Mr Sharpe's, second, 888; all the more gratifying when we
remember the causes which interrupted his school work for a time last
term."

We fairly gave ourselves away now! Sharpe's had reached the top of the
tide with a vengeance. There was an end to all uncertainty as to who
would be its captain; and there was the glorious certainty that the
captain of Sharpe's would also be captain of Low Heath. Three cheers!
Rather.

But still we could not, till the rest of the list was read, give
ourselves up to cheering for as long as we should have liked. So we
allowed the doctor to proceed.

"Pridgin, Mr Sharpe's, third, 869--very close."

Good old Pridgin! All his discomfort had not been for nothing. He had
"taken it out of" Crofter, after all. By how much?

"Leslie, Mr Selkirk's, fourth, 832. Wales, Mr Sharpe's, fifth, 801.
Crofter, Mr Sharpe's, sixth, 769."

A cool hundred between them! We had the decency not to rub it in too
hard. It was clear by the disconcerted look in the face of our so-
called captain that he was more surprised than any one. He smiled, of
course, and leant across to pat Pridgin on the back. But that was just
his way--we knew well enough that it cloaked a bitter mortification, and
why worry the poor beggar with letting him see we noticed it?

So we waited till we got outside, and then let ourselves loose on
Tempest and Pridgin, and positively injured our voices with cheering.

That afternoon in the faggery our jubilant review of the situation was
combined with a wind-up meeting of the Conversation Club for the term.

"Jolly good show for us," said Langrish. "Crofter's pretty sick, but
it'll do him good. I move and third, and Sarah seconds and fourths,
that we send him a resolution of condolence."

"Better let him alone," suggested I.

"Shut up, or you'll get jolly well kicked out of the club," said the
secretary. "If you don't want to be civil, it's no reason why we
shouldn't." I had imagined I was on the whole more concerned for
Crofter's feelings than they, but, putting it in the way they did, I
could hardly resist. So the following resolution was solemnly drawn up
and ordered to be conveyed to "The late Mr Crofter."

"That this meeting of the Philosophical Conversation Club is hereby
jolly glad to see Tempest cock of the house again, with Pridgin second
man up. It hereby condoles with Crofter in the jolly back seat he has
got to take, and is sorry he shirked the Mile. It