ave of snuff. The whole form was now coughing and sneezing certainly
considerably more than was necessary.

"Next boy who sneezes I shall give a hundred lines to, and report him to
the Headmaster."

Temporary peace ensued. It is not pleasant to be sent up to the Chief;
and weak masters have not the slightest scruple in doing so. The strong
men need not report. But a man like Archie could not be kept in order
long. He gave vent to a most unpleasant snort.

"Fletcher, if you do that again I shall have to beat you."

A slight pause.

"Please, sir, may I blow my nose if I mayn't sniff?"

"Yes, Fletcher; don't be stupid."

Immediately there rose a chorus of "Mayn't we blow our noses, too, sir?
Why should Fletcher be the only one allowed to. It isn't fair."

Trundle gave way, and the rest of the hour was spent entirely in
coughing, shouting and sneezing. No work was done. But that was no
unusual occurrence in the extra French set.

This was, of course, the sort of amusement that could be only indulged
in once. It would grow stale a second time. But Briault's idea of fancy
dress was one that presented infinite opportunities and gave full scope
for originality. At first nothing very startling occurred. On a freezing
cold day the whole set would assemble without waistcoats and with their
coats wide open would complain bitterly of the heat; on a warm day they
would go in arrayed as for an Antarctic expedition in wonderful scarves
and huge gloves.

"It's disgraceful, sir, how cold this room is," Gordon complained. "I am
very sensitive to cold, and there are two windows open. They must be
shut."

"Well, Caruthers, if you find this room too cold," replied Trundle
sarcastically, "you may return to the warmth of your own study and write
me out the lesson ten times. Do you prefer that?"

Trundle thought that rather smart, but Gordon was never beaten.

"Sir, I do prefer an unfairly long imposition to an attack of
pneumonia," and with that he sailed out of the room; the "impot" was, of
course, never done. Only Benson did things for Trundle.

From this day on to discover a new kind of dress was the aim of Archie's
life. What he advised the form always copied. One day the Chief gave out
an order that, owing to the extreme cold, woollen waistcoats would be
allowed, provided they were of a quiet colour. That night Archie
searched the studies. For sixpence he purchased from a new boy a
threadbare carpet that had not been brus