The Head of Kay's

's right, feeling that everyone was looking at him, as indeed they were. He understood for the first time the mean

tuation more awkward, Mr Kay did not observe him at first, being occupied in assailing a riotous fag at the other end of the table, that youth having succeeded, by a dexterous drive in the ribs, in making a friend of his spill half a

-rebuking people on an empty stomach al

mitted to himself that Fenn had had reason. Mr Kay meanwhile pounded away in moody silence at a plate of kidneys and bacon. It was one of the many grievances which gave the Kayite material for co

ed some ten minutes later, when Kennedy had vanquished the sausage

n," snapped Mr Kay; "you

at him as if about to take up the cudgels for the rejected viand. Perhaps he remembered that it scarcely befitted the dignity of a house-master to enter upon a

he matter, and, if he had been, would have refused the post with horror; but nevertheless the situation might cause a coolness between them. And if Fenn, the on

e table talk at Kay's. Perhaps the quality of the food suggested

dy followed him, and opened conversation in his dire

ck about this. You know I didn't want t

're welcome to it. Being head of Kay's isn't suc

ame-" bega

t's happened. I now retire into private life, and look on. I've taken years off my life sweating to make this house decent, and now I'm g

ll a house pref

couldn't very well

l help mana

lau

ct for Mr Kay's feelings? He thinks I can't keep order. Surely you don't want me to go and shatter his pet beliefs? Anyhow, I'm not going to do it. I'm going to play 'villagers and retainers' to your '

he spent in Kay's. Last term he and Fenn had been as close friends as you could wish to see. If he had asked Fenn to help him in a tight place then, he knew

Nemo me impune lacessit'. That's how I feel. Kay went out of his way to give me a bad time when I was doing

rushed through him. Why should he grovel to Fenn? If Fenn chose to

o show you. You can do what you jolly well please. I'm not dependent on you. I'll make this a decent house off my

against the black sheep of the house-and also, which was just as important, against the slack sheep, who were good for nothing, either at work or play.

ngs, and by an increase of rowdiness. This was the line that Kay's took. Fenn became a popular hero. Fags, until he kicked them for it, showed a tendency to cheer him whenever they saw him. Nothing could paint Mr Kay blacker in the eyes of his house, so that Kennedy came in for all the odium. The same fags who had cheered Fenn hooted

o the latter for leave to go out of bounds instead of to the former. As the giving of leave "down town" was the prerogative of the

de underhand attempts to sap Kennedy's authority. When Gorrick, of the Lower Fourth, the first of the fags to put the ingenious scheme into practice, came to him, still smarting from Kennedy's castigation, Fenn promptly gave him six more cuts, worse than the first, and k

y jeering Jimmy Silver from the safety of the touchline when the head of Blackburn's was refereeing in a match between the juniors of his house and those of Ka

n telling the latter of the incident; "there's no false idea of politeness a

sh I knew who they were. It's hopele