put down.

"Come here!" said Philpot, as majestically as he could.

Smith remained where he was, as solemn as ever. But I, who stood near,
could detect a queer light in his black eyes that looked rather ominous.

When one fellow, in the presence of an admiring audience, grandly orders
a junior to "Come here!" and when that junior coolly declines to move,
it is a very critical situation both for the boy who orders and the boy
who disobeys. For the one, unless he follows up his brag, will pretty
certainly be laughed at; and the other, unless he shows the white
feather and runs away, will generally come in for a little rough usage.
This seemed likely to happen now. As Smith would not come to Philpot
for a thrashing, Philpot must go to Smith and thrash him where he stood.
And so doubtless he would have done, had not Mr Hashford appeared at
that very moment on the gravel walk and summoned us in to preparation.

This interruption was most unsatisfactory. Those who wanted to see what
the new boy was made of were disappointed, and those whose dignity
wanted putting to-rights were still more disappointed.

But there was no helping it. We trailed slowly indoors, Philpot vowing
he would be quits with the young cub some day, and Hawkesbury, in his
usual smiling way, suggesting that "the new boy didn't seem a very nice
boy."

"I know what _I_ should do," said Flanagan, "if I--"

"A bad mark to Flanagan for not coming in quietly," said the voice of
Miss Henniker; and at the sound the spirit went out from us, and we
remembered we were once more in Stonebridge House.

"Preparation" was a dreadful time. I knew perfectly well, though I
could not see her, that Miss Henniker's eyes were upon me all the time.
I could feel them on the back of my head and the small of my back. You
never saw such an abject spectacle as we nine spiritless youths appeared
bending over our books, hardly daring to turn over a leaf or dip a pen,
for fear of hearing that hateful voice. I could not help, however,
turning my eyes to where the new boy sat, to see how he was faring. He,
too, seemed infected with the depressing air of the place, and was
furtively looking round among his new schoolfellows. I felt half
fascinated by his black eyes, and when presently they turned and met
mine, I almost thought I liked the new boy. My face must somehow have
expressed what was passing through my mind, for as our eyes met there
was a very faint smile on his