ed to the Manor, John hoped and prayed that this blessed
intimacy would continue. It did--for a time. The three boys got their
remove, and found themselves in the Second Fifth, where they proposed to
linger till after the summer term. Lovell and Scaife seemed inseparable,
and bridge began again, apparently an inexhaustible source of amusement
and excitement. Then came the Torpid matches; and John, as Lawrence
predicted, was captain of the cock-house Eleven--the first great victory
of the Manorites. During the term, Scaife and Desmond won no races,
being in age betwixt and between winners of Upper and Lower School
races. Scaife refused to train. Desmond took a few runs, but abandoned
them for racquets, the chief game in the Easter term, but only played
regularly by boys whose purses are well lined. John confined his
attention to "Squash." Caesar played "Harder" with the Demon. The three
worked together as of yore. John now perceived that Scaife had joined a
clique pledged to fight Reform. It was in the air that something might
happen. Warde eyed the big fellows shrewdly, as if measuring weapons. He
confounded some by asking them to dine with him. At dessert he would
talk of sport, or games, or politics--everything, in fine, except
"shop." The more worthy came away from these pleasant evenings with
rather a hangdog expression, as if they had been receiving goods under
false pretences. John and Desmond were made especially welcome. And,
after dinner, John, whose voice had not yet cracked, would sing, to Mrs.
Warde's accompaniment, such songs as "O Bay of Dublin, my heart yu're
throublin'," or "Think of me sometimes," or Handel's "Where'er you
walk." The Caterpillar made no secret of a passion for Iris Warde, and
became a dangerous rival of one of the younger masters. He talked to
Warde about genealogies and hunting, topics of conversation in which
they had a common interest outside Harrow. John guessed that Warde was
making an effort to secure Egerton, who, for his part, took the world
as he found it, consorting alike with John and his friends, and also
with Lovell and Co. From the Caterpillar John learned that
Beaumont-Greene had begun to play bridge.

"Scaife and Lovell are skinning the beast," he added confidentially.
"Green he is, and no error."

"Ructions soon," said John.

"I don't believe it," replied the Caterpillar. "Take my word, Warde
knows what he's about. He's playing up to the younger members of the
house-