er without the
bass and tenor instruments, with a worse effect than ever, and the
listening brasses burst out into a fresh roar of laughter; while Dick
had hard work, in his triumph, to suppress a smile.

"Then it's you, Jones!"

"No, sir," said the flute-player. "I'm all right!"

"You can't be!" cried the other two men, indignantly.

"He's playing in the wrong key," said the first.

"That I ain't!" cried the flute-player. "I'm all right, I tell you! It
was the new chap."

"How could it be the new chap when he was _not_ blowing, idiot?" cried
the bandmaster, angrily, trying hard to hedge and preserve his character
for consistency. "Here, you Smithson, run through those few bars with
the others. No; not you, Jones."

The flautist sulkily lowered his flute, while the theme was now played
as a trio with admirable effect.

"Humph! not bad--not bad at all," said Wilkins, as a murmur of
satisfaction arose from the men.

Meanwhile, the flautist was turning over his flute and glancing from it
to the beautiful instrument Dick held.

"Now," cried the leader, "run through that again, Jones--or, no, with
the clarionet."

He beat time and the two instruments sounded; but, at the end of the
first bar, the clarionet-player took the reed from his lips.

"'Tain't good enough, sir!" he said.

"Good enough!" cried Wilkins, angrily; "it's disgraceful!"

"Yer never thought it disgraceful till this new chap come," cried the
discomfited flute-player. "Who's to play proper on a thing like this?
Look at his!"

"Hold your tongue, stoopid!" whispered the nearest man. "You'll be
getting yourself in a row."

"Look at his flute!" cried Wilkins. "Why, he'd get more music out of a
tin whistle than you would out of his. Here, you Smithson, see what you
can do with that flute. Now, my lads, once again."

Dick took Jones's flute unwillingly for more than one reason. He felt
that he was making an enemy of the man; but there was no time for
hesitation, and, as they struck up, he played his part admirably upon
the strange instrument, and then stood waiting.

"Give him his flute," said Wilkins, shortly. "Don't you go abusing our
band instruments again, young man, or you'll be finding yourself sent
back to the ranks. Now, please, we're losing time."

And so the practice went on Dick, feeling that he was making enemies all
round till, about an hour after, when he was in the long-room, and half
a dozen of the bandsmen came