rts?"

"Ah, I wish old Brooke were back again. It was all right in his time."

"Why, yes, you see, then the strongest and best fellows were in the
sixth, and the fifth-form fellows were afraid of them, and they kept
good order; but now our sixth-form fellows are too small, and the fifth
don't care for them, and do what they like in the house."

"And so we get a double set of masters," cried Tom indignantly--"the
lawful ones, who are responsible to the Doctor at any rate, and the
unlawful, the tyrants, who are responsible to nobody."

"Down with the tyrants!" cried East; "I'm all for law and order, and
hurrah for a revolution."

"I shouldn't mind if it were only for young Brooke now," said Tom; "he's
such a good-hearted, gentlemanly fellow, and ought to be in the sixth.
I'd do anything for him. But that blackguard Flashman, who never speaks
to one without a kick or an oath--"

"The cowardly brute," broke in East--"how I hate him! And he knows it
too; he knows that you and I think him a coward. What a bore that he's
got a study in this passage! Don't you hear them now at supper in his
den? Brandy-punch going, I'll bet. I wish the Doctor would come out and
catch him. We must change our study as soon as we can."

"Change or no change, I'll never fag for him again," said Tom, thumping
the table.

"Fa-a-a-ag!" sounded along the passage from Flashman's study. The
two boys looked at one another in silence. It had struck nine, so the
regular night-fags had left duty, and they were the nearest to the
supper-party. East sat up, and began to look comical, as he always did
under difficulties.

"Fa-a-a-ag!" again. No answer.

"Here, Brown! East! you cursed young skulks," roared out Flashman,
coming to his open door; "I know you're in; no shirking."

Tom stole to their door, and drew the bolts as noiselessly as he could;
East blew out the candle.

"Barricade the first," whispered he. "Now, Tom, mind, no surrender."

"Trust me for that," said Tom between his teeth.

In another minute they heard the supper-party turn out and come down the
passage to their door. They held their breaths, and heard whispering, of
which they only made out Flashman's words, "I know the young brutes are
in."

Then came summonses to open, which being unanswered, the assault
commenced. Luckily the door was a good strong oak one, and resisted the
united weight of Flashman's party. A pause followed, and they heard a
besieger remark, "They're in