They persistently refused to listen to any of Philpot's "jaw," as they rudely termed his attempts at explanation, and confined themselves to the experiments.

However, though in many respects they wasted their time over their new pursuit, these volatile youths might have been a good deal worse employed.
In fact, if every Welcher had been no worse employed that house would not have brought all the discredit on Willoughby which it did.

As it was, everybody there seemed to follow his own sweet will without a single thought for the good of the school or the welfare of his fellows.
The heads of the house, Tucker and Silk, did not even attempt to set a good example, and that being so, it was hardly to be expected those below them would be much interested to supply the deficiencies.
On the very afternoon when Pilbury and Cusack had been sitting at the feet of the learned Philpot in the laboratory, Silk, a monitor, had, along with Gilks, of the schoolhouse, a monitor too, gone down to Shellport, against all rules, taking Wyndham junior, one of their special _proteges_, with them.
They appeared to be pretty familiar with the ins and outs of the big town, and though on this occasion they occupied their time in no more disgraceful a way than waiting on the harbour pier to see the mail steamer come in, they yet felt, all three of them, as if they would by no means like to be seen by any one who knew them.
And it appeared as if they were going to be spared this embarrassment, for they encountered no one they knew till they were actually on their way home.
Then, just as they were passing the station door, they met, to their horror, a boy in a college cap just coming out with a parcel under his arm.

To their astonishment, it proved to be no other than Riddell himself.
Riddell, who had come down by a special "permit" from the doctor to get a parcel--containing, by the way, his new boating flannels--at first looked as astonished and uncomfortable as the three truants themselves.
He would sooner have had anything happen to him than such a meeting.
However, as usual, his sense of duty came to his rescue.
He advanced to the group in a nervous manner, and, addressing Wyndham, said, hurriedly, "Please come to my room this evening, Wyndham," and then, without waiting for a reply, or staying to notice the ominous looks of the two monitors, he departed, and proceeded as fast as he could back to Willoughby..