“I suppose so; I was almost in hopes he wouldn’t keep it up.”
“Never mind, it will all be over on Monday; that’s a comfort! Come along, old man. Suppose we get young Stee to cox us up to the lock and back.”
Hue and cry was forthwith made for Stephen, but he was not to be found. He was out, Paul said; at the post, or somewhere.
“Oh, all right; you can come and cox us yourself, youngster,” said Wraysford.
“Cox you!” exclaimed Paul; “why, ain’t the Nightingale exam coming on, then, on Monday?”
“Of course it is!”
“And you two going out to row! I say, the Sixth will win it if you don’t look-out!” said Paul, in a very concerned voice.
It was quite a revelation to the two boys to discover how great was the interest taken by outsiders in the coming event. Paul was in a great state of alarm, and was actually inclined to refuse to aid and abet what he imagined to be a wicked waste of precious opportunity, until, putting his head into Loman’s study, he found that the Sixth Form fellow was also not at work.
When Oliver and Wraysford appeared in boating flannels in the playground they created as much sensation as if they had been ghosts.
“You don’t mean to say you’re going out, you fellows?” exclaimed Ricketts, one of the idle ones of the Fifth.