beer. "Wouldn't you like a glass of summat
now, young gen'lmen?" he asked, in an insinuating way.

"No, Billy! don't jabber--we must be off. Here open the door."

"Stop, I'll pay," said Eric. "What's the damage?"

"Three shilling, sir," said the man. "Glad to see a new customer, sir."
He pocketed the money, and showed them, out, standing to look after them
with a malicious leer as they disappeared, and jerking his left thumb
over his shoulder.

"Faugh!" said Eric, taking a long breath as they got out again into the
moonlight, "what a poisonous place! Good gracious, Charlie, who
introduced you there?"

"Oh, I don't think much of going _there_" said Wildney, carelessly; "we
go every-week almost."

"We! who?"

"Oh, Brigson and a lot of us. We have a club there which we call the
'Anti-muffs,' and that's our smoking-room."

"And is that horrid beast the landlord?"

"Yes; he was an old school-servant, and there's no harm in him that I
know of."

But Eric only "phewed" again two or three times, and thought of Montagu.

Suddenly Wildney clutched him by the arm, and pulled him into the deep
shadow of a porch, whispering, in a low tone, "Look!"

Under a lamp-post, directly opposite them, stood Mr. Rose! He had heard
voices and footsteps a moment before, and, puzzled at their sudden
cessation in the noiseless street, he was looking round.

"We must run for it," whispered Wildney hastily, as Mr. Rose approached
the porch; and the two boys took to their heels, and scampered away as
hard as they could, Eric helping on Wildney by taking his hand, and
neither of them looking behind. They heard Mr. Rose following them at
first, but soon distanced him, and reached a place where two roads met,
either of which would lead to the school.

"We won't go by the road; I know a short cut by the fields. What fun!"
said Wildney, laughing.

"What an audacious little monkey you are; you know all sorts of dodges,"
said Eric.

They had no time to talk, but with, a speed winged by fear got to the
school, sprang on the buttress beneath the window, effected their
entrance, and vanished after replacing the bar--Eric to his study, and
Wildney to his dormitory.

"Here's a go!" said the latter, as they ran up stairs; "I've smashed one
of the beer-bottles in getting through the window, and my trousers are
deluged with the stuff."

They had hardly separated when Mr. Rose's step was heard on the stairs.
He was just returning from a dinne