'I know all that, but I've made up my mind,' replied the young autocrat. 'I shall play a man short, if I can't persuade Trout' (an irreverent sobriquet for their head-master) 'to let Snap Hales off in time.'
When a captain of a school eleven says that he has made up his mind, the intervention of anyone less than a head-master is useless, so that no one protested.
As the group broke up Wyndham put his arm through Winthrop's, and together they strolled towards the door of the school-house.
'Are you going up to see "the head," Major?' he asked.
'Yes,' replied Winthrop.
'What! about Snap Hales?' demanded Wyndham.
'Yes,' again replied Winthrop, 'about that young fool Snap.'
'What has he been up to now?' demanded his chum.
'Oh, he has been cheeking Cube-root again. It seems old Cube-root couldn't knock mathematics into him anyhow, so he piled on the impositions. Snap did as many lines as he could, but even with three nibs in your pen at once there is a limit to the number which a fellow can do in a day, and Master Snap has so many of these little literary engagements for other masters as well as old Cube that at last he reached a point beyond which no possible diligence would carry him.'
'Poor old Snap!' laughed Wyndham.