In the mud and the rain the School House Two Cock team, coming up early
from a puntabout, joined the crowd watching the last stages of the
Buller's _v._ Claremont's house match, and cheered Claremont's to the
echo. It was a remarkably fine game. When "no side" was called, the
score was nine all. Extra time was played, and just before the close,
amid great enthusiasm, a limping Claremont's forward fell over the line
from the line out. None shouted louder than the School House contingent.
Everyone had grown tired of the Buller's domination. They had been
successful too long. For two years they had not lost a single house
match. The Thirds had been their first reverse; but even then they had
triumphed over all their outhouse opponents. This was the first
occasion, since Gordon had been at Fernhurst, that the Buller's colours
had been lowered by an outhouse side. It signified the breaking up of
their rule. Gordon shouted like the Vengeance following the tumbrils. He
roared loudly under "the Bull's" nose, stamped off the field to tea,
without a thought of the effect that his demonstration might have had
upon "the Bull" himself.
As it happened, to "the Bull" the incident meant a lot.
"What is the reason of it?" he said to Felston that evening. "How have I
made these School House men, and especially Caruthers, hate me? They
seem to delight in the defeat of my house. Of course, I can understand
their wanting their house to beat mine, but why should they worry so
much about Claremont's doing so? I can't understand it; and Caruthers
will be leading the school scrum in two years. We must not have bad
feeling between the houses. Honest rivalry is all right; but there seems
so much spite about it all nowadays. It was not so when I was a boy, and
it wasn't so three years ago. I don't understand."
A climax was reached in the Two Cock, a match rendered famous in
Fernhurst history by the amazing refereeing of a new master named
Princeford, who had come as a stop-gap for one term. The match was
played in the mud and slush, and was entirely devoid of incident. The
play rolled from one end of the ground to the other. Archie performed
prodigies of valour; Gordon did some brilliant things; Collins was quite
fierce; but good football was impossible under the circumstances. Early
in the first half, amid tremendous cheering, Lovelace scored a fine try,
by the touch-line. There was no doubt about it. The school lined up
behind the posts. But Princeford would have none of it. He came up,
fussing and important:
"No try, there. Knock on. Scrum!"
A gasp went up from both sides. Was the man blind?
"What is the fool talking about?" thundered Gordon.
Princeford was round in a second: "Who said that?"
Gordon stepped forward.
"Ah, I shall remember you."
The game continued; the outhouses amazed at such luck; the School House
sullen and indignant. The play developed into a series of forward rushes
resulting in nothing. It was an amazingly dull game to watch. From one
of these rushes Gordon got clear; the full-back fell on the ball, Gordon
took a huge kick at the ball. One had to kick hard on such a sticky
ground. He missed the ball, and caught the back on the side of the head.
"Oh, damned sorry," he said.
It was quite unintentional, as would have been obvious to anyone who
knew anything about the game. No one would be fool enough to kick the
man, when by kicking the ball he might score a try. But Princeford was
on Gordon like a shot. He began to lecture him before all the masters on
unsportsmanlike play, and threatened to send him off the field. Gordon
glowered at him. It was a combat of temperaments. The game resulted in a
draw. No try was scored. It was a dull performance, occasionally
relieved by individual brilliance. Everyone was disappointed.
Sullen and silent, the House side trooped up to tea. They had won the
match, of that there was no doubt. And they had been done out of their
victory.
The limit was reached when, muddy and cold, they found that the new
boot-boy had forgotten to heat the boiler, and there was only cold water
to wash in.
The changing-room was filled with the sound of oaths and curses.
But when the effects of Princeford's refereeing and the boot-boy's
forgetfulness had worn off slightly, the House felt more content. After
all, they had not been beaten. They had got the cup for half the year at
any rate. Things might be worse. And when in hall that night Hazelton
gave him his House cap, all Gordon's rage was overwhelmed by the feeling
that his dearest object had been achieved. The boot-boy was forgiven;
Princeford faded into the background of insignificance from which he had
temporarily emerged.
But the matter did not end there: other fingers were itching to be in
the pie. Christy and Rogers, walking up from the field together, came to
the conclusion that that incorrigible nuisance Caruthers had disgraced
Fernhurst football. Princeford was a master from Sedbury; he had only
come for one term as a special concession, because his headmaster was a
great friend of the Chief. What sort of an impression would he carry
away of Fernhurst manners and sportsmanship, if Caruthers should be
allowed to go unpunished, not only for playing a deliberately foul game,
but also for using most foul language? And so these two, neither of whom
knew anything about football, while both were immensely aware of their
own importance, made their way to "the Bull's" study to pour out their
grievances. "The Bull" was laid up with influenza, and had been
prevented from watching the match. They found him lying on his sofa. For
over an hour they elaborated the tale of Gordon's misconduct.
They pointed out that the object of house matches was to promote a
keenness in school football, and to provide interest for those who were
not good enough to get into the school team. The School House had for
years during the Easter term isolated itself from the rest of the
school. It had considered itself as apart, a school in itself. Such an
attitude militated against _esprit de corps_; it made the house appear
more important than the school. It led to bad feeling between houses. In
Caruthers were developed all the worst faults of this system. His
keenness for his house had so far drowned his affection for his school
that he used any tactics to reach his end. He took defeat in an
unsportsmanlike manner. This afternoon's play had made this clear. And
what was worst of all was that Caruthers had a sufficient personality to
attract others. "Moths are always attracted by the flame," said Rogers
pompously. If Caruthers were dealt with effectively at once, this
poisonous School House notion of its own importance would collapse. Was
it going to be put an end to? That was the question they put to Mr
Buller; and they took over an hour in putting it.
"The Bull" listened to all they had to say, and as soon as they began
repeating themselves, and he realised they had given all the information
they could, told them he had now to dress for dinner, but that he would
consider the matter carefully and let them know his opinion later on.
Like two obsequious courtiers before an Eastern monarch, Rogers and
Christy bowed themselves out, inarticulate with advice and last words.
"The Bull" smiled. He was too big a man to be taken in by such obvious
hypocrisy. These men amused him greatly, especially because they both
thought he took them seriously. But, for all that, he saw that there was
a good deal of truth in what they had said. He wished he had been at the
game himself. It was so hard to form an estimate on the strength of
partial onlookers. Princeford's refereeing might have been exasperating;
but, damn it, even if it had, a sportsman should not make a fuss about
it! It was all part of the game. But Caruthers did not treat a House
match as a game, but as the real business of life. That was what
rankled. Caruthers would laugh when he dropped a catch in a Colts match,
or missed his collar on the upper; but in a House match his face would
be set, his eyes wide and eager. Humour had for the moment ceased to
exist, as far as he was concerned. He clearly preferred his house to his
school. Was he stirring up any feeling between the outhouses and the
School House? He remembered an occasion terms back when Gordon in a
House game had shouted out: "Let the swine have it." Then, again, there
was that affair of bribing Burgoyne to lay out one of his men. And then
the incident this afternoon. Outwardly he was doing his very best to
separate the interests of his house from those of the school, to split
Fernhurst into two factions. But supposing, after all, these were merely
outward signs, supposing Gordon's excessive keenness, coupled with the
rash hotheadedness of youth, led him where his cooler judgment would
have checked him. If that were so, and if strong measures were taken,
might not his keenness change into a hatred of Fernhurst, might it not
lead him to open antagonism with the rest of the school? Punishment
might merely inflame and not crush him, while if his feelings were only
the natural effervescence of youth, they would wear down in time, and
then all would be well. Yet he realised that it is the things which show
that count in this world, a man is judged not by what he is, but by what
he appears to be. Everything pointed to the belief that Gordon was
working against the interests of Fernhurst; whether he actually meant to
do so or not was immaterial. He had to be dealt with as if it was
deliberate. It might be hard on him, but it was not the interests of the
individual, but of the community, that had to be considered.
"The Bull" sent for Akerman, the school captain, after chapel on Sunday
morning.
"Akerman, I want to speak to you about Caruther's behaviour in the Two
Cock yesterday afternoon. Of course, I did not see what happened, but
from what I have heard I think measures ought to be taken. It is a
serious matter. Light measures are no good. I know Caruthers; you have
got to crush him, or he will laugh at you. I think what is required is a
thrashing from the Games Committee. He is bound to be awed by the
disapproval of a body representing Fernhurst football. I suppose now
that the Games Committee wouldn't raise any objection? What about
Hazelton?"
"Well, sir, Hazelton went to the matron last night, and they discovered
he had got mumps. I just passed him on the way to the sanatorium."
"Um! That means there is no School House representative. There must be
one. It would not do for it to appear a school thing, got up against a
School House boy. It would only help to alienate the two parties still
more. Let's see, who is the next senior man in the School House?"
"Pilcher, sir."
Pilcher was one of those people who, though quite efficient at
everything--he was in the Upper Sixth--pass through the school without
leaving any mark behind them. He was outside three-quarter, and was well
worth his place in the side, but he was in no way a blood. He was never
seen. He was always in his study. His was a blameless, uneventful
career.
"He won't raise any objection, will he?"
"I shouldn't think so, sir."
Akerman had difficulty in not smiling.
"Very well, then, you had better call a meeting of the Games Committee
this afternoon and talk over the matter. If anyone makes a fuss, say I
agree with it; and I expect it will be all right."
There was no need, however, for any recourse to the oracle. The Games
Committee consisted of the captains of each house. None of them cared
the least what happened to Caruthers; he was nothing to them. Pilcher
supposed it was all right. The grand remonstrance was passed.
On Monday at twelve-thirty Gordon was summoned by a fag to attend in the
school library. The six members of the Games Committee sat around a
circular table on which lay two canes. It all looked very impressive.
Akerman rose. He began to read a speech off a piece of school paper.
Gordon had wondered why he had been so very energetic in taking down
notes during the Chief's divinity lecture that morning. The speech went
on. It was full of the inevitable platitudes about _esprit de corps_ and
a sportsmanlike spirit. Now and then Akerman stumbled, and had some
difficulty in reading his own writing. If there had not hung over him
the prospect of a very severe beating, Gordon would have enjoyed himself
thoroughly. Akerman was so pricelessly absurd. The rest looked painfully
self-conscious. Why could not Akerman have learnt his speech? It was so
bad that he could not imagine anyone having any difficulty in making it
up as he went along. Akerman was afraid of expressing an opinion. He
prefaced every remark with "Mr Buller says." It gave a sense of
security. The speech ended; everyone except Gordon was relieved.
"Bend over there."
The beating was not so horrible an ordeal as he had expected. In the
same spirit in which the outhouse captains had raised no objection,
merely because they did not care in the least what happened to Gordon,
so now they did not take any particular trouble to hurt him. The ordeal
was rather a fiasco.
A halting oration had led to an even tamer execution. As Gordon walked
down the library steps he was painfully aware of having been the
principal character in a scene of sustained bathos. The body that
represented Fernhurst football had scarcely risen to the dignity of its
trust.
* * * * *
And then a sudden wave of feeling swept over him; and he saw the
horrible unfairness of the whole thing. It did not matter that Akerman
had made himself utterly ludicrous, or that the rest of the Games
Committee had been led to carry out a programme which they knew to be
hypocritical. It was the spirit that mattered. And at the back of it all
moved "the Bull" pulling the strings. In front of the School House
porch, clearly, dispassionately, Gordon put his case.
"I know when I play football I get a bit excited; I know my feet fly all
over the place. They did that ever since I was a baby. I know I
sometimes lose my temper. But I have been like that always. I have
played the same game in the Thirds, and in the Colts, my first term and
yesterday. But nobody said anything then. Do you remember the Milton
match? I went a bit far then: I was fearfully ashamed of myself
afterwards; I thought my play had been a disgrace to the school. But did
'the Bull' think so? Good Lord, no. He gave the side a jaw, and said
that they were a disgrace to the school, with the exception of me! I
played hard and all that, while the rest slacked and funked! I was
singled out for praise in the roughest game I have ever played. And now
what happens? The House begins to win its matches; 'the Bull' sees his
house losing cup after cup. He and Akerman and the other fools think
something must be done. So they wait for an opportunity and then give me
a Games Committee beating, to try and frighten the rest of the House.
They talked about my unsportsmanlike play. They did not mind when I
played rough against Milton. Oh dear, no! But when they find their own
dirty shins being hacked, they sit up and shriek. And they wait till
Hazelton stops out, too!"
Everyone agreed with him. From Dan to Beersheba there was but one
opinion. Buller had not been playing the game. The authorities were
against them. The House would have to cling together to protect its
rights. They could not have Buller trampling on them, dictating terms.
He had begun the contest; they would be prepared for him next time. An
aura of antagonism overhung the grey studies. Members of Buller's house
were dealt with in the sweeping delineation of "the swine across the
road." For the rest of the term, every time Princeford passed the School
House on his way to the common room, a whistle blew from the dark
recesses of the studies, and some voice shouted: "No try; off-side!"
"The Bull" himself was looked on with a general suspicion. The
inevitable had happened. "The Bull" in his attempt to sacrifice the
individual to the community had forgotten that the community is at the
mercy of the individual. The world is composed of a number of
individuals round whom parties and nations cling. "The Bull" had made an
attack on the individual, and the community that Gordon represented took
up his attitude of defiance, strengthening his resolve not to give way,
to keep the House independent of the tyranny that drew five outhouses
together as one. The House was not to be coerced. Its members would be
free to think, to do, to speak as they thought best. From that moment
Gordon took the interests of the House and not Fernhurst as the standard
by which to judge all his thoughts and actions.
And so it happened that just at this moment, when the House was bubbling
over with suppressed wrath, a chance was given them of showing their
independence and defiance.