nion in mischief, the redoubtable Plunger. He began to think that
he had been left out in the cold. What a hero Plunger would be if,
through him, the flag were brought back again to the school!

As he was thus thinking he saw Paul coming towards him. He quickly
turned his head and walked off as though he had not seen him, but Paul
came up with him in a stride or two, and, clutching him by the arm,
twisted him round till he was in front of him.

"You needn't run away, Harry. I want you to do me a favour."

"What is it?" asked Harry, reluctantly.

"You remember that afternoon when the flag was lost?"

Harry looked up quickly. What was coming out about the flag now? Ha, ha,
he guessed what it was! Percival had begun to smell a rat. He meant
trying to pump him, so he answered cautiously.

"Of course I do, and so do most of the fellows here, I'm thinking. I
wonder if we shall ever get it back again?"

"I wonder. It was Viner who brought us the news, I remember, and besides
yourself there were several other fellows in the dormitory at the
time--Baldry, Plunger, Sedgefield, Bember. I want you to get together
again the same fellows if you can, and bring them to my dorm. Would you
mind doing that for me?"

"What for?" was the curious answer.

"Oh, I'll explain what for when you're there. Will you do it?"

Harry thought for a moment before answering. What was Percival's game?
He was curious to know; but there couldn't be any harm in doing as he
asked.

"I can't bring Plunger--he's got something special in hand, but I'll
hunt up some of the others, and bring them along with me, if I can."

So he ran off, and Paul returned to the dormitory. Half an hour elapsed
before he heard the welcome sound of footsteps on the stairs. Harry had
succeeded in capturing three out of the five, Sedgefield, Baldry, Viner.
They were just as curious as Harry was to know what Paul could want with
them.

"I'm much obliged to you for coming along," said Paul, "it's really very
good of you, considering the dead-set against me. But I wanted to get
together the fellows who were here when Viner brought up the bad news
about the flag. I wish all six were here, but I must be satisfied with
four out of them. At any rate, there's enough of you to remember what I
said. I said, you'll remember, that through me the school had eaten
dirt."

"Oh, yes, we remember that well enough," said Viner bitterly, "because
it was so true."

"So true; yes, Viner