y the way, was rather more than a youngster. He was a Limpet,
and looked back on the days of fagging as a long-closed chapter of his
history. Had he been a junior like Telson or Pilbury, it would have
been less likely either that Game and Silk would take such trouble to
cultivate his acquaintance, or that he would submit himself so easily to
their patronage. As it was, he was his own master. Nobody had a right
to demand his services, neither had he yet attained to the
responsibilities of a monitor. He could please himself, and therefore
yielded himself unquestioningly to the somewhat flattering attentions of
the two seniors.

No, not quite unquestioningly. Short as was the time since his brother
had left, it had been long enough for Riddell to let the boy see that he
wished to be his friend. He had never told him so in words, but Wyndham
could guess what all the kind interest which the new captain evinced in
him meant. And it was the thought of this that kept alive the one or
two scruples he still retained in joining himself to the society of
Gilks and Silk.

And so he declined the invitation of these two friends to defy the
captain's summons.

"Well," said Gilks, "if you must put your head into the lion's mouth,
you must, mustn't he, Silk? But I say, as you _are_ to get pulled up, I
don't see why you shouldn't have all the fun you can for your money.
What do you say to a game of skittles at Beamish's?"

"_What_ a nice boy you are!" said Silk, laughing; "the young 'un doesn't
know Beamish's."

"Not know Beamish's!--at the Aquarium!" said Gilks.

"No. What is he?" inquired Wyndham.

"He's the Aquarium!" said Gilks, laughing.

"And do they play skittles in the Aquarium?" asked the boy.

"Rather!" said Silk; "it amuses the fishes, you know." Beamish's was,
as Gilks had said, another name for the Shellport Aquarium--a
disreputable place of resort, whose only title to the name of Aquarium
was that it had in it, in an obscure corner which nobody ever explored,
a small tank, which might have contained fishes if there had been any
put into it. As it was, the last thing any one went to Beamish's for
was to study fishes, the other attractions of the place--the skittles,
bowls, and refreshment bars--being far more popular. These things in
themselves, of course, were not enough to make Beamish's a bad place.
That character was supplied by the company that were mostly in the habit
of frequenting it, of which