While Sheen had been interviewing Stanning, in study twelve, fartherdown the passage, Linton and his friend Dunstable, who was in Day'shouse, were discussing ways and means. Like Stanning, Dunstable haddemanded tea, and had been informed that there was none for him.

　　"Well, you are a bright specimen, aren't you?" said Dunstable, seatinghimself on the table which should have been groaning under the weightof cake and biscuits. "I should like to know where you expect to go to.

　　You lure me in here, and then have the cheek to tell me you haven't gotanything to eat. What have you done with it all?""There was half a cake--""Bring it on.""Young Menzies bagged it after the match yesterday. His brother camedown with the Oxford A team, and he had to give him tea in his study.

　　Then there were some biscuits--""What's the matter with biscuits? _They're_ all right. Bring themon. Biscuits forward. Show biscuits.""Menzies took them as well."Dunstable eyed him sorrowfully.

　　"You always were a bit of a maniac," he said, "but I never thought youwere quite such a complete gibberer as to let Menzies get away with allyour grub. Well, the only thing to do is to touch him for tea. He owesus one. Come on."They proceeded down the passage and stopped at the door of study three.

　　"Hullo!" said Menzies, as they entered.

　　"We've come to tea," said Dunstable. "Cut the satisfying sandwich. Let'ssee a little more of that hissing urn of yours, Menzies. Bustle about,and be the dashing host.""I wasn't expecting you.""I can't help your troubles," said Dunstable.

　　"I've not got anything. I was thinking of coming to you, Linton.""Where's that cake?""Finished. My brother simply walked into it.""Greed," said Dunstable unkindly, "seems to be the besetting sin of theMenzies'. Well, what are you going to do about it? I don't wish tothreaten, but I'm a demon when I'm roused. Being done out of my tea issure to rouse me. And owing to unfortunate accident of being stonilybroken, I can't go to the shop. You're responsible for the slump inprovisions, Menzies, and you must see us through this. What are yougoing to do about it?""Do either of you chaps know Sheen at all?""I don't," said Linton. "Not to speak to.""You can't expect us to know all your shady friends," said Dunstable.

　　"Why?""He's got a tea on this evening. If you knew him well enough, you mightborrow something from him. I met Herbert in the dinner-hour carrying inall sorts of things to his study. Still, if you don't know him--""Don't let a trifle of that sort stand in the way," said Dunstable.

　　"Which is his study?""Come on, Linton," said Dunstable. "Be a man, and lead the way. Go inas if he'd invited us. Ten to one he'll think he did, if you don'tspoil the thing by laughing.""What, invite ourselves to tea?" asked Linton, beginning to grasp theidea.

　　"That's it. Sheen's the sort of ass who won't do a thing. Anyhow, itsworth trying. Smith in our house got a tea out of him that way lastterm. Coming, Menzies?""Not much. I hope he kicks you out.""Come on, then, Linton. If Menzies cares to chuck away a square meal,let him."Thus, no sooner had the door of Sheen's study closed upon Stanning thanit was opened again to admit Linton and Dunstable.

　　"Well," said Linton, affably, "here we are.""Hope we're not late," said Dunstable. "You said somewhere about five.

　　It's just struck. Shall we start?"He stooped, and took the kettle from the stove.

　　"Don't you bother," he said to Sheen, who had watched this manoeuvrewith an air of amazement, "I'll do all the dirty work.""But--" began Sheen.

　　"That's all right," said Dunstable soothingly. "I like it."The intellectual pressure of the affair was too much for Sheen. Hecould not recollect having invited Linton, with whom he had exchangedonly about a dozen words that term, much less Dunstable, whom he merelyknew by sight. Yet here they were, behaving like honoured guests. Itwas plain that there was a misunderstanding somewhere, but he shrankfrom grappling with it. He did not want to hurt their feelings. Itwould be awkward enough if they discovered their mistake forthemselves.

　　So he exerted himself nervously to play the host, and the first twingeof remorse which Linton felt came when Sheen pressed upon him a bag ofbiscuits which, he knew, could not have cost less than one and sixpencea pound. His heart warmed to one who could do the thing in such style.

　　Dunstable, apparently, was worried by no scruples. He leaned backeasily in his chair, and kept up a bright flow of conversation.

　　"You're not looking well, Sheen," he said. "You ought to take moreexercise. Why don't you come down town with us one of these days and doa bit of canvassing? It's a rag. Linton lost a tooth at it the otherday. We're going down on Saturday to do a bit more.""Oh!" said Sheen, politely.

　　"We shall get one or two more chaps to help next time. It isn't goodenough, only us two. We had four great beefy hooligans on to us whenLinton got his tooth knocked out. We had to run. There's a regular gangof them going about the town, now that the election's on. A red-headedfellow, who looks like a butcher, seems to boss the show. They call himAlbert. He'll have to be slain one of these days, for the credit of theschool. I should like to get Drummond on to him.""I was expecting Drummond to tea," said Sheen.

　　"He's running and passing with the fifteen," said Linton. "He ought tobe in soon. Why, here he is. Hullo, Drummond!""Hullo!" said the newcomer, looking at his two fellow-visitors as if hewere surprised to see them there.

　　"How were the First?" asked Dunstable.

　　"Oh, rotten. Any tea left?"Conversation flagged from this point, and shortly afterwards Dunstableand Linton went.

　　"Come and tea with me some time," said Linton.

　　"Oh, thanks," said Sheen. "Thanks awfully.""It was rather a shame," said Linton to Dunstable, as they went back totheir study, "rushing him like that. I shouldn't wonder if he's quite agood sort, when one gets to know him.""He must be a rotter to let himself be rushed. By Jove, I should liketo see someone try that game on with me."In the study they had left, Drummond was engaged in pointing this outto Sheen.

　　"The First are rank bad," he said. "The outsides were passing rottenlytoday. We shall have another forty points taken off us when we playRipton. By the way, I didn't know you were a pal of Linton's.""I'm not," said Sheen.

　　"Well, he seemed pretty much at home just now.""I can't understand it. I'm certain I never asked him to tea. OrDunstable either. Yet they came in as if I had. I didn't like to hurttheir feelings by telling them."Drummond stared.

　　"What, they came without being asked! Heavens! man, you must buck up abit and keep awake, or you'll have an awful time. Of course those twochaps were simply trying it on. I had an idea it might be that when Icame in. Why did you let them? Why didn't you scrag them?""Oh, I don't know," said Sheen uncomfortably.

　　"But, look here, it's rot. You _must_ keep your end up in a placelike this, or everybody in the house'll be ragging you. Chaps will,naturally, play the goat if you let them. Has this ever happenedbefore?"Sheen admitted reluctantly that it had. He was beginning to see things.

　　It is never pleasant to feel one has been bluffed.

　　"Once last term," he said, "Smith, a chap in Day's, came to tea likethat. I couldn't very well do anything.""And Dunstable is in Day's. They compared notes. I wonder you haven'thad the whole school dropping in on you, lining up in long queues downthe passage. Look here, Sheen, you really must pull yourself together.

　　I'm not ragging. You'll have a beastly time if you're so feeble. I hopeyou won't be sick with me for saying it, but I can't help that. It'sall for your own good. And it's really pure slackness that's the causeof it all.""I hate hurting people's feelings," said Sheen.

　　"Oh, rot. As if anybody here had any feelings. Besides, it doesn't hurta chap's feelings being told to get out, when he knows he's no businessin a place.""Oh, all right," said Sheen shortly.

　　"Glad you see it," said Drummond. "Well, I'm off. Wonder if there'sanybody in that bath."He reappeared a few moments later. During his absence Sheen overheardcertain shrill protestations which were apparently being uttered in theneighbourhood of the bathroom door.

　　"There was," he said, putting his head into the study and grinningcheerfully at Sheen. "There was young Renford, who had no earthlybusiness to be there. I've just looked in to point the moral. Supposeyou'd have let him bag all the hot water, which ought to have come tohis elders and betters, for fear of hurting his feelings; and gonewithout your bath. I went on my theory that nobody at Wrykyn, least ofall a fag, has any feelings. I turfed him out without a touch ofremorse. You get much the best results my way. So long."And the head disappeared; and shortly afterwards there came from acrossthe passage muffled but cheerful sounds of splashing.