he added, appealing to his colleagues. "Let's see if that doesn't
draw him. If it does, depend upon it there was something in that
tumbler."

Barnworth was right. In less than five minutes Munger appeared, half-
dressed, and decidedly uneasy in his manner.

"What do you want me for?" he demanded, with an attempt at bluster.

"What do you mean by not coming when we sent for you, when you know
perfectly well what you are wanted for?"

"What am I wanted for?" asked Munger, glancing nervously round.

"You know well enough, Munger."

"How do I know, till you tell me?" snarled the boy.

"If he doesn't know," said Barnworth to Ainger, significantly, "we must
do as we proposed. I'll go and get my papers and be ready for you in a
minute."

This meaningless speech had a remarkable effect on Munger. He stared
first at one prefect, then at the other; and when Barnworth rose as if
to leave the room, he said,--

"Wait--don't do that. What is it you want to ask?"

"You know that as well as we do. Are you going to say what you know, or
not?"

"I don't know how you got to know anything about it," began Munger;
"it's a plot against me, and--"

"We don't want all that," said Ainger sternly. "What we want to know
is, did you do it yourself, and if not who else was in it?"

"Of course I couldn't do it myself. _You_ couldn't, strong as you are."

"You helped, then?"

"I had nothing to do with the--the scragging," said Munger. "I--Oh, I
say, Ainger, you aren't going to get me expelled, surely? Do let us off
this time!"

"I'm not the head-master; you'll have to ask him that. Your only chance
is to make a clean breast of it at once. What was it you did?"

"I only opened the door of the boot-box, and helped drag him in. I had
nothing to do with the scragging. Branscombe did all that himself, and
Clipstone hung to his legs."

It needed all the self-control of the three prefects to refrain from an
exclamation of astonishment at this wonderful disclosure.

"Are you telling the truth?" demanded Ainger.

"I am--I swear it--I never even knew what they meant to do till an hour
before. It was Clipstone's idea, and I--owed him money for betting, and
he had a pull on me, and made me do it. But I swear I never touched
Bickers except to help pull him in."

"Now, one question more. Was there anyone else in it, but just you
three?"

"Nobody, as sure as I stand here."

"Very well, you can go now. We shall have t