8 WANDERINGS AND MEMORIES 



help, and that would have made a scene, and 

 possibly called the attention of some meddlesome 

 Sixth Form boy or a master. 



Once in safety I found one of my friends, and 

 instructed him to watch the main road approach 

 to the Porter's Lodge and to tell of the advent of 

 " Pat " Drury. Scarce a minute elapsed when he 

 announced the coming of the master, so, taking my 

 friend's arm, we strolled out, and as we passed him 

 took off our caps in the approved fashion. 



" Pat " stood perfectly still in the middle of the 

 road staring at me. He was too much astonished 

 even to say a word. I had proved an alibi. 



The result of this little adventure, of course, 

 became school gossip, and it was not long before 

 " Pat " heard how he had been outwitted. No 

 master likes being made fun of, and, though the boys 

 enjoyed the joke, the subject thereof swore he 

 would lay himself out to catch me, and how he 

 eventually succeeded is another story. 



As all who have been at public schools know, 

 there is always a certain rivalry and even enmity 

 between the boys of the school and those of the 

 town. Marlborough was not different from other 

 places. There were groups of rough boys who 

 liked to get up a fight on some pretext, and take 

 what they considered some of the conceit out of 

 the boys of the college. Fights of any magnitude 

 were rare, but there was one small gang, led by a 

 big red-haired boy named Dixon, who used stones 

 and catapults, and who never failed to attack my 

 little band whenever opportunity offered. 



Dixon was my arch-enemy, and was a good shot. 

 I had had two single-handed duels with him. In 



