at
the very idea."

"Probably take him off to his study and have a prayer-meeting with
Fairbairn and a few more of that lot upon the top of him," said Gilks, a
schoolhouse monitor, and not a nice-looking fellow.

"I guess I'd sooner get a hiding from old Bloomfield than that," laughed
Wibberly.

"I hope," said Game, "snivelling's not going to be the order of the day.
I can't stand it."

"I don't think you've any right to call Riddell a sniveller," said
Porter. "He may be a muff at sports, but I don't fancy he's a sneak.
And I don't see that it's against him, either, if he does go in for
being what he professes to be."

"Hear! hear!--quite a sermon from Porter," cried Wibberly.

"Porter's right," said Bloomfield. "No one says it was against him.
All I say is that I don't expect the fellows will mind him as much as
they would a fellow who--well, who's better known, you know."

"Rather," said Game, "I know it would seem precious rum being a monitor
under him."

"Well," said Bloomfield, "I suppose it will be settled soon. Meanwhile,
Game, what do you say to another grind in the tub? You didn't half work
this morning, you beggar."

Game groaned resignedly, and said "All right;" and hue and cry was
forthwith made for Master Parson's services at the helm.

But Master Parson, as it happened, was not to be found. He was neither
in the school nor in his house, and a search through the grounds failed
to unearth him. He had not been seen since his escape from the
monitorial fangs after morning school. The natural thing, of course, on
not finding him at home in his own quarters, was to look for him in
Telson's. But he was not there, nor, strange to say, was Telson
himself. And, what was still more odd, when search came to be made,
Bosher, another fag of Parrett's house, was missing, and so was Lawkins,
and Pringle, and King, and Wakefield, and one or two others of the same
glorious company. After a fruitless search, the oarsmen had finally to
go down to the river without a fag at all, and impound the boat-boy to
steer for them.

The fact was, Parson's miraculous release from the hands of the law that
morning, and the reason which led to it, had suggested both to himself
and the faithful Telson that the present was rather a rare opportunity
for them in the annals of Willoughby. If there was no captain, there
was no one to give them a licking (for the worst an ordinary monitor
could do was to give an imposit