`Hullo! Where are you chaps going?'

A bend of the lane brought them face to face with Tulke, senior prefect of King's house -- a smallish, white-haired boy, of the type that must be promoted on account of its intellect, and ever afterwards appeals to the Head to support its authority when zeal has outrun discretion.

The three took no sort of notice. They were on lawful pass. Tulke repeated his question hotly, for he had suffered many slights from Number Five study, and fancied that he had at last caught them tripping.

`What the devil is that to you?' Stalky replied, with his sweetest smile.

`Look here, I'm not goin' -- I'm not goin' to be sworn at by the Fifth!' sputtered Tulke.

`Then cut along and call a prefects' meeting,' said M`Turk, knowing Tulke's weakness.

The prefect became inarticulate with rage.

`Mustn't yell at the Fifth that way,' said Stalky. `It's vile bad form.'

`Cough it up, ducky!' M`Turk said calmly.

`I -- I want to know what you chaps are doing out of bounds?' This with an important flourish of his ground- ash.

`Ah!' said Stalky. `Now we're gettin' at it. Why didn't you ask that before?'

`Well, I ask it now. What are you doing?'

`We're admiring you, Tulke,' said Stalky. `We think you're no end of a fine chap, don't we?'

`We do! We do!' A dog-cart with some girls in it swept round the corner, and Stalky promptly kneeled before Tulke in the attitude of prayer; so Tulke turned a colour.

`I've reason to believe --' he began.

`Oyez! Oyez! Oyez!' shouted Beetle, after the manner of Bideford's town-crier, `Tulke has reason to believe! Three cheers for Tulke!'

They were given. `It's all our giddy admiration,' said Stalky. `You know how we love you, Tulke. We love you so much we think you ought to go home and die. You're too good to live, Tulke.'

`Yes,' said M`Turk. `Do oblige us by dyin'. Think how lovely you'd look stuffed!'

Tulke swept up the road with an unpleasant glare in his eye.

`That means a prefects' meeting -- sure pop,' said Stalky. `Honour of the Sixth involved, and all the rest of it. Tulke 'll write notes all this afternoon, and Carson will call us up after tea. They daren't overlook that.'

`Bet you a bob he follows us!' said M`Turk. `He's King's pet, and it's scalps to both of 'em if we're caught out. We must be virtuous.'

`Then I move we go to Mother Yeo's for a last gorge. We owe her about ten bob, and Mary 'll weep sore when she knows we're leaving,' said Beetle.

`She gave me an awful wipe on the head last time -- Mary,' said Stalky.

`She does if you don't duck,' said M`Turk. `But she generally kisses one back. Let's try Mother Yeo.'