It was a very unstuffed Manton who was left at the end of this recital, for though he had not told the Head anything palpably false, yet the picture the Head must have drawn of the whole affair was about as erroneous as it could possibly be. He had let the Head assume that the authority of the prefects over the house was complete and satisfactory until the Court of Appeal set itself up, and he had certainly not said that the Court in most cases endorsed their authority, and saw that their orders were obeyed. All this was drawn from him by cool and ruthless questioning. At the end David gave a long whistle. “Well, ’pon my word, you are in a mess,” he said. “I’m not at all sure that I shouldn’t resign my prefectship if I were you before the Head kicked me out. You are the deuce of a hand at _suppressio veri_—ain’t that it, Brother Gregson? Why there isn’t an ounce of truth that you haven’t suppressed. And it’s all as full of _suggestio_—er——” “_Falsi_,” said Bags. “Yes, _suggestio falsi_, as it can stick. The best thing you can do is to go and talk it over with Crossley, and then come back and tell us what you propose to tell the Head. If you don’t make a clean breast of it to him, and let him see that he’s only got a garbled—yes, I said garbled—version of it at present, you may be sure we shall. And when you’ve made up your minds, come back and tell us. Tap at the door first.” The unstuffed Manton rose. “Yes, I’ll do that,” he said. “Er—thanks.” The door closed behind him, and David, who was growing extremely red in the face with _suppressio risus_, turned over and buried his face in the sofa-cushions, kicking wildly in the air. The other learned brethren stifled themselves lest Manton should hear them, and for a few minutes the Court of Appeal writhed in the agonies of silent mirth. “O Lord,” said David at length, “I didn’t know there was such richness in the world! To think that half an hour ago that little squirt thought he had us on toast. Toast’s there all right, but ’tisn’t we who are on it. And now he’s making up another version which is ours, and wanting to know if that’ll satisfy us for him to go to the Head with. O Lord!” “Too much mercy to let him,” said Bags. “Not a bit of it. It’s much more effective if Manton puts our side of it to the Head.” “But what if he doesn’t tell the Head all he says he’s going to?” asked Plugs. “He must. The only way he can save his face is by going to him at once, before Adams can. Oh, there’s toast enough! Besides, when the Head sees us, we can soon tell if Manton’s given him the correct version.” * * * * * David, as President of the Court, was summoned to the Supreme Presence next day. “I’ve been into the question of the Court of Appeal,” said the Head, “and what Manton told me last night puts a different complexion on it from what I had heard before. Of course the court must be dissolved at once, Blaize, you understand that?” “Yes, sir.”