Blake interfered; and he's not a fool, but a jolly good sort."

"Oh, don't get angry," returned the other. "I'm sure I shouldn't fly
into a wax if you called Fox or old Phillips a fool. I got sick of that
beastly little school, as I expect you did of yours, and so I made my
uncle send me here.--Hullo! I suppose that's the bell for going back to
work; see you again later on."

"I say," whispered Diggory, as soon as they had regained their seat in
the examination-room, "I vote we give that chap the cold shoulder."

The following morning the three friends heard their names read out as
forming part of the Third Form, to which their friend Carton already
belonged. Young Noaks was placed in the Upper Fourth, and they were
not destined therefore to have him as a class-mate.

The Third Form at Ronleigh had, for some reason or other, received the
title of "The Happy Family." They certainly were an amusing lot of
little animals, and Diggory and his companions coming into the classroom
rather late, and before the entrance of the master, saw them for the
first time to full advantage. Out of the two-and-twenty juveniles
present, only about six seemed to be in their proper places.

One young gentleman sitting close to the blackboard cried, "Powder,
sir!" and straightway scrubbed his neighbour's face with a very chalky
duster. The latter, by way of retaliation, smote the former's pile
of books from the desk on to the ground--a little attention which was
immediately returned by boy number one; while as they bent down to pick
up their scattered possessions, a third party, sitting on the form
behind, made playful attempts to tread upon their fingers. Two rival