, their fall would be sad in proportion.

When they reached Templeton they found the place in a ferment. Fellows
were going about with pencils and paper, making up their lists.

"I say," said Pauncefote, waylaying our heroes as they entered the Den;
"vote for us, I say. I'll vote for you."

"Oh, ah!" said Dick; "that means we give you three votes, and you only
give us one. See any green? You get a couple of other chaps to stick
us down, and then we'll do it."

Pauncefote, rather bewildered by this way of putting the matter, went
off immediately, and canvassed actively among his particular friends on
behalf of the "Firm;" which was very kind of him, as several fellows
told him.

"Look here, you fellows," said Gosse, approaching the "Firm" with a
troubled face, "_do_ you know anybody in the lower Fourth who isn't a
cad? I've got down all the other forms, but I can't get a single decent
name for the lower Fourth."

"Aspinall," said Dick.

"But he's such a muff. I'd be ashamed to put him down."

"Aspinall would lick you left-handed at tennis, and knows more Greek
than you know English," said Dick, hotly; for he always looked upon the
Devonshire boy as a credit to his protecting arm. "If you call that
being a muff, well, he is one, and you aren't, that's all."

Gosse received this judgment with attention, and went off to have a
private look at Aspinall at close quarters.

"Oh, I say, Dick," said Raggles, whom our heroes presently found
absorbed in the deepest study; "here's a go! We've only got to put down
six in each form, and I've got a dozen down for ours, and don't see I
can cut any of them out."

"Let's hear their names," said Dick.

"All serene! Raggles--"

"By Jove, that's modest! You're determined _he's_ to have one vote."

"Oh, you know, I believe I'm safe; but, of course, everybody votes for
himself."

"Go on. Who are the rest?"

"Raggles, Culver, Pauncefote, Smith, Gosse, Starkey, Crisp, Calverly,
Strahan, Jobling, Cazenove, and--well, I thought of sticking down one of
you three for the twelfth."

"Thanks," said Dick. "We aren't particular, are we, you chaps?"

"I'm not," said Coote. "You can stick me down if you like, Rag."

Raggles, finding not much assistance forthcoming to help him in his
difficulty, retired to a quiet corner, and privately tossed up for each
name in succession. As his penny came down "tails" persistently both
for himself and everybody else, except Gosse,