none of us knew. He was inconsiderate
enough to give no sign of having received it; and still more
inconsiderate to allow himself on more than one occasion to be publicly
complimented by the doctor and Mr Sharpe on the order of the house.

Meanwhile the Philosophers stuck to their new programme. I had the
satisfaction of pulling down Langrish from his place on the top desk at
the end of the first week, and he had the triumph of recovering his seat
at the end of the week after. In the seclusion of the faggery we
indulged in a few mild recriminations, which were the natural outcome of
our rivalry; but they only served to blow off steam, and we were too
keen to win our self-imposed battles in class to allow personal feeling
to interfere much with our work.

Mr Sharpe was fairly astonished, and took off his glasses, and rubbed
his mild eyes as he read over our really meritorious exercises and
listened to our sometimes positively coherent feats of construing.

Secretly, too, but with great precaution, and in spots far removed from
the detection of the day boys, we practised grimly at jumping and
sprinting and record-breaking generally, and finally, as the critical
time for making our entries approached, agreed upon the particular
exploit which each of us was to undertake for the honour and glory of
Sharpe's house in general and Philosophy in particular.

Before that time arrived, however, one awkward incident occurred, to
remind me I had even yet not quite purged myself of the follies of last
term. I stumbled against Crofter just outside his door.

"Come in," said he.

I obeyed, guessing that at last we were to hear something of our famous
letter.

I was disappointed, however. Crofter made no reference to it, but
said--

"Those bills you paid for me last term, Jones iv.--did none of the
people allow you any discount?"

"Discount," said I, "what's that? We haven't got to it yet in Syntax."

"Don't be a young ass. Did none of them give you any change?"

"Rather, all of them. I brought it back, or used it to pay the rest."

"What I mean is, you didn't make anything out of it for yourself, did
you?"

"Me--oh!" the conscious blushes suddenly mounted as I grasped his
meaning.

"Yes, you."

"Well, only, you see, it was--"

"Come, no lies. I know all about it. Did you or did you not?"

"Not from the hat man," said I.

"From all the others?"

"Only--"

"Yes or no, that's what I want to know."

"