Sung with an enthusiasm that carried it to almost every part of the school, it served also as an advertisement, reminding the boys that something was afoot. Chessmen were bundled into boxes, darts were left sticking in boards, and there was a fairly general exodus from the play-room to the play-house. Robin, peeping through the side-curtains during Allan a Dale's solo (which, unluckily, was somewhat marred by the tramping of feet), observed with pride that the Captain of Foxenby had entered with the Prefect of Rooke's House, closely followed by Luke Harwood, Broome, and other Sixth Form boys of both houses.
All chose seats as far back as they could get, but most of them were in time to applaud Allan a Dale, who, under less disturbing conditions, would doubtless have taken an encore.
"I'll nip down the steps and lock the door, before we start the riddles," said Robin. "Otherwise the clumping of feet will spoil the fun."
How heartily he wished, a moment later, that this thought had occurred to him earlier! Before he could put it into execution the Squirms entered in a body, saw the empty seats, and noisily took possession of them. Then, chattering like rooks in a tree, they settled down to watch, if not to listen.
"Just what I most feared," said Little John, moodily. "Now we shall have them gaping at us like stuffed fish all the time."
"Don't get stage-fright about it, chaps," Robin urged. "They'll not dare to fly at us while the Captain and both prefects are here. Fancy they're off the earth!"
Signs of impatience on the other side of the curtain caused him to bustle his Merry Men on to the stage for the next item. Just as he had hoped and believed, the riddles took the fancy of the mixed audience. Forge's jolly laugh was early noticeable; Harwood clapped heartily and several times called out "Good!" Even solemn old Lyon chuckled now and then, and only Roger Cayton kept a fairly straight face.
"Can't think why you don't laugh, Roger, old man," Dick said. "Funny as a circus, I call it."
"They're comical kids, right enough," Roger admitted.
"I was thinking more of the riddles than of them. All-round leg-pullers! Flashes of real wit, and so topical. That riddle about Fluffy Jim, for instance--would you have guessed it? I shouldn't in a blue moon."