"Why--don't you know?--oh!--oh, I say, mind my throat!--haven't you
heard?--why, Greenfield senior, you know!"
Loman let go his man suddenly and stared at him.
"Greenfield senior?" he exclaimed in amazement.
"Yes; would you have thought it? None of us would--we're all going to
hush it up, you know, honour bright we are."
"Who told you he took it?"
"Why, you know, I saw him;" and here Simon giggled jubilantly, to mark
what astonishment his disclosure was causing.
"_You_ saw him take it?" asked Loman, astounded.
"Yes; that is, I saw him coming out of the Doctor's study with it."
"You did?"
"Yes; that is, of course he must have had it; and he says so himself."
"What, Greenfield says he took the paper?" exclaimed Loman, in utter
astonishment.
"Yes; that is, he doesn't say he didn't; and all the fellows are going
to cut him dead, but we mean to hush it up if we can."
"Hush yourself up, that's what you'd better do," said Loman, turning his
back unceremoniously on his informant, and proceeding, full of this
strange news, on his solitary walk. What was in his mind as he went
along I cannot tell you. I fancy it was hardly sorrow at the thought
that a schoolfellow could stoop to a mean, dishonest action, nor, I
think, was it indignation on Wraysford's or his own account.
Indeed, the few boys who passed Loman that afternoon were struck with
the cheerfulness of his appearance. Considering he had been miserably
beaten in the scholarship examination, this show of satisfaction was all
the more remarkable.
"The fellow seems quite proud of himself," said Callonby to Wren as they
passed him.
"He's the only fellow who is, if that's so," said Wren.
Loman stopped and spoke to them as they came up.
"Hullo! you fellows," said he, in as free and easy a manner as one
fellow can assume to others who he knows dislike him, "I wanted to see
you. Which way are you going?--back to the school?"
"Wren and I are going a stroll together," said Callonby, coldly;
"good-bye."
"Half a minute," said Loman. "I suppose you heard the results of the
Nightingale read out."
"Considering I was sitting on the same form with you when they were, I
suppose I did," said Wren.
"That's all right," said Loman, evidently determined not to notice the
snubbing bestowed on him. "Mine wasn't a very loud score, was it?
Seventy! I was surprised it was as much!"
The two Sixth boys looked at him inquiringly.
"The fact is, I never tried to answer," said Loman, "and for a very good
reason. I suppose you know."
"No--what?" asked they.
"Haven't you heard? I thought it was all over the school. You heard
about the Doctor missing a paper?"
"Yes; what about it? Was it found, or lost, or what?"
"No one owned to having taken it, that's certain."
"I should hope not. Not the sort of thing any fellow here would do."
"That's just what I should have thought," said Loman. "But the fact is,
some one did take it--you can guess who--and you don't suppose I was
going to be fool enough to take any trouble over my answers when I knew
one of the other fellows had had the paper in his pocket a day and a
half before the exam." And here Loman laughed.
"Do you mean to say Greenfield stole it?" exclaimed both the friends at
once, in utter astonishment.
"I mean to say you're not far wrong. But you'd better ask some of the
Fifth. It's all come out, I hear, there."
"And you knew of it before the exam?"
"I guessed it; or you may be sure I'd have taken a little more trouble
over my answers. It wasn't much use as it was."
Loman had the satisfaction of seeing the two Sixth boys depart in
amazement, and the still greater satisfaction of seeing them a little
later in confidential conference with Simon, from whom he guessed pretty
correctly they would be sure to get a full "all-round" narrative of the
whole affair.
"I'm all right with the Sixth, anyhow," muttered he to himself. "I only
wish I was as right with that blackguard Cripps."
"That blackguard Cripps" had, next afternoon, the peculiar pleasure of
welcoming his young friend and patron under the hospitable roof of the
Cockchafer. As usual, he was as surprised as he was delighted at the
honour done him, and could not imagine for the life of him to what he
was indebted for so charming a condescension. In other words, he left
Loman to open the business as best he could.
"I promised to come and tell you about the exam, didn't I?"
"Eh? Oh, yes, to be sure. That was last Saturday. Upon my word, I'd
quite forgotten."
Of course Loman knew this was false; but he had to look pleasant and
answer, "Well, you see, my memory was better than yours."
"Right you are, young captain. And what about this here fifty-pound
dicky-bird you've been after?"
"The Nightingale?" said Loman. "Oh, it's all right, of course; but the
fact is, I forgot when I promised you the money now, that of course
they--"
"Oh, come now, none of your gammon," said Mr Cripps, angrily; "a
promise is a promise, and I expect young swells as makes them to keep
them, mind that."
"Oh, of course I'll keep them, Cripps. What I was saying was that they
don't pay you the money till the beginning of each year."
Loman omitted to mention, as he had omitted to mention all along, that
young gentlemen who win scholarships do not, as a rule, have the money
they win put into their hands to do as they like with. But this was a
trifling slip of the memory, of course!
"I don't care when they pay you your money! All I know is I must have
mine now, my young dandy. Next week the time's up."
"But, Cripps, how _can_ I pay you unless I've got the money?"
"No, no; I've had enough of that, young gentleman. This time I'm
a-going to have my way, or the governor shall know all about it,--you
see!"
"Oh, don't say that!" said Loman. "Wait a little longer and it will be
all right, it really will."
"Not a bit of it. That's what you said three months ago," replied
Cripps.
"I won't ask you again," pleaded the boy; "just this time, Cripps."
"Why, you ought to be ashamed of yourself, that you ought," exclaimed
the virtuous landlord of the Cockchafer, "a keeping a honest man out of
his money!"
"Oh, but I'm certain to have it then--that is, next to certain."
"Oh! then what you're telling me about this here Nightingale of yours is
a lie, is it?" said the 'cute Mr Cripps. "You ain't got it at all,
ain't you?"
Loman could have bitten his tongue off for making such a blunder.
"A lie? No; that is--Why, Cripps, the fact is--" he stammered, becoming
suddenly very red.
"Well, drive on," said Cripps, enjoying the boy's confusion, and proud
of his own sharpness.
"The fact is--I was going to tell you, Cripps, I was really; there's
been something wrong about this exam. One of the fellows stole one of
the papers, and so got the scholarship unfairly."
"And I can make a pretty good guess," said Mr Cripps, with a grin,
"which of the fellows that gentleman was."
"No, it wasn't me, Cripps, really," said Loman, pale and quite humble in
the presence of his creditor; "it was one of the others--Greenfield in
the Fifth; the fellow, you know, who struck you on Saturday."
"What, him?" exclaimed Cripps, astonished for once in a way. "That
bloke? Why, he looked a honest sort of chap, he did, though I _do_ owe
him one."
"Oh," said Loman, following up this temporary advantage, "he's a regular
swindler, is Greenfield. He stole the paper, you know, and so won the
scholarship, of course. I was certain of it, if it hadn't been for
that. I mean to have a row made about it, and there's certain to be
another exam, so that I'm sure of the money if you'll only wait."
"And how long do you want me to wait, I'd like to know?" said Cripps.
"Oh, till after Christmas, please, at any rate. It'll be all right
then, I'll answer for that."
"You'll answer for a lot of things, it strikes me, young gentleman,"
said Cripps, "before you've done."
There were signs of relenting in this speech which the boy was quick to
take advantage of.
"_Do_ wait till then!" he said, beseechingly.
Cripps pretended to meditate.
"I don't see how I can. I'm a poor man, got my rent to pay and all
that. Look here, young gentleman, I must have 10 pounds down, if I'm to
wait."
"Ten pounds! I haven't as much in the world!" exclaimed Loman. "I can
give you five pounds, though," he added. "I've just got a note from
home to-day."
"Five's no use," said Cripps, contemptuously, "wouldn't pay not the
interest. You'll have to make it a tenner, young gentleman."
"Don't say that, Cripps, I'd gladly do it if I could; I'd pay you every
farthing, and so I will if you only wait."
"That's just the way with you young swells. You get your own ways, and
leave other people to get theirs best way they can. Where's your
five-pound?"
Loman promptly produced this, and Cripps as promptly pocketed it,
adding, "Well, I suppose I'll have to give in. How long do you say--two
months?"
"Three," said Loman. "Oh, thanks, Cripps, I really _will_ pay up then."
"You'd better, because, mind you, if you don't, I shall walk straight to
the governor. Don't make any mistake about that."
"Oh, yes, so you may," said the wretched Loman, willing to promise
anything in his eagerness.
Finally it was settled. Cripps was to wait three months longer; and
Loman, although knowing perfectly well that there was absolutely less
chance then of having the money than there had been now, felt a weight
temporarily taken off his mind, and was all gratitude.
Of course, he stayed a while as usual and tasted Mr Cripps's beer, and
of course he met again not a few of his new friends--sharpers, most of
them, of Cripps's own stamp, or green young gentlemen of the town, like
Loman himself. From one of the latter Loman had the extraordinary "good
luck" that afternoon to win three pounds over a wager, a sum which he at
once handed over to Cripps in the most virtuous way, in further
liquidation of his debt.
Indeed, as he left the place, and wandered slowly back to Saint
Dominic's, he felt quite encouraged.
"There's eight pounds of it paid right off," said he to himself; "and
before Christmas something is sure to turn up. Besides, I'm sure to get
some more money from home between now and then. Oh, it'll be all
right!"
So saying he tried to dismiss the matter from his mind and think of
pleasanter subjects, such, for instance, as Oliver's crime, and his own
clever use of it to delude the Sixth.
Things altogether were looking up with Loman. Cheating, lying, and
gambling looked as if they would pay after all!