"What is that other book, Ruddock?" Claremont asked once.

"Some notes, sir," was the perfectly truthful answer.

Ruddock was, moreover, an altruist; he always worked for the good of his
fellow-men. One day, when Mansell was bungling most abominably with his
Euripides, he flung his Bohn along the desk, Mansell picked it up,
propped it in front of him and read it off. Claremont never noticed.
This was the start of a great system of combination. Everyone at the
beginning of the term paid twopence to the general account with which
Ruddock bought some _Short Steps to Accurate Translations_. As each
person went on to translate, the book was passed to him and he read
straight out of it. The translating was, in consequence, always of a
remarkably high standard. Claremont never understood why examinations
always proved the signal for a general collapse. History, however, was a
subject that had long been a worry to the form. Dates are irrevocable
facts and cannot be altered, they must be learnt. At one time, when
Claremont said, "Shut your book. I will ask a few questions," everyone
shut their Latin grammars loudly and kept their history books open; but
this was rather too obvious a ruse; Claremont began to spot it.
Something had to be done. It would be an insult to expect any member of
the form to prepare a lesson. It was Gordon who finally devised a plan.

"Please, sir," he said one day, "don't you think we should find history
much more interesting if we could bring in maps."

"Well, perhaps it would," said Claremont sleepily. "I am sure the form
is very much indebted to you for your kind thought. Anyone who wants to,
may bring in a map."

Next day everyone had found a huge atlas which he propped up on the
desk; and which completely hid everything except the student's actual
head. There was now no fear of an open book being spotted, it was so
very simple to shut it when Claremont began to walk about, and besides
... it made the lesson so much more interesting.

And so Gordon and Mansell were able to discuss football the whole of
evening hall, never do a stroke of work, and yet get quite a respectable
half-term report.

The interest in the Thirds was now becoming intense. As was expected,
Buller's easily beat all the outhouses, with Claremont's house as
runners-up. Claremont's house had once been the great athletic house,
but when a house master takes but little interest in a house's
performances, that house is apt to