lashman, lugging the wretched boy along, "'twont
hurt you,----you! Come along, boys, here he is."

"I say, Flashy," sung out another of the big boys, "drop that; you heard
what old Pater Brooke said to-night I'll he hanged if we'll toss any
one against their will--no more bullying. Let him go, I say."

Flashman, with an oath and a kick, released his prey, who rushed
headlong under his bed again, for fear they should change their minds,
and crept along underneath the other beds, till he got under that of the
sixth-form boy, which he knew they daren't disturb.

"There's plenty of youngsters don't care about it," said Walker. "Here,
here's Scud East--you'll be tossed, won't you, young un?" Scud was
East's nickname, or Black, as we called it, gained by his fleetness of
foot.

"Yes," said East, "if you like, only mind my foot."

"And here's another who didn't hide. Hullo! new boy; what's your name,
sir?"

"Brown."

"Well, Whitey Brown, you don't mind being tossed?"

"No," said Tom, setting his teeth.

"Come along then, boys," sung out Walker; and away they all went,
carrying along Tom and East, to the intense relief of four or five other
small boys, who crept out from under the beds and behind them.

"What a trump Scud is!" said one. "They won't come back here now."

"And that new boy, too; he must be a good plucked one."

"Ah! wait till he has been tossed on to the floor; see how he'll like it
then!"

Meantime the procession went down the passage to Number 7, the largest
room, and the scene of tossing, in the middle of which was a great open
space. Here they joined other parties of the bigger boys, each with a
captive or two, some willing to be tossed, some sullen, and some
frightened to death. At Walker's suggestion, all who were afraid were
let off, in honour of Pater Brooke's speech.

Then a dozen big boys seized hold of a blanket dragged from one of the
beds. "In with Scud, quick! there's no time to lose." East was chucked
into the blanket. "Once, twice, thrice, and away;" up he went like a
shuttlecock, but not quite up to the ceiling.

"Now, boys, with a will," cried Walker, "once, twice, thrice, and away!"
This time he went clean up, and kept himself from touching the ceiling
with his hand; and so again a third time, when he was turned out, and up
went another boy. And then came Tom's turn. He lay quite still, by
East's advice, and didn't dislike the "once, twice, thrice;" but the
"away" wasn't so p