aving been locked to exclude
outsiders, he commenced to unfold his project as follows:--

"I've been thinking that during the summer term, and while the weather's
warm, our two rooms might form a supper club. We'd hold it, say, once a
week, when pocket-money is given out, and have a feed together; one time
in your room, and the next in ours, after every one's gone to bed.
You know I saved some money at the beginning of the term to buy an
engagement ring with; but I don't want it now, so I'm going to spend the
tin in grub, and if you like I'll stand the first feed."

There was a murmur expressive of approbation at this generous offer,
mingled with sympathy for the unhappy circumstance which gave rise to
it, and which was now an open secret.

"Oh," said Shaw, "that's a grand idea! I know my brother Bob, who's at
a big school at Lingmouth, told me that he and some other chaps formed a
supper club and held it in his study. It's by the sea, and they used to
go out and catch shrimps; and they only had one old coffee-pot, that
they used to boil over the gas; so they cooked the shrimps in it first,
and made the coffee after. One night they only had time to heat it up
once, and so they boiled the shrimps in the coffee; and Bob says they
didn't taste half bad, and that they always used to do it after, to save
time."

"Well, I propose that we have one," cried Morris.

The resolution was carried unanimously. Acton was elected president,
and by way of recognizing the mutual interest of the Triple Alliance,
Jack Vance was appointed to act as secretary, and it was decided to hold
the first banquet on the following night.

"We can buy the grub to-morrow," said Acton; "but there's one thing we
ought to fetch to-day, and that is, I thought we might have, say, six
bottles of ginger-beer. Then each man must take his own up to bed with
him this evening, and hide it away in his box or in one of his drawers."

This was accordingly done, and, as it happened, was the cause of the
only disaster which attended the formation of the club. For the first
week in June the weather was unusually hot: a candle left all day
in the "Main-top" was found drooping out of the perpendicular, and when
the Triple Alliance retired to rest their bedroom felt like an oven.
They were just dozing off to sleep, when all three were suddenly
startled by a muffled bang somewhere close to them. In an instant they
were sitting up in bed, rubbing their eyes wi