“Anyway,” said Terence, turning and speaking under his breath, “it’ll show what he’s made of. We’ll see how he tackles it. If we find Coles is giving him too thick a time we’ll get him swopped with somebody else.” “Yes,” said Rouse, “and also hit Coles sharply in the eye, a practice I delight in.” He turned. A knock had come upon the door, and it was swinging with stately dignity upon its hinges. In turn each boy rose to his feet and looked towards it suspiciously. Slowly, and at last, Toby Nicholson appeared upon the threshold. He looked round the assembled company with an air of relief. Next he saw Bobbie Carr, and wondered why he was sitting so oddly still and looking so scared. Then his wandering eyes discovered Rouse and settled upon him gravely. Lastly he moved forward. “Have you seen the new Head? He hasn’t been in here, has he?” Terence shook his head, but Rouse took a pace forward and slapped his thigh several times with the palm of his hand. “Now that you remind me of it, sir,” said he delightedly, “I certainly have seen him—and in this house.” He turned to Terence. “In the stress of events,” said he, “I quite forgot to tell you. It was whilst I was carrying the table upstairs for Henry, and my only regret now is that I was not at the time balancing it upon my chin. What happened was this: Compton was following behind with his chairs, and to cheer him upon his way we were singing a sort of part-song together. In reality he was mumbling a ditty and I was singing seconds in a loud clear voice that was fairly making the rafters ring. I had the table in front of my face and naturally I couldn’t see where I was going, but just as I got to the landing the door of Mr Morley’s room opened and a man came out like a shot from a gun—just as if somebody’s boot was behind him. Intent upon my task I went blithely on, and I hit that man immediately in the waistcoat good and hard with the leg of the table. If he was coming to tell me about my singing it must have hurt his sense of pride very considerably, also his sense of pain.” Rouse paused. “I thought—you see,” he explained, “I couldn’t see him properly—and I thought—it was the man who comes to wind up the clocks. So I didn’t apologise. He could see where he was going and I couldn’t. I thought, ‘Let him apologise. It’s up to him to speak first. Why didn’t he look where he was going?’ As a matter of fact he was leaning weakly against the wall, with one hand against his waistcoat and the other against his forehead, watching me stagger by. I took absolutely no notice at all. In point of fact I went by whistling. When I had gone right past Compton slipped up beside me and said: ‘I say, sir, that man you ’it—that man was the new Headmaster. ’E’s lookin’ still, sir.’ I turned round to see. It was quite true. His eyes were like balls of fire.” Terence smiled thoughtfully. “He must have felt rather annoyed.”