secret of his hope that Parrett's might win. He had even,
if rumours spoke truly, lost money on the race. How was it likely,
then, he would do such an absurd thing as cut the rudder-lines of the
very boat he wanted to win, and on whose success he had even made a bet?

It was much more likely that Silk had made this wild charge for the sake
of embarrassing the captain, and leading him to reconsider his
determination to report the fight.

And what followed partly confirmed this idea.

"You don't want to get both Gilks and me expelled?" said Silk, with a
half-whine very different from his late bullying tones.

"The doctor never expels fellows for fighting."

"But he will when he finds out all this other business," said Silk.

"I really can't help that," said the captain, not quite seeing how the
two offences were involved one with another.

"It's bound to come out," continued Silk, "and Gilks will bring me into
it too. I say, can't you get back the names?"

"Certainly not," said the captain.

"You were glad enough to hush it all up when you thought it was young
Wyndham had done it," said Silk.

The captain winced, and Silk was quick enough to see it.

"You profess to be fair and honest. Do you call it fair to shelter one
fellow because he's your friend, and tell about another because he
isn't? Eh, Riddell?"

It was not a bad move on Silk's part. The question thrust home, and had
he been content to leave the matter there, it might have been some time
before the captain, with his own scrupulous way of regarding things,
would have detected its fallacies. But, not for the first time, Silk
overdid it.

"Besides," said he, seeing he had made an impression, and foolishly
thinking to follow it up--"besides, young Wyndham's a long way from
being out of the wood himself yet. Of course I don't want to do it, but
I could make it rather awkward for him if I chose."

The captain fired up scornfully, but Silk did not notice it, and
continued, "You wouldn't like to see him expelled, would you? If I were
to tell all I know about him, he would be, to a certainty."

Riddell, on whom these incautious words had acted with a result wholly
different from what was intended, could scarcely contain himself to talk
coolly as he replied, "Please leave my room. I don't want you here."
Silk looked round in a startled way at the words, and his face changed
colour.

"What?" he demanded. "Please leave my room," replied the ca