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 and the fight began. What chiefly struck him, knowing that there was no quarrel between the two, was the hearty way in which they were exchanging blows; neither of them, it was evident, remembered anything, but that there was some one in front of him who was trying to hit him and whom he must try to hit back again as hard as he could. Between each round Orr pulled Piggy back on to his knee, and would whisper to him and point out, if you could judge at least: from his manner, how best Tub's play was to be met. Piggy, however, seemed to pay but little heed and only sat there breathing hard and, with a fixed fierce stare such as was quite new to Jaspar, glared across at Tub through eyes which were already more than half bunged-up. And round him he overheard one or two of the other chaps bragging of what they would have done had they been fighting; but the most kept silence; they were afraid no doubt lest, if they made any rash promise of the kind, when their turn came, it should be brought up against them. And so the fight went on until at last it was interrupted by the sound of the bell ringing for tea and then Orr gave the signal to stop and told them to go and make themselves as tidy as they could in the Lavatory just outside; and the rest too began to hurry off, evidently not a little relieved at having at least for this time escaped. Jaspar would have followed them, but there was Orr standing in the middle of the room and only too plainly waiting for him.

'Come here!' he cried, as the last of the others disappeared through the doorway.

With an effort he broke the sort of spell that had kept him rooted, as it were, to that one spot and slowly, without a word, began to obey.

'Come closer!' cried Orr again, as he stopped a few paces off; and he did as he was told. So, for what seemed quite a long time, he stood in front of the other, his eyes fixed on the floor, his arms by his side, experiencing the same curious but not unpleasant sensations he had often had before when waiting to see what Orr would do to him.

'Look here, my young gentleman!' he began at last, 'what