uculent Coxhead?

More than that, was Warminster to be beaten after all by a day boy
called Dicky Brown, who, amid all the changes and distractions of the
term, had stuck doggedly to his work, and was reported a hot man for the
head place in the junior division?

All this was exciting enough, but it was as nothing to the tussle at the
head of the school.

Pridgin's alarming burst of work in the Easter term had, contrary to all
expectation, not died out. Every one prophesied he would sicken of it.
Wales laughed at him. Crofter smiled sweetly. Tempest inquired
frequently after his health, and even Redwood knocked off some of his
extra cricket to keep pace with it.

"What are you trying to do?" asked Tempest one day, as his friend looked
in.

"Nothing, my dear fellow, only amusing myself, I assure you."

"You have a queer idea of fun. Do you know, I've hardly been out on the
river all the term, owing to you."

"Don't let me prevent you, old chap. The exercise will do you good."

Tempest laughed.

"I hope yours will do you good. But two can play at your game."

"Two! Half a dozen.--I've not got my knife into _you_, though."

"Who? Crofter?"

"Rather. I see no other way of taking it out of him. He shirks sports,
and takes his pound of flesh out of the captaincy, although he knows
he's no right to it, and no one, not even the rowdies in the faggery,
respects him."

"That's why we're going steady," said I, "just to rile him."

"The only way to take it out of him is to make him sit up, and harry
him," said the amiable Pridgin. "I only hope, though, it won't land me
head of the house. I'm depending on you to beat me. But I'm not going
to play second fiddle to Crofter."

"It will serve you right if it does land you head," responded Tempest.
"If it does, we'll have to keep you up to the mark and see you don't
shirk."

"Don't say that, old chap, or I shall jack it up," said Pridgin, putting
his feet upon the window-ledge. "Besides, does it occur to you that
Redwood's leaving, and that the second man up, if he's one of us, is
left not only captain of Sharpe's but captain of Low Heath?"

"I know," said Tempest quietly, "but they say Leslie of Selkirk's is in
the running for that."

"Stuff and nonsense!" retorted Pridgin. "Tempest of Sharpe's is the man
for my money."

Tempest laughed again; but it was a sort of laugh which did not bode
well for Leslie of Selkirk's.

This talk had been a fortn