d shared the opinion of his distinguished
pupil, that the doctor had let the house off easily. But two minutes'
reflection sufficed to undeceive him. The house was to dine daily at
one o'clock in Railsford's. That meant that they were to be cut off
from all association with the rest of the school out of school hours,
and that just when all the rest turned out into the playing-fields they
were to sit down at their disgraced board. The half-holiday regulation
was still worse. For that meant nothing short of the compulsory
retirement of his boys from all the clubs, and, as far as athletics
went, their total exclusion from every match or contest open to the
whole school.

The house was slower at taking in the situation of affairs than the
master. With the exception of Ainger, on whom the full significance of
the doctor's sentence had flashed from the first, there was a general
feeling of surprise that so big a "row" should be followed by so
insignificant a retribution.

"Who cares what time we have dinner," said Munger to some of his
admirers, "as long as we get it after all? Now if old Punch (this was
an irreverent corruption of the head-master's name current in certain
sets at Grandcourt)--if old Punch had stopped our grub one day a week--"

"Besides," broke in another, "we'll get things hotter than when we dined
in hall."

"A precious sight hotter," said Arthur, wrathfully. "What are we to do
at beagle-time to-morrow? Just when the hounds start we've got to turn
in to dinner. Bah!"

This was the first practical illustration of the inconvenience of the
new _regime_, and it instantly suggested others.

"We'll be stumped," said Tilbury, "if this goes on after cricket
starts--it'll be all up with any of us getting into one of the School
matches."

"I suppose," said Ranger of the Fifth, "this will knock all of us out of
the sports, too?"

Fellows looked blank at the suggestion. Yet a moment's reflection
showed that Ranger was right. One o'clock was the daily training hour
in the playing-fields, and Saturday afternoon four weeks hence was the
date fixed for the School sports.

It took some days for Railsford's house to accommodate itself to the new
order of things imposed upon it. Indeed, it took twenty-four hours for
Grandcourt generally to comprehend the calamity which had befallen the
disgraced house. When one o'clock arrived on the first afternoon, and
neither Ainger, Wake, Wignet, Tilbury, Herapa