“They tried to stop him at that.
“‘You can’t stop the business now. We were just going to take the vote when you came in,’ said Game.
“‘Exactly!’ says Crossfield, propping himself up comfortably against the back of the form as if he was going to stay all night; ‘that’s just why I came, and that’s just why Bloomfield, and Porter, and Coates, and Fairbairn, and a few other gentlemen who have a sort of mild interest in the honour of the school—although it’s nothing, of course, to yours—are coming on too. They’ll be here before I’ve done my speech. By the way, one of you kids,’ said he, with a wink our way, ‘might go and fetch Riddell; he’d like to be here too.’
“We shoved young Wakefield out of the door to make believe to go and fetch you. But they’d had quite enough of it, and shut up the meeting all of a sudden.
“‘I adjourn the meeting!’ cried Game, as red as a turkey-cock.
“‘All right! that will suit me just as well,’ says Crossfield, grinning. ‘Is it to any particular day, or shall we get notice as before?’
“Of course they didn’t stop to answer, and so we gave no end of a cheer for old Crossfield, and then came on here.”
And having delivered themselves of this full, true, and particular account of the afternoon’s adventures, these two small heroes continued their trot down to the river to refresh their honest limbs after the day’s labours.
Their version of the proceedings was very little exaggerated, and, as Crossfield and several others who were present each entertained his own particular circle of friends with the same story, the whole affair became a joke against the luckless Game and Ashley.
Even their own house did not spare them, and as for Bloomfield, he evinced his displeasure in a way which surprised the two heroes.