ddell, who could never stand being apologised to,
and always felt more uncomfortable at such times than the apologiser.
"But I say, were you much hurt?"

"No, not much. I got down among their feet somehow and couldn't get up.
But if you hadn't turned up when you did I might have got it hot."

"It was Fairbairn pulled us both out, I think," said Riddell, "for I was
down too."

"Yes, I hear you got an awful hack."

"Nothing much at all."

"I say, Riddell," said Wyndham, nervously, after a pause, "I mean to
break with Silk; I wish I'd never taken up with him. I shouldn't have
gone down to the town at all yesterday if it hadn't been for him."

"I think you'd be ever so much better without him," said Riddell.

"I know I would. Do you recollect lecturing me about sticking up for
myself that night last month? I've been uncomfortable about chumming
with him ever since, but somehow he seemed to have a pull on me."

"What sort of pull?"

"Oh," said the boy, becoming still more uncomfortable, and afraid of
breaking his promise to say nothing about Beamish's, "a good many things
of one sort or another. I've gone wrong, I know."

Wyndham would have given much to be free to make a full confession of
all his "going wrong" to the sympathetic Riddell, but, heartily weary as
he was of Silk and Gilks, he had promised them to keep their secrets,
and young Wyndham, whatever his faults, was honest.

Riddell was quick enough to see that there was something of the sort,
and did not press to know more. It was too good news to hear from the
boy's own lips that he was determined to break loose from these bad
friends, to need to know any more.

"I don't know how it is," said Wyndham, after another pause. "It seems
so much easier for some fellows to keep square than for others. I've
made up my mind I'd do right a dozen times this term, but it's never
come off."

"It's hard work, I know," said Riddell, sympathisingly.

"Yet it seems easy enough to you. I say, I wish you'd look sharp after
me for a week or so, Riddell, till I get a good start."

Riddell laughed.

"A lot of good that would do you! The best person to look sharp after
young Wyndham is young Wyndham himself."

"Of course I know," said the boy, "but I've sort of lost confidence in
myself."

"We can't any of us stand by ourselves," said the captain. "I know I
can't. But the help is easy to get, isn't it?"

I need not repeat all the talk that took place t