“He says, you know,” pursued George, “that it was all a spite of Mansfield’s against him—that making me Swinstead’s fag. They knew it would make him resign. It is rather low, isn’t it, to humbug me about just for the sake of spiting someone else?”
“It’s all a lie, Georgie. Pledge is one of the biggest cads in Templeton. I heard lots of people say so. Webster said so. He says he’d no more let a boy of his go near Pledge than he’d fly; and Webster’s not particular.”
“And I heard Cartwright say,” said Coote, by way of assisting the discussion, “that Pledge has done his best to make a cad of you, and nearly succeeded.”
“He said that?” said Georgie, hotly; “like his cheek! Has he done so, Dick?”
“Not much,” said Dick, frankly.
“I don’t feel myself a cad,” said poor Heathcote.
“Perhaps fellows can’t always tell, themselves,” said Coote.
There was a pause after this, and the “Firm” walked on for some distance in silence. Then Dick said:
“You’ll have to jack him up, Georgie, that’s all about it.”
“But I tell you he’ll let out on us,” pleaded Georgie, “and really I’ve only said I’ll fag now and then for him.”