"Certainly, so far as I am concerned," said Mr. Allnutt. "Glad to be out of it!"
Mr. Brett, whose hand contained four aces, flung his cards upon the table and glared at his superior.
"Very sorry, Brett," said the Head, "but it had to be done. I had nothing above a nine in my hand. I was afraid they would double anything you declared. My cut, I think, Haydock."
For the next ten minutes, fortunately, Mr. Brett was too much chagrined to speak, and the topic of the overcoats was allowed to drop.
The game continued for another few rounds, with the luck fairly evenly divided and the scoring low. Presently the Head, who usually contrived to achieve a good deal of quiet legislation during these social evenings, remarked:—
"We shall have to create three new School monitors at the end of the term. Have you any candidates, Allnutt?"
"You can select any boy in my House you like," replied Allnutt. He was habitually truculent to those set in authority over him,—he regarded them as a humanised form of red tape,—but the shrewd Head, who knew that Allnutt was a good man at bottom, suffered him with humourous resignation. "They are all equally incompetent. Luckily I am in the habit of looking after my House myself, and not leaving it to half-baked policemen."
"Thank you," said the Head. "That leaves me with a comfortably free hand. Have you any one to recommend, Brett?"
"Yes," said Brett. "I have. I have considered the matter most carefully. I have at least four boys who would make admirable monitors—"
"Game all!" said Mr. Allnutt impatiently. "Your deal, Brett."