What do you think it was about ?" "I couldn't guess," said Walcot.
"Well, you must know he's lately chummed up very thick with my young brother Jim in the second, and--would you believe it ?--he took it into his head to sit down and write to his governor to ask him if he would give Jim and me each a watch like the one he's got himself.

What do you think of that ?" "Did he, though ?" exclaimed Walcot, laughing.

"I say, old boy, you'll make your fortune out of that youngster; and what did his father say ?" "Oh, he was most polite, of course; his boy's friends were his friends, and all that, and he finished up by saying he hoped we should both come and spend Christmas there." "Ha! ha! and did he send the watches ?" "No; I suppose he wants to spy out the land first." "Well," said Walcot, "the boy's all right with you, but he'll go making a fool of himself some day if he makes up to everybody he meets." My master, in fact, was already a popular boy with his fellows.

He had a select band of admirers among the youth of the Second-Form, who cackled round him like hens round a bantam.

Together they groaned over their Latin exercises and wrestled with their decimals; together they heard the dreaded summons to the master's desk; and side by side, I am sorry to say, they held out their open palms to receive his cane.