by Whalley, who knows Bliss to be much too lazy to pursue the chase very
far.

Let us come and hear--for we have put on our cap of darkness and are
invisible, coming and going where we like, unobserved--what our four
fast friends at the racket-court are talking about.

"We shall have lots of larks this half," observes Harpour, leaning on
his racket.

"Yes; such fun, old boy," answers Jones.

"I declare this dull old place was getting quite lively before last
holidays," says Mackworth; "we shall soon get things all right here."

"Fancy that fellow Power head of the school," said Harpour, bursting
into a roar of scornful laughter, echoed in faint sniggerings by Jones
and Tracy.

"Might as well have a jug of milk and water head of the school," sneered
Mackworth.

"Or a bottle of French polish, I should think," casually suggests
Henderson, who, _en passant_, has heard the last remark.

"Damn that fellow," says Mackworth, stamping, "by Jove, I'll be even
with him some day."

"Is he one of the new monitors?" asks Jones.

"Yes," says Tracy, "and Evson's another;" and at Walter's name the faces
of all four grew darker; "and Kenrick's a third."

"O, Kenrick is, is he? that's all right. Jolly fellow is Ken," observes
Harpour, approvingly. "Yes, quite up to snuff," adds Jones; "and a
thorough gentlemanly chap," assents Mackworth; for, amazing to relate,
Kenrick is on good terms with these fellows now, though he has never
spoken to Walter yet.

"Of good family, too, on the mother's side," drawls Tracy, with his hand
lifting his locks.

"I say, old fellows," says Harpour, with many knowing looks and winks,
and poking of his friends in the ribs. "I say, stunning tap at Dan's,
you know, eh? I say;" whereupon the others laugh, and Belial Mackworth
observes, "And let those monitors try to peach if they dare. We'll soon
have _them_ under our thumb."

After which, as their conversation is supremely repulsive, let us go and
take a breath of delicious pure sea air, and seat ourselves by Walter
and Power on the shore. Walter is in good, and even gay spirits, being
fresh from Semlyn, but Power seems a little grave and depressed.

"Look, Walter," he says, shying a round stone at a bit of embedded rock
about twenty yards before them, but missing it; "I believe it was that
identical rock--"

"_That_ identical rock," said Walter, taking a better shot, and hitting
it; "well, what about it?"

"--On which you were stan