know, I am going to shut up now till I
want to speak again."

"We might get up a petition to the doctor, anyhow," suggested Game,
returning to the subject; "he'd have to take notice of that."

"What will you say in the petition?" asked Porter.

"Oh! easy enough that. Say we don't consider Riddell fit to be captain,
and we'd sooner have some one else."

"Better say we'd sooner have Bloomfield at once," said Wibberly.

"No; please don't mention my name," said Bloomfield.

"Wouldn't the best thing be to send Riddell back with a label,
`Declined, with thanks,' pinned on his coat-tail?" suggested Crossfield.

"Yes; and add, `Try again, Paddy,'" said Coates, laughing.

"And just mention no schoolhouse snobs are wanted," said Tucker.

"And suggest, mildly, that a nice, clever, amiable, high-principled
Welcher like Tom Tucker would be acceptable," added Crossfield.

"Look here," said Tucker, very red in the face, advancing towards his
tormentor, "I've stood your impudence long enough, you cad, and I won't
stand any more."

"Sit down, then," replied Crossfield, cheerfully, "plenty of forms."

"Look here, you fellows," said Bloomfield again, "for goodness' sake
shut up. Have it out afterwards if you like, but don't fight here."

"I don't mind where I have it out," growled Tucker, "but I'll teach him
to cheek me, see if I don't."

So saying, much to the relief of every one, he turned on his heel and
left the room.

After this the discussion again got round to Riddell, and the question
of a petition was revived.

"It would be quite easy to draw something up that would say what we want
to say and not give offence to any one," said Ashley.

"But what do you want to say?" asked Fairbairn. "If you want to tell
the doctor he's wrong, and that we are the people to set him right, I
don't see how you can help offending him."

"That's not what we want to say at all," said Game. "We want to say
that the captain of Willoughby has always been a fellow who was good all
round, and we think the new captain ought to be of the same sort for the
sake of the school."

"Hear, hear," said one or two of Parrett's house; "what could be better
than that?"

"Well," said Porter, "I don't see much difference between saying that
and telling the doctor he doesn't know what he's about."

"Of course _you_ say so--that's your schoolhouse prejudice," replied
Wibberly.

"It's nothing of the sort," said Fairbairn, warmly; "you know tha