There was no need for this precaution; their door remained unsuspected, and in five minutes the coast was clear. Creeping into the house again, they whistled, and Billy coming in, told them that the masters had gone, and all was safe. "Glad ye're not twigged, gen'lemen," he said; "but there'll be a pretty sight of damage for all this glass and plates." "Shut up with your glass and plates," said Wildney. "Here, Eric, we must cut for it again." It was the dusk of a winter evening when they got out from the close room into the open-air, and they had to consider which way they would choose to avoid discovery. They happened to choose the wrong, but escaped by dint of hard running, and Wildney's old short cut. As they ran they passed several boys (who, having been caught, were walking home leisurely), and managed to get back undiscovered, when they both answered their names quite innocently at the roll-call, immediately after lock-up. "What lucky dogs you are to get off," said many boys to them. "Yes; it's precious lucky for me," said Wildney. "If I'd been caught at this kind of thing a second time, I should have got something worse than a swishing." "Well it's all through you I escaped," said Eric, "you knowing little scamp." "I'm glad of it, Eric," said Wildney, in his fascinating way, "since it was all through me you went. It's rather too hazardous though; we must manage better another time." During tea-time Eric was silent, as he felt pretty sure that none of the sixth-form or other study-boys would particularly sympathise with his late associates. Since the previous evening he had been cool with Duncan, and the rest had long rather despised him as a boy who'd do anything to be popular; so he sat there silent, looking as disdainful as he could, and not touching the tea, for which he felt disinclined after the recent potations. But the contemptuous exterior hid a self-reproving heart, and he felt how far more worthy Owen and Montagu were than he. How gladly would he have changed places with them; how much he would have given to recover some of their forfeited esteem. The master on duty was Mr Rose, and after tea he left the room for a few minutes while the tables were cleared for "preparation," and the boys were getting out their books and exercises. All the study and classroom boys were expected to go away during this interval; but Eric, not noticing Mr Rose's entrance, sat gossiping with Wildney about the dinner and its possible consequences to the school. He was sitting on the desk carelessly, with one leg over the other, and bending down towards Wildney. He had just told him that he looked like a regular little sunbeam in the smoking-room of "The Jolly Herring," and Wildney was pretending to be immensely offended by the simile.