"Now, you must be careful," Mr. Purfleet said, "because if it should get out, the consequences might be terrible. Now, then, four of you take the sticks, and all hit together, as hard as you can--now." The sticks descended together. There was a violent writhing and contortion beneath the clothes, but the blows rained down fast and, in a very short time, all movement ceased. "It must be dead, now," Bob Repton said. "I think we can look at it now, sir." "Well, draw the clothes down very gently; boys, and be ready to strike again, if you see the least movement." The clothes were drawn down, till the creature was visible. "It must be a cobra," the usher said, looking at it from a distance. "It is thick and short. It must have escaped from somewhere. Be very careful, all of you." Mason approached cautiously, to get a nearer view; and then exclaimed: "Why, sir, it is an eel!" There was a moment's silence, and then a perfect yell of laughter from the boys. For a moment the usher was dumbfounded, then he rallied. "You will all go to your beds, at once," he said. "I shall report the matter to Mr. Tulloch, in the morning." The boys retired, laughing, to their beds; but above the din the usher heard the words, in a muffled voice: "A man should always be calm, in sudden danger." Another voice, equally disguised, said: "Yes, he should first ask himself 'What is this?' then 'What had best be done, under the circumstances?'" A third voice then took it up: "It follows that a man of courage will deal coolly with the danger." Then there was a chorus of half a dozen voices: "I should despise myself, if I were to act otherwise." "Silence!" the usher shouted, rushing down the line between the beds. "I will thrash the first boy who speaks." As Mr. Purfleet had one of the hockey sticks in his hand, the threat was sufficient to ensure silence. To the relief of the two or three boys engaged in the affair, Mr. Purfleet made no report in the morning. Mr. Tulloch by no means spared the cane, but he always inquired before he flogged and, as the usher felt sure that the snake story would be brought forward, by way of excuse for the trick played upon him, he thought it better to drop it; making a mental note, however, that he would get even with Bob Repton, another time--for he made sure that he was at the bottom of the matter, especially as he had been one of those who had listened to the snake story. Mr. Purfleet was held in but light respect by the boys. He was a pale young man, and looked as if he had been poorly fed, as a boy. He took the junior classes, and the belief was that he knew nothing of Latin.