"Ah--well, you know, that is only for chaps in the school."
"Rather rough on us town-boys," said Redwood, with a laugh.
"I'm sure they'd be delighted to have you," said I.
"Ah, well, our fellows have a club of their own," said he, "although
they don't talk philosophy. By the way, is your Christian name
correctly printed?" asked he.
"Oh, no," said I; "that was Languish's fault. He says it was a
printer's error, but I'm sure he did it on purpose."
"It helps to call attention to the club," said the captain, laughing.
"Your lot seems to be fond of its little joke, to judge by the specimens
that came to see us off just now."
"I'm awfully sorry," said I; "they do fool about so--I say, I hope you
aren't in a wax about it."
He certainly did not look it.
I went up with him to his den, and we had quite a long talk, and somehow
without seeming to mean it, he managed to knock a great deal of nonsense
out of my head, and incite me to put my back into the work of the term.
"I suppose," said he, "you mean to back up Tempest now he's cock of
Sharpe's? You kids can make it pretty hot in a house if you choose."
"Oh, we're all backing up Tempest," said I, "especially now he's got his
colours."
"All serene," said the captain; "he'll pull through well, then."
I stayed till it was time for Redwood to go over to the school for a
committee of the Sports Club. I did not leave Number 3 without a
standing invitation to come in whenever I liked, or without painful
apologies for the contumacy of Mamie.
Redwood and I had just reached the bridge when some one confronted us
whom I recognised at once as Mr Jarman.
"Ah, Redwood, you've a meeting on. Who's this boy? Ah, I remember--
Jones iv. What did I say to you yesterday, Jones?"
"Jones has been to tea at my house," said the captain, with a flush, and
looking less amiable than I had yet seen him.
"It's after hours," said Mr Jarman, coolly. "I cautioned him
yesterday. A hundred lines, Jones iv., by to-morrow evening."
"It's not his fault," said Redwood; "I gave him leave, sir."
"We need not discuss this, Redwood," said Mr Jarman, and walked away.
I felt quite sufficiently avenged when I saw the captain's face. He
strode on some distance in silence, and then said,--
"I'm sorry, youngster. It can't be helped, though. Jarman's strictly
in the right, though it's sharp practice. You'd better cut in now.
Good night."
"Good night," said I, making off. But he called me back.
"You'd better do the doctor's lines to-night. Leave Jarman's till the
morning."
"All right."
And I departed, not a little impressed with the incident.
The captain had disappointed me a little. I should have liked to see
him knock Jarman down, or at least openly defy him; whereas he seemed to
back him up, although much against his will. The net result to me was
that I had three hundred lines to write on my third day at school, and
that, for a well-meaning youth, was tribulation enough.
I took Redwood's advice and wrote the doctor's lines that evening,
trusting to a chance next forenoon of satisfying the demands of Mr
Jarman. To their credit be it said, some of the faggery helped me out
with my task, and as we all wrote in the same style of penmanship,
namely, a back-handed slope spread out very wide to cover as much ground
as possible, it was very difficult when all was done to believe that the
performance was a co-operative one.
Before going to bed I told Tempest of my adventure, and had the
satisfaction of receiving his complete sympathy.
"That's the worst of Redwood--he'll let it all slide. I wish I'd been
with you when it happened. There'd have been a row. There will some
day, too."
All which was very consoling to me and helped me to sleep soundly.
But the surprise of surprises happened next morning when I encountered
the captain's fag at the door before breakfast with a letter in his
hand.
"Here you are," said he, thrusting the document on me. "I don't see why
you can't come and fetch your own things instead of me having to run
after you."
"You can walk," said I, "I suppose."
I meant to be conciliatory, but he was highly offended and began to
kick, and it took some little time to pacify him and induce him to
return to the bosom of his house.
When he had gone, I opened the envelope with some little curiosity.
What was my astonishment when I found it enclosed one hundred lines
written out in a bold clear hand, which it was easy to guess was that of
the captain himself!
There was no letter or message; but the explanation was clear enough.
Redwood having got me into my row, had, like a gentleman, paid the
penalty; and as I realised this I could have kicked myself for the
unworthy thoughts I had indulged about him.
I only wished Jarman, to whom in due time I handed the precious
document, could have known its history.
He evidently gave me credit for being an excellent writer, and perhaps
for having an unusual acquaintance, for a boy of my age, with the works
of the Immortal Bard. For Redwood had grimly selected the following
passage to write out over and over again for the police-master's
benefit: "It is excellent to have a giant's strength; but it is
tyrannous to use it like a giant."
I fear the satire was lost on its victim, and that he meekly concluded I
had selected the passage because it happened to be in my lesson for the
day, and was probably the first to come to hand.
Tempest laughed when I told him.
"It's all very well," said he, "but it's encouraging the enemy.
Redwood's a dear old chap, but he's too much of an anything-for-a-quiet-
life fellow for captain. By the way, has Crofter replied to your polite
letter?"
"No," said I, "not a word, and I haven't seen him."
"Well, take my advice, kid. If he wants to kick you, consider yourself
lucky. If he's extra civil, cut him like mischief. Some day you may
thank me for the tip."
It seemed queer advice at the time, but I had occasion to call it to
mind later on, as the reader will discover.
By the end of my first week I was pretty well domesticated at Low Heath.
My chief regret was that I saw so little of Dicky Brown; and when we
did meet the only thing we had in common was our lessons, which were not
always congenial topics of conversation.
Dicky was fully imbued with the superiority of the town-boy over the
house boy, and irritated me sometimes by his repeated regret that I was
not eligible for the junior Urbans.
"What do you do?" I inquired.
"Oh, hosts of things. We go in for geology, and part songs, and
antiquities, and all that sort of thing; and have excursions--at least,
we're going to have one soon--to look for remains."
"Ah! it's a pity you couldn't come to our picnic next week. It's to be
no end of a spree."
"Oh, we've heard all about that," said Dicky, with a grin. "_Mens sano
in corpore sanae_--you should hear some of our chaps yell about that."
"I'm sure it's not a bad motto," ventured I.
"I don't know about that. But it's not the motto, it's the grammar."
I wasn't quite pleased with Dicky for this. It seemed as if he thought
he knew more than other people, which I held to be a reprehensible
failing in any one--particularly a day boy. I flattered myself that, as
an exhibitioner, he had hardly the right to talk to me about grammar.
But it was Dicky's way, and I knew he couldn't help it.
For all that, I referred to the subject in the faggery that evening. My
comrades were in high glee. Half a dozen subscriptions had come in,
with requests to be allowed to join the picnic, and a considerable
number of others had asked to be allowed at half price or on the
deferred payment system.
"It's going like anything, Sarah," said Langrish, thumping me violently
on the back.
"Where's the picnic to be?" I inquired.
"Wouldn't you like to know?" said the secretary.
I said I would, and, as president, considered I was entitled to the
information.
"We're not as green as we look; are we, you chaps?" said Trimble. "Why,
you don't suppose we're going to let out and give you a chance of
blabbing to the day-boy cads, do you?"
"I'm not any more likely to blab than you are," said I, warmly.
"All serene. You keep your temper--you'll know time enough."
"Suppose I resigned," said I, feeling I must support my dignity.
"Resign away. We've got your subscription."
"I don't mean I shall," said I; "but--"
"Shut up, and don't disturb the committee meeting."
"If I'm president, I suppose I've a right to speak."
"Not till you're asked."
"All right," said I, playing my trump card desperately. "When you do
ask me what's wrong with the grammar of your Latin motto, I sha'n't tell
you. Ha, ha!--_corpore sanae_. You should hear the fellows yell."
The effect of this announcement was electrical, Langrish turned white,
and Trimble turned red. The others bit their nails in silence. It was
a season of delicious triumph to me. I was master of the situation for
once, and resolved to remain so as long as possible.
"Why, what's wrong with it?" said Warminster, presently.
"Wouldn't you like to know?" said I.
"_Corpore's_ feminine, isn't it?" asked Coxhead.
"Common gender, I fancy," said Purkis; "depends on who the chap is."
"You mean if it was Sarah it would be feminine, and if it was one of us
it would be masculine," said Langrish.
This was a nasty one for me, but I held my ground.
"You'd better look it up in the dictionary," said I.
This was diplomatic; for although I knew the motto was wrong I could not
quite say what it should have been.
After much labour it was decided that _corpore_ was neuter, and that the
adjective in consequence must be _sanum_.
A resolution to that effect was proposed and seconded, but an amendment
to the effect that as the document had gone out in the name of the
president and every one knew it was his work, it was no business of the
present company to help him out of the mess, was carried by a large
majority.
With which delightful solution of the difficulty--delightful to every
one but myself--we proceeded to the order of the day, which was to
arrange the details of our picnic next half-holiday.
My colleagues remained obdurate on the question of revealing the place.
"If the day fellows get wind of it they'll be sure to try to do us," was
the unfailing reply.
"Why shouldn't _I_ know as well as you?" demanded I.
Whereupon it was explained that nobody knew where the place was to be
yet--nor indeed was he likely to know till the morning of the day, when
lots would be drawn.
Every member of the council would then be permitted to write the name of
a place on a piece of paper, which would be shuffled in a hat and drawn
for--the last paper drawn to be the place. I could not help admiring
the elaborateness of the precautions, which had only this drawback, as
far as I was concerned, that I did not yet know one place from another.