"Not really!"
"They have, though. It was the old woman who looks after the house, and her husband; they're to be tried at the next assizes. They did it right enough; some of the coins were found in their possession, and—Hullo! what's the matter with you?"
The latter remark was addressed to Mugford, who suddenly jumped on a form, began to dance, fell off into the coal-box, scrambled to his feet, and capered wildly round the room.
"He's gone mad!" cried Diggory; "catch him, and sit on his head!"
"No, I haven't!" exclaimed Mugford, coming to a standstill; "but what do you think's happened? Guess!"
"Not that you're going to stay on here!"
"Yes! My uncle says he'll pay for me, and I'm to come back again after
Christmas!"
"Well, I'm sure!" gasped Jack Vance; "and we've just dissolved the
Alliance! We must make it again."
"No, you shan't!" shouted "Rats;" "Diggory said you wouldn't. I'm coming in, as Mugford suggested, so it'll have to be a quadruple one next time."
"Well, so it shall be," cried Jack Vance, embracing Mugford with the hugging power of a juvenile bear: "next term we'll start afresh."