"Stealing?" said Wildney, with a loud laugh. "Pooh! `_convey_ the wise
it call.'"
But Eric still looked serious. "Why, my dear old boy," continued
Wildney, "the Gordonites'll be the first to laugh at the trick when we
tell them of it next morning, as of course we will do. There, now,
don't look grumpy. I shall cut away and arrange it with Graham, and
tell you the whole dodge ready prepared to-night at bed-time."
After lights were put out, Wildney came up to the study according to
promise, and threw out hints about the proposed plan. He didn't tell it
plainly, because Duncan was there, but Duncan caught quite enough to
guess that some night excursion was intended, and said, when Wildney had
gone--
"Take my advice, and have nothing to do with this, Eric."
Eric had grown very touchy lately about advice, particularly from any
fellow of his own standing; and after the checks he had recently
received, a coolness had sprung up between him and nearly all the
study-boys, which made him more than ever inclined to assert his
independence, and defy and thwart them in every way.
"Keep your advice to yourself; Duncan, till it's asked for," he answered
roughly. "You've done nothing but _advise_ lately, and I'm rather sick
of it."
"Comme vous voulez," replied Duncan, with a shrug. "Gang your own gait;
I'll have nothing more to do with trying to stop you since you _will_
ruin yourself."
Nothing more was said in the study that evening, and when Eric went down
he didn't even bid Duncan good-night.
"Charlie," he said, as he stole on tiptoe into Wildney's dormitory.
"Hush!" whispered Wildney, "the other fellows are asleep. Come and sit
by my bedside, and I'll tell you what we are going to do."
Eric went and sat by him, and he sat up in his bed. "First of all,
_you're_ to keep awake till twelve to-night," he whispered; "old
Rowley'll have gone round by that time, and it'll be all safe. Then
come and awake me again, and I'll watch till one, Pietrie till two, and
Graham till three. Then Graham'll awake us all, and we'll dress."
"Very well. But how will you get the key of the lavatory?"
"Oh, I'll manage that," said Wildney, chuckling. "But come again and
awake me at twelve, will you?"
Eric went to his room and lay down, but he didn't take off his clothes,
for fear he should go to sleep. Dr Rowlands came round as usual at
eleven, and then Eric closed his eyes for a few minutes, till the
head-master had disappeared. After that he lay awake thinking for an
hour, but his thoughts weren't very pleasant.
At twelve he went and awoke Wildney.
"I don't feel very sleepy. Shall I sit with you for your hour,
Charlie?"
"Oh, do! I should like it of all things. But douse the glim there; we
shan't want it, and it might give the alarm."
"All right."
So Eric went and sat by his dangerous little friend, and they talked in
low voices until they heard the great school-clock strike one. They
then woke Pietrie, and Eric went off to bed again.
At three Graham awoke him, and dressing hastily, he joined the others in
the lavatory.
"Now I'm going to get the key," said Wildney, "and mean to feel very
poorly for the purpose."
Laughing quietly, he went up to the door of Mr Harley's bedroom, which
opened out of the lavatory, and knocked.
No answer.
He knocked a little louder.
Still no answer.
Louder still.
"Bother the fellow," said Wildney; "he sleeps like a grampus. Won't one
of you try to wake him?"
"No," said Graham; "'tain't dignified."
"Well, I must try again." But it seemed no use knocking, and Wildney at
last, in a fit of impatience, thumped a regular tattoo on the bedroom
door.
"Who's there?" said the startled voice of Mr Harley.
"Only me, sir!" answered Wildney, in a mild and innocent way.
"What do you want?"
"Please, sir, I want the key of the lavatory. I want to see the doctor.
I'm indisposed," said Wildney again, in a tone of such disciplined
suavity, that the others shook with laughing.
Mr Harley opened the door about an inch, and peered out suspiciously.
"Oh, well, you must go and awake Mr Rose. I don't happen to have the
key to-night." And so saying, he shut the door.
"Phew! Here's a go!" said Wildney, recovering immediately. "It'll
never do to awake old Rose. He'd smell a rat in no time."
"I have it," said Pietrie. "I've got an old nail, with which I believe
I can open the lock quite simply. Let's try."
"Quietly and quick, then," said Eric.
In ten minutes he had silently shot back the lock with the old nail, and
the boys were on the landing.
They carried their shoes in their hands, ran noiselessly down stairs,
and went to the same window at which Eric and Wildney had got out
before. Wildney had taken care beforehand to break the pane and move
away the glass, so they had only to loosen the bar and slip through one
by one.
It was cold and very dark, and as on the March morning they stood out in
the playground, all four would rather have been safely and harmlessly in
bed. But the novelty and the excitement of the enterprise bore them up,
and they started off quickly for the house at which Mr Gordon and his
pupils lived, which was about half a mile from the school. They went
arm in arm to assure each other a little, for at first in their fright
they were inclined to take every post and tree for a man in ambush, and
to hear a recalling voice in every sound of cold wind and murmuring
wave.
Not far from Mr Gordon's was a carpenter's shop, and outside of this
there was generally a ladder standing. They had arranged to carry this
ladder with them (as it was only a short one), climb the low garden-wall
with it, and then place it against the house, immediately under the
dovecot which hung by the first-story windows. Wildney, as the lightest
of the four, was to take the birds, while the others held the ladder.
Slanting it so that it should be as far from the side of the window as
possible, Wildney ascended and thrust both hands into the cot. He
succeeded in seizing a pigeon with each hand, but in doing so threw the
other birds into a state of such alarm that they fluttered about in the
wildest manner, and the moment his hands were withdrawn, flew out with a
great flapping of hurried wings.
The noise they made alarmed the plunderer, and he hurried down the
ladder as fast as he could. He handed the pigeons to the others, who
instantly wrung their necks.
"I'm nearly sure I heard somebody stir," said Wildney; "we haven't been
half quiet enough. Here! let's crouch down in this corner."
All four shrank up as close to the wall as they could, and held their
breath. Someone was certainly stirring, and at last they heard the
window open.