`What about Abana and Pharpar, Padre--Harrison and Craye? They are Mr. Prout's pets,' said M`Turk a little bitterly. `We aren't even sub-prefects.'

`I've considered that, but, on the other hand, since most bullying is mere thoughtlessness--'

`Not one little bit of it, Padre,' said M`Turk. `Bullies like bullyin'. They mean it. They think it up in lesson and practise it in the quarters.'

`Never mind. If the thing goes up to the prefects it may make another house-row. You've had one already. Don't laugh. Listen to me. I ask you--my own Tenth Legion--to take the thing up quietly. I want little Clewer made fairly clean and decent--'

`Blowed if I wash him!' whispered Stalky.

`Decent and self-respecting. As for the other boy, whoever he is, you can use your influence'--a purely secular light flickered in the chaplain's eye--`in any way you please to--to dissuade him. That's all. I'll leave it to you. Good-night, mes enfants.'

`Well, what are we goin' to do?' Number Five stared at each other.

`Young Clewer would give his eyes for a place to be quiet in. I know that,' said Beetle. `If we made him a study-fag, eh?'

`No!' said M`Turk firmly. `He's a dirty little brute, and he'd mess up everything. Besides, we ain't goin' to have any beastly Erickin'. D'you want to walk about with your arm round his neck?'

`He'd clean out the jam-pots, anyhow; an' the burnt-porridge saucepan--it's filthy now.'

`Not good enough,' said Stalky, bringing up both heels with a crash on the table. `If we find the merry jester who's been bullyin' him an' make him happy, that'll be all right. Why didn't we spot him when we were in the form-rooms, though?'

`Maybe a lot of fags have made a dead set at Clewer. They do that sometimes.'

`Then we'll have to kick the whole of the lower school in our house--on spec. Come on,' said M`Turk.

`Keep your hair on! We mustn't make a fuss about the biznai. Whoever, it is, he's kept quiet or we'd have seen him,' said Stalky. `We'll walk round and sniff about till we're sure.'

They drew the house form-rooms, accounting for every junior and senior against whom they had suspicions-- investigated, at Beetle's suggestion, the lavatories and box-rooms, but without result. Everybody seemed to be present save Clewer.

`Rum!' said Stalky, pausing outside a study door. `Golly!'

A thin piping mixed with tears came muffled through the panels.

`As beautiful Kitty one morning was tripping--'

`Louder, you young devil, or I'll buzz a book at you!'

With a pitcher of milk--

Oh, Campbell, please don't!

To the fair of--'