you idiot! whatever have you done this for?"

"I did nothing. They wanted to get rid of me, and they did."

"Yes, because you hadn't the ordinary sense to keep up appearances till
the race, and must begin to practise your tricks a month beforehand!"
said Silk, greatly enraged, for him.

"All very well," said Gilks, sullenly. "I should have liked to see you
rowing your best with that puppy steering; thinking he's doing it so
wonderfully, the prig!"

"And just because you hadn't the patience to hold out a week or two you
go and spoil everything. I didn't think you were such a fool, upon my
word."

Gilks was cowed by the wrath of his friend.

"I couldn't help it," he said. "I'm awfully sorry."

"It's done us completely now," said Silk. "For all we know they may
win. Who's to take your place?"

"Crossfield."

"Just the man I was afraid. He's the best man they could have picked
out. I tell you what, Gilks, you'd better go and apologise and see if
you can't get back into the boat. Who could have believed you'd be such
a fool! Go at once, for goodness' sake."

Gilks, who saw his own mistake fully as well as his friend, obeyed. He
found Fairbairn in his study with Riddell. The former seemed not at all
surprised to see him.

"Fairbairn," said Gilks, "I hope you'll let me stay in the boat. I'm
sorry I played the fool this morning."

"Then you _were_ playing the fool?" demanded Fairbairn, to whom Riddell
had just been confiding that perhaps, after all, there had been some
fault in the steering to account for it.

"Yes," said Gilks, sullenly.

"Then," said Fairbairn, hotly, "you may be a fool, but I won't be such a
big one as to let you stay in the boat another day!"

Gilks glared a moment at the speaker. Evidently it would be no use to
argue or plead further; and, smarting with rage and humiliation, none
the less keen that Riddell had been present and heard all, he turned
away.

"You'll be sorry for this, you two," he growled. "Humbugs!"

"Well rid of him," said Fairbairn, as soon as he had gone.

"Yes. I don't think much of him," said Riddell, thinking as much of
young Wyndham and his temptations as of the schoolhouse boat.

"Well, old man," said Fairbairn, after a pause, "you steered awfully
well when you once began. Whatever made you so shaky at first?"

"My usual complaint," said Riddell, smiling. "I was thinking what other
people were thinking."

"Oh," said Fairbairn, "unless you c