d cat, likely."

"Hush! I must stow this away till Pepper's been round," said Cadbury,
hastily stuffing the bird into his own bed.

There was not long to wait; Mr. Peace appeared almost before they were
ready for him. Mr. Peace was the senior resident master, whose short
temper had won for him the above nickname. His back was scarcely turned,
the boys were still responding cordially to his rather gruff
"Good-night", when Cadbury drew the chicken forth and waved it
triumphantly in his hand. Trevelyan, who was next the window, pulled the
blind up silently. It was a brilliant moonlight night, so that gas was
unneeded.

"The cat has had her full share," Cadbury remarked sadly. "But never
mind. Half the chicken belongs to Gr--, to the next room, I mean, and
as I've got the trouble of carving, I shall give them the Pussy-half.
It'll be all right, they won't know; they'll only think I cut it rather
roughly."

"And our reluctance to share supper with the cat is purely a matter of
sentiment," added Vickers. "'Where ignorance is bliss, 'tis folly to be
wise.'"

"There goes Chickabiddy!" exclaimed Jack, as the fowl suddenly sprang
from Cadbury's bed into the middle of the floor. He hopped out and
recaptured it.

"Thanks! Well, it's no easy job, I do assure you, to divide a fowl on a
bed, with no plate, no fork, and only a penknife. I can carve well
enough under civilized conditions, but--"

"Tell us how you came by it, old man," said Jack, who was trying to
decide in his own mind whether he should consent or refuse to join the
feast. He liked chicken very much indeed, and what would they think if
he declined it! Besides, there was no rule against eating chicken in the
bedrooms. True, there was something about "No eatables to be taken
upstairs". But then the chicken had not been taken upstairs; it had come
by a lift. Still, Jack could not quite quiet the little voice within.

"No, I won't shock you with details," replied Cadbury mischievously.
"Perhaps you wouldn't eat it if I did."

"I'm not going to anyhow, thanks very much," returned Jack with sudden
determination. "There'll be all the more for the rest of you, won't
there?"

"Don't talk nonsense!" exclaimed Trevelyan. "Of course you'll have some!
If I think fit to eat it, you may. Don't play the blameless prig, for
goodness' sake!"

"Brady thinks I've filched it," said Cadbury.

"Brady doesn't want a nightmare," rejoined Jack, laughing, "though he
thinks it awf