a fellow
up and I didn't see you."

"Didn't you? Well, you'll feel me. Take that."

Fisher minor meekly accepted the cuff, and, full of his half-crown,
essayed to proceed. But Percy stopped him.

"You're that new kid, Fisher's minor, aren't you?"

It astonished Fisher minor, that the speaker, whom he supposed he had
seen only ten minutes ago, should so soon have forgotten his name.

"Yes, but I say, Wally, I mean Wheatfield--"

"Humph--I suppose you held up both hands for your precious brother
yesterday."

"No, only one. I was nearly late, though. I waited an hour at the
gymnasium, you know, and no Modern chaps came out at all."

Percy began to smell rats.

"Waited at the gymnasium, did you? Who told you to do that?"

"Oh, you know--it was part of the canvassing."

"Oh, _you_ were in that job, were you, my boy? All serene, I'll--"

"I say," cried Fisher minor, turning pale, "aren't you Wally Wheatfield?
I thought--"

"Me Wally? what do you take me for? I'll let you know who I am. You're
a beauty, you are. Some of our chaps'll tell you who I am, Mr
Canvasser. Now, look here, you stop there till I come back from
Yorke's. If you move an inch--whew! you'll find the weather pretty
warm, I can tell you. Canvassing? You'll get canvassed, I fancy,
before you grow much taller."

And off stalked the indignant Percy, promising himself a particularly
pleasant afternoon, as soon as his errand to the captain was over.

Yorke was at work, with his lexicon and notebooks on the table, when the
envoy entered.

"Well, is that you or your brother?" inquired he.

"Not my brother, if I know it," said Percy.

"That's not much help. He says exactly the same when I put the same
question to him."

"He does, does he? I owe Wally one already, now--"

"Thanks--then you're not Wally. What do you want?"

"This note. Clapperton said I was to wait while you read it, and bring
an answer if there was one."

Yorke read the note, and smiled as he did so. Percy wished he knew what
was in it. He didn't know Clapperton could make jokes.

"Any answer?" he demanded.

"Yes--there's an answer," said the captain.

He took out a list of names from his pocket, and compared it with that
on Clapperton's letter. Then he wrote as follows:--

"Dear Clapperton,--The fifteen against Rendlesham is already made up as
follows," (here followed the list). "You will see it includes six of
the names you sent. We must play