He had quelled a small riot in the junior preparation room, and intercepted one or two deserters in the act of quitting the house after hours.

He had also gone up to inspect the dormitories, lavatories, and other domestic offices; and on his way down he had made glad the hearts of his coming kinsman and the baronet by a surprise visit in their study.

He found them actively unpacking a few home treasures, including a small hamper full of ham, a pistol, some boxing-gloves, and a particularly fiendish-looking bull-dog.

The last- named luxury was the baronet's contribution to the common store, and, having been forgotten for some hours in the bustle of arrival, was now removed from his bandbox in a semi-comatose state.
"Hullo!" said Railsford, whose arrival coincided with the unpacking of this natural history curiosity, "what have you got there ?" Oakshott's impulse, on hearing this challenge, had been to huddle his unhappy booty back into the bandbox; but, on second thoughts, he set it down on the mat, and gazing at it attentively, so as not to commit himself to a too hasty opinion, observed submissively that it was a dog.
It is melancholy to have to record failure, in whatever sphere or form; but truth compels us to state that at this particular moment Mark Railsford blundered grievously.

Instead of deciding definitely there and then on his own authority whether dogs were or were not _en regle_ in Railsford's house, he halted and hesitated.
"That's against rules, isn't it ?" said he.
"Against rules!" said Arthur, crimson in the face--"against rules! Why, Dig and I had one a year ago, only he died, poor beast; he had a mill with a rat, and the rat got on to his nose, and punished him before--" "Yes," said the master; "but I shall have to see whether it's allowed to keep a dog.