old chap."

"Oh yes!" said Gus. "I said I would keep my word, although you were so
good as to have your doubts."

"All right, glad you can manage it."

"Here you are," said Gus, thrusting his hand into his pocket and bringing
up his coins. "Three three for that rotten bet, and the other fifteen bob
I owed you. It's all there."

Cotton opened his eyes.

"You said the governor was rusty, Gus?"

"So he was, beastly; but I can pay you all the same."

"Well," said Cotton, after a little awkward pause, "I don't want to clean
you out quite, so pay half now and the rest next term. Would that suit
you better, Gus?"

"Thanks, I don't mind," said Gus, airily. "Here's half, then."

Cotton left his friend's room considerably puzzled, but when he came next
night with his books for his old jackal's attentions as before, he was
more than puzzled, for Gus said--

"Can give you half an hour, Jim."

"We won't be able to screw up enough for Merishall in that time, old
man."

"Then you'll have to do the rest yourself, Jim. I'm not going to piffle
about any more."

"Oh, don't be an ass, Gus! I've heard that footle before," said Cotton,
with his heavy selfishness.

"Not quite, for this time I mean what I say."

"Oh no, you don't!"

"Oh yes, I do!"

"You wouldn't leave a fellow in the lurch like this, after all I--"

"I was left in the lurch last term, Jim, dear, and I'd rather you had a
taste of it this go. Do you remember when old Corker was savaging me
before all the school!"

The ghost of a smile flitted over Cotton's lips as he said--

"Rather!"

"The entire school, from the meanest fag up to Carr, was laughing at me,
and, by Jove! Jim, your laugh was the loudest and longest."

"It was your tips I was thinking of, and Corker's frothing through your
list of names," said Cotton, apologetically.

"All right," said Todd, acidly. "If you had left me alone I wouldn't have
wanted those tips, and as for my names, I did not christen myself. If you
want half an hour to shake out your work roughly I'll do it, but I can't
do more, Jim, honour bright."

"I don't want _that_!" said Cotton, angrily, gathering up his
books.

"Am deucedly glad you don't. And here, Jim, is the other half of the
money. Since I'm not obliging you in any way, why should you me?"

"You're logical, Todd, at any rate," said Jim, with half a sneer.

"Didn't know you could spot logic when you heard it, Cotton," said Gus,
with an equal amount of