Bad news spreads quickly. By the quarter to eleven interval next daythe facts concerning Wyatt and Mr. Wain were public property. Mike, asan actual spectator of the drama, was in great request as aninformant. As he told the story to a group of sympathisers outside theschool shop, Burgess came up, his eyes rolling in a fine frenzy.

　　"Anybody seen young--oh, here you are. What's all this about JimmyWyatt? They're saying he's been sacked, or some rot."[Illustration: "WHAT'S ALL THIS ABOUT JIMMY WYATT?"]

　　"So he has--at least, he's got to leave.""What? When?""He's left already. He isn't coming to school again."Burgess's first thought, as befitted a good cricket captain, was forhis team.

　　"And the Ripton match on Saturday!"Nobody seemed to have anything except silent sympathy at his command.

　　"Dash the man! Silly ass! What did he want to do it for! Poor oldJimmy, though!" he added after a pause. "What rot for him!""Beastly," agreed Mike.

　　"All the same," continued Burgess, with a return to the austere mannerof the captain of cricket, "he might have chucked playing the goattill after the Ripton match. Look here, young Jackson, you'll turn outfor fielding with the first this afternoon. You'll play on Saturday.""All right," said Mike, without enthusiasm. The Wyatt disaster was toorecent for him to feel much pleasure at playing against Ripton_vice_ his friend, withdrawn.

　　Bob was the next to interview him. They met in the cloisters.

　　"Hullo, Mike!" said Bob. "I say, what's all this about Wyatt?""Wain caught him getting back into the dorm. last night afterNeville-Smith's, and he's taken him away from the school.""What's he going to do? Going into that bank straight away?""Yes. You know, that's the part he bars most. He'd have been leavinganyhow in a fortnight, you see; only it's awful rot for a chap likeWyatt to have to go and froust in a bank for the rest of his life.""He'll find it rather a change, I expect. I suppose you won't beseeing him before he goes?""I shouldn't think so. Not unless he comes to the dorm. during thenight. He's sleeping over in Wain's part of the house, but I shouldn'tbe surprised if he nipped out after Wain has gone to bed. Hope hedoes, anyway.""I should like to say good-bye. But I don't suppose it'll bepossible."They separated in the direction of their respective form-rooms. Mikefelt bitter and disappointed at the way the news had been received.

　　Wyatt was his best friend, his pal; and it offended him that theschool should take the tidings of his departure as they had done. Mostof them who had come to him for information had expressed a sort ofsympathy with the absent hero of his story, but the chief sensationseemed to be one of pleasurable excitement at the fact that somethingbig had happened to break the monotony of school routine. They treatedthe thing much as they would have treated the announcement that arecord score had been made in first-class cricket. The school was notso much regretful as comfortably thrilled. And Burgess had actuallycursed before sympathising. Mike felt resentful towards Burgess. As amatter of fact, the cricket captain wrote a letter to Wyatt duringpreparation that night which would have satisfied even Mike's sense ofwhat was fit. But Mike had no opportunity of learning this.

　　There was, however, one exception to the general rule, one member ofthe school who did not treat the episode as if it were merely aninteresting and impersonal item of sensational news. Neville-Smithheard of what had happened towards the end of the interval, and rushedoff instantly in search of Mike. He was too late to catch him beforehe went to his form-room, so he waited for him at half-past twelve,when the bell rang for the end of morning school.

　　"I say, Jackson, is this true about old Wyatt?"Mike nodded.

　　"What happened?"Mike related the story for the sixteenth time. It was a melancholypleasure to have found a listener who heard the tale in the rightspirit. There was no doubt about Neville-Smith's interest andsympathy. He was silent for a moment after Mike had finished.

　　"It was all my fault," he said at length. "If it hadn't been for me,this wouldn't have happened. What a fool I was to ask him to my place!

　　I might have known he would be caught.............