back yelled and
roared till he was black in the face.

As he did so, he caught sight through the window of a small procession
of five or six boys emerging from the door of Wakefield's house and
starting at a trot in the direction of Hall.

"I say," shouted he in D'Arcy's ear, "here they come!"

D'Arcy abruptly ceased shouting and descended from his form.

"Come and squash up near the front," said he, hurriedly; "more room, you
know, up there."

"Hoo, hoo! nearly licked that time," shouted a Modern youth near the
door, as they moved forward. "Served you right!"

"Never mind, we'll take it out of you, next vote," retorted D'Arcy.
"Come on, kid; squash up." Then a happy thought struck him. The boys
immediately near the door were mostly Moderns. What a fine bit of
electioneering, if he could get them to shut out their own men! So he
shouted, "Look out, our side! Mind they don't keep out any of our
chaps. Just the sort of dodge they'd be up to."

Whereupon the Moderns set their backs determinedly against the door and
wagged their heads at one another, and were obliged to D'Arcy for the
tip.

"That'll do for 'em," said that delighted schemer; "they won't let 'em
in, you bet. Look out--they're going to vote for secretary now."

The Classical side candidate for this important office was Ranger,
almost as great an idol in his house as the captain himself. His Modern
opponent was Dangle, a clever senior, reputed to be Clapperton's toady
and man-of-all-work. It was felt that if he were secretary, there would
be a strong Modern bias given to the clubs, which in the opinion of the
Classic partisans would be disastrous.

The show of hands had been taken for Ranger, and every one was silent to
hear the figures, when a hideous clamour arose at the door, with shouts
of--

"Open the door I let us in. Cheats! Fair play!"

To D'Arcy's satisfaction, as from the safe shelter of a front place he
peered down that way, the Moderns held their post at the door and
refused to let it open. For a minute it looked as if they would
succeed; when suddenly the irate Wally appeared on the scene, followed
by Fisher minor, and shouting, "Cheats! cads! Let our fellows in!" went
for the obstructionis