Fletcher senior, who had been sitting all this time scowling in silence at the candle, answered shortly, "No."
"Hullo!" returned his friend, "what's the matter? You seem precious glum to-night. What's up? Are you going to chuck this business and turn good?"
"You asked me whether I'd heard anything more about that rhyme I wrote," answered the other, rousing himself, and speaking with a thrill of anger in his voice. "I say no, but I've seen a jolly lot."
"How d'you mean?"
"Why, there's not a fellow in the Sixth but gives me the cold shoulder. Allingford sets the example, and there's hardly one of them will give me a civil word. They'd like to oust me from the prefects like they did you, but they shan't, and, what's more, I'll get even chalks with some of them before I leave."
"Hear, hear!" exclaimed Thurston; "that's just what I say. And now the question is, what shall we do?"
"Nothing at present," answered the other. "We must wait until this affair's blown over. There's no need to run the risk of getting expelled; and, besides, we want some time to think of a plan."
The faint clang, ter-ang of a bell sounded across the playing field.
Noaks and Hawley rose to their feet.
"'Prep!'" exclaimed the latter. "We must be off." A new cause for anxiety now presented itself to Diggory's mind in the thought that he would be late in taking his place in the big schoolroom. He knew that Noaks and Hawley would have to be in time for the assembly; but the two Sixth Form boys were not amenable to the same rule, and might linger behind.
Thurston, however, rose to his feet, blew out the candle, and the four conspirators groped their way in a body out through the low doorway.