A thin piping mixed with tears came muffled through the panels.

"'As beautiful Kitty one morning was tripping--'"

"Louder, you young devil, or I'll buzz a book at you!"

"'With a pitcher of milk--'
Oh, Campbell, _please_ don't!
'To the fair of--"

A book crashed on something soft, and squeals arose.

"Well, I never thought it was a study-chap, anyhow. That accounts for
our not spotting him," said Beetle. "Sefton and Campbell are rather
hefty chaps to tackle. Besides, one can't go into their study like a
form-room."

"What swine!" McTurk listened. "Where's the fun of it? I suppose
Clewer's faggin' for them."

"They aren't prefects. That's one good job," said Stalky, with his
war-grin. "Sefton and Campbell! Um! Campbell and Sefton! Ah! One of
'em's a crammer's pup."

The two were precocious hairy youths between seventeen and eighteen,
sent to the school in despair by parents who hoped that six months'
steady cram might, perhaps, jockey them into Sandhurst. Nominally
they were in Mr. Prout's house; actually they were under the Head's
eye; and since he was very careful never to promote strange new boys
to prefectships, they considered they had a grievance against the