n indignant voices.

"Mr. Appleby. The Honorable George Appleby. But you ought to know him.
He's an Etonian."

Several Etonians admitted they knew him, and the Wykehamists present
seized the occasion to point out the impossibility of such manners
belonging to any other school.

"He's a friend of yours, then?" said Venner to Lonsdale.

"Good lord, no, Venner!" declared Lonsdale.

"He seemed on very familiar terms with you," Venner chuckled wickedly.

Lonsdale thought very hard for two long exasperated moments and then
announced with conviction that Appleby must be ragged, severely ragged
this very night.

"Now don't go making a great noise," Venner advised. "The dons don't
like it, and the Dean won't be in a very good temper after that
potato-throwing in hall."

"He must be ragged, Venner," persisted Lonsdale inexorably. "There need
be no noise, but I'm hanged if I'm going to have my cigarette taken out
of my hand and used by a damned fresher. Who's coming with me to rag
this man Appleby?"

The third-year men seemed to think the correction beneath their dignity,
and the duty devolved naturally upon the second-year men.

"I can't come," said Avery. "The O.L.G.'s coming out to-morrow."

"Look here, Mossy, if you say another word about your rotten paper, I
won't buy a copy," Lonsdale vowed.

Michael offered to go with Lonsdale and at any rate assist as a
spectator. He was anxious to compare the behavior of Smithers with the
behavior of Appleby in like circumstances. Grainger offered to come if
Lonny would promise to fight sixteen rounds without gloves, and in the
end he, with Lonsdale, Michael, Cuffe, Sinclair, and three or four
others, marched up to Appleby's rooms.

Lonsdale knocked upon the door, and as he opened it assumed what he
probably supposed to be an expression of ferocity, though he was told
afterward he had merely looked rather more funny than usual.

"Oh, hullo, Lonsdale," said Appleby, as the party entered. "Come in and
have a smoke. How's your governor?"

Lonsdale seemed to choke for breath a moment, and then sat down in a
chair so deep that for the person once plunged into its recesses an
offensive movement must have been extremely difficult.

"Come in, you chaps," Appleby pursued in hospitable serenity. "I don't
know any of your names, but take pews, take pews. Venner hasn't sent up
the cigars I ordered."

"We know," interrupted Lonsdale severely.

"But I've some pretty decent weeds