turned in an instant into
a most formidable person.

"Er--no," he said. "No, nothing."

"The thing seems to have fallen through, Sheen," said Linton. "Great
pity. Started so well, too. Clayton always makes a mess of things."

"Then I'd just like to say one thing," said Sheen.

Respectful attention from the senior day-room.

"I only want to know why you can't manage things of this sort by
yourselves, without dragging in men from other houses."

"Especially men like Stanning," said Linton. "The same thing occurred
to me. It's lucky Drummond wasn't here. Remember the last time, you
chaps?"

The chaps did. Stanning became an object of critical interest. After
all, who _was_ Stanning? What right had he to come and sit on
tables in Seymour's and interfere with the affairs of the house?

The allusion to "last time" was lost upon Sheen, but he saw that it had
not improved Stanning's position with the spectators.

He opened the door.

"Good bye, Stanning," he said.

"If I hadn't hurt my wrist--" Stanning began.

"Hurt your wrist!" said Sheen. "You got a bad attack of Peteiro. That
was what was the matter with you."

"You think that every one's a funk like yourself," said Stanning.

"Pity they aren't," said Linton; "we should do rather well down at
Aldershot. And he wasn't such a terror after all, Sheen, was he? You
beat him in two and a half rounds, didn't you? Think what Stanning
might have done if only he hadn't sprained his poor wrist just in time.

"Look here, Linton--"

"Some are born with sprained wrists," continued the speaker, "some
achieve sprained wrists--like Stanning--"

Stanning took a step towards him.

"Don't forget you've a sprained wrist," said Linton.

"Come on, Stanning," said Sheen, who was still holding the door open,
"you'll be much more comfortable in your own house. I'll show you out."

"I suppose," said Stanning in the passage, "you think you've scored off
me."

"That," said Sheen pleasantly, "is rather the idea. Good bye."

XXIV

BRUCE EXPLAINS

Mr Spence was a master with a great deal of sympathy and a highly
developed sense of duty. It was the combination of these two qualities
which made it so difficult for him to determine on a suitable course of
action in relation to Sheen's out-of-bounds exploits. As a private
individual he had nothing but admiration for the sporting way in which
Sheen had fought his up-hill fight. He felt that he himself in similar
circumst