ishall's lot. In every instance a Virgil hurtled towards his
head. Having done his duty to his friends, he left them to pious AEneas
and the slope of Avernus, whilst he got another salt from the
science-master, and, with Gus, possessed the laboratory in peace.

CHAPTER XX

ACTON'S TRUMP CARD

On the Saturday before we should go home Acton was due at Aldershot, and
would return the same night, as the fellows hoped, with his laurels
thick upon him. Bourne and Vercoe were staying at school a week later
than we, for the rackets did not come off until our holidays had
commenced. Toby had begged for this almost with tears in his eyes, for
he had a mortal dread of the relaxing process of a week at home.

"You'd have no 'ands, Mr. Bourne, no spring, no eyes, when you toed the
mark at Kensington. I'll send you fit if I have you here."

So Vercoe and Phil agreed to stay.

And now Acton determined to put into operation his long-thought-of
scheme for the paying off of the score against Phil. It was subtle, and
founded on a perfect knowledge of Bourne's character, and a perfect
disregard of the consequences to any one--even including himself. Acton
would have willingly martyred himself, if he could have inflicted a
little of the torments on Bourne too.

There was one rule from which Dr. Moore never swerved a hair's breadth.
Compared to this particular law the stringency of the Old Game
regulation for Thursday was lax indeed. He never had departed from it,
and he never would depart from it. If any fellow took it into his head
to slip out of his house after lights out at ten on any pretence
whatever he was expelled. There was some legend in connection with this
severity, what exactly none of us rightly knew, but according to the
tale the escapade of two fellows years ago, when Corker was new to the
place, had resulted in one of the fellows being shot. Twice had he
expelled fellows while I was at school--Remington and Cunningham--and I
cannot ever forget the old man's deathlike face as he told them to go.
Some fellows broke out and were not found out, for Corker wasn't going
to have any barred windows as in some places. Any one _could_ break out
any night he liked, but he knew what he might expect if he were caught.
There was no help. Remington had been found out, and though there had
been Remingtons in the school since Anne's reign, Corker was inexorable.
He was expelled.

In a word, Acton determined to go to London a