"Yes, isn't he?" said Harvey.

"I'm jolly glad his study _has_ been ragged," continued the
vindictive Renford.

"It's jolly exciting, isn't it?" added Harvey. "And I thought this term
was going to be slow. The Easter term generally is."

This remark seemed to suggest a train of thought to Renford, who made
the following cryptic observation. "Have you seen them today?"

To the ordinary person the words would have conveyed little meaning. To
Harvey they appeared to teem with import.

"Yes," he said, "I saw them early this morning."

"Were they all right?"

"Yes. Splendid."

"Good," said Renford.

Barry's friend Drummond was one of those who had visited the scene of
the disaster early, before Mill's energetic hand had repaired the
damage done, and his narrative was consequently in some demand.

"The place was in a frightful muck," he said. "Everything smashed
except the table; and ink all over the place. Whoever did it must have
been fairly sick with him, or he'd never have taken the trouble to do