new kid. Michael felt encouraged and ventured to point out that he had
not really blabbed.

"You cocky young ass," said Rodber crushingly. "I suppose you mean
'blubbed.'"

Michael was overwhelmed by this rebuke and, wishing to hide his shame in
a far corner of the field, turned away. But Rodber called him back and
spoke pleasantly, so that Michael forgot the snub and wandered for the
rest of the dinner-hour in Rodber's wake, with aching nose, but with a
heart beating in admiration and affection.

Within a fortnight Michael had become a schoolboy, sharing in the
general ambitions and factions and prejudices and ideals of
schoolboyhood. He was a member of Pearson's victorious army; he
supported the London Road Car Company against the London General Omnibus
Company, the District Railway against the Metropolitan Railway; he was
always ready to lam young boarders who were cheeky, and when an older
boarder called him a 'day-bug' Michael was discreetly silent, merely
registering a vow to take it out of the young boarders at the first
opportunity. He also learnt to speak without blushing of the gym. and
the lav. and arith. and hols. and 'Bobbie' Randell and 'my people' and
'my kiddy sister.' He was often first with the claimant 'ego,' when
someone shouted 'quis?' over a broken pocket-knife found. He could shout
'fain I' to be rid of an obligation and 'bags I' to secure an advantage.
He was a rigid upholder of the inviolableness of Christian names as
postulated by Randellite convention. He laid out threepence a week in
the purchase of sweets, usually at four ounces a penny; while during the
beggary that succeeded he was one of the most persistent criers of
'donnez,' when richer boys emerged from the tuckshop, sucking gelatines
and satin pralines and chocolate creams and raspberry noyau. As for the
masters, he was always ready to hear scandalous rumours about their
un-official lives, and he was one of the first to fly round the
playground with the news that 'Squeaky' Mordaunt had distinctly muttered
'damn' beneath his breath, when Featherstone Minor trod on his toe
towards the close of first hour. Soon also with one of the four hundred
odd boys who made up the population of this very large private school,
Michael formed a great friendship. He and Buckley were inseparable for
sixteen whole weeks. During that time they exchanged the most intimate
confidences. Buckley told Michael that his Christian names were Claude
Arnold Eust