WiththelastweekofthetermtheOldBoysbegattoarrive，andtheirwelcomewasnicelyproportionedtotheirworth。GentlemencadetsfromSandhurstandWoolwich，whohadonlyleftayearago，butwhocarriedenormousside，weregreetedwithacheerful\"Hullo！What’stheShoplike？\"fromthosewhohadsharedtheirstudies。
Militiasubalternshadmoreconsideration，butitwasunderstoodtheywerenotpreciselyofthetruemetal。Recreantswho，failingfortheArmy，hadgoneintobusinessorbankswerereceivedforoldsake’ssake，butinnowaymadetoomuchof。
Butwhentherealsubalterns，officersandgentlemenfull—blown——whohadbeentotheendsoftheearthandbackagainandsocarriednoside——cameonthescenestrollingaboutwiththeHead，theschooldividedrightandleftinadmiringsilence。AndwhenonelaidhandsonFlint，evenupontheHeadoftheGamescrying，\"GoodHeavens！Whatdoyoumeanbygrowinginthisway？YouwereabeastlylittlefagwhenIleft，\"
visiblehaloesencircledFlint。Theywouldwalktoandfrointhecorridorwiththelittleredschool—sergeant，tellingnewsofoldregiments；theywouldburstintoform—roomssniffingthewell—rememberedsmellsofinkandwhitewash；theywouldfindnephewsandcousinsinthelowerformsandpresentthemwithenormouswealth；ortheywouldinvadethegymnasiumandmakeFoxyshowoffthenewstockonthebars。
Chiefly，though，theytalkedwiththeHead，whowasfather—confessorandagent—generaltothemall；forwhattheyshoutedintheirunthinkingyouth，theyprovedintheirthoughtlessmanhood——towit，thattheProoshanBateswas\"adownybird。\"Youngbloodwhohadstumbledintoanentanglementwithapastry—cook’sdaughteratPlymouth；experiencewhohadcomeintoasmalllegacybutmistrustedlawyers；ambitionhaltingatcross—roads，anxioustotaketheonethatwouldleadhimfarthest；extravagancepursuedbythemoney—lender；arroganceinthethickofaregimentalrow——eachcarriedhistroubletotheHead；andChironshowedhim，inlanguagequiteunfitforlittleboys，aquietandsafewayround，out，orunder。Sotheyoverflowedhishouse，smokedhiscigars，anddrankhishealthastheyhaddrunkitalltheearthoverwhentwoorthreeoftheoldschoolhadforegathered。
\"Don’tstopsmokingforaminute，\"saidtheHead。\"Themoreyou’reoutoftrainingthebetterforus。I’vedemoralizedtheFirstFifteenwithextra—tu。\"
\"Ah，butwe’reascratchlot。Haveyoutold’emweshallneedasubstituteevenifCrandallcanplay？\"saidaLieutenantofEngineerswithaD。S。O。tohiscredit。
\"Hewrotemehe’dplay，sohecan’thavebeenmuchhurt。He’scomingdownto—morrowmorning。\"
\"Crandallminorthatwas，andbroughtoffpoorDuncan’sbody？\"TheHeadnodded。
\"Whereareyougoingtoputhim？We’veturnedyououtofhouseandhomealready，HeadSahib。\"ThiswasaSquadronCommanderofBengalLancers，homeonleave。
\"I’mafraidhe’llhavetogouptohisolddormitory。Youknowoldboyscanclaimthatprivilege。Yes，IthinklittleCrandallminormustbeddownthereoncemore。\"
\"BatesSahib\"——aGunnerflungaheavyarmroundtheHead’sneck——\"you’vegotsomethingupyoursleeve。Confess！Iknowthattwinkle。\"
\"Can’tyousee，youcuckoo？\"aSubmarineMinerinterrupted。\"Crandallgoesuptothedormitoryasanobject—lesson，formoraleffectandsoforth。Isn’tthattrue，HeadSahib？\"
\"Itis。Youknowtoomuch，Purvis。Ilickedyouforthatin’79。\"
\"Youdid，sir，andit’smyprivatebeliefyouchalkedthecane。\"
\"N—no。ButI’veaverystraighteye。Perhapsthatmisledyou。\"
Thatopenedtheflood—gatesoffreshmemories，andtheyalltoldtalesoutofschool。
WhenCrandallminorthatwas——LieutenantR。CrandallofanordinaryIndianregiment——arrivedfromExeteronthemorningofthematch，hewascheeredalongthewholefrontoftheCollege，fortheprefectshadrepeatedthesenseofthatwhichtheHeadhadreadtheminFlint’sstudy。WhenProut’shouseunderstoodthathewouldclaimhisOldBoy’srighttoabedforonenight，BeetleranintoKing’shousenextdoorandexecutedapublic\"gloat\"upanddowntheenemy’sbigform—room，departinginahazeofink—pots。
\"Whatd’youtakeanynoticeofthoserottersfor？\"saidStalky，playingsubstitutefortheOldBoys，magnificentinblackjersey，whiteknickers，andblackstockings。
\"Italkedto_him_upinthedormitorywhenhewaschangin’。Pulledhissweaterdownforhim。He’scutaboutalloverthearms——horridpurplyones。He’sgoin’totellusaboutitto—night。IaskedhimtowhenIwaslacin’hisboots。\"
\"Well，you_have_gotcheek，\"saidBeetle，enviously。
\"SlippedoutbeforeIthought。Buthewasn’tabitangry。He’snoendofachap。I
swear，I’mgoin’toplayuplikebeans。TellTurkey！\"
Thetechniqueofthatmatchbelongstoabygoneage。Scrimmagesweretightandenduring；hackingwasdirectandtothepurpose；andaroundthescrimmagestoodtheschool，crying，\"Putdownyourheadsandshove！\"Towardtheendeverybodylostallsenseofdecency，andmothersofday—boystooclosetothetouch—lineheardlanguagenotincludedinthebills。Noonewasactuallycarriedoffthefield，butbothsidesfelthappierwhentimewascalled，andBeetlehelpedStalkyandMcTurkintotheirovercoats。Thetwohadmetinthemany—leggedheartofthings，and，asStalkysaid，had\"doneeachotherproud。\"Astheyswaggeredwoodenlybehindtheteams——
substitutesdonotrankasequalsofhairymen——theypassedapony—carriagenearthewall，andahuskyvoicecried，\"Wellplayed。Oh，playedindeed！\"ItwasStettsonmajor，white—checkedandhollow—eyed，whohadfoughthiswaytothegroundunderescortofanimpatientcoachman。
\"Hullo，Stettson，\"saidStalky，checking。\"Isitsafetocomenearyouyet？\"
\"Oh，yes。I’mallright。Theywouldn’tletmeoutbefore，butIhadtocometothematch。Yourmouthlooksprettyplummy。\"
\"Turkeytrodonitaccidental—done—a—purpose。Well，I’mgladyou’rebetter，becauseweoweyousomething。Youandyourmembranesgotusintoasweetmess，youngman。\"
\"Iheardofthat，\"saidtheboy，giggling。\"TheHeadtoldme。\"
\"Doocehedid！When？\"
\"Oh，comeonuptoColl。Myshin’llstiffenifwestayjawin’here。\"
\"Shutup，Turkey。Iwanttofindoutaboutthis。Well？\"
\"Hewasstayin’atourhouseallthetimeIwasill。\"
\"Whatfor？Neglectin’theColl。thatway？’Thoughthewasintown。\"
\"Iwasoffmyhead，youknow，andtheysaidIkeptoncallin’forhim。\"
\"Cheek！You’reonlyaday—boy。\"
\"Hecamejustthesame，andheaboutsavedmylife。Iwasallbungeduponenight——justgoin’tocroak，thedoctorsaid——andtheystuckatubeorsomethin’inmythroat，andtheHeadsuckedoutthestuff。\"
\"Ugh！’Shotif_I_would！\"
\"Heoughttohavegotdiphtheriahimself，thedoctorsaid。Sohestayedonatourhouseinsteadofgoingback。I’dha’croakedinanothertwentyminutes，thedoctorsays。\"
Herethecoachman，beingunderorders，whippedupandnearlyranoverthethree。
\"MyHat！\"saidBeetle。\"That’sprettyaverageheroic。\"
\"Prettyaverage！\"McTurk’skneeinthesmallofhisbackcannonedhimintoStalky，whopuntedhimback。\"Yououghttobehung！\"
\"AndtheHeadoughttogettheV。C。，\"saidStalky。\"Why，hemighthavebeendead_and_buriedbynow。Buthewasn’t。Buthedidn’t。Ho！ho！Hejustnippedthroughthehedgelikealustyoldblackbird。Extra—special，fivehundredlines，an’gatedforaweek——allsereno！\"
\"I’vereado’somethin’likethatinabook，\"saidBeetle。\"Gummy，whatachap！Justthinkofit！\"
\"I’mthinking，\"saidMcTurk；andhedeliveredawildIrishyellthatmadetheteamturnround。
\"Shutyourfatmouth，\"saidStalky，dancingwithimpatience。\"LeaveittoyourUncleStalky，andhe’llhavetheHeadontoast。Ifyousayaword，Beetle，tillIgiveyouleave，IswearI’llslayyou。_Habeo_Capitem_crinibus_minimis。_I’vegothimbytheshorthairs！Nowlookasifnothinghadhappened。\"
Therewasnoneedofguile。Theschoolwastoobusycheeringthedrawnmatch。Ithungroundthelavatoriesregardlessofmuddybootswhiletheteamwashed。ItcheeredCrandallminorwheneveritcaughtsightofhim，anditcheeredmorewildlythaneverafterprayers，becausetheOldBoysineveningdress，openlytwirlingtheirmustaches，attended，andinsteadofstandingwiththemasters，rangedthemselvesalongthewallimmediatelybeforetheprefects；andtheHeadcalledthemover，too——majors，minors，andtertiuses，aftertheiroldnames。
\"Yes，it’sallveryfine，\"hesaidtohisguestsafterdinner，\"buttheboysaregettingalittleoutofhand。Therewillbetroubleandsorrowlater，I’mafraid。
You’dbetterturninearly，Crandall。Thedormitorywillbesittingupforyou。I
don’tknowtowhatdizzyheightsyoumayclimbinyourprofession，butIdoknowyou’llnevergetsuchabsoluteadorationasyou’regettingnow。\"
\"Confoundtheadoration。Iwanttofinishmycigar，sir。\"
\"It’sallpuregold。Gowhereglorywaits，Crandall——minor。\"
Thesettingofthatapotheosiswasaten—bedatticdormitory，communicatingthroughdoorlessopeningswiththreeothers。Thegasflickeredovertherawpinewashstands。
Therewasanincessantwhistlingofdrafts，andoutsidethenakedwindowstheseabeatonthePebbleridge。
\"Sameoldbed——sameoldmattress，Ibelieve，\"saidCrandall，yawning。\"Sameoldeverything。Oh，butI’mlame！I’dnonotionyouchapscouldplaylikethis。\"Hecaressedabatteredshin。\"You’vegivenusallsomethingtorememberyouby。\"
Itneededafewminutestoputthemattheirease；and，insomewaytheycouldnotunderstand，theyweremoreeasywhenCrandallturnedroundandsaidhisprayers——aceremonyhehadneglectedforsomeyears。
\"Oh，I_am_sorry。I’veforgottentoputoutthegas。\"
\"Pleasedon’tbother，\"saidtheprefectofthedormitory。\"Worthingtondoesthat。\"
Anightgownedtwelve—year—old，whohadbeenwaitingtoshowoff，leapedfromhisbedtothebracketandbackagain，bywayofawashstand。
\"Howd’youmanagewhenhe’sasleep？\"saidCrandall，chuckling。
\"Shoveacoldcleekdownhisneck。\"
\"ItwasawetspongewhenIwasjuniorinthedormitory……Hullo！What’shappening？\"
Thedarknesshadfilledwithwhispers，thesoundoftrailingrugs，barefeetonbareboards，protests，giggles，andthreatssuchas：
\"Bequiet，youass！……Squattez—vousonthefloor，then！……Iswearyouaren’tgoingtositon_my_bed！……Mindthetooth—glass，\"etc。
Sta——Corkransaid，\"theprefectbegan，histoneshowinghissenseofStalky’sinsolence，\"thatperhapsyou’dtellusaboutthatbusinesswithDuncan’sbody。\"
\"Yes——yes——yes，\"ranthekeenwhispers。\"Tellus\"
\"There’snothingtotell。Whatonearthareyouchapshoppin’aboutinthecoldfor？\"
\"Nevermindus，\"saidthevoices。\"TellaboutFat—Sow。\"
SoCrandallturnedonhispillowandspoketothegenerationhecouldnotsee。
\"Well，aboutthreemonthsagohewascommandingatreasure—guard——acartfullofrupeestopaytroopswith——fivethousandrupeesinsilver。Hewascomin’toaplacecalledFortPearson，nearKalabagh。\"
\"Iwasbornthere，\"squeakedasmallfag。\"Itwascalledaftermyuncle。\"
\"Shutup——youandyouruncle！Nevermindhim，Crandall。\"
\"Well，ne’ermind。TheAfridisfoundoutthatthistreasurewasonthemove，andtheyambushedthewholeshowacoupleofmilesbeforehegottothefort，andcutuptheescort。Duncanwaswounded，andtheescorthookedit。Thereweren’tmorethantwentySepoysalltold，andtherewereanyamountofAfridis。Asthingsturnedout，IwasinchargeatFortPearson。Factwas，I’dheardthefiringandwasjustgoingtoseeaboutit，whenDuncan’smencameup。Soweallturnedbacktogether。Theytoldmesomethingaboutanofficer，butIcouldn’tgetthehangofthingstillIsawachapunderthewheelsofthecartoutintheopen，proppedupononearm，blazingawaywitharevolver。Yousee，theescorthadabandonedthecart，andtheAfridis——they’reanawfullysuspiciousgang——thoughttheretreatwasatrap——sortofdraw，youknow——andthecartwasthebait。SotheyhadleftpooroldDuncanalone。’Minutetheyspottedhowfewwewere，itwasaraceacrosstheflatwhoshouldreacholdDuncanfirst。Weran，andtheyran，andwewon，andafteralittlehackin’abouttheypulledoff。IneverknewitwasoneofustillIwasrightontopofhim。ThereareheapsofDuncansintheservice，andofcoursethenamedidn’tremindme。Hewasn’tchangedatallhardly。He’dbeenshotthroughthelungs，pooroldman，andhewasprettythirsty。Igavehimadrinkandsatdownbesidehim，and——funnything，too——hesaid，’Hullo，Toffee！’andIsaid，’Hullo，Fat—Sow！hopeyouaren’thurt，’orsomethingofthekind。Buthediedinaminuteortwo——neverliftedhisheadoffmyknees……Isay，youchapsouttherewillgetyourdeathofcold。Bettergotobed。\"
\"Allright。Inaminute。Butyourcuts——yourcuts。Howdidyougetwounded？\"
\"ThatwaswhenweweretakingthebodybacktotheFort。Theycameonagain，andtherewasabitofascrimmage。\"
\"Didyoukillanyone？\"
\"Yes。Shouldn’twonder。Good—night。\"
\"Good—night。Thankyou，Crandall。Thanksawf’ly，Crandall。Good—night。\"
Theunseencrowdswithdrew。Hisowndormitoryrustledintobedandlaysilentforawhile。
\"Isay，Crandall\"——Stalky’svoicewastunedtoawhollyforeignreverence。
\"Well，what？\"
\"Supposeachapfoundanotherchapcroakingwithdiphtheria——allbungedupwithit——andtheystuckatubeinhisthroatandthechapsuckedthestuffout，whatwouldyousay？\"
\"Um，\"saidCrandall，reflectively。\"I’veonlyheardofonecase，andthatwasadoctor。Hediditforawoman。\"
\"Oh，thiswasn’tawoman。Itwasjustaboy。\"
\"Makesitallthefiner，then。It’saboutthebravestthingamancando。Why？\"
\"Oh，Iheardofachapdoin’it。That’sall。\"
\"Thenhe’sabraveman。\"
\"Would_you_funkit？\"
\"Ra—ather。Anybodywould。Fancydyingofdiphtheriaincoldblood。\"
\"Well——ah！Er！Lookhere！\"Thesentenceendedinagrunt，forStalkyhadleapedoutofbedandwithMcTurkwassittingontheheadofBeetle，whowouldhavesprungtheminethereandthen。
Nextday，whichwasthelastofthetermandgivenuptoafewwhollyunimportantexaminations，beganwithwrathandwar。Mr。Kinghaddiscoveredthatnearlyallhishouse——itlay，asyouknow，nextdoorbutonetoProut’sinthelongrangeofbuildings——hadunlockedthedoorsbetweenthedormitoriesandhadgoneintolistentoastorytoldbyCrandall。HewenttotheHead，clamorous，injured，appealing；forheneverapprovedofallowingso—calledyoungmenoftileworldtocontaminatethemoralsofboyhood。Verygood，saidtheHead，hewouldattendtoit。
\"Well，I’mawf’lysorry，\"saidCrandallguiltily。\"Idon’tthinkItold’emanythingtheyoughtn’ttohear。Don’tletthemgetintotroubleonmyaccount。\"
\"Tck！\"theHeadanswered，withtheghostofawink。\"Itisn’ttheboysthatmaketrouble；it’sthemasters。However，ProutandKingdon’tapproveofdormitorygatheringsonthisscale，andonemustbackupthehouse—masters。Moreover，it’shopelesstopunishtwohousesonly，solateintheterm。Wemustbefairandincludeeverybody。Let’ssee。TheyhaveaholidaytaskfortheEasters，which，ofcourse，noneofthemwilleverlookat。Wewillgivethewholeschool，exceptprefectsandstudy—boys，regularprep。to—night；andtheCommon—roomwillhavetosupplyamastertotakeit。Wemustbefairtoall。\"
\"Prep。onthelastnightoftheterm。Whew！\"saidCrandall，thinkingofhisownwildyouth。\"Ifancytherewillbelarks。\"
Theschool，frolickingamongpackedtrunks，whoopingdownthecorridor，and\"gloating\"inform—rooms，receivedthenewswithamazementandrage。Noschoolintheworlddidprep。onthelastnightoftheterm。Thisthingwasmonstrous，tyrannical，subversiveoflaw，religion，andmorality。Theywouldgointotheform—rooms，andtheywouldtaketheirdegradedholidaytaskwiththem，but——heretheysmiledandspeculatedwhatmannerofmantheCommon—roomwouldsendupagainstthem。ThelotfellonMason，credulousandenthusiastic，wholovedyouth。Noothermasterwasanxioustotakethat\"prep。，\"fortheschoollackedthesteadyinginfluenceoftradition；andmenaccustomedtotheorderedroutineofancientfoundationsfounditoccasionallyinsubordinate。Thefourlongform—rooms，inwhichallbelowtherankofstudy—boysworked，receivedhimwiththundersofapplause。ErehehadcoughedtwicetheyfavoredhimwithametricalsummaryofthemarriagelawsofGreatBritain，asrecordedbytheHighPriestoftheIsraelitesandcommentedonbytheleaderofthehost。Thelowerformsremindedhimthatitwasthelastday，andthatthereforehemust\"takeitallinplay。\"Whenhedashedofftorebukethem，theLowerFourthandUpperThirdbeganwithoneaccordtobesick，loudlyandrealistically。Mr。Masontried，ofallvainthingsunderheaven，toarguewiththem，andaboldsoulatabackdeskbadehim\"takefiftylinesfornot’oldingup’is’andbeforespeaking。\"AsonewhopridedhimselfupontheperfectionofhisEnglishthiscutMasontothequick，andwhilehewastryingtodiscovertheoffender，theUpperandLowerSecond，threeform—roomsaway，turnedoutthegasandthrewink—pots。Itwasapleasantandstimulating\"prep。\"Thestudy—boysandprefectsheardtheechoesofitfaroff，andtheCommon—roomatdessertsmiled。
Stalkywaited，watchinhand，tillhalf—pasteight。\"IfitgoesonmuchlongertheHeadwillcomeup，\"saidhe。\"We’lltellthestudiesfirst，andthenthedorm—rooms。
Looksharp！\"
HeallowednotimeforBeetletobedramaticorMcTurktodrawl。Theypouredintostudyafterstudy，toldtheirtale，andwentagainsosoonastheysawtheywereunderstood，waitingfornocomment；whilethenoiseofthatunholy\"prep。\"grewanddeepened。BythedoorofFlint’sstudytheymetMasonflyingtowardsthecorridor。
——\"He’sgonetofetchtheHead。Hurryup！Comeon！\"TheybrokeintoNumberTwelveform—roomabreastandpanting。
\"TheHead！TheHead！TheHead！\"Thatcallstilledthetumultforaminute，andStalky，leapingtoadesk，shouted，\"HewentandsuckedthediphtheriastuffoutofStettsonmajor’sthroatwhenwethoughthewasintown。Stoprotting，youasses！
StettsonmajorwouldhavecroakedfftheHeadhadn’tdoneit。TheHeadmighthavediedhimself。Crandallsaysit’sthebravestthinganylivin’mancando，andI\"——hisvoicecracked——\"theHeaddon’tknowweknow！\"
McTurkandBeetle，jumpingfromdesktodesk，drovethenewshomeamongthejuniorforms。Therewasapause，andthen，Masonbehindhim，theHeadentered。Itwasintheestablishedorderofthingsthatnoboyshouldspeakormoveunderhiseye。Heexpectedthehushofawe。Hewasreceivedwithcheers——steady，ceaselesscheering。
Beingawiseman，hewentaway，andtheformsweresilentandalittlefrightened。
\"It’sallright，\"saidStalky。\"Hecan’tdomuch。’Tisn’tasifyou’dpulledthedesksuplikewedidwhenoldCarletontookprep。once。Keepitup！Hear’emcheeringinthestudies！\"Herocketedoutwithayell，tofindFlintandtheprefectsliftingtheroofoffthecorridor。
WhentheHeadofalimitedliabilitycompany，payingfourpercent。，ischeeredonhissaintlywaytoprayers，notonlybyfourform—roomsofboyswaitingpunishment，butbyhistrustedprefects，hecaneitheraskforanexplanationorgohisroadwithdignity，whiletheseniorhouse—masterglareslikeanexcitedcatandpointsouttoawhiteandtremblingmathematicalmasterthatcertainmethods——nothis，thankGod———usuallyproducecertainresults。OutofdelicacytheOldBoysdidnotattendthatcall—over；anditwastotheschooldrawnupinthegymnasiumthattheHeadspokeicily。
\"ItisnotoftenthatIdonotunderstandyou；butIconfessIdonotto—night。Someofyou，afteryouridioticperformancesatprep。，seemtothinkmeafitpersontocheer。IamgoingtoshowyouthatIamnot。\"
Crash——crash——crash——camethetriplecheerthatdisprovedit，andtheHeadgloweredunderthegas。\"Thatisenough。Youwillgainnothing。Thelittleboys（theLowerSchooldidnotlikethatformofaddress）willdomethreehundredlinesapieceintheholidays。Ishalltakenofurthernoticeofthem。TheUpperSchoolwilldomeonethousandlinesapieceintheholidays，tobeshownuptheeveningofthedaytheycomeback。Andfurther——\"
\"Gummy，whataglutton！\"Stalkywhispered。
\"ForyourbehaviortowardsMr。MasonIintendtolickthewholeoftheUpperSchoolto—morrowwhenIgiveyouyourjourney—money。Thiswillincludethethreestudy—boysIfounddancingontheform—roomdeskswhenIcameup。Prefectswillstayaftercall—over。\"
Theschoolfiledoutinsilence，butgatheredingroupsbythegymnasiumdoorwaitingwhatmightbefall。
\"Andnow，Flint，\"saidtheHead，\"willyoubegoodenoughtogivemesomeexplanationofyourconduct？\"
\"Well，sir，\"saidFlintdesperately，\"ifyousaveachap’slifeattheriskofyourownwhenhe’sdyin’ofdiphtheria，andtheColl。findsitout，wha—whatcanyouexpect，sir？\"
\"Um，Isee。Thenthatnoisewasnotmeantfor——ah，cheek。Icanconniveatimmorality，butIcannotstandimpudence。However，itdoesnotexcusetheirinsolencetoMr。Mason。I’llforegothelinesthisonce，remember；butthelickingsholdgood。\"
Whenthisnewswasmadepublic，theschool，lostinwonderandadmiration，gaspedattheHeadashewenttohishouse。Herewasamantobereverenced。Ontherareoccasionswhenhecanedhediditveryscientifically，andtheexecutionofahundredboyswouldbeepic——immense。
\"It’sallright，HeadSahib。_We_know，\"saidCrandall，astheHeadslippedoffhisgownwithagruntinhissmoking—room。\"Ifoundoutjustnowfromoursubstitute。Hewasgettin’myopinionofyourperformancelastnightinthedormitory。Ididn’tknowthenthatitwasyouhewastalkin’about。Craftyyounganimal。Freckledchapwitheyes———Corkran，Ithinkhisnameis。\"
\"Oh，Iknow_him_，thankyou，\"saidtheHead，andreflectively。\"Ye—es，IshouldhaveincludedthemevenifIhadn’tseen’em。\"
\"IftheoldColl。weren’talittleabovethemselvesalready，we’dchairyoudownthecorridor，\"saidtheEngineer。\"Oh，Bates，howcouldyou？Youmighthavecaughtityourself，andwherewouldwehavebeen，then？\"
\"Ialwaysknewyouwereworthtwentyofusanyday。NowI’msureofit，\"saidtheSquadronCommander，lookingroundforcontradictions。
\"Heisn’tfittomanageaschool，though。Promiseyou’llneverdoitagain，BatesSahib。We——wecan’tgoawaycomfyinourmindsifyoutaketheserisks，\"saidtheGunner。
\"BatesSahib，youaren’tevergoin’tocanethewholeUpperSchool，areyou？\"saidCrandall。
\"Icanconniveatimmorality，asIsaid，butIcan’tstandimpudence。Mason’slotisquitehardenoughevenwhenIbackhim。Besides，themenatthegolf—clubheardthemsinging’AaronandMoses。’Ishallhavecomplaintsaboutthatfromtheparentsofday—boys。Decencymustbepreserved。\"
\"We’recomingtohelp，\"saidalltheguests。
TheUpperSchoolwerecanedoneaftertheother，theirovercoatsovertheirarms，thebrakeswaitingintheroadbelowtotakethemtothestation，theirjourney—moneyonthetable。TheHeadbeganwithStalky，McTurk，andBeetle。Hedealtfaithfullybythem。
\"Andhere’syourjourney—money。Good—by，andpleasantholidays。\"
\"Good—by。Thankyou，sir。Good—by。\"
Theyshookhands。\"Desiredon’toutrunperformance——much——thismornin’。Wegotthecreamofit，\"saidStalky。\"Nowwaittillafewchapscomeout，andwe’llreallycheerhim。\"
\"Don’twaitonouraccount，please，\"saidCrandall，speakingfortheOldBoys。
\"We’regoingtobeginnow。\"
Itwasverywellsolongasthecheeringwasconfinedtothecorridor，butwhenitspreadtothegymnasium，whentheboysawaitingtheirturncheered，theHeadgaveitupindespair，andtheremnantflungthemselvesuponhimtoshakehands。Thentheyseriouslydevotedthemselvestocheeringtillthebrakeswerehustledoffthepremisesindumb—show。
\"Didn’tIsayI’dgetevenwithhim？\"saidStalkyonthebox—seat，astheyswungintothenarrowNorthamstreet。\"Nowalltogether——takin’timefromyourUncleStalky：
\"It’sawaywehaveintheArmy，It’sawaywehaveintheNavy，It’sawaywehaveatthePublicSchools，Whichnobodycandeny！\"
THEFLAGOFTHEIRCOUNTRY。
Itwaswinterandbittercoldofmornings。ConsequentlyStalkyandBeetle——McTurkbeingoftheoffensivetypethatmakesornatetoiletunderallcircumstances—drowsedtillthelastmomentbeforeturningouttocall—overinthegas—litgymnasium。Itfollowedthattheywereoftenlate；andsinceeveryunpunctualityearnedthemablackmark，andsincethreeblackmarksaweekmeantdefaulters’drill，equallyitfollowedthattheyspenthoursundertheSergeant’shand。Foxydrilledthedefaulterswithallthepompofhisoldparade—ground。\"Don’tthinkit’sanypleasuretome\"（hisintroductionnevervaried）。\"I’dmuchsoonerbesmokingaquietpipeinmyownquarters——butIseewe’avetheOldBrigadeonour’andsthisafternoon。IfIonly’adyouregular，MusterCorkran，\"saidhe，dressingtheline。
\"You’vehadmefornearlysixweeks，youoldglutton。Numberofffromtheright！\"
\"Not_quite_soprevious，please。I’mtakingthisdrill。Left，half——turn！
Slow——march。\"Twenty—fivesluggards，alloldoffenders，filedintothegymnasium。
\"Quietlyprovideyourselveswiththerequisitedumb—bells；returnin’quietlytoyourplace。Numberofffromtheright，inalowvoice。Oddnumbersonepacetothefront。
Evennumbersstandfast。Now，leanin’forwardfromthe’ips，takin’yourtimefromme。\"
Thedumb—bellsroseandfell，clashedandwerereturnedasone。Theboyswereexpertsatthewearygame。
\"Ve—rygood。Ishallbesorrywhenanyofyouresumeyour’abitsofpunctuality。
Quietlyreturndumb—bells。Wewillnowtrysomesimpledrill。\"
\"Ugh！Iknowthatsimpledrill。\"
\"Itwouldhe’ighlytoyourdiscreditifyoudidnot，MusterCorkran。_At_thesametime，itisnotsoeasyasitlooks。\"
\"Betyouabob，Icandrillaswellasyou，Foxy。\"
\"We’llseelater。Nowtrytoimagineyouain’tdefaultersatall，butan’arfcompanyonparade，mebein’yourcommandin’officer。There’snocalltolaugh。Ifyou’relucky，mostofyouwill’avetotakedrills’arfyourlife。Domealittlecredit。You’vebeenatitlongenough，goodnessknows。\"
Theywereformedintofours，marched，wheeled，andcountermarched，thespelloforderedmotionstrongonthem。AsFoxysaid，theyhadbeenatitalongtime。
Thegymnasiumdooropened，revealingMcTurkinchargeofanoldgentleman。
TheSergeant，leadingawheel，didnotsee。\"Notsobad，\"hemurmured。\"Not’arfsobad。Thepivot—manofthewheel_honly_markstime，MusterSwayne。Now，MusterCorkran，yousayyouknowthedrill？Obligemebytakin’overthecommandand，reversin’mywordsstepbystep，relegatethemtotheirpreviousformation。\"
\"What’sthis？What’sthis？\"criedthevisitorauthoritatively。
\"A——alittledrill，sir，\"stammeredFoxy，sayingnothingoffirstcauses。
\"Excellent——excellent。Ionlywishthereweremoreofit，\"hechirruped。\"Don’tletmeinterrupt。Youwerejustgoingtohandovertosomeone，weren’tyou？\"
Hesatdown，breathingfrostilyinthechillair。\"Ishallmuckit。IknowIshall，\"
whisperedStalkyuneasily；andhisdiscomfortwasnotlightenedbyamurmurfromtherearrankthattheoldgentlemanwasGeneralCollinson，amemberoftheCollegeBoardofCouncil。
\"Eh——what？\"saidFoxy。
\"Collinson，K。C。B。——HecommandedthePompadours—myfather’soldregiment，\"hissedSwaynemajor。
\"Takeyourtime，\"saidthevisitor。\"_I_knowhowitfeels。Yourfirstdrill——eh？\"
\"Yes，sir。\"Hedrewanunhappybreath。\"’Tention。Dress！\"Theechoofhisownvoicerestoredhisconfidence。
Thewheelwasfacedabout，flungback，brokenintofours，andrestoredtolinewithoutafalter。Theofficialhourofpunishmentwaslongpassed，butnoonethoughtofthat。TheywerebackingupStalky——Stalkyindeadlyfearlesthisvoiceshouldcrack。
\"Hedoesyoucredit，Sergeant，\"wasthevisitor’scomment。\"Agooddrill——andgoodmaterialtodrill。Now，it’sanextraordinarything：I’vebeenlunchingwithyourhead—masterandhenevertoldmeyouhadacadet—corpsintheCollege。\"
\"We’aven’t，sir。Thisisonlyalittledrill，\"saidtheSergeant。
\"Butaren’ttheykeenonit？\"saidMcTurk，speakingforthefirsttime，withatwinkleinhisdeep—seteyes。
\"Whyaren’tyouinit，though，Willy？\"
\"Oh，I’mnotpunctualenough，\"saidMcTurk。\"TheSergeantonlytakesthepickofus。\"
\"Dismiss！Breakoff！\"criedFoxy，fearinganexplosionintheranks。\"I——Ioughttohavetoldyou，sir，that——\"
\"Butyoushouldhaveacadet—corps。\"TheGeneralpursuedhisownlineofthought。
\"You_shall_haveacadet—corps，too，ifmyrecommendationinCouncilisanyuse。I
don’tknowwhenI’vebeensopleased。Boysanimatedbyaspiritlikeyoursshouldsetanexampletothewholeschool。\"
\"Theydo，\"saidMcTurk。
\"Blessmysoul！Canitbesolate？I’vekeptmyflywaitinghalfanhoar。Well，I
mustrunaway。Nothinglikeseeingthingsforone’sself。Whichendofthebuildingsdoesonegetoutat？Willyoushowme，Willy？Whowasthatboywhotookthedrill？\"
\"Corkran，Ithinkhisnameis。\"
\"Yououghttoknowhim。That’sthekindofboyyoushouldcultivate。Evidentlyanunusualsort。Awonderfulsight。Fiveandtwentyboys，who，Idaresay，wouldmuchsoonerbeplayingcricket——\"（itwasthedepthofwinter；butgrownpeople，especiallythosewhohavelivedlonginforeignparts，maketheselittleerrors，andMcTurkdidnotcorrecthim）——\"drillingforthesheerloveofit。Ashametowastesomuchgoodstuff；butIthinkIcancarrymypoint。\"
\"An’who’syourfriendwiththewhitewhiskers？\"demandedStalky，onMcTurk’sreturntothestudy。
\"GeneralCollinson。Hecomesovertoshootwithmyfathersometimes。Ratheradecentoldbargee，too。HesaidIoughttocultivateyouracquaintance，Stalky。\"
\"Didhetipyou？\"McTurkexhibitedablessedwholesovereign。
\"Ah，\"saidStalky，annexingit，forhewastreasurer。\"We’llhaveaheftybrew。
You’dprettyaveragecoolcheek，Turkey，tojawaboutourkeennessan’punctuality。\"
\"Didn’ttheoldboyknowweweredefaulters？\"saidBeetle。
\"Nothim。HecamedowntolunchwiththeHead。Ifoundhimpokin’abouttheplaceonhisownhookafterwards，an’IthoughtI’dshowhimthegiddydrill。WhenIfoundhewassopleased，Iwasn’tgoin’todamphisgiddyardor。Hemightn’tha’givenmethequidifIhad。\"
\"Wasn’toldFoxypleased？Didyouseehimgetpinkbehindtheears？\"saidBeetle。
\"Itwasanawfulscoreforhim。Didn’twebackhimupbeautifully？Let’sgodowntoKeyte’sandgetsomecocoaandsassingers。\"
TheyovertookFoxy，speedingdowntoretailtheadventuretoKeyte，whoinhistimehadbeenTroopSergeant—Majorinacavalryregiment，andnow，war—wornveteran，waslocalpostmasterandconfectioner。
\"Youoweussomething，\"saidStalky，withmeaning。
\"I’m’ighlygrateful，MusterCorkran。I’ve’adtorunagainstyouprettyhardinthewayo’business，nowandthen，butIwillsaythatoutsideo’business——boundsan’
smokin’，an’suchlike——Idon’twishtohaveamoretrustworthyyounggentlemanto’elpmeoutofahole。Thewayyou’andledthedrillwasbeautiful，thoughIsayit。
Now，ifyoucomeregularhenceforward——\"
\"Buthe’llhavetobelatethreetimesaweek，\"saidBeetle。\"Youcan’texpectachaptodothat——justtopleaseyou，Foxy。\"
\"Ah，that’strue。Still，ifyoucouldmanageit——andyou，MusterBeetle——itwouldgiveyouabigstartwhenthecadet—corpsisformed。IexpecttheGeneralwillrecommendit。\"
TheyraidedKeyte’sverymuchattheirownsweetwill，fortheoldman，whoknewthemwell，wasdeepintalkwithFoxy。\"Imakewhatwe’vetakensevenandsix，\"
Stalkycalledatlastoverthecounter；\"butyou’dbettercountforyourself。\"
\"No——no。I’dtakeyourwordanyday，MusterCorkran。——InthePompadours，washe，Sergeant？WelaywiththemonceatUmballa，Ithinkitwas。\"
\"Idon’tknowwhetherthisham—and—tonguetiniseighteenpenceoronean’four。\"
\"Sayonean’fourpence，MusterCorkran……Ofcourse，Sergeant，ifitwasanyusetogivemytime，I’dbepleasedtodoit，butI’mtooold。I’dliketoseeadrillagain。\"
\"Oh，comeon，Stalky，\"criedMcTurk。\"Heisn’tlistenin’toyou。Chuckoverthemoney。\"
\"Iwantthequidchanged，youass。Keyte！PrivateKeyte！CorporalKeyte！
Terroop—Sergeant—MajorKeyte，willyougivemechangeforaquid？\"
\"Yes——yes，ofcourse。Sevenan’six。\"Hestaredabstractedly，pushedthesilverover，andmeltedawayintothedarknessofthebackroom。
\"Nowthosetwo’lljawabouttheMutinytilltea—time，\"saidBeetle。
\"OldKeytewasatSobraon，\"saidStalky。\"Hearhimtalkaboutthatsometimes！BeatsFoxyhollow。\"
TheHead’sface，inscrutableasever，wasbentoverapileofletters。
\"Whatdoyouthink？\"hesaidatlasttotheReverendJohnGillett。
\"It’sagoodidea。There’snodenyingthat——anestimableidea。\"
\"Weconcedethatmuch。Well？\"
\"Ihavemydoubtsaboutit——that’sall。ThemoreIknowofboysthelessdoI
professmyselfcapableoffollowingtheirmoods；butIownIshallbeverymuchsurprisediftheschemetakes。It——itisn’tthetemperoftheschool。WepreparefortheArmy。\"
\"Mybusiness——in_this_matter——istocarryoutthewishesoftheCouncil。Theydemandavolunteercadet—corps。Avolunteercadet—corpswillbefurnished。Ihavesuggested，however，thatweneednotembarkupontheexpenseofuniformstillwearedrilled。GeneralCollinsonissendingusfiftylethalweapons——cut—downSniders，hecallsthem——allcarefullyplugged。\"
\"Yes，thatisnecessaryinaschoolthatusesloadedsaloon—pistolstotheextentwedo。\"TheReverendJohnsmiled。
\"ThereforetherewillbenooutlayexcepttheSergeant’stime。\"
\"Butifhefailsyouwillbeblamed。\"
\"Oh，assuredly。Ishallpostanoticeinthecorridorthisafternoon，and——\"
\"Ishallwatchtheresult。\"
\"Kindlykeepyour’andsoffthenewarm—rack。\"Foxywrestledwithaturbulentcrowdinthegymnasium。\"Noritwon’tdoevenacondemnedSnideranygoodtobecontinualsnappin’thelock，Mr。Swayne。——Yiss，theuniformswillcomelater，whenwe’remoreproficient；atpresentwewillconfineourselvestodrill。Iam’ereforthepurposeo’takin’thenameso’thosewillin’tojoin。——PutdownthatSnider，MusterHogan！\"
\"Whatareyougoin’todo，Beetle？\"saidavoice。
\"I’vehadallthedrill_I_want，thankyou。\"
\"What！Afterallyou’velearned？Comeon！Don’tbeascab！They’llmakeyoucorporalinaweek，\"criedStalky。
\"I’mnotgoin’upfortheArmy。\"Beetletouchedhisspectacles。
\"Holdonashake，Foxy，\"saidHogan。\"Whereareyougoin’todrillus？\"
\"Here——inthegym——tillyouarefitan’capabletobetakenoutontheroad。\"TheSergeantthrewachest。
\"ForalltheNorthamcadstolookat？Notgoodenough，Foxibus。\"
\"Well，wewon’tmakeapointofit。Youlearnyourdrillfirst，an’laterwe’llsee。\"
\"Hullo，\"saidAnsellofMacrea’s，shoulderingthroughthemob。\"What’sallthisaboutagiddycadet—corps？\"
\"Itwillsaveyoualoto’timeatSandburst，\"theSergeantrepliedpromptly。
\"You’llbedismissedyourdrillsearlyifyougoupwithagoodgroundin’
before’and。\"
\"Hm！’Don’tmindlearnin’mydrill，butI’mnotgoin’toassaboutthecountrywithatoySnider。Perowne，whatareyougoin’todo？Hogan’sjoinin’。\"
\"Don’tknowwhetherI’vethetime，\"saidPerowne。\"I’vegotnoendofextra—tuasitis。\"
\"Well，callthisextra—tu，\"saidAnsell。\"’Twon’ttakeuslongtomugupthedrill。\"
\"Oh，that’srightenough，butwhataboutmarchin’inpublic？\"saidHogan，notforeseeingthatthreeyearslaterheshoulddieintheBurmesesun—lightoutsideMinhlaFort。
\"Afraidtheuniformwon’tsuityourcreamycomplexion？\"McTurkaskedwithavillainoussneer。
\"Shutup，Turkey。Youaren’tgoin’upfortheArmy。\"
\"No，butI’mgoin’tosendasubstitute。Hi！Morrellan’Wake！Youtwofagsbythearm—rack，you’vegottovolunteer。\"
Blushingdeeply——theyhadbeentooshytoapplybefore——theyoungsterssidledtowardstheSergeant。
\"ButIdon’twantthelittlechaps——notatfirst，\"saidtheSergeantdisgustedly。\"I
want——I’dlikesomeoftheOldBrigadethedefaulters——tostiffen’emabit。\"
\"Don’tbeungrateful，Sergeant。They’renearlyasbigasyouget’emintheArmynow。\"McTurkreadthepapersofthoseyearsandcouldbetrustedforgeneralinformation，whichheusedasheusedhis\"tweaker。\"YethedidnotknowthatWakeminorwouldbeabimbashioftheEgyptianArmyerehisthirtiethyear。
Hogan，Swayne，Stalky，Perowne，andAnsellweredeepinconsultationbythevaulting—horse，Stalkyasusuallayingdownthelaw。TheSergeantwatchedthemuneasily，knowingthatmanywaitedontheirlead。
\"Foxydon’tlikemyrecruits，\"saidMcTurk，inapainedtone，toBeetle。\"Yougethimsome。\"
Nothingloath，Beetlepinionedtwomorefags——eachnotallerthanacarbine。\"Hereyouare，Foxy。Here’sfoodforpowder。Strikeforyourhearthsan’homes，youyoungbrutes——an’bejollyquickaboutit。\"
\"Stillheisn’thappy，\"saidMcTurk。
\"ForthewaywehavewithourArmyIsthewaywehavewithourNavy。\"
HereBeetlejoinedin。Theyhadfoundthepoeminanoldvolumeof\"Punch，\"anditseemedtocoverthesituation：
\"An’bothof’emledtoadversity，Whichnobodycandeny！\"
\"Youbequiet，younggentlemen。Ifyoucan’t’elp——don’t’inder。\"Foxy’seyewasstillonthecouncilbythehorse。Carter，White，andTyrrell，allboysofinfluence，hadjoinedit。Therestfingeredtheriflesirresolutely。\"Waitashake，\"
criedStalky。\"Can’tweturnoutthoserottersbeforewegettowork？\"
\"Certainly，\"saidFoxy。\"Anyonewishfultojoinwillstay’ere。Thosewhodonotsointendwillgoout，quietlyclosin’thedoorbe’ind’em。\"
Halfadozenoftheearnest—mindedrushedatthem，andtheyhadjusttimetoescapeintothecorridor。
\"Well，whydon’tyoujoin？\"Beetleasked，resettlinghiscollar。
\"Whydidn’tyou？\"
\"What’sthegood？Wearen’tgoin’upfortheArmy。Besides，Iknowthedrill——allexceptthemanual，ofcourse。’Wonderwhatthey’redoin’inside？\"
\"Makin’atreatywithFoxy。Didn’tyouhearStalkysay：’That’swhatwe’lldo——an’
ifhedon’tlikeithecanlumpit’？They’lluseFoxyforacram。Can’tyousee，youidiot？They’regoin’upforSandhurstortheShopinlessthanayear。They’lllearntheirdrillan’thenthey’lldropitlikeashot。D’yousupposechapswiththeiramountofextra—tuaretakin’upvolunteerin’forfun？\"
\"Well，Idon’tknow。Ithoughtofdoin’apoemaboutit——rottin’’em，youknow——’TheBalladoftheDogshooters’——eh？\"
\"Idon’tthinkyoucan，becauseKing’llbedownonthecorpslikeacartloado’
bricks。Hehasn’tbeenconsulted，he’ssniffin’roundthenotice—boardnow。Let’slurehim。\"Theystrolledupcarelesslytowardsthehonse—master——amostmeekcouple。
\"How’sthis？\"saidKingwithastartoffeignedsurprise。\"Methoughtyouwouldbelearningtofightforyourcountry。\"
\"Ithinkthecompany’sfull，sir，\"saidMcTurk。
\"It’sagreatpity，\"sighedBeetle。
\"Fortyvaliantdefenders，havewe，then？Hownoble！Whatdevotion！Ipresumethatitispossiblethatadesiretoevadetheirnormalresponsibilitiesmaybeatthebottomofthiszeal。Doubtlesstheywillbeaccordedspecialprivileges，liketheChoirandtheNaturalHistorySociety——onemustnotsayBug—hunters。\"
\"Oh，Isupposeso，sir，\"saidMcTurk，cheerily。\"TheHeadhasn’tsaidanythingaboutityet，buthewill，ofcourse。\"
\"Oh，sureto。\"
\"Itisjustpossible，myBeetle，\"Kingwheeledonthelastspeaker，\"thatthehouse—masters——anecessarybutsomewhatneglectedfactorinourhumbleschemeofexistence——mayhaveawordtosayonthematter。Life，fortheyoungatleast，isnotallweaponsandmunitionsofwar。Educationisincidentallyoneofouraims。\"
\"Whataconsistentpigheis，\"cooedMcTurk，whentheywereoutofearshot。\"Onealwaysknowswheretohavehim。DidyouseehowherosetothatdrawabouttheHeadandspecialprivileges？\"
\"Confoundhim，hemighthavehadthedecencytohavebackedthescheme。Icoulddosuchalovelyballad，rottin’it；andnowI’llhavetobeagiddyenthusiast。Itdon’tbarourpullingStalky’sleginthestudy，doesit？\"
\"Oh，no；butintheColl。wemustbepro—cadet—corpslikeanything。Can’tyoumakeupagiddyepigram，_a’_la_Catullus_，aboutKingobjectin’toit？\"BeetlewasatthisnobletaskwhenStalkyreturnedallhotfromhisfirstdrill。
\"Hullo，myramrod—bunger！\"beganMcTurk。\"Where’syourdeaddog？IsitDefenceorDefiance？\"
\"Defiance，\"saidStalky，andleapedonhimatthatword。\"Lookhere，Turkey，youmustn’trotthecorps。We’vearrangeditbeautifully。Foxyswearshewon’ttakeusoutintotheopentillwesaywewanttogo。\"
\"_Dis_—gustin’exhibitionofimmatureinfantsapin’theidiosyncrasiesoftheirelders。Snff！\"
\"HaveyoudrawnKing，Beetle？\"Stalkyaskedinapauseofthescuffle。
\"Notexactly；butthat’shisgenialstyle。\"
\"Well，listentoyourUncleStalky——whoisagreatman。Moreoverandsubsequently，Foxy’sgoin’toletusdrillthecorpsinturn——_privatim_et_seriatim_——sothatwe’llallknowhowtohandleahalfcompanyanyhow。_Ergo_，an’_propter_hoc_，whenwegototheShopweshallbedismisseddrillearly；thus，mybeloved’earers，combinin’educationwithwholesomeamusement。\"
\"Iknewyou’dmakeasortofextra—tuofit，youcold—bloodedbrute，\"saidMcTurk。
\"Don’tyouwanttodieforyourgiddycountry？\"
\"NotifIcanjollywellavoidit。Soyoumustn’trotthecorps。\"
\"We’ddecidedonthat，yearsago，\"saidBeetle，scornfully。\"King’lldotherottin’。\"
\"Thenyou’vegottorotKing，mygiddypoet。MakeupagoodcatchyLimerick，andletthefagssingit。\"
\"Lookhere，yousticktovolunteerin’，anddon’tjogthetable。\"
\"Hewon’thaveanythingtotakeholdof，\"saidStalky，withdarksignificance。
Theydidnotknowwhatthatmeanttill，afewdayslater，theyproposedtowatchthecorpsatdrill。Theyfoundthegymnasiumdoorlockedandafagonguard。\"Thisissweetcheek，\"saidMcTurk，stooping。
\"Mustn’tlookthroughthekey—hole，\"saidthesentry。
\"Ilikethat。Why，Wake，youlittlebeast，Imadeyouavolunteer。\"
\"Can’thelpit。Myordersarenottoallowanyonetolook。\"
\"S’posewedo？\"saidMcTurk。\"S’posewejollywellslayyou？\"
\"Myordersare，Iamtogivethenameofanybodywhointerferedwithmeonmypost，tothecorps，an’they’ddealwithhimafterdrill，accordin’tomartiallaw。\"
\"WhatabruteStalkyis！\"saidBeetle。Theyneverdoubtedforamomentwhohaddevisedthatscheme。
\"Youesteemyourselfagiddycenturion，don’tyou？\"saidBeetle，listeningtothecrashandrattleofgroundedarmswithin。
\"Myordcrsare，nottotalkexcepttoexplainmyorders——they’lllickmeifIdo。\"
McTurklookedatBeetle。Thetwoshooktheirheadsandturnedaway。
\"IswearStalky_is_agreatman，\"saidBeetleafteralongpause。\"Oneconsolationisthatthissortofsecret—societybiznaiwilldriveKingwild。\"
IttroubledmanymorethanKing，butthemembersofthecorpsweremuterthanoysters。Foxy，beingboundbynovow，carriedhiswoestoKeyte。
\"Inevercomeacrosssuchnonsenseinmylife。They’vetiledthelodge，innerandouterguard，allcomplete，andthentheygettowork，keenasmustard。\"
\"Butwhat’sitallfor？\"askedtheex—TroopSergeant—Major。
\"Tolearntheirdrill。Youneversawanythinglikeit。TheybeginafterI’vedismissed’em——practisin’tricks；butoutintotheopentheywill_not_come——notforeverso。The’olethingispre—posterous。Ifyou’reacadet—corps，_I_say，beacadet—corps，insteado’hidin’be’indlockeddoors。\"
\"Andwhatdotheauthoritiessayaboutit？\"
\"Thatbeatsmeagain。\"TheSergeantspokefretfully。\"Igotothe’Eadan’’egivesmenohelp。There’stimeswhenIthinkhe’smakin’funo’me。I’veneverbeenaVolunteer—sergeant，thankGod——butI’vealwayshadtheconsiderationtopity’em。
I’mglado’that。\"
\"I’dliketosee’em，\"saidKeyte。\"Fromyourstatements，Sergeant，Ican’tgetatwhatthey’reafter。\"
\"Don’taskme，Major！Askthatfreckle—facedyoungCorkran。He’stheirgeneralissimo。\"
OnedoesnotrefuseawarriorofSobraon，ordenytheonlypastry—cookwithinbounds。SoKeytecame，byinvitation，leaninguponastick，tremulouswitholdage，tositinacornerandwatch。
\"Theyshapewell。Theyshapeuncommonwell，\"hewhisperedbetweenevolutions。
\"Oh，thisisn’twhatthey’reafter。WaittillIdismiss’em。\"
Atthe\"break—off\"theranksstoodfast。Perownefellout，facedthem，and，refreshinghismemorybyglimpsesatared—bound，metal—claspedbook，drilledthemfortenminutes。（ThisisthatPerownewhowasshotinEquatorialAfricabyhisownmen。）Ansellfollowedhim，andHoganfollowedAnsell。Allthreewereimplicitlyobeyed。ThenStalkylaidasidehisSnider，and，drawingalongbreath，favoredthecompanywithablastofwitheringinvective。
\"’Old’ard，MusterCorkran。Thatain’tinanydrill，\"criedFoxy。
\"Allright，Sergeant。Youneverknowwhatyoumayhavetosaytoyourmen。——Forpity’ssake，trytostandupwithoutleanin’againsteachother，youblear—eyed，herrin’—guttedgutter—snipes。It’snopleasuretometocombyouout。Thatoughttohavebeendonebeforeyoucamehere，you——youmilitiabroom—stealers。\"
\"Theoldtouch——theoldtouch。_We_knowit，\"saidKeyte，wipinghisrheumyeyes。
\"Butwheredidhepickitup？\"
\"Fromhisfather——orhisuncle。Don’taskme！Halfof’emmusthavebeenbornwithinearshoto’thebarracks。\"（Foxywasnotfarwronginhisguess。）\"I’veheardmoreback—talksincethisvolunteerin’nonsensebeganthanI’veheardinayearintheservice。\"
\"There’sarear—rankmanlookin’asthoughhisbellywereinthepawn—shop。Yes，you，PrivateAnsell，\"andStalkytongue—lashedthevictimforthreeminutes，ingrossandindetail。
\"Hullo！\"Hereturnedtohisnormaltone。\"Firstbloodtome。Youflushed，Ansell。
Youwriggled。\"
\"Couldn’thelpflushing，\"wastheanswer。\"Don’tthinkIwriggled，though。\"
\"Well，it’syourturnnow。\"Stalkyresumedhisplaceintheranks。
\"Lord，Lord！It’sasgoodasaplay，\"chuckledtheattentiveKeyte。Ansell，too，hadbeenblessedwithrelativesintheservice，andslowly，inalazydrawl——hisstylewasmorereflectivethanStalky’s——descendedtheabysmaldepthsofpersonality。
\"Bloodtome！\"heshoutedtriumphantly。\"Youcouldn’tstandit，either。\"Stalkywasarichred，andhisSnidershookvisibly。
\"Ididn’tthinkIwould，\"hesaid，strugglingforcomposure，\"butafterabitIgotinnoendofabait。Curious，ain’tit？\"
\"Goodforthetemper，\"saidtheslow—movingHogan，astheyreturnedarmstotherack。
\"Didyouever？\"saidFoxy，hopelessly，toKeyte。
\"Idon’tknowmuchaboutvolunteers，butit’stherummiestshowIeversaw。Icanseewhatthey’regettin’at，though。Lord！howoftenI’vebeentoldoffan’dresseddowninmyday！Theyshapewell——extremelywelltheyshape。\"
\"IfIcouldget’emoutintotheopen，there’snothingIcouldn’tdowith’em，Major。Perhapswhentheuniformscomedown，they’llchangetheirmind。\"
Indeeditwastimethatthecorpsmadesomeconcessiontothecuriosityoftheschool。Thricehadtheguardbeenmaltreatedandthricehadthecorpsdealtoutmartiallawtotheoffender。Theschoolraged。Whatwastheuse，theyasked，ofacadet—corpswhichnonemightsee？Mr。Kingcongratulatedthemontheirinvisibledefenders，andtheycouldnotparryhisthrusts。Foxywasgrowingsullenandrestive。Afewofthecorpsexpressedopenlydoubtsastothewisdomoftheircourse；andthequestionofuniformsloomedonthenearhorizon。Ifthesewereissued，theywouldbeforcedtowearthem。
But，assooftenhappensinthislife，thematterwassuddenlysettledfromwithout。
TheHeadhaddulyinformedtheCouncilthattheirrecommendationhadbeenactedupon，andthat，sofarashecouldlearn，thebuysweredrilling。Hesaidnothingofthetermsonwhichtheydrilled。Naturally，GeneralCollinsonwasdelightedandtoldhisfriends。Oneofhisfriendsrejoicedinafriend，aMemberofParliament——azealous，anintelligent，and，aboveall，apatrioticperson，anxioustodothemostgoodintheshortestpossibletime。Butwecannotanswer，alas！forthefriendsofourfriends。IfCollinson’sfriendhadintroducedhimtotheGeneral，thelatterwouldhavetakenhismeasureandsavedmuch。Butthefriendmerelyspokeofhisfriend；andsincenotwopeopleintheworldseeeyetoeye，thepictureconveyedtoCollinsonwasinaccurate。Moreover，themanwasanM。P。，animpeccableConservative，andtheGeneralhadtheEnglishsoldier’slurkingrespectforanymemberoftheCourtofLastAppeal。HewasgoingdownintotheWestcountry，tospreadlightinsomebody’sbenightedconstituency。Wouldn’titbeagoodideaif，armedwiththeGeneral’srecommendation，he，takingtheadmirableandnewlyestablishedcadet—corpsforhistext，spokeafewwords——\"Justtalkedtotheboysalittle——eh？Youknowthekindofthingthatwouldbeacceptable；andhe’dbetheverymantodoit。Thesortoftalkthatboysunderstand，youknow。\"
\"Theydidn’ttalkto’emmuchinmytime，\"saidtheGeneral，suspiciously。
\"Ah！buttimeschange——withthespreadofeducationandsoon。Theboysofto—dayarethemenofto—morrow。Animpressioninyouthislikelytobepermanent。Andinthesetimes，youknow，withthecountrygoingtothedogs？\"
\"You’requiteright。\"TheislandwasthenenteringonfiveyearsofMr。Gladstone’srule；andtheGeneraldidnotlikewhathehadseenofit。HewouldcertainlywritetotheHead，foritwasbeyondquestionthattheboysofto—daymadethemenofto—morrow。That，ifhemightsayso，wasuncommonlywellput。
Inreply，theHeadstatedthatheshouldbedelightedtowelcomeMr。RaymondMartin，M。P。，ofwhomhehadheardsomuch；toputhimupforthenight，andtoallowhimtoaddresstheschoolonanysubjectthatheconceivedwouldinterestthem。IfMr。
MartinhadnotyetfacedanaudienceofthisparticularclassofBritishyouth，theHeadhadnodoubtthathewouldfinditaninterestingexperience。
\"AndIdon’tthinkIamveryfarwronginthatlast，\"heconfidedtotheReverendJohn。\"DoyouhappentoknowanythingofoneRaymondMartin？\"
\"IwasatCollegewithamanofthatname，\"thechaplainreplied。\"Hewaswithoutformandvoid，sofarasIremember，butdesperatelyearnest。\"
\"HewilladdresstheColl。on’Patriotism’nextSaturday。\"
\"IfthereisonethingourboysdetestmorethananotheritishavingtheirSaturdayeveningsbrokeninto。Patriotismhasnochancebeside’brewing。’\"
\"Norarteither。D’yourememberour’EveningwithShakespeare’？\"
TheHead’seyestwinkled。\"Orthehumorousgentlemanwiththemagiclantern？\"
\"An’whothedooceisthisRaymondMartin，M。P。？\"demandedBeetle，whenhereadthenoticeofthelectureinthecorridor。\"WhydothebrutesalwaysturnuponaSaturday？\"
\"Ouh！Reomeo，Reomeo。WhereforeartthouReomeo？\"saidMcTurkoverhisshoulder，quotingtheShakespeareartisteoflastterm。\"Well，hewon’tbeasbadas_her_，I
hope。Stalky，areyouproperlypatriotic？Becauseifyouain’t，thischap’sgoin’tomakeyou。\"
\"Hopehewon’ttakeupthewholeoftheevening。Isupposewe’vegottolistentohim。\"
\"Wouldn’tmisshimfortheworld，\"saidMcTurk。\"AlotofchapsthoughtthatRomeo—Romeowomanwasabore。_I_didn’t。Ilikedher！’Memberwhenshebegantohiccoughinthemiddleofit？P’rapshe’llhiccough。WhoevergetsintotheGymfirst，bagsseatsfortheothertwo。\"
Therewasnonervousness，butabriskandcheeryaffabilityaboutMr。RaymondMartin，M。P。，ashedroveup，watchedbymanyeyes，totheHead’shouse。
\"Looksabitofabargee，\"wasMcTurk’scomment。\"Shouldn’tbesurprisedifhewasaRadical。Herowedthedriveraboutthefare。Iheardhim。\"
\"Thatwashisgiddypatriotism，\"Beetleexplained。Afterteatheyjoinedtherushforseats，securedaprivateandinvisiblecorner，andbegantocriticise。Everygas—jetwaslit。OnthelittledaisatthefarendstoodtheHead’sofficialdesk，whenceMr。Martinwoulddiscourse，andaringofchairsforthemasters。
EnteredthenFoxy，withofficialport，andleanedsomethinglikeaclothrolledroundastickagainstthedesk。Nooneinauthoritywasyetpresent，sotheschoolapplauded，crying：\"What’sthat，Foxy？Whatareyoustealin’thegentleman’sbrollyfor？——Wedon’tbirchhere。Wecane！Takeawaythatbauble！——Numberofffromtheright\"——andsoforth，tilltheentryoftheHeadandthemastersendedalldemonstrations。
\"Onegoodjob——theCommon—roomhatethisasmuchaswedo。WatchKingwrigglin’togetoutofthedraft。\"
\"Where’stheRaymondiferousMartin？Punctuality，mybeloved’earers，istheimageo’
war—\"
\"Shutup。Here’sthegiddyDook。Golly，whatadewlap！\"Mr。Martin，ineveningdress，wasundeniablythroaty——atall，generouslydesigned，pink—and—whiteman。
Still，Beetleneednothavebeencoarse。
\"Lookathisbackwhilehe’stalkin’totheHead。Vilebadformtoturnyourbackontheaudience！He’saPhilistine——aBopper——aJebusite——an’aHivite。\"McTurkleanedbackandsniffedcontemptuously。
Inafewcolorlesswords，theHeadintroducedthespeakerandsatdownamidapplause。WhenMr。Martintooktheapplausetohimself，theynaturallyapplaudedmorethanever。Itwassometimebeforebecouldbegin。Hehadnoknowledgeoftheschool——itstraditionorheritage。Hedidnotknowthatthelastcensusshowedthateightypercent。oftheboyshadbeenbornabroad——incamp，cantonment，oruponthehighseas；orthatseventy—fivepercent。weresonsofofficersinoneorotheroftheservices——Willoughbys，Paulets，DeCastros，Maynes，Randalls，aftertheirkind——lookingtofollowtheirfathers’profession。TheHeadmighthavetoldhimthis，andmuchmore；but，afteranhour—longdinnerinhiscompany，theHeaddecidedtosaynothingwhatever。Mr。RaymondMartinseemedtoknowsomuchalready。
Heplungedintohisspeechwithalong—drawn，rasping\"Well，boys，\"that，thoughtheywerenotconsciousofit，seteveryyoungnerveajar。Hesupposedtheyknew——
hey？——whathehadcomedownfor？Itwasnotoftenthathehadanopportunitytotalktoboys。Hesupposedthatboyswereverymuchthesamekindofpersons——somepeoplethoughtthemratherfunnypersons——astheyhadbeeninhisyouth。
\"Thisman，\"saidMcTurk，withconviction，\"is_the_GadareneSwine。\"
Buttheymustrememberthattheywouldnotalwaysbeboys。Theywouldgrowupintomen，becausetheboysofto—daymadethemenofto—morrow，anduponthemenofto—morrowthefairfameoftheirgloriousnativelanddepended。
\"Ifthisgoeson，mybeloved’earers，itwillbemypainfuldutytorotthisbargee。\"Stalkydrewalongbreaththroughhisnose。
\"Can’tdothat，\"saidMcTurk。\"Heain’tchargin’anythingforhisRomeo。\"
Andsotheyoughttothinkofthedutiesandresponsibilitiesofthelifethatwasopeningbeforethem。Lifewasnotall——heenumeratedafewgames，and，thatnothingmightbelackingtothesweepandimpactofhisfall，added\"marbles。\"\"Yes，lifewasnot，\"hesaid，\"allmarbles。\"
Therewasonetensegasp——amongthejuniorsalmostashriek——ofquiveringhorror，hewasaheathen——anoutcast———beyondtheextremestpaleoftoleration——self—damnedbeforeallmen。Stalkybowedhisheadinhishands。McTurk，withabrightandcheerfuleye，drankineveryword，andBeetlenoddedsolemnapproval。
Someofthem，doubtless，expectedinafewyearstohavethehonorofacommissionfromtheQueen，andtowearasword。Now，hehimselfhadhadsomeexperienceoftheseduties，asaMajorinavolunteerregiment，andhewasgladtolearnthattheyhadestablishedavolunteercorpsintheirmidst。Theestablishmentofsuchanestablishmentconducedtoaproperandhealthyspirit，which，iffostered，wouldbeofgreatbenefittothelandtheylovedandweresoproudtobelongto。Someofthosenowpresentexpected，hehadnodoubt——someofthemanxiouslylookedforwardtoleadingtheirmenagainstthebulletsofEngland’sfoes；toconfrontingthestrickenfieldinalltheprideoftheiryouthfulmanhood。
Nowthereserveofaboyistenfolddeeperthanthereserveofamaid，shebeingmadeforoneendonlybyblindNature，butmanforseveral。Withalargeandhealthyhand，hetoredowntheseveils，andtrampledthemunderthewell—intentionedfeetofeloquence。Inaraucousvoice，hecriedaloudlittlematters，likethehopeofHonorandthedreamofGlory，thatboysdonotdiscussevenwiththeirmostintimateequals，cheerfullyassumingthat，tillhespoke，theyhadneverconsideredthesepossibilities。Hepointedthemtoshininggoals，withfingerswhichsmudgedoutallradianceonallhorizons。Heprofanedthemostsecretplacesoftheirsoulswithoutcriesandgesticulations，hebadethemconsiderthedeedsoftheirancestorsinsuchafashionthattheywereflushedtotheirtinglingears。Someofthem——therendingvoicecutafrozenstillness——mighthavehadrelativeswhoperishedindefenceoftheircountry。Theythought，notafewofthem，ofanoldswordinapassage，oraboveabreakfast—roomtable，seenandfingeredbystealthsincetheycouldwalk。Headjuredthemtoemulatethoseillustriousexamples；andtheylookedallwaysintheirextremediscomfort。
Theiryearsforbadethemeventoshapetheirthoughtsclearlytothemselves。Theyfeltsavagelythattheywerebeingoutragedbyafatmanwhoconsideredmarblesagame。
Andsoheworkedtowardshisperoration——which，bytheway，heusedlaterwithoverwhelmingsuccessatameetingofelectors——whiletheysat，flushedanduneasy，insourdisgust。Aftermany，manywords，hereachedforthecloth—wrappedstickandthrustonehandinhisbosom。This——thiswastheconcretesymboloftheirland——worthyofallhonorandreverence！Letnoboylookonthisflagwhodidnotpurposetoworthilyaddtoitsimperishablelustre。Heshookitbeforethem——alargecalicoUnionJack，staringinallthreecolors，andwaitedforthethunderofapplausethatshouldcrownhiseffort。
Theylookedinsilence。Theyhadcertainlyseenthethingbefore——downatthecoastguardstation，orthroughatelescope，half—masthighwhenabrigwentashoreonBrauntonSands；abovetheroofoftheGolf—club，andinKeyte’swindow，whereacertainkindofstripedsweetmeatboreitinpaperoneachbox。ButtheCollegeneverdisplayedit；itwasnopartoftheschemeoftheirlives；theHeadhadneveralludedtoit；theirfathershadnotdeclaredituntothem。Itwasamattershutup，sacredandapart。What，inthenameofeverythingcaddish，washedrivingat，whowavedthathorrorbeforetheireyes？Happythought！Perhapshewasdrunk。
TheHeadsavedthesituationbyrisingswiftlytoproposeavoteofthanks，andathisfirstmotion，theschoolclappedfuriously，fromasenseofrelief。
\"AndIamsure，\"heconcluded，thegaslightfullonhisface，\"thatyouwillalljoinmeinaveryheartyvoteofthankstoMr。RaymondMartinforthemostenjoyableaddresshehasgivenus。\"
Tothisdayweshallneverknowtherightsofthecase。TheHeadvowsthathedidnosuchthing；orthat，ifhedid，itmusthavebeensomethinginhiseye；butthosewhowerepresentarepersuadedthathewinked，once，openlyandsolemnly，aftertheword\"enjoyable。\"Mr。RaymondMartingothisapplausefulltale。Ashesaid，\"Withoutvanity，Ithinkmyfewwordswenttotheirhearts。Ineverknewboyscouldcheerlikethat。\"
Heleftastheprayer—bellrang，andtheboyslinedupagainstthewall。Theflaglaystillunrolledonthedesk，Foxyregardingitwithpride，forhehadbeentouchedtothequickbyMr。Martin’seloquence。TheHeadandtheCommon—room，standingbackonthedais，couldnotseetheglaringoffence，butaprefectlefttheline，rolleditupswiftly，andasswiftlytosseditintoagloveandfoillocker。
Then，asthoughhehadtouchedaspring，brokeoutthelowmurmurofcontent，changingtoquick—volleyedhand—clapping。
Theydiscussedthespeechinthedormitories。Therewasnotonedissentientvoice。
Mr。RaymondMartin，beyondquestion，wasborninagutter，andbredinaboard—school，wheretheyplayedmarbles。Hewasfurther（Igivethebaresthandfulfromgreatstore）aFlopshusCad，anOutrageousStinker，aJelly—belliedFlag—flapper（thiswasStalky’scontribution），andseveralotherthingswhichitisnotseemlytoputdown。
Thevolunteercadet—corpsfellinnextMonday，depressedly，withafaceofshame。
Eventhen，judicioussilencemighthaveturnedthecorner。
SaidFoxy：\"Afterafinespeechlikewhatyou’eardnightbeforelast，yououghttotake’oldofyourdrillwith_re_—newedactivity。Idon’tseehowyoucanavoidcomin’outan’marchin’intheopennow。\"
\"Can’twegetoutofit，then，Foxy？\"Stalky’sfineoldsilkytoneshouldhavewarnedhim。
\"No，notwithhisgivingtheflagsogenerously。Hetoldmebeforeheleftthismorningthattherewasnoobjectiontothecorpsusin’itastheirown。It’sahandsomeflag。\"
Stalkyreturnedhisrifletotherackindeadsilence，andfellout。HisexamplewasfollowedbyHoganandAnsell。Perownehesitated。\"Lookhere，oughtn’twe——？\"hebegan。
\"I’llgetitoutofthelockerinaminute，\"saidtheSergeant，hisbackturned。
\"Thenwecan——\"
\"Comeon！\"shoutedStalky。\"Whatthedevilareyouwaitingfor？Dismiss！Breakoff。\"
\"Why——whatthe——wherethe——？\"
TherattleofSniders，slammedintotherack，drownedhisvoice，asboyafterboyfellout。
\"I——Idon’tknowthatIshan’thavetoreportthistotheHead，\"hestammered。
\"Report，then，andbedamnedtoyou，\"criedStalky，whitetothelips，andranout。
\"Rummything！\"saidBeetletoMcTurk。\"Iwasinthestudy，doin’asimplylovelypoemabouttheJelly—BelliedFlag—Flapper，an’Stalkycamein，an’Isaid’Hullo！’
an’hecursedmelikeabargee，andthenhebegantoblublikeanything。Shovedhisheadonthetableandhowled。Hadn’twebetterdosomething？\"
McTurkwastroubled。\"P’rapshe’ssmashedhimselfupsomehow。\"
Theyfoundhim，withverybrighteyes，whistlingbetweenhisteeth。
\"DidItakeyouin，Beetle？IthoughtIwould。Wasn’titagooddraw？Didn’tyouthinkIwasblubbin’？Didn’tIdoitwell？Oh，youfatoldass！\"AndhebegantopullBeetle’searsandchecks，inthefashionthatwascalled\"milking。\"
\"Iknewyouwereblubbin’，\"Beetlereplied，composedly。\"Whyaren’tyouatdrill？\"
\"Drill！Whatdrill？\"
\"Don’ttrytobeacleverfool。DrillintheGym。\"
\"’Causethereisn’tany。Thevolunteercadet—corpsisbrokeup——disbanded——dead——putrid——corrupt———stinkin’。An’ifyoulookatmelikethat，Beetle，I’llslayyoutoo……Oh，yes，an’I’mgoin’tobereportedtotheHeadforswearin’。\"
THELASTTERM。
Itwaswithinafewdaysoftheholidays，theterm—endexaminations，and，moreimportantstill，theissueoftheCollegepaperwhichBeetleedited。HehadbeencajoledintothatofficebytheblandishmentsofStalkyandMcTurkandtheextremerigorofstudylaw。Onceinstalled，hediscovered，asothershavedonebeforehim，thathisdutywastodotheworkwhilehisfriendscriticized。Stalkychristeneditthe\"SwillingfordPatriot，\"inpiousmemoryofSponge——andMcTurkcomparedtheoutputunfavorablywithRuskinandDeQuincey。OnlytheHeadtookaninterestinthepublication，andhismethodswerepeculiar。HegaveBeetletherunofhisbrown—bound，tobacco—scentedlibrary；prohibitingnothing，recommendingnothing。