But as it was nearly dark, and rain was falling, the craven maligners kept indoors, and would not be caught.

So the juniors relieved themselves by giving three cheers for Rollitt under every window round the Green, and then fell to abusing Fisher minor because his brother, Fisher major, had lost the money which Rollitt was said to have stolen.

"There's no doubt that kid's at the bottom of it," said Percy. "First of all, he's a Cla.s.sic cad."

Here the speaker was obliged to pause, on a friendly admonition from the boot of his brother Wally.

"He's a Cla.s.sic kid," continued he.

"You said cad."

"I said cad? do you hear that, you chaps? Thinks I don't know how to spell."

"You said he was a Cla.s.sic cad."

"There you are; you've said it now. Kick him, you chaps. How dare he say he's a Cla.s.sic cad?" said Percy.

This verbal squabble being settled at last, Percy proceeded to explain Fisher minor's position.

"If he hadn't come to Fellsgarth, Rollitt would have been smashed to bits over the falls. And if Rollitt had been smashed to bits--"

"He couldn't have bought six Abernethys at the shop," suggested D'Arcy.

"Right you are! And what's more, he couldn't have eaten them if he had, and he couldn't have run away. There you are, I said this kid was at the bottom of it."

"But who'd have collared the money in that case?" asked Ashby.

Percy reflected. This was a decided point.

"Well, you see," said he, "it's this way. If young Fisher minor hadn't been born, he wouldn't have had a governor and a mater, and if he hadn't had a governor and a mater, no more would Fisher major. And if Fisher major hadn't had a governor and a mater he'd never have been elected treasurer, and if he'd not been elected treasurer he wouldn't have lost the money. So you see the young un's at the bottom of it again."

"I know a shorter way than that," said D'Arcy. "If young Fisher minor hadn't fetched Rollitt up to vote that day, Fisher major wouldn't have been elected, and then he couldn't have lost the money."

"Isn't that what I said?" said Percy, indignant to be thus summarily paraphrased.

"Are you going to lick me for being born?" inquired Fisher minor.

"Good mind to. It's all your fault good old Rollitt's gone."

"Those six Abernethys won't last him long," suggested Cash.

"No. We must keep a stock of them now, and call them `Rollitt's particular.' I fancy they might fetch three-halfpence each."

"I say," said Wally, "I vote we find Rollitt. He's not a bad sort, you know."

"All very well," said Percy, "if one only knew where to look."

"It's my notion he's either gone home or to the top of Hawk's Pike. I don't well see where else he could be."

"London?" suggested Cottle.

"Not got the money."

"Walked there?"

"Not got the boots."

"He can't be hanging about near here. Everybody knows him. No; you bet he's gone to the top of Hawk's Pike, and he's going to stay there till the clouds roll by."

This brought up a painful reminiscence. None of the party, except Wally, exactly favoured the idea of another attempt on the great mountain.

"Tell you what," said Percy, "those biscuits will last him over to- night. We'll see if there's any news of him in the morning, and if not we'll organise an expedition to find him. I say, let's go and have another shop committee somewhere."

"Where?"

"Suppose we have it in Rollitt's study. He was a jolly good sort, you know. It would please him."

The logic of this proposition did not detain the meeting.

They decided to go in the usual way. That is, the four Cla.s.sic boys boldly marched into their house together, and the five Moderns dropped in one by one artlessly and quite by accident.

As Fisher minor pa.s.sed his brother's door he thought he would just look in. At the same moment the house matron, with a very important face, was bounding into the room.

"Master Fisher," said she, "Mrs Wisdom's just sent back that flannel shirt of yours."

"Oh! At last. She's only had it six weeks. About long enough," said Fisher major. "I'd given it up for lost."

"It got left at the bottom of the bag, and she never noticed it till last night. And what do you think, Master Fisher! there was _this_ in the breast pocket." And she handed him a little brown paper parcel.

Fisher major s.n.a.t.c.hed at it with an e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.i.o.n more like horror than anything else, and tore the paper open.

Four sovereigns and some silver dropped on to the table.

"Why," gasped he, "that's it! I remember now. I got it on the field just before the Rendlesham match, and stuck it in that pocket, and it went clean out of my head. Oh, my word, what _have_ I done? What an awful mess I've made!"

Not even Fisher minor stayed to dispute this statement, but hurried off with the great news to the shop committee next door.

CHAPTER TWENTY TWO.

COMING TO.

Fisher major's discovery put the finishing touch to the discomfiture of the Modern seniors.

And the manner in which they came by the news of it by no means tended to salve the wound which it inflicted.

The shop committee was so convulsed by the intelligence which Fisher minor brought, that they then and there promised themselves the pleasure of conveying the good news to Rollitt's accusers in person. They accordingly adjourned in a body to the Modern side.