"I always fancied it meant, 'He rules best, who knows how to rule himself.'" "Which is the word for best," asked Dick, critically, rather pleased to have found a flaw in the motto.
"Oh, I suppose it's understood," said Aspinall.
"Why couldn't he say what he meant, straight out ?" said Dick, waxing wondrous wroth at the motto-maker, "there's plenty of room in the Quad for an extra word." Aspinall quite blushed at this small explosion, and somehow felt personally implicated in the defects of the motto.
"Perhaps I'm wrong," said he.

"Perhaps it means a fellow can't rule at all, unless he can rule himself." "That won't wash," said Dick, profoundly.

"Where's the '_nisi_ ?' Never mind.

Good-night, young Aspinall.

I'm going to do my work here." And Aspinall departed, a good deal exercised in his mind as to Dick's latest humour, but thankful, all the same, that he didn't appear desperately offended with the answers he had extorted to his very home questions.
Dick did not do much "swot" that evening.