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Solution Manual for Project Management in Practice, 5th
Edition, Jack R. Meredith, Samuel J. Mantel, Jr. Scott M.
Shafer Margaret M. Sutton
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1/The World of Project Management
1-2
among two processes for producing its new model. The proposed project for initiating a new
production process promises to eliminate start-up production problems and improve quality
but may be less flexible for downstream product improvements. A 13 page teaching note is
available for this case (5-692-094).

1-3
Harvard: 9-689-073 Plus Development Corp. (B) (Abridged); 9-693-064 (C). These two cases,
normally meant to follow the (A) case (see Chapter 2), describe the need for this corporation to
select between alternative methods of product development. The situation is exacerbated by
competitors’ aggressive actions in the market and mixed results with current development
procedures. A 21 page teaching note is available(5-690-093).
Some readings appropriate to the subject of this chapter are:
J.K. Pinto et al. Lessons for an Accidental Profession (Business Horizons, March-April 1995).
This reading describes the common occurrence of someone suddenly being appointed a project
manager and finding he or she has been inadequately trained for the task. Based on the
authors’ own experiences and interviews with dozens of senior project managers, they distill
twelve guidelines for new project managers. The guidelines run the gamut from project
initiation, through planning, to execution, to close-out. Some are technical, some are
uncommon sense, and many are philosophical, and sometimes political. But they are sage
advice, not only for the novice but for the experienced project manager as well.
1. Cooke-Davies (2002). The real success factors on projects (International Journal of
Project Management, vol. 20, #3, pp 185-190).
This reading uses three questions to question on which factors are critical to project
success. The questions are: ‘‘What factors lead to project management success?’’,
‘‘What factors lead to a successful project?’’ and ‘‘What factors lead to consistently
successful projects?’’ This paper is based on empirical research from more than 70 large
multi-national or national organizations It i identifies 12 factors that are, in one way or
another, critical to project success.
2. Thomas, G & Fernández, W. (2008), Success in IT projects: A matter of definition?
(International Journal of Project Management, 26, 733-742). This reading investigates
how project management success is defined and measured within companies in
different industries. The study was done in Australia and provides an international
perspective on project success. The authors suggest that when success criteria are
formally defined and then measured, IT project outcomes are improved and project
resources are better utilized.

1-4
Answers to Review Questions
1. What is the primary role of a project manager?
Managing the tradeoffs among the three project goals (cost, scope, time) is in fact the
primary role of the project manager.
2. Contrast a project from a nonproject.
The difference between a project and a nonproject is not always crystal clear. At base,
however, projects are unique, have a specific deliverable, and have a specific due date while
nonprojects usually do not have all these characteristics.
3. Contrast win-lose negotiation, lose-lose negotiation and win-win negotiation and explain
why the latter is so important in project management.
Win-lose negotiation is like a zero-sum game. Anything one side wins is a loss for the other
side. In win-win negotiation, the outcome is such that both parties gain something from the
interchange.
Win-lose negotiating is dangerous for project managers who will have to deal with the same
parties over and over again. The project manager who forces a functional manager to lose
will have created a permanent enemy.
4. Identify the three goals of a project and describe how the project manager achieves them.
What does it mean for a project to be “overdetermined?”
The three goals of a project are:
1. On time,
2. On budget, and
3. To specification (i.e., including “quality” and “client satisfaction”).
The project manager meets the goals by making “trade-offs.” For example, he/she can
shorten the project duration by using more resources.
An overdetermined project is one that has a fixed budget, fixed delivery time, and fixed
specifications (i.e., all three goals are fixed). In reality, projects must have some flexibility to
allow for chance events. In the case of an overdetermined project, there is no allowance for
any such events.

1-5
5. Contrast the two types of project life cycle and discuss why it is important to know which
type the current project is following.
The traditional project life cycle (the S-shaped curve) is concave to the baseline during the
last stages in the project life (i.e., the curve runs parallel to the x-axis). Some projects,
however, have a life cycle curve that is convex to the baseline at the end of the project life
(i.e. the curve runs parallel to the y-axis). This is known as a J-shaped curve).
The main reason one should understand the difference is that resource allocation for the
two types is quite different. (Cf. Chapters 4 and 6.)
6. How does the weighted scoring approach avoid the drawbacks of the NPV approach? Can
the two approaches be combined? How? What weights would be appropriate if they
were combined?
The weighted scoring model allows the introduction of nonmonetary and even qualitative
elements into the selection criteria. It also allows long-run benefits and risks to be
considered.
The two approaches can be combined by including NPV as a criterion in the scoring model.
Criteria weights are always selected with the approval of the organization’s senior policy
makers, but typically the weight on NPV will be quite high if not the highest.
7. What advantages are lost if the sum of the weights in a weighted scoring approach does
not add to 1.0? Why is it suggested that factors with less than 2 percent or 3 percent
impact not be considered in this approach?
If the weights in a scoring model are normalized to sum to 1.0, each individual weight
becomes the percent contribution that criterion makes to the score of whatever is being
considered. This makes it simple and quick to see the relative value of that criterion against
the others.
Dealing with criteria with such small impact on the final choice uses considerable amounts
of the decision makers’ time and effort and contributes little to the choice.
8. Draw a distinction between a project and a program. Why is the distinction important?
A program is a large generalized effort consisting of a coherent, often integrated set of
projects.
The distinction is important because to accomplish a program, it is critical to manage its
constituent projects so that they make an optimum contribution to the overall program.
This is the basic principal behind the creation of a “project portfolio.”

1-6
9. Why is it important for a project to have “flexibility”?
Flexibility is needed in every project because projects are carried out in an uncertain world
which often impedes one or more of the project’s goals. This is why projects should not be
“over determined.”
10. Why are R&D projects in a company’s Aggregate Project Plan significantly different in type
from the firm’s Derivative, Breakthrough, and Platform projects?
R&D projects seek to develop new knowledge which hopefully will become the basis for one
or more of the other three types of projects: breakthrough, platform, and derivative.

1-7
Suggested Answers to Discussion Questions
11. Contrast the three types of nonnumeric project selection methods. Could any specific
case combine two of them, such as the sacred cow and the operating necessity, or the
comparative benefits and the competitive necessity?
The three types of non-numeric selection models are quite similar in that they have set a
single criterion for choice. They differ in that the criteria are different.
An example of using a combination of the sacred cow and the competitive necessity criteria
might be a case where a project is set up to find a new and more effective advertising
campaign to improve sales for a product suggested by the CEO.
A combination of comparative benefits and the competitive necessity models might be used
to choose the appropriate extensions for an application software program that seems too
limited in its current level of development to maintain its place in the market.
12. What errors in a firm’s project portfolio might the Wheelwright and Clark aggregate
project plan graphically identify?
The method will allow senior management to identify the absence or over/under
representation of any of the four types of projects; derivative, platform, break through, and
R&D. Management can then control the number and direction of each of the types as well
as the types as a set or portfolio. The representation might not just be limited to the
number of projects but also the resource size of the projects, or their timing.
13. You are the project manager of a team of software specialists working on a project to
produce a piece of application software in the field of project management. Give some
examples of things that might go wrong on such a project and the sorts of trade-offs you
might have to make.
Some of the things that might go wrong would include:
o The project could be delayed … and the project manager could respond by
contracting out, at a higher cost, some of the code writing to shorten the duration of
that activity.

1-8
o The project could exceed its budget … and the project manager could respond by
negotiating for the removal of some of the less-important program capabilities, that
is, reducing the scope.
14. In Figure 1- 6, what distribution of large and small circles and squares across the four
boxes would characterize a strong, well-positioned product development business? A
weak business?
A well-positioned product development business would generally be characterized by an
appropriate mix of R&D, breakthrough, platform, and derivative projects. Generally
speaking, a strong product development company will have a mix of all four types of
projects with the appropriate mix determined by the organization’s overall business
strategy. For example:
o Organizations that compete by offering a continuous stream of new products based
on the latest technology would likely have a high proportion of breakthrough and
R&D projects, some platform projects, and very few, if any, derivative projects.
o On the other hand, an organization that competes in relatively mature markets on
the basis of costs may have a lower proportion, or no, R&D projects and a higher
proportion of derivative projects.
A weak and poorly-positioned product development business is generally characterized by
too large a proportion of simple derivative projects and a mix of projects that are weakly
linked to its overall business strategy.

1-9
15. Give several examples of projects found in your city, region, or country – avoiding those
used as examples in the chapter.
Some projects which might be given as examples include:
Construction of a sports stadium.
Offering a New Parents Workshop at a church.
Building of a large mall or shopping center.
Repaving of streets and highways.
Organizing the homecoming at a local college.
Organizing and conducting a military training exercise.
Conducting a census of the population.
Organizing and holding a political convention, and,
Conducting a bank robbery.
16. For each of the projects identified in the answer to Question 14, is the life cycle for the
project S-shaped or J-shaped?
Construction of a sports stadium – S shaped
New Parents Workshop — S or J shaped
Building of a large mall or shopping center – S shaped
Repaving of streets and highways – S shaped
Organizing the homecoming at a local college – J shaped
Organizing and conducting a military training exercise – S or J shaped
Conducting a census of the population – S shaped
Organizing and holding a political convention – S or J shaped
Conducting a bank robbery – J shaped

1-10
17. Construct a list of factors, conditions, and circumstances you think might be important for
a manufacturing firm to evaluate during the project selection process. Do the same for a
computer repair shop.
Manufacturing firm
o Production factors Energy requirements, time required for installation, raw material
usage.
o Marketing factors Potential market size, probable market share, time till target
market share is acquired, estimated life of product.
o Financial factors Profitability, effect on cash flows, time until breakeven.
o Personnel factors Labor requirements, availability of appropriate labor, impact on
working conditions.
o Other factors Impact on environment, meeting government safety standards,
patent protections, impact on our image in the industry.
Similar factors could be identified for the computer repair shop as well as others such as:
o Customer service Time to repair, cost to repair, reputation.
18. How might you use project management in doing a major school work assignment?
The strong emphasis on planning and scheduling will increase the likelihood of finishing a
term project or paper on time. The planning also improves the chance that the project will
be well-structured and have the appropriate content.

1-11
Solutions to Problems
19. A four-year financial project is forecast to have net cash inflows of $20,000; $25,000;
$30,000; and $50,000 in the next four years. It will cost $75,000 to implement the project,
payable at the beginning of the project. If the required rate of return is 0.2, conduct a
discounted cash flow calculation to determine the NPV.
In order to answer this question, the student needs to discount the cash flows in years 1
through 4 ($20,000, $25,000, $30,000 and $50,000 respectively) to the present using a 30%
discount rate and compare this value with the initial outflow of $75,000. Using the NPV Excel
formula gives the following analysis:
A B C D E
1 Req Rate of Return 20.0%
2
3 Year Cash Flow
4 0 -$75,000
5 1 $20,000
6 2 $25,000
7 3 $30,000 =B4+NPV(B1,B5:B8)
8 4 $50,000
9 NPV $502
20. A company has established a project team to identify a location for a new manufacturing
facility. Use a weighted scoring model to analyze three candidate locations (A, B, C) for
setting up the new factory. The relative weights for each criterion are shown in the
following table. A score of 1 represents unfavorable, 2 satisfactory, and 3 favorable.

1-12
This problem requires that the student set up a matrix as indicated below:
A B C D E F
1 Category Weight A B C
2 Labor costs 20 1 2 3
3 Labor productivity 20 2 3 1
4 Labor supply 10 2 1 3
5 Union relations 10 3 3 2
6 Material supply 10 2 1 1
7 Transport costs 25 1 2 3
8 Infrastructure 5 2 2 2
9
10 Score 165 210 225
11
12
=SUMPRODUCT($B2:$B8,C2:C8)
13
copy to cells D10:E10
14
As shown in the spreadsheet above, location C is the best location based on the weighted
scores (i.e., it has the highest value).
Note: These weights happen to sum to 100 but this is not necessary. Of course, when the
weights are normalized they must sum to 100 except for rounding errors.
21. (a) Compare your answer in Problem 20 to the answer you would have found if you had
used an unweighted, 0-1 scoring model. Assume that a score of 1 means does not qualify
and a 2 or 3 means it does qualify.
As shown below, that would result in a score of five for all three projects.
Location
Category A B C
Labor costs
Labor productivity
Labor supply
x
x
x
x
x
x
Union relations x x x
Material supply
Transport costs
x
x x
Infrastructure x x x
Count 5 5 5

1-13
(b) Next, revise the unweighted model by deleting all categories that, as recommended,
have a weight of less than 20 percent. Compare to your answer to (a) above and also
Problem 20. Which method seems best?
Deleting all categories that have a weight of less than 20 percent result in selecting B with a
count of three, as shown below.
Location
Category A B C
Labor costs x x
Labor productivity x x
Transport costs
Count 1
x
3
x
2
22. Using a spreadsheet for Problem 20, find the following: (a) What would be your
recommendation if the weight for the transportation cost went down to 10 and the
weight for union relations went up to 25?
The spreadsheet can be modified by changing the two weightings as follows:
The entry in cell B5 is changed from 10 to 25, and
The entry in cell B7 is changed from 25 to 10.
The result of these changes is changes results in location A having a score of 195, location B a
score of 225, and location C a score of 210. Location B, therefore, is the preferred location.
(b) Suppose location A received a score of 3 for transport cost and location C received a score
of 2 for transport cost. Would your recommendation change under these circumstances?
The spreadsheet can be modified by changing the two evaluations as follows:
The entry in cell C7 is changed from 1 to 3, and
The entry in cell E7 is changed from 3 to 2.
Making these changes results in location A having a score of 215, location B a score of 210, and
location C a score of 200. Location A is, therefore, the preferred location.

1-14
(c) The VP of Finance has looked at your scoring model and feels that tax considerations
should be included in the model with a weight of 15. In addition, the VP has scored the
locations on tax considerations as follows: A-3, B-2, and C-1. How does this affect your
recommendation?
The spreadsheet shown in Problem 20 can be modified as shown below by adding a new row
for tax considerations. According to the results shown below, including tax considerations
results in locations B and C both having an identical score of 240.
23. Nina has been asked to lead a team that has been tasked with finding a new location for
a boutique concept her company would like to test. The team has identified four
candidate shopping centers to locate the new boutique in. Some cater to a higher class of
clientele than others, some are in an indoor mall, some have a much greater volume than
others, and, of course, rent varies considerably…
Based on the information provided, Nina believes that Clientele is the most important
factor. We therefore somewhat arbitrarily assign this factor a weight of 100. Next, Rent is
estimated to be 90% as important as Clientele so it is assigned a weight of 90 (100 .90).
The weights for Indoor mall and Volume are 85.5 (90 .95) and 72 (90 .80), respectively,
and are calculated in a similar fashion.
According to the results shown in the spreadsheet below, Nina should select Location 1
since it has the highest score.

1-15
A B C D E F
1
2 Location
3 Weight 1 2 3 4
4 Clintele 100 2 3 1 3
5 Rent 90 3 2 1 3
6 Indoor 85.5 3 1 3 1
7 Volume 72 3 2 3 1
8
9 Score 942.5 709.5 662.5 727.5
10
11
12 =SUMPRODUCT($B4:$B7,C4:C7)
13 copy to cells D9:F9
14
24. Using a spreadsheet for Problem 23, determine how Nina’s ability to negotiate a lower
rent at location 3, thereby raising its ranking to “good,” will affect the overall rankings of
the four locations.
Using the spreadsheet for Problem 23 and changing cell E5 from 1 to 3 increases the score of
Location 3 from 662.5 to 842.5 and thus from having the lowest score to the second highest
score.
Note: since the scores for the other three locations are not impacted by this change, the overall
recommendation (location 1) remains unchanged.

1-16
Incidents for Discussion Suggested Answers
Incidents for Discussion Included in the Chapter
Broken Welds
Question: What information does Alison need to determine the probable impact of Kelsey’s
proposed project on the other projects in the department?
Alison needs the following information to estimate the cost/benefits of starting Kelsey’s project,
namely:
o An estimate of the rework charges for failed welds and the estimated number of
welds that will have to be redone. Kelsey’s project may stop these costs.
o A rough estimate of the time and resources required to carry out Kelsey’s proposed
project.
o The impact the immediate use of these resources will have on the department’s
other projects over the estimated life of Kelsey’s project.
Question: Should her findings affect her decision about Kelsey’s project? How?
For any current projects delayed, the projects’ benefits may be delayed and this is also a cost
assignable to Kelsey’s project. These costs and benefits should immediately be shown to the
Chief Engineer before proceeding with Kelsey’s project though Kelsey may do some informal
initial planning.

1-17
Suggested Case Analyses and Solutions
United Screen Printers
Teaching Purpose: This case provides students with an opportunity to develop an aggregate
project plan and evaluate the current mix of proposed projects. The case also facilitates
relating the aggregate project plan to the project selection criteria. This provides the instructor
an opportunity to reinforce the importance of selecting projects that support the organization’s
overall business strategy. Finally, based on the analysis performed by the students, the case
requires them to consider additional types of projects that should be considered and other
information that would be useful in making project selection decisions.
Question 1: Construct an aggregate project plan for USP.
Extensive Minor
product product
changes changes
Extensive
process
changes
6
2
5
Minor
1
process
changes
1 – New large press
2 – New headquarters
3 – ISO 9000
4 – Formal procedure for mixing inks
5 – 4-color positives

1-18
6 – Inkjet printers
The aggregate project plan shows a clear bias towards derivative type projects. Indeed,
projects 1 – 4 will have only a minor impact on the process and negligible if any impact on
the product.
Question 2: What criteria would you recommend USP use in selecting its projects this year?
Perhaps the most important criterion to consider is the extent to which the projects support
the organization’s overall business strategy. The only information given in this short case
related to strategy is that the market seems to be shifting from decals with high levels of
durability to greater emphasis being placed on price and lead times.
Question 3: Based on your recommended criteria and the aggregate project plan, what
projects would you recommend USP fund this year?
We assume that USP is willing to allocate up to 10% of sales for these projects or $700,000.
Since smaller batch sizes translate into shorter lead times and since the inkjet printers are
thought to be more economical for small orders, these printers would seem to be a good fit
with the shift away from durability and toward shorter lead times. Likewise the new large press
with its 50 percent to 100 percent faster processing times and the in-house production of four-
color positives would also help USP reduce its lead times. Finally, the small expense and
reasonably quick payback of the project to develop a formal procedure for mixing inks make it
attractive and may also help reduce lead time. The cost of these four projects is $485,000.
Question: Are there any types of projects you would recommend USP pursue that were not
proposed?
Since these four projects are all primarily derivative type projects, it would likely be worthwhile
for USP to identify one or more platform or breakthrough projects for funding.
Question 4: What, if any, additional information would you want in making your
recommendations? How would you go about obtaining this information?
As noted earlier, the most critical information would be information about USP’s strategy and
its competitive environment. Sources for obtaining this information would include interviews
with senior management, annual reports, and trade organizations. Once this information was
obtained, the alternative projects could be evaluated in terms of how well they support USP’s
overall strategy and its pursuit of a sustainable competitive advantage.

1-19
Handstar Inc.
Teaching Purpose: This case requires students to rank a number of candidate projects using
both the NPV approach and the weighted scoring model approach. The case demonstrates how
the NPV approach can be combined with the weighted scoring approach in evaluating projects.
Question 1: Which projects would you recommend Handstar pursue based on the NPV
approach?
The spreadsheet bellow summarizes the NPV calculations for the six projects assuming the
development costs are incurred at the end of year zero and each product has a three year life.
Since the six projects require a total of 13,025 development hours and only 10,000 hours are
available, one or more projects will need to be postponed or eliminated from further
consideration.
If we start with the project with the highest NPV, the Browser project would be selected first
requiring 1,875 hours of development time. Next, the Trip Planner would be selected requiring
an additional 6,250 hours of development time. The project with the next highest NPV is the
Spreadsheet project. However, this project requires 2,500 hours and only 1,875 hours are
available after selecting the Browser and Trip Planner projects. The project with the next
highest NPV is the Calendar/Email project which requires 1,250 hours of development time
leaving 625 hours available. Of the remaining projects, the Portfolio Tracker requires too many
hours while the Expense Report project can be completed with the hours available. Thus,
Browser, Trip Planner, Calendar/Email, and the Expense Report projects would be selected
based on the NPV approach.
For students that have been exposed to optimization and Solver, a better approach for solving
this problem is to set it up as an optimization model where the objective function is to
maximize the total NPV subject to the available hours.

1-20
A B C D E F G
1 Discount Rate 12.0%
2 Hourly Rate $52.00 130000
3
4 Calendar/ Expense Portfolio Trip
5 Email Report Tracker Spreadsheet Browser Planner
6 Growth Rate -10.0% 5.0% 5.0% 10.0% 15.0% 5.0%
7 Development Time 1250 400 750 2500 1875 6250
8 Development Cost $65,000 $20,800 $39,000 $130,000 $97,500 $325,000
9
10 Year 0 Cash Flows -$65,000 -$20,800 -$39,000 -$130,000 -$97,500 -$325,000
11 Year 1 Cash Flows $750,000 $250,000 $500,000 $1,000,000 $2,500,000 $1,300,000
12 Year 2 Cash Flows $675,000 $262,500 $525,000 $1,100,000 $2,875,000 $1,365,000
13 Year 3 Cash Flows $607,500 $275,625 $551,250 $1,210,000 $3,306,250 $1,433,250
14
15 NPV $1,406,389 $542,734 $1,087,789 $2,233,058 $6,053,481 $2,628,610
Question 2: Assume the founders weigh a project’s NPV twice as much as both
obtaining/retaining a leadership position and use of the Internet. Use the weighted factor
scoring method to rank these projects. Which projects would you recommend Handstar
pursue?
Data is available for the six projects on these three criteria. Based on the information given in
the question, we will assign a weight of 0.5 to NPV and 0.25 to both obtaining/retaining a
leadership position and use of the Internet. In terms of scoring the options on NPV, a score of 1
was assigned to the projects with NPVs less-than-or-equal-to 1.1 million dollars. Likewise, a
score of 2 was assigned to projects with NPVs that were greater than 1.1 million dollars but
less-than-or-equal-to 2.5 million dollars. Projects with NPVs greater than 2.5 million dollars
were assigned a score of 3. For the other two criteria, projects with low probabilities were
assigned a score of 1, moderate probabilities a score of 2, and high probabilities a score of 3. A
spreadsheet for calculating the weighted scores is shown below.
The only difference with the weighted scoring model is that the Calendar/Email project moves
ahead of the Spreadsheet project. However, the same set of projects will be selected.
A B C D E
1 NPV Leaderhip Internet Score
2 Weight 0.5 0.25 0.25
3
4 Calendar/Email 2 2 2 2
5 Expense Report 1 3 1 1.5
6 Portfolio Tracker 1 3 2 1.75
7 Spreadsheet 2 2 1 1.75
8 Browser 3 1 3 2.5
9 Trip Planner 3 1 3 2.5

1-21
Question 3: In your opinion, is hiring an additional software development engineer justified?
After selecting the Browser, Trip Planner, Calendar/Email, and the Expense Report projects, a
total of 225 hours would be available. Hiring an additional software engineer would increase
the number of available hours to 2,725. Since the Spreadsheet project has a higher NPV and
higher score than the Expense report project it would be the next project to select. Given that
its NPV of $2,233,058 greatly exceeds the $133,000 ($52/hour 2500 hours/year) incremental
cost of the new software development engineer, hiring an additional software engineer is
justified. Indeed, the Expense Report’s NPV in excess of $500,000 would appear to justify hiring
a second software development engineer as well.

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Clive, I am positive that the man was none other than the original of
this likeness, and——"
He was interrupted by a passionate cry of pain and anger, and
Ralph, snatching the photograph from his hand, stood confronting
him with blazing eyes.
"It is false!" he cried. "You know it is false! I believe that you are
responsible for my father's disappearance!"

CHAPTER III
MR. ST. CLIVE PROVES HIMSELF A TRUE
FRIEND
"I believe that you are responsible for my father's disappearance."
So did Ralph Rexworth cry in his anger; and Lord Elgert started, and
his face grew dark with rage.
"You impudent young dog!" he shouted, raising his stick; and the
blow would have fallen, had not Mr. St. Clive stopped it with his arm.
"Lord Elgert," he said sternly; for he was shocked at the callous way
in which the charge had been made, "I cannot stand by and allow
that. You have made a very serious charge——"
"Nothing so serious as that young rascal has made. I am surprised
that you stand by and listen to it, St. Clive; but you always were
antagonistic to me! I assert what is fact. My place was broken into
——"
"Did any one but yourself see this man?"
"An absurd question! Who was there to see him? By the time the
alarm was given he was gone. I shall have to tell the police of that
photograph; it will be wanted to help in tracing him. I expect this
story is all nonsense; and upon inquiry it will be found that the
farthest these two have travelled is from London. Most probably this
boy, who makes such unfounded charges, knew well the business
which brought his father here. The story of what happened in the
woods is really too romantic. If two people were there, the second
was most likely an accomplice; and they have gone off, leaving the
boy here to see what he can learn, or pick up. You are easily

deceived, St. Clive." And Lord Elgert turned upon his heel with a
mocking laugh.
But ere he could go, Ralph stood in his path, regarding him with a
fixed stare.
"I do not know you," he said. "I never saw you before; but I can tell
friend from enemy, and you are an enemy. I am only a boy; but one
day I will bring your words back to you, and make you prove them."
"Out of my way, you young rascal!" came the answer, "or I will have
you in prison before long. St. Clive, I wish you joy of your young
friend. Take my advice, and keep a sharp eye on the silver, if you
suffer him to enter your house."
Ralph would have surely been provoked into some foolish action had
not Mr. St. Clive laid a gentle hand upon his shoulder, and led him
back into the inn; and then the boy quite broke down.
"Oh, sir! Oh, sir!" he cried. "To say such things about my dear father
—my dear, kind father! But he shall prove them," he added fiercely.
"I will make him prove them. I believe that he knows something."
"Ralph," answered Mr. St. Clive quietly, "because Lord Elgert has
been both unkind and foolish, that is no reason why you should talk
wildly. To say that Lord Elgert has had anything to do with your
father's disappearance, seems to me to be the very height of folly.
He is a rich man, and one of our justices——"
"Where does he live, sir?" queried Ralph suddenly.
"At Castle Court, near Great Stow. Ah," he added, as he saw Ralph's
look, "I know what you are thinking—that it is in the direction
whither your father was going! But remember, that will be equally
applicable to Lord Elgert's story that your father was going there. It
is most likely that some one in a measure resembling your father, did
break into Castle Court—we have not the slightest reason for
discrediting Lord Elgert's statement—and in the confusion of the
struggle, he did not clearly distinguish his opponent, and so says

that he resembles this photograph. Mistaken identity is a common
occurrence, and——"
"You do not believe his story, sir? I could not bear to think that."
"I do not, Ralph. If I did so, I should still feel my debt of gratitude to
you; but I do not believe it. I am not so foolish as to mistake
between a gentleman and a thief; and though I have not seen your
father, I think that I can see him in you and your manner. Now be
brave, and do not trouble about what his lordship said. He was
angry because you spoke as you did; and though it was natural,
your language was not very polite." And Mr. St. Clive smiled slightly.
"Now let us talk sensibly. First, you cannot stay here by yourself;
therefore, disregarding the warning I have received, I invite you to
be my guest for the time, until we can see what is best to be done.
What money have you of your own?"
"Only a few shillings, but there is the purse, sir." And Ralph opened
the purse which they had picked up in Stow Wood. "Here are five
sovereigns, and two five-pound notes, sir."
"Then we had better pay the innkeeper and make a start. Simon"—
as the old fellow came in answer to the bell—"I am going to take
this young gentleman home with me. If his father should return, or if
letters arrive, you will let us know. Make out your bill. And, Simon, I
suppose that you did not recognize Mr. Rexworth at all?"
"Why, no, sir; I cannot say that I did! But he knew the place, sir;
and when I told the girl to show him up to No. 10, sir, he just went
straight up to it. He knew the Horse and Wheel, sir."
"Well, get your bill ready."
The old man went out. It was something of a relief to know that he
was going to be paid; for he had begun to have some doubts about
the matter.
So it came about that Ralph Rexworth was taken home by Mr. St.
Clive; and there he was received with kindness and warmth by that

gentleman's wife, while little Irene smiled shyly, and put out one
dainty little hand for him to take in his brown palm.
"I thank you very much," the little lass said. "I think that horrid bull
would have killed me if it had not been for you." And Mrs. St. Clive
shuddered as she listened; for her husband had told her how great
was the peril from which Irene had been rescued.
Leaving the two young people to make friends, Mr. St. Clive took his
wife aside and told her of the strange position in which their young
guest was placed.
"The boy does not seem to have a friend in the world," he said. "And
he is undoubtedly a gentleman, Kate. What is to be done? His father
may return; but I confess that it looks as if a tragedy had taken
place. It was wonderful how the lad pieced together traces which
were invisible to me. I fear that something bad has occurred. As to
Lord Elgert's idea, I do not put much faith in it. Elgert is too fond of
thinking evil of people—he is one of the most merciless men on the
bench. What shall we do, Kate?"
"Do?" replied his wife, with a fond smile. "Why, Hubert, you have
already determined what to do!"
Her husband laughed pleasantly.
"I confess that I have. Still, I like to have your desire run with my
own. You want this lad to stay here?"
"Yes, Hubert. If he is lonely and friendless, let us be his friends; for
had he not rescued her, our dear little daughter would have been
killed."
So husband and wife agreed; but when they went to Ralph they
found that he was not quite willing to accept the invitation.
"I know how kind it is of you," the boy said. "And it is true that I
have no friends, and nowhere to go; but I—I cannot live on your
charity. I want to earn my living somehow."

"That is good, Ralph," was the hearty reply of Mr. St. Clive; "but you
must be reasonable. There is such a thing as unreasonable pride.
You cannot earn your living in any calling as a gentleman, without
you are fitted for it. Your life on the plains, and life here, or in
London, would be very vastly different. If you had friends in Texas
we might send you back again——"
"No, no, sir!" cried Ralph, interrupting him. "I could not go back.
Here I must stay for two reasons. I must live to find out what has
become of my father, and I must clear his name from the accusation
that man made."
"Your first reason is good; your second I do not think that you need
worry over. Then you will stay? Well, then, you must certainly let the
wish of my wife and of Irene conquer your pride. I want to help you
all I can; and if presently it is better for you to go, I promise you
that I will not seek to detain you."
"Do stop, Ralph," added Irene, who, pet as she was, had stolen into
her father's study, and heard what was said. "I want you to stay;
and I want you to teach me how to throw a rope like that, though I
should never dare to throw it at a bull. Please stay."
And somehow Ralph looked down into that upturned little face, and
he could not say "no."
"It is very good of you, sir," he murmured, to Mr. St. Clive,
"especially after what Lord Elgert said——"
"My lad, do not be so sensitive concerning that."
"But I cannot help it, sir. He first called my father a thief; and he—he
—you know what he said about your silver?"
And Ralph turned very red.
Mr. St. Clive understood, and sympathized. He liked Ralph all the
better for being keenly sensitive about it.

"There, let it go, my dear boy. Now, once more, business. Have you
any luggage, save these two handbags?"
"In London, sir. Two great trunks. Father left them at the station.
Here are the papers for them." And the boy took a railway luggage
receipt from his pocket-book.
"This is important. We may find something to help us in those
trunks," cried Mr. St. Clive. "Of course, I am not legally justified in
touching them, Ralph; but, under the circumstances, I think that I
might do so. We must have them here, and examine their contents.
We may then discover what brought your father to Stow Ormond;
and that, in its turn, might give us some clue as to what may have
happened."
"I do not think there is much doubt as to what has happened,"
sighed the boy. But Mr. St. Clive would not listen to that.
"Never look at the darkest side, lad. There is a kind Providence over
all, and we must never despair. Now, our very first task must be to
obtain your travelling trunks without delay."
Mr. St. Clive lost no time in putting this resolution into practice. The
trunks were got down from London, and opened; but, to their
disappointment, their contents revealed nothing which tended in any
way to throw a light upon the mystery—clothing, a few mementoes
of their Texan home, and—and in view of Ralph's future welfare this
was most important—banknotes and gold to the amount of £3,000!
"No need to feel yourself dependent upon any one now, Ralph," was
the remark of Mr. St. Clive, as they counted this money; "and no
need to give another thought to Lord Elgert's suspicions. People
possessed of so much money do not go breaking into houses, risking
their liberty for the sake of what they may be able to steal."
Now, though Irene St. Clive was delighted, and would have been
quite content for Ralph to have stayed as her companion, her father
did not look at matters in that way; and he had a serious talk with

Ralph, having first quietly questioned him in order to ascertain his
acquirements.
"You see, Ralph," he said, "what a man needs in England is quite
different from what he may need abroad. You can ride, shoot, and
round up cattle; but that is no good here. Your father has given you
a general education, so that you are not a dunce; but it is nothing
like what you will need as a gentleman here. Knowledge is power
and your desire to clear up the matter of your father's disappearance
demands that you should acquire all the power obtainable. My
advice—I have no right to insist, remember—but my advice is that
you should spend a couple of years at a first-class school—we have
a splendid one here—and if you work honestly during that time, with
your intellect you ought to have made a good headway. What do you
say?"
The boy knit his brows. To one who had passed his days in a wild,
free life, such a prospect did not hold out many charms; but then
Ralph was fond of learning, and had sometimes sighed that he could
not learn more. Besides, his one object in life was to solve the
matter of his father's disappearance, and clear his name from any
foul charge. In his heart, Ralph had resolved ever to live under
honour's flag. He looked up, and answered frankly—
"I will be guided entirely by you, sir, unless my father comes back;
then, of course, I should do whatever he directed."
"My feeling is, that had your father elected to remain in England he
would certainly have sent you to school. Now, Ralph, I am going to
be frank with you. We have, as I have said, a splendid school near
here; but amongst its pupils is Horace Elgert. I fear that he takes
after his father somewhat; and if Lord Elgert has said anything, or
does say anything to him when he knows you are there, young
Horace may try to make it unpleasant for you. Do you understand?"
"Perfectly, sir," replied Ralph.
"And will you go there?"

Ralph looked Mr. St. Clive in the face, and he answered firmly:
"Yes, sir. The boy's being there is nothing to me. I will go."
"Good!" replied Mr. St. Clive, with a nod of appreciation. "We will go
over and see the Headmaster to-morrow."

CHAPTER IV
RALPH'S FIRST DAY AT SCHOOL
"He is a fine young fellow, but his past life has been spent amidst
very different scenes, and he is far from having a fitting education.
But he is very intellectual and will acquire knowledge quickly. His
father must have been a gentleman, and he has taught his son to be
one also."
It was Mr. St. Clive who spoke, and his words were addressed to Dr.
Beverly, the principal of Marlthorpe College—the best school in all
the county.
A fine-looking man was the doctor, tall, erect, dignified, with firm
face and piercing eyes—eyes which could look terribly severe when
their owner was angry, but which otherwise were gentle, and even
mirthful.
Dr. Beverly was proud of his school, but prouder still of his work. He
did not labour to make scholars only, but also to build up men—
good, noble men—who should be a credit to the old school, and a
blessing to their country. Work or play, the doctor believed in
everything being done as well as it could be, for his watchword was
"Whatever you do, do it to the glory of God," and nothing can be
done to God's glory that is not done as well as it possibly can be.
Mr. St. Clive had explained how Ralph came to be under his care,
and had told the doctor how much he owed to him; and he finished
by mentioning the cruel statement which Lord Elgert had made, and
the angry way in which Ralph had answered it.
"I tell you this," he said, "that you may know everything. I attach no
weight to Elgert's statement myself—it is too absurd, but you must
exercise your own discretion," and the doctor smiled slightly.

"Lord Elgert is rather prone to make rash statements," he said. "I
shall be quite willing to receive your young friend, and I will do my
best to turn him into a good man."
"That I am sure of," was the hearty reply, "and I am also sure that
you will have good material to work upon. Then I will bring Ralph
over."
"And do you propose that he shall board here entirely, or return to
you every Saturday, as most of the lads do?"
"Oh, come home. That is how I did in my day—you know I want to
watch the boy. Good-day, doctor," and Mr. St. Clive came away.
Marlthorpe College was a splendid old building, with large playing
fields at the back, and a great quadrangle in front, to which entrance
was gained through a pair of great iron gates, against which the
porter's lodge was built.
The school itself was at the other side of the quadrangle, directly
facing the gates—a two storey building, with the hall, in which the
whole school assembled upon special occasions, below, and with the
classrooms above. It had two wings; the one to the right being the
doctor's own residence, and that on the left the undermaster's
quarters.
At the back there were again buildings on the right and left—on the
left junior dormitories, the dining-hall, and matron's rooms; and on
the right senior dormitories and studies.
Mr. St. Clive drove home and told Ralph the result of his visit.
"I am sure that you will like the doctor," he said, "and you will find
your companions a nice lot of fellows. Of course there will be some
unpleasant ones; and Ralph, if things are as they used to be, you
will find that there are two sets of fellows—those who mean to work
honestly, and those who never intend to take pains. I need not ask
which set you will belong to," and Mr. St. Clive smiled. "But now," he

added, "I want you to try and be brave. You have a very terrible
sorrow, I know; and it is hard to put it from my mind——"
"It is never from my mind, sir," interrupted Ralph sadly. "I am always
thinking of it."
"But you must not brood over it. To do that, will unfit you for all else.
Leave it with God, Ralph, and do not let even so great a grief
interfere with life's duties. Will you promise me to try and remember
this?"
"I will indeed, sir," answered Ralph. "If I have lost father, I mean to
try and think that he knows, and just do that which would please
him."
"That is good; but still better is it to remember that we have to try
and do that which shall please our Heavenly Father. Now, Ralph, I
suppose that out where you made your home, blows often were the
only way of settling troubles. I do not say that blows are never
justifiable, for sometimes we are placed in such circumstances as
warrant fighting, but do not be too ready to quarrel, or to avenge
every fancied insult with your fist. But there, I am sure that I can
leave that to you. Now come to lunch, and then we must see about
starting."
"I am so glad that you are coming home every week, Ralph," so said
Irene St. Clive, when she heard of the arrangements which her
father had made. "My own lessons are finished on Friday, and we
can have all Saturday to ourselves. I shall count all the days until
each Saturday comes."
So with kindly words to cheer him on his way, Ralph started off with
Mr. St. Clive, and was introduced to Dr. Beverly; and Ralph felt that
he liked the doctor from the very first moment that he saw him; and
he determined that he would do all that he could to get on and
prove to Mr. St. Clive that he meant to keep his word.

Then when his friend had gone, the doctor questioned Ralph to see
just what he knew; and at the conclusion of the examination he laid
his hand on his shoulder.
"My boy," he said, "it is my desire always to have the fullest
confidence in my scholars, and also to enjoy their confidence. I want
you to remember that I desire to be your friend as well as your
master, and that out of school hours I am always glad to see any of
my boys who want to talk with me. I do not mean who want to
come tale-bearing," he added, and Ralph smiled as he answered—
"Thank you, sir. I think I understand."
"You will have to be in the Fourth Form at first, that is the lowest
Form in the Senior House," the doctor continued. "But if you work
well, you will soon be in the Fifth. Now, if you will come with me I
will introduce you to your master, Mr. Delermain, and I think you will
find him ever ready to help you in any way he can."
Ralph thanked the Head again, and followed him, with more of
curiosity than of nervousness, to make the acquaintance of the boys
with whom he was to study; and twenty pairs of eyes glanced up as
the Head opened the door, and then dropped as quickly when they
saw who had entered.
But the master rose from his seat and came forward to meet the
doctor, who said, patting Ralph on the shoulder—
"I have brought you a new scholar, Mr. Delermain. This is Ralph
Rexworth, and he is the young gentleman of whom you have heard
—the one who saved Mr. St. Clive's daughter." Hereat the eyes were
stealthily raised, and glances of something like respectful awe
followed. Of course every one there had heard of the incident about
the bull, and of the disappearance of Mr. Rexworth.
"Rexworth is rather backward," the Head continued. "His life has
been spent abroad, and he has not had the opportunities for study;
but I believe that he will soon pick up." And with this Dr. Beverly

went, and Mr. Delermain, having spoken a few words of welcome,
beckoned to a boy to come forward.
"Warren, let Rexworth sit beside you this afternoon, and give him a
set of the sums we are doing. If you find them too difficult," he
added to Ralph, "do not hesitate to come to me."
But Ralph did not need to ask for aid, he could do the sums and the
exercises that followed. Indeed, he did better than some who had
been there longer, notably one big lad with a sickly flabby face, who
was seated at the bottom of the class, and who received a
reprimand from his master for his indolence.
"It is shameful, Dobson! Here, a new boy has done better than you
have. Your idleness is disgraceful."
A writing exercise followed; and Ralph was bending over his book,
when flop!—a wad of wet blotting-paper hit him in the cheek. He
looked up, but every one seemed busy with their work, so wiping his
cheek he put the wet mass on one side, and went on with his task.
Flop! A second wad came. Ralph noted the direction, and saw that at
the end of the form Dobson was seated, and Ralph had his
suspicions. Pretending to be absorbed in his work, he kept a covert
watch; and presently he was rewarded by seeing Dobson extract a
third wad from his mouth, where he had been chewing it into a
convenient pellet, and under cover of the boy in front of him prepare
to fire it by a flick of his thumb. Ralph raised his eyes and looked
him full in the face, and, somehow, Dobson seemed confused. He
turned red, and bent over his work hastily; and no more pellets were
fired at Ralph that afternoon.
It seemed rather a wearisome afternoon to the boy, used as he was
to his open-air life, but he worked away with all his might; and
presently the bell rang and work was over; and then Warren, the
boy beside whom he had sat, came to him and held out his hand.
"I am first monitor of our form," he said, "and I hope that we shall
be friends. If you come with me I will take you round the school."

"Rexworth."
Ralph turned as his name was called; his master stood there.
"I want you a few minutes. Warren, you can take him round
afterwards. I want to arrange about his study."
"We have only got one vacant, sir," the monitor said. "Charlton has
that."
"I know," was the quiet answer; and then, when Warren ran off, the
master turned to Ralph.
"Rexworth," he said, "I must explain that in our form every two boys
have one study between them, and as you heard Warren say, we
have only one study that is not fully occupied. A lad named Charlton
has it, and you must chum with him. It is about him I want to speak
to you."
"Yes, sir," said Ralph, wondering why his master spoke so gravely.
"Rexworth, I am sorry to say that Charlton is not quite in favour with
his schoolmates. His father got into some trouble and has
disappeared—it is supposed that he is dead—and the boy managed
to gain a scholarship at another and poorer school, and has come
here. He is a real nice lad, but very weakly and timid, and the others
put upon him, partly on that account, partly because of his father's
disappearance, and partly because he is poor—a sad crime in the
eyes of many. It would have been wiser, I think, if he had not come
here, but Dr. Beverly wished him to do so. I wish, Rexworth, that
you would try to be his friend, for he needs one; some of the lads
are nice enough to him, but he seems so very much alone."
"I would like to help him, sir," was the ready answer. And the master
smiled.
"I thought that I was not mistaken in you," he said. "Look, there the
lad is. Charlton, come here."

The lad came up. He was a pale boy, very delicate in appearance,
and with a sad, wistful face.
"Yes, sir," he said.
"Charlton, there is only one vacancy in our studies, and that is with
you. Rexworth will have to chum with you." The boy cast a startled
glance at Ralph. "Take him and show him where it is, and try to
make him feel at home."
"Yes, sir." The boy beckoned to Ralph. "Please come with me," he
said, in troubled tones, as if he doubted whether Ralph would care
about sharing the study with him.
"Have we got to be chums?" asked Ralph; and the other boy
nodded.
"Yes. That is what we call it. It means sharing studies; but you need
not speak to me if you don't want to, and I will not be in the study
much. I am not as it is, for they are always disturbing me and
spoiling my things."
"They! Who?" demanded Ralph; and the lad answered—
"The other chaps and the Fifths. Dobson, in ours, and Elgert of the
Fifth, are the worst. They go in and spoil my things."
"They have no business to, of course?"
"Go in? No, of course not—only the two who chum have any right in
it. Here we are, and—there, they are in now!"—as a scuffling and
burst of laughter came from the inside of the study before which the
boy had halted. "Oh, what are they doing! Will you stop until they
have gone?"
"Not I," answered Ralph grimly. "That study is mine as well as yours,
and I mean to see that we have it to ourselves, Charlton. Come on,
and we will see what is up." And saying this, Ralph threw open the
door and walked into the little room, followed by his companion.

CHAPTER V
MAKING THINGS STRAIGHT
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?"
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.
"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?"
"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, 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, 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.
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 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 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 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 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.

CHAPTER VI
AN EARLY MORNING SPIN
It was quite a common thing for new boys at Marlthorpe College to
be made the victims of practical jokes during their first night in the
school; but such was the impression which Ralph Rexworth had
made, that no tricks were attempted with him. A boy who could take
his own part so vigorously was not the sort that it was safe to take
liberties with.
Nor was that the only reason. With Dobson and his friends it was
quite sufficient, but with the better boys, that quiet kneeling down to
pray had not been without effect. Some of them recognized that to
do that might require more courage than to deal as he had done
with those who had invaded his study—a moral courage, far greater
and better than a physical; and they realized that a boy who
possessed that courage was not a fit subject for stupid jokes.
So Ralph slept peacefully until the morning, when, used to early
rising all his life, he opened his eyes before any of the other boys
were awake.
At first he felt puzzled with his surroundings, but he soon
remembered; and propping himself upon his elbow he lay watching
the faces of the others, wondering what sort of lads they would
prove to be, and how he should get on with them, and whether he
would be able to master the lessons which they were engaged upon.
Then he looked at Charlton, and thought how sad he looked, even in
his sleep; and he noted how often he sighed. Perhaps he was
dreaming of his father.
That sent him thinking of his own father, and the mystery of his fate;
and he pondered whether it would ever be possible for him—a lonely

boy in this strange land—to find out the truth concerning his parent's
disappearance. But he was not altogether alone; it was wrong to
think of himself in that light. God had given him a friend in Mr. St.
Clive, and another in Mrs. St. Clive, and yet a third—a very nice,
lovable third—in Irene! Ralph, who had never had anything to do
with girls, thought Irene the sweetest, dearest little friend that it
would be possible to find.
A bell rang, and his companions stretched and yawned and opened
their eyes; and though some grunted and turned over again,
determined to have every minute they could, several jumped up at
once, and hastily pulling on their clothes began sluicing and
splashing in good, honest, cold water.
"Hallo! Awake? Slept well?" queried Warren seeing that Ralph was
preparing to follow the example of these last boys. "Any one try any
games with you in the night?" And he came and sat down on Ralph's
bed, and grinned when the new boy answered that he had not been
disturbed.
"I suppose they thought better of it. That is your basin!" he added,
pointing to one washstand. "Mind that they don't take all the water,
or you will either have to sneak another fellow's, or go and get some
more for yourself. Look sharp, and then we will go and have a turn
with the bells, and a spin afterwards, I like to get all I can before
breakfast; it seems to set a fellow up for the day."
Ralph nodded, and began vigorously sluicing and polishing; and the
boys, too busy about their own business, paid no attention to him.
He was quite capable of looking after himself, in their opinion. At
last, all ready to accompany the monitor, he quietly repeated his
action of the previous night—he knelt down in prayer.
That staggered even Warren. As a whole, the boys were good lads,
but even those who had been accustomed to evening prayers in
their homes did not seem to think that morning prayers were quite
as important. They wanted to scramble off to play as quickly as

possible. The Head always read prayers in school, and that was
enough; and here was this new fellow wasting precious time in this
way!
A few sneered and giggled; some shrugged their shoulders, and ran
off; some looked grave; and Warren sat nursing his foot, and
pondering; while Charlton turned red.
But they made no remarks; and when Ralph rose from his knees, the
three went out together. Warren was turning over a decidedly new
leaf. If he had not annoyed Charlton before, he had left him pretty
much alone, and now he was admitting him to his company. Well,
Charlton was Rexworth's chum, and if he wanted Rexworth he must
have the chum as well.
Charlton hardly expected the monitor to be friendly to him, but he
waited for his chum, and Warren waited, too.
"Let us get down and have a try at the bells," suggested the
monitor, leading the way. And Ralph inquired innocently—
"Ringing bells, do you mean?"
Whereat Warren stared, and felt just a little less respect for the new
boy. What sort of a fellow could he be if he didn't know what dumb-
bells were?
"Ringing bells?" he repeated. "No; dumb-bells—exercises, you know!
Come on, I will show you."
"I never saw bells like those," was Ralph's comment, when a pair
was produced. "How do you use them?"
Warren went through a set of exercises, and then handed them to
Ralph, who laughed, and said—
"Why, they don't weigh anything! I don't see much exercise in this!"
"They are six-pounders," was the answer; "quite as heavy as you will
want. Now try this exercise—do it a dozen times."

Warren showed Ralph the right way, and off he went; Charlton, who
had also got a pair of bells, doing the same. And, to Ralph
Rexworth's surprise, he found that those weights at which he had
laughed soon made him feel tired, and that Charlton could keep on
longer than he could. He could not understand that.
"I don't see why it should be," he said.
And a voice replied—
"Because you are exercising muscles which you have not tried much
before, my lad." And he turned, to see Mr. Delermain watching him.
"Try again," said the master. "Only once; this sort of thing must be
done gradually. Go slow, and take time."
Ralph obeyed: but dumb-bells certainly made his arms ache. And
then Warren suggested Indian clubs.
"Indian clubs," repeated Ralph, "and what are they? I never saw the
Indians use clubs. They have knives and hatchets, and spears and
bows, and some of them use guns, too, and shoot wonderfully well;
but I never saw them use clubs."
Now that speech caused a smile, but it was a very respectful smile;
for here was a boy who had actually seen real Indians. That was
something, even if he did not know what Indian clubs were!
However, the clubs were produced, and Ralph was shown how to
swing them. And, as a natural result of his first attempt, he hit his
head a smart crack, evoking a burst of laughter thereby.
"Slow and steady," he answered; "I shall get it in time. I don't
understand these things; but if you get me a coil of rope, I will show
you one or two little things that I do not think any of you can do."
"A coil of rope—that is easily supplied," said Mr. Delermain; and
when it was brought, he said: "Now, Rexworth, let us see what you

can do." And all the boys stood round while Ralph took the rope and
made a running noose at one end.
"Give me plenty of room," he said, and he commenced to whirl the
noose round and round his head, letting the rope run out as he did
so; until at last he held the very end in his hand, and the rest was
twirling round and round him in a perfect circle.
"One of you try to do that," he said.
And try they did, in vain. They could not even get it to go in a circle,
and it made their arms ache dreadfully.
Then he made the circle spin round him on its edge just as if that
rope was a hoop; and afterwards he actually jumped through it as it
was going, explaining that the cowboys on the ranches frequently
indulged in such tricks as these, and were experts at it—far more so
than the Indians themselves.
Then nothing would do but that he must show them how a lasso
was thrown. And though several, including the master, essayed to
try, not one of them was able to send the noose over Ralph's
shoulders, though he caught them, one after the other, without the
slightest trouble.
"It is what one is used to," he said laughing. "I have not had much
to do with bells and clubs—nothing to do with them, indeed—but I
have played with a rope all my life."
Dobson had come in with his friends, and he stood and glared.
Elgert came in, and looked angry. This new boy was evidently on the
way to become a favourite in the school, and, unless something was
done, he might rival them. Though just then they did not speak to
each other about it, both Dobson and Elgert arrived at the same
conclusion—namely, that something should be done, and that Ralph
Rexworth should be humbled and disgraced.
Then Warren suggested a spin, and of course Charlton went, and
two or three other boys—who found Ralph very good company—had

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