"Yes, Flip; but they've evidently been fighting quite long enough to be good for them. You're a monitor--couldn't you see if they ought not to be separated, and shake hands?" "Hallo, stop, you two," said Henderson, pushing his way into the crowd. "What's all this about? let's see that it's all right." "It's a fair fight," said several; "you've no right to stop it." "I won't stop it unless there's good reason, though I think it's gone on long enough. What began it?" "No-thank-you charged Penn with--" "Who is No-thank-you?" asked Whalley. "Young Evson, then," said Mackworth sulkily, "charged Penn with bagging a scent-bottle from the old woman's basket, and then he was impudent, so Wilton was going to pitch into him." "And couldn't manage it, apparently," said Whalley; "come, you two, shake hands now." Charlie, after a moment's hesitation, frankly held out his hand; but Wilton said, "He'd no right to accuse a Noelite falsely as he did." "It wasn't falsely," said Charlie; "I saw him take it, and a horrid shame it was." "Is one of your bottles missing, Mrs Hart?" asked Whalley. "Yes, sir; but now young Master Evson has paid for it, and I don't want no more fighting about it, sir, please." "Well, my good woman, there's something for you," said Henderson, giving her a shilling; "and I hope nobody will treat you so badly again; you'd better go now. And now, Penn, if you didn't take the bottle, of course you won't mind being searched?" "Of course I _shall_," said Penn, edging uneasily away to try if possible to get rid of the unlucky bottle, which now felt as if it burned his pocket. "Stay, my friend," said Whalley, collaring him; "no shuffling away, if you please." "What the devil is your right to search me?" said Penn, struggling in vain under Whalley's grasp; "don't you fellows let him search me." The attention of all was now fairly diverted from the fight, which, therefore, remained undecided; while the boys, especially the Noelites, formed an angry group round Henderson and Whalley, to prevent them, if possible, from any attempt to search Penn. Meanwhile, seeing that something was going on, other boys came flocking up until a large number of the school were assembled there, while Whalley still kept tight hold of Penn, and Henderson watched that he should play no tricks; the Noelites meantime exclaiming very loudly against the supposed infringement of their abstract rights. Kenrick was one of those who had now come up; and as several fellows entreated him to stick up for his own house, and not to let Penn be searched, he worked himself into a passion, and pushing into the circle, said loudly, "You've no right to search him; you shan't do it." "Here's the head of the school, he shall decide," said Henderson, as Power and Walter approached. "State your own case, Kenrick." "Well, the case simply is, that a scent-bottle has been taken from Mrs Hart; and Penn doesn't see--nor do I--why he should be searched."