f to the man with the brain."

"But is it quite the game?" suggested Davenport, a stickler for
etiquette.

"Is it the game for Rudd to drag us in to back him up? In this world,
unfortunately, two blacks invariably make a white."

"I suppose it's all right," said Davenport.

No one else made any objection. Foster and Gordon usually got their own
way. The prefects dispersed. Gordon went to tell Morgan the glad
tidings. The news was all round the House in a few minutes. Rudd was
generally regarded as a priceless fool; it was sure to be good sport.

Then next morning Stockbrew presented himself at Rudd's study. He was
terribly overcome at the sight of so formidable a gathering. He wished
he had padded. No one had told him of what was to happen. It would have
spoilt the situation.

The prefects sat in chairs round the room; Rudd, terribly nervous, was
perched on the table. He delivered as short a lecture as possible on the
sacredness of the prefectorial dignity and the insignificance of the
day-room frequenter.

In a procession they moved to the V. A green. Stockbrew led, Rudd
followed, cane in hand. It was all very impressive. Round the V. A green
runs a stone path; a good many people were clustered there; there were
faces in the V. B class-room just opposite; in the library on the right;
even in the Sixth Form class-room on the left.

"Quite an audience for this degrading business," sighed Foster.

"'Butchered to make a Roman holiday,'" said Davenport, who loved a stale
quotation. Stockbrew bent over the chain that ran round two sides of the
green. Rudd delivered two fairly accurate shots. Stockbrew stirred
uncomfortably. He had dim recollections of Claremont reading a poem by
Mrs Browning on "the great God Pan" and how cruel it was to "make a poet
out of a man!" He saw her meaning now. Then the farce began.

Gordon went up, carefully arranged the victim's coat, stepped back as if
preparing a brutal assault, and then flicked him twice. A roar of
laughter broke from all sides. Rudd shifted uneasily on his feet.

Foster went up and did the same, then Davenport, then the rest of the
prefects. The very walls seemed shrieking with laughter.

Flushing dark red, Rudd strode across to his study. Such dignity as he
had ever had, had been taken from him. Everyone had seen his ignominy.

The next time he took hall a pandemonium broke out such as never had
been heard before. A game of cricket was played with a tennis bal