CHAPTER XVII.
EXECUTING A SENTENCE.
“WE must convene a Chapter and degrade him.”
They had scarcely reached the outskirts of Playden, when Jack made this thrilling announcement. He was perched on the upper bar of a style in the middle of the field leading to Gaybrook, and his tone was as decided and as impressive as the occasion demanded.
“Of course we must,” agreed Phil, tweaking Hubert, significantly.
“Of course we must,” said Andrew’s valet, in response to the tweak.
Andrew, meanwhile, the person to be degraded, was walking ahead in solitary sulkiness.
“He ought never to have been made a knight, he’s not got anything knightly in him,” said Phil, “if he’s kept in the Order at all, he ought to be made to rank below Gaston.”
“But the fact is,” said Jack, “he oughtn’t to be kept in at all. It’s the second time that he’s behaved like a sneak, and made fools of us.”
“But, boys,” began Faith, “you must remember that Andrew has never been to school.”
“No fear of our forgetting that, Grannie Faith,” retorted Phil; whilst Di added: “But you know if you turn him out the Order will be a very small one.”