was coming to. Even among the Sixth many an
unfriendly glance was darted at him as he took his seat, and many a
whispered foreboding passed from boy to boy. Only a few watched him
with looks of sympathy, and of these scarcely one was hopeful.

Happily for Riddell, he could not see half of all this; and when in a
moment the doctor entered and prayers began, he saw none of it. For he
was one of a few at Willoughby to whom this early-morning service was
something more than a mere routine, and who felt, especially at times
like this, that in those beautiful familiar words was to be found the
best of all preparations for the day's duties.

Telson, as he stood down by the door, with his hands in his pockets,
beside his friend Parson, was void of all such reflections. What was
chiefly occupying his lordly mind at that moment was the discovery
suddenly made, that if Riddell was the new captain, he of course would
be captain's fag. And he was not quite sure whether to be pleased or
the reverse at his new dignity.

"You see," said he to his ally, in a whisper, "it's good larks marking
the fellows off every morning as they come into chapel, but then, don't
you twig that means I've got to be here the moment the bell begins
ringing? and that's no joke."

"No, unless you got leave to ring the bell, too," said Parson. "Then of
course they couldn't troop in till you were there. I'd come down and
help with the bell, you know."

"Wouldn't do, I fancy," said Telson. "Then, of course, it's swell
enough work to have to go about and tell the monitors what they've got
to do, but I'm not so sure if it's a good thing to mix altogether with
monitors--likely to spoil a chap, eh?"

"Rather," said Parson. "Look out, Porter's looking."

Whereupon this brief but edifying dialogue broke off for the present.

The monitors duly assembled in the doctor's library after chapel. They
all of them knew what was coming, and their general attitude did not
seem promising for the new _regime_. Each one possibly fancied he had
the interests of Willoughby at heart, and all but one or two felt
convinced that in putting Riddell into the position of captain the
doctor was committing a serious mistake. Every one could have given
good reasons for thinking so, and would have asserted that they had no
personal ill-feeling towards the new captain, but for the sake of the
school they were sure he was not the fit person. Whether each one felt
equally su