“Remember,” he added, “it will be better not to brag out of doors about our profits or that sort of thing. It will be time enough to talk about that when we are able to hand over a good lump sum to the clubs. Now it’s time you went to preparation. Good night all.”
“I tell you what,” said Lickford to his fellow-shopman as they walked across the Green, “we shall have to be pretty smart to-morrow if we’re to get to the club meeting.”
“Why,” said D’Arcy, “I thought none of you Modern cads were going to show up?”
“We heard you’d all funked it,” said Wally.
“I don’t blame them,” said Ashby; “they’ve not much to be proud of, those Modern chaps.”
“Never mind,” said Fisher minor, “Fellsgarth can get on well enough without them.”
The party came to a halt and regarded one another seriously, and Percy said—
“Whoever told you we weren’t going to turn up, told crams. We’re coming. We’ll see you don’t have it all to yourselves, rather!”
“My eye, won’t you get licked for it! Nice to belong to a house where you mayn’t sneeze unless your senior lets you.”
“Go on! Shut up! See if you can’t canvass a bit. That’s what you’re best at—that, and getting it hot on the hands for cheating.” Whereupon the troops separated.