hurried back miserable and conscience-stricken to Saint Dominic's.

CHAPTER TWELVE.

THE "DOMINICAN" AGAIN.

The circumstances which had attended the publication of the first number
of the _Dominican_ had been such as to throw a damper over the future
success of that valuable paper. It was most uncomfortably connected in
the minds of the Fifth with the cowardice of Oliver Greenfield, and with
the stigma which his conduct had cast upon the whole Form, and they one
and all experienced a great diminution of interest in its future.

The Fifth were far more intent on vindicating their reputation with the
Sixth--and, indeed, with the rest of the school. They sought every
opportunity of bringing on a collision with the monitors. One or two of
their number went, so far as to pick quarrels with members of the rival
class, in hopes of a fight. But in this they were not successful. The
Sixth chose to look upon this display of feeling among their juniors as
a temporary aberration of mind, and were by no means to be tempted into
hostilities. They asserted their authority wherever they could enforce
it, and sacrificed it whenever it seemed more discreet to do so. Only
one thing evoked a temporary display of vexation from them, and that was
when Ricketts and Braddy appeared one day, arm-in-arm, in the passages
with _tall hats_ on their heads. Now, tall hats on week-days were the
exclusive privilege of the Sixth at Saint Dominic's, and, worn by them
during school hours, served as the badge of monitorship. This action on
the part of the Fifth, therefore, was as good as a usurpation of
monitorial rights, and that the Sixth were not disposed to stand.
However, Raleigh, the captain, when appealed to, pooh-poohed the matter.
"Let them be," said he; "what do you want to make a row about it for?
If the boys do mistake them for monitors, so much the less row in the
passages."

Raleigh was always a man of peace--though it was rumoured he could, if
he chose, thrash any two Dominicans going--and the monitors were much
disgusted to find that he did not authorise them to interfere with the
Fifth in the matter. But the Fifth _were_ interfered with in another
quarter, and in a way which caused them to drop their chimney-pots
completely. One afternoon the entire Fourth Junior appeared in the
corridors in their Sunday tiles! In their Sunday tiles they slid down
the banisters; in their Sunday tiles they played leapfrog; in their
Sun