are at the bottom of this!"

Railsford vouchsafed no reply but a contemptuous shrug. He was in no
humour to see the joke. Disgust was his one sensation.

"Order, please," said the chairman. "These meetings, if they are to be
of any value, must be conducted without any quarrelling. Mr Bickers,
may we consider this unpleasant affair now at an end?"

"No!" shouted Mr Bickers. "I have been insulted! I don't care by
whom! The matter is _not_ at an end--not till I have received an answer
from this Railsford here to my question! Let him get up like a man and
say he did not attack me like a coward last term, and allow the blame
and suspicion to fall on others; let him even get up and declare that he
does not know anything about the affair. I defy him to do it! He dare
not!"

A silence followed this violent tirade, and everyone turned to
Railsford. He sat, motionless and pale, with his eyes on his accuser.

"Have you anything to say, Mr Railsford, or shall we consider the
matter at an end?"

"I have nothing to say," said the Master of the Shell, sitting, "except
that I refuse to answer these questions."

"Very good! Quite right!" said monsieur, springing to his feet. "When
Meester Beekaire can speak like a gentleman, he--"

Here the chairman interrupted.

"I addressed my question to Mr Railsford," said he. "I can understand
he declines, under present circumstances, to make any reply to these
accusations. But may I suggest it would be most unfortunate if we had
to adjourn this disagreeable question again? (Hear, hear.) I imagine
it can be very easily terminated to-night. We are all ready, I am sure,
to make allowance for a gentleman who is suffering from the irritation
of a practical joke. His questions were undoubtedly offensively put,
and Mr Railsford, as I say, was entitled to refuse to answer them. But
I ask him, in order to close this painful controversy finally, to allow
me as chairman of this meeting, to repeat those questions myself, so
that he may have an opportunity, as no doubt he desires, of formally
placing on record his denial of the charges which have been brought
against him."

Railsford gasped inwardly. The long-expected blow was coming, and he
felt it was no use to run from it any longer.

"The questions resolve themselves to two. First. Is there any
foundation for the charge that you committed or in any way participated
in the assault on Mr Bickers last term? And second, Is