As the two lads reached the main street, chatting over their adventure,
something occurred which made Glyn turn his head sharply, and as he did
so a small boy shouted, "Hooray!"
It was the little spark applied to the touch-hole of a cannon, and a
loud roar followed.
"Here, let's go back," cried Singh. "The Rajah's broken loose again."
"No, no," cried Glyn. "They are shouting at us."
"What for? What have we done?"
"I suppose it's because we rode the elephant. Here, come along; let's
turn down here and get round by the fields."
The young Indian generally gave way to his English friend; and, obeying
directly, they hurried down the first turning, but in vain. A crowd of
men and boys were after them, cheering loudly, and this crowd was
snowball-like in the way in which the farther it rolled the more it
grew. So that in spite of all their efforts they were literally hunted
right up to the Doctor's gates, where they arrived hot and breathless to
find a larger crowd than before which had gathered to satisfy themselves
with the rather empty view of the damaged hedge, the big footmarks, and
a wheelwright and some of Ramball's men getting the great bottomless
elephant-van into condition for dragging to the show-field.
As soon as the two boys came in sight there was a rush made for them,
and amidst deafening cheering and vain efforts to hoist them
shoulder-high and carry them into the playground, they managed to reach
this resort at last, and join their schoolfellows in keeping out the
excited mob, some of whom, the youngest of course, began to decorate the
brick wall with their persons like so many living statues. And then to
the two lads' disgust, the whole school, with the exception of Slegge,
and half-a-dozen of his party who wanted to join in the ovation but did
not dare in the presence of their tyrant, began to cheer them as loudly
as the boys without. Several of the younger juniors began to idolise
them in a very juvenile way by hanging on to them, slapping their backs,
and shaking hands.
Altogether it was a strange mingling of the pleasant and unpleasant, the
former predominating with Singh, who for the first time since he had
joined the school found himself thoroughly liked.
Slegge and his following stood aloof, the latter listening to the
former's sneering remarks, some of which reached Glyn and made him feel
hot; while just in the midst of the loudest cheering, Wrench the
man-servant made his appearance, followed by a big tom-cat which passed
most of its time in the pantry rubbing its head against Wrench's legs
while he was cleaning the plate or washing tea-cups, probably in
gratitude for past favours. When it was a kitten some young Plymborough
roughs had hurled it into the little river, and were making of it what
they termed a "cockshy," pelting it with stones, fortunately
ineffectually, and trying to beat it under water, when the Doctor's
footman, who was crossing the bridge, saw what was going on and made an
unexpected charge upon the young ruffians, effectually scattering them.
One tripped and fell headlong into the river, out of which he crawled as
thoroughly wet as the unhappy little kitten, which Wrench received as it
swam ashore, rolled up in his handkerchief and took home to his pantry,
where it grew rapidly, waxed fat, and was never so happy as when it
could find a chance to rub its head against its master.
Hard on Wrench's heels came also one Sam Grigg, page-boy, who on
particular occasions wore a livery jacket with three rows of plated
pill-like buttons, but who was now in the fatigue-dress of rolled-up
shirt sleeves and a very dirty apron, while his left-hand was occupied
by a boot, the right by a blacking-brush, which seemed to have been
applied several times to an itching nose, his chin, and one side of his
face, rather accounting for the plural nickname given him by the boys of
"Day & Martin."
These had come out to join in the ovation, Wrench adding several proud
encomiums, one of which was, "My eyes, gentlemen! You did do it fine!"
The Doctor's footman had hardly uttered these words when there was the
loud ringing of a bell.
"The Doctor!" he ejaculated, and he hurried into the house, his exit
from the playground being followed by a fresh burst of cheering and a
peculiar triumphant dance on the part of the page, accompanied by the
waving of boot and blacking-brush, till, in his disgust, Slegge made a
rush at him from behind, grabbed him by the scruff of the neck, and ran
him rapidly to the boot-house, sent him flying in with a savage kick,
and banged the door after him.
"A blackguard!" he cried haughtily. "That's why our boots are not half
cleaned. How dare he! The dirty, contemptible scrub! The Doctor ought
to be told of this."
Slegge stood sniffing and snorting and glaring round fiercely at the
worshippers of the two heroes of the hour, who stood flushed and
worried, ready to beat a retreat to the dormitory.
But an end was put to their reception in a very unexpected way, for
Wrench suddenly made his appearance, looking very solemn as he hurried
off to the two lads with, "The Doctor wants to see you both, sirs,
directly, in the study."
Slegge's face lit up with a malicious grin.
"Haw, haw!" he laughed. "Three cheers, boys! The Doctor wants to see
them both in his study. Impositions! Hooray! Cheer, you little
beggars! Why don't you cheer?"
The adjuration fell flat, for not a boy uttered a sound, save one who
exclaimed, "Oh, what a shame!" and then went off to the cricket-field,
trying hard, poor little fellow! to suppress the natural desire to cry
out and sob, for Slegge had "fetched him," as he termed it, a sounding
slap upon the cheek, which echoed in the silence and cut the boy's lips
against a sharp white tooth.
"What's the Doctor want?" whispered Singh, as they followed the footman
into the house.
"A wigging, I'm afraid, gentlemen," said the man who heard his words.
"But don't you mind. You write out your lines and do your imposition
like men. It was fine! What you did this morning has made every one
think no end of you, and it will never be forgotten so long as this
'ere's a school."
A tap of the knuckles, which sounded hollow and strange, for they had
reached the study-door.
"Come in!" in the Doctor's deepest and most severe tones, and the next
moment the two boys were standing separated from their preceptor by the
large study-table, while he sat back in his revolving chair with his
finger-tips joined, frowning at them severely from beneath his up-pushed
gold-rimmed spectacles.
There was silence for quite a minute, and it was not the Doctor who
spoke first, but Glyn, who, under the impression that the Doctor was
deep in thought and had forgotten their presence, ventured to say, "I
beg your pardon, sir; you sent for us," and put an end to the mental
debate as to the form in which the subject should be approached.
"Yes, sir," said the Doctor sternly. "I have sent for you both, as it
is better that any lapse from the strict rules of my establishment
should be dealt with immediately; not that I wish to be too severe, for
you are both new pupils and strange to the regulations of a high-class
school in England. You gather, of course, that I am alluding to your
very undignified conduct in the sight of all your fellow-pupils."
"Yes, sir," said Glyn; "about our riding the elephant?"
"Of course. It was disgraceful. You, to whom I should have looked for
the conduct and demeanour of a gentleman, being the son of an eminent
officer in the army, behaving like some little common street-boy, and
leading your fellow-pupil, in whom from his ignorance of English customs
and etiquette such a lapse might be excused. It was only the other day
that your father the Colonel, sir, told me that you would set an example
to the young Prince, and here I find you directly snatching at the
opportunity to behave as you have done."
"I beg your pardon, sir," cried Glyn, in a voice full of protest, "it
was--"
"Silence, sir!--Yes, what is it?" cried the Doctor angrily, for there
was a quick tap at the door, and the footman appeared. "Have I not told
you, sir, that when I am engaged like this I am not to be interrupted?--
Eh? Who?"
"That showman, sir, wants to see you, sir."
"That showman?" cried the Doctor angrily. "What showman? What about?"
"Come about the damages, sir; the broken fences. He said he wouldn't
keep you a moment, sir, if you would see him."
"Oh," said the Doctor, cooling down. "Yes, the damages, the torn-up
hedge and the broken fence. A most annoying affair. You can sit down,
gentlemen, while I dismiss this man.--Where is he, Wrench?"
"In the hall, sir; on the mat."
"Ho!" said the Doctor, rising; and he marched slowly out, leaving the
boys looking at one another and then at the busts of the great scholars
of Greece and Rome ranged at intervals upon the cornices of the
bookcases that covered the study-walls.
Neither felt disposed to speak, for an inner door stood ajar, and from
the other side came the faintly heard scratching noise of a pen.
And so in silence some ten minutes or so passed before the Doctor came
in, looking very different of aspect and ready to sign to the boys to
sit down again as they rose at his entrance.
"A most unpleasant business, young gentlemen," he began, as he seated
himself; and sinking back he removed his spectacles, folded them, and
used them to tap his knee; "but in justice to you I must hasten to say
that this man's coming has given a very different complexion to the
affair. A very strange, uncultured personage, but most straightforward
and honest. I like the way in which he has offered to bear all the
expense of repairing the fences. He speaks most highly of your
gallantry--er--er--er--pluck, he called it--most objectionable phrase!--
in dealing with this savage beast. H'm, yes, what did he say--tackling
it. But I was not aware that you had engaged in roping or harnessing
the animal. He, however, talked of your both managing the monster
wonderfully, and--er--it had never occurred to me before that you had
both had some experience of elephants in India."
"Oh yes, sir," cried Glyn eagerly. "Singh has elephants of his own, and
we often used to go out together through the forest upon one as big as
that."
"Ha! Very interesting," cried the Doctor. "I was under the impression
that your proceedings this morning were--that is--in fact, that you both
did it just for the sake of a ride."
"Oh no, sir," cried Glyn. "The men were all afraid of the elephant, and
Singh spoke to it in Hindustani, and--"
"Yes, yes, exactly," said the Doctor, smiling. "It was very brave,
and--really, I cannot conceal the fact that I felt alarmed myself when
the great furious beast came charging across the grounds. Yes, he
speaks highly in praise of your conduct, and really, young gentlemen,
I--I must apologise for having spoken to you as I did while suffering
from a misunderstanding. Er--hum!" continued the Doctor didactically,
and he rose slowly to stand waving the gold spectacles through the air,
"it is the duty of every gentleman when he finds that he is in the wrong
to acknowledge the fact with dignity and good grace. My dear young
pupils, I hope I have properly expressed myself towards you both; and
let me add that this will be a lesson to us, to me, against speaking in
undue haste, and to you both as--er--
"Well, gentlemen," he continued with a smile, "I don't think I need
detain you longer from your studies--I mean--er--from your pleasurable
pursuits, as this is a holiday, and we will consider the incident as
closed."
Smiling benignantly, the Doctor marched slowly round the end of the
table again, shook hands warmly with both his pupils, and then showed
them to the door.
"Stop! By the way, a little idea has occurred to me. This is a day of
relaxation. Mr Singh--er--it is an understood thing, as you know, that
your title is to be in abeyance while you are my pupil; for, as I
explained to your guardian, Colonel Severn, it would be better that
there should be no invidious distinctions during your scholastic
career--I should be glad if you and your friend the Colonel's son would
dine with me this evening. No dinner-party, but just to meet your three
preceptors and a Mr--dear me, what was his name? Really, gentlemen, I
am so deeply immersed in my studies that names escape me in a most
provoking manner. A gentleman resident in the town here--a Sanskrit
scholar, and friend of Mr Morris. Dear me! What was his name? There
was something familiar about it, and I made a mental note, _memoria
technica_, to be sure, yes--what was it? I remember the word perfectly
now. `Beer.' Dear me, how strange! And it doesn't help me a bit.
Really, gentlemen, I am afraid this _memoria technica_ is a mistake.
How, by any possibility could the name of the ordinary beverage of the
working classes have anything to do with the professor's name?
Professor Beer--Professor Ale--Professor Porter--Stout? Dear me, how
strange! Ah, of course--the great brewers, Barclay--Professor Barclay!
At half-past six."
"Thank you, sir. We will come," said Singh, smiling.
"Precisely," said the Doctor, and he stood smiling in the doorway as the
boys passed out.
They were at the end of the hall passage when the door closed, and
Wrench shot out from somewhere like a Jack from its box.
"Aren't caught it very bad, gentlemen, have you?" he cried eagerly.
"Oh no, Wrench," said Glyn, smiling.
"Thought not, sir, for the Doctor had got a twinkle in his eye when he'd
done with the wild-beast man. It would have been hard if you'd caught
it after what you did. Pst! There's the study-bell." And the man
hurried away, leaving the culprits to stroll out together into the
playground, where they found fully half the boys waiting to hear the
result of their interview with the Doctor, Slegge and his courtiers
hurrying up first.
"Well, beast-tamers," he cried sneeringly, "how many lines of Latin have
you got to do?" And he grinned offensively at them both.
"When?" said Glyn coolly.
"When? Why, now, at once."
"We haven't got any lines of Latin to do," said Singh quietly. "To-day
is a holiday."
"For us," cried Slegge; "but I know the Doctor. You have both got a
pretty stiff dose to do, my fine fellows, and I wish you joy."
"Thank you," said Glyn; "but you are all in the wrong."
"Wrong? Then what did the Doctor say to you?"
"Oh," said Glyn, in a most imperturbable manner, fighting hard the
while, though, to keep his countenance as he realised the strength of
the shot he was about to send at his malicious persecutor, "he asked
Singh and me to come and meet the masters and dine with him to-night."