I thought of my little plan that night when I went to bed, and I had it
in my mind when I woke next morning, and laughed over it merrily as I
dressed.
It was the merest trifle, but it amused me; and I have often thought
since of what big things grow sometimes out of the merest trifles.
School-days are often so monotonous that boys jump at little things for
their entertainment, and as there was some good-humoured mischief in
this which would do no one any harm, only create a laugh, in which Tom
Mercer would no doubt join after he had got over the first feeling of
vexation, I had no hesitation about putting it in force.
I had to wait for my opportunity, and it came that afternoon, when most
of the boys were together cricketing and playing rounders. I glanced
round the field, and then slipped away unobserved, made my way round by
the back, and crossed the open space toward the yard.
It was absolutely necessary for me to meet no one, so as to avoid
suspicion when Mercer found out what had been done, and I intended, as
soon as I had executed my little plan, to slip back by the same way into
the play-field, so as to be able to prove where I was on that afternoon.
But, as a matter of course, just because I did not wish to meet any one,
I must meet the cook just returning from the kitchen garden with a
bundle of thyme in her hand.
Everybody spoke of Cook as being disagreeable and ready to snap and
snarl if she were asked for anything extra because a boy was sick; but
they say, "Speak well of the bridge that carries you well over," and I
always found her the most kindly of women; and she nodded and smiled.
"What boys you and Master Mercer are!" she said. "Why, you are always
going and moping up in that loft instead of being in the fields at
play."
She went on toward the house, and I stood hesitating about carrying out
my plan.
"She knows I've come," I said, "and if there is a row, and questions
asked, she may say that she saw me."
"Nonsense! she'll never hear about it," I said, and, running into the
dark stable, I stopped short, for I fancied there was a sound overhead;
but I heard no more, and, thinking it was fancy, I ran to the steps,
climbed up, and was crossing the floor when I heard a faint rustling in
a heap of straw at the far end, in the darkest corner of the loft.
"Rats," I said to myself, as I went on to the place where the big bin
stood under a little window, passed it, and reached up to take the key
from the beam upon which it was always laid, the simplicity of the
hiding-place making it all the more secure.
To my utter astonishment, the key was not there, but a second glance
showed me that it was in the padlock.
"Been up here and forgot to lock it," I said to myself. "All the better
for me. Some one else may have been up, and done it through his leaving
the key there."
I laughed to myself as I took the padlock out and threw open the bin,
with the intention of having what I called a game.
This was to consist in my arranging the various stuffed creatures in as
comical a way as I could; and my first thought was to take the rabbit,
alter its position a little, and lay it upon an extemporised bed, with
the doctor--the owl--holding one paw to feel its pulse, while all the
other creatures looked on.
"What shall be the matter with him?" I thought. Then directly--"I
know: all his stuffing come out."
I seized the owl, and found that I could easily twist the wire down its
leg, so that the claw would appear to be grasping the rabbit's wrist,
while the sage-looking bird stood on one leg; and, satisfied in this, I
was about to arrange the jay and other birds, but thought I would do the
rabbit first, and, taking it up, I thrust my hand in the orifice made in
the skin when taking it off, and pulled out a good piece of tow, meaning
to leave it hanging down. Then I thrust my hand in again, and drew it
out in astonishment, for I had taken hold of something hard and flat and
round. What it was I could not see; it was too much surrounded by the
tow. Then I laughed.
"Why, it's a big leaden nicker!" I said to myself. "Why did he put
that in? I know. There are holes in it to fix wire to, and--" I turned
cold and queer the next instant, as I divided the soft tow, and stood
staring down, with the light from the little window falling full upon
that which I held in my hand. Then I felt puzzled and confused; but the
next minute I uttered quite a sob, for light flashed into my brain:
memories of what I had so often heard my chosen companion say, the envy
he had displayed, and the way in which all at once Burr major's watch
had disappeared from his jacket in the cricket-field,--all came back
with a force that seemed to cause a singing noise in my ears, for here
before me was the end of it all,--the explanation of the disappearance
of the watch, which was now lying in my hand, with the hands close
together and pointing to twelve. At last uttering a sound that was
almost a groan, I muttered,--
"Oh, Tom, Tom, how could you do such a thing as this?"
The feeling of confusion came back like a thick mist floating over me,
and I turned the watch over in my hand two or three times, asking myself
what I should do.
Should I take it to Burr major, and say I had picked it up? Should I go
and confide in Mr Hasnip? Should I go straight to Tom Mercer and
accuse him of taking it?
No, no, no: I felt that I could do none of these things, and in a
dreary, slow, helpless way, I thrust the watch back in amongst the tow,
rammed more in after it, and then stood, after laying the rabbit down,
asking myself what I should do next, while a poignant sense of misery
and wretchedness seemed to make my position unbearable.
It all came back now: how, ever since Burr major had that watch, Mercer
had been envious, and longed for it. Scarcely a day had passed that he
had not said something about his longings; and now here it was plainly
enough before me: he had gone on coveting that wretched toy till the
desire had been too strong for him, and it had ended in my manly,
quaint, good-tempered school-fellow descending to become a contemptible
pickpocket and thief.
The blood flushed up into my cheeks and made them burn, while my fists
clenched hard, and I thought to myself that I had learned boxing for
some purpose.
"I can't go and tell tales of him," I said. "I can't betray him, for it
would disgrace him for ever. He would be expelled from the school, and,
shamefaced and miserable, go home to his father and mother, who would be
nearly broken-hearted. No. I can't tell."
Then I felt that, painful as it would be to confess all, and speak
against the boy I had grown to care for as if he had been my brother, I
ought to go straight to the Doctor and tell him. It was my duty, and it
might act beneficially for Tom Mercer. The severe punishment might be
such a lesson to him that it would check what otherwise might prove to
be a downward course. If I were silent, he might do such a thing again,
as this had been so easy; and get worse and worse. I must--I ought to
tell, I said to myself; and then, as I dropped on my knees by the old
bin, and rested my head on the edge, the hot tears came to my eyes, and
my misery seemed greater than I could bear, for I felt it as bitterly as
if I myself had been led into this disgraceful crime.
I rose again with a clearer view of what I should do under the
circumstances, for I had been having a terrible fight with bewildering
thoughts; now thinking I would lock up the bin and go away as if I had
not found the watch, and do nothing but separate myself from my
school-fellow, now going in the opposite direction, in which I felt
quite determined.
"That's it," I said to myself. "I shall break with Tom Mercer for ever,
but I'll tell him why. We've learned to box for something, and perhaps
he'll be best man. No, he won't. I shall have right on my side, and as
he is guilty he will feel cowardly. I will thrash him till he can
hardly crawl, and then, when he is weak and miserable, I'll tell him all
I have found out, and make him go and put the watch back where Eely can
find it, and then it will never be known who took it, and Mercer will
not be expelled in disgrace as a common thief. Why, it would break his
mother's heart!"
"Yes, that will be the way," I thought, feeling clearer and more
relieved now. "It shall be a secret, but I will punish him as severely
as I can, and though we shall never be friends again, I'll try hard to
check him from going downward like that, and though he will hate me for
what I have done, he will thank me some day when he has grown up to be a
man."
I closed the lid of the bin and thrust the top of the padlock through
the staple and locked it; withdrew the key, and had raised my hand
mechanically to put it in its old hiding-place on the beam, but I
altered my mind.
"No," I thought; "I'll bring him up here, and give him the key then, and
make him open the bin and take out the watch before I thrash him. It
shall be a lesson for him from beginning to end. He must have some
shame in him, and I want him to feel it, so that he can never forget it
again."
I thrust the key into my pocket and went down into the yard. It was a
glorious sunny afternoon when I went up into the loft, and the weather
had not changed; but everything seemed to be overclouded and wretched
now, as I started off for the play-field, determined to waste no time,
but take the culprit to task at once.
I looked about, and could see Burr major, but Mercer was not there, and
I crossed to where I could see little Wilson, and asked if he had seen
him.
"Senna!" he cried; "yes, I saw him a little while ago. Perhaps he's by
the gardens, digging up grubs and things to make physic."
I could not smile then, but went to the gardens. He was not there, and,
thinking he might have gone up to our room, I went into the house, and
up to the dormitories; but my journey was vain, and I went down again,
and once more sought the field, to look all over at the little parties
playing cricket, dotted here and there, but no Mercer. To my great
surprise, though, I saw Dicksee talking earnestly to Burr major.
"They've made it up," I thought, and it seemed to me very contemptible
and small of Burr major to take up again with a boy who had behaved so
despicably to him.
I passed pretty near them as I went on across the field, and they both
looked at me rather curiously--in a way, in fact, which made me think
that they were plotting something against me. Perhaps a fresh fight.
"Well, I don't mind now," I said to myself. "Nothing seems of any
consequence but Tom Mercer's act. Where can he be?"
I had another look round, and then saw that Burr major, Hodson, and
Dicksee had gone up to the house together, and directly after they
disappeared, while I went on again, asking after Mercer, to find that
every one nearly had seen him only a little while before, but they could
not tell me where he was gone.
I kept on looking about, though I half suspected that he must have gone
off on some little expedition of his own, as it was half holiday; and,
at the end of another half-hour, I was about to stand near the gate, to
watch for his return, when I caught sight of him, apparently coming from
the direction of the yard, as if he had been to the loft.
"Oh, here you are then!" he cried, as, after catching sight of me, he
ran to meet me, and began vehemently. "I've been hunting everywhere for
you."
"I have been hunting everywhere for you," I said coldly.
"Have you? Well, look here, Frank, I was up in the loft last night, and
I forgot to lock up the bin."
It was just as I thought.
"I forgot it once or twice before, thinking about something else; and
now some one has been and locked it up, and taken the key away."
"Indeed?" I said coldly.
"Yes. Don't look at a fellow that way. I didn't say you'd taken it,
because, of course, if you had, you would have put it up on the beam. I
say, who could it have been?"
"Ah! who could it have been?" I said.
"What's the matter with you? How queer you are! I tell you, I don't
think it was you, but old fatty Dicksee; I've seen him sneaking about
the yard a good deal lately, watching me, and he must have found out
where we kept the key, and he has nailed it for some lark, or to tease
me. Yes, that's it. You see if, next time we go, we don't find a dead
dog, or a dead cat, or something nasty, tucked in the bin. Some of 'em
served me that way before, when Bob Hopley's old donkey died, and they
put in its head. What shall we do?"
"Nothing," I said. "I have the key."
"You have? Oh, I am glad!"
"I went up and found the key there, so I locked it and put it in my
pocket."
"Why didn't you put it in the old place, and not give me all this
fright?"
"You know," I said solemnly.
"I--er--er--know--er--er--" he drawled tragically. "Dear me, how grand
we are!" he added, with a forced laugh. "No, I don't know."
"Then come up there with me, and I'll show you," I said fiercely.
"Oh, sir--no, sir--please, sir--don't, sir--I, sir--Oh, sir--I won't do
so any more, sir. Don't take me up there, sir, and punch my head, sir."
"Don't play the fool, but come along with me."
"Why, Frank, old chap, you aren't serious, are you? What's the matter?"
"Come up into the loft and see," I replied, as sternly as I could, but
feeling so miserable that I could hardly keep my voice from quivering.
"Oh, all right! I'm ready," he said rather stiffly now. "I've done
nothing to offend you that I know of. Come on."
We moved toward the yard, but before we reached the gateway, without
speaking now, our names were shouted, and, stopping and looking round, I
saw Mr Hasnip and Mr Rebble coming after us, the former beckoning.
We turned and walked toward him, with a cold sensation of dread running
through me; for what I knew made me shiver with dread, lest the real
cause of the disappearance of the watch should have been discovered; and
I remembered now about my headache on the cricket match day, and how
Mercer had hung about near me, going and coming between me and the tent.
The next moment we were facing the two masters, and Mr Rebble spoke,
looking at me very severely.
"Burr junior," he said, "the Doctor wishes to see you in his room
directly."
I felt as if I had turned white, and I saw Mr Hasnip looking at me in a
horrified way, as Mr Rebble continued:
"And, Mercer, you are to come as well."
"Poor Tom!" I thought, as my hot anger against him died away. "It is
all found out. What will we do? I shall have to tell the whole truth."