"As a matter of fact," said Fenn, "they did try it on earlier in the term. I wasted a lot of valuable time pointing out to them with a swagger-stick--that I was the wrong person to come to. I'm sorry you should have thought I could play it as low down as that." Kennedy hesitated. It is not very pleasant to have to climb down after starting a conversation in a stormy and wrathful vein. But it had to be done. "I'm sorry, Fenn," he said; "I was an idiot." Jimmy Silver cut in again. "You were," he said, with enthusiasm. "You both were. I used to think Fenn was a bigger idiot than you, but now I'm inclined to call it a dead heat. What's the good of going on trying to see which of you can make the bigger fool of himself? You've both lowered all previous records." "I suppose we have," said Fenn. "At least, I have." "No, I have," said Kennedy. "You both have," said Jimmy Silver. "Another cup of tea, anybody? Say when." Fenn and Kennedy walked back to Kay's together, and tea-d together in Fenn's study on the following afternoon, to the amazement--and even scandal--of Master Spencer, who discovered them at it. Spencer liked excitement; and with the two leaders of the house at logger-heads, things could never be really dull. If, as appearances seemed to suggest, they had agreed to settle their differences, life would become monotonous again--possibly even unpleasant. This thought flashed through Spencer's brain (as he called it) when he opened Fenn's door and found him helping Kennedy to tea. "Oh, the headmaster wants to see you, please, Fenn," said Spencer, recovering from his amazement, "and told me to give you this." "This" was a prefect's cap. Fenn recognised it without difficulty. It was the cap he had left in the sitting-room of the house in the High Street. XXI IN WHICH AN EPISODE IS CLOSED "Thanks," said Fenn.