"On your knees, White-feather; on your knees, and much louder."
Franklin, who was boiling over with anger and contempt, sprang forward,
took Jones by the neck, and forced him on his knees in the snow, where
he made him read the apology, and then let him loose. A shower of
snowballs followed him as he ran to the refuge of the breakfast-hall,
for there was not a boy present, no matter to what faction he belonged,
who did not feel for Jones a very hearty contempt.
"I hope we shall have no more of this, boys," said Power, before the
rest dispersed. "There have been monitors at Saint Winifred's for a
hundred years now, and it's infinitely better for the school that there
should be. I suppose you would hardly prefer to be at the mercy of such
a fellow as that," he said, pointing in the direction of Jones's flight.
"I don't know why we should be unpopular amongst you. You know that
not one of us has ever abused his authority, or behaved otherwise than
kindly to you all. But I am sorry to see that you are set on--set on by
fellows who ought to know better. Don't suppose, any of you, that they
will frighten us from doing what we know to be right, or that _you_ can
intimidate us when we are acting for the good of the school."
They cheered his few simple words, for they were proud of him as
head-monitor. They had never had at Saint Winifred's a better scholar,
or a more honourable boy; and though Harpour and his friends affected to
sneer at him, Power was a general favourite, and the firm attitude which
he now assumed increased the respect and admiration which he had always
inspired.
"No more notice will be taken of this, you little fellows," said Walter
to the crowd of smaller boys; "we know very well that you have merely
been the tools in other hands, and that is why we only singled out three
fellows. I am quite sure you won't behave in this way again; but if you
do, remember we shan't pass it over so lightly."
"Come here you, Wilton," said Henderson, as the rest were dispersing.
"You've been particularly busy, I see. So! six good hard snowballs in
your jacket pocket, eh? Now, you just employ yourself in collecting
every one of these snowballs that are lying ready here, and throw them
into the pond. Don't let me see _one_ when I come out. Belial junior
will have to curtail his breakfast-time this morning, I guess," he
continued to Whalley; "the young villain! shall we ever bring him to a
right mind?"
Wilton, in a diabolical frame of mind, began his appointed task, and had
just finished it as the boys came out of breakfast. "That will do,"
said Henderson. "I must trouble you for one minute more. Come with
me." Shaking with cold and alarm, Wilton obeyed, muttering threats of
vengeance, and driven almost frantic by the laughter with which
Henderson received them. He walked across to the sixth-form room, and
then seeing that all the monitors were assembled, sent him "to tell his
friends, Harpour and Tracy, that their presence was demanded
immediately."
"Never mind, Raven," said Kenrick to him; "it's a shame of them to bully
you."
"I have made him collect some snowballs which he had a chief hand in
making, and with one of which yesterday a monitor was seriously hurt;
then I have sent him a message for two worthless fellows, whose counsels
he generally follows; both of which things I have done to teach him a
mild but salutary lesson. Is that what you call bullying?"
"I believe you spite the boy because you know I like him. It's just the
kind of conduct worthy of you."
"If it gives you any comfort to say so, Kenrick, pray do; but let me
tell you, that after the way you have allowed young Evson and others to
be treated in your house, the charge of bullying comes with singularly
ill grace from you."
An angry retort sprang to Kenrick's lips; but at that moment the two
offenders came to the door, and Power said, "Hush, you two. We need
unity now, if ever, and it will be very harmful if these fellows find a
quarrel going on Kenrick, I wish you would try to--"
"Oh; yes; it's always Kenrick, of course," said he angrily. "I'll have
nothing to do with your proceedings;" and, rising, from his place, he
flung out of the room, not sorry to be absent from a scene which he
thought might compromise his popularity with some of those who excepted
him from the list of the monitors, whom they professed to consider as
their natural enemies.
Harpour and Tracy had thought that when convened before the monitors
they would have an opportunity for displaying plenty of insolence and
indifference; but when they found themselves standing in the presence of
those fifteen upper boys, each one of whom was in all respects their
superior, all their courage evaporated. But they were let off very
easily. The monitors were content with the complete triumph they had
gained that morning, and with the disgrace to which these fellows had
been compelled to submit. All that they now required from them was an
expression of regret for what they had done, and a promise not to offend
in the same way again; and when these had been extorted, they were
dismissed by Power with some good advice, and a tolerably stern
reprimand. Power did this with an ease and force which moved the
admiration of all his brother monitors; no one could have done it as he
did it, who was not supported by the authority of a high and stainless
character consistently maintained. What he said was not without effect;
even the coarse burly Harpour dared not look up, but could only fix his
eyes on the floor and kick the matting in sullen wrath while this
virtuous and noble boy looked at him and rebuked him; but Tracy was more
deeply moved. Tracy, weak, foolish, and feebly fast as he was, had some
elements of good and gentlemanly feeling in him, and, with more wisely
chosen associates, would have developed a much less contemptible
character. When Power had done speaking, he looked up and said, without
one particle of his usual affectation--
"I really am sorry for helping to get up this affair. I see I've been
in the wrong, and I beg pardon sincerely. You may depend on my not
having anything more to do with a thing of this kind."
"Thank you, Tracy," said Walter; "that was spoken like a man. We've
known each other for some time now, and I wish we could get on more
unitedly. You might do some good in the school if you chose."
"Not much, I'm afraid now," said Tracy, "but I'll tr(ai)y."
"Well, then, Tracy, we'll shake hands on that resolve, and bygones shall
be bygones," said Henderson. "You'll forgive my making fun of you this
morning."
He shook hands with Henderson and with Walter, while Power, holding out
his hand, said, smiling, "It's never too late to mend."
"No," said Tracy, looking at one of his boots, which he had a habit of
putting out before the other.
"He applied your remark to his boots, Power," said Henderson, laughing.
"Did you observe how the hole in one of them distressed him."
So the monitors separated, not without hopes that things were beginning
to look a little brighter than before.