y. Eden
would go off again in a swoon, if he saw such brutes as you when he
recovered."

In such a mood Walter was not to be resisted. The two plotters, picking
up their masks, retired somewhat crestfallen, and sat down on their
beds, while the rest, with the utmost tenderness, adopted every means
they knew to recall Eden's fluttered and agitated senses.

But his swoon was deeper than they could manage, and, growing too
violently alarmed to trust themselves any longer, Henderson and Walker
proposed to carry him to the sickroom, and put him at once under the
care of Dr Keith. It was in vain that Jones and Harpour entreated,
threatened, implored them to delay a little longer, lest by taking Eden
to the sickroom, their doings should be discovered. Wholly disregarding
all they said, the two boys uplifted their still fainting friend, and
when Harpour attempted to interfere between them and the door, Cradock
and Franklin, now _thoroughly_ sickened by their proceedings, pulled him
aside and let them pass.

Dr Keith instantly administered to Eden a restorative, and after
receiving from Walter a hurried explanation of the circumstances, gently
told the boys that they would be only in the way there, that Eden was
evidently in a critical position, and that they had better return at
once to their dormitories.

Walter and Henderson, when they returned, were assailed by the others
with eager inquiries, to which they could only give gloomy and uncertain
answers. They would not vouchsafe to take the slightest notice of Jones
or Harpour, but met all their remarks with resolute silence. But before
he went to sleep, Walter said, "I may as well let you fellows know that
I intend to report you to Somers to-morrow."

"Then you'll be a damned sneak," observed Harpour.

"It is not sneaking to prevent brutal bullying like yours, by giving
others the chance of stopping it, and preventing little chaps like poor
Eden, whom you've nearly frightened to death, from being so shamefully
treated. Anyhow, sneaking, or not, I'll do it."

"If you do tell Somers, look out for yourself--that's all."

"I'm not afraid," was the brief retort.

Harpour knew that he meant what he said, and, being now desperate, he
got up half an hour earlier next morning to try and extort from him, by
main force, a promise to hold his tongue about the affair of the night
before. If he had at all understood Walter's character, he might have
saved himself this ve