ave taken such a fancy to thee."

Down came the bladders on Plunger's back as tokens of brotherly
affection. Plunger felt flattered at this testimony of the brethren to
his virtues, but he wished at the same time they had expressed it in
some other way.

"It's very kind of you," he gasped.

"Though thou dost despise the bounders of the Upper Form, peradventure
thou wouldst not mind taking a small present from the Mystic Brethren of
the Fifth?"

"A present?" repeated Plunger, pricking up his ears. "Not at all. Shall
be delighted to make myself useful."

"Let me see. The head boy of the Fifth is one named Hasluck, is he not,
wearer of goggles?"

"Yes."

"Is there not also in that same Form one named Leveson, famous
timekeeper, owner of a stop-watch?"

Plunger nodded, marvelling at the accuracy of the brethren's
information. At a sign from Mellor, one of the masks, who was no other
than Crick, left the circle, and brought from the corner of the shed a
long parcel, wrapped in American leather-cloth--a facsimile, in fact, of
the parcel which Paul had received from Wyndham a little earlier.

"Give this to Hasluck, in the presence of the timekeeper Leveson and as
many other menials of the Fifth as thou canst find. It is a souvenir
from thy brethren to celebrate thy initiation to the Mystic Order. Dost
thou understand?"

Fluttering with excitement, Plunger clutched the parcel, and declared
that he understood perfectly.

He had not got far on the homeward road before he was rejoined by his
companions, who had been lying in wait for him behind the friendly
shelter of a hedge.

"I've got it!" he gasped.

"Got what?" demanded Newall.

"The flag!" he cried, flourishing the precious parcel.

"Bravo, Plunger!" exclaimed Newall.

"Hurrah!" shouted Parfitt. "How did you get it?"

"Presented to me in honour of my initiation to the Mystic Order."

"Let's have a look at it."

"It mustn't be opened till we get to the school. Hasluck's got to open
it, in the presence of Leveson."

As Plunger had faithfully followed out their instructions, they could
not very well object to this condition, so they ran by his side,
questioning him by the way as to what had happened to him in his
absence. Plunger answered to the best of his ability, colouring
considerably the part he had played in the ceremony, and the esteem in
which he was held by the brethren.

"Why--why, what's that?" exclaimed Stanley, coming to a dead stop. Th