uds upon
our devoted nobs. As Albert's uncle said, "School now gaped for its
prey." In a very short space of time we should be wending our way back
to Blackheath, and all the variegated delightfulness of the country
would soon be only preserved in memory's faded flowers. (I don't care
for that way of writing very much. It would be an awful swat to keep it
up--looking out the words and all that.)

To speak in the language of every-day life, our holiday was jolly nearly
up. We had had a ripping time, but it was all but over. We really did
feel sorry--though, of course, it was rather decent to think of getting
back to father and being able to tell the other chaps about our raft,
and the dam, and the Tower of Mystery, and things like that.

When but a brief time was left to us, Oswald and Dicky met by chance in
an apple-tree. (That sounds like "consequences," but it is mere
truthfulness.) Dicky said:

"Only four more days." Oswald said, "Yes."

[Illustration: THE COUNCIL IN THE APPLE-TREE]

"There's one thing," Dicky said, "that beastly society. We don't want
that swarming all over everything when we get home. We ought to dissolve
it before we leave here."

The following dialogue now took place:

_Oswald_--"Right you are. I always said it was piffling rot."

_Dicky_--"So did I."

_Oswald_--"Let's call a council. But don't forget we've jolly well got
to put our foot down."

Dicky assented, and the dialogue concluded with apples.

The council, when called, was in but low spirits. This made Oswald's and
Dicky's task easier. When people are sunk in gloomy despair about one
thing, they will agree to almost anything about something else. (Remarks
like this are called philosophic generalizations, Albert's uncle says.)
Oswald began by saying:

"We've tried the society for being good in, and perhaps it's done us
good. But now the time has come for each of us to be good or bad on his
own, without hanging on to the others."

"The race is run by one and one,
But never by two and two,"

the Dentist said. The others said nothing. Oswald went on: "I move that
we chuck--I mean dissolve--the Wouldbegoods Society; its appointed task
is done. If it's not well done, that's _its_ fault and not ours." Dicky
said, "Hear! hear! I second this prop."

The unexpected Dentist said, "I third it. At first I thought it would
help, but afterwards I saw it only made you want to be naughty, just
because you were a Wouldbegood."