During the following twenty-four hours four out of the half-dozen House-prefects gave the required undertaking. The other two, Smallwood and a fellow named Biffin, refused, "on principle," as they said, without explaining what exactly the qualification meant. Speed went promptly to the Head and appealed for authority to degrade them. He found that they had already poured their tale into the Head's receptive ears, and that they had given the Head the impression that he (Speed) in a tactless excess of reforming zeal, had been listening at keyholes and prying around the study-doors at night. The Head, after listening to Speed's indignant protest, replied, suavely: "I think, Mr. Speed"--(Speed's relationship as son-in-law never tempted either of them to any intimacy of address)--"I think you must--um, yes--make some allowance for the--um--the natural inclination of elder boys to--um--to be jealous of privileges. Smoking is, of course, an--um, yes--an offence against school rules, but Mr. Lavery was perhaps--um, yes, perhaps--wise in turning the--um--the blind eye, when the offender was near the top of the school and where the offence was not flagrant. You must remember, Mr. Speed, that Smallwood is eighteen years of age, not so very many years younger than you are yourself. Besides, he is--um, yes, I think so--captain of the First Fifteen, is he not?--and I--um--I assure you--his degradation through you would do you an--um--an incalculable amount of harm in the school. Don't make yourself unpopular, Mr. Speed. I will send a note round the school, prefects--um, yes--included, drawing--um--attention to the school rule against smoking. And I will talk to Smallwood and the other boy--Biffin, isn't he?--um, yes--privately. Privately, you see--a quiet friendly conversation in--um--in private, can achieve wonders." Speed felt that he was being ever so gently snubbed. He left the Head's study in a state of subdued fury, and his temper was not improved when Helen seemed rather thoughtlessly inclined to take Smallwood's side. "Don't get people into trouble, Kenneth," she pleaded. "I don't think you ought to complain to father about them. After all, it isn't frightfully wicked to smoke, is it? and I know they all used to do it in Lavery's time. Why, I've seen them many a time when I've passed the study-windows in the evenings." He stared at her for a few seconds, half indignantly, half incredulously: then, as if on sudden impulse, he smiled and placed his hands on her shoulders and looked searchingly into her eyes. "Soft-hearted little kid!" he exclaimed, laughing a slightly forced laugh. "All the same, I don't think you quite understand my position, dear." "Tell me about it then," she said.