CHAPTER XXXII

HOW THE OLD FLAG WAS TAKEN FROM GARSIDE

At this, the commencement of another chapter, we may as well take the
opportunity of explaining to the reader the secret which had caused so
much excitement at Garside, namely, what had become of the school
flag--who had had the audacity to capture it.

It will be remembered that one of the Bedes who always took an active
part in opposition to the Garsiders was Mellor. The fact that he had
been at one time a Garsider made him keener to "score off" his old
companions, and he was ever to the fore in any enterprise for that
purpose. But the great idea which possessed his mind, to the exclusion
of most others, was the capture of the Garside flag. He knew that
everybody in the school was proud of it. He himself had been proud of it
when he was at Garside. The school flag at Bede's had no such history.
It was just an ordinary flag, with a white shield in front, the initials
of the school, and the school motto, precisely after the fashion of the
school cap.

So it came about that ever since the day Mellor had been set upon by his
old companions, and made to crawl on all fours as "a Beetle," the idea
had come to him that he would like to inflict upon Garside the greatest
blow that had yet been inflicted upon it by gaining possession of the
old flag. He thought of it by day, and he thought of it by night; but
day followed day, and night followed night, and there seemed little
chance of carrying out his purpose.

There was only one boy at St. Bede's to whom he confided his secret, and
that was his dormitory companion and chum--Edward Crick. Crick was
about the same age as Mellor, with the same love of sport, the same
wiliness, and the same indifference to consequences when once an idea
had taken possession of him. And that's just what happened. When Mellor
confided to him his secret, the idea possessed him, and he was just as
keen on carrying it out as Mellor. If between them they could only get
possession of the Garside flag, it would be one of the greatest
achievements in the history of the school.

They knew well enough that it was impossible to obtain possession of the
flag by open assault. There was only one way--by taking the enemy
unawares--by stealing a march upon them when it was least expected.

Now, it was clear enough that in order to accomplish this purpose one of
them would have to steal into the school at Garside and get to the west
turret unobserved