"Tempest and I don't hit it, somehow. He doesn't like me, does he?"
"Well--no, I don't fancy he does," I admitted.
"I dare say he advises you to fight shy of me, and that sort of thing,
eh?"
This was awkward; but I could not well get out of it.
"Yes."
Crofter laughed sweetly.
"I wish he'd let me be friends. I hate to see a fellow coming to grief,
and not be allowed to give him a leg-up."
"Tempest's not coming to grief," said I.
"Well, not perhaps that, only it's a pity he's adding to his other
troubles by getting head-over-ears in debt. I hear he's been going it
pretty well in the shops. You should give him a friendly tip."
This was a revelation to me. I had gathered some time ago, from what
Pridgin had said, that there was some fear of it; but I had hoped I had
made a mistake.
"Who told you?" said I.
"A good many people are talking about it; including some of the shopmen.
It's just one of those things that a fellow himself never dreams
anybody knows about till it's public property. That's why I wish I were
on good enough terms to give him the tip."
"If he's owing anybody he'll pay," said I, feeling a great sinking in my
heart.
"Look out for that stake in the water there; pull your left! Narrow
shave that. Of course he means to pay. What I'm afraid of is, Jarman
or England or any of them getting to hear of it. Ever since Sweeten
last year got turned out of the headship of his house, and afterwards
expelled, it's seemed to me to be a risky thing for a fellow to run into
debt. These shopmen are such sneaks. If they can't get their money
from the fellow, they send their bills in to the house master, and
sometimes to the head master; and then it's a precious awkward thing.
How are you getting on in your form?"
I had not much spirit to tell him, and if I had there was no time, for
just then the swish of a pair of sculls came round the corner behind us,
and presently a boat at almost racing speed appeared in sight.
"Pull your right!" said Crofter. "Hallo! it's one of our fellows.
Looks like Tempest himself."
I wished myself at the bottom of the river then! What would he think of
me if he saw me, and if he knew what I had been listening to?
In my perturbation I over-pulled my line and sent our boat into the
bank. Tempest, who evidently was relieving himself with a spin of hard
exercise after his fashion, and imagined he had the river to himself,
was bearing down straight upon us.
"Hallo, there; keep her out!" shouted Crofter.
Tempest looked round in a startled way, and held water hard to avoid a
collision. Then, as he suddenly took in who we were, his face
lengthened, and he came to a halt alongside.
"You there, Jones iv.?"
"Yes, would you like me to come and steer you?" said I.
Considering the difficulty into which I had just landed my present boat,
it was difficult to flatter myself any one would exactly compete for my
services. But Tempest answered shortly,--
"Come along."
"Hullo, I say," said Crofter suavely, but with a flush on his cheeks,
"he's steering me, Tempest."
"He's doing no good. He's stuck you in the bank already. Come along,
Jones."
"I haven't done with him yet," said Crofter, flushing still more deeply
as his voice became sweeter. "I want him to stay with me."
"And I don't want him to stay with you," blurted out Tempest, losing his
temper. "I've told him so already. He can do as he likes, though."
And he began to dip his sculls again in the water.
"No," said I, "I want to come in your boat, Tempest."
"Come along, then;" and he backed his stern up towards me.
Crofter made no further protest; but greeted my desertion with a
mellifluous laugh, which made me more uncomfortable than a storm of
objurgations.
Tempest said nothing, but dug his blades viciously in the water, and
spun away with grim face and clenched teeth.
For a quarter of a mile he sculled on before he lay on his oars and
exclaimed,--
"You young fool!"
"Why," pleaded I, "I didn't think you'd mind. He's been friendly enough
to you lately."
"Bah! What do I care what he is to me? I told you to fight shy of the
fellow, and there you go and give yourself away to him."
I did not quite like this. Tempest spoke to me as if I had not a soul
of my own, and had no right to do anything without his leave.
"He was speaking quite kindly about you," persisted I.
Tempest checked the contemptuous exclamation which came to his lips, and
said, more earnestly than I had heard him yet,--
"Look here, Jones; that fellow's a cad; and he'll make a cad of you, if
you let him. Don't believe a word he says to you, unless he calls you a
fool."
"I hope what he's been saying to-day will turn out to be Lies," said I
oracularly.
To my disappointment Tempest evinced no curiosity as to my meaning, and
relapsed into gloomy silence for the rest of the voyage.
For the first time in my life I felt out of humour with my old Dux. He
had no right to treat me like a baby, or dictate to me whom I was to
know and whom I was not to know in Low Heath. No doubt he thought he
was doing me a good turn, and honestly thought ill of Crofter. But it
did not follow he was not doing him an injustice, and demanding that I
should join in it.
At any rate, I felt heartily miserable, and wished I had never put foot
outside the faggery that day.
About a mile from home Tempest got out on the towing-path, and said he
would trot to the school while I paddled the boat home. It was some
relief to be left alone; a relief, however, which was considerably
tempered by the fear of meeting Crofter, and having to explain matters
to him. That difficulty fortunately did not occur, and I got back to
the bosom of the Philosophers without further adventure.
In their sweet society I gradually recovered my spirits. Their
enthusiasm for Tempest was still unabated, and their avowed contempt for
his enemies all the world over was refreshing. A night's reflection
further repaired my loyalty. After all, thought I, Tempest meant well
by me, and was willing to make an enemy for my sake. He might be wrong,
of course; but suppose he _was_ right--
The result of all these inward musings was that I offered Trimble to do
Tempest's fagging in his place next morning.
He seemed half to expect me, and the old friendly look was back in his
face as he saw me enter.
"I'm sorry I offended you yesterday, Tempest," said I.
"I fancied it was I offended you," said he; "but I couldn't stand seeing
you in that cad's clutches."
"Is he really a cad, then?" I asked.
"You don't suppose I asked you into my boat for fun, do you?" said he
shortly.