is stop-watch."

"We oughtn't to have a fellow like Percival in the school," Parfitt
commented. "The thing is how to get rid of him. We can't go up to Weevil
and ask that he shall be turned out. And we can't do what we'd like to
do--kick him out."

"No, we can't very well do that," struck in Newall. "There's only one
way."

"What's that?" cried four or five in chorus.

"Make it too warm for the school to hold him."

"No, no; don't do that," came in quick, tense tones from Stanley. "I
wouldn't like to be one to drive Percival from Garside."

"Nor I," added Waterman, with unusual emphasis for him.

"You!" retorted Newall contemptuously; "you don't count. Moncrief does.
What's your objection, Moncrief?"

"Percival was once my friend," came the sad answer.

"Friend!" was the scornful reply.

CHAPTER XXIV

THE RAFT ON THE RIVER

From this time every effort was made to make Paul's life at Garside
unendurable. The dead set against him extended from the Fifth Form
downwards. The views which Newall had expressed with so much force on
the night he had been feathered reigned supreme throughout the school.
It was felt that Paul had no place there, and that as he would not go of
his own free will, it was the bounden duty of all of them to follow
Newall's advice, and drive him from it. So the war against him was
carried on--not so much openly as secretly--by every petty means that
could be devised.

Stanley, to his credit, took no part in this secret warfare against
Paul. He had still some affection for him; but though he took no part in
it, he made no effort to check it. The fact was that he was getting more
and more under the thumb of Newall and Parfitt every day.

Even Hibbert seemed to have deserted him. At any rate, Paul saw but
little of him at this time, and when he did see him, the boy only
greeted him with a wan, frightened smile, as though he were afraid to
speak.

Waterman was about the only one who showed no change of manner towards
him. He was still quite friendly in his lazy fashion. It was he who had
first given the hint to Paul of the movement on foot against him.

"I may as well put you on your guard, Percival," he said, on the day
following Newall's declaration against Paul. "You've put up the backs of
all the Form, and a lot of fellows outside it. They're going for you.
They mean driving you from Garside."

"I thought something was on foot. Thanks for telling me."

"Oh, you'd have so