ng up in a cubicle here. No,
what seems to me the cool thing is this talk of a town-boys' club, that
brags it's going to lick the school clubs into fits. I hope it's not
true, for if it is, we shall have to sit up, and I loathe sitting up."

His guests laughed. It was notorious that Pridgin when he did bring
himself to "sit up" was a person worth reckoning with.

"For the matter of that," said Wales, "Redwood's not likely to trouble
himself much. He'll take all the glory and do none of the work. The
captain of Low Heath ought to have his hand in everything, and not let
everything slide."

"You'll find Redwood can be awkward enough when he chooses. You can
never tell how far he'll let things go on. But when his back once gets
up he'll stiffen pretty hard."

"All I can say is," said Tempest, "if I'm to be cock of this house this
term--and I've no right to be--"

"Yes, you have, old chap," said Pridgin.

"You know you purposely ran for second place last term, so as to get out
of the fag of cocking the house," retorted his friend. "Anyhow, if I
_am_ to be cock, I mean to stand up for our rights, and see we're not
done out of them by town-boys, of all people."

"Hear, hear," said Pridgin; "stick up for your rights. I don't exactly
know what rights we're got more than any other Low Heathens, but stick
up for them certainly. Nothing like having a grievance, if you can only
find one."

"What do you say to Jarman for one?" said Wales.

The faces of all three clouded at the mention of this name.

"Ah, I'd forgotten about that. Is it true he's to be a sort of general
discipline master, and have the right of pulling up any fellow, senior
or junior, without even saying a word to his house prefects?"

"He won't do it here, if I can help," said Tempest, with a frown.

"Well, have some more tea," said Pridgin, "before you begin operations.
Here, kid, make a fresh brew, sharp, and then cut."

What I had heard had been quite enough to satisfy me that things were
not running altogether smoothly at Low Heath, and that Tempest was not
beginning his new duties as head of his house in the best of tempers. I
confess I felt a little uneasy. For I knew my old chief's impulsive,
generous nature well enough to be sure that he might easily get himself
into trouble for the sake of other people. His friends were evidently
glad enough to let him fight their battles, but were not likely, at
least so it seemed to me, to take