They were persuading him to dance. I tried to seize Lambert, while Ward went for Webb; but as I did so they suddenly released their man, and instead of grabbing Lambert I got my arm entangled in the Subby's. I let it go quickly, but he recognized me, and said something about a disgraceful occurrence. It would have been giving Lambert and Webb away to tell him that I was acting the part of rescuer, so I stood looking at him, while Ward drove the other two men out of the quadrangle. As he did not say anything I expressed a hope that he was not hurt, but it was more from a wish to prove myself sober than from any anxiety as to his condition that I made the remark. I thought he understood this, for he neither answered nor wished me good-night when he went back to his staircase. I was afraid he had been considerably jolted and was not quite himself. I turned round after watching him out of sight, and found Murray standing by my side. "You had better come to bed," he said, and his tone suggested that I was incapable of looking after myself, so I told him that I was as sober as a judge. "I waited up for you," he said. "To see if you could be of any use, I suppose," I asked ungraciously. "And when Lambert and Webb began to shout the back quad down, I came out to see what had happened. What were you talking to the Subby about?" "Our arms got interlocked," I replied, as we walked over to our staircase. "The fact is the Subby ought to go to bed in decent time." "He could hardly be expected to sleep with a wine going on in the rooms below him." "I forgot all about that." "And so apparently did everybody else who was there, though I should have thought the scout would have warned Collier." "Dennison managed the whole thing, I said, and you can thank your stars you can go to bed without the prospect of a row and a thundering headache." Then I went into my room and sported my oak, for the rumblings of Lambert and Webb could still be heard in the quadrangle. CHAPTER VI JACK WARD AND DENNISON