ced that still another victim had fallen into the trap, he rose in
wrath, and ordered Gull to leave the room.

"I shan't," returned the other. "Keep to yourself, and mind your own
business."

"That's just what I'm doing; you know the rules as well as I do. It's
my business to keep order in this room."

"Rubbish! Who do you think cares for your rules, you jack-in-office?"

"Will you leave the room?"

"No, of course I won't. If you want to act 'chucker-out,' you'd better
try it on."

In desperation Lucas resolved to play his last card. "Look here, Gull,"
he said, rising from his seat. "You know I'm not your match in size or
strength, or you wouldn't challenge me to fight; but this I will do:
unless you leave the room, I shall go at once and report you to Dr.
Denson."

The offender, seeing perhaps that this was no empty threat, evidently
considered it the wiser plan not to risk an interview with the
head-master.

"Oh, keep your wig on!" he answered, with a scornful laugh. "I
shouldn't like to make you prove yourself a sneak as well as a coward.
I'm going in a minute."

The assembly, who for the most part considered the stocks joke very good
fun, and were possessed with all the traditional schoolboy hatred for
anything in the shape of telling tales, showed their disapproval with a
good deal of booing and hissing as Gull sauntered out of the room, and
Lucas bent over his accounts with the despairing sense of having lost
instead of gained by the encounter.

It soon became evident that the matter was not to be allowed to drop
without some show of feeling, for on the following morning the
unfortunate official was greeted with jeers and uncomplimentary remarks
wherever he went.

Just before tea Diggory and Jack Vance were crossing the quadrangle on
their way from the gymnasium to the schoolroom, when they were accosted
by Fletcher junior.

"I say," remarked the latter, in rather a knowing manner, "if you want
to see a lark, come to the reading-room before 'prep.'"

"Why, what's up?"

"Oh, never mind; don't tell any one I told you," and the speaker passed
on.

"Shall we go?" said Diggory.

"We might as well," answered his companion, laughing. "I wonder what
the joke is! Another moth-hunt, or some more of that 'stocks' business,
I suppose."

When the two friends entered the reading-room, it presented an unusually
quiet and orderly appearance. About twenty boys were seated at the
various desks and