had enjoyed the
chorus, or was he poking fun at them? They could not quite tell.

"Oh," said Cusack, not quite as defiantly, however, as he could have
wished, "that's a song we sing among ourselves, isn't it, you fellows?"

"Ah!" said Riddell, before "the fellows" could chime in, "it's good fun
belonging to a musical set--especially for songs like this, that appear
to have several tunes all sung at once! You should give a concert."

The boys looked more perplexed than ever. It sounded like chaff, and
yet they could scarcely believe it was. So they smiled vacantly at one
another, and began to feel the situation a little awkward.

"I suppose," continued Riddell, feeling his way carefully--"I suppose
between nine and ten is the usual time for singing in Welch's? I
fancied it was before supper!"

"Oh!" said Pilbury, "we do as we like here."

"Do you, really?" replied the captain. "How jolly that must be!"

Cusack and Pilbury could hardly tell why they laughed at this very
innocent observation, but they did, and Riddell was quick enough to see
his advantage.

"You know, I'd be very sorry to interfere with the beautiful music," he
said; "but do you think you could get to like not to sing after supper?"

The boys stared as if they were not quite sure yet how to take it.
However, the captain made himself clear without further delay. "The
fact is," said he, a trifle nervously, but in his friendliest
tones--"the fact is--I don't know what you think, but I'd be awfully
glad if you fellows would back me up for a week or two in Welch's. Of
course, you know, the doctor's put me here, and I don't suppose you're
much alarmed by the move, eh? You needn't be."

"We aren't," said Morgan, in a decidedly mild attempt at heroism.

"I'm glad of that," said the captain; whereat the rest of the company
laughed at the unlucky Morgan, who had quite expected the joke to go the
other way. "You know," continued Riddell, sitting upon the table and
talking as familiarly as though he were in his own study, "I'd rather
like if among us we could pull Welch's up a bit before the end of the
term. It seems rather a shame, for instance, we didn't have a boat on
the river these races, and that there's not a single Welcher in the
first eleven."

"It's a beastly shame!" said Philpot. "Bloomfield's down on us, you
know; he's got a spite against us."

"Oh! I don't know," said Riddell. "I fancy if we'd got some good
enough men he'd be