painfully
accurate. "Now beg Riddell's pardon at once!" said he.

They obeyed with most abject eagerness.

"Mind I don't catch you calling my friends names like that any more,"
said Bloomfield. "Riddell's captain here, and if you don't look out for
yourselves you'll find yourselves in the wrong box, I can tell you! And
you can tell the rest of your pack, unless they want a hiding from me,
they'd better not cheek the captain!"

So saying, he allowed the two terrified youngsters to depart; which they
did, shaking in their shoes and marvelling inwardly what wonder was to
happen next.

The morning passed, and before it was over, while all the school was
busy in class, Silk left Willoughby. His father had arrived by an early
train, and after a long interview with the doctor had returned taking
his boy with him. No one saw him before he went, and for none of those
whom he had wronged and misled did he leave behind any message of regret
or contrition. He simply dropped out of Willoughby life, lamented by
none, and missed only by a few who had suffered under his influence and
were now far better without him.

After morning classes the doctor summoned the school to the great hall,
and there briefly announced the changes that had taken place.

"Two boys," said he, "are absent to-day--absent because they have left
Willoughby for good. Now that they are gone, I need not dwell on the
harm they have done, except to warn any boys present, who may be tempted
to follow in their steps, of the disgrace and shame which always follow
vice and dishonesty."

There was a great stir and looking round as the doctor reached this
point. He had not yet announced the names, though most present were
able to guess them.

"It's not you two, then?" whispered Telson across the bench to where
Cusack and Pilbury sat in mutual perplexity.

"Two things at least are comforting in what has passed," continued the
doctor. "One is that by the confession of these two boys a very
unpleasant mystery, which affected the honour of the whole school, has
been cleared up; I mean, of course, the accident at the boat-race early
in the term."

It was then, that! Willoughby bristled up with startled eagerness to
hear the rest, and even Telson found no joke ready to hand.

"The other consolation is that one of the boys, Gilks--"

There was a sudden half-suppressed exclamation as the name was
announced, which disconcerted the doctor for a moment.

"G