"Whatever will you do?" Fisher major laughed. "I shan't steal it, if that's any comfort to you; and I shan't cook the accounts." "I say, I wonder if Rollitt could lend it you. He must have some money, for he paid for Widow Wisdom's new boat, you know." "I heard of that. I wish I saw my way to paying my debts as well as he did." "I say, shall I ask him?" "Certainly not. The best thing you can do is to shut up." Fisher minor felt very grateful to his brother for not thrashing him, and went in to afternoon school meekly, though out of spirits. "Well," said D'Arcy, as he took his place, "what's the latest? Who are you going to get into a mess now! Has Yorke been swindling anybody lately, or Ranger been getting tight! You're bound to have some story about somebody." "I didn't mean-- It's not wicked to lose money," pleaded Fisher minor. "I never thought--" "That's just it," said Wally. "You couldn't if you tried. Dangle will make a nice thing out of it, thanks to you. Classic treasurer been and collared Modern boys' money--that sort of thing--and they'll kick him out and stick in one of their own lot, and call it triumph of honesty. Oh, you beauty; you _can_ do things nicely when you try?" "I wish I'd never come up here at all," moaned Fisher minor. "Humph. That would have been a bad go for Fellsgarth," said D'Arcy. "Shut up--Forder's looking. If we're lagged we shan't get in to the meeting." The dreaded misadventure did not occur; and punctually at the hour our four young gentlemen trooped into Hall. Everything was very quiet there. The place was only half full. The Classics had turned up in force, but the mutineering house was so far unrepresented. Presently, however, five juvenile figures might be seen marching arm in arm across the Green, keeping a sharp look-out on every side. Before they arrived in Hall, a solitary figure wearing the Modern colours had made his way up to the seniors' end. It was Corder, looking very limp and haggard, and with a savage flash of the eyes which told how ill "Coventry" was agreeing with his spirits. The cheers, with which he was greeted, due quite as much to his pluck in coming to-day as to his exploit at the match last Saturday, appeared to disconcert rather than please him, and he took a corner seat as far as possible from the Classic seniors present. When, however, Percy and Co. entered the Hall, a much livelier demonstration ensued. Cheers and compliments and pats on the back showered fast on the youthful "blacklegs," and tended greatly to exaggerate in their own eyes the importance of their action. "We shall get jolly well welted for it, you fellows," said Percy, with all the swagger of a popular martyr. "Never mind; we aren't going to be done out of Hall for anybody." "At any rate, they won't hurt _you_ for it," cried Wally, disparaging. "Kids like you won't hurt." "We've come to see you cads don't get it all your own way," said Cash. "That's what we've come for!"