hed or cleaned for generations.
This he cut up into six parts, and each School House member of the set
somehow or other made for himself a waistcoat out of them. Next day,
garbed in these, they rolled sedately to Trundle's, their coats flung
open, their hands in their trouser pockets.

Trundle sat speechless. At last he found words.

"What is the meaning of this confounded impertinence? Collins, Mansell,
Caruthers, Hunter, Lovelace, and you Fletcher, take off that filthy
stuff."

"That stuff, sir," drawled out Forbes. "What stuff?"

"Don't interfere, Forbes," rapped out Trundle. "Take them off, I say."

"Oh, do you mean our waistcoats, sir?" asked Hunter, in superbly feigned
surprise. "We couldn't take them off; we should catch a cold. The
Headmaster has just given out a notice about them. He said we could wear
them."

"He never gave you permission to garb yourselves in the refuse of the
neighbourhood."

"Refuse?" said Forbes. "Those waistcoats are of a most fashionable cut.
It's extremely hard to get that particular brand of cloth; my brother,
who is a member of the Bullingdon, told me----"

"I don't want to know anything about your brother, Forbes. Take off
those things. The Headmaster would never allow them."

"But, sir," insisted Archie. "He only said that they must be of a quiet
colour, and they are of a quiet colour, aren't they, sir?"

In truth they were. There was not a trace of colour visible anywhere.
Trundle gave in. He murmured something about asking the Headmaster, and
then put on Archie to con. He never asked the Chief; and there was no
need for him to do so. It is not pleasant wearing dust-laden carpets for
an hour. Such jests can only be undertaken at rare intervals.

But the culminating point was not reached till the last Thursday of the
term. It was boat-race day, and the set unanimously backed Oxford. At
ten o'clock the set was due to appear. But when Trundle arrived all he
found was Benson, who was in nervous apprehension lest he should have
come to the wrong room. If he had, he might lose some marks; and marks
were more to him than many boundaries. He smiled happily at Trundle.

"Ah, where are the rest, Benson?"

"I don't know, sir."

"Oh, well, I suppose we must wait, but it is a great nuisance. I wanted
to finish the book to-day, it's our last lesson, you know."

The next day was Good Friday.

For ten minutes they sat in silence. It takes a long time to prepare a
big rag; the c