That Fellsgarth should have got itself into a regular mess during their enforced retirement caused them no surprise. What else could any one expect? But that any one should dare to suspect and make things hot for a fellow without consulting _them_, caused them both pain and astonishment. It quite slipped their memories that not long since some of them had been glad enough to listen to disparaging talk about the School hermit. That was a detail. On the whole they had stuck to him, and they meant to stick to him now! Many things were in his favour. He had won a goal for the School. He had dispensed with his right to a fag, and had let the juniors of all grades generally alone. He was on nodding terms with Fisher minor, one of their lot. He had come up Hawk's Pike at much personal inconvenience to look for them. And he had been a customer to the extent of six Abernethys at the School shop. For all these reasons (which were quite apart from party considerations) it was decided _nem. con_. that Rollitt was a "good old sort" and must be stuck by. Whereupon the nine of them sallied out arm in arm across the Green, on the look-out for some one who might hold a contrary opinion. After some search they found a Modern middle-boy, who, catching sight of Fisher minor, shouted, "How now! Who nobbled the Club money?" which made Fisher minor suddenly detach himself from his company, and shouting, "That's him!" start in pursuit. What a bull-dog it was getting, to be sure! The whole party joined in the hue-and-cry, and might have run the fugitive down, had not the head-master stalked across the Green at that moment on his way to Mr Wakefield's. At sight of him they pulled up short, looked unutterably amiable, doffed their caps, and made as though they were merely out to take the air on this beautiful November afternoon. To Fisher minor the interruption was a sad one. That fellow was the borrower of his half-crown; for weeks he had lost sight of him. Now, suddenly, chance had seemed to bring both man and money within reach, when, alas! the Harpy swooped down and took off the prize from under his very nose. The doctor having passed, they continued their search for any one who had a bad word to say for Rollitt. But as it was nearly dark, and rain was falling, the craven maligners kept indoors, and would not be caught. So the juniors relieved themselves by giving three cheers for Rollitt under every window round the Green, and then fell to abusing Fisher minor because his brother, Fisher major, had lost the money which Rollitt was said to have stolen. "There's no doubt that kid's at the bottom of it," said Percy. "First of all, he's a Classic cad." Here the speaker was obliged to pause, on a friendly admonition from the boot of his brother Wally. "He's a Classic kid," continued he. "You said cad." "I said cad? do you hear that, you chaps? Thinks I don't know how to spell." "You said he was a Classic cad."