be a
jolly good riddance of bad rubbish? Chimpanzee Sarah. There you are.
Make what you like of it, and don't talk to us."

This tirade took my breath away. I knew it said more than it meant.
Still, it wasn't flattering, and it taxed my affection sorely to sit
quietly and hear it out. But, somehow, to-day I was too anxious and
worried to care much what anybody said.

Fortunately the entrance of the doctor, Mr Sharpe, and Mr Jarman, made
further discussion for the time being unnecessary--and a gloomy silence
fell over the assembly.

Dr England was evidently worried. Secretly, I believe, he was bored
by the whole affair, and wished Mr Sharpe and his prefects could manage
the affairs of their own house. Perhaps, too, the fact that Mr Jarman
was once more the complainant had something to do with his lack of
humour.

"Now, boys," said he, "this is an unusual and unpleasant interview, and
I heartily wish it were not necessary. When a whole house is reported
for rowdiness, it shows, I'm afraid, that the sense of duty to the
school is in a bad way. This is not the first occasion this term on
which this house has been reported, but I have previously refrained from
interfering, in the hope that the good feeling of the boys themselves
would assert itself and make any action of mine unnecessary. I am sorry
it has not been so. As to the scrimmage in the quadrangle yesterday, I
am not disposed to make too much of that; at any rate, that weighs less
with me than what I understand to have been a deliberate act of
disobedience to the master, who quite properly interfered to restore
order; disobedience, I am sorry to say, encouraged, if not instigated,
by the head boy of the house. I hope there may be some mistake about
this. Will the boys who were engaged in the fight stand up?"

The Philosophers rose to a man, with a promptitude which was almost
aggressive. Bother it all, why should we be backward in admitting that
we had gone for those day boys, and "put them to bed" for once?

"I ask you boys to say whether you heard Mr Jarman tell you to wait
till he spoke to you?"

"I did, sir," said Langrish.

"So did I," said Trimble.

"We all did," said I.

"And why did you not obey?"

"Tempest told us to come in, so we did," said I.

"That's right, sir," said Coxhead.

And the others assented.

"Very well," said the doctor. "Tempest, I ask you to say whether you
heard Mr Jarman tell the boys to wait?"

"Yes, s