ermined to "die game," if die he
must.

It was a full meeting, but, to everybody's surprise, most of all
Railsford's, Dr Ponsford was not present.

The head-master, as I have said, had the greatest belief in holding
himself aloof from the settlement of any question which could possibly
be settled without him. One might have supposed that the present
question was one which would require his particular handling.
Ultimately it would, no doubt; but meanwhile he would let his
lieutenants sift the various issues raised, and send up to him only the
last point for his adjudication.

Railsford was disappointed, on the whole; for his one wish was to have
the matter settled once for all, and to know the worst before he went to
bed that night.

Mr Roe, and Grover, and one or two more of his friends came forward to
greet him as he entered, as if nothing was about to take place. But he
did not feel actor enough to keep up the farce, and retired to his back
seat at the first opportunity, and waited impatiently for the meeting to
begin.

The usual routine business seemed interminable. The little questions of
procedure and discipline which were brought up and talked over had very
little interest to him, and once, when he found his opinion was being
directly invited on some matter, he had with confusion to admit that he
had not gathered what the question was.

At last Mr Roe said, turning over the agenda paper--

"That disposes of all the ordinary business. The only other matter is a
personal question adjourned from our last meeting."

Whereupon everyone settled himself in his place expectantly. Mr
Bickers rose briskly and made his speech.

"Mr Roe and gentlemen," said he, "I am sorry once again to trouble the
meeting with the affairs of so very unimportant a person as myself, and
I can only repeat what I have said before, and what I have a right to
take credit for, that my only motive in doing so is my clear duty to
Grandcourt, and the removal from a large number of innocent boys of a
stigma under which they at present suffer."

Here someone said, "Hear, hear," and everybody agreed that Mr Bickers
had begun well.

"In February last," continued he, "I was unfortunate enough to meet with
some personal violence while passing the door of an adjoining house in
the dark, I was seized from behind, enveloped in a sack, which was tied
over my head and shoulders, in a manner which both gagged me and
rendered me powerless to mo