You have your chance. Let
everybody choose for himself, and don't let any one say he didn't know
what to expect. There's to be a Captain's levee on Thursday. I don't
want any one to come to it who is not prepared to stand by Templeton
rules this term. Those who are prepared will do well to show up."

So ended Jupiter's speech to the Den. He stalked down the room and out
of the door amid a solemn silence, which was not broken until his firm
footsteps died away down the passage.

Then the Den looked at one another as much as to say--

"What do you think of that?"

"Pretty warm!" said Dick, relieving the general embarrassment by
speaking first.

"Think he means it?" said one.

"Looks like it!" said Dick, gloomily.

There was a pause. The Den knew, somehow, it was no joke.

It was a case of life or death, war or peace, liberty or servitude, and
they hesitated on the brink.

"I don't mean to knuckle under to him!" said Heathcote, speaking with
the mantle of Pledge upon him. "It's all a dodge to curry favour with
Winter."

The Den was thankful for the suggestion, and revived wonderfully under
its influence.

"Catch me doing more for him than for old Ponty!" cried Gosse, who had
never done anything for Ponty.

The reference was a popular one, and the Den took it up also. It fell
to extolling Ponty to the very heavens, and abasing Mansfield to the
opposite extremity, while it held up its hands in horror at the man who
could seek to make the good order of Templeton the price of his favour
with the Head Master.

But, when the little outburst had subsided, the awkward question still
remained--What was to be done?

"Of course nobody will be cad enough to go to the levee after what he
said," said Heathcote, who, warmed by the admiring glances of Coote and
the success of his last observation, felt called upon to speak for the
assembly in general.

"Rather not! You won't go, will you, Dick?" said Pauncefote.

"Don't know," said that hero, shortly.

The Den was startled. What did Dick mean by "Don't know"? Was he going
to knuckle in after all and join the "saints?"

The uncertainty had a very depressing effect on Heathcote's enthusiasm,
which had calculated all along on the countenance of his leader. Coote,
too, cautiously separated himself from Gosse, who was shouting sedition
at the top of his voice, and drew off to more neutral territory. Smith
and Pauncefote kept up their cheers for Ponty, but