The Inked      Surplice             5
excuse had never been offered by a college boy before.
What do you mean"
  " We were ordered to wear clean surplices this
afternoon. I brought mine to college this morning;
I left it here in the vestry, and took the dirty one
home. Well, sir, when I came to put it on this after-
noon, it was gone."
  " How could it have gone  Nonsense, sir ! Who
would touch your surplice"
  " But I could not find it, sir," repeated Bywater.
"The choristers know I couldn't; and they left me
hunting for it when they went into the hall to receive
the judges. I could not go into my stall, sir, and sing
the anthem without my surplice."
  " Hurst had no business to sing it," was the vexed
rejoinder of the master. " You know your voice is
gone, Hurst. You should have gone up to the organist,
stated the case, and had another anthem put up."
  " But, sir, I was expecting Bywater in every minute.
I thought he'd be sure to find his surplice somewhere,"
was Hurst's defence. " And when he did not come,
and it grew too late to do anything, I thought it better
to take the anthem myself than to give it to a junior,
who would be safe to have made a mull of it. Better
for the judges and other strangers to hear a faded
voice in Helstonleigh Cathedral, than to hear bad
singing. "
  The master did not speak. So far, Hurst's argu-
ment had reason in it.
  " And-I beg your pardon for what I am about to
say, sir," Hurst went on: " but I hope you will allow
me to assure you beforehand, that neither I, nor my
juniors under me, have had a hand in this affair.
Bywater has just told me that the surplice is found.
and how; and blame is sure to be cast to us; but I
declare that not one of us has been in the mischief."
  Mr. Pye opened his eyes.    " What now" he
asked. " What is the mischief"
  " I found the surplice afterwards, sir," Bywater said.
  This is it.'"
  He spoke meaningly, as if preparing them for a sur-
prise, and pointed to a corner of the vestry. There
lay a clean, but tumbled surplice, half soaked in ink.