ew
you would!"

This last plaintive wail of disappointment was drowned in the clamour of
execration which greeted the boy's announcement. Lesser feuds were
instantly forgotten in presence of this great insult. The most sacred
traditions of Guinea-pigs and Tadpoles were being trampled upon by the
tyrants of the upper school! Not even on cricket feast night was a fag
to be let off fagging!

It was enough! The last straw breaks the camel's back, and the young
Dominicans had now reached the point of desperation.

It was long before silence enough could be restored, and then the
redoubtable Spicer yelled out, "Let's strike!"

The cry was taken up with yells of enthusiasm--"Strike! No more
fagging!"

"Any boy who fags after this," screamed Bramble, "will be cut dead!
Those who promise hold up your hands--mind, it's a promise!"

There was no mistaking the temper of the meeting, every hand in the room
was held up.

"Mind now, no giving in!" cried Paul. "Let's stick all together.
Greenfield senior shall _kill_ me before I do anything more for him!"

"Poor fellow!" whispered Oliver, laughing; "what a lot of martyrdoms
he'll have to put up with!"

"And Pembury shall kill me," squealed the last comer, who had comforted
himself with several crusts of plum-cakes and the dregs of about a dozen
bottles of ginger-beer. And every one protested their willingness to
die in the good cause.

At this stage Oliver and Wraysford withdrew unobserved. "I'm afraid
we've been eavesdropping," said Oliver. "Anyhow, I don't mean to take
advantage of what I've heard."

"What a young ruffian your brother is!" said Wraysford; "he looked
tremendously in earnest!"

"Yes, he always is. You'll find he'll keep his word far better than
most of them."

"If he does, I'm afraid Loman will make it unpleasant for him," said
Wraysford.

"Very likely."

"Then you'll have to interfere."

"Why, what a bloodthirsty chap you are, Wray! You are longing for me to
quarrel with Loman. I'll wait till young Stephen asks me to."

"Do you think he will? He's a proud little chap."

Oliver laughed. "It'll serve him right if he does get a lesson. Did
ever you see such a lot of young cannibals as those youngsters? Are you
coming to have supper with me?"

The nine o'clock bell soon rang, and, as usual, Oliver went to his door
and shouted for Paul.

No Paul came.

He shouted again and again, but the fag did not appear. "They mean
busines