"Who is not present, and may therefore be called names with safety," said Ranger. "Shut up, Ranger, there's a good fellow," said the captain. "And Dangle had a right to object," continued Clapperton. "He had no right to play into the hands of the other side," said Yorke. "How do you know I did?" said Dangle. "Do you mean to say you didn't?" said Yorke. "I didn't come here to be catechised by you. Are you going to put Clapperton and me in the fifteen or not? That's what we came to know." "No--certainly not," said the captain; "and as that's all, you may as well go." "Very well," sneered Clapperton, who was in a high temper, "you'll be sorry for it. Come on, Dangle." "There's only one thing to be done now," said he, when they had got back to their own side; "we must none of us play. That will bring them to reason." Brinkman approved of the idea. "There's more sense in that," said he, "than you two sticking out. That will reduce the team to a Classic fifteen, and if they get licked it won't matter." "There's no possible chance of their making up a fifteen without us?" asked Dangle. "None at all. They haven't the men," said Clapperton, brightening up. "The fact is, we have them at our mercy; and if they want us to play again they'll have to ask us properly." "Meanwhile Fellsgarth will get on splendidly," said Fullerton. "Shut up. Don't you see it will be all the better for everybody in the long run?" "I can't say I do at present. It may come by and by--" "We must see that everybody backs up in this," said Brinkman. "One traitor would spoil everything." "That's what Yorke said on Saturday, wasn't it?" asked Fullerton innocently, "At least, he said two traitors. Yorke will not see that what's right for one fellow is naughty for another." "Look here, Fullerton," said Clapperton, who was sensitive enough to feel the sting of all this, "you don't suppose we're doing this for fun, do you? Will you promise not to play on Saturday, even if you are asked?" "What if I don't?" said Fullerton. "You won't find it particularly comfortable on this side of the School, that's all," said Brinkman. Fullerton meditated and turned the matter over. "I think on the whole," said he, mimicking Clapperton, "that as this is for the highest good of the School, and as everybody is to be all the better in the long run, and as we're all going to be noble and sacrifice ourselves together, you may put me down as not playing on Saturday. _Dulce et decorum est pro patria_--I beg pardon, I'm not on the Classic side yet." The other players named on the list consented more or less reluctantly to follow the same example. After morning school, therefore, when the fellows looked at the notice board, they saw, to their bewilderment, the names of the four Modern fellows struck out and the following note appended to the captain's list-- "Notice.