Coles stared at Carr for a few moments thoughtfully, then he moved to his chair and, sitting down, planted his feet upon the table. “Well?” said he. “I suppose you’ve come to report?” “I thought I’d see if you wanted anything.” “There is something I don’t want,” said Coles, “and that’s your friends. I take a pride in my fag. I never expect to have to call for you twice, and when I do call for you I don’t want all the riff-raff of the school trotting in behind you like the tail of a crocodile. If you’re palling up with that fellow Hope you’d better drop him. He makes me feel ill. Whenever I see that fellow I want to stamp him into the carpet, and if I see you about together it’ll make me angry with you, and then you won’t be happy.” Carr said nothing at all. He just looked at him straightly. “Do you know,” asked Coles, “why you’ve been made my fag?” “No,” said Bobbie. “It’s because I asked for you. And do you know why I asked for you?” “No.” “It’s because I’m said to be rather a difficult man to fag for. Young fellows like you get a bit tired of me. I want a good deal done and I expect my fag to be absolutely trustworthy. If I tell you a thing in confidence and I find you split, I simply hit you on the top of the head with a book, and your head sings for twenty-four hours. I’ve an idea, though, that I shan’t need to hit you much. That’s why I managed to get you allotted to me. I think you’ll quite like to fag for me—you’ll know that if ever you get to know a secret of mine I’ve got a secret of yours, and that’ll keep you quiet, won’t it?” “How do you mean?” “Well, you’re ashamed of your father, aren’t you?” “Ashamed of him?” said Bobbie hotly. “No, I’m not.” “But you say that you don’t want anyone here to know how he makes his living.” “I promised I wouldn’t say, that’s all. There’s a reason.” “Precisely,” answered Coles. “And I’m the only one that knows.” He made an expressive gesture. “You see what I mean?” “I suppose you mean you’ll tell.” “I mean that that would be less trouble than hitting you on the head with a book and considerably more effective.” Bobbie’s face was expressionless. “That threat,” said Coles frankly, “starts from to-day. Now we understand one another.” He looked at the boy fixedly. “You can go,” said he. “You come in and see me to-morrow in the luncheon hour.” * * * * * “Well,” said Henry, when Bobbie bumped into him standing proudly round a corner of the corridor, “what did he say?” Bobbie shrugged his shoulders. “Nothing much. I’ve got to go and see him again to-morrow.” Henry appeared to be deep in thought. At last he lifted his head and looked at Bobbie pertly over the tops of his spectacles. “Did you notice him try to kick me?” Bobbie’s behaviour was straightway that of a perfect gentleman. He glanced at Henry politely. “Yes,” he answered. “He didn’t get you, did he?”