“Who—Crossfield?” asked Coates.
“Yes; I shall try him for bow.”
“You mean to say,” exclaimed Gilks, taking the matter in, “you’re going to turn me out of the boat?”
“Certainly,” said Fairbairn, coolly.
“What for?” demanded Gilks, threateningly.
“Because,” replied Fairbairn, taking Riddell’s arm and walking slowly off—“because we can do better without you.”
Gilks stared at him a moment as though he meditated flying at him. If he did, he thought better of it, and turned away, muttering to himself that he would pay them all out, let them see if he did not.
Threats of this sort were not unheard-of things from Gilks, and no one was greatly disturbed by them. On the whole, Fairbairn’s decision was approved of by most of the schoolhouse partisans, particularly those who had watched the proceedings of the morning. A few thought Gilks might have been accorded a second chance, but the majority argued that if a fellow caught crabs like that in a practice he would probably do it in the race, and they did not want the risk of that.
As to his excuse about the steering, every one who knew anything about that knew it meant nothing, and Gilks did not repeat it.
As he reached the school Silk met him with angry looks.