Joe is such an ass. Detect
in a moment if any one used the English! Faugh! As if any one in this
form had ever done anything else?"

It may be thought that by reason of his own delinquencies Haviland's
authority as a prefect would have been partially if not entirely
undermined, yet such was not the case, for under the school code they
were justified, whereas the terrible crime of "sneaking" was as much the
one unpardonable sin at Saint Kirwin's as elsewhere. And in the
enforcement of that authority he was pitiless, hence his unpopularity--
but it answered--and whether he presided over preparation, or in the
dormitory, or elsewhere, order reigned. The spirits of misrule were
laid.

Once indeed an offender thought to round on him. He had unearthed a
smoking case, and the use of tobacco was of course a capital offence.
One of the offenders--three biggish fellows by the way--had said
meaningly:

"If you do anything in this, Haviland, we can hand you up. We saw you
in Needham's Copse only last week, and other places besides."

"All right, Starford. You must go before the next prefects' council,
all three of you. This'll mean a licking I'm afraid, but you'll have an
appeal to the Doctor. You can give me away then if you think it'll do
yourselves any good, but I believe you know Nick better than that."

He was right, except that the headmaster took the matter out of the
prefectorial hands and soundly flogged the culprits himself. But no
word did these utter with regard to any delinquency on the part of him
who was instrumental in bringing them to justice.

Meanwhile the Zulu boy, Anthony, otherwise Mpukuza, was not finding life
at Saint Kirwin's exactly a bed of roses, the more so that Jarnley and a
few other choice spirits were making it their especial business that he
should not. Deprived of the protection of his first and accidental
defender, he was very much at their mercy. Haviland was gated, and
would so remain for some days to come, and so long as they could catch
their victim outside, this rough element promised itself plenty of fun.
There was no fear of the victim himself giving it away, for although
complaining to a prefect was immeasurably less heinous than complaining
to a master, still it was not held justifiable except in very extreme
cases.

"Come down and have a bathe with us, Snowball," cried Jarnley, catching
sight of his intended victim, while proceeding with a group of his
followers to