THE GREYFRIARS VICTORY

By

FRANK RICHARDS.

THE FIRST CHAPTER.

A Fight In the Snow.

BIFF!

Harry Wharton gave a jump.

He was crossing the close at Greyfriars, towards the school House, when the snowball caught him behind the pl.

The snow was falling thickly in the close and in the early December evening.

The ground was carpeted with it, the roofs screamed white with it, the walls were topped with it—it was snow, snow, snow everywhere!

Wharton, muffled up in coat and cap, and scarf against the bitter wind, had just come back from the village. He was far from the expecting any attack at that moment, and the sudden snowball took him quite by surprise.

He spun half round, and as he did so have a dozen more snowballs POC upon his face and head. There was a yell from half a dozen figures blooming up through the falling flakes.

“Ha, ha, ha!”

“Down viz ze Remove!‘

Biff, biff, biff! came the rapid snowballs.

Harry Wharton staggered under the hot attack, and, losing his footing, sat down in the snow. There was a yell from the juniors of Herr Rosenblaum’s Foreign Academy, and they rushed forward.

“Collar him !“

“Collar te pounder !“

“Rescue !“ shouted Harry Wharton , with all the force of his lungs. “Rescue, Remove!“

He struggled to his feet. The aliens were round him in a moment, pelting him with snowballs, and yelling with laughter. But there was a shout from the door of the Greyfriars School House.

Bob Cherry had been looking out for his chum, and he heard Harris should . It was a shout never left unanswered by a member of the Remove—the Lower Fourth at Greyfriars. As Upper Form fellows sometimes complained, the Remove had a rows enough among themselves, but against outsiders the whole form were thick as thieves.

“Hallo, hallo, hallo!” ejaculated Bob Cherry. “a raid from the aliens, by Jove! Rescue, Remove! Buck up !”

And, without even stopping to put on his cap, Bob Cherry dashed to the rescue. His sudden rush knocked the aliens right and left. The snow had deadened his footsteps, and they did not see him till he was there. Bob Cherry gave Wharton a helping hand , and the captain of the Remove staggered up, gasping for breath.

“ Buck up, Remove !“

Removites were swarming out now, gathering up snowballs as they came. The missiles whizzed through the air in clouds, and the aliens, after an ineffectual attempt to face the storm, retreated towards the Cloisters.

“They’re running! After them !“ roared Bob Cherry.

Wharton’s cap and scarf were gone, and he was smothered with snow. But he joined in the scrimmage at once, and was the first to dash after the retreating aliens. Fast went Hoffman, Meunier & Co. towards the Cloisters, but faster still flew the snowballs from the Removites, hot on the track.

The Cloisters—a relic of the ancient abbey of Greyfriars— separated the grounds of Greyfriars from those of New Academy. They were often the scene of wild scrimmages to being the Greyfriars lads and the four and juniors belonging to Herr Rosenblaum’s establishment. Into the dark shades of the cloisters went the aliens on the run, and the Removites of Greyfriars dashed after them with a ringing hurrah.

“Hold on !‘ shouted Wharton suddenly.

In the dim, wintry dusk he had caught sight of a wall of snow ahead. The aliens had retreated behind it, and turned upon their pursuers, reinforced by two score or more of their comrades. Harry realized at once that the aliens had built their snow fortifications in the Cloisters, and then Hoffman & Co. had invaded the close with the intention of provoking the and Greyfriars lads to the attack— and had succeeded,

Harris warning came too late.

The wild rush of the Greyfriars juniors carried them right on, and they crashed pell-mell into the snow wall, and there was a chorus of gasps and yells

“Oh !, Oh !”

“Ow !

“Grr-r-r-o-ooh!“

The walls of the snow fort worth think, too thick for a crash of assailants to penetrate them. The Removites reeled back from the impact, choked and blinded with snow, and dazed by the volleying of snowballs from over the wall. The aliens, safely ensconced in the fort , yelled defiance.

“Down viz Greyfriars ! “

”Sock it to dem, ain’t it? ’

“Giff dem peans !’

“Pravo!”

“Come on “ yelled Bob Cherry, picking himself up, and rushing desperately on. “Come on, and clear them out !’

‘ Hurrah !“

And the Removites rushed on fiercely. Harry Wharton and Bob Cherry clambered over the snow wall, only to be seized by a dozen hands and hurled back again. Their Form-fellows followed them gamely, but in vain. Inside the snow fort were heaps and heaps of snowballs ready made, ready to the hands of the defenders, and the valley and was incessant. Snowballs smashed on faces and ears, thick and fast. And whenever an assailant contrived to clamber over the wall, there were aliens ready to hurl him back.

In vain the Removites flung themselves again and again on to the fort. It was impregnable. It was built in the form of a half-moon, the two horns enclosing the gate of the academy grounds behind, and so it was impossible to surround the aliens. The attack could only be made from the front, and the fort was crammed with defenders. Even Harry Wharton had had enough at last. He drew back, gasping.

“Hold on, kids !” he exclaimed. “Nuff”s as good as a feast! We can’t do it just now!”

“Oh, rats ! said Bulstrode. We’re going to do it!”

“I tell you——”

“More rats! Come on, whoever’s game !“

And Bulstrode, the bully of the Remove, rushed forward. A score of snowballs smashed upon him from the fort, and he was bowled over like a ninepin. He gave a yell as he bumped on the hard flags of the Cloisters.

“Ha, ha, ha!” roared Bob Cherry. “Is that how you’re going to do it, Bulstrode?”

Bulstrode sat up, gasping.

He was within easy shot of the fort, and snowballs were showereding upon him, Harry Wharton ran forward and dragged him out of range. He was too dazed by the volleying to help myself.

The Greyfriars lads stood looking on at the fort with burning eyes. The aliens were yelling with defiance and direction. But the position was too strong; it could not be taken by a frontal attack.

“ I say, this is rotten !” exclaimed Nugent, panting for breath.

“The rottenfulness is terrific!” murmured Hurree Jamset Ram Singh, the Nabob of Bunny power. The defeatfullness is a hard pill to take swallowfully !“

Harry Wharton’s brow was grim.

“we’re not going to give in,” he said; “only we can’t reach the place from the front. It’s too strong.”

“I suppose we’re not going to knuckle under?“ sneered Bulstrode. “Seems to me that what the remove wants is a new captain !“

“Faith, and it’s a baste ye are !“ said micky Desmond. “Sure, you didn’t do so well when you led just now, Bulstrode; you were bold over ! “

“I wasn’t backed up.”

“ Oh, cheese it!” said Bob Cherry. “What’s to be done, Harry? We can’t give in to the aliens. It would be a fearful blow to our giddy prestige, to say nothing of the way the Upper Fourth would chip us about it.”

“The chipfullness would be terrific !“

Wharton’s brows were contracted with thought. The remove always looked to him for guidance, and there were few difficulties v ever failed to grapple with. A sudden gleam shot into his eyes.

“ Good !“ he exclaimed.

“What’s the wheeze?’

“We can’t get into the fort here, but I’ve got an idea. Some of you chops and can climb the academy wall at another point, and take the bounders in the rear. If you can get into the academy grounds, you can get at Hoffman& Co. through their own gateway behind the fort.’

Bob Cherry gave his captain a slap on the shoulder that made him stagger.

“Bravo !‘ he yelled.

“ Well, don’t knock me over,’ said Wharton ; ‘ and there’s no particular need to warn the aliens that we’ve got an idea for knocking them out !“

“By Jove, you’re right! Come on, you kids ; we’ll settle ‘em this time, and teach Hoffman& Co. that they can’t get their ears up at the Greyfriars remove without getting sat on !”

A dozen juniors followed Bob Cherry, and Wharton’s party, to draw attention from the maneuver, as the commands to the attack on the snow fort. The Indians little dreaming that foes were on the way to take them in the rear, yelled and pelted snowballs keeping the assailants off without much difficulty. But while the combat was going on. Bob Cherry and his merry men were climbing the academy wall at some distance, and dropping one by one within the grounds.

In five minutes they were all in, and were creeping silently through the snow towards the gates. The gates were open, and outside them, in the Cloisters, was the snow fort. crammed with aliens. The yelling of the excitable foreigners made a terrific din in the echoing old cloisters.

“Come on !” muttered Bob Cherry. ‘ Give ‘em a yell, and then give ‘em socks !“

And the Removites yelled.

The sudden yell from behind startled the aliens, and it was immediately followed by the rush of Bob Cherry and his followers, in their very midst.

‘Ach!” roared Hoffman. “Vat is tat pefore?”

“Ve are betrayed !“ shrieked Adolphe Meunier.

The aliens’ defence was utterly broken up. As they scrambled with the sudden invaders front the rear , Harry Wharton and his comrades made a fresh attack, and this time there was nothing to stop them.

With loud hurrahs, they scrambled and clambered over the snow walls, and mingled in the fray that was raging in the crowded fort.

At close quarters the aliens were simply nowhere.

The surprise had shaken their nerves, and they were taken between two fires. Their piles of ready-made snowballs were seized upon@ once by the invaders, and hurled at them in volleys. Yelling and shrieking and struggling, they were swept through the gateway into the academy grounds, and followed there by whizzing snowballs.

Twice they charged desperately back, but each time the Removites held the fort, and flung the aliens back again through the gateway.

At last Hoffmann & Co. gave it up.

They retreated, fatigued, and gasping for breath, Meunier slamming and fastening the gates to prevent pursuit into their own ground.

A ringing cheer from the captured fort followed.

“Hip, hip hurrah !“

And the cheer, ringing out with all the force of British lungs, woke every echo of the Old Cloisters, and drowned the defiant shrieks of the aliens.

THE SECOND CHAPTER.

Billy Bunter does not wait Tea.

“WHAT on earth have you been up to”

Wingate, of the Sixth, the captain of Greyfriars, asked the question, as the breathless remove came in after the battle in the Cloisters.

The juniors certainly did present a curious sight. They were covered with snow and mud, their clothes were wait and crumpled, half of them had lost their caps, and most them had their collars torn out, to say nothing of the liberal allowance of black eyes and swollen noses that been gained gained in the fight at close quarters.

“ It’s all right, Wingate --“ began Harry Wharton .

“Is it ?” said the captain of Greyfriars grimly. “If that’s your idea of what’s all right for a junior Form, Wharton, I can only say that you’ve got a lot to learn ! You look like a gang of hooligans!“

“You see——“

“ It was like this——”

“I’ll explain——”

“Oh, don’t all jaw at once !“ said Wingate. “ You’d better go hand make yourselves more respectable before Mr. Quelch sees you. You jolly well deserve fifty lines each !‘

“We’ve wiped up the ground with the aliens !‘ said Bob Cherry.

Wingate grinned.

“I don’t suppose that would seem as meritorious to Mr. Quelch as it does to you,” he said. “You’d better cut. And Wingate walked on. His advice was tøo good not to be taken. The juniors “cut.” They ran upstairs, and invaded the bath-rooms.

“ Decent of Wingate,” Hazeldene remarked. “Some of the prefects would have lined us’—and Quelch would, anyway. We are in a state.”

“Faith, and I feel as if I’d been under a matter-car!’

“ The shockingfullness of our esteemed state is indeed terrific!“

“Buck up with the reigning” said Harry Wharton; “there’s a meeting of the Operatic Society after tea, you know, and we don’t want to be late”

“Right you are buying”

Ten minutes later the chums of the Remove—the Famous Four of Greyfriars— came along to their study—No. 1, in the Remove. Billy Bunter was looking out from the door-way anxiously, and he uttered an exclamation as Wharton , Bob Cherry, Nugent, and Hurree Jamset Ram Singh came along together.

“I saw say, you fellows, your fearfully late buying”

“Yes; we’ve been having a row with the Indians,” said Bob Cherry. ‘ Why didn’t you come out and lend a hand ?“

Bunter blinked at Bob Cherry through his big spectacles, “I had to get tea in the study , Cherry: and I suppose I couldn’t do that and go out scrapping with a lot of aliens as well,” he said.

“Quite right,” said Nugent. “Billy is a first-Less cook, and the worst-Class fighting-man, and he chos the better part, as they say in the goody-goody story-books. So long as he’s got tea ready we’ll forgive him missing the shindy.’

“Especially as it was a good missfulness.”

“Oh, really, Inky —“

“But where is the teaful the refreshment?” said the Nabob of Bhanipur, looking round the study. “The esteemed cloth as laid, and plateful and the utensils are in a state of preparedness, but ic no sign fullness of the honourable tommy.”

“You see, you fellows”

“Buck up with the grub, Billy. We’ve been having a scrap in the snow, and we’re hungry.”

Bunter blinked uneasily at the chums of the Remove. V seemed to have semothing like a weight on his mind.

“Tea was to be ready at six sharp,” he said. “‘ Wharton said he would get in from the village before six, and you fellows were to come up with him.”

“Yes, we’re late,”

“It’s close on half-Past six now.”

“Can’t be helped, Billy. Better late than never.”

“Ye-es, but——”

“Trot out the grub:” said Bob Cherry briskly. Are you keeping the sausages warm? You don’t mean you haven’t cooked them yet!’

‘Nothing of the sort! I promised to get tea ready by six o’clock, and I’m fellow of my word,” said Bunter, with dignity.

“That’s all right, then. Where is it?’

“You see——”

“No. I don’t see,” said Bob Cherry.

I f you’ve cooked the sausages, where are they? Where’s the jam—the new pot of strawberry? Where’s the cake? And the marmalade-tarts?”

“You see - ”

“Come, Billy,” said Harry Wharton , “trot out the grub, old chap.”

“You were so jolly late, you know, I—I thought 1 wouldn’t wait for you,” said Billy BhI Bunter. “You see, I’ve got a rather delicate constitution, and I really only keep myself going by havin regular meals, and plenty of them. I thought that in justice to my health I couldn’t wait for you.’

“Well, that doesn’t matter,” said Nugent . “Of course,

We shall lose they entertainment of seeing you eat, which is a shoulder in itself, and worth the price of admission——’

“Oh, really, Cherry—“

“but what we’re chiefly thinking about just now is eating something ourselves. We’re hungry Billy—hungry! Don’t you catch on? Comprenez vous? Savez-vous? Why the difference don’t you produce the grub?’

You see, I couldn’t wait for you, and— and I had my tea—and—and ———”

“My only hat!” roared Bob Cherry, “You’ve had ours, too!”

“Well, you see, I— I was hungry, and—I hardly noticed it, you know—but the grub went,” said Billy Bunter, rather nervously. ‘1 really didn’t mean to scoff the lot you know, but—but it was your own fault for being late.’

The Famous Four glared at the fat junior with feelings to deep for words.

They had come in famished from the snow-Fight in the Close, and as it happened there was an extra plentiful tea in the study that evening, and they had been looking foward to it.

Harry Wharton was the first to recover himself. He burst into a laugh.

“Well, we might have guessed what would happen if we were late !” he exclaimed. ‘ It was like trusting a kleptomaniac in the strong-room of a bank!”

“Oh, really, Wharton——“

“We ought to scrag the young cormorant, though, in principle,” said Bob Cherry, frowning. “The fact is, we’re not bringing him up properly.”

“Oh, really, Cherry—”

“He wants suffocating half a dozen times a day I think we had better frog’s-march him along the passage and chuck him downstairs.”

The chuckfulness would be a wheezy good idea.”

Billy Bunter retreated in alarm. He had just eaten the meal intended for five fellows, and he did not feel inclined for rough usage.

“I -- I say, you fellows -“

“Collar him! Hallo, hallo, hallo ! What’s up, Hazeldene? It’s not time for the operatic meeting yet.”

Hazeldene, of the Remove, entered the study with a letter in his hand. Billy Bunter, taking advantage of Bob Cherry’s attention being transferred for the moment to the newcomer, scuttled out of the study.

“It’s all right,” grinned Hazeldene; “I haven’t come to tea.”

“Not much use if you had,” grunted Bob Cherry. That young wolf has scoffed up everything in the study.”

“Ha, ha, ha !”

“It may strike you as funny, Hazeldene, but I don’t see anything comical in going without tea !” growled Bob Cherry. “ It’s over in hall long ago, and we’re dished.’

“The dishfulness is truly terrific.”

“Then I’ve come just in the nick of time” said Hazeldene. “I haven’t had tea yet, and I got a good spread. Wun Lung’s cooking it for me,”

The faces of the Famous Four brightened visibly.

“Talk about corn in Egypt,” said Bob Cherry. Hazeldean, old son, let me fold you to my bosom and weep.’

“Rats !” said Hazeldean. “I’d like you to come along to tea, if you will. But what I came here about was this letter from my sister Marjorie.”

“Good ! Any news?’

“ It’s about the operatic performance we are giving on the day before breaking up for the Christmas ho1iday’,’ said Hazeldene. “You remember I was to write and ask Marjorie if she could come and take part?”

“Right ! I hope she can come?”

“That’s the worst of it; she can’t—at that time. She’s going away for the end of December, and I’m joining her at the place for the Christmas vac. Before she goes she’s coming to pay Mrs. Locke a visit, though, so we shall see her. ‘

“Oh, I say, that’s rotten !” said Harry Wharton, the manager of the junior operatic company. “We depended on her for the show.”

“Yes, she’s awfully sorry, and so am I.”

“Well, I suppose it can’t be helped,” said Harry “ she would come if she could. I’m glad she’s coming to Greyfriars before Christmas, anyway. It’s a long time since we've seen Marjorie.”

“Does she mention anybody m particular in her letter’:” asked Bob Cherry carelessly.

“No; only sends kind regards to all.”

“Oh!”

“May as well go and see if Hazeldean’s feed is already” suggested Nugent. “ I don’t know how you fellows feel, but I’m famishing.”

“Come on, then!” said Hazeldene. reat in Ilazdclone’ fitudy.

THE THIRD CHAPTER.

A Study Feed.

WUN LUNG, the Chinese junior, was seated by the grate. The little Chinee, with his quaint orientals face and almond eyes, the peak tale, and his bland smile, was liked very well by the chums of the Remove, though they did not always know what to make of him. Wun Lung, in spite of the place it a of manners and his smile, was deep— very deep—and the Greyfriars juniors had learned that he was no stranger to the “ways that are dark and tricks that are vain,’ 4 which the heathen Chinee is supposed to be peculiar.

The little Chinee’s fame as a cook was great in the Lower Forth. But his feeds were avoided. His Chinese habit of making tasty dishes of such—to English minds— unsavory materials as a cat, or a dog, caused the juniors to look upon has spreads with suspicion.

Wun Lung was the most obliging fellow at Greyfriars, and he was always willing to place his culinary powers at anybody’s disposal. A saucepan was simmering on the fire in Hazeldene’s study, and a savoury scent proceeded from it, very appetising to the Removites.

Wun Lung was watching the saucepan as he sat on a corner of the fender with a chess-board on his knees. It was a pocket folding chess-board, with a device for fashioning the pieces in their squares by pressing a button, so that the board could be folded up and put away at any time without disturbing the game. Wun Lung, with one eye oil the simmering saucepan, had the other on the chess-board, and was evidently thinking out a move.

He looked up with a cheerful smile as the Removites came in.

Hurree Singh, who was a great chess-playing, glanced towards the board.

“Have you moved are fully, my worthy chum!’ he asked.

Wung Lung shook his head.

“ No movee,” he said.

“But you must write postfully to-Night.”’

“Me movee after tea.”

And Wun Lung rosc, clicked the button to fasten the pieces in their places, and shut up the chest-board . He slipped it into one of his capacious pockets. The Chinese junior at Greyfriars dressed in his national garb, much to the interest of the small boys in Friardale when he went out of the school grounds.

“Grub ready?” asked Hazeldone.

“All leady,” said Wun Lung, who, like all Celestials, had a trick of changing the “r’” into an ‘ l” in his pronunciation. “Allee light !”

And he removed the saucepan from the fire. The stew it contained was poured out into a large dish, borrowed from Mrs. Kebble, the housekeeper, and a savoury steam arose. But a curious expression came over the faces of the visitors. They remembered an equally appetising stew you to which they hat been invited by Wun Lung, and which they had discovered — after eating—to be made of the defunct poodle of the housekeeper, They had never forgotten that experience.

Hazeldean read the looks of his chums, and grinned. “ It’s all right,” he said. “It’s rabbit—honour bright. I provided all the stuff, and Wun Lung has only done the cooking,”

The Chinese junior nodded.

“ Allee light.”

“ Well, that’s all right,’ said Bob Cherry. “ it smells ripping—but so did the other. And you want educating up to the pitch of appreciating dog stews.”‘Velly, now in China. Nicee-nicee”

“They may be nicee-nicee to you giddy he since, but they’re rottee-rottee to us,” said Bob Cherry. ‘ No likee— beastly ! Savvy?”

Lung grinned.

“ Me savvy.”

The juniors were soon seated round the table, and Wun Lung served out the savoury skew. The Removites all had liberal helpings, and they pronounced it ripping. There was no doubt that Wun Lung was a great man as a chef.

Harry Wharton glanced at his watch.

“Meeting of the Operatic Society in a quarter of an hour,” he said.

“We’ll be ready. I think I’ll have another helping, Wun Lung.’

“Allee light.”

Wun Lung helped Bob Cherry, and then took a glance at his chess-board. Harry Wharton followed the glance, and the Chinese junior showed him the chess.

‘My turn movee,” he explained.

“With whom are you playing?”

“ Fliend in London.”

“Oh, I see! A game by post.”

“Yes. Play by collespondence,”

“ I see. When are you sending off your move?”

“Postee to-night.”

“Good ! I should say move the rook up.”

“The rookful move is an excellent one in my esteemed opinion ,” purred Hurree Singh.

The Celestial looked undecided.

“Other fellow play well,” he remarked. “He sends last move yesterday. Must leply next day, ol game fofeit. No easy.”

“I say, you fellows——“

A fat face ad a pair of spectacles appeared round thc corner of the ad has. The juniors glared at Billy Bunter, who had a most ingratiating smile upon his plump features.

“‘Get out “ said Bob Cherry, with laconic brevity. ‘ I say, you fellows—’

“ Bunk !”

“I say, Vaseline, I think you might remember me when you’re giving a feed,” said Billy Bunter. “I had it in my mind to ask you to my feed to-morrow.”

“Oh, are you giving a feed to-morrow?” asked Hazeldene carelessly.

“Yes, rather! I’d like all you fellows to come.” Said Billy Bunter, insinuating himself a little further into the study. “I’m having fried sausage, ham, cutlets, and chips to start and then one of Mrs. Mimble’s fruit-Pies, hot, and no end of cake and tarts. I wish you’d , come. Especially you, Hazeldene.”

“I’ll come, with pleasure.”

“Good! It will really be a decent spread, and I think you’ll like it.”

“Come into a fortune?” asked Bob Cherry sarcastically. “Or who have you been robbing’?”

“Oh, really, Cherry ! As a matter of fact, I shall be in funds to-morrow, as I’m expecting a postal-order.’

“ My hat !“

“ It ought to have come to-day, but there has been some delay in the post. It will he here by the first post in the morning, and I mean to make it a record feed. I ——”

“ Oh, come on !” said Hazeldean, laughing. “ You can have a tuck in, Bunty, but don’t start telling as fairly tales about a postal-order.”

“Oh, really, Vaseline——”

‘ come in. Give him a plate, Wun Lung.”

‘‘ Allee light.”

“My word !‘ said Nugent, in amazement, as Billy Bunter settled himself down before a large helping, and attacked it in a businesslike manner. “My word ! Is that young Carberrv it really going to eat again? He’s just bolted tea for five !”

“I’m rather package.” said Bunter, blinking at Nugent through his glasses. I suppose it’s the Christmas weather. As for that snack I had——’

“Holy smoke! He coll set a snack.”

“ I’m not greedy, “said Bunter; “ but I like a lot. I admit that. When I get the prize of a pound a week in ‘The Gem’ football competition. I am going to stand a series of extensive feeds to the whole Form.”

“When !“

“You needn’t speak of it in that doubtful way, Nugent. I am pretty certain to rope in the first prize, with my abilities in guessing the right answers. I say, you fellows, this is stunning skew! I’ll have another helping, Wun Lung. I’ll say that for the heathen, he does know how to cook.”

Bunter managed a second helping, and a third. Harry Wharton, who was a much slower eaters had just finished his first, when Bulstrode came into the study. Bulstrode shared that study with Hazeldean, and he had either scented the stew from afar, or else learned from someone that a feed was in progress. He grinned as he glanced at the table.

“You forgot to mention this to me, Vaseline,” he said.

Hazeldean shrugged his shoulders.

“I didn’t forget, Bulstrode.”

“ Which means that you wanted to have a little party in my study without asking my permission or including me in the list of guests!” said Bulstrode.“ I rather think that’s like your cheek, you warm”

“I suppose I can give a feed in my own study if I like!”

“It happens to be my study too. I think I shall invite myself.”

“ Look here, Bulstrode—”

“Or I’ll jolly well turn your party out.”

“Good wheeze !” said Bob Cherry grimly. “ begin the turning out, Bulstrode. We’re here on Hazeldean some invitation, and we don’t exactly think we shall allow a story dog to turn has out.”

“I’ll jolly soon—”

“The sooner, the quicker.” Said Bob Cherry blandly.

“The sinfulness will be the great favor,” purred nabob of Bhanipur. “ I yearn to see the esteemed Bulstrode ejected neck and cropfully.”

Bulstrode grinned. He stepped back to the door, and spoke to someone in the passage.

“Carberry ! I say, Carberry !”

The Removites looked grim. Carberry of he Sixth was a prefect, and one of the special enemies of the Famous Four. If Bulstrode meant to call a prefect into the dispute the complexion of the matter was changed.

THE FOURTH CHAPTER.

Uninvited Guests—and a Surprise for them.

CARBERRY, the prefect, looked into the study. He looked at the Removites, and the Removites looked at him.

‘ I say, Carberry.” said Bulstrode. “ there’s a ripping feed going on in here, and if you’d honour as by joining in—’

Carberry grinned. He knew the terms Bulstrode was on with the Famous Four, and he guessed at once how matters stood.

“Certainly, Bulstrode”,” he said graciously. “ I don’t usually feed with a mangy set of Lower Forth fags, but this to certainly smells ripping !”

“Look here—” began Hazeldean.

“Got anything to say, Hazeldene” asked the prefect unpleasantly.

“Yes, rather! We don’t mind your joining us. But we bar Bulstrode. We’re not going to be chivvied into having him to a feed.”

“I understand that this is Bulstrode’s study.”

“ It’s mine, too !’

‘ Bulstrode is your senior, and, of course, head of the study,” said Carberry, who could be very exact on points of discipline when it suited him. “ I must take Bulstrode some account of the matter.”

“Certainly!” said Bulstrode. “It’s a good feed, and I would be happy if you could join us, Carbcrry; and if there’s anybody in the company you don’t. care for, he can be turned out at once. It’s an honour to have a prefect to a feed, and I don’t want you to stand upon ceremony with these cheeky young beggars.”

The prefect grinned again. He enjoyed the situation. Harry Wharton & Co. did not quite know what to do. After all, it was his Hazeldean’s affair, though they were quite ready to back him up if it came to a row.

“Make room for your betters,” said Carberry politely. “By Jove, this is a ripping stew! I shall have to get the chap who cooked this to fag for me. It must be stunning, if it tastes anything like it smells.”

“ Any room for two little ones?” asked a voice at the door.

Carberry looked round. Blundell and Bland, of the Fifth Form, were looking in. The scent of the appetizing stew had reached them in the passage.

‘ Certainly !” said Carberry. “The more, the merrier ! I don’t it usually feed with Fifth Form rotters but come in.”

“Certainly !” echoed Bulstrode. “It’s an honour to have the Fifth to a feed.”

“I say——”.began Hazeldean .

“Any objections” asked Carberry.

“N-n-n-- no.”

“Sit down, fellows ,” said Carberry, with a princely air. “As you see, there’s plenty in the dish, and it niffs a treat. If you youngsters have done, you may as well get a bit a further away from a table, There isn’t too much room .

Harry Wharton’s eyes gleamed, and his comrades looked pugnacious. Billy Bunter, who was not a fighting man, took his fourth helping and retreated into a corner with it , sitting on a box, with his plate on his knees. But the Famous Four did not move a limb. Hazeldene looked worried. He was not of the stuff that heroes are made, and he wanted nothing in the world less than a row with a prefect and two members of the Fifth.

“I— I say, if you don’t mind, you chaps——” he Margaret.

“Very well, Hazeldene,” said Wharton quietly.

Hazeldene’s appeal, of course, left the juniors no choice. It would hardly have been the thing to commence ructions in another fellows quarters his permission.

Wharton, Cherry, Nugent, and Hurree Singh moved back quietly from the table. Blundell and Bland grinned, and sat down with Carberry, and Bulstrode took the fourth side of the table. Wun Lung was stirring the queue in the great dish, with a curious smile upon his quaint little Oriental face.

“ Ladle it out,” gray and Carberry; “I’m hungry. I regard it as a stroke of real luck that I haven’t had my tea yet.”

“well, I ’ve had mine,” said Blundell. “ But fortunately I didn’t eat much. I’ve got from for a couple of helpings.”

“I think I can stand as much,” remarked Bland. “ I can generally put away a good meal in December. And it locks nice.”

“It is nice ,” said Bulstrode.

“Buck up, you heathen “ commanded Carberry.

Wun Lung modded.

“Me helpee quickee.”

“ You’d better, or I’ll havc your pigtail off !“

“No toucbee. Me helpee. Velly hot !”

‘ Well, I like my stews hot,” said company.

“Certainly !” chimed in Blundell and Bland. “The hotter, the better n this cold weather.”

“Buck up, kid ! ”

“Allee light.”

Wun Lung filled the plates with liberal helpings. It was really a ripping stew, with all kinds of vegetables in the rich broth, and pieces of meat floating in it. The eyes of the raidere glistened.

Hazeldean’s face was is study! His guests stood looking on with grim faces, while the outsiders sat to the feast. Fortunately, the Removites had had as much as they wanted— excepting Billy Bunter, who could have tackled a fifth of helping.

The steaming plates were placed before the raiders.

Carberry took up a spoon, and plunged it into the rich broth.

‘ By Jove ! This is all right.”

“I should say so,” remarked Blundell“Here goes.”

An he plunged in a spoon.

Carberry raised the first spoonful to his mouth. The next moment he gave a terrific yell, and jumped up from the table so suddenly that his chair went flying backwards. The spoon dropped from his hand and crashed into the plate, scattering a hot spray of broth upon Bulstrode, who was nearest him. The remove bully yelled. At the same moment Blundell sprang to his feet. shrieking, and Bland, who had started with a piece of rabbit on his fork, ejected the meat upon the floor, and began to cough violently.

The Removites stared at the raiders in blank amazement. They had thoroughly enjoyed their stew, and they could not imagine for a moment what was the matter with the visitors.

Hazeldene looked indignant. It was bad enough to have his feed invaded like that, without the addition of the curious table manners displayed by the visitors. For the moment, no one suspected the truth, or observed the curious twinkle in the almond eyes of Wun Lung.

“Ow, ow, ow !“ roared Carberry, clasping his hands to his mouth. “You young villains! Ow, ow, ow “

“Oh, oh, oh !” gurgJed Blundell.

“Groo !” said bland. “Gerrooh! Groo!”

‘ Gentlemen, you now see an interesting exhibition of table manners, as practiced in the Fifth and Sixth Forms at Greyfriars,” said Bob Cherry, in tho sing-song voice of a showman. First I beg you to observe and the Carberry pig.”

“Ha, ha, ha!”

“You young scandals“ roared Carberry. “What do you mean by it? Who put that pepper in the stew ”

“Pepper?‘ ejaculated the Removites, in amazement.

“I’ve burnt my mouth! I’m cho-cho-choked! You- you——” Carberry gasped with rage. “I’ll teach you to play tricks on a prefect.’

“I’m nearly burnt !” gasped Blundell. “I don’t believe I’ve got any roof left to my mouth, and I know the tip of my tongue has come off. Ow!”

“It’s—it’s horrid !“ sputtered planned . “I shall have to get something to wash my mouth out.” And the Fifth-Former bolted from the study.

Bundle glared at the Rmovites, who were yelling with laughter now. He was inclined to charge at them, but his mouth was burning, and he decided to follow Bland in search of cold water. Bulstrode, who fortunately for himself had not yet begun to eat, stared helplessly at Carberry.

The prefect was furiously expectorating. He had taken the largest amount in, -and some of the broth had gone down his throat. It seemed to leave a track of fire from his tongue down into his chest. He coughed, and spat, and gasped, and choked.

‘ You young villain! ” he pointed.

“Ha, ha, ha!” roared the Removites

“You put that pepper in for me, Hazeldean.”

“I—I didn’t ! ” stammered Hazeldean. “I didn’t know there was any pepper in it. I don’t believe there is.”

He tested a minute spoonful of the stew; then and he made a wry face and sputtered. It seemed to mourn his very lips.

“My word, it’s right enough! It’s simply reeking with Cayenne. My stew’s spoiled. Who the dickens did that?’

Hazelddene’s amazement was so evidently genuine that even the suspicious prefect could not doubt him. As for thinking of Wun Lung, the childlike innocence of the celestial’s expression would have disarmed anybody.

“Which of you whelps was it?” roared Carberry, glaring furiously at the yelling Removites .

“Ha, ha, ha!”

“Which of you put the pepper into the stew ?“

“Ha, ha, ha !’

“Blessed if I know,” said Bob Cherry, wiping his eyes. “I’d have done it if I’d thought of it, but it never crossed my mind. But, I stand by the chap who did it, whoever he was, and I say it serves you jolly well right, Carberry.”

‘My opinion exactly,’ said Nugent.

“The agreefulness of my honourable self is terrific ,” purred the nabob.

And Harry Wharton nodded assent.

Carberry coughed, and coughed, and looked amazed, Suddenly his eyes fell suspiciously upon Bulstrode. The Remove bully had not yet tasted his stew, and he did not feel inclined to do so now. The fact that he had not started was innocent enough in itself, but it was a proof of guilt to the suspicious and irritated prefect.

“So it was you buying’ he yelled

Buistrode gave a jump.

“What do you mean , Carberry?’

“You haven’t started yet. You --“

“I—I—I --“

“You young hound! You asked me in here to work off a jape like this on me, did you?” shouted Carberry, seizing Bulstrode and by the hair and jerking him out of his seat. I’ll teach you to work off little jokes on prefect.” And he boxed Bulstrode’s ears right and left.

The Remove bully squirmed and struggled and yelled. “Hold on! Leggo! It wasn’t me! Don’t be an ass ! I didn’t do it !”

“Then who did?” demanded Carberry, still thumping.

“I—I don’t know. I—I --”

Thump, thump, thump

“Here, hold on !“ exclaimed Harry Wharton, coming forward. “ Enough of that buying”

Carberry glared at him.

“Do you dare to interfere with a prefect, you young hound?”

“Yes, I do, when he’s acting like a hooligan,” retorted Wharton. “I tell you you sha’n’t handle a member of the Remove like that.. Hands off !”

“Hands off !” shouted Nugent and Bob Cherry. Carberry hesitated. The Famous Four were ready to spring at him, and his grasp upon the Remove bully relaxed. Bulstrode took advantage of it, and tore himself away, and promptly dodged round the table,

“I—I think he’s had enough,” panted Carberry. “He won’t work off a jape on me again in a hurry,” And the prefect strode from the study, still coughing and sputtering.

Bulstrode was panting for breath. He had seldom had so sudden and sound a licking.

“ Well, it was a good jape,” said Bob Cherry. “If we’d known what you were up to, Bulstrode , we——

“ what are you talking about?” groaned Bulstrode. “Oh, I’m aching hall over! The brute ! I didn’t put the paper in the stew.”

You didn’t?”

“No. Oh, oh, oh! I’m hurt.”

“Serve you jolly well right, for bringing Fifth and Sixth— farmers into a Remove affair,” said Harry Wharton sternly.

“Oh, oh. Oh, !”

But who did the trick, then?” said Nugent , looking puzzle. “If it wasn’t Bulstrode and wasn’t as–“

“ Wun Lung !” roared Bob Cherry.

“My only had! Was it you, Wun Lung?”

The Celestial grinned.

‘ Me tinkee playee jokee,’ he explained. “ Carbelly no comee in Lemove study to feed again, M. P. tinkee. What you tinkee?”

“Ha, ha, ha! I think you’re right.” And the chums of the Remove roared with laughter .

Bulstrode was the only one who did not laugh. He groaned. Carber Are y’s blows had been hard and heavy. The quarter-past seven chimed out from the tower of Greyfriars, and Harry Wharton gave a start.

“Hello, we’re late for the meeting !“

“I say, you fellows –“

“You’ll excuse us, Hazeldean; we’re late. By the way, you’re due yourself at the meeting. Come along !“

“I say, you fellows——”

“Don’t bother, Billy.”

“But I say, Wharton, hadn’t you better put off the meeting of the Operatic Society till some other evening, as you’re so late? You sce, I want to do some ventriloquial practice in the study, and —“

“Oh, ring off, Billy! Come on, you chaps !“

“ that's all very well, but you’re late, and the meeting will hang about a long time now, and I want to get some practice in. Don’t buzz off like that! I wish you fellows wouldn’t walk away while I’m talking to you.” Bunter gave a crowd of cracked disgust. “Fancy their going away while I was talking ! I suppose that’s what they call good manners! I had better do my ventriloquial practice here, I suppose.”

“You’d better not !“ said Bulstrode. You’ ll jolly well get your neck broken if you begin buying ”

“Oh, really, Bulstrode.”

“Oh, get out !“

Bulstrode was not in a good temper, and Billy Bunter thought he had better get out. He blinked indignantly up and down the corridor. Levison, of the Remove, was coming along the passage, and Bunter tapped him on the arm.

“I say, Skinner- --“

“It isn’t Skinner, dummy,” said Levison, shaking off the fat and, “it’s Levison. What do you want?”

“Can I practice ventriloquism in our study for a bit? These operatic idiots are holding a meeting in No. 1.”

“Yes, certainly,” grinned Levison. “Skinner is doing his prep. there, but perhaps he won’t object.”

“Oh, dear! I really—”

“ A the way, Bunter “—Levison lowered his voice—” , Wun Lung, the Chinee, had a post card yesterday.”

‘ Did he? About the ventriloquism?‘

“ Hang the ventriloquism! Look here, Wun Lung is in your study a lot, and if you could get the postcard for me I should be glad.”

Billy Bunter stared at Levison in amazement.

“What do you want Wun Lung’s postcard four, Levison? ’”

“Not so loud, you ass !“ said Levison hurriedly. “Neve r mind what I want it for. C uriosity, if you like. Could you managed to get it?”

“I—I dare say I could, but——”

“If you can, I’ll stand a feed at Mrs Mimble’s.”

“Of course, I should be happy to do anything I could for a fellow I like as much as I do you,” said Billy Bunter. “Of course, it’s horribly mean to read another fellow’s post card, but that’s your business.”

“You young rotter, I -- Never mind now.”

Bulstrode looked out of the study. Whether he had heard anything or not, Levison could not tell. He passed his arm through Billy Bunter’s. and walked him away, and the Remove bully stared after them. Sorry.

THE FIFTH CHAPTER.

The Operatic Society Meets.

“WHERE’S Wharton?”

Several voices asked that question in Study No. 1 It was long past the time fixed for the arrival of ih members of the Wharton Operatic and Dramatic Society, and the society, with the exception of the Famous Four and Hazeldean , had arrived.

“Hpng it !” said Elliott. “nice sort of a president we’ve got, to go out visiting just when we come to the meeting.”

“And to take all the vice-presidents along with him, bedad !“ said Micky Desmond.

“ I’ll practise a little while we’re waiting, look you,” said Morgan. “I suppose you know I’m going to sing in Welsh at the entertainment?”

“Sing it at the entertainment, old chap,” said Ogilvy, the latest member of the Operatic Society. “Just now I’ll practise my Highland Scotch song.’

“That you won’t !” exclaimed Elliott. I’ll give you --

“Faith, and I’ll recite the Widow Malone !“ said Desmond. “ Sure, that will fill in the time a trate!

“Have you heard of the Widow Malone, ochone?’”

“Oe wyt ti yn bur i mi,” sang Morgan, at the top of his voice.

“Me run geal, dileas, dileas, dileas “ roared Ogilv Why, in Gaelic.

“Bonny Jockie live and gay,” yelled Elliott, “kissed poor Jenny—”

‘‘ Hallo, hallo, hallo !“

Bob Cherry looked into the study. The others were with him , and they stared in amazement at the members of the Operatic Society yelling in rivalry.

Harry Wharton stopped his ears.

“What the dickens are you taking up that row for?” he demanded.

“Faith, and I’m practising my recitation.”

“I’m practicing my Gaelic song.’

“I’m practising my Welsh song.”

“I’m practicing—_“

‘Oh, ring off! Why don’t you practise one at a time, then?’

“Faith, I was willing to do it intirely, but these spalpeens started as well,” said Micky Desmond.

“You sce,” began Morgan—” you see, look you——”

“Yes, I see,” said Wharton. “ Order ! The meeting has now met –“

“Good !” said Bob Cherry. ‘ The meeting being met, the proceedings will now proceed, and the members and are called upon to shut their heads.”

“Look at you –“

“Order ! No interruptions allowed. This isn’t the House of Commons, and you’re not a giddy suffragette !” said bob Cherry severely.

“The meeting has now met –“

“ Hear, hear !“

“Yes, here, of course ! ” said Nugent

“Nowhere else, anyway !“

“Don’t interrupt ! and As president of the meeting, I beg to enter an apology for being late——”

“Hear, hear !”

“I am sure the members of this operatic company ‘ will excuse me, when they learn that I was detained by a pig named Carberry, who disgraces the Sixth Form of Greyfriars with his presence.”

There was a groan for Carberry.

“But you will be pleased to hear that Cad Carberry has taken a strong dose of cayenne pepper, and is sorry he bothered the Remove this evening.’

“Hurrah !”

“To come to business—”

“ About time, too !” said Ogilvy.

“Order, order !“

“Well, get on with the washing them!“

“I have also had a chat with Hazeldean, a respected member of the operatic company, known to you all——”

Hazeldean bowed with becoming modesty.

“Known to you all as a hardworking member of the company, as a singer of some success, and as the brother of a young lady whom we all admire and respect —Miss Marjorie Hazeldean.”

“ Hear, hear!” said the operatic company heartily. Marjorie Hazeldean was very popular with the members.

“You are aware, gentleman,’ resumed the president, talking with one hand on the edge of the table to address the members, and really making a very handsome figure— are aware that it was our intention to give an entertainment, comprising all the talent of the junior operatic company, on the day preceding breaking-up, in order to celebrate the Christmas holidays, and to give the term a really good wind-up.”

“ Bravo !‘

“We did not fear the rivalry of the seniors concert,” said Harry Wharton, warming to his subject . “Without unduly blowing our own trumpets, I think we may maintain that the Remove can put up as good an entertainment as any other Form at Greyfriars.’

“Rather ! ”

‘ Hear, hear!”

“The hear-hearfulness is terrific !”

‘ Neither did we shrink from comparison with the Sixth Form Greek play,” went on Wharton. “ we know how everybody jolly well goes to sleep while the Sixth are spouting AEschylus, and nobody at Greyfriars cares a rap for the Seven against Thebes, and all the of a visitors yawn and wish Eteocles and Polyinces in Jericho.”

“Ha, ha, ha!”

“Quive right!”

“ I beg to move that our respected president has hit the right nail on the head,” said Elliott. I know fellows who are looking forward to breaking-up

With horror for that very reason .”

“It is the aim of the Remove to combine a popular element with really artistic aims,” said the president.

“My only hat,” murmured Bob Cherry, “where does he get those words from ?“

“Dictionary !“ murmured Ogilvy.

“Faith, and I’ve seen him looking them out !’

“Order, order !”

“ But; I’ve seen—

“The honourable member is quite in the wrong. I have not looked out any words in the dictionary for the purpose of a speech !” said the president warmly. “I call upon Mr. Desmond to withdraw his insinuation !” and

“Faith, and I’m’ll withdraw anything you like, if you only get to the point, darling.”

“I am satisfied. As I was saying —“

“We heard what you said,” said Elliott. “Go on from the point where you left off.”

“As I was saying-- --“

“From the point where you——”

“Order ! Gentlemen are requested not to interrupt, the president. As I was saying, it is the object of the Wharton Operatic Society to combine a popular element with really artistic aims. In order to bring our entertainment down to the level of the intelligence of our audience, we have given up the idea of performing either an opera or an oratorio, and have decided to give a variety entertainment.”

“Hear, hear !”

“And, as I said, it was fixed for the day before breaking-up. We have just had the unfortunate news that Miss Marjorie, who was to lend as her invaluable aid, cannot be here on that day.”

“Oh!”

“‘The young lady will be here next week, however, and it has occurred to me that we might make the date of the concert a little earlier, so that Miss Hazeldene could still give us her services. I need not point out how valuable her assistance will be to as—to say nothing of the fact that if she does not come, my duet with her will be knocked into a cocked hat.”

“Whose duet with her?”

“Mine mining ” said Wharton firmly. “As president of the Operatic Society, I claim to do the duet with Miss Hazeldean.”

“Rats !” roared the Operatic Society.

“Faith, and it’s meself——”

“ it’s me, look you——”

“ I tell you -- “

“Order, order !”

“Leaving the question of the duet over for the present ,’ said Wharton, shouting to make his voice heard, “you will all agree with me that it is most Desirable to have Miss Hazeldean’s assistance at the entertainment?”

“Hear, hear9”

“I am glad you all agree on that, at all events,” said Wharton. “Now, I move that the entertainment pe given a little earlier, so that the only lady member of the Operatic Society can have her innings. Hands up for the motion !’

“Wait till it’s seconded, confound you !“ grunted Bob Cherry. “ I second the motion. Hands up for it !“

Every right hand went up. In fact, Micky Desmond, in his enthusiasm, put both hands up.

‘ The motion is adopted unanimously,” said the president. “The ayes have it. I move that the concept be fixed for Wednesday”

“ I second.”

“And I third, intirely.”

“Adopted!”

“Good! Hazeldean is requested in the name of the society, to write to his sister and inform her that the entertainment is to be given on Wednesday, and that the Operatic Society is looking forward to receiving her assistance.”

“Hear, hear!”

“I’ll write to-morrow morning” said Hazeldean_ “That’s settled, then. Now –“

Wharton was interrupted. The door of the study opened, and Wun Lung, the Chinee, came in, with his soft step and his innocent smile. There was a shout.

“ Outside’”

Harry Wharton laughed.

“Toddle along, Wun Lung,” he said. “ This is a meeting of the Operatic Society, and strangers are not admitted to the debates.”

“No savvy.”

“Run along! Ruz off “

“No savvy”

“Faith, and you’ll savvy if you get a bit behind you.” Exclaimed Micky Desmond.

“No savvy.”

And Wun Lung, with perfect calmness, curled himself up m the easy-chair, The society stared at him, amazed at his coolness.

“Oh, let him stay !” said Harry Wharton. “ He won’t do any harm. Shut the door and don’t let anybody else in. Hallo, who’s that!”

“ I say, you fellows ——”

“Buzz off, Bunter! We’re talking business.”

“I say, you fellows, I want to repeat a proposition I made to you at the previous meeting of the society,” said Bunter, blinking into the crowded study. “I am willing to make up a very popular part of the entertainment by giving an hour’s ventriloquism——“

‘ Bunk !“

“With my abilities as a ventriloquist , I can --

“ Scat !”

“Give an exhibition of voice- throwing on the famous Balmicrumpett principles, that will —“

“Are you going?”

“Make the fellows open their eyes and——”

The Operatic Society made a rush to the door. Bunter was grasped, and sent. Sliding along the passage. The door was slammed after him.

That settles Bunter,” said bob Cherry . “ Now we’ll get to business.”

And they got to business.

THE SIXTH CHAPTER.

The Items.

HARRY WHARTON rapped the table, and the Operatic Society were all attention. The juniors were very enthusiastic and they meant, one and all, to make the entertainment a success if they could. The Christmas concert was to be an affair that would ring through Greyfriars, and perhaps be handed down among the traditions of the Remove.

“ Gentlemen, it remains now to settle the details of the programme. The rehearsal lately held with conspicuous success in the box – room——”

“Hear, hear !

“Has shown us what we can do, especially when it is remembered that we gave that full-dress, ripping rehearsal without the aid of a musical instrument.”

“I was willing to accompany the singers on my mouth-organ,” said Nugent.

But the singers weren’t willing, and I’m not surprised at it.”

“Hear hear!”

“We shall have a good-sized room—perhaps the concert-hall—for the entertainment, and certainly we shall crtanly have a piano. The pianist- -“

“Hear, hear!”

“I think we shall be able to get apms without fees, as you know that Hoskins, of the Fifth, is a good pianist, and he’s allowed to practise on Quelch is piano, and if we put it to him nicely, he’ll play for us.”

“Good old Hoskins !’

“That will save the pianist’s fee. And it’s not only that, but the kind of pianist u get from Friardale isn’t—well, in’t quite up to the mark.”

“ Hoskins will fill the bill a treat.”

“We’ll try Hoskins first, anyway. I’ve already given him a hint about it, and we’ll see him later. As I was saying, the success of the rehearsal shows that we can do these things.”

“Hear, hear !”

The point I wish to particularly draw your attention to is this, that the show must be as varied as possible. I shall —with the concussions of the meeting—ask Levison to give us a turn with his conjuring tricks. Of course, I do not for a moment place conjuring on a level with our work.”

“I should think not !“ said the society, with one voice.

“But it will afford variety, and Levison is a jolly good conjuror, there’s no getting out of that, though the tricks he plays aren’t perhaps always quite to our taste. I can put Levison’s name down for a quarter of an hour. We could give Bunter a show for his ventriloquism, but he can’t ventriloquise, so that settles him. It would add to the variety to bring on the stage a prince of our Indian Empire——”

“Good old Inky !”

“But I don’t quite see what Hurree Singh could do. I’ve tried to coach him in an English ballad, but——”

“I have learned the honourable ballad here really, my worthy chum.”

“Let’s see what you can do, then,” said Wharton.

The Hindu junior blushed a little through his dusky skin. He rose, with the eyes of all the Operatic Society upon him.

‘You will generously excuse any little deficientfullnesses” he said modestly. “My acquaintance with the honorable English language is not quite according to the esteemed Cocker’, as you say in this country. Also, I have only late. fully studied the tuneful music of the esteemed song, and perhaps I shall be out notefully in one or two places . Otherwise ——“

“It will be all right wherever it isn’t all wrong,” said Bob Cherry encouragingly. “Go ahead!”

“ the ballad is known by the honorable and have the title of Bonnyful Mary of Argyle.’

“Ha, ha, ha!”

And Hurree Singh commenced.

“I have heard the honourable Mavis singing,

His love song to the esteemed morning.

I have beheld the excellent dewdrop clinging

To the August rose –“

“Ha, ha, ha !“

“As I remarked, I have somewhat forgotten the song both wordfully and tunefully but otherwise——”

“Not enough otherwise,” said Nugent; shaking his head.

“Then I shall respectfully retire from the sinfulness.”

And the Nabob of Bhanipur sat down in perfect good humor. Harry Wharton glanced at the little Chinee, card up in the armchair.

“I wonder if we could find something for Wun Lung to do?” he remarked. “1 say, Wun Lung, can you do anything in the entertaining line?”

“Me singee song..”

“Not much! We’ve heard you sing a song.”

“Me givee lecitation.”

“A recitation,” said Wharton doubtfully. ‘ What about?”

‘ Lecitation in Chinese about Kwang Kwong, he in love with daughter of mandarin Yang sing, son of Shang Wang —“

“Oh, my hat! A Chinese recitation would be a little too thick. But I know ! Wun Lung shall give a ju-jitsu show, with Hurree Singh to help him. They’re both good at ju-jitsu.. That will be ripping !”

“Good!”

“I shall be honourably pleased.

“Me givee what Whalton wishee.”

“That’s, right,” said Harry, making are not on the programme he was growing up. “Now, about the songs, chaps. My duet with Miss Hazeldene——”

“Faith, and you inane my duet with Miss Hazeldene——”

“Look you, it’s my duet with Miss Hazeldene——”

“Mine——”

“Mine——”

“Now, do be reasonable,” sad Harry Wharton “I’ ve practised a ripping duet with Miss Hazeldene, and she’s consented to sing it with me in public. Now, I think that settles the matter.”

“Faith, and I think it’s like your cheek !”

“Well,” said Elliott, “ there’s no objection to Miss Hazeldene and Wharton doing a duet, if she does another with me.

“ Faith, and another with me intirely.”

‘My dear fellows, we can’t give an entertainment composed wholly of duets,” sail Harry Wharton, in a tone of patient expostulatioii.

“We needn’t give any for that matter,” grinned Nugent.

“Of course, the whole thing can’t be composed of solos.

“ Ha, ha ! Then suppose we compromise the matter,” said Nugent seriously. “Miss Hazeldean shall sing the duet with me. “

“ If you’re going to begin rotting———”

“I’m quite serious.”

“Then you’re an ass !”

“Faith, and what I think is——”

“Well, we’ll put down my name and Miss Hazeldene’s first anyway,” said Wharton. “ we can discuss it afterwards . We want to get the programme drawn up.”

“Well, no objection to that for the present,” said Elliot.

“But mind, the question’s not settled yet. I’m going to raise it again, for one.”

“Faith, and I for another.”.

“And I’’

“And I.’’

“ We shall never get on at this rate. Duet: Miss Hazeldene and H. Wharton,” said the president, jotting it down. “That had better come next after the opening chorus. We want to bring Miss Hazeldene on the stage as early us possible, to put the audience on their best behaviour. You don’t know how Temple, Dabney & Co. of the Upper Fourth may think g of behaving.”

“Thrue for ye!”

“Next item, a song in Wells, by Owen Morgan. entitled ‘The Bells of Aberdovey——‘

Better put the title in as I’m going to sing it n Welsh, look you.”

“what’s the title, then:”.

“Clychan Aberdyfi.’

“Eh?’

‘Clychan Abordyfi.”

“ Which?”

“Clychan Aberdyfi.”

“How!”

“ Oh, let me write it down for you!“ said Morgan, with a sniff. “It amazes me what a fuss you English people make of spelling a simple language like the Welsh !“

“Simple? My hat: It doesn’t sound as if it’s spelt like that.’ Said Wharton, looking doubtfully at the title written down by Owen Morgan.

“Do English words always sound as they’re spelt?” sniffed Morgan.

“Well, no. Now, Morgan will sing the Clutchy Aberdovy——“

“Clychau!“ hooted Morgan.

“Cluckhigh.”

“Clychau, you ass!“

“Oh, rats! I won’t try to pronounce it,” said Wharton.

“The chairman will have to tell ‘em it’s a song in Welsh, and they can gues the rest.”

“Ha, ha, ha!”

“Next item” said Harry Wharton, “ Robert Cherry, esquire, will sing——”

“For a change !“ murmured Elliott.

Robert Cherry, esquire, glared at the youth from Teviotdale.

“ What’s that, Elliott?”

“Nothing !” said Elliott. “Get on with the washing, Wharton. What is Robert Cherry, Esquire, going to sing?”

“On the Ball,’ said Bob Cherry. “ it’s a football song, and a real ripper. I don’t know whether you know it. I’ll give you the chorus——”

Harry Wharton held up his hand.

“No, you won’t. We don’t allow specimens to be given at meetings. We had enough of that at the last meeting.”

“There’s no rule against it.”

“Yes, one has been made since the last meeting.”

Bob Cherry stared.

“How the deuce could a rule be made without even a committee meeting?”

“I made it ”

“You made it !” hooted Bob Cherry. ‘ Well, of all the cheek !“

“Faith, and I think——”

“What’s the good of being a giddy president if you can’t make a rule?” said Harry Wharton. “I’ve made a rule to bar quotations from the items, or we should never get through. Next item——”

“But, I say, that chorus is a real ripper.”

“I’ll take your word for it.”

“But if I gave you——”

“Rats”

“Look here, I want all you fellows to learn the chorus , so that you can help me out. It’s a gripping football so. Their singing it on all the football grounds now, playing it on the bands and so forth, and Greyfriars ought not to be behind the times in taking it up.”

“Well, there’s something in that——”

“I’ll just buzz through the chorus ——”

“No, you won’t! You can call an emergency meeting of the committee to hear you buzz through the chorus, if you particularly want to buzz through the chorus,” said Harry Wharton reflectively. ‘ I should think that would meet the case.”

“What I think is——“

“Never mind what you think just now, old fellow. We’ve got to get on with the programme, or we shall never get finished. Item: Robert Cherry, in the famous football song, ‘On the Bal l.’ Next man in.”

“ Instrumental solo next,” said Nugent. “ I play the ‘Grand March’ from ‘ Tannhauser’ on the mouth-organ.”

“ Shade of Wagner !“

“It comes out jolly well on the mouth-organ,’ said Nugent obstinately. “Still, I can do the march from the‘Meistersinger,’ if you like that better.”

Better make it the Washington Post,’ or the audience will buzz things at you.” said the president anxiously. “You must moderate your artistic transports, Nugent, old man, especially when you’re going to do the trick on a giddy mouth-organ.”

“Rats! Everybody knows the ‘Tannhauser March,’ I suppose, and if they don’t, it’s time they heard it. Rendered with real artistic effect –“

“On the mouth – organ?”

“ Yes, on the mouth-organ,” said Nugent.

“Oh, very well, it goes in,” said Harry Wharton resignedly. “Next gentleman !”

“Ballad in Scotch dialect, by Elliott,” said the owner of that name.

“Good! Next, please!“

The Widow Malone,’ recitation by Michael Desmond, Esquire.”

‘ Good’ What are you doing, Hazeldean?”

“I was thinking of a coon song.”

“Yes, that will make a change. Coon song by Hazeldene,” said Wharton, charting it down. What’s your l Little bit, Ogilvy?”

“Mo run goal dileas,” said Ogilvy.

“ Which? “

‘Mo run goal dileas. It’s a Highland song, in Gaelic. If you like I’ll sing it to you, and you’ll see how it goes.”

“We shall see how you go, if you start,” said Wharton warningly. “I’ll take your word for it, and I’ll let you write the name down, too. I think that about finishes, chaps. We shall want a solo by Miss Hazeldene as well as the duet.. But she will settle that when she comes. I think all’s done.”

“What price Hoskins?”

“Hoskins! He’s going to punch the piano.”

‘Yes,” said Nugent. “But you know Hoskins. He’ll accompany us, but he’ll want to shove in some pianoforte solos.”

Harry Wharton looked uneasy.

“Hang it! It would be better to have a pianist from Friardale than to have Hoskins mucking up the show,” he said, “We could allow him last item, of course. It wouldn’t matter if he was playing while the people were going out !“

“No, it would get the whole cleared in good time; but I’ll wager that won’t be enough for Hoskins. He’ll wan1 to have two swallows right into the middle. You know what these amateur pianists are? ”

“H’m! Of course, that won’t do.”

“Of course it won’t. If he would play something lively it wouldn’t be so rotten, ‘but he’s bound to choose something like a dirge, or else like a scale exercise. I heard him the other day in Quelch’s study, and thought he was tuning the piano, and he said it was a piece by Scratchemoffski, the rushing composer.”

“Well, we can allow him the beginning and the end,” said Harry Wharton, after a minute’s reflection. “That ought to satisfy any reasonable piano puncher. We had better see him about it, and make the best terms possible. And now, gentlemen, it’s time this meeting broke up and we did our prep.

And the meeting of the Wharton Operatic Society broke up accordingly.

THE SEVENTH CHAPTER.

Levison is Mysterious.

THE next day, most of the Remove—and most of the other Forms, too—read, with interest, a notice on the board in the hall, in the handwriting of Harry Wharton.

It was written by Wharton in his capacity of president of the Dramatic and Operatic Society, and ran.;

“NOTICE!

The entertainment given by the Wharton Dramatic and Operatic Society will take place on Wednesday evening next, instead of on the 18th, as previously announced.

“The reason for this change of date is that, otherwise, the gifted and only lady member of the society would be unable to appear.

“Admission to the concert will he free. Members of the Upper Fourth will be expected to behave themselves. Prefects and masters will be allotted reserved seats if application is made in time to the Secretary.

(Signed) HARRY WHAR TON.’

The signatures of Bob Cherry, Frank Nugent, and Hurree Jamset Ram Singh, the vice-presidents of the society, followed, and then a postscript.

“P.S. -- Programme will be announced in due course.”

The Greyfriars fellows read the notice with varying degrees of interest. In the Remove, Bulstrode sneered at the concert, but most of the Form were inclined to back up their young captain. If the concert were a success, it would be one up for the Remove. The Upper Fourth had never even thought of giving a concert.

“Awful nerve these Lower Fourth kids are getting,” Temple, of the Upper Fourth remarked, as he read the notice, and yawned. “What do you think, Dab?”

“Oh, rather,” said Dabney.

“They want putting in their place,” remarked Fry.

Temple wrinkled his brows thoughtfully.

“It would be a good idea to take mouth-organs and tin whistles , and make r fearful row, aud muck up the concert,” he remarked. “‘But Wharton has foreseen that. You see here what he says about prefects and masters. He’s bound to get Wingate there, and very likely Wingato. Perhaps two or three prefects.”

“ He’s rather a deep beast,” Fry remarked.

“Oh, rather!”

“But I suppose we couldn’t make a row, come to think of it,” Temple added. “You see, Miss Hazeldene is going to be there. It would be rather too rotten bad form to make a row when there’s a girl on the programme. Hazeldene is a worm, but I hear that his sister is a stunning girl. ”.

“I don’t like the idea of the Remove getting their ears up like this.”

“I don’t see what we can do. I dare say the whole thing will be a frost. I say, Levison,” went on Temple, as Levison, of the Remove, stopped to read the notice, “are you n this giddy entertainment?”

“ I haven’t been asked,” said Levison.

“Got any idea what it will be like?”

“Yes; there will be singers who will sing, reciters who will recite, and solo instrumentalists who will give instrumental solos.’

Temple, Dabney & Co. looked at Levison , as if not quite knowing what to make of the Junior, and then walked away. Levison chuckled, and finished reading the notice. He was turning away from it, when Harry Wharton came downstairs, and nodded to him pleasantly. These two had been on very friendly terms, in some respects, since the time Wharton had rescued Levison from death on the summit of the Black Pike. Yet there was a want of concord between their natures that rendered a close friendship a remote possibility.

“Levison, I wanted to speak to you”

‘Well, here I am,” said Levison.

“You’ve been reading our notice, I see. We want you to give us a turn, if you will.”

Levison looked at Wharton with something of the old suspicion in his glance.

“Are you joking? You know I don’t saying and I’ve never recited, and I don’t play any instrument.’

“That’s all right. We’ve got enough singers, rociters, and instrumentalists to spare,” said Wharton, lauhng.

“We want you to give us a change. We were thinking of giving a quarter of an hour to conjuring tricks, and that’s where you would come out strong.”

Levison nodded.

“Oh. I see! Yes, I’ll be glad to give a bit of a show, if you’d like me to.”

“Thanks; then I’ll put your name down. Wun Lung and Hurree Singh are giving a ju-jitsu display, for the sake of variety, ‘ said Wharton, ‘and we’re getting a number of the songs in different languages, according to the nationality of the singer. That’s a jolly good idea, I think.”

“The audience won’t understand.”

“Well there’s the music for those who don’t understand the words. Are you coming out ?“ went on Wharton, as he glanced out of the hall window. “ By Jove the snow’s thick.”

‘Nothing to go out for.”

“May knock up a snowballing fight with the aliens. By Jove ! Speaking of the aliens, I’ll get Hoffman and Meunier to come to our Christmas concert, and give songs in their own languages. That will be unique.”

‘It will be a polyglot concert by the time you’ve done,” grinned Levison. “You’d better get Wun Lung to give you a Chinese song.”

“No, that would be rather toô thick,” saId Wharton, laughing.

“ By the way,” said Levison abruptly, ‘ speaking about Wun Lung “

He paused. Harry looked at him furiously.

“What about the Chinee, Levison?”

“What do you think of him ?“

“What do I think of him.?” repeated Wharton, puzzled by the question. “1 don’t quite follow. He’s a decent little chap, though I must say he’s too fond of practical jokes, and has a very curious sense g humour. He never gives me the benefit of it, though, so I suppose I ought not to say anything about it. He’s a good chess-player, and a jolly good fellow.”

“A good chess-player?” said Levison. “I don’t know anything about that. I don’t play chess , and I couldn’t make a move. As for his being a jolly good fellow, you may alter_your opinion about that.”

Harry Wharton stared.

“I don’t understand you, Levison. Have you got anything up against Wun Lung?”

“ Oh, no; but— “ Levison paused, and then went on abruptly. “Look here, Wharton, have you noticed what was in the papers some time back—about Chinese spies in Europe—in England?“

“No,” said Wharton, “I can’t say I did. Some rot, I expect !“

“I don’t know. I’m not so sure it was rot.”

“You don’t suspect Wun Lung of being a Chinese spy ?“ said Wharton, laughing. But Levison’s face remained perfectly serious.

“How do you know? It’s a bit queer his being here, at all. There rai many Chinese juniors in English schools. Then there’s that old uncle of his, who came here after him —a suspicious old rascal.”

“But he was Wun Lung’s enemy. He tried to kidnap him to take him back to China.”

“ H’m That may have been a put-up job.”

“My word, Levison !“

“How do you know? Besides, do you know that Wun Lung is in correspondence with someone in the Chinese Embassy ?“

“By Jove! No.”

“Well, he is.”

“How do you know?”

Levison coloured.

“Well, I do know,” he said evasively, “and they correspond in a cipher, too. I know that. A very curious cipher, and not Chinese.”

Harry Wharton’s brow grew dark.

“I don’t quite know what to make of this, Levison. I can’t help concluding that you have seen some of Wun Lung’s correspondence, and I can’t think he has shown it to you.”

Levison’s face went very red.

“Never mind how I know !“ he replied. “I do know; and I can tell you-----”

He broke off a Wharton held up his hand.

“Don’t tell me any more, Levison! It’s impossible for you to have learned anything without having descended to —to—well, in plain English, to having read another fellow’s letters; and I’d rather not be mixed up in anything of that sort.

“ Levison bit his lip.

“I was going to tell you all about it, and ask your advice.”

“I’m sorry. Our ideas are a bit different on this subject, I suppose?”

“Do you think I would look at your letters?” said Levison, with a flash in his eyes. “This is a different case. The end justifies the means.’

“Nothing of the sort. No end can possibly justify any means that are not justifiable in themselves,’ said Harry. “Nobody has a right to play a dirty trick on the ground that good may come of it.’

“ If that’s how you speak to me I’m done,” said Levison, between his teeth. “I suppose I was a fool to speak to you? 1 wanted — But never mind.”

Wharton’s face relaxed. He knew that it could not have been easy for the suspicious, secretive Levison to speak confidentially at all. But the thought of being mixed up in any matter tainted with espial was revolting to Harry’s nature.

“It’s all right, Levison,” he said. “ I suppose you mean it well. But I don’t agree that the end justifies the means, unless the means are of a kind that will bear the light of day, and then they don’t need justifying. There’s a very old Book that tells us that a man should not do evil that good may come of it Besides, old fellow, this idea of yours is all moonshine.”

“They don’t think it all moonshine at Scotland Yard.”

Wharton gave a start.

“What do you moan

“Never mind what I mean,” said Levison sourly. “I’ve told you too much already.”

“ Do you mean to say that there are detectives— “

“I mean to say nothing.”

And Levison effectually put an end to the discussion by walking away. Harry Wharton gazed after him with knitted brows. The junior’s words left, as it were, an unpleasant taste in his mouth. The captain of the Remove was still standing by the window, looking moodily out into the falling snow, when Wun Lung joined him. Wharton glanced at the little Chinee with more than usual interest.

The quaint, little face, the almond eyes, looked the same as usual; but Wharton remembered how he had often thought that Wun Lung, for all his surface simplicity, was deep—very deep. Was it possible that there was anything in Levison’s suspicions?

“Tea is leddy,” said the Chinee.

Wharton, with a half-smile, dismissed the idea from his mind. Levison was very keen and acute. But this very keenness led him, sometimes to over-reach himself; and Harry believed that this was an egregious case of too much

“Right-ho! I’m coming, kid,” he said.

And he went up to No. 1 Study with the Chinee.

THE EIGHTH CHAPTER

Ventriloquism at Last line

BILLY BUNTER rose from the tea-table in Study No 1 with a satisfied expression upon his fat face. P had started first, and finished last, and for once he had had enough to eat. The chums of the Remove were

getting out their books, and Billy Bunter blinked round at them.

“I say, you fellows—“

“When you’ve done with that table, Billy --“

“ I’m finished, Nugent— ”

“So is the grub, I see!” remarked Nugent, glancing at the table. “It’s always a dead-heat between you and the tommy.”

“Oh, really, Nugent —“

“Well, get the table cleared, if you’ve really finished; we’ve got work to do,” grunted Bob Cherry. “ there's some rehearsing to do after prep., too. I’ve got to put you fellows through the chorus of my song, if you’re going to back me up on Wedneeday.”

“ I say, you fellows, I was going to say—“

“Never mind what you were going to say. Billy. You say too much, and too often. Lend a hand with these things I have.”

“I was going to suggest that you fellows did your prep. in the common-Room this evening—”

“I shall suggest that you are awarded a prize thick ear, and I shall carry out the suggestion on the spot if you don’t shut up! “ said Bob Cherry.

“You see, it’s awkward for me having you fellows always in the study. I never get a chance to do any ventriloquial practice.”

“You can go up in the boxroom and do it, if you close the door”

“ It’s too cold there.”

“Well, go out in the Close, then.”

‘ It’s snowing in the Close.’

“Then go and eat coke! If you begin throwing your voice about in here. I shall begin throwing a fat porpoise out.” said Bob, with a nod words the passage. “That’s fair warning!”

“I’m sincerely sorry—”

“ Your apology is accepted. Now shut up! “

“I’m sincerely sorry that there should be so much jealousy in this study ! “ said Bunter, blinking at the juniors. “You want keep my wonderful abilities as a ventriloquist in the background, all the same, Cherry. When I get the prize in ‘The Gem’ football competition, I am thinking of hiring the Town Hall in Friardale, and giving a show, with seats at five shillings, and half-a-guinea.”

“Make it twopence, old chap, and you might rope in an audience of half a dozen.”

“if you fellows liked to make up a party to come, and pay in advance, I could manage it without waiting for the end of the football competition—’

“Yes, I can see the whole Remove rushing, fit to break their necks, to get tickets at half-a-guinea each!” said Bob Cherry humorously. “I think you get funnier every day,

Billy. But I wish you’d go and be funny somewhere else just now.”

“I must get in a little practice before I do my prep.” Said Bunter, with a sniff. “I can only say I’m sincerely sorry to see personal envy rampant in this study.”

And the fat junior walked out. He left the Removites chuckling. Bunter’s exploits as a ventriloquist had hitherto been too funny for anything, and after so many failures the juniors naturally did not believe that he would ever succeed. His faith in himself was touching; but he had just as much faith in himself as a hypnotist, and a thought-reader , and a physical-culturist, and a fisherman, and on each and every occasion he had failed lamentably to achieve anything but absurdities.

Bob Cherry shut the door after him, and the chums of the Remove worked. Their time was pretty well occupied of late, with the arrangements for the Christmas concert to attend to as well as their ordinary work.

Billy Bunter drifted down the passage with a disconsolate expression, and as he knew the reception he would meet with if he began to practice ventriloquism in anybody’s study, or in the common-room, he started practice in the coroner.

As a matter of fact, Bunter’s practice had for some time passed been assiduous, and in ventriloquism, as in everything else, assiduous practice tells. If the fat junior had any gift that way, the gift had a good chance of showing itself.

“Are you there?” demanded Bunter, addressing the window at the end of the passage. Then he squeaked out the reply in his ventriloquial voice, “Yes, I’m ‘ere.”

Bunter gave a start. He always believed that his voice proceeded from the spot that he wished it to, but on the present occasion it seemed more certain than ever. Levison came along the passage, and tapped him on the shoulder. Bunter gave a jump, conned turned round.

“Oh, really, Skinner —“

“Ass !” said Levison.

“Oh, is it you, Levison? I say——”

“Who’s that outside the window?” said Levison, looking at the blurred panes curiously. “ Precious rum place for anybody to get in this snow!”

Bunter gave a jump. His heart beat wildly. It was success at last. Levison was fonder of “ rotting” a fellow than anybody else in the Remove; but this time he was evidently in earnest. Suspicious to his finger-tips, he believed that there was somebody outside the window, and that Bunter was “putting up” a trick to show off his ventriloquism.

“ I say, Levison , there isn’t anybody there‘ he exclaimed eagerly.

“Bosh !”

“It was my ventriloquism..”

“Rats !”

“I tell you it was! “ said Bunter. “How could there be anybody outside the window? Its a sheer drop of of twenty feet, and the sill is covered with snow.”

Levison looked puzzled. Bunter’s statement was quite correct, and it did seem impossible for anybody to be outside the window. The suspicious junior went to the window and opened it. A bitter December blast blew fiercely in, scattering snowflakes along the passage, and causing the gas further up the corridor to flicker. The snow on the window-Still was undisturbed, save by the wind.

Levison jammed the window shut again. Billy Bunter grinned at him knowingly.

“ Do you believe me now? he asked.

“No, I don’t.”

“Oh, really, Levison——”

“ You can’t take me in ! “ said Levison contemptuously. Haven’t I heard you squeaking before? Don’t I know it’s all humbug?”

“ My wonderful abilities— “

“Your wonderful bunkum!

“” I tell you it was my voice I made proceed from the window!” said Billy Bunter angrily. “You oughtn’t to doubt a fellow’s word.”

Levison laughed scoffingly.

“Well, you see, your word isn’t worth much, Bunter !”

“ I tell you—”

“Well, if it’s your voice, do it again,” said Levison. “ If you do it while I’m standing here watching you I’ll swallow the yarn.”

“I’ll jolly soon do that !”

“Well, I’m waiting.”

Bunter cleared his throat. He had an inward fear that it was only a fluke, and that he could not do it again; but he meant to try.

“WeIl, go ahead!” said Levison.

“Are you, there?” called out Bunter .

“Yes, I’m ‘ere !” came to squeak in reply .

But this time, unfortunately, it was evidently Bunter who squeaked. His fears had been well founded. The wrist success was a look— or perhaps his present nervousness entailed his failure. He looked uneasily at Levisou, who burst into a laugh.

‘Well, I’m waiting for the voice-throwing to start,” he said.

“I---I’ve done it!”

“But I could C. O. the time that it was you squeaking.”

“Oh, really, you know –“

“ I knew it was all humbug!” said Levison . “But never mind your rotten ventriloquism now ! Did you get that postcard?”

THE NINTH CHAPTER.

The Mysterious Cipher.

LEVISON came nearer to Bunter, and lowered his voice cautiously as he asked the question . He cast a suspicious glance up and down the corridor, but there was no one in sight. There could be no doubt that Levison was deeply in earnest, and intensely interested an the task he had set himself in investigating the supposed mystery connected with Wun Lung.

Billy Bunter blinked at him indignantly. He was thinking and less of Wun Lung and his mysterious correspondence than of his beloved ventriloquism.

“ I say, Levison—”

“Have you got that postcard yet?”

“Oh, blow the postcard ! I tell you that was my voice from the window. I did really throw my voice that time.”

“Oh, rats ! Will you tell me --“

“I tell you --‘

“Well, I believe you,” said Levison, changing his tone.

“Come to think of it, it would be impossible for anybody to be outside the window.”

“I thought you’d see reason in the long run .” said Bunter, who was too dense to see that Levison was only assenting for the sake of getting rid of the subject. “You see --

“Yes, I see. About that postcard --”

“You see, I’ve practiced the ventriloquism so long that I’m bound to be able to do it now if I’ve got any gift at all for it, and really, you know, my abilities in that direction are simply wonderful.”

“I know they are, Billy—marvellous! But—”

“If you like, I’ll come to your study and do you an hour’s show, Levison, yourself by yourself.”

“I was thinking of the tuck-shop,” said Levison blandly. “ Mrs. Mimble has such ripping tea-cakes today, and——”

The mention of tea-Cakes was enough for Bunter. The ventriloquism faded into insignificance beside the prospect of a feed. The fact that he had lately had tea, and eating enough for two or three , made no difference to Bunter.

“I’ll come with pleasure, Levison !” he remarked.

“But what about that post card?”

“ Eh! Wun Lung’s postcard —“

“Not so loud, ass! Have you got it ?”

“Yes. Wun Lung chalked it away, and I picked it up,”

Said one to, groping in his pocket. “Of course, there was no haruu in taking it when Wun Lung had thrown away, was there!”

“Of course not. Did he throw it away? Didn’t he tried to destroy it?”

“Well, he chucked it into the grate.”

“I suppose he meant it to go into the fire,” said Levison.

“I shouldn’t wonder. It fell among the cinders, and I picked it up.”

“Did Wun Lung talk to anybody about it?”

“Not that I know of. I saw him copy down into a pocket-book what was written on at, that’s all.’

“Give it me “said Levison eagerly.

“Ain’t we going to the tuckshop?

“Yes, yes; but give me the postcard “

“It’s in my pocket somewhere. I can hunt it out in the tuckshop, while we’re ordering the stuff,” said Bunter. “We’d better be getting along, you know. Mrs. Mimble closes soon.”

“Give me the post card now, confound you !“

“ Look here, Levison --“

Levison gritted his teeth. Billy Bunter apparently had borrowed some of his own suspiciousness. At all event, he did not mean to produce the postcard until the feed was before him. Levison turned away with an angry brow,

“Come on, then, you fat young brute.”

“I say, Levison, I don’t think you ought to call me names. If you don’t want me to come to the tuck-shop, I won’t,” said Bunter, who felt that he was master of the situation. He did not know or care why Levison was interested in Wun Lung’s correspondence, but could see how deadly in earnest the junior was.

“Oh, come on,” said Levison, more amiably; “it’s all right!

‘Well if you really want me to come —“

“Of course I do? Do buck up, or Mrs. Mimble will have closed her shop.”

The hint was enough for Billy Bunter. The juniors put on their caps and turned their collars up, for the school shop could not be reached without going into the open air. They dodged along under the leafless trees and close to the walls, for shelter, and ran into the tuck-shop. Mrs. Mimble was preparing to retire to her little parlour when they came in.

“Tea-cakes,” said Levison, “scones, parts, jam-puffs— anything ! Give me that postcard, Bunter !”

“Wait a minute while I give my orders,” said Bunter, who was evidently bent on leaving nothing to chance. “ did you say I was to began with saveloys?”

“You can if you like.”

“Good ! Have you any baked potatoes , Mrs. Mimble?”

“Certainly, Master Bunter!”

“Shall I have half a dozen baked potatoes, Levison!”

“Yes—yes,” said Levison, fuming with impatience.

“ Good! I suppose I’d better have some sausages, too. Of course, it’s for you to say.”

“ Have anything you like! Give mc that postcard !”

“Well, that’s generous of you, and no mistake m’ said Bunter, beaming through his spectacles. “I’ll remember this when I get the prize of a pound a. week in ‘The Gem’ football competition, Levison. Did you say I was to have a rabbit-pie ?”

“Yes—yes !”

“Put them on this little table, will you, Mrs. Mimble? Levison is paying. Get out some jam-puffs, and cream-puffs, and some of those ripping tea-cakes. 1 want them warm. You can warm em while I’m eating the first lot. Did you speak, Levison?”

Yes, you young beast? Gve me that postcard !“

“Right you are!” said Bunter, picking up knife and fork. This is what I call good, you know. Most of the fellows think you’re a bit of a cad, but I think you’ve got your good points, Levison, I say—”

“ Give me that postcard,” said Levison, in a low, concentrated voice. “Give it to me at once, or I’ll tell Mrs. Mimble I’m not paying for these things.”

Bunter’s jaw dropped in dismay. His credit was about as good as that of the famous Richard Swiveller, and he knew that Mrs. Mimble wouldn’t let him have a mouthful that was not paid for in advance.

“Oh, I say, Levison ! ”

“Give it me !” yelled Levison.

‘Here you are” said Bunter, in an injured tone, fishing a postcard out of his pocket. “I suppose you don’t think that I didn’t mean to give it to you, do you? It’s no good to me. There you are”

Levison snatched up the postcard, and Bunter plied knife and fork with great activity. Levison held the card up to the light, and read.

He smiled grimly as he read. If it was not a secret cipher, it certainly looked like one.

For this is what was written on the postcard addressed to Wun Lung, and which Billy Bunter had seen him copy down in his pocket-book:

“QKt—x --KR’s P, Ch.”

THE TENTH CHAPTER.

On the Track.

LEVISON sat and stared at the mysterious postcard. Billy Bunter looked at him curiously once or twice, but Levison did not notice it. He was intensely interested in the mysterious cypher.

“QKt—x—KR’s P, Ch.”

What could it possibly mean?

Whatever it meant, one thing was certain—to Levison’s mind, at least. The correspondence was not a harmless one, r it would not be conducted in a cipher, and especially so utterly impenetrable a Cipher.

What could it mean?

In the silence, broken only by the click of Billy Bunter’s knife and fork, and the steady jumping of his active jaws, Levison tried to figure it out.

“QKt—x—KR’s P. Ch.”

It was amazing !

The “Ch” was doubtless short for China, or Chi In ee. That seemed clear enough. But the rest of the cipher?

It seemed a hopeless task to attempt to unravel it. But Levison meant to do it, and to keep the secret to himself until be had succeeded. He would show Wharton who was right and who was wrong.

He rose at last, and put the postcard in his pocket. Bunter looked up in alarm as ho turned towards the door.

“Levison! I say, Levison!“

“Oh, don’t bother me now buying ”

“But you haven’t paid Mrs. Mimble ! ” yelled Bunter.

“Oh, I forgot. How much is it, ma’am?“

Mrs. Mimble, looking curiously at Levison, stated the amount, and he paid without a murmur. The good dame was surprised. Levison was not known as a generous boy, and she did not know what to make of his standing Billy Bunter so extensive a feed, especially as he had eaten nothing himself,

Levison left the place, leaving Billy Bunter still actively at work. The fat junior had had good things piled to right and left on his table, and there was enough even satisfied to satisfy his appetite, and a little over perhaps. Levison had paid without a word, and a feeling of regret came over Bunter. He might have had more -- enough to fill his pockets as well, if ha had foreseen that Levison was going to be such an absentminded beggar. It was too late, now .

Levison walked away, careless of the falling snow. As he went towards the School House a snowball caught him under the chin, and there was a yell from the December gloom.

‘Ach! I tinks tat I have him after.”

“Ciel! Zat yes ze good shot !”

“Forvards, ain’t it?”

“Sock it to heem !”

Levison gritted his teeth. He was in no humour for horseplay with the aliens. He broke into a run, and a volley of snowballs came after him, smashing all over his body and legs. He stumbled in the snow, and fell on his face. Before he could rise again the aliens were upon hin.

“I tinks I catches him !“

“ Ciel ! It is I zat catches him !“

Hoffmann and Meunier were squatting on the prostrate Levison. The Removite wriggled yelled.

“Get up, you alien idiots !”

“Ach ! I gatches him pefore ‘

“I catches him, you Sherman duffair !”

“Vat you call me?”

“Sherman peeg.”

“I calls you French pounder—peastly pounder !”

“ Ciel! I zrashes you for zat!”

“I tinks tat no French peast can trash Sherman ! I goes for you, and rolls you in te snow!

And Fritz Hoffmann was as good as his word. He gripped Meunier, rolled him off Levison, and rolled him over and over. Meunier yelled and squirmed.

“Ach! I tinks I teaches you lesson, a in’t it!’ panted Hoffmann.

“Sherman peeg! Rottair ! I licks you !”

“Peast !“

“Peeg !”

Levison staggered to his feet. But there were other aliens about. Limburger and Lerouge and Charpentier rushed at him, and had him down in the snow in a twinkling.

“Rescue, Remove !“ yelled Levison.

But the door was closed and his voice was not heard. Fortunately for Levison, the Franco-German feud was in full swing now.

Adolphe Meunier yelled for help in breathless French, and Lerouge and Charpentier dashed to his aid. Hoffmann was rolled off him and plumped into the snow, and, of course, Limburger rushed to help him . Again Levison staggered up. The aliens were rolling and struggling in the snow, scattering it in all directions, a gasping and pantirg and shrieking. Levison did not stop to see how it ended. He cut off towards the house and dashed up the steps.

There was a yell from the gloom behind him.

“Hold ! Ze rottair is escape ?“

“Ach ! It is your fault line’

“ Zat is not true ! It is your fault !”

“After him pefore!”

“Oui, oul; aftair him !’

The aliens rushed in pursuit. Levison darted into the house, and slammed the door. The aliens, disappointed, gave a yell; and then, not desirous of being caught by a master so near the rival school, they disappeared through the falling snow. Levison brushed himself down in the hall.

He was feeling very satisfied as he did so. He was fairly on the track now. This was the third mysterious postcard he had seen. Two earlier ones he had seen in the letter-rack, and though he had not been able to examine them closely, he knew that they were in the same kind of cipher.

“By Jove,” he muttered, as he finished dusting off the snow, “there may be another there, now. I’ll look, anyway.”

IIe strolled to the letterrack, in which were a number of the evening letters that had not been taken away by their owners.

There could be no suspicion attached to his action if he was observed as he had a right to examine the rack to sec if there were any letters for himself. As it happened, there was one, and he took it; but he gave it hardly a glance . His eyes were upon a postcard addressed to Wun Lung.

His eyes gleamed, and his heart beat.

It was another of the myterious postcards. If he could see the back v had not the slightest doubt that it would turn out to be in cipher.

He calmly put up his hand to it, and turned it over.

Yes, there was the cipher!

KKt—KB3, dis. Ch.

The “Ch” of the former postcard was repeated, but in other respects there was little resemblance. But it was evidently the same cipher used for a different message.

There was a light step in the ball, and Levison turned with a guilty start to see Wun Lung.

He pretended to be busy opening his letter, and glanced covertly at the Chinee. Wun Lung gave him no attention. He took the postcard from the rack, and glanced at it. Then he grinned.

“Me tinkee, so !“ he murmured aloud. “Allee light !”

And he put the postcard in his pocket, and walked away. Levenson gaged after him with gleaming eyes.

“Oh, you thought so, did you, and it’s all right !“ he murmured. “We’ll see whether it’s all right, my pippin ! I can’t move in a matter like this openly, in case—in case of a row; but they’ve had my anonymous letter at Scotland Yard before now, and I don’t think it will be without effect’

And Levison walked away to his study, to shot himself up there and ponder over the cryptogram.

THE ELEVENTH CHAPTER.

Some Instruction—with Interruptions.

BOB CHERRY had finished his work and he announced that fact to all concerned, by calling his books right and left, and arising from the table.

“If you fellows are going to be all night—” he began.

Harry Wharton laughed.

“You haven’t been finished a second, Bob. Give us a chance.”

“Oh, I don’t mind waiting,” said Bob Cherry, in a tone of patient resignation, only don’t forget that we’ve to go to bed to-night, some time, and we’ve got to go through the chorus of my song first ! Hallo, hallo, hallo, Billy ! Whence that greasy grin ! Have you been robbing somebody of a feed?

A fat face, with a smile on it that was decidedly greasy, had come into the study. A fat body followed it, and Billy Bunter sat down with a sigh in the easy chair

“I’ve had a rather good feed,” he remarked; “ Levison stood it— a really decent feed. I shall remember Levison when I get the prize of a pound a week in the “Gem ‘ ball competition.”

“You’ll want a jolly long memory, them.”

“You can’t discourage me, Cherry. It I were to allow myself to be influenced by small jealousies, I should never—’

‘Oh, cheese it ! You fellows done yet?”

“ Nearly. Shut up”

“ The donefulness of my honourable self is terrific.”

“I don’t intend to be discouraged , as I was saying. The first prize is given for the most correct answers, and as my answers are all correct, I am bound to win the first prize.”

“ How do you know they are all correct?” grinned Bob Cherry.

“With my remarkable abilities at solving the pictures - -“

“ O h, I see? If you’re relying on your remarkable abilities, you are all right.” said Bob Cherry solemnly.

“It’s what may be called a dead sort”

“Oh, really Cherry—”

“I’ve got the song here, you chaps, when you’re ready,” said Bob Cherry. “Finished? Now, just look over the music with me first. I wish we had a piano

“I say, you fellows—’1

“ don’t interrupt, you fat duffer, when we’re studying music“

“But I’m going to do my prep. Now“

“Do it, then. We’re going to practise the chorus of this football song.—.—”

“Look here I can’t do my prep. While you fellows are bawling out a chorus.”

“Then I’m sorry for your prep. Now, it begins like this-’

“But I say, Cherry —“

“Shut up !’ roared Bob Cherry. “How dare you interrupt a professor of singing who is imparting knowledge to his pupils? You should have done your prep. before. We’ve done ours. Get out !”

“I’ve been having a feed with Levison— ”

“Then go and have another feed with Levison. Look here, Harry, you start with a shout, at the first verse— “

“I say, you fellows—“

Bob Cherry rolled up his sheet of music and made a rush at Bunter. The fat junior skipped out of the study in alarm, and barely escaped a mighty swipe, The music crashed on the doorpost, and the paper buckled up.

“My only hat !” said Bob Cherry breathing hard. “I’ve nearly ripped the thing to pieces, and it cost me sixpence. If that young porpoise comes in here again, I shall commit porpoiseicide. Look here –“

“Get on,” said Nugent. “What’s the thing about.? We’ll give you a quarter of an hour, and if you haven’t finished the course of instruction by then, it’s all up.”

“That’s only fair,” said Wharton, laughing.

“The faIirfulness is terrific.”

“Well, then, pay attention and don’t interrupt. The tune’s simple and awfully catchy, and easy to pick up. You can imagine me a professor of singing, and this is my studio. The bookcase is the grand piano. Now , put your beef into it and don’t get sharper or flatter than you can help. My dear pupils –“

‘Oh, get on with the washing, Bob, and cut the cackle !”

“My dear pupils,” said Bob Cherry, ignoring the interruption , “1 m about to coach you in the chorus of the famous football song—”

“Buck up?”

“Pay attention. Here you are: ‘On the Ball !’ Football Song, words by Charles Hamilton, music by Percy Harrison ‘

“ We can see that for ourselves——”

“Do get on with the washing, old chap ! We’re to go to bed to-night.”

“The get-onfulness with the esteemed washing would be the boonful blessing to me,” purred the nabob of Bhanipur.

“Well, here goes—hallo, hallo, hallo ! Who’s that?” The door opened, and the fat face and spectacles of Billy Bunter looked in. The fat junior kept a wary eye on Bob Cherry.

“I say, have you fellows finished? I’ve got to do my prep. –“

“Get out !” the road Bob Cherry

“I’ve got to do my—”

Bob Cherry reached out for a book from the table, and Billy Bunter promptly dodged out of the study. Bob kept the book in his hand, with a vengeful expression on his face.

He flattened out the crumpled music, and proceeded, keeping one eye on the door.

“Look here, then; I’ll sing the first verse to give you an idea how it goes -

“As you are strong, be merciful—”

“Oh, don’t be funny, Nugent ! Attend to business. Here goes !“

Wharton, Nugent, and Hurree Singh threw themselves into attitudes of intense—not to say exaggerated—attention, and Bob Cherry began to sing.

“Here’s a cheer for the grand old game,

And a cheer for the men who play;

Here’s a shout for the boys at home,

And a yell for the lads away !

Hurray !”

“Hurray !“ shouted the three juniors..

“That’s the first verse, and then you shout Hurray –“

“Hurray !”

“I say –“

“Hurray !”

“You shout - ‘

“Hurray !“

“You utter asses !“ roared Bob Cherry. ‘ You don’t keep on yelling it like a lot of giddy parents—”

‘ Hurray !

“Shut. up, I tell you—---”

“Hunay I”

The door opened, and a piir of glimmering spectacles looked in.

“I say, you fellows——”

“Biff!

The book, hurled with all the strength of Bob Cherry’s arm, smote Billy Bunter on the chest, and bowled him clean out. The fat junior disappeared, and the sound of a heavy bump was heard in the passage, followed by a series of expressive grunts. Bob Cherry grinned. His feelings were relieved.

“Now, you chaps, don’t be silly asses and let’s get on with the chorus !” growled Bob Cherry. “ when this song is sung, everybody’s supposed to join in the chorus, and lift the roof off, if possible. The chorus is a real ripper.”

“Let it rip, then.”

“On the ball, on the ball——”

Nugent looked round him.

“Where’s the ball?” be asked.

“ I can’t see it.”

“You shrieking ass, That’s the first line of the chorus “

“Oh, I see ! Why couldn’t you say so?”

Bob Cherry glared, and resumed his shouting; for it must be admitted that it resembled shouting as much as it did singing.

“On the ball, on the ball

Loud and clear it rings like a trumpet-call!

Hear the shouts excited roll,

Buck up there ! Look out in goal !

On the ball, ball, ball!

On the ball, on the ball and !”

Bob Cherry’s voice, as he reached the last line, rang through the study and through the corridor, and through the greater part of Greyfriars. There was a step in the passage, and the door was pushed open. Bob Cherry turned round in a fury.

“Get out, you dummy ! Oh—oh---oh— I’m sorry, sir! I thought it was that young ass, Bunter, again.”

And Bob Cherry’s face went scarlet as he met the eyes of Mr. Quelch, the master of the Greyfriars remove.”

Mr. Quelch is expression was very curious as he looked at Bob Cherry.

“You should be a little more careful, Cherry ,” he said quietly; “that is not a really can’t use way to address even Bunter: I looked in to tell you that you must make a little less noise.”

“A—a—a little less what, sir?’ stammered Bob Cherry.

“A little less noise, Cherry.”

“ I— I wasn’t making a noise, sir

“Indeed! Then it was one of the others: but I thought I recognised your voice,” said Mr. Quelch , looking at him. “I certainly thought I heard you shouting.”

“I—I wasn’t making a noise, sir. I was singing.”

“Oh !”

“We were practicing for the concert on Wednesday, sir.” said Bob Cherry, gaining courage. “I’m putting these chaps up to the chorus for my song. They have to join in the chorus. It’s a ripping song, sir.”

“ it seems to me to be a very noisy one, Cherry. I must really request you to give your instructions a little more quietly’.’

“Ye-e-es, sir.’

And the Remove master went out and closed the door. Nugent chuckled.

“Of course, he hasn’t an ear for music,” said Bob Cherry, looking around

“ An untrained year can’t always distinguish between shouting and singing.”

“Sometimes it is honorably possible that the distinct fullness is lacking in existence , my worthy chum.”

“It’s a ripping song –“

“Yes, likely to rip a roof off,” agreed Wharton. “It will do all right, and we’ll help you out with the chorus. It will make row enough, anyway.”

The door reopened, and Bunter looked in warily.

“Are you fellows done”

Bob Cherry made a clutch at the poker, and Billy whipped out of the study and fled for his life.

THE TWELFTH CHAPTER.

The Gentle Pianist.

“MARJORIE is coming tomorrow,” Hazeldene remarked to Wharton, on Monday morning. She will drive over, in time to have a bit of a rehearsal

ready for Wednesday.”

Harry Wharton nodded with a satisfied look.

“Good ! We haven’t Miss Marjorie’s solo down on the programme yet, and we’re going to give it a good place. Ha ve you seen Hoskins?’

Hazeldene grinned.

“Yes; I heard him asking Mr. Quelch if he could go to his room just after school. Quelch lets him punch his piano , you know.”

“By’ Jove, I can hear him now ! ” said Wharton, noticing the distant strains from the direction of the Remove master’s room. “ Quelch has promised to let us have our final rehearsal in his room, with the piano, same as we did when we were having an opera once. It’s working against difficulties to rehearse without an instrument, and my flute isn’t much good for that purpose. I haven’t been able to interview Hoskins .”

“Better secure him now, while you’ve a chance.”

“Right; I’ll go up and see him’

Harry Wharton made his way to Mr. Quelch’s quarters. The quarters a lot and to the master of the Remove We're on the first floor. He had a study downstairs also, but he did not keep his piano there. Mr. Quelch was of musical tastes, but his tastes were not shared by all the other masters, and there was a passive resistance to the idea of a piano among the studies. Harry Wharton tapped at the door of the room whence the crash of a piano proceeded, and, as there was no reply, he opened it,.

The piano sounded louder than ever. Mr. Quelch is instrument was an upright, as there was no room for a full grand. It was a very fine instrument, and Hoskins of the Fifth was going for it in a businesslike manner.

“ Hoskins ! I say, Hoskins !“

Hoskins turned a vacant glance upon Wharton, and continued to assail the keys.

“Hoskins, old man; when you’ve got a minute to spare“

“Shut up !” roared Hoskins.

“But—“ The crash of the PLO ceased as pianist turned a glare upon Harry Wharton that might have frozon a stone image,

“You utter young ass’

“What’s the matter ?”

“You’ve around it!” hooted Hoskins,

Wharton looked startled.

“Ruined what”

“The reverie !”

“The—the reverie !”

“I was playing a reverie—a musical reverie, fathead “

“Oh! Something of Raff, I suppose, or Brahms.”

“Nothing of the sort. It was a composition of my own.”

“By Jove “ said Wharton, looking interested. “Do you compose for the piano?”

“1 should think so,” said Hoskins, “I have composed sonatas, before now. I don’t want to run down Beethoven, but I think I can turn out stuff quite up to the ‘Moonlight’ sonata. If you would care to hear me run over my latest sonata, I could do it in three-quarters of an hour.’’

“Thanks awfully, old chap, but --“

“It would improve your taste, perhaps. I dare say it needs it, too. You Remove kids haven’t much ear for music.”

“Of course we haven’t your opportunities, Hoskins ,” said Wharton placab1y

“It isn’t only opportunity is. It’s the gift.”

“Yes; you’ve got a wondcrful gift, I know.”

“Well, without bragging, I must say I think I have.” Said Hoskins. “ there's few fellows of my age who can compose sonatas equal to Beethoven’s.”

“Very few, I should say” agreed Wharton, suppressing a chuckle. “You must be jolly clever, if you can do that, Hocky.”

“It’s not so much cleverness ,” said Hoskins. “It’s a kind of inspiration. When an inspiration seizes me, I rush to the piano and work it out. I often get wonderful effects that way. I was knocking off a reverie when you came in like a silly chump and interrupted me,”

“I’m awfully sorry !’

“Oh, it’s all right ! I dare say I shall get into the mood again !” said Hoskins . “Of course, these things depend largely on the mood.”

‘ I suppose so.”

“It all depends upon the temperament, really ! Now, I have the temperament of a great composer.”

“Jolly lucky for you. Have you writteu any of them down?” asked Wharton,

“Lots and lots ! I’m keeping all my early compositions.” explained Hoskins, “When my name is known to fame, and the word ‘Hoskins ’ has become a. household word in the musical world, my earlier compositions , will be really sought after. Beethoven, in his later period, will be nothing to Hoskins in the earlier period,”

“My hat!”

“Yes rather !” said the modest pianist. “I dare say you know, for instance, that all the great composers play ducks and drakes with the rules of harmony, and counterpoint. That shows they’re great composers . Well, I play ducks and drakes with the rules, too. I shove down the fruit of the inspiration. You’d find enough consecutive fifths in one of my compositions to turn an academy professor’s hair grey. I belong to the newer, the freer school.’

“You put it really rippingly, Hosky. Would you—”

“For instance,” said Hoskins, crashing both fists down on the keyboard with a discordant crash that made Wharton shudder. “ listen to that ! capitalize ”

“Ow”

“You don’t find a chord like that even in Wagner,” said Hoskins , with a superior smile. “You will find it in my latest sonata.”

“My hat! I wish you’d leave it there - -. I – I mean, you must have a wonderful el to detect the music in that, Hoskins. You know we are giving a concert on Wednesday --a Christmas concert “

Hoskins nodded.

“I’ve heard something of it,” he replied. “If you had asked me, I could have given you some intents on how to do it, to ensure success!”

“I—I didn’t think of that. Of course, if you cared to give us any advice, Ioskin some, It would be listened to with the profoundest respect.”

Wharton did not say that it would be followed! ‘ What I wanted to ask you was—”

“Oh, it’s all right, I understand !”

“Good !” said Harry , rather relieved. “I knew you’d be obliging, Hoskins!”

“Certainly! For the sake of improving musical taste in. the Lower school— if for nothing else—I should be happy to play my sonata “

Wharton’s face fell.

“Besides the sonata, ‘which will take about three-quarters of an hour, I could put in a reverie, a fantasy, and a march,” said Hoskins generously. “In fact, I could fill up the whole evening, if you like !”

“ We—we couldn’t think of troubling you——”

“Not at all. I never get tired.”

“The audience might—I mean, you’re works are far above the heads of the Remove,” said Wharton. “They wouldn’t understand your sonata—especially your ripping idea of shoving in consecutive fifths and things.”

“Quito possibly. But I do not believe in conceding anything to a depraved public taste,” said Hoskins firmly. “ let's keep a high standard, and the public will in time come up to it.”

“ Ye-e-e- s, but --“

“My son after –“

“You see, it’s a concert—not a pianoforte recital,” explained Wharton. “ We could give you a solo, of course, but what we really wanted was for you to accompany the singers.

“Oh, I see! You could get a professional pianist from Friardale to do that ?“ said Hoskins, with a painful emphasis on the word “that.”

“Yes, but—but we believe in supporting home industries,” said Wharton. “It would be much more ripping to have any Greyfriars chap. Besides, it would give the school an opportunity of seeing what you can do—that you—you know how to accompany as well as to compose sonatas and things,”

“There is something in that; and certainly a good accompanist makes the success of a concert,” assented Hoskins.

“I don’t mind helping you out. How many solos will you want me to play!”

Wharton would gladly have replied “none,” but that would hardly have done under the circumstances. Hs reply was diplomatic.

“You see, we’d like you to give us a big selection, only —only we have to consider the audience—their taste, and I’m afraid I can’t claim a high degree of musical education for the Remove.”

“By George, you’re right there !”

“So, you see, we—we must break it to them gently, as it were. Your sonata would be ripping for fellows who understood it— but the Remove won’t. Same thing with your reverie, fantasies, and so on. I was thinking that you could have the first item on the programme—place of honour, you know-

‘ H’ m” said Hoskins doubtfully.

“You could play some lively march— say, the march in the last act of ‘Carmen,’ arranged for the piano, or the ‘ Soldiers’ Chorus,’ from Faust.”

“Rather below my abilities, that sort of thing,” said Hoskins.

“Miles below,” agreed Wharton readily. “But, the great thing as to get the audience interested. Why, at concerts in London, I’ve seen people go to sleep over the ‘Pastoral Symphony,’ who would have been glad to wake up and listen to something they could understand. It’s no good sending the audience to sleep, is it?”

“I don’t think they’d sleep through my sonata.”

“Well, no; I don’t think they would, if that chord you gave me just now is a specimen. The Seven Sleepers couldn’t sleep through that. Ip Van Winkle would have woke up !”

“I! you’re joking, Wharton—”

“Not at all! If you could give us some lively prelude— -“

“Oh, I dare say I can fix that!”

“Then we’ll give you the very middle of the programme.” said Wharton generously. “What do you say to a quarter of an hour in the very middle, to play one of your own compositions?”

The Operatic Society had already agreed that there was to be an interval of a quarter of an hour, and Bob Cherry had suggested that it would do no harm if Hoskins was playing the piano at the time. Hence Wharton’s offer. Hoskins nodded assent.

“Good ! I’ll play ‘Daffodils— a Reverie.’”

“And then you have the last item, too,” said Wharton . Some sort of a jolly march will be all right —“

“I can play one of my own marches—“

Wharton’s heart sank, but he tried to smile.

“Oh, al1 right!” he said. “That will be—be ripping! You’ll have plenty of work for the evening “

“Oh, that’s all serene! I don’t mind. “

“You’ll have to accompany every artiste, and play a musical accompaniment to the ju-jitsu performance of Wun Lung and Hurree Singh.”

“To such base uses may we come,” said Hoskins. “But it’s all serene; I don’t mind! Now, if you’ll bunk, I’ll try to throw myself into the mood again, and get on with that reverie.”

“Right you are !” said Wharton promptly. He had been afraid he would be asked to stay and listen to the reverie, and, under the circumstances, refusal would have been difficult, “ Thanks awfully, old fellow !”

And as he closed the door the crash of the piano burst forth again.

THE THIRTEENTH CHAPTER,

An Anonymous Letter.

“EXCUSE me, young gentleman; this is Greyfrars, I think?”

Harry Wharton and Bob Cherry were standing at the gates, looking out into the thick snow of the road, when a little man stopped and addresed them. He was a little, stout gentlemen , with a good-humoured face, and very keen, black eyes. He wore a thick overcoat and a soft hat, and had his trousers turned up.

“ Yes, sir !” said Wharton civilly.

The stranger glanced in at the gates. It was Tuesdiey, and it had left off snowing at last. In the Close the Remove and the Upper Fourth were hotly engaged in a battle with snowballs, and Wharton .and Bob Cherry had been thinking of joining in when the stranger came along. A fine picture the old school made, with snow gleaming on the chimneys, the roofs , the walls, on every ridge, and on the leafless branches of the old elms.

“Ah!“ said the stranger. “Thank you !‘

He entered the gates, and walked towards the school house. The two Removites turned and looked after him.

“I wonder who that is ?“ Bob Cherry remarked. “Looks a good-tempered codger. Hallo, hallo, hallo ! Look there buying”

The stranger had given a sudden jump. The juniors, not noticing him, or caring, anyway, were hurling snowballs right and left, and a couple had caught the stout little gentleman, at the same time, one on each side of the head.

He jumped, and sat down in the snow.

Harry Wharton ran quickly forward to help him up. But the Remove were retreating from a determined rush of the Upper Fourth, and the juniors ran over and sprawled over the little gentleman.

Half a dozen of them fell over him, and he shouted and gasped under them. Harry Wharton could not help laughing , but he dragged the juniors right and left, and allowed the stranger to rise,

“Thank you “ gasped the little man, sitting up in the snow.

“Let me help you up, sir.”

“Thank you !”

The little man accepted Wharton’s aid and stood up in the snow. He was looking a little dazed and bewildered. His coat had come unfastened in the scramble, and several papers were scattered in the snow, Bob Cherry gathered them up and returned them to the stranger.

“Hope you’re not hurt, sir,” said Nugent, coming up. “We didn’t see you, sir. We’re all sorry:”

“Awfully sorry, sir,” said Temple, of the Upper Fourth.

“Oh, rather than ” said Dabnêy.

The little gentleman grinned breathlessly.

“It’s all right,” he said. “It was an accident. But hold on with your snowballing until I get inside, will you?”

“Yes, sir. Certainly, sir.”

“Thank you very much.”

And the little gentleman walked on to the house, at a somewhat accelerated pace. Bulstrode grinned, and gathered up a snowball. Harry Wharton’s hand fell heavily upon his arm.

“Drop that, Bulstrode ”

The Remove bully looked at him fiercely.

“Mind your own business, Wharton! I’ll snowball him f I like.”

“Not after we’ve told him we’d drop it,” said Nugent.

“I’ll do as I like!”

“No, you won’t ,” said Wharton .

Bulstrode’s hand went up. Wharton grasped his wrist, and the snowball fell to the ground. The littlo gentleman disappeared into the house . Bulstrode scowled savagely and turned away. It was too late to install any of the kind attentions he had intended upon the stranger.

The juniors resumed their snowballing. Nugent uttered a sudden exclamation as he stooped for a snowball, and Wharton glanced at him. Levison, who was near at hand, looked towards him, too.

“What’s the matter, Frank !“

‘ Look there !“

An envelope lay in the snow. It was evidently one that had been dropped by the stranger, and had been overlooked. As it lay face upward in the bright winter sunlight, the juniors could not help reading the address as their eyes l on it.

There was no name, only an address, and the address was “Criminal Investigation Department, Scotland Yard, London.” And the postmark was “ Friardale.”

Wharton and Nugent's eyes met.

“A detective “ muttered Nugent breathlessly.

But Wharton was thinking of more than that. He pointed to the envelope.

“You know that writing,” he said.

“My only hat! Levison ’s !”

Nugent uttered the words aloud in his amazement. Levison ran forward and picked up the envelope.

“I’ll return this to him !“ he exclaimed; and before either of the juniors could speak, he ran off towards the house with they envelope in his hand.

Harry Wharton and Nugent stared at one another. Wharton’s face was very grim, and Nugent looked puzzled and table did.

“ what does it mean ?“ he exclaimed. What could Levison possibly want to write to the Criminal Investigation Department at Scotland Yard for’

“ Hush!“

“But—but I don’t understand.”

“No need to give Levison away,” said Harry Wharton quietly. “Better keep it dark; though it makes me feel pretty sick. Levison has been writing anonymous letters.”

“My only aunt !”

“It’s pretty plain. You saw that there wasn’t ne name on the envelope—only jut the address. He didn’t know who to write to, so he just wrote to the Criminal Investigation Department. Of course, it was bound to get into the right hands.”

“ But—but why—

“I think I know. I remember something Levison was saying to me the other night,” said Wharton, knitting his brows. “ he is on a wild-goose chase; it’s his suspiciousness again, leading him on a SMS scent. I can’t explain, because he was speaking in confidence and. I told him plainly I wouldn’t have a hand in the matter, but I never dreamt then that he had gone as far as this.”

“But—but what can it mean ? ” said Nugent mystified. “I suppose nobody at Greyfriars has committed any crime?”

“ Levison may imagine that someone has.”

Nugent whistled.

“But there must be some evidence, Harry, to make m take such a serious step as writing an anonymous letter to the police. There may be something in it.’

Wharton shook his head.

“I don’t believe it for a moment. It’s a mare’s nest; a case of a fellow being too clever by half, and over-reaching himself. I suppose he has worked it out to his own satisfaction that he’s justified in playing this dirty trick. I never thought he would quite descend to that“

“Well, whether he’s right or wrong, it’s a dirty trick to write anonymous letters,’ said Nugent. “He ought to be shown up to the whole Form.”

Harry Wharton shook his head quickly.

“No, no; keep it dark. We don’t want to disgrace the Remove.”

And the captain of the Remove walked away with a clouded brow. Meanwhile, the little gentleman shown had been shown into Dr. Locke’s study.

THE FOURTEENTH CHAPTER.

The Gentleman from Scotland Yard.

DR. LOCKE, the Head of Greyfriars, gazed at the card in his hand, and then at the little gentleman who had been shown into his study, and then at the card again. The good old doctor did not know what to make of it, and the little gentleman smiled at his evident amazement.

“I take it that this visit is a surprise to you, sir,” ha remarked. “You were far from expecting a call from — Inspector Fix, of Scotland Yard.”

“You are quite right, sir.” said the Head. “I certainly cannot imagine what your business is with me. But pray be seated.”

Mr. Fix sat down.

“I will explain as briefly as possible,” he said. “I am here in consequence of an anonymous letter received at my department at Scotland Yard.”

The Head gave a start.

“An anonymous letter !”

“Yes, sir.”

“But—but I do not understand! Your department has received an anonymous letter relating to Greyfriars College!“ exclaimed the Head, with stately astonishment.

“That is the case. Under the circumstances, it was considered best to communicate with you, and that is why I am herc. No need to let the matter leak out and become public, if it can be helped. That would probably be unpleasant for you, sir, and would do no one any good,

“That—that is very kind and considerate of you,” said the Head. “But I still do not understand. Was the letter written from this school ?“

“I think school, sir.”

The head was quite at sea. He could only stare at Mr. Fix in amazement. The detective produced a bundle of papers from his pocket, secured by an elastic band. He looked through them, and selected a letter.

“I have the envelope here,” he remarked. “I cannot find it at this moment. It moves the postmark of Friardale, the village close to this school.’

“And the letter?”

“You will see that it is written in a boyish and— though somewhat forum and decided for a boy—a boy of strong characters, an expert would say.” remarked Mr. Fix, with a smile. “Look at the letter, sir.”

The Head took the letter, adjusted his pince-nez, and read. V read it with growing astonishment and indignation in his face. It ran as follows:

“Sir,—A very serious matter is going on at Greyfriars College, which ought to be investigated by the proper authorities. It would be advisable for the please to look into the antecedents and connections of a Chinese boy in the Remove.

“A Friend to Justice,”

“Dear—dear me !“ gasped the head. “VWhat—what can possibly be the meaning of this? I am quite in the dark.”

Mr. Fix smiled grimly.

“The usual rule with regard to an anonymous letter,” he remarked, “is to set it down to spite on the part of the writer, who would gladly cause injury without running the risk of punishment. Yet there are cases in which a man may write such a letter from a mistaken sense of duty— especially a man of a mean and suspicious turn of mind. Sometimes they are worth investigating. In the present case, when perhaps the honour of a great public school is at stake—” The Head bowed. “In the present case, we thought it advisable to look into the matter, and see what it means. The writer of the letter should be discovered, and it there is anything iii this charge, it can be ascertained. If there is nothing in it, you will doubtless impress upon the offender that it is wrong to write anonymous letters’

A grim look came over the Head’s face.

“1 shall certainly do so, Mr. Fix,” he replied. “But is it certain that the letter was written front this college? You say the postmark is Friardale”

“Yes; I cannot find the envelope at this moment,” said the detective, looking through his papers. “But the postmark certainly was Friardale.”

“Then may it not have been written by someone in the village?’

“You see that it is a boy’s hand.”

“True; but there are boys in the village, many of them on hostile terms with my boys, especially with the Remove— a somewhat unruly form.’

“The-er— Remove” Mr. Fix evidently had some uncertainty as to what the Remove might be.

“The Lower Fourth Form,” explained the doctor.

“Ah, yes! I had my reasons for concluding that the letter was written here,” said Mr. Fix. “It does not sound if at were written by a village lad. Besides, it is evidently someone on ill-terms with the Chinese lad who has written it. A village boy would hardly dislike him so much, more than the others; or, taking the letter to be in earnest, would hardly have any opportunity of suspecting him to be engaged an any new various business.”

“I suppose that is so.”

“The letter seems to be written by someone intimately acquainted with this boy— by someone who has opportunities of observing him. My own view is that the writer of this letter is in earnest, and really suspects the Chinese boy of some underhand business. Everything, therefore, points to the writer belonging to this school— probably to the same form as the Chinese.”

“True.”

“What kind of a lad is this Chinese boy?”

“Wun Lung! I have not seen much of him, as I come very little into contact with the lower school; but I understand that he is a very quiet, inoffensive, harmless man, of an unusual simplicity of nature.”

Mr. Fix wrinkled his brows a little.

“Humph ! Not the kind of boy, then, to make a bitter enemy ?“

“I should certainly say not.”

“Nor the boy to engage in any— anything nefarious?”

“Scarcely, I should say.”

“The writer of this letter, then, has probably made some absurd blunder, in placing a false construction upon some innocent matter,” Mr. Fix observed. “I have very little doubt that that is how it will turn out. But the first question is, to find the writer of the letter. If he is outside the school, that will be difficult: but if my theory is correct, and if he is belonging to Greyfriars, it will be easy.”

The doctor nodded slowly.

“The handwriting in this letter will be an unfailing clue. You have only to submit it to your masters, and I suppose, know the handwriting of their boys.”

“Certainty.”

“If the writing, then, is that of a Greyfriars boy, you will know for certain in a few minutes.”

“Undoubtedly.”

Mr. Fix smiled with satisfaction,

“Then I have no doubt this the matter will be cleared up satisfactory,” he said. “ When it is cleared up, the letters can be destroyed , and no one but ourselves be the wiser for a very unpleasant incident.”

“I am very much obliged to you, Mr. Fix. It. would have been very—I may say inexpressively painful to me, had it become known outside the school that a Greyfriar boy had written an anonymous letter accusing one of his school fellows” said the head, looking very distressed .

“I quite understand your feelings, sir. But there is no need for a syllable to be spoken on the matter outside this room. I should suggest consulting first the master of the Form to which the Chinese boy belongs—I think it is most probable that the anonymous writer is in the same Form.”

“Yes, that is probably correct”

“ we will make him explain his letter, and give us his grounds for this very serious accusation against a foreign lad,” said Inspector Fix, with a smile. “ If he has any reason to advance for the accusation, he shall advance it.”

“ it is impossible. I firmly believe that Wun Lung is the most harmless boy in the Lower Fourth Form.”

“We shall soon ascertain. Will you send for the Form master?”

“Certainly.”

Dr. Locke touched a bell, and sent a servant for Mr. Quelch. The master of the Remove, who was preparing to go into afternoon school, came at once, considerably surprised as he was by the summons at that moment.

He entered Dr. Locke’s study, and noted the head’s troubled face, with some surprise.

“Mr. Quelch, this is Inspector Fix, of Scotland Yard,” said the Head. Mr. Quelch bowed. “ He has called about— about a letter. But stay! Kindly look at this writing, and tell me if is is that of a boy in your Form,”

Mr. Quelch took the anonymous letter.

“Am I to read this, sir?’

“Yes, certainly.”

“Very good.”

Mr. Quelch read the anonymous letter, and his brow went very dark. The doctor watched him anxiously.

“I am hoping,” he said, “that the letter was written by someone outside Greyfriars, and not by a boy belonging to this school, Mr. Quelch.”

“I am afraid the hope is ill-founded then, sir.”

The cloud upon Dr. Locke’s face darkened.

“You know the handwriting, then, Mr. Quelch“

“Yes, sir.”

“It is that of a boy in your Form?”

“Yes.”

Mr. Fix smiled slightly, as much as to hint that he had known it all along. The doctor’s face was dark and distressed.

“And his name?” said the Head slowly,

“Ernest Levison !”

THE ELVENTH CHAPTER,

Levison’s Little Mistake.

“MARJORIE !“

A trap dashed up to the gates of Greyfriars through the powdering snow, and a charming girl smiled down at the Removites in the gateway. Marjorie Hazeldene had arrived!

Harry Wharton was forced out of the gateway. Bob Cherry and Hazeldean was close behind. The vehicle halted, and Harry Wharton gave Marjorie his hand to alight.

The girl gave the juniors a bright smile. The winter wind had brought a rich colour into her cheeks, and her eyes were sparkling. Her face, framed in furs, looked very beautiful.

“Jolly glad to see you, Marjorie,” said Hazeldene. “You’re just in time to catch us before afternoon school, too. Come in !‘

“I have a bag in the trap,” said Marjorie.

“ I’ve got it,” said Bob Cherry cheerily.

He had it,—one end of it, and Harry Wharton had the other. Wharton laughed and let go, and Bob Cherry carried off the bag in triumph. The trap drove off, and Marjorie accompanied the juniors into the Close of Greyfriars. There was a shout from the snowboarders , and several of them came racing up. Marjorie’s walk up to the house was a veritable triumph. With Hazeldene on one side, and Wharton on the other, Bob Cherry and Nugent behind, Wun Lung and Hurree Singh and a dozen others all round, the laughing girl walked up to the House, and parted with the juniors at the door, and went in to see Mrs. Locke. The Removites looked at one another with great satisfaction.

We’ll have the rehearal in Quelch’s room this evening, with Hoskins punching the piano,” Bob Cherry remarkel. “ I say, we haven’t settled about who’s to sing the duet with Miss Marjorie.”

“Yes, we have,” laughed Harry. “I sing it.”

“But look here—”

“My dear chap, I’ve practiced it with her, and there’s no time to start practicing an entirely new thing now, is there?’

“1—I suppose not;.”

Harry Wharton topped him on the shoulder.

“ It’s all right, Bob, you shall turn the music.”

It was time for the Remove to get in to afternoon lesson, and the Form went into the class-roorn. But Mr. Quelch did not come in. A prefect came along from the Sixth Form-room, and entered. It was Carberry.

“Order, you whelps “ he said amiably. “I’ve got to look after you for a bit.. Don’t make a row or you’ll here of it.”

The Removites looked at one another in surprise. Mr. Quelch was very seldom absent from this class. Harry Wharton noticed that Levison’s place was empty, and he thought he understood.

He guessed where Levison was, and where Mr. Quelch was, and he was right. While the Remove were going through first lesson under the gentle guidance of Carberry, Levison was in the Head’s study. He had been called in there by a fag, and he went with a beating heart. But he had plenty of nerve, and his face was calm and quiet as he entered.

Dr. Locke, Mr. Quelch, and inspector fix all fastened their eyes upon the junior as he came in. Levison met their gaze firmly.

‘‘ You sent for me, sir,” he said.

“ Yes, Levison’ said the Head. I wish to know whether this is your work.” And he handed the anonymous letter to the junior.

The attack was too sudden for Levison to be prepared for it. His face went white as he glanced at the letter.

“You wrote that?” said the Head sternly.

“I –I – I-“

“ You wrote that letter?.’”

It was useless to deny it. The boy had never dreamed of the swift conclusions a Scotland Yard official might come to, or of this visit to the school to clear the matter up. His scheme was falling to pieces about him, and there was nothing for it but to own up and make the best of it. After all, he had acted in good faith; . His suspicions were not without grounds.

“Yes, sir,’ he said, as firmly as he could. “ I wrote it.”

“I will not speak now,” said the Head, “of the meanness of the action—of the cowardice of an anonymous letter, as cowardly as a stop in the back. I shall speak to you on that subject later. Now, why did you write it.?”

“I thought it was my duty to do so.”

“You thought it your duty to make a cowardly attack on your Form-fellow.”

Levison did not not flinch.

“I thought his conduct ought to be examined. I believe there is reason for suspecting him, and it is a matter for the Police.”

“You suspect Wun Lung of what”

Levison hesitated for a moment. Put into plain, bald words, his suspicions did seem to be shadowy, yet there had been enough to convince him.

He collared, and hs eyes sought the floor.

“Better speak out,” said Mr. Fix.

“Well, then Wun Lung is engaged in something under hand. There has been talk lately of Chinese spies in England, and—and Wun Lung receives letters in ciphers from someone at the Chinese Embassy.’

“How do you know? What letters ?”

“I should have said postcards—I have seen them.”

“You have been guilty of the despicable meanness of reading someone else’s correspondence !’ said the head, in Skating tones.

Levison flushed crimson.

“I—I thought that under the circumstances I should be justified.”

“Silence! There could be no circumstances to justify such in action. You say you have read postcards in cipher addressed to Wun Lung at this schoo1’

“Yes, sir.’

“ Did you understand the cipher?”

“No; I couldn’t get on to it. I have been trying to decipher it, but I haven’t succeeded ucoeedcd yet. The police ought—”

“Then you know absolutely nothing; you base your suspicion wholly upon the fact that Wun Lung received postcards in cipher !”

“Well, I—I –“

“And probably you have made some mistake about that,” said the Head. “Mr, Quelch will you send for Wun Lung?”

The master of the Remove went to the door. Wun Lung was sent for, and the Remove watched him leave the classroom with growing amazement. The Chinese lad, who was considerably astonished himself, came to the Head’s study. He looked in astonishment at the serious faces of Mr. Quelch and the doctor, at the inscrutable visage of inspector Fix, and the confused face of Levison. Whether a row was coming or not, he did not know; but his innocent face assumed a bland and insinuating smile.

“You sendee for me, sir,” he said.

“Yes, Wun Lung,” said the Head kindly, “I wish you to answer the question. Have you received any postcards in cipher at this college?”

The Chinese junior shook In head.

“No, Mass Doctor ! ”

“You hear , Levison?”

“It’s not true !“ cried Levison passionately. ‘ He received one last evening, and one the other day. He’s had several lately.”

The Chinee looked amazed.

‘No leceivee‘ v said.

“ It’s a lie !”

“Silence, Levison ! Wun Lung, did you receive a postcard at all last evening?”

“Me leceivee flom fliend in London.”

“Have you it about you?’

“It is here.”

Wun Lung produced a postcard from one of his ample pockets. Levison caught a glimpse of it, and uttered an exclamation of triumph.

“ That is it !“

Wun Lung looked at him, and looked at the postcard. Then he looked at Levison again Then, to the surprise of everyone in the study, he went off into a shrink of laughter.

“Wun Lung——”

“Ha, ha, ha !“

“ Silence !’

But the Chinee seemed unable to stop. He was simply doubled up, and shriek after shriek of uncontrollable merriment rang through the study. The postcard fell to the floor, and Inspector Fix picked it up. He glanced at it, and looked puzzled for a momont and then a broad grin spread over his face, and he passed the card to the Head.

“Is that the cipher, Levison?” he asked.

“That’s it !“ said Levison excitedly:

“Ha, ha, ha!”

The head adjusted his gold-rimmed pince-nez, and looked at the card, and Mr. Quelch looked at it at the same moment. Then irresistible smiles broke out over their faces . Levison gazed from face to face, in angry astonishment. Why did the mysterious cipher provoke nothing but amusement?

“Dear me!.” said the Head, trying to become grave. “This is too utterly absurd for anything ! Levison, is this the mysterious cipher ?“

Levison glanced at the card to make sure. “Yes, there it is—KKt—KB3, dis. Ch.

“That is it, sir “

“Dear me! How absurd !‘

“I don’t see it ‘ almost shouted Levison. “Why is Wun Lung receiving cipher messages?“

“Calm yourself, Levison ! I presume you do not play chess.’ ?‘

“Chess,” said Levison—” Chesham ! No.”

“I presume so, or you would have read this mysterious cipher without much difficulty.’

Levison gasped.

“I—I— don’t understand, sir.”

“Then I will explain. I suppose, Wun Lung, that you have been playing a game of chess by correspondence?”

“ Me playee with flend in London,” murmured the Chinese junior.

“Good! Levison, you have made an egregious blunder, and I hope to make you understand fully how absurd you have been. I will read this cipher to you. When a game of chess is played by post, it is customary for the moves to be sent on a postcard, and the abbreviations r naturally used. KKt—KB3 simply means that the king’s night moves to king’s bishop s third square.”

Levison’s face was a study.

“The ‘dis. Ch.’ Simply means that, by the Kings night being moved off the square it hitherto occupied, a check upon the adversary’s King is discoverd.”

Levison did not speak.

His suspicions, his theories, had indeed recoiled upon him with a vengeance. His mysterious cipher turned out to be the ordinary abbreviations used in writing down moves that chess . If he had been acquainted with the game, he would never have fallen into the absurd blunder. His face was scarlet now, and tears of vexation started to his eyes. Punishment pin for, but to be made an object of ridicule stung him to the quick.

“And so the whole message—Kt—KB3, dis. Ch” resumed the Head, “ reads like this;: King’s knight to kings Bouchard’s third, discovering check. Do you understand “

“Ye-e-es, sir.”

“I presume that Wun Lung’s other postcards were on the same subject, so we need not examine them,” said the Head. “Mr. Fix, I am sorry you have been given the trouble of a journey by this boys incredible folly and ill-nature. Levison, you may go! I shall expect you immediately after school, and shall try to impress upon you that it is inadvisable to suspect your Form-fellows on should await evidence, and doubly inadvisable to disgrace affairs school by the object mean less of writing anonymous letters.”

And Levison slowly turned and left the room.

THE SIXTEENTH CHAPTER.

The Christmas concert.

HARRY WARTON and his chums heard the story of the mysterious cipher from Wun Lung, and they laughed over it till the walls of Study No. 1 rang. But outside No. 1 the story did not go. The chums of the Remove agreed to keep it dark; Levisou had certainly been punished enough. The mare’s nest he had discovered had brought as much ridicule as contempt upon him: and his visit to the Head’sa study after school was a still more painful as. Levison showed a curious distaste for sitting down all that evening and the next morning.

But the approach of the Christmas concert banished the matter from the minds of the Removites. The rehearsal with Marjorie in the operatic company was a great success, Hoskins playing up nobly, and only inflicting one of his reveries upon the company when the rehearsal was over.

All the singers were in good form, and it was agreed at last that Wharton was to have the duet with Marjorie. It was conceded to the rest of the company that they should join in the repetition of the chorus, and all were more or less satisfied.

Needless to say, the Head had willingly granted the use of the hall, and when the time of the great entertainment came, the hall was crowded. Hoffman and Meunier had accepted Wharton’s invitation to give a song, and a crowd of the aliens came over to the concert.

But there was no rowing now—all was peace and good-will, and an air of Yuletide goodfellowship reigned everywhere. Even Bulstrode was in a good temper, and agreed to be a steward for the evening.

It was expected that some effort would be required to keep order, for. besides the a1iens, the Upper Fourth came en masse. Most of the Fifth and Sixth came in; and Mr. Quelch, aware o possbi1ities of a riot, came in himself, with a couple of other masters.

In the presence of the great men, of course, it was impossible for any ragging to be endorsed in by members of the Upper Fourth, and the aliens would have to moderate their excitability.

Front seats were provided for masters and prefects. When all was ready. Hoskins took his place at the piano, and, as Bob Cherry put it, the proceedings proceeded.

Of course, in the best are regulated concert, there were certain to be small hitches. Hoskins was to give a lively march as a start, but in a fit of absent - mindedness he started playing one of his own sonatas instead, and had to be stopped. But as the hold was full of the sound of footsteps, coughing, granting, shifting, and the other sounds which preceded a concert, nobody minded.

The item was a duet between Miss Marjorie and Harry Wharton, and it went off with a swing. Loud was the applause, elicited as much by Marjorie’s sweet face and blushes as by the singing. Then Morgan sang “Clychau Aberdyfi” in Welsh. Very few understood the words, but what did that matter? Morgan was encored, and sang “Rhyfelgyren gwyr Harlech.” more familiarly known to the boys as “Men of Harlech.” And it w cheered to the echo.

Then came Nugent with the “Grand March” from Tannhauser on the mouth-organ. Unfortunately, a large number of the audience seemed to regard it as a joke, and there was great laughter, which somewhat put Nugent out. But he blew on gallantly to the finish, Hoskins accompanying him on the piano—sometimes getting a little ahead and sometimes a little behind, but finishing within a few bars of him. Nugent was not encored.

Bob Cherry was next on the programme with “On the Ball.” Needless to say, a football song appealed to the Greyfriars fellows more than anything else, and they willingly made allowances for any shortcomings in the singing.. Harry Wharton & Co. took up the chorus, and roared it out with all the force of their lungs, and as the tune was simple and catchy, the other follows were soon “on” to it, and they all joined in with a volume of sound that bade fair to lift the roof off.

Bob Cherry was encored again and again, and on each occasion he gave some of the extra verses, and he went off at last extremely well pleased with himself and his success.

And then came Wun Lung and Hurree Singh in a ju-jitsu display, and then Elliott with a Scottish dialect song, and Hazeldene with a coon song, then conjuring tricks by Levison, and “Mo run geal dileas” by Ogilvy, which was as little comprehend it as the “Clychau Aberdyfi,” but just as much appreciated and cheered. Needless to enumerate the items of that most successful concert. Hoffmann ind Meunier were cheered, too, and even Hoskins received applause for his solos, though a audience were careful— very careful—to moderate the applause, so that it not be understood as an encore.

And at the finish Hoskins, by a happy inspiration, struck it “Auld Lang Syne.” and the operatic company and the whole audience joined in it, and the roar of the old, familiar air ended the Christmas concert.

THE END