Things were growing desperate, and at all risks a diversion must be made.

What could they do?
Dig had a vague idea of creating a scare that Smiley had gone mad; but as the animal in question was at that moment peacefully reposing on the hearth, there seemed little probability of this panic "taking." Then he calculated the possibilities of secretly cutting away one leg of the table, and so covering the defects of the meal by an unavoidable catastrophe.

But he had not his penknife about him, and the two table-knives were in use.
Arthur at this point came gallantly and desperately to the rescue.
"I say, you fellows," began he, ignoring the hint about the herrings, "do you want to know a regular lark ?" "Ha, ha!" laughed Oakshott, not having the least idea what his friend was going to say, but anxious to impress upon his guests that the joke was to be a good one.
"What is it ?" asked Wignet, who never believed in anyone else's capacities for story-telling.
"Why," said Arthur, getting up a boisterous giggle, "you know Railsford, the new master ?" "Of course.

What about him ?" "Well--keep it dark, you know.

Shut up, Dig, and don't make me laugh, I say--there's such a grand joke about him." "Out with it," said the guests, who were beginning to think again about the herrings.
"Well, this fellow--I call him Marky, you know--Mark's engaged to my sister, and--" "Ha ha ha!" chimed in Dig.
"And--he calls her `_Chuckey_,' I heard him.