ield for some time
past had shown signs of coming round to see that the position which had
been forced upon him, and which he had been very ready at first to
accept, was not a satisfactory one. And, greatly to the disgust of some
of his fellow-monitors, he had shown this more than once by friendly
advances towards his rival. But, so far, he had never got to the length
of calling upon him in his study.

Riddell was scarcely surprised to see him, although he was quite
unprepared for the very amicable way in which he began.

"I'm sorry to interrupt you," said Bloomfield, "but I've been intending
to come over the last day or two."

"It's very good of you," said Riddell.

"The fact is," said Bloomfield, a little nervously, "ever since that
debate in Parliament some weeks ago, when you spoke about all pulling
together, I've felt that our fellows haven't done as much as they ought
in that way--I know I haven't."

Riddell did not exactly know what to say. He could not say that the
Parrett's fellows _had_ "pulled together" for the good of the school, so
he said nothing.

"I'm getting rather sick of it," continued Bloomfield, digging his hands
in his pockets.

"So am I," said the captain.

"You know," said Bloomfield, "it was that wretched boat-race affair
which made things as bad as they were. Our fellows wouldn't have kept
it up so long if that hadn't happened."

Riddell began to get more and more uneasy. He had expected this was
coming, and there was no escaping it.

"It was an awfully ugly business, of course," continued Bloomfield; "and
though no one suspected fellows like you and Fairbairn of such a thing,
our fellows, you know, were pretty sure some one was at the bottom of
it."

Riddell could not help thinking, in the midst of his uneasiness, how
very sagacious the Parrett's fellows had been to make the discovery!

"And now," said Bloomfield, looking up, and feeling relieved to have his
speech nearly done--"now that you've found out who it is, and it's all
going to be cleared up, I think things ought to come all right."

It was a painful situation for the captain of Willoughby. The bribe
which Bloomfield offered for his secret was what had been the wish of
his heart the whole term. If he accepted it now there would be an end
to all the wretched squabbles which had worked such mischief in the
school the last few months, and the one object of his ambition as head
of the school would be realised.

S