CHAPTER FIVE.
THE NEW CAPTAIN IS DISCUSSED ON LAND AND WATER.
The doctor's announcement was not long in taking effect.

As soon as third school was over that afternoon the monitors assembled in the Sixth Form room to discuss the situation.

Fortunately for Riddell's peace of mind, he was not present; but nearly all the others, whether friendly or otherwise, were there.
Game, with his usual downrightness, opened the ball.
"Well, you fellows," said he, "what are you going to do ?" "Let's have a game of leapfrog while the fags aren't looking," said Crossfield, a schoolhouse monitor and a wag in a small way.
"It's all very well for you to fool about," said Game, ill-temperedly.
"You schoolhouse fellows think, as long as you get well looked after, Willoughby may go to the dogs." "What do you mean ?" said Fairbairn.

"I don't think so." "I suppose you'd like to make out that Riddell is made captain because he's the best man for the place, and not because the doctor always favours the schoolhouse," snarled Wibberly.
"He's made captain because he's head classic," replied Fairbairn; "it has nothing to do with his being a schoolhouse fellow." "All very well," said Tucker, of Welch's, "but it's a precious odd thing, all the same, that the captain is always picked out of the schoolhouse." "And it's a precious odd thing too," chimed in Crossfield, "that a head classic was never to be got out of Welch's for love or money!" This turned the laugh against the unlucky Tucker, who was notoriously a long way off being head classic.
"What I say is," said Game, "we want an all-round man for captain--a fellow like Bloomfield here, who's well up in the Sixth, and far away the best fellow in the eleven and the boats.

Besides, he doesn't shut himself up like Riddell, and give himself airs.