Chapter Seven.
A General Election.
The return of the Sixth, our heroes discovered, made a wonderful change in the school life of Templeton. The Fifth, who always made the best use of their two day’s authority while they had it, retired almost mysteriously into private life in favour of their betters. All school sports, and gatherings, and riots had to depend no longer upon the sweet will of those who sported, or gathered, or rioted, but on the pleasure of the monitors. The school societies and institutions began to wake up after their holiday, and generally speaking the wheels of Templeton which, during the first two days had bumped noisily over the cobbles, got at last on to the lines, and began to spin round at their accustomed pace.
In no part of the school was this change more felt than among the juniors. They liked being off the line now and then, and they always rebelled when the iron hand of the law picked them up and set them back on the track. It wasn’t only that they couldn’t run riot, and make Templeton a bear-garden. That was bad enough. But in addition to that, they had to fag for the Sixth, and after a week or two of liberty the return to servitude is always painful.
“You kids,” said Raggles, two days after the return of the Sixth, “mind you show up at Den after Elections this evening.”
“What is Den, and who are Elections?” asked Dick.
“What, don’t you know? Awful green lot of new kids you are. Elections is after tea in the hall, and Den’s directly after that.”
Raggles was very much affronted, when, after this lucid explanation, Dick again enquired—
“What do you mean by Den and Elections?”