Cricket, however, kept them fairly straight. Each was certain to get his "cap,"[23] if, as Lawrence told them, they stuck to the rigour of the game. This was Lawrence's last term. He had stayed on to play at Lord's, and when he left Trieve would become the Head of the House--a prospect very pleasing to the turbulent Fifth.
About the middle of June John suffered a parlous blow. He was never so happy as when he was sitting in Scaife's room, cheek by jowl with Desmond, sharing, perhaps, a "dringer," poring over the same dictionary. This delightful intimacy came to a sudden end in this wise. The form-master of the Upper Remove happened to be a precisian in English. A sure road to his favour was the right use of a word. The Demon, appreciating this, bought a dictionary of synonyms, and made a point of discarding the commonplace and obvious, substituting a phrase likely to elicit praise and marks. Desmond and John joined in this hunt of the right word with enthusiasm.
One evening the four boys encountered the simple sentence--"_majoris pretii quam quod æstimari possit_."
The three other boys stared at the Demon, and then at each other. The Caterpillar, something of a purist in his way, drawled out--
"My father doesn't," said Scaife, hotly. "I've heard him say 'inesteemable.'"
"No doubt," said Egerton, coldly. "How does _your_ father pronounce it, Cæsar?"
Desmond said hurriedly, "Oh, 'inestimable'; but what does it matter?"
The Demon sprang up, furious. "It matters this," he cried. "I'm d----d if I'll have Egerton sitting in my room sneering at my governor. After this he'll do his work in his own room, or I'll do mine in the passage."
Before Desmond could speak, Scaife had whirled out of the room, slamming the door. John looked stupefied with dismay.
The Caterpillar shrugged his shoulders. Then he said slowly--
"Scaife's father pronounces 'connoisseur' 'connoysure,' and so does Scaife."
Desmond stood up, flushed and distressed, but emphatic.
"Scaife is right about one thing," he said. "He won't sit here like a cad and listen to Egerton sneering at his father. I'm very sorry, but after this we'd better split up. Verney and you, Egerton; and Scaife and I."
"Certainly," said the Caterpillar, rising in his turn.