"Oh, crikey!"
"Mr Rebble," said the doctor in deep tones.
"Sir?"
"To the commercial man punctuality is the soul of business; to the
gentleman it is the soul of honour; and to the scholastic pupil it is
the soul of er--er--the soul of er--er--er--duty. Be good enough to see
that Mercer and Burr junior have impositions. Er--rum! Er--rum!" The
Doctor finished by coughing in a peculiar way, and the clatter of knives
and forks began again.
"He don't know yet about the fights," I whispered; "and, I say, look!"
"What's the matter?"
"Eely hasn't come down yet."
"Fatty has. I say, just look at his eyes."
"Horrid!" I whispered. "He looks fatter than ever. But Eely--oh, I
hope he isn't very bad!"
"I hope he is," said Mercer maliciously. "He's been fagging me these
three years. I know he's twice as bad as you, and serve him right."
We began our dinners, but Mercer's appetite was as bad as mine. The
salt made my mouth smart, and every bite hurt my loose tooth. But there
were congratulatory smiles from all round whenever I looked up, and
every boy who could reach me with his foot gave me a friendly kick under
the table, Mercer coming in for his share. In fact, I found that I had
suddenly become the most popular boy in the school, though I did not at
all appreciate the honour then.
"Look: there's Eely," whispered Mercer, as a tall thin figure now
appeared at the door, then suddenly grew shorter by the lad bending down
as low as possible, and creeping toward his place by Stewart and
Dicksee.
But it was all in vain, the clatter of the knives and forks ceased, and
the boys watched him, and whispered, drawing the Doctor's attention to
the bent figure; and once more, after fixing his gold eyeglasses on the
bridge of his nose by the hinge, and watching till my late adversary had
crept into his place, he tapped the table with his knife-handle loudly.
"Young gentlemen," he rolled out in sonorous tones, "have the goodness
to button up your pockets, and to be on the _qui vive_. I just saw the
door darkened by a sinister-looking figure, which crept in as if to
commit a burglary, a petty larceny, a scholastic form of shop-lifting,
or some crime of that kind, so be upon your guard. Did any one else see
the figure?"
There was a pause, then Dicksee spoke with a malicious grin upon his fat
face.
"Please, sir, I did. It was Burr major."
"Dear me! Indeed? Mr Burr, have the goodness to stand up and explain
this extraordinary conduct."
Oh, poor old Eely! I thought sympathetically, as poor Burr major stood
up, hanging his head, and looking much shorter than usual, and I
heartily wished that Mercer had punished Dicksee more.
"Dear me! Burr major, what is the er--er--eh? I beg your pardon, Mr
Rebble."
The Doctor bent toward his first lieutenant with great dignity, and the
latter said a few words in a low tone.
"Dear me! Indeed? Oh, I see!" said the Doctor. "Burr major, you can
sit down. You will come to my room directly after dinner, and--er--er--
what names did you say Mr Rebble?"
"Oh dear! It's coming, Frank," whispered Mercer.
"Exactly!" said the Doctor, after a conference in a low tone with Mr
Rebble. "I see. Er--rum! Dicksee, Hodson."
"Please, sir, I wasn't fighting," cried Hodson excitedly.
Mr Rebble whispered to the Doctor.
"An accessory, it seems, Hodson," said the Doctor. "You will come to my
room directly after dinner, with Mercer and Burr junior. I have not
heard the names of the other boys who were present," continued the
Doctor.
"Please, sir, Wilson was one," cried Dicksee.
"Thank you, Dicksee," said the Doctor drily, as he fixed him with his
glittering glasses; "I am obliged to you. History repeats itself.
There has always been one in every confederation ready to betray his
fellows to save his own skin. I am afraid, Dicksee, that your skin will
not be safe. Were you present, Wilson?"
"Yes, sir," said the little fellow.
"Fighting?"
"No, sir, I wasn't fighting; but--"
"But?" said the Doctor; "well, what?"
"Please, sir, I couldn't help liking it."
"Humph!" ejaculated the Doctor. "Well, you need not come this time. To
resume, I do not know the names of the boys who were present, and I do
not want to know. Dicksee was in too great a hurry. Now proceed with
your dinner."
The meal went on, but my face felt more stiff, and my appetite was
decidedly worse.
I was longing to go and do as a dog would under the circumstances,--go
and curl up somewhere out of sight till I got better, for my head ached,
so did my heart; my face throbbed and felt stiff; and altogether I was,
like Mercer, as "miserable as mizzer,"--so he put it,--when the Doctor
tapped the table again, we all rose, grace was said, and the words of
doom came rolling through the place:
"In a quarter of an hour's time, young gentlemen."
Then the Doctor marched sedately out of the room, the masters followed,
and the boys trooped into the ground, and we had to go too, feeling
doleful in the extreme, but that did give way to a sense of pride, for
there was a rush made for us directly; and as I was surrounded by a
crowd, all eagerly congratulating me on my conquest, there was poor Burr
major almost alone on the other side of the ground, dejected, deposed.
Not quite alone, for Hodson and Wilson both went and stood by his side.
It may appear strange, but, of course excepting Mercer, I felt as if I
liked those two boys at that moment better than any one in the school,
for, young as I was, I could not help thinking that if ever Burr major
and I had another encounter, and I were to be beaten, they would all
turn from me as quickly as they came over to my side.
I was soon tired of hearing the same praise over and over again, and
being asked to show this one and that one how I managed to hit out so
well. But Mercer and I had a quiet understanding that we would keep our
own counsel about the matter, and let any one who wanted to learn how to
box think it out for himself.
I was not kept waiting long to muse over my position, and be stared at
by all the boys, who took the greatest interest in my swellings, cuts,
and marks, for Mr Rebble came to the door, and shouted,--
"Now, young gentlemen, the Doctor is waiting." I felt a curious shiver
run through me, as I glanced round for Tom Mercer.