"We shall have to create three new School monitors at the end of the term. Have you any candidates, Allnutt?"
"You can select any boy in my House you like," replied Allnutt. He was habitually truculent to those set in authority over him,--he regarded them as a humanised form of red tape,--but the shrewd Head, who knew that Allnutt was a good man at bottom, suffered him with humourous resignation. "They are all equally incompetent. Luckily I am in the habit of looking after my House myself, and not leaving it to half-baked policemen."
"Thank you," said the Head. "That leaves me with a comfortably free hand. Have you any one to recommend, Brett?"
"Yes," said Brett. "I have. I have considered the matter most carefully. I have at least four boys who would make admirable monitors--"
"Game all!" said Mr. Allnutt impatiently. "Your deal, Brett."
--"And I have decided," continued Mr. Brett, bending his brows judicially, "to recommend Ericson and Smythe."
"Nincompoops, both of them," observed Mr. Allnutt at once.
"I fancy Brett was addressing the Headmaster," said Haydock drily.
"Oh, this is quite an informal discussion," said Mr. Allnutt cheerfully. "The best boys in your House, Brett, are Meldrum and Lemaire. Why don't you recommend them?"
With a great effort Mr. Brett kept his temper.
"They do not happen to be House prefects," he replied stiffly, "and are therefore ineligible for monitorships."
Much to Mr. Brett's discomfiture, all three of his companions turned and gazed at him in undisguised astonishment.
"Why, man," burst out Mr. Allnutt, "Lemaire is the most brilliant boy in the School!"
"His bodily infirmity"--began Mr. Brett majestically.
"I see, I see," said Allnutt. "Bodily infirmity is a bar to promotion in your House; but not mental infirmity--eh? I suppose you have noticed that Ericson is a congenital idiot?"
Mr. Brett, pursing his lips, began to deal the cards with great stateliness.
"And what about Meldrum?" continued Mr. Allnutt, following up his attack. "He has more character than all the rest of your House put together."
"Unfortunately," replied Mr. Brett icily, "he has no brains."
Here Mr. Brett made a serious blunder. He offended the only man in the room who might have felt inclined to protect him from the bludgeonings of Mr. Allnutt. Mr. Haydock happened to be senior mathematical master at Studley, and like all broad-minded men hated anything like intellectual snobbery.