ely refreshed himself, oblivious
apparently to the lady's threat and forgetting her presence.

'Do you hear me, Joel Ham?' Mrs. Ben Steven beat heavily on the desk with
the palm of her large hand. 'I'll whack him myself.'

'Certainly, ma'am, certainly--if you can catch him.'

Dick accepted this as a kindly hint and dived under a couple of desks as
Mrs. Steven rushed his place. The chase was obviously useless from the
first; the woman had not a possible chance of catching Dick amongst the
forms, but she tried while her breath lasted, rushing in and out amongst
the classes, knocking a child over here and there, boxing the ears of
others when they got in her way, and creating confusion and unbounded
delight everywhere. The children were overjoyed, but Gable was much
concerned for Dick, and stood up in his place ejaculating 'Crickey!'in a
loud voice and following the hunt with frightened eyes.

Meanwhile Joel Ham, B.A., sat at his desk, contemplating the roof with
profound interest, and taking a casual mechanical pull at his bottle.
Joel was in a peculiar position: he was selected by the people of Waddy
and paid by them, and had to defer to their wishes to some extent; and,
besides, Mrs. Ben Steven was a large, powerful, indignant woman, and he a
small, slim man.

Mrs. Steven stood in front of the classes until she had recovered
sufficient breath to start a fierce tirade; then, one hand on her hip and
the other out-thrown, she thundered abuse at Richard Haddon and all his
belongings. The master bore this for two or three minutes; then he slid
from his stool, seized his longest cane, and thrashing the desk--his
usual demand for order--he faced Mrs. Ben and, pointing to the door,
cried:

'Out!'

The woman backed away a step and regarded him with some amazement. He was
not a bit like the everyday Joel Ham, but quite imperious and fierce.

'Out!' he said, and the long cane whistled threateningly around and over
her.

She backed away a few steps more; Joel followed her up, cutting all
around her with the lightning play of an expert swordsman, just missing
by the fraction of an inch, and showing a face that quite subdued the
virago. Mrs. Steven backed to the door.

'Out!' thundered Ham, and she fled, banging the door between her and the
dangerous cane.

'Oh crickey!' cried Gable in a high squeak that set the whole school
laughing boisterously.

Mrs. Ben Steven reappeared at one of the windows, and threatened terrib