bagged, how on earth am I to prove I didn't take them myself?'

'By Jove, I never thought of that. But, hang it all, they'd never dream
of accusing a Coll. chap of stealing Sports prizes. This isn't a
reformatory for juvenile hooligans.'

'No, perhaps not.'

'Of course not.'

'Well, even if they didn't, the Old Man would be frightfully sick if he
got to know about it. I'd lose my prefect's cap for a cert.'

'You might, certainly.'

'I should. There wouldn't be any question about it. Why, don't you
remember that business last summer about Cairns? He used to stay out
after lock-up. That was absolutely all he did. Well, the Old 'Un
dropped on him like a hundredweight of bricks. Multiply that by about
ten and you get what he'll do to me if he books me over this job.'

Tony looked thoughtful. The case of Cairns _versus_ The Powers
that were, was too recent to have escaped his memory. Even now Cairns
was to be seen on the grounds with a common School House cap at the
back of his head in place of the prefect's cap which had once adorned
it.

'Yes,' he said, 'you'd lose your cap all right, I'm afraid.'

'Rather. And the sickening part of the business is that this real,