a burst of laughter greeted ralph's ears as he opened the study door, and some one said:

"look sharp. here he comes! hurry up there, elgert!"

but the laughter died away somewhat awkwardly when the boys saw that charlton was not alone, and one or two of the boys came up to ralph.

"hallo, you new fellow! they surely haven't put you to chum with charlton, have they? what a shame! i should kick against it. some one else must make room for you."

such were the remarks of those who had taken a fancy to ralph, but he paid no heed to it all. he just calmly gazed round, as if counting the number of boys there and taking their measure; and then he quite as calmly shut the door, locked it, and put the key in his pocket. those present looked in surprise for a moment—some laughed, and one, a tall, handsome boy, came haughtily up to him.

"what do you mean by that?" he demanded. "how dare you lock that door?"

[pg 46]

ralph regarded him with the utmost coolness. no one had told him who the boy was, and yet he seemed to know—he felt sure that this was none other than horace elgert himself.

"wait a bit," he said calmly. "so far as i understand, this study belongs to charlton and myself. we have a perfect right to lock the door."

"but not to lock us in," retorted elgert. "open it at once, and think yourself lucky that you don't get a licking for your impudence!"

"steady!" was ralph's answer. "it seems to me that if you had not been where you have no right to be, you would not have got locked in; and now that you are here, you must wait my pleasure as to going out."

this was beginning school life with a vengeance, but ralph believed in settling things once and for all, and his indignation was hot as he saw what these half dozen lads had been doing.

but horace elgert was not a boy to be spoken to like that, and he came striding up to ralph to take the key by force.

"i will soon settle you," he began, and he aimed a blow at this impertinent new boy's head, only somehow the blow did not get there. ralph adroitly stepped aside, and the honourable horace elgert stumbled to the ground violently.

"a fight! a fight!" cried the rest; but ralph smiled and shook his head.

[pg 47]

"oh, no, my friends. i have something better to do, and this is not the place for fighting."

they were staggered. they could not understand this coolness and, moreover, they had all heard about ralph having tackled the bull, and the story had grown somewhat. they stood considerably in awe of this boy from the western plains, and they began to wish that they were anywhere else than in his study.

horace elgert got up, his face white with passion but he made no more attempts to take the key from ralph.

"you are right," he said, in suppressed tones; "this is not the place to fight. open the door, and we will soon settle things."

"presently," was all the answer he got. "now, then, let us see what you have been up to."

he glanced round at the books tumbled on the floor, at a desk upset, at an ink-bottle on its side, and then turned to his chum.

but charlton was standing, looking very white, and staring at a picture on the wall—the picture of a lady, and beneath it some one had written—

"this is charlton's mammy. but where is his daddy? puzzle—find daddy, and tell the police."

ralph felt his nerves tingle. he felt sure that elgert had done that, and he remembered the words of lord elgert respecting his own father.

"who did that?" he said, and no one answered. he went up to elgert. "did you do it?"

[pg 48]

"well, if i did, what is it to do with you? mind your own business!"

"take that scrawl down. quick, or i shall lose my temper, and then i fancy some one will get hurt! down with it! that is right"—as the other, considerably startled, pulled the writing down. "give it to me."

it was remarkable how the daring of the one lad held the half dozen in check. elgert handed him the paper, and ralph tore it up and threw the fragments into his face.

"now then, you have upset this room. just put it straight again, and look sharp about it!" he said. "and please to understand that charlton and i are chums, and mean to stick together. oh, and i want a word with you"—and he walked up to dobson, who turned a trifle more pasty-looking than before. "do you know what these are?"

ralph produced two wads of chewed blotting-paper from his pocket as he spoke, and dobson blustered—

"you keep to your chum, since you are so thick with him. i don't want anything to do with you. i say, you chaps, are you going to let him crow over you like this? rush him!"

"good advice; only, why don't you do the rushing first?" said ralph. "i asked you if you recognized these. if you don't, i will tell you what they are—they are pieces of blotting-paper, which you chewed and then threw at me. they came out of your mouth,[pg 49] and they are going back there again—when i have mopped up this ink which you have spilt." ralph suited the action to the word, and presented the two unpalatable-looking objects to dobson, who was at once a coward and a bully. "now, then, open your mouth!"

"i won't! who do you think that you are? i—— oh!"

for ralph did not argue. he grabbed hold of dobson, and with a quick jerk sent him backwards across the little study table.

"oh, oh! you are breaking my back!" howled the bully.

"open your mouth!"

"i won't! oh, help me, you fellows—he will break my back! oh! ugh! ow! i am choking!" for, just as he opened his mouth to yell, ralph had pushed both those pieces of blotting-paper in.

"now, then, take them," he said. "quick, or it will be the worse for you!"

dobson, with many queer grimaces, had to comply—it was the most unsavoury morsel which he had tasted for many a day.

dobson had to comply

"dobson, with many queer grimaces, had to comply." p. 49

"now! ah, i see that you have straightened things!" ralph went on. "now you chaps can go, and the next time you want to come into our study take my advice and ask leave, or there will be more trouble. clear out!"

and he unlocked the door and flung it open.

[pg 50]

and out those half dozen boys went, looking considerably crestfallen and stupid, and knowing also that they were cowards—they were all frightened by ralph, so greatly does one of dauntless bearing affect a number.

but one boy turned, and that one was horace elgert, and he came back and gave ralph look for look.

"look here, you new fellow!" he said, "you have been very clever, but you have done a bad day's work for yourself. you have made one enemy at least. as for that insult which you offered me, you will have to fight me for it; and as for you, you miserable cub"—and he turned towards charlton, who cowered back before his raised fist—"as for you, i will——"

"hold hard—you will do nothing!" answered ralph, with the utmost good humour. "you are talking tall, that is all about it. now, take my advice, and go; and when you are calmer, you will see things differently. and then, as to fighting—well, i shall not run away in the meantime. clear!"

and with that he shut the door and locked it behind his discomfited foes. then, seating himself, he looked at the bewildered charlton, and laughed again as he saw the look of admiration in his face.

"there, i think that has taught them a lesson! we shall not have them upset our study again," he said. "one must maintain one's rights, and we may[pg 51] as well begin as we mean to go on. so this is our study, is it?"

"yes, if you will share it with me," the other boy said. and ralph answered—

"share it? of course i shall share it with you! did not you hear mr. delermain say that we were to share it?"

"but most fellows don't like me, because—because——"

"never mind why," interrupted ralph, anxious to spare the boy's feelings. "i heard something about your father being gone; well, my father is gone, you know"—and ralph's voice shook a little—"and so we two ought to be chums, and help each other. then, i suppose that you know more than i do; for, except at roping a steer or rounding up a herd of cattle, i am afraid that i am not of much use. you will be able to help me on no end."

"what! i help you?" gasped charlton. "how can i do that?"

"you know greek and latin, and goodness knows how much more, that i am only just at the beginning of, and you will be able to give me a hand with it. i want to get on and pick up things as quickly as i can."

"i might help you that way, if you would let me," the boy said doubtfully. and ralph laughed.

"what a chap you are! have i not told you that i shall be downright thankful: and there you keep[pg 52] on about if i will let you. come, shake hands upon it! charlton, we two are chums, and we are going to stick together and help each other. is that so?"

"yes, if you will. i shall be so glad to have a chum, because it has been rather lonely sometimes; and then, you see, i am not very strong, and i am not brave like you, and the fellows know it, and they try to play all sorts of tricks upon me. do you really mean to be my chum, rexworth?"

"really and truly! now, let us go down, and then you can show me what the place is like," was ralph's answer. and the two, descending to the playground were met by warren, who stopped and looked from ralph to charlton, and then asked—

"i say, rexworth, what have you been up to so soon? there is dobson declaring that he will do all manner of things to you. you seem to have been having some fun already."

so ralph explained what had happened, and the monitor laughed until the tears ran down his cheeks.

"well, all i can say is that you are a cool hand," was his comment, "and i am not sorry that you have taught dobson a lesson. you have not much to fear from him, but you will find that elgert, for all he is an honourable, has precious little honour about him. he will pay you back if he gets the chance, be sure of that. however," he went on, "i am glad that you[pg 53] two are chums, for i think you will like each other; but there is the bell for tea. come on, or we shall be late."

the rest of that day passed without further incident and at last the boys—evening preparation and supper over—went trooping to their dormitories, there to laugh and chat as they undressed; and many glances were bestowed upon ralph. his exploit of that afternoon had been spoken of, and there was no attempt to play any jokes upon one who was prepared to take his own part so vigorously.

but presently the laughing suddenly stopped, and something like a hush of surprise succeeded the noise. warren seated on the edge of his bed, looked round to see what had happened—he thought that one of the masters had come in unexpectedly; but he saw his companions standing glancing across towards the spot where ralph's bed was, and he, following their gaze, saw that the boy who was ready to face half a dozen of his companions, was down on his knees, his head bent upon his hands in prayer.

warren felt a thrill of shame. he was a real good lad at heart, but somehow he did not do that—none of them did—they thought that public prayers were enough; and yet he had promised his mother that each night he would kneel alone in prayer.

some of the boys were tittering, some looked grave. warren suddenly found himself resolved. "if a thing should be done, do it at once," was his motto. he gave[pg 54] one hasty glance round, half ashamed, half defiant, and then, in the sight of all his companions, the fourth form monitor also knelt down by his bed, following the brave example set by ralph rexworth.