he had got under way, the fags began kicking up more row than ever.'

'I said', cut in Vaughan, 'that instead of minding other people's
business, he'd better mind his own for a change, and go down and stop
the row.'

'He looked a bit green at that,' said Dallas. 'Said the row didn't
interfere with him. "Does with us," I said. "It's all very well for
you. You aren't doing a stroke of work. No amount of row matters to a
chap who's only delivering a rotten sermon on scholarship. Vaughan and
I happen to be trying to do some work." "All right," he said, "if you
want the row stopped, why don't you go and stop it? What's it got to do
with me?"'

'Rotter!' interpolated the Babe.

'Wasn't he? Well, of course we couldn't stand that.'

'We crushed him,' said Vaughan.

'I said: "In my young days the head of the House used to keep order for
himself." I asked him what he thought he was here for. Because he isn't
ornamental. So he went down after that.'

'Well?' said the Babe. Being a miserable day boy he had had no
experience of the inner life of a boarding House, which is the real
life of a public school. His experience of life at St Austin's was
limited to doing his work and playing centre-three-quarter for the
fifteen. Which, it may be remarked in passing, he did extremely well.