CHAPTER NINETEEN.
Mr Rebble stepped up into the loft, closely followed by Mr Hasnip, whostared from one to the other with a peculiar smile upon his lip.
"Fighting, eh?" said Mr Rebble. "Disgraceful! Why, Dicksee and Deanhave been fighting too, and--yes--Mercer."
"Yes, sir," cried little Wilson. "Mercer and Dicksee had theirs first,then Burr major and Burr junior. Bill Dean hasn't been fighting. Itwas only that Burr junior gave him a wipe."
I felt as if I were the chief offender, and as I heard these words, Ilonged not to deliver wipes, but to have a good wash.
"Disgraceful!" exclaimed Mr Rebble. "Who began it? You, I suppose,Burr."
My first instinct was to disclaim this excitedly, but I thought it wouldbe cowardly, so I held my tongue, leaving it to Burr major to answer.
To my surprise, though, he remained silent, and little Wilson squeakedout,--
"No, sir, please, sir, it wasn't Burr junior, sir. Eely Burr sent forBurr and Mercer to come and be licked; but," added the boy, with amalicious grin, "he hasn't licked them yet."
"Disgraceful! disgraceful!" cried Mr Rebble. "Well, the Doctor willdecide what is to be done. Quick, boys, the dinner bell will.--Ah,there it goes!"
There was a hurried rush off at this, the boys being only too glad toget beyond hearing of the usher's scolding, and we who were lefthurriedly scrambled on our jackets in a shamefaced way.
"This matter will have to be thoroughly investigated," said Mr Rebble;"but be quick now and make yourselves presentable. I shudder at whatthe Doctor would say if he saw you all in this condition. Come,Hasnip."
They both descended like pantomime demons through the trap, and wefollowed, Burr major going first, with his brow knit and his bruisedface looking sulky and sour, while Dicksee turned to give Tom Mercer asavagely vindictive look which was not pleasant to see.
"Won't you shake hands?" I said, as my adversary was about to descend.
He gave me a quick look, but made no answer. Hodson however, spoke aswe reached the stable.
"Why, Burr," he said, "I didn't know that you could fight like that."
"No," I said, "and I did not know either."
Then we hurried in and ran up to our room, where I was glad to get soapand towel to my bruised face.
"Oh, you are lucky, Tom!" I panted, as I hurriedly bent over the basin,fully expecting to be reported for coming up to the dormitory out ofhours. "Why, you don't show a bit."
"Nor you neither," he replied.
"Oh!" I gasped, as I looked in the glass.
"Well, not so very much," he said.
"But--but I don't hardly know myself," I said despondently. "What aface!"
"Well, it does look rather like a muffin," he cried.
"Ah, you may laugh," I said. "My eyes are just like they were when Iwas stung by a bee, and my lip's cut inside, and this tooth is loose,and--Oh dear, it's all growing worse!"
"Yes, it's sure to go on getting worse for a day or two, and then itwill begin to get better. Ready?"
"Ready! No," I cried, as I listened to his poor consolation. "I'mgetting horrid. I daren't go down."
"You must--you must. Come and face it out before you get worse."
"But I don't seem to have got a face," I cried, glaring out of two slitsat my reflection in the glass. "It's just as if some one had beensitting on it for a week. Oh, you ugly brute!"
"So are you."
"I meant myself, of course, Tom."
"Never mind, never mind. Hooray! hooray!" he cried, dancing round theroom and snapping his fingers; "we've licked 'em--we've licked 'em! andyou're cock of the school. Hooray! hooray!"
"But I half wish I hadn't won now," I said.
"You will not to-morrow. Oh dear! poor old Eely! didn't he squirm! Oh,I say! I wish I had given it to old Dicksee ten times as much."
I couldn't help laughing, but it hurt horribly, and I was serious againdirectly.
"I say," I said painfully, "old Lom did teach us well!"
"Teach us! It was splendid. I feel as if I could go down and fight theDoctor."
"Do you?" I said dolefully. "I feel as if he is going to fight us."
"Not he; come on. You can't afford to be afraid of anything now."
"Hadn't I better stop?" I suggested, with another look in the glass.
"No; you must come. If you don't, the Doctor is sure to send for you,and that will make it worse. I say!"
"Well?"
"People who fight used to take the spoils of the vanquished. I wish Icould have taken old Dicksee's four-bladed knife, with the lancet andcorkscrew to it, and you could have taken old Eely's watch."
"I don't want his watch," I said snappishly.
"I do, and I'd have changed with you. Come on."
We ran down-stairs, and, feeling very nervous, hurried to theschoolroom, from whose open windows came the clatter of knives andforks.
Fortunately for us, we had to enter at the opposite end to where theDoctor would be seated, nominally taking his meal with us, and of coursethe ushers knew that we must be late, so with heads bent down we hurriedin, conscious that every eye was upon us, and that the temporarycessation of the rattle on the plates was due to the boys leaving offeating to stare at our injuries.
I saw both Mr Rebble and Mr Hasnip look up and frown as they caughtsight of my damaged face, and I was congratulating myself on escapingthe Doctor's eye, when he looked up, frowned, and went on with hislunch.
"It's all right," whispered Mercer, scuffling into his place beside me,the boys around, to my great surprise, seeming to look at my marks withquite respectful eyes, and evidently as a conqueror's honours orlaurels, when there was a sharp tapping on the table from the Doctor'sknife-handle.
Profound silence ensued, Mercer just gripping my knee and whispering,--
"Oh, crikey!"
"Mr Rebble," said the doctor in deep tones.
"Sir?"
"To the commercial man punctuality is the soul of business; to thegentleman it is the soul of honour; and to the scholastic pupil it isthe soul of er--er--the soul of er--er--er--duty. Be good enough to seethat Mercer and Burr junior have impositions. Er--rum! Er--rum!" TheDoctor finished by coughing in a peculiar way, and the clatter of knivesand forks began again.
"He don't know yet about the fights," I whispered; "and, I say, look!"
"What's the matter?"
"Eely hasn't come down yet."
"Fatty has. I say, just look at his eyes."
"Horrid!" I whispered. "He looks fatter than ever. But Eely--oh, Ihope he isn't very bad!"
"I hope he is," said Mercer maliciously. "He's been fagging me thesethree years. I know he's twice as bad as you, and serve him right."
We began our dinners, but Mercer's appetite was as bad as mine. Thesalt made my mouth smart, and every bite hurt my loose tooth. But therewere congratulatory smiles from all round whenever I looked up, andevery boy who could reach me with his foot gave me a friendly kick underthe table, Mercer coming in for his share. In fact, I found that I hadsuddenly become the most popular boy in the school, though I did not atall appreciate the honour then.
"Look: there's Eely," whispered Mercer, as a tall thin figure nowappeared at the door, then suddenly grew shorter by the lad bending downas low as possible, and creeping toward his place by Stewart andDicksee.
But it was all in vain, the clatter of the knives and forks ceased, andthe boys watched him, and whispered, drawing the Doctor's attention tothe bent figure; and once more, after fixing his gold eyeglasses on thebridge of his nose by the hinge, and watching till my late adversary hadcrept into his place, he tapped the table with his knife-handle loudly.
"Young gentlemen," he rolled out in sonorous tones, "have the goodnessto button up your pockets, and to be on the _qui vive_. I just saw thedoor darkened by a sinister-looking figure, which crept in as if tocommit a burglary, a petty larceny, a scholastic form of shop-lifting,or some crime of that kind, so
be upon your guard. Did any one else seethe figure?"
There was a pause, then Dicksee spoke with a malicious grin upon his fatface.
"Please, sir, I did. It was Burr major."
"Dear me! Indeed? Mr Burr, have the goodness to stand up and explainthis extraordinary conduct."
Oh, poor old Eely! I thought sympathetically, as poor Burr major stoodup, hanging his head, and looking much shorter than usual, and Iheartily wished that Mercer had punished Dicksee more.
"Dear me! Burr major, what is the er--er--eh? I beg your pardon, MrRebble."
The Doctor bent toward his first lieutenant with great dignity, and thelatter said a few words in a low tone.
"Dear me! Indeed? Oh, I see!" said the Doctor. "Burr major, you cansit down. You will come to my room directly after dinner, and--er--er--what names did you say Mr Rebble?"
"Oh dear! It's coming, Frank," whispered Mercer.
"Exactly!" said the Doctor, after a conference in a low tone with MrRebble. "I see. Er--rum! Dicksee, Hodson."
"Please, sir, I wasn't fighting," cried Hodson excitedly.
Mr Rebble whispered to the Doctor.
"An accessory, it seems, Hodson," said the Doctor. "You will come to myroom directly after dinner, with Mercer and Burr junior. I have notheard the names of the other boys who were present," continued theDoctor.
"Please, sir, Wilson was one," cried Dicksee.
"Thank you, Dicksee," said the Doctor drily, as he fixed him with hisglittering glasses; "I am obliged to you. History repeats itself.There has always been one in every confederation ready to betray hisfellows to save his own skin. I am afraid, Dicksee, that your skin willnot be safe. Were you present, Wilson?"
"Yes, sir," said the little fellow.
"Fighting?"
"No, sir, I wasn't fighting; but--"
"But?" said the Doctor; "well, what?"
"Please, sir, I couldn't help liking it."
"Humph!" ejaculated the Doctor. "Well, you need not come this time. Toresume, I do not know the names of the boys who were present, and I donot want to know. Dicksee was in too great a hurry. Now proceed withyour dinner."
The meal went on, but my face felt more stiff, and my appetite wasdecidedly worse.
I was longing to go and do as a dog would under the circumstances,--goand curl up somewhere out of sight till I got better, for my head ached,so did my heart; my face throbbed and felt stiff; and altogether I was,like Mercer, as "miserable as mizzer,"--so he put it,--when the Doctortapped the table again, we all rose, grace was said, and the words ofdoom came rolling through the place:
"In a quarter of an hour's time, young gentlemen."
Then the Doctor marched sedately out of the room, the masters followed,and the boys trooped into the ground, and we had to go too, feelingdoleful in the extreme, but that did give way to a sense of pride, forthere was a rush made for us directly; and as I was surrounded by acrowd, all eagerly congratulating me on my conquest, there was poor Burrmajor almost alone on the other side of the ground, dejected, deposed.Not quite alone, for Hodson and Wilson both went and stood by his side.
It may appear strange, but, of course excepting Mercer, I felt as if Iliked those two boys at that moment better than any one in the school,for, young as I was, I could not help thinking that if ever Burr majorand I had another encounter, and I were to be beaten, they would allturn from me as quickly as they came over to my side.
I was soon tired of hearing the same praise over and over again, andbeing asked to show this one and that one how I managed to hit out sowell. But Mercer and I had a quiet understanding that we would keep ourown counsel about the matter, and let any one who wanted to learn how tobox think it out for himself.
I was not kept waiting long to muse over my position, and be stared atby all the boys, who took the greatest interest in my swellings, cuts,and marks, for Mr Rebble came to the door, and shouted,--
"Now, young gentlemen, the Doctor is waiting." I felt a curious shiverrun through me, as I glanced round for Tom Mercer.
He was close at hand, ready to whisper,--
"It don't matter what he says, Frank; he can't undo what we have done,and old Eely will never dare to tackle you again."
"Or you."
"Oh, I didn't say that. Come on."
We went up to where Mr Rebble was standing, and found that Mr Hasnipwas there too.
As we went in, Mr Hasnip came close to my side. "Nice object you lookfor a gentleman's son, sir! Going to be a soldier, eh?"
"Yes, sir!"
"Then keep your fighting for the enemy, not for your schoolfellows."Then in a lower voice--"Gave him a thorough good thrashing, didn't you?"he said.
"Yes, sir: I suppose so."
"Humph! serve him right. He wanted his comb cut. Getting insufferablewith his conceit!--By the way, you needn't tell any of yourschoolfellows I said that, for, of course, you had no business tofight."
"I didn't want to, sir, but Burr major made us fight. He sent a lot ofthe boys to bring us into the loft, `to take the conceit out of us,' hesaid."
"And you took the conceit out of him instead, eh? Well, I daresay hewishes he had not sent for you now."
"I'm afraid he does."
"Yes. Well, here we are. I'm a terrible tartar to you over yourlessons, but I'm not angry with you. Had some fights too, when I wasyour age. Now then, speak up like a man."
The door was thrown open, and we had to walk in, the two ushers standingon either side of the door, like policemen dealing with culprits, andthen ranging us before the Doctor's table, behind which he sat, leaningback in his great leather-covered chair.
"Er--rum!" he coughed. "Sit down, Mr Rebble--take a chair, Mr Hasnip.Let me see," he continued, adjusting his gold-rimmed eyeglasses. "Burrmajor, Burr junior,--humph! ought to be Burr minor,--Natural HistoryMercer who loves poaching the General's rabbits, Dicksee, and Hodson."
The Doctor looked severe, but not very, as he inspected us all.
"Hah!" he ejaculated at last; "four as disreputable-looking fellows asit would be possible to find in the lowest town in Sussex. Aren't youashamed of yourselves?"
"No answer, eh?" said the Doctor, after a pause. "Well, Hodson, you arenot like these four. You did not fight, I suppose."
"No, sir. I was Burr major's second."
"That's almost as bad as the fighting. Come, you shall speak out. Whowas in the wrong?"
"Please, sir, I'd rather not give an opinion."
"Please, sir, I know!" cried Dicksee.
"Thank you. I would rather take some other boy's opinion," cried theDoctor sarcastically. "Your eyes don't look as if you can see clearly.There, it is plain enough to me that you were all in the wrong, and Ifeel greatly annoyed to find my young gentlemen conducting themselveslike the disreputable low boys who frequent the fairs and racecourses ofthe county. Look at yourselves. Did you ever see such a ghastly sight?Burr major, your face is horrible. As for you, Dicksee, I am ashamedof you. Suppose any of your relatives presented themselves at thismoment, and wanted to see you. What could I say? There, actually, as Ispeak, I can hear wheels coming up the road, and, as they are lightwheels, they must either be those of visitors, or of the butcher'scart--I--er--mean some trade-person's cart, which is not likely at thistime of day. Fighting, young gentlemen, is a brutal practice, datingback to the very earliest ages of mankind, and no doubt imitated fromthe wild beasts whom they saw around them. Whereas you live in theselater days, in the midst of civilisation in its highest, most cultivatedforms, so that there is no excuse whatever for your acts."
The Doctor coughed, and the two ushers looked at each other and noddedtheir approval.
"Look at yourselves," continued the Doctor; and we all turned sharply togaze in a small circular mirror at the end of the library.
"No, no," said the Doctor blandly, "I did not mean at your bodilydisfigurations in the glass, but at the mental blurs in your natures.I--There, boys!" he cried suddenly; "I am n
ot in the vein to moralise inthis way, so I must speak plainly. I am ashamed of you, and, occupyingas I do toward you the temporary position of parent, I honestly declarethat if I did my duty by you, I should get a cane or a rod, and flog youall severely, but--"
"May I come in?" said a pleasant voice, and the door was slightlyopened.
"Yes, my dear. No! engaged. What is it?"
"That lady and gentleman have driven over from Rye about their sons,"said Mrs Doctor, coming right in; "and--Oh, my dears! what have youbeen doing?"
"There, there, Matilda!" cried the Doctor hastily. "Go back! I'll comein a few minutes;" and he hurried the pleasant old lady out of the room,before turning to us.
"There! you see," he cried,--"you see the effect your appearance hasupon one who always takes the greatest of interest in you, and, er--MrRebble, I feel disposed to be lenient this time, as the boys have prettywell punished themselves. I leave it to you. Moderate impositions.There, go at once and shut yourselves up in your dormitories. No, morefighting, mind, or I shall be as severe as the sternest tyrant you readof in your classic studies."
He hurried out of the library, and the ushers took us all into custodyagain, and led us out into the playground.
"There!" said Mr Rebble; "you heard the Doctor's orders. Go to yourrooms. Not you, Hodson. Come to my desk, and I'll set your impositionat once. Nice and easily you have got off. You can come down to-morrowmorning, I suppose."
The two masters went off with Hodson, and we four made our way to theback staircase so hurriedly, that we nearly wedged ourselves at thefoot, with the result that we were once more face to face, Mercer and Iagainst Burr major and Dicksee, as in the fight.
I felt shocked now and more sorry than ever for Burr major, as I fullyrealised how terribly I had knocked him about. My hand twitched, and Iwas about to raise it, and offer to shake hands, or say something aboutbeing sorry; but he checked it at once by giving me a virulent look, andsaying,--
"Wait a bit; I'll pay you out for all this," and, thrusting me aside, hesent me staggering against the wall, and rushed up-stairs, but only totrip and fall sprawling.
"Serve you right," cried Dicksee. "Yah!" Then, turning to us, he heldout his hand. "Here, I'll be friends with you both."