THE PAPER-CHASE.
Two days after this, Alfred received a letter from his mother which
made him very happy. The letter said that his father would be back in
about a fortnight, and would have time to come home for a few days
before going away again. His father was much better, and he was coming
with his mother, and Maggie as well, to see Alfred and hear him sing in
the fine old cathedral. Was not Alfred glad when he read that!
He was so pleased, that he read it again and again. It was a long
letter, and there was something else in it. The lady whom Alfred had
met at the deanery had called upon his mother, and her husband was
coming with her to see Alfred’s father directly he returned.
It need hardly be said that Alfred showed this letter to both his
friends, and even to Mr. Cottenham, who met him near the cathedral.
Walter said he would try to find out who put the answers in Alfred’s
book; both Steve and he believed that it was either King or Cox.
Walter thought that Cox used answers, as he was a dunce at sums, and
that King had either put the page in Alfred’s book, or had told Cox to
do so. He knew that the answers would only be used by a boy who was
weak in sums, and who was doing practice, as the answers were for that
part of the arithmetic book. King was good at arithmetic and much more
advanced, so that the answers would not be of any use to him. There
were two other boys who sat at the same desk as Alfred and Cox, and one
of them was doing practice also, but the other was quite a little boy
who had not got so far. So Walter thought that it must be either Cox or
the other boy, whose name was Frank Pitt.
On the previous day Cox could not get his sums right, and had been kept
in, while Frank Pitt’s were all right. He could not doubt that it was
Cox alone who wanted the answers to help him, and so he determined to
watch him.
Walter taught all the smallest boys, who were called probationers.
As their name explains, they came on trial, and if they did well and
behaved themselves they became choir-boys, if not, they had to leave.
Now one of these little boys, Thomas Brown, was the fourth boy who sat
at Alfred’s desk, and during the interval, Walter thought he would ask
him a few questions, as he sat next to Cox.
“Tommy,” he said, “does Cox ever help you with your sums?”
“No,” replied Brown, “he can’t do his own always.”
“Can he do them sometimes, then?”
“Yes, he gets them done quickly sometimes, but at other times he keeps
making figures and crossing them out.”
“Does anyone help him?”
“He told me that King does sometimes in the evening.”
That was all that Walter said at the moment, as he did not wish to let
Brown suspect anything.
During school, Mr. Young came in.
“Mr. Harmer,” he said, “as the weather is so fine and warm, I should
like to arrange a paper-chase for the boys to-morrow morning directly
after service. I am going to give them all a good dinner at Brangton,
and we will come back by train in time for the afternoon service. We
ought to get to Brangton by one, following the hares, and then we shall
have an hour and a quarter for dinner and be back before three o’clock.”
“Very good, Mr. Young,” replied Mr. Harmer. “If the day should be as
fine as it is to-day, they will all enjoy it very much.”
“Will you come as well, or would you rather not walk so far?”
“If you really do not mind, I think I should prefer to go by train and
meet you there, Mr. Young.”
“Then, boys, I hope you will not forget to be in the cloisters
punctually for the start. I have plenty of paper ready for the chase.”
In one moment every boy’s tongue was let loose, and they were talking
to each other about the chase, while Mr. Harmer and Mr. Young arranged
the details.
“Silence, boys!” said Mr. Harmer; “who will be the hares?”
“King and Gray are the quickest runners,” said Walter.
“Yes,” said Mr. Young, “I know they can run well; so can Cox and Pitt.
Then let King and Gray be the hares. Now, boys, get on with your work
again.”
Mr. Young went away, and the boys again turned their minds to their
work, and were as busy as bees, or at least they looked as if they
were. When they were free, nothing was talked about except the
paper-chase.
The following day was fine, and directly after morning service in the
cathedral all the boys were ready. Mr. Young soon joined them, and
gave King and Stephen each a bag of torn paper. Off they started,
crossing the bridge and making for a wood which lay in the direction
of Brangton, about a mile from the cathedral. Brangton was a pretty
village, with a railway-station, about five miles away.
Mr. Harmer took three very small boys with him by rail.
“Now, boys,” said Mr. Young, as the cathedral clock struck, “it is time
for us to start.”
Cox and Walter led the boys, while Mr. Young, who could walk and run
well, came with the others. Alfred trotted well and soon came up with
Walter.
The trail was not difficult to follow until they got right into the
woods, when they wandered about for some minutes.
“Here it is, Walter,” cried out Alfred. “They have crossed this ditch.”
Walter ran up and jumped over the ditch, followed by the rest and Mr.
Young. Now they ran across a meadow, and then over a ploughed field and
up a lane. They had not yet seen either of the hares, and already one
hour was gone. They halted for a few minutes.
“Well, Parker,” said Mr. Young, “have you lost the trail again?”
“No, sir. I can see the paper along the side of the hedge. They have
crossed this brook.”
The brook was at least twelve feet wide, and about four feet deep where
they were.
“Look, sir!” said Cox; “they have leaped over it and thrown the pole
down on the other side.”
Mr. Young glanced in the direction in which he pointed, and saw a long
pole lying near the water, and the trail across the field on the other
side of the brook.
“There is a wooden bridge about a quarter of a mile up the stream.
Those of you who can’t jump over must go round,” exclaimed Mr. Young,
who took a short run and easily cleared the brook. “Here’s the pole for
any who care to try and follow me.”
Most of the boys had already made for the bridge. Walter, Cox, and
Frank Pitt alone leaped over the brook by the help of the pole. Alfred
had gone with the others. Again they all followed the trail. Brangton
was in sight, and if the hares reached the farmhouse before they were
caught, they would win the chase. Walter, with Cox and Pitt, now made
a final spurt, and saw Steve and King quietly sitting down about a
quarter of a mile ahead.
They got up and waved their caps in derision, and then darted off, all
the others following as fast as they could. It was rather a hopeless
task. The hares slackened speed, but as soon as Walter, Cox, and Pitt
came within a few yards of them, they ran away again, laughing at them.
“Now, boys, I think I can catch them,” said Mr. Young, who was a very
swift runner.
The hares saw him coming and gaining rapidly on them, so they ran into
a sweet-shop, through the house, into the garden, and over the wall,
and then made for the farmhouse, not a hundred yards ahead. Mr. Young
had gone round, and was only about ten yards behind. King he succeeded
in overtaking, but Steve got into the house first. The rest came in a
few minutes later.
Mr. Harmer was waiting for them, and so was a good dinner also. The
boys were hungry, and the good people of the farm thought that they
would never be able to satisfy their appetites.
“Have you bought railway tickets, sir?” inquired the farmer.
“No, Mr. Robinson, not yet,” replied Mr. Young.
“Because there’s a wagon going back that you might all ride in, if you
like, sir.”
“Thank you, Mr. Robinson; but I am afraid we should not be back in
time for service, as we should be over an hour if we rode in that. The
service is at three, and it is now nearly two.”
“I had forgot about the sarvice, sir. You’ll go back by the two-twenty
train, I suppose, then, sir?”
“Yes, that is the train I intend to return by.”
The boys sang grace after the meal, and then walked down to the station
and returned by the train, having enjoyed their run immensely.
“We are much obliged to you, sir,” said Walter.
“I am quite sure, Walter,” replied Mr. Young, “that none of you have
enjoyed the run more than I have. We must arrange another before it is
too hot.”
They marched in a very orderly manner to the cathedral and joined
heartily in the service, after which they went to their homes to do
their work for the next morning.
“King,” Walter heard Cox say, “will you come home with me and give me
a hand with those sums? I can’t do them now I’ve lost my help.”
Walter was standing behind one of the pillars in the cloister, and Cox
did not see him, although King did.
“Come on with me, Harry,” said King, running off.
Walter decided in his own mind that the “help” must be the answers he
had used, but he could not, of course, be sure about it, so he said
nothing to Steve or Alfred then, but resolved to wait until he could be
sure.
The three boys had an invitation to go to Mr. Cottenham’s to tea once
a week, on Thursdays. He had promised on their next visit to show them
some more experiments, so they went home to do their work first, as he
said he would always have tea later, in order that they might be able
to spend an hour or so with him without neglecting their lessons.