he was going to do the last, they groaned. They could
have endured a stampede round the Quad; they could have brought
themselves to see their leader immolated in a good cause; but to have to
stand still and hear Jupiter speak--what had they done to deserve that?

"Look here, you youngsters," began Mansfield, needing not even a motion
of his hand to command silence, "I've not come as an enemy, but a
friend."

"What will it be like," mused Coote, "when he comes as an enemy?"

"And I've only a very few words to say to you."

Was it a sigh of relief or disappointment that escaped the Den?
Mansfield didn't know; he wasn't well up in sighs.

"There's a great deal goes on in the Den that isn't right. Some of you
youngsters think the only use of school rules is to break them, and that
it's a fine thing to disobey the monitors. You're wrong, and, unless
you give up that sort of thing, you'll find it out. The school rules
are made to be kept, and the monitors are appointed to see they _are_
kept; and any boy that says otherwise is an enemy to Templeton, and he
will be treated accordingly. Some of you don't approve of all that goes
on here, and yet you don't like to stand up against it. That's not
right. You can't be neutral. If you mean to be steady, you are bound
to stand out and have nothing to do with the bad lot. I want you all to
understand this once for all, and not say you've had no warning. I warn
you now. Rules are made to be kept, and you must keep them.
Pontifex--"

The Captain had to stop; for the Den, which had stood in breathless
silence thus far, sprang, at the mention of the name, into a cheer which
spoke quite as much for the tension of their own feelings at this moment
as for their affection for the old Captain.

Mansfield let them have it out; he liked them none the worse for their
love to his friend, and what he had to say would by no means spoil by
keeping till the cheers were over.

They were over at last. The sight of the Captain there, tall, upright,
determined, with his dark eyes bent on them, cut them short and brought
the Den back to silence as deep as that which had just been broken.

"Pontifex was fond of you youngsters. He said to me a day or two before
he went, 'Give the little chaps a chance.'"

They could not help it; Captain or no Captain, they must cheer again.
And again Mansfield waited patiently and ungrudgingly till it was over.

"This is why I've come here to-night.