w has not much) he spent with the
devoted Fluff. Desmond and Scaife walked together on Sunday
afternoons. But the fact that Desmond seemed to be vanishing out of
his horizon made no difference to John's ever-increasing affection for
him. Very humbly he worshipped at a distance. On clear, dry days
Fluff and he would climb to the top of the wall of the squash
racquet-courts to see Scaife and Desmond play a single. They were
extraordinarily well-matched in strength, activity, and skill. John
noticed, however, that the Demon lost his temper when he lost a game,
whereas Caesar only laughed. Somehow John divined that the Demon was
making the effort of his life to secure Desmond's friendship. And
Caesar had ideals, standards to which the Demon pretended to attain.
Good simple John made sure that Caesar would elevate the Demon to his
plane, that evil would be exorcised by good. Only in his dreams did
the Demon have the advantage.

Just before the end of the term, Caesar said to him--

"After all, I'm jolly glad I'm coming into your House, because the old
Demon is such a ripper; and he and I have been talking things over.
He's as mad keen as I am about games, and although the Manorites have
not played in a cock-house match at cricket or footer for years, still
there is a chance for us at Torpids next term. You'll play, Verney.
You've improved a lot, so the Demon says, and he'll be captain. Then
there are the sports. If only Dirty Dick could be knocked on the head,
the Manor might jump to the front again."

"It will," said John.

When the School reassembled after Christmas, Desmond entered the Manor,
and found himself with Scaife in a two-room. A civil note from the man
of millions had arranged this. To John was given a two-room, also,
with the Duffer as stable companion. Fluff remained in No. 15. The
Duffer had got his remove from the Top Shell into John's form. Scaife
and Desmond were elevated into the Upper Remove. It followed,
therefore, that Scaife and Desmond prepared work in their own room, the
Caterpillar joining the Duffer and John. Thus it will be seen that,
although Desmond had become a Manorite, he was, practically speaking,
out of John's orbit.

The Caterpillar had now been three years in the school, and he governed
himself accordingly. He put on a "bar-maid" [1] collar and spent much
time on the top step of the boys' entrance to the Manor. No mere
two-year-old presumed to occupy this sacre