Tales of St. Austin's

said Charteris on

se did not bother themselves very much about overnight preparation. The Latin authors which the form were doing were Livy and Virgil, and when either of these were on the next day's programme, most of the Sixth considered that they were justified in taking a night off. They

h-Form Merevalians had assembled in Charteris's study to talk about things in general. It was after a pause of some moment

go, Babe,

Tony, from the dep

e kn

to the company

ome sports at Rutton next week. He'll get booked for

nd reason with me. I'll listen. T

now awoke to the fact that a discussion was in progress, and asked for details. The Babe exp

ly going, are yo

' said C

n won't giv

he poor man wit

f bounds to start with. It's against rules to go in a tra

o put Rutton specially out of bounds for that day. He always bars a S

e I to do with the Old

my time-table. Here

a fool,'

ugh I must stop to see the Oldest Inhabitant's nevvy win the egg and spoon canter. But that ought to come on before the strangers' race. Train back at a quarter past five. Arrives at a quarter to six. Lock up six-fifteen. That gives me half an hour to get here f

t there was no rule against the use of musical instruments in the House, Merevale had yielded. The stipulation that Charteris should play only before prep. was rigidly observed, except when Merevale was over at the Hall, and the Sixth had no w

ling Rufus",' o

duly turned on, giving

ebel

when I hear t

ul, isn't it?'

eetheart, if yo

I'll be you

I've gathe

of its kind, slipped raspingly over the surface

kes no advances, and the stain on my scutcheon is not yet wiped out. I must say I haven't tried gathering bluebells

own on you?' a

tely. We're in a state

w I scored ab

the Babe brutally. 'I tell you what, though, he'

hope he

' said Wel

hy

'll bet you anything you

d been intending to go all the time, but it was this speech of Welch's that definitely clinche

course I shall go. What's the nex

arrived, and the Bab

last attempt to head h

' he asked. 'You can't carry a bag. The

would be a crushing argu

ted a bloated

he concluded, 'you will observe I am carrying in a handy brown paper parcel, and if anybod

e, th

ong then. Be goo

down the road tha

e'. There was a larger crowd than Charteris had expected. He made his way through them, resisting without difficulty the entreaties of

ss time he spent in the undress uniform of shorts the better. He bought a correct card for twopence, and scanned it. The strangers' mile w

him ten minutes for recovering from the effects of the race, and changing back into his ordinary clothes again. It would be quick work. But, having come so far, he was not i

except that men were running instead of horses. Rutton was a quiet little place for the majority of the year, but it woke up on this day, and was evidently out to enjoy itself. The Rural Hooligan was a good deal in evidence, and thou

egg and spoon event, took himself off to the dressing-tent, and began to get into his running clothe

me up almost immediately afterwards. Charteris had just removed his coat, and was about to get to his place on the line, when another competitor arrived, and, to judge by the

iority, and when somebody in the crowd called out 'Go it, Jarge!' he accepted th

on, got the bulge, and then there would be trouble. By brazening things out, however, there was just a chance that he might make him imagine that there was more in the matter than met the eye, and that, in some mysterious way, he had actually obtained leave to v

expressed a hope that the

laring in a simple a

admaster lately?'

e you do

run. Hope yo

out of

efore you make rash statements. Otherwise, there's no know

e the discussion. He was wondering, as Charteris had expected that he would

s did not shine in the strangers' mile. He came in last but one, vanquishing the pink sportsman by a foot. Charteris, after a hot finish, was beaten on the tape by one of the weedy youths, who exhibited

ning his watch was horrified to find that he had just ten minutes in which to do everything, and the walk to the station, he reflected, was a long five minutes. He literally hurled himself into his clothes, and, disregarding the Bargee, who had entered