boys in Saint Dominic's.

Two years ago, when he first entered the school, he was popular with his
fellows and voted an acquisition on the cricket-ground and
football-field whenever the youth of Saint Dominic's strove in emulation
against their rivals. He could remember a time when fellows strolled
arm-in-arm with him down to the matches; when the small boys looked
quite meek in his presence, and the masters gave a friendly nod in
answer to his salutes. That was when he was quite new at Saint
Dominic's; but how changed now! This afternoon, for instance, as he
stood looking on, he had the cheerful knowledge that not a boy in all
that assembly cared two straws about him. Why wasn't _he_ playing in
the match? Why did the fellows, as they came near him, look straight in
front of them, or go round to avoid him? Why did the Guinea-pigs and
Tadpoles strut about and crack their vulgar jokes right under his very
nose, as if he was nobody? Alas, Loman! something's been wrong with you
for the last year or thereabouts; and if we don't all know the cause, we
can see the effect. For it is a fact, you _are_ nobody in the eyes of
Saint Dominic's at the present time.

However, he was destined to become a somebody pretty soon; and, indeed,
as soon as the football match was over, and the supper after it was
disposed of, and the Guinea-pigs and Tadpoles (who, you know, had
selected this same afternoon _for their_ great football match) had
ceased their rows in slumber, every one's mind, at least the mind of
every one in the two head forms, turned naturally to the strange and
mysterious event of the morning. What various conclusions they came to
it is not for me to set down here. They probably came to as good a
conclusion as the reader has done, and waited impatiently to have the
whole thing cleared up.

And it looked as if the Doctor were about to do this next morning, for
he summoned together the Fifth and Sixth, and thus solemnly addressed
them:--

"Before we begin the lesson for the day, boys, I wish to refer to an
incident that happened here yesterday morning, which must be fresh in
your memories. I mean the accidental discovery of the lost examination
paper for the Nightingale Scholarship. I hope you will not draw hasty
conclusions from what then occurred. The boy in whose book the paper
was found is present here, and has assured me on his honour he never saw
the paper before, and is quite ignorant how it came into his