Upon consideration Sheen determined to see Linton about that smallmatter of the boat without delay. After prayers that night he went tohis study.

　　"Can I speak to you for a minute, Linton?" he said.

　　Linton was surprised. He disapproved of this intrusion. When a fellowis being cut by the house, he ought, by all the laws of schooletiquette, to behave as such, and not speak till he is spoken to.

　　"What do you want?" asked Linton.

　　"I shan't keep you long. Do you think you could put away that book fora minute, and listen?"Linton hesitated, then shut the book.

　　"Hurry up, then," he said.

　　"I was going to," said Sheen. "I simply came in to tell you that I knowperfectly well who sunk my boat this afternoon."He felt at once that he had now got Linton's undivided attention.

　　"Your boat!" said Linton. "You don't mean to say that was yours! Whaton earth were you doing at the place?""I don't think that's any business of yours, is it, Linton?""How did you get back?""I don't think that's any business of yours, either. I daresay you'redisappointed, but I did manage to get back. In time for lock-up, too.""But I don't understand. Do you mean to say that that was your boat wetook?""Sunk," corrected Sheen.

　　"Don't be a fool, Sheen. What the dickens should we want to sink yourboat for? What happened was this. Albert--you remember Albert?--followedus up to the inn, and smashed our boat while we were having tea. Whenwe got out and found it sunk, we bagged the only other one we couldsee. We hadn't a notion it was yours. We thought it belonged to somefisherman chap.""Then you didn't sink my boat?""Of course we didn't. What do you take us for?""Sorry," said Sheen. "I thought it was a queer thing for you to havedone. I'm glad it wasn't you. Good night.""But look here," said Linton, "don't go. It must have landed you in afrightful hole, didn't it?""A little. But it doesn't matter. Good night.""But half a second, Sheen--"Sheen had disappeared.

　　Linton sat on till lights were turned off, ruminating. He had a verytender conscience where other members of the school were concerned,though it was tougher as regarded masters; and he was full of remorseat the thought of how nearly he had got Sheen into trouble by borrowinghis boat that afternoon. It seemed to him that it was his duty to makeit up to him in some way.

　　It was characteristic of Linton that the episode did not, in any way,alter his attitude towards Sheen. Another boy in a similar positionmight have become effusively friendly. Linton looked on the affair in acalm, judicial spirit. He had done Sheen a bad turn, but that was noreason why he should fling himself on his neck and swear eternalfriendship. His demeanour on the occasions when they came in contactwith each other remained the same. He did not speak to him, and he didnot seem to see him. But all the while he was remembering that somehowor other he must do him a good turn of some sort, by way of levellingthings up again. When that good turn had been done, he might dismisshim from his thoughts altogether.

　　Sheen, for his part, made no attempt to trade on the matter of theboat. He seemed as little anxious to be friendly with Linton as Lintonwas to be friendly with him. For this Linton was grateful, andcontinued to keep his eyes open in the hope of finding some opportunityof squaring up matters between them.

　　His chance was not long in coming. The feeling in the house againstSheen, caused by the story of his encounter with Attell, had notdiminished. Stanning had fostered it in various little ways. It was notdifficult. When a house of the standing in the school which Seymour'spossessed exhibits a weak spot, the rest of the school do not require agreat deal of encouragement to go on prodding that weak spot. In short,the school rotted Seymour's about Sheen, and Seymour's ragedimpotently. Fags of other houses expended much crude satire onSeymour's fags, and even the seniors of the house came in for theirshare of the baiting. Most of the houses at Wrykyn were jealous ofSeymour's, and this struck them as an admirable opportunity of gettingsomething of their own back.

　　One afternoon, not long after Sheen's conversation with Linton,Stanning came into Seymour's senior day-room and sat down on the table.

　　The senior day-room objected to members of other houses coming andsitting on their table as if they had bought that rickety piece offurniture; but Stanning's reputation as a bruiser kept their resentmentwithin bounds.

　　"Hullo, you chaps," said Stanning.

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