"I say, isn't it time to get up?"
It was a low whisper in my ear, and I started into full wakefulness, to
find it was dark, and that Mercer was sitting on the edge of my bed,
while the other boys were snoring.
"What time is it?" was my first and natural question.
"I don't know. If I'd got old Eely's watch, I could have had it under
my pillow, and seen directly."
"No, you couldn't," I said grumpily, for I was sleepy and cross; "it's
too dark."
"Well, I could have run my finger over the hands, and told by the touch.
You see, I should have held the watch perfectly upright, and then the
twelve would have been by the handle, and I could have told directly."
"But you haven't got a watch, and so you don't know."
"No," he said, with a sigh, "I haven't got that watch. Old Eely's got
it--a nasty, consequential, bully dandy."
"Do go and lie down again," I said. "I am so sleepy!"
"What for? It's time to get up."
"It can't be; see how dark it is."
"Oh, that's only because it's a dark morning. Get up and dress, and
don't be so grumpy because I've woke you up."
"But I haven't had sleep enough," I grumbled, "and I don't believe it's
twelve o'clock yet. Look at the stars shining."
"Well, they always do shine, don't they? What's that got to do with
it?"
"But it isn't daylight, and we were not to go to Lomax till five."
"By the time we're washed and dressed, the sun will be up, and then
there won't be any waiting."
"Hark!" I said, for the turret clock, below the big bell, chimed.
One, two--three, four--five, six--seven, eight.
Then a long pause.
"Five o'clock," whispered Mercer.
_Chang_!
We waited as the stroke of the striking hammer rang out loudly, and we
could hear the vibration of the bell quivering in the air.
"Well, go on, stupid," said Mercer at last.
"Go on indeed!" I said angrily. "What's the good of coming and
disturbing a fellow like this? It's only one o'clock."
"Don't believe it. That clock's wrong. Now, if I had had a watch--"
"Bother the watch!--bother the clock!--bother you!" I cried. "If you
don't be off, I'll give you bolster."
"Oh, very well," he said. "But I couldn't sleep. It must be four,
though. I'll go and lie down for a bit longer."
He stole back to his bed, and, with a sigh of relief, I sank back into a
delicious nap, from which my tormentor roused me twice more, to declare
it must be time to get up; but there was not a faint gleam of light yet
at the window, and I resolutely refused to rise, sending my companion
back to bed, and going off again, to wake at last with the sun shining
brilliantly in by the curtain. This time I jumped up, with the full
impression upon me that I had overslept myself; while there lay Mercer
on his back, with his mouth wide-open, and giving vent every now and
then to a guttural snore.
And now we shall be too late, I thought, as I hurried on my trousers,
slipped out of the dormitory door, to run down to the end of the
passage, where I could look out and see the sun shining brightly on the
gold letters of the clock face, where, to my great delight, the hands
pointed to half-past four.
Plenty of time, and I went back and roused up Mercer, who started into
wakefulness, looking quite guilty.
"All right!" he said. "I only just shut my eyes. What's o'clock?"
"Time you were dressed," I whispered. "Don't talk loud, or you'll wake
the others."
We washed and dressed with wonderful celerity, and then crept out and
down-stairs, to open one of the schoolroom windows, jump out, and close
it after us. Then, in the delicious fresh morning, with the trees all
dewy, we started off to go through the shrubbery, and were half-way to
the lodge, when Mercer caught me by the arm.
"Look!" he said. "Magglin!" and there, going across one of the fields
beyond the road, was that individual, with the pockets of his jacket
seeming to be sticking out; and the same idea struck us both.
"He's been poaching!"
But he passed out of sight directly, and we hurried on down to the
lodge, to find Lomax standing at the door smoking his morning pipe.
"Five minutes before your time," he said. "That's a good sign. You
both want to learn, so you'll learn quickly. Wait a minute, I've just
done my bad habit. I learned that years ago, and it's hard to break
oneself of it. There, that'll do," he continued, lifting up one foot,
and bending down, so as to knock the ashes out of his pipe by tapping
the bowl on his heel. "Come along! I've cleared the decks for you."
In fact, as we entered the room, we found that the table and chairs had
been taken out, and the little square of carpet and hearthrug rolled up
together and stood in a corner, while on the window sill lay the two
pairs of boxing-gloves, like four hugely swollen giants' hands, and they
looked so ridiculous that we both laughed.
"'Tention!" cried Lomax, shutting and bolting the door. "Business! You
can laugh after. Now then, put them on."
We readily obeyed, and as each glove was put on, Lomax tied them
securely in their places by the stout strings at the wrists, and once
more our comical aspect was too much for us, and we laughed more
uproariously than before.
"'Tention, I say, boys. Silence! Now then, I don't do so in drilling
you, but the best way to teach a man anything is by letting him go his
own way, and then correcting his mistakes. Now, are you ready, both of
you, and done with your nonsense?"
"Yes, we are quite serious now," I said.
"Then, to begin with, you, Master Burr, stand up before me, and hit me
hard in the chest."
"But it will hurt you," I said.
"You do as I tell you. Hit me in the chest as hard as you can."
I stood up in front of him, and punched him with the soft glove just
below his chin.
"Do you call that hard? Try again."