"don't be such a fool. You won't do a bit
of good by that. If you do want to pay him out, pay him out in his own
coin."

"How do you mean?" inquired Gilks.

"I mean, keep a sharp lookout till you catch his holiness tripping."

"But the beggar never does trip. He's so vilely careful, he never gives
a chance," growled Gilks.

"Awfully uncivil of him, when he knows how grateful we should be to
him," said Silk, laughing. "Never mind, old man, keep in with him if
you can. Something's sure to turn up. He won't suspect you, as you're
in the schoolhouse; and we ought to be able to manage to put a spoke in
his wheel somehow."

"Wish you may do it," said Gilks. "Anyhow, I dare say you are right;
it's no use flaring up too soon, if there is a chance of doing him. By
the way, Fairbairn's pretty nearly as bad as Riddell; they're a pair,
you know."

"Yes, but Fairbairn's in the boat," said Silk.

"So he is; and what's more, he's got a spite against me, and wants to
turn me out of it."

"Why?"

"He says I don't do enough work. I should like to know how a fellow is
to work behind a sanctimonious ass like him?"

"I hear the schoolhouse boat isn't a bad one, even without Wyndham,"
said Silk.

"Pretty fair. But if I'm in it I'll see it doesn't win," said Gilks.

"What a nice boy you are, to be sure! I suppose you've a bet on
Parrett's, like me?"

"No, I haven't," said Gilks, "but I want it to win all the same, because
of Bloomfield. If Parrett's gets to the head of the river, there's all
the better chance of getting Bloomfield for captain next term; and
things would be far pleasanter then."

"Yes. I don't suppose Bloomfield's very particular," said Silk.

"Not he. You can make him do what you like. He's not all the notions
of his own that the Reverend Riddell has, hang him!"

"Well, old man," said Silk, "as I said before, you're a nice boy, and a
sweet companion for a tender youth like me. Ha, ha! Good-night. Are
you one of the deputation that's going to present the petition in the
morning?"

"Yes, I am," said Gilks.

"Take my advice and back out of it. It won't come to anything, and if
you're not mixed up in it our pious friends will think you are one of
them, and that'll pay. Do you twig? Good-night. You _are_ a nice
boy!"

So saying these two worthies separated.

Gilks acted on his friend's advice, and contrived to be absent after
chapel next morning, when it was proposed to present the