Our heroes, as they returned arm-in-arm from the trial of Tom White,
were conscious that in proportion as the troubles behind them
diminished, those ahead loomed out big and ominous.
They had escaped transportation; at least, so they told one another; and
although, when all was said and done, they had not done much towards
righting Tom White or recovering the _Martha_ still, somehow, Nemesis
had been "choked off" in that direction.
But when they turned their faces from what lay behind to the immediate
future, their hearts failed them. They had staked high for the
"Sociables." Their run with the Harriers had been no trifle: and far
more important was the general attention it had drawn to themselves, and
to their efforts to get into, the select company. Their candidature was
a master of public notoriety, and if Pledge should at the last moment
carry out his threat, their fall would be sad in proportion.
When they reached Templeton they found the place in a ferment. Fellows
were going about with pencils and paper, making up their lists.
"I say," said Pauncefote, waylaying our heroes as they entered the Den;
"vote for us, I say. I'll vote for you."
"Oh, ah!" said Dick; "that means we give you three votes, and you only
give us one. See any green? You get a couple of other chaps to stick
us down, and then we'll do it."
Pauncefote, rather bewildered by this way of putting the matter, went
off immediately, and canvassed actively among his particular friends on
behalf of the "Firm;" which was very kind of him, as several fellows
told him.
"Look here, you fellows," said Gosse, approaching the "Firm" with a
troubled face, "_do_ you know anybody in the lower Fourth who isn't a
cad? I've got down all the other forms, but I can't get a single decent
name for the lower Fourth."
"Aspinall," said Dick.
"But he's such a muff. I'd be ashamed to put him down."
"Aspinall would lick you left-handed at tennis, and knows more Greek
than you know English," said Dick, hotly; for he always looked upon the
Devonshire boy as a credit to his protecting arm. "If you call that
being a muff, well, he is one, and you aren't, that's all."
Gosse received this judgment with attention, and went off to have a
private look at Aspinall at close quarters.
"Oh, I say, Dick," said Raggles, whom our heroes presently found
absorbed in the deepest study; "here's a go! We've only got to put down
six in each form, and I've got a dozen down for ours, and don't see I
can cut any of them out."
"Let's hear their names," said Dick.
"All serene! Raggles--"
"By Jove, that's modest! You're determined _he's_ to have one vote."
"Oh, you know, I believe I'm safe; but, of course, everybody votes for
himself."
"Go on. Who are the rest?"
"Raggles, Culver, Pauncefote, Smith, Gosse, Starkey, Crisp, Calverly,
Strahan, Jobling, Cazenove, and--well, I thought of sticking down one of
you three for the twelfth."
"Thanks," said Dick. "We aren't particular, are we, you chaps?"
"I'm not," said Coote. "You can stick me down if you like, Rag."
Raggles, finding not much assistance forthcoming to help him in his
difficulty, retired to a quiet corner, and privately tossed up for each
name in succession. As his penny came down "tails" persistently both
for himself and everybody else, except Gosse, he resorted to the less
risky method of shutting his eyes, and dropping six blots on his paper.
This happy expedient was only partially successful, as none of the blots
fell anywhere near any of the names. Finally, as time was growing
short, he put down his own name on the paper, and resolved to sacrifice
his other votes. And when he had done it, he rather wondered the idea
had never struck him before.
Our heroes meanwhile were busy with their own lists, which, under Dick's
guiding influence, rapidly filled up with a set of good names. When it
came to their own Form they agreed that, being a "Firm" and all "in it,"
they were entitled each of them to vote for the "Firm" as a body; which
they did amid much mutual rejoicing.
At a quarter to four the big Hall began to fill. Everybody was there.
Fellows who were on the list, sanguine, anxious, touchy; fellows who
were not on the list, cross, sarcastic, righteous. Nearly every one had
his paper in his hand, which he furtively glanced through for the last
time before the summons to deposit it in the basket on the platform.
As before, the Sixth took rank as ordinary Templetonians, and no
distinction was made between monitor and junior, eligible and non-
eligible.
When the clock struck there were loud cries for Freckleton, who
accordingly ascended the dais, and, after waiting patiently for order,
proceeded to explain the order of election.
"I suppose," said he, "all of us who mean to vote have by this time
filled up our papers with the names of the fellows we think most worthy
to be elected on the new Club. You'd better have a last look to see you
haven't put down more than thirty names altogether, and that there are
not more than six in any one Form. Also make sure you have none of you
signed your names to the papers, as this is secret voting, and it's not
supposed to be known how any one has voted. Now, will fellows come up
by benches and drop their papers into the basket?"
The front bench, consisting chiefly of Sixth-form fellows, obeyed the
invitation, and deposited their papers in the receptacle. The rest of
the meeting could not forbear the luxury of a few cheers as popular and
unpopular seniors presented themselves; but, on the whole, the ceremony
was gone through rapidly and in an orderly fashion.
Among the juniors, the Firm walked solemnly up the room amid cheers and
cries of "Well run, puppies!" and gave in their votes. They glanced
nervously round at Pledge, where he sat with a sneer on his face, and
did not like the looks of him. The sneer they would have thought
nothing of, but there was a serious, half-determined look about him
which was ominous.
"The beast!" whispered Dick. "He's going to do something."
"Ugh!" said Georgie, "to think I ever liked him!"
"Now," said Freckleton, when the voting was over, "to insure the
counting being fairly done, I propose that three fellows who have not
had the good luck to be on the list be asked to count. I dare say they
won't grudge the trouble, and it will be satisfactory to everybody to
know they see fair play for the rest." (Hear, hear.) "Will any three
fellows volunteer?"
Five stood up.
"Will you five choose three among you?" said Freckleton.
This was soon done, and the scrutineers were in a few moments buried in
their work, watched eagerly by many anxious eyes.
It took a good while, but to our heroes, as they sat and watched
Pledge's ugly look, the end seemed to come all too soon.
There was a loud hum of excitement when the list, as finally made out,
was handed solemnly to Freckleton.
"I think, if you don't mind," said the Hermit, passing it back, "as I am
an interested party, it would be better if one of you read it."
"All right," said the obliging scrutineer. "Gentlemen,--Unaccustomed as
I am to public speaking, I beg to read you the list of the Sociables'
Club. I don't see my own name on the list, but perhaps you'll consider
the fag we three have been put to this afternoon is a public service for
the good of Templeton. If so, please remember the poor scrutineers at
the next election." (Cheers and laughter.) "Now for the list."
"Better only read the names of the elected ones in each form, and not
the number of votes," suggested Freckleton.
"Lucky Freckleton said so," remarked the scrutineer, "or I should have
told you that his name is at the top of the poll by a very long start."
(Tremendous cheers.) "But, as I'm not to let out figures, all I can say
is, he's in. And so are Crossfield, Cartwright, Swinstead, Frith, and
Mansfield for the Sixth-Form."
It was curious to notice the effect of this announcement on the meeting
generally and on the boys specially concerned. As name followed name
without that of the Captain, fellows looked round at one another in
something like consternation. After all, the Captain of Templeton _was_
the Captain of Templeton, and those who had not voted for him had made
sure other fellows would. But when five names were read out, and it was
found that even Swinstead and Frith were elected, a sudden tide of
repentance set in, which found vent in an unexpected cheer as the
Captain's name followed. Templeton felt it had had a narrow escape of
making itself foolish, and the cheer was quite as much one of relief as
of congratulation.
Mansfield may have understood it. He had kept his eyes steadily on the
reader, with a slight flush on his quiet face, and fellows who watched
him could not tell whether the peculiar gleam which passed his eyes as
his name was read was one of triumph or vexation. Whatever it was,
every one knew the Captain would be altered neither in purpose nor
motive by the incident. Jupiter would be Jupiter still, whether in
Olympus or out of it; and Templeton, on the whole, felt that, had the
vote gone otherwise, it would have had quite as much blushing to do as
the defeated hero.
The scrutineer continued his list in order of forms. Of our particular
acquaintance, Birket, Hooker, Duffield, Braider, and Aspinall all got
safely "landed," while Bull, Wrangham, and Spokes were passed over.
Templeton, in fact, was a very good judge of honour when it was put to
the choice, and even the enemies of the new Club could not help
admitting that the best men, on the whole, were the elected ones.