"Rather! It's hot stuff. The real goods!"
"Awfully sporting of you to say so, Harwood, old man. You're the first to congratulate us. I say 'us', because Cayton's as much an editor of the Rag as I am. Decent of Harwood to give us such a send-off, isn't it, Roger?"
"Oh—ah—to be sure!" agreed Roger, thinking something altogether different. (He would have preferred laughing sarcastically in the Foxonian Editor's bland face.)
"You've done it handsome, too—fine art paper, and all that," said Harwood appreciatively. "Always coveted a similar 'get-up' myself. Never had the pluck to risk it, though. Hope you'll get your subscriptions in all right."
"Leave that to me," Roger cut in, rather waspishly "I'm cashier."
Harwood smilingly cleared off then, and nothing further happened till afternoon school ended. Then, at Roger's suggestion, the co-editors entered the study to talk matters over. It was a warm autumn evening, and a full moon kept the darkness at bay. Consequently, the yard was thronged with boys, and through the study window, open at the top, it was possible at last to hear Rooke's House Rag being discussed.
"Class one, I call it. A reamer," declared a fresh young voice, raised high, as if in challenge. "Chews the ears off The Foxonian—makes a grocer's sugar-bag of it, by comparison."
Roger peered at Dick over his spectacles. "Hear that, my worthy editor?" he whispered. "The dulcet voice of Robin Arkness sings your praises. Bravo, Robin! Whatever lead he takes his 'Merry Men' are bound to follow. We've a doughty champion there!"
Sure enough, a chorus of approval followed. The Rag was spiffing, top-hole, full of ginger, had the Foxonian skinned a mile—of such a type were the compliments that flew about for a time, making sweet music for the co-editors' ears. Then, as was perhaps inevitable, came the jarring note.
"All rot, seems to me, bringing out another school magazine," quoth a dissentient Junior. "How many of you chaps who are cracking it up have bothered to read it? Dull as ditchwater in my opinion, and half a crown a term thrown away."