"Well, Sheen," said Mr Spence, "here you are. I hope I haven't kept you waiting. What a morning! You've got the court, I hope?" "Yes, sir," said Sheen. He wondered if the master had seen the little episode which had taken place immediately before his arrival. Then he remembered that it had happened inside the court. It must have been over by the time Mr Spence had come upon the scene. "Are you waiting for somebody, Attell?" asked Mr Spence. "Stanning? He will be here directly. I passed him on the way." Attell left the court, and they began their game. "You've hurt your eye, Sheen," said Mr Spence, at the end of the first game. "How did that happen?" "Boxing, sir," said Sheen. "Oh," replied Mr Spence, and to Sheen's relief he did not pursue his inquiries. Attell had wandered out across the gravel to meet Stanning. "Got that court?" inquired Stanning. "No." "You idiot, why on earth didn't you? It's the only court worth playing in. Who's got it?" "Sheen." "Sheen!" Stanning stopped dead. "Do you mean to say you let a fool like Sheen take it from you! Why didn't you turn him out?" "I couldn't," said Attell. "I was just going to when Spence came up. He's playing Sheen this morning. I couldn't very well bag the court when a master wanted it." "I suppose not," said Stanning. "What did Sheen say when you told him you wanted the court?" This was getting near a phase of the subject which Attell was not eager to discuss. "Oh, he didn't say much," he said. "Did you do anything?" persisted Stanning. Attell suddenly remembered having noticed that Sheen was wearing a black eye. This was obviously a thing to be turned to account. "I hit him in the eye," he said. "I'll bet it's coloured by school-time." And sure enough, when school-tune arrived, there was Sheen with his face in the condition described, and Stanning hastened to spread abroad this sequel to the story of Sheen's failings in the town battle. By the end of preparation it had got about the school that Sheen had cheeked Attell, that Attell had hit Sheen, and that Sheen had been afraid to hit him back. At the precise moment when Sheen was in the middle of a warm two-minute round with Francis at the "Blue Boar," an indignation meeting was being held in the senior day-room at Seymour's to discuss this latest disgrace to the house.