And either greet him not,
Or else disdainfully, which shall shake him more
Than if not looked on.
_Troilus and Cressida_, Act Three, Scene 3.
Upton, expatriated from his study, was allowed to use one of the smaller
classrooms which were occupied during play-hours by those boys who were
too high in the school for "the boarders' room," and who were waiting to
succeed to the studies as they fell vacant. There were three or four
others with him in this classroom, and although it was less pleasant
than his old quarters, it was yet far more comfortable than the
Pandemonium of the Shell and fourth-form boys.
As a general rule, no boys were allowed to sit in any of the classrooms
except their legitimate occupants. The rule, however, was very
generally overlooked, and hence Eric, always glad of an opportunity to
escape from the company of Barker and his associates, became a constant
frequenter of his friend's new abode. Here they used to make themselves
very comfortable. Joining the rest, they would drink coffee or
chocolate, and amuse themselves over the fire with _Punch_, or some
warlike novel in a green or yellow cover. One of them very often read
aloud to the rest; and Eric, being both a good reader and a merry
intelligent listener, soon became quite a favourite among the other
boys.
Mr Rose had often seen him sitting there, and left him unmolested; but
if ever Mr Gordon happened to come in and notice him, he invariably
turned him out, and after the first offence or two, had several times
set him an imposition. This treatment gave fresh intensity to his now
deeply-seated disgust at his late master, and his expressions of
indignation at "Gordon's spite" were loud and frequent.
One day Mr Gordon had accidentally come in, and found no one there but
Upton and Eric; they were standing very harmlessly by the window, with
Upton's arm resting kindly on Eric's shoulder, as they watched with
admiration the network of rippled sunbeams that flashed over the sea.
Upton had just been telling Eric the splendid phrase, "anerhithmon
gelasma ponton", which he had stumbled upon in an Aeschylus lesson that
morning, and they were trying which would hit on the best rendering of
it. Eric stuck up for the literal sublimity of "the innumerable
laughter of the sea," while Upton was trying to win him over to "the
many-twinkling smile of ocean." They were enjoying the discussion, and
each stoutly maintaining his own rendering, when Mr Gordon entered.
On this occasion he was particularly angry: he had an especial dislike
of seeing the two boys together, because he fancied that the younger had
grown more than usually conceited and neglectful since he had been under
the fifth-form patronage; and he saw in Eric's presence there a new case
of wilful disobedience.
"Williams, here _again_!" he exclaimed sharply; "why, sir, you seem to
suppose that you may defy rules with impunity! How often have I told
you that no one is allowed to sit here, except the regular occupants?"
His voice startled the two boys from their pleasant discussion.
"No other master takes any notice of it, sir," said Upton.
"I have nothing to do with other masters. Williams, you will bring me
the fourth Georgic, written out by Saturday morning, for your repeated
disobedience. Upton, I have a great mind to punish you also, for
tempting him to come here."
This was a mistake on Mr Gordon's part, of which Upton took immediate
advantage.
"I have no power to prevent it, sir, if he wishes it. Besides," he
continued with annoying blandness of tone, "it would be inhospitable;
and I am too glad of his company."
Eric smiled; and Mr Gordon frowned. "Williams, leave the room
instantly."
The boy obeyed slowly and doggedly. "Mr Rose never interferes with me,
when he sees me here," he said as he retreated.
"Then I shall request Mr Rose to do so in future; your conceit and
impertinence are getting intolerable."
Eric only answered with a fiery glance; for of all charges the one which
a boy resents most is an accusation of conceit. The next minute Upton
joined him on the stairs, and Mr Gordon heard them laughing a little
ostentatiously, as they ran out into the playground together. He went
away full of strong contempt, and from that moment began to look on the
friends as two of the worst boys in the school.
This incident had happened on Thursday, which was a half-holiday, and
instead of being able to join in any of the games, Eric had to spend
that weary afternoon in writing away at the fourth Georgic; Upton
staying in a part of the time to help him a little, by dictating the
lines to him--an occupation not unfrequently interrupted by storms of
furious denunciation against Mr Gordon's injustice and tyranny; Eric
vowing, with the usual vagueness of schoolboy intention, "that he would
pay him out somehow yet."
The imposition was not finished that evening, and it again consumed some
of the next day's leisure, part of it being written between schools in
the forbidden classroom. Still it was not quite finished on Friday
afternoon at six, when school ended, and Eric stayed a few minutes
behind the rest to scribble off the last ten lines; which done, he
banged down the lid of the desk, not locking it, and ran out.
The next morning an incident happened which involved considerable
consequences to some of the actors in my story.
Mr Rose and several other masters had not a schoolroom to themselves,
like Mr Gordon, but heard their forms in the great hall. At one end of
this hall was a board used for the various school notices, to which
there were always affixed two or three pieces of paper containing
announcements about examinations and other matters of general interest.
On Saturday morning (when Eric was to give up his Georgic), the boys, as
they dropped into the hall for morning school, observed a new notice on
the board, and thronging round to see what it was, read these words,
written on a half-sheet of paper attached by wafers to the board--
"GORDON IS A SURLY DEVIL."
As may be supposed, so completely novel an announcement took them all
very much by surprise, and they wondered who had been so audacious as to
play this trick. But their wonder was cut short by the entrance of the
masters, and they all took their seats, without any one tearing down the
dangerous paper.
After a few minutes the eye of the second master, Mr Ready, fell on the
paper, and, going up, he read it, stood for a moment transfixed with
astonishment, and then called Mr Rose.
Pointing to the inscription he said, "I think we had better leave that
there, Rose, exactly as it is, till Dr Rowlands has seen it. Would you
mind asking him to step in here?"
Just at this juncture Eric came in, having been delayed by Mr Gordon,
while he rigidly inspected the imposition. As he took his seat,
Montagu, who was next him, whispered--
"I say, have you seen the notice-board?"
"No. Why?"
"Why, some fellow has been writing up an opinion of Gordon not very
favourable."
"And serve him right, too, brute!" said Eric, smarting with the memory
of his imposition.
"Well, there'll be no end of a row; you'll see."
During this conversation, Dr Rowlands came in with Mr Rose. He read
the paper, frowned, pondered a moment, and then said to Mr Rose--
"Would you kindly summon the lower-school into the hall? As it would be
painful to Mr Gordon to be present, you had better explain to him how
matters stand."
"Hulloa! here's a rumpus!" whispered Montagu; "he never has the
lower-school down for nothing."
A noise was heard on the stairs, and in flocked the lower-school. When
they had ranged themselves on the vacant forms, there was a dead silence
and hush of expectation.
"I have summoned you all together," said the Doctor, "on a most serious
occasion. This morning, on coming into the schoolroom, the masters
found that the notice-board had been abused for the purpose of writing
up an insult to one of our number, which is at once coarse and wicked.
As only a few of you have seen it, it becomes my deeply painful duty to
inform you of its purport; the words are these--`Gordon is a surly
devil.'" A _very_ slight titter followed this statement, which was
instantly succeeded by a sort of thrilling excitement; but Eric, when he
heard the words, started perceptibly, and coloured as he caught
Montagu's eye fixed on him.