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 'Oh, that's all jolly fine, but just you wait until we get you alone!'

But once he had dropped into a seat, no one seemed to pay him any further heed, and he began to look about. How ever could they laugh and talk as they were doing? And how, above all, could they find such an appetite for those stodgy blocks of bread and scrape? He supposed—though it was hard to realise—that he would by and by be one of them, and feeling towards some new chap as doubtless they were then doing towards him; but he was sure that no one ever would see him helping with anything like the heartiness which they displayed to clear of their contents those high-piled dishes they were pushing about the clothless table, up and down and from side to side. But he thought he would like a little tea; and very shyly and politely he asked his neighbour on the form to give him some.

'What is it you want? Tea?' inquired the boy whom he had thus addressed, stopping in the midst of an animated conversation with some one on his other side; and then in an assured voice that, as Jaspar felt, contrasted curiously with his own diffident tones:

'I say, Piggy,' he cried, 'shove us over the jug, will you?'

'It's made out of the fellows' old slate-pencil ends, you know!' he added, as he saw the look of dismay wherewith the other considered the greyish-coloured fluid to which he was being helped. Jaspar felt vaguely there was something very winning and pleasant in the way he spoke and laughed. But he had scarce set his lips to the mug, when there was a great scuffling of feet and a scraping of forms pushed back and everybody stood up for Grace. Some little distance off at the farther end of the room, over the heads of the boys, he could see the Doctor who, his eyes fast shut, and waggling to and fro his old white poll, was mumbling out some form of thanks to which, hardly waiting for the last word—'carter' it appeared to be—they all sang out 'Amen!' and began to troop tumultuously out; he could hear the foremost noisily hurrying upstairs, and hulloing and whooping as they went.