"It's always the way," continued my companion, "one never does have a
bit of fun without being upset after it somehow. We went fishing, and
nearly got drowned; I bought the ferret, and we lost it; we went in for
lessons in boxing, and I never grumbled much, but oh, how sore and stiff
and bruised I've often been afterwards. And now, when we go for just an
hour to try the ferret, we get caught like this. There's no real fun in
life without trouble afterwards."
"One always feels so before breakfast," I said, as dolefully as Mercer
now, and I hurriedly finished dressing. Then we went to the window, and
stood looking out, and thinking how beautiful everything appeared in the
morning sunshine.
"I say, Tom," I said at last, "don't you wish you were down-stairs
finishing your lessons, ready for after breakfast?"
"Ah, that I do!" he cried; "and I never felt so before."
"That's through being locked up like in prison," I said philosophically.
"Yes, it's horrid. I say, the old Doctor won't expel us, will he?"
"I hope not," I said.
"But he will old Magglin. You see if he don't."
"Well, I'm not sorry for him," I said; "he has behaved like a sneak."
"Yes; trying to put it all on to us."
We relapsed into silence for some time. We had opened the window, and
were looking out at the mists floating away over the woods, and the
distant sea shining like frosted silver.
"Oh, I do wish it was a wet, cloudy morning!" I said at last.
"Why?"
"Because everything looks so beautiful, and makes you long to be out of
doors."
We relapsed into silence again, with our punishment growing more painful
every moment, till our thoughts were chased away by the ringing of the
breakfast-bell.
"Ah, at last!" cried Mercer, and he turned to listen for footsteps.
"I say," he cried crossly, "ain't they going to let us go down to
breakfast?"
"No; we're prisoners," I said bitterly.
"Yes; but they don't starve prisoners to death," cried Mercer; "and I
want something to eat."
In spite of my misery, I too felt very hungry, for we had gone through a
great deal since our evening meal on the previous day, and I was
standing watching my companion as he marched up and down the bedroom
like an animal in a cage, when we heard steps on the stairs.
"Here's breakfast," cried Mercer joyfully, but his face changed as the
door was opened, and Mr Rebble appeared, followed by one of the maids
bearing a tray, which she set down on a little table and went away,
leaving Mr Rebble looking at us grimly, but with the suggestion of a
sneering laugh at the corners of his cleanly-shaven lips.
We both glanced at the tray, which bore a jug and two mugs and a plate
with a couple of big hunches of bread. Then Mercer looked up half
reproachfully at Mr Rebble, who was moving toward the door.
"They've forgotten the butter, sir," he said.
"No, my boy, no," replied the usher; "butter is a luxury reserved for
the good. The Doctor will send for you both by and by."
He went out and locked the door, while we stood listening till the steps
had died away.
"It's a jolly shame!" cried Mercer. "I'm not going to stop here and eat
dry bread."
"Never mind," I said; "I don't mind for once;" and, taking one of the
pieces of bread, I lifted the jug to fill a mug, but set it down again
without pouring any out.
"What's the matter?"
"Look," I said.
Mercer darted to the table, looked into the jug, poured out a little of
its contents, and set the vessel down, speechless for the moment with
rage.
"Water!" he cried at last, and dashing to the table again, he ran with
it to the window, and threw both jug and contents flying out into the
shrubbery below.
"Oh!" he ejaculated, directly after; "I didn't know you were there."
I ran to the window now, and looked down to see the cook's red face
gazing up at us.
"Eh? what say?" said Mercer, leaning out.
"Hush! be quiet. All at breakfast. Got any string?"
"Yes. Oh, I know," cried Mercer joyfully, and he ran to his box and
from the bottom dragged out a stick of kite string, whose end he rapidly
lowered down to where cook stood, holding something under her apron.
This proved to be a little basket with a cross handle when she whisked
her apron off, and, quickly tying the end of the string to it, she stood
watching till the basket had reached our hands, and then hurried away
round the end of the house.
"Oh, isn't she a good one!" cried Mercer, tearing open the lid, after
snapping the string and pitching the ball quickly into the box. "Look
here; four eggs, bread and butter--lots, and a bottle of milk--no," he
continued, taking out the cork and smelling, "it's coffee. Hooray!"
"What's that in the bit of curl paper?" and I pointed to something
twisted up.
"Salt," cried Mercer, "for the eggs. Come on, eat as fast as you can."
I took a piece of bread and butter, and he another, eating away as he
poured out two mugfuls of what proved to be delicious coffee.
"Who says we haven't got any friends?" cried Mercer, with his mouth
full. "What lots of butter. 'Tis good. I say, wonder what old Rebble
would say if he knew! Have an egg."
"No spoons."
"Bet a penny they're hard ones."
So it proved, and we cracked them well all over, peeled off the shells,
which for secrecy we thrust into our pockets, and then, dipping the eggs
into the salt, we soon finished one each, with the corresponding
proportion of bread and butter. Then the other two followed, the last
slice of bread and butter disappeared, and the wine-bottle was drained.
It was an abundant supply, but at our age the time consumed over the
meal was not lengthy, and we then busied ourselves in rinsing out the
bottle, which was hidden in my box, after being carefully wiped on a
towel, the basket was placed in Mercer's, and as soon as the last sign
of our banquet had disappeared, we looked at the two hunches of bread,
of which mine alone had been tasted, and burst into a laugh.
"I don't want any--do you?" said Mercer, and I shook my head. "Oh, I do
feel so much better! I can take the Doctor's licking now, and hope it
will come soon."
"I don't," I said.
"Why not? It's like nasty physic. Of course you don't like it, but the
sooner you've swallowed it down, the sooner it's gone, and you haven't
got to think any more about it. That's what I feel about my licking."
"Hist! here's some one coming."
Mercer turned sharply round and listened.
"Old Reb," he whispered, and we went and stood together near the window
as the steps came nearer; the key was turned, and Mr Rebble appeared,
glanced at the tray with its almost untouched bread, and then smiled
maliciously.
"Ho, ho! Proud stomached, eh? Oh, very well, only I warn you both you
get nothing more to eat until that bread is finished. Now, then, young
gentlemen, this way please."
He held the door open, and then led us into a small room at the end of
the passage used for spare boxes and lumber. Here we were locked in and
left, and as soon as we were alone Mercer burst into a fit of laughter.
"Oh, what a game!" he panted, wiping the tears from his eyes. "I say,
though, he never missed the water-jug. What's the matter?"
"Matter!" I cried; "it's a shame to lock us up here like two prisoners
in this old lumber-room."
"Oh, never mind! it's only old Reb's nasty petty way. I don't believe
the Doctor knows. He isn't petty; he scolds you and canes you if you've
done anything he don't like, but as soon as you've had your punishment,
it's all over, and he forgets what's past. I say!"
"Well?"
"He will not expel us; I'm not afraid of that."
In about half an hour, we heard Mr Rebble's steps again.
"Now then, the physic's ready," whispered Mercer. "Don't you cry out.
It hurts a good deal, and the Doctor hits precious hard, but the pain
soon goes off, and it will only please old Rebble if you seem to mind."
Just then the door was opened, and our gaoler appeared again.
"This way," he said shortly, and we went out into the passage once more,
while my heart began to flutter, and I wondered whether I could bear a
caning without showing that I suffered, and, to be frank, I very much
doubted my power in what would be to me quite a new experience. I set
my teeth though, and mentally vowed I would try and bear it manfully.
It was all waste energy, for Mr Rebble threw open the door of our
dormitory again, drew back for us to enter, and said, with a nasty
malicious laugh, as if he enjoyed punishing us,--
"Not a morsel of anything till that bread is eaten."
Then the door was closed, sharply locked, the key withdrawn, and his
steps died away.
"What a take in!" grumbled Mercer, as we looked round the neat, clean
bedroom, and realised that we had only been locked up in the other place
while the maids came to make the beds. "I was all screwed up tight, and
would have taken my caning without so much as a squeak. Couldn't you?"
"I don't know," I said, "but I felt ready to go on with it, and now I
suppose we shall have to wait."
To our great disgust, we did have to wait hour after hour. We heard the
fellows go out from school, and their voices came ringing through the
clear summer air, and then we heard them come in to dinner; but we were
not called down, nothing was sent up to us, and, though we kept watch at
the window looking down into the shrubbery, there was no sign of the
cook, and the kite string remained unused.
"But she's sure to come some time," said Mercer. "She won't let old Reb
starve us. Hi! look there. Old Lomax. There he goes."
Sure enough, the old sergeant marched down the road, and we watched till
he was out of sight, but he did not see us.
"I wonder what he thought when we did not go for our lesson this
morning," I said.
"Oh, he had heard of it, safe," cried Mercer. "Hark, there they go out
from dinner. I say, I'm getting tired of this. They must have us down
soon."
But quite an hour passed away, and we stood sadly looking out at the
beautiful view, which never looked more attractive, and we were trying
to make out where the hammer pond lay among the trees, when I suddenly
nipped Mercer's arm, and we began to watch a light cart, driven by a
grey-haired gentleman, with a groom in livery with a cockade in his hat
seated by his side, and a big dark fellow in velveteen behind.
"Is he coming here?" whispered Mercer, as we drew back from the window.
We knew he must be, and, peering from behind the white window-curtains,
we saw the great fiery-looking roan horse turn at a rapid trot through
the open gates, then the wheels of the light, cart seemed to be pulled
up at the front entrance, where we saw the groom spring down, and heard
the jangle of the big front door bell.
Then we sat down on our chairs by the heads of our beds and waited, and
not long, for we soon heard steps on the stairs.
"It's coming now," said Mercer, drawing a long breath.
"Yes, it's coming now," I echoed softly, as a curious sensation of dread
ran through me, and directly after the door was unlocked, and Mr Rebble
appeared.
"Now, young gentlemen," he said, with a perfectly satisfied air, "the
Doctor will see you both in his room."