"I wonder what it all means ?" "I heard Ponsford had been down rowing them about something this morning--something some of them had been doing to Bickers, I believe." "Very likely; Bickers looked as green as a toad this morning, didn't he, Branscombe ?" "He did look fishy," said Branscombe, shortly, "but I say, Smedley, hadn't we better measure off without Ainger, and get him to see if he approves afterwards ?" So the work went on without the representatives of Railsford's house, and the bell rang for school-dinner before any of the missing ones had put in an appearance.
The mystery was heightened when in Hall the fifty seats usually occupied by Railsford's boys stood empty; and no inquiry was made from the masters' table as to the cause of the defection.

It was noticed that Mr Railsford himself was not present, and that Mr Bickers still looked upset and out of sorts.
"Have you any idea what the row is ?" said Smedley to Branscombe as the company stood round the tables, waiting for the doctor.
"How should I know?
You'd better go and ask up there." Smedley did.

As the doctor entered, he marched up to meet him, and said,-- "None of Mr Railsford's house are here yet, sir." "Quite right.

Call silence for grace and begin," said the doctor, slowly.
For the rest of the day Railsford's seemed to be playing hide and seek with the rest of the school, and it was not till late in the evening that the mystery was cleared up.
"Come and let's see what it's all about," said Smedley to Branscombe.
Both the seniors had been fretting all the afternoon with a sense of something gone wrong at Grandcourt, the former with just a little indignation that he, the captain of the school, should be kept in the dark, along with everybody else, on the subject.
"I ought to work," said Branscombe; "you go and _tell_ me what's up." "Why, I thought you were as anxious as anyone to know ?" "So I am," said Branscombe, who to do him justice looked thoroughly worried; "but you know while there's this row on between the two houses I--I don't care to go over there without being asked." "_I_ asked you, didn't I ?" said Smedley.

"You're not afraid of being eaten up, are you?
Never mind.