yndham.

"This fellow gets a good deal more damaged than Meekins," said the
captain. "In fact he gets so mauled his friends will soon hardly be
able to recognise him."

Wyndham looked sharply at the speaker. Riddell was quite grave and
serious, and proceeded quietly, "The worst of it is, this fellow's quite
well able to stick up for himself if he likes, and could easily hold his
own. Only he's lazy, or else he likes getting damaged."

"Are you making all this up?" demanded Wyndham colouring.

Riddell took no notice of the inquiry, but continued rather more
earnestly, "Now I'd like your advice, Wyndham, old fellow. I want to do
this fellow a good turn. Which do you suppose would be the best turn to
do him; to pitch into the fellows that are always doing him harm? or to
try to persuade him to stick up for himself and not let them do just
what they like with him, eh?"

Wyndham had seen it all before the question was ended, and hung down his
head in silence.

Riddell did not disturb him, but waited quietly, and, if truth be told,
anxiously, till he should reply.

Presently the boy looked up with a troubled face, and said, "I know I'm
an awful fool, Riddell."

"But you're not obliged to be," said the captain, cheerily.

"I'll try not to be, I really will," said Wyndham. "Only--"

"Only what?" asked Riddell, after a pause.

"Only somehow I never think of it at the time."

"I know," said Riddell, kindly.

"Why only this afternoon," said Wyndham, drawn out by the sympathy of
his companion, "I tried to object to going down to the town, and they
made up some excuse, so that I would have seemed like a regular prig to
hold out, and so I went. I'm awfully sorry now. I know I'm a coward,
Riddell; I ought to have stuck out."

"I think you ought," said Riddell; "they would probably have laughed at
you, and possibly tried to bully you a bit. But you can take care of
yourself, I fancy, when it comes to that, eh?"

"I can about the bullying," said Wyndham.

"And so," said Riddell, "you really advise me to say to this fellow I
was telling you about, to stand up for himself and not let himself be
led about by any one?"

"Except you, Riddell," said the boy.

"No," said Riddell, "not even me. _I_ can't profess to tell you all you
ought to do."

"I should like to know who can, if you can't?" said Wyndham.

"I think we both know," said Riddell, gravely.

The conversation ended here. For an hour and a half a