refore, of that dormitory had
been accustomed to agree that if they were questioned by any master
about the smell of smoking, they would all deny that any smoking had
taken place. The other nine boys in the dormitory, with the doubtful
exception of Elgood, had promised that they would stick to this
assertion in case of their being asked. The question was, "Would
Charlie promise the same thing?" If not, the boys felt doubly
insecure--insecure about the stability of their falsehood and the
secrecy of their proceedings.

And Charlie Evson, of course, refused to promise this. Single-handed he
fought this battle against the other boys in his house, and in spite of
solicitation, coaxing, entreaty, threats and blows, steadily declared
that he was no tell-tale, that he had never mentioned anything which had
gone on in the house, but that _if he were directly asked_ whether a
particular act had taken place or not, he would still keep silence, but
_could not and would not_ tell a lie.

Now some of the house--and especially Mackworth and Wilton--had
determined, by the help of the rest, to crush this opposition, to
conquer this obstinacy, as they called it; and, since Charlie's
reluctance could not be overcome by persuasion or argument, to break it
down by sheer force. So, night after night, a number of them gathered
round Charlie, and tried every means which ingenuity or malice could
suggest to make him yield on this one point; the more so, because they
well knew that to gain one concession was practically to gain all, and
Charlie's uprightness contrasted so unpleasantly with their own base
compliances, that his mere presence among them became, from this
circumstance, a constant annoyance. One boy with a high and firm moral
standard, steadily and consistently good, can hardly fail to be most
unpopular in a large house full of bad and reckless boys.

It was a long and hard struggle; so long that Charlie felt as if it
would last for ever, and his strength would give way before he had
wearied-out his persecutors. For now it seemed to be a positive
amusement, a pleasant occupation to them, night after night, to bully
him. He dreaded, he shuddered at the return of evening; he knew well
that from the time when Preparation began, till the rest were all
asleep, he could look for little peace. Sometimes he was tempted to
yield. He knew that at the bottom the fellows did not really hate him,
that he might be very popular if he