David was seated between his two learned brothers, just as if a regular Court was going on. “Oh, we know about Jevons,” he said. “We can leave Jevons out.” “Waive!” said Plugs formally. “Yes, we can waive Jevons,” said David, “as my learned brother suggests——” Manton gave a little cackle of laughter. “I shouldn’t wonder if you had to waive everything,” he observed pleasantly. “Oh, we’re not going to waive you just yet, if you count for anything,” retorted David. “But perhaps you don’t count for much.” Bags suddenly laughed in a hoarse manner. “I beg pardon, brother Blaize,” he said. “Right oh, brother Crabtree, but just contain yourself. Well, Manton, you’ve been to the Head with your version, and next we go to the Head with ours. We can make it pretty sultry for you if we choose, and we shouldn’t mind doing it a bit. But it all depends on what you have told the Head. That’s what we should like to know.” Manton still felt in a very superior position. All he had told the Head was quite true, namely, that these three fifth-form boys put themselves in a position above the prefects, so that any order or punishment by the two sixth-form boys in the house could be appealed against, and if they thought proper could be reversed. The Head had been extremely grave about it, and at present there was no doubt in Manton’s mind that he was going to uphold the authority of the prefects in a summary manner, and probably make it very hot for those who had set themselves above it. He felt quite secure and comfortable, and smiled in rather a lofty manner. “I dare say the Head will tell you as much of what I said as he thinks good for you,” he observed. “But I really don’t see why I should. You see he takes the view that prefects are not to be dictated to by two or three members of the fifth form. Bad precedent, you know; it might lead to a couple of fellows out of the fourth form dictating to you. Jevons and a friend might make a super-Court of Appeal. Rather funny that would be.” David passed the ghost of a wink to Gregson. He wanted to draw Manton on a little further, before he unmasked his batteries. It required some control to assume an attitude of humility, when delicious sentences were beginning to seethe in his brain. But it was heavenly to see Manton’s malicious little eyes beaming at him through his spectacles, and notice what an awful scug he looked with his hair, rather long behind, lying outside his collar. He gave a sigh. “I say, I’m afraid we’re in for it,” he said disconsolately. Manton let his mouth expand into an odious smile. “Yes, I should say you were,” he observed. “You see the Head’s view is that the authority of prefects is an institution which has his support, and he doesn’t quite see why it should be taken away by three fellows in the fifth. He asked me all sorts of questions, and so I had to give him a pretty full account. I should make a clean breast of it, I think, if I were you.”