ly near the best to entitle them to
the place of honour, which made the Willoughby captain supreme, not only
in school, but out of it. So that in the memory of the present
"generation"--a school generation being reckoned as five years--the
Willoughby captain had always been cock of the school in every sense in
which such a distinction was possible.

But now all of a sudden the school woke up to the fact that this
delightful state of things was not everlasting. Wyndham had left and
his mantle had fallen from him in two pieces.

The new head classic was Riddell, a comparatively unknown boy in the
school, who had come there a couple of years ago from a private school,
and about whom the most that was known was that he was physically weak
and timid, rarely taking part in any athletic exercises, having very few
chums, interfering very little with anybody else, and reputed "pi."--as
the more irreverent among the Willoughbites were wont to stigmatise any
fellow who made a profession of goodness. Such was the boy on whom,
according to strict rule, the captaincy of Willoughby would devolve, and
it need hardly be said that the discovery spread consternation wherever
it travelled.

Among the seniors the idea was hardly taken seriously.

"The doctor would never be so ridiculous," said Ashley to Coates, as
they talked the matter over in the study of the former. "We might as
well shut up the school."

"The worst of it is, I don't see how he can help it," replied Coates.

"Help it! Of course he can help it if he likes. There's no written law
that head classics are to be captains, if they can't hold a bat or run a
hundred yards, is there?"

"I don't suppose there is. But who else is there?"

"Why, Bloomfield, of course. He's just the fellow for it, and the
fellows all look up to him."

"But Bloomfield's low down in the sixth," said Coates.

"What's that to do with it? Felton was a muff at rowing, but he was
made captain of the boats all the same while he was cock of the school."

At this point another monitor entered.

"Ah, Tipper," said Ashley, "what do you think Coates here is saying? He
says Riddell is to be the new captain."

Tipper burst into a loud laugh.

"That would be a joke! Think of Riddell stroking the school eight at
Henley, eh! or kicking off for us against Rockshire! I suppose Coates
thinks because Riddell's a schoolhouse boy he's bound to be the man.
Never fear. You'll see Parrett's come to