CHAPTER XX.
SOWING THE WIND.
The passage of arms between Mr. Grice and the two prefects was eagerlydiscussed by boys of all ages. Exaggerated reports spread from mouth tomouth, each teller of the story adding to it some details drawn from hisown imagination, until, away down in the Second Form, it was confidentlyasserted that Oaks had called Mr. Grice a "little tin monkey," and thatAllingford had boxed the master's ears; which enormities would mostcertainly result in the expulsion of the two offenders.
As a matter of fact, the expected storm never burst. The first thingthe doctor did on receiving Mr. Grice's complaint was to compare thatgentleman's watch with his own. "Hum'" he said shortly, "I supposeyou're aware that you _are_ ten minutes fast?"
A few moments later Mr. Grice withdrew, looking rather crestfallen.As may be imagined, the result of his interview with the head-master wasnever made public, and in the meantime Ronleians old and young wereexpressing their high approval of the conduct of their captain and hislieutenant. The gilt was beginning to wear off the Thurstoniangingerbread, and sensible fellows, who could tell the differencebetween jewel and paste, were less inclined than ever to be led by thenose by such fellows as Gull and Hawley. Here was an instance in whichthe prefects had taken a stand against palpable injustice, and theaction had caused the whole body to rise several pegs in everybody'sestimation.
The near approach of the Wraxby football match caused a revival of good,honest public spirit. If only Ronleigh could beat the Grammar Schoolthis year at footer as well as at cricket, every one felt that their cupof joy would run over, and the champions who were to strive for thewished-for victory were naturally regarded, for the time being, asstanding on more exalted ground than their fellows. Ever since theexposure of Fletcher senior as the author of "College _v._ Town," thepoem had become a weapon turned against the writer and his party.Boys had gone to the bottom of the matter, and discovering the realreason of Thurston's absence from the team, had declared that a fellowwho out of spite would refuse to give his services to uphold the honourof the school had forfeited all claim on their consideration orsympathy. Such was the state of popular feeling when, with the clang ofthe getting-up bell on Thursday morning, the twelfth of December, a daycommenced fraught with unexpected episodes and situations closelyaffecting the interests of the Triple Alliance.
One might have thought that their adventures on the previous afternoonhad afforded them sufficient excitement for at least one week; but thesewere destined to prove but the prelude to an event of still greaterimportance. The three friends went into school at nine o'clock, lookingforlorn and miserable. Something, indeed, had happened to mar theirhappiness, and the cause of their depression was as follows:--
Soon after breakfast, when the contents of the post-bag had beendistributed as usual, Mugford accosted his two chums, who were strollingup and down the quadrangle. A look of abject misery was on his face,and in his hand he held an open letter.
"Hullo!" cried Jack Vance; "what's up? You look as if you had lost asovereign and found sixpence!"
"Matter enough," murmured Mugford, whose heart was evidently in hismouth: "I'm going to leave."
"Going to leave!" exclaimed Diggory; "what ever d'you mean?"
"Well, I don't mind telling you fellows," answered the other. "You knowmy guv'nor isn't well off, and he says he's lost money, and can't affordto keep me at Ronleigh. I know I'm no good, and you fellows'll get onall right without me, and--"
The sentence not being completed, the two other boys glanced at thespeaker's face, and from previous indications in the tone of his voicewere not surprised to find that he was crying. Two years appear a longtime when one is on the bright side of twenty, and the friendship seemedto have lasted for ages. At the near prospect of separation allMugford's little failings were forgotten, and both Diggory and JackVance felt that life without him would be a blank.
"Oh, dash it all!" said the latter; "you mustn't go? Isn't thereanything we can do? Shall I write to your guv'nor?"
The idea of Jack Vance addressing a remonstrance to his respected parentcaused the ghost of a smile to appear on Mugford's doleful face.
"No, it's no good," he answered. "There's nothing for it; I shall haveto leave."
During the interval which divided morning school and the free timebefore dinner the three friends mooned about together, trying in vain toregard the future in a more cheerful light, and to make plans forkeeping touch of each other by an interchange of letters and a possiblemeeting in the holidays.
"It's all very well," said Jack Vance to Diggory, when late on in theafternoon he happened to come across the latter flattening his noseagainst the glass of the box-room window--"it's all very well talkingabout writing and all that; but this is the end of the Triple Alliance."
"Yes," answered Diggory, after a moment's thought, "I suppose it is.I wish we could do something more before it's broken up."
As he spoke, he passed his hand mechanically along the lower surface ofthe window ledge; then with a sudden exclamation he went down on hisknees, and picked something out of the wall.
It was another note written in cipher!
The missive was certainly very brief, consisting of only sevenletters:--
"GLMRTSG."
"Hullo!" said Jack Vance; "they're at it again!"
His companion made no reply, but taking out a pencil, copied the cipheron the back of an envelope, and then replaced the mysterious document inthe crack between the window-frame and the bricks.
"What are you doing that for?"
"Why, because they may miss it, and smell a rat. Come on; let's get thekey and see what it means."
In this instance the translation of the cryptograph did not occupy muchtime; Diggory produced his double alphabet, and soon spelt out theword:--
"_To-night._"
The two chums gazed at each other for a few moments in silence.
"What does it mean?" queried Jack.
"I don't know, unless it is that they are going to have another meetingafter tea under the pavilion."
"Let's find Mug, and hear what he thinks."
In discussing their new find and attempting to solve its meaning, thethree friends forgot for the time being the melancholy tidings they hadreceived that morning, and gave themselves up to a full enjoyment of themystery.
"I can't see," said Mugford, "that it means anything else than that theyare going to have another meeting."
"Yes, that's it. I shall go down to the pavilion again after tea, andsee what's up. I shouldn't wonder if there is going to be another row.Fletcher said he meant to do something before he left, and there isn'tmuch time now before the end of the term."
"Shan't Mug or I go this time?" asked Jack Vance; "it's rather a riskybusiness."
"No, I'll go; I know now just where to hide."
During the half-hour between tea and evening preparation Jack Vance andMugford lingered about in the dark and deserted quadrangle, anxiouslyawaiting their comrade's return. Once only was the silence broken, byMaxton chasing young "Rats" from the gymnasium into the big school,shouting, "I'll lick you, you little villain!" but with this exception,our two friends had the place to themselves.
It was a raw, cold night; every one seemed, very naturally, to bekeeping indoors, and there were no signs of any members of the secretsociety being abroad. Jack Vance and his companion trotted softly upand down, endeavouring to keep themselves warm. At length, when theirpatience was wellnigh exhausted, there was a sound of footsteps, andDiggory was descried coming through the archway leading to the playingfields.
"Well," cried his two chums, in low, eager tones, "what have you heard?"
The answer was certainly one they had least expected,--
"Nothing."
"Nothing! what d'you mean?"
"Why, they didn't come; there wasn't any meeting. I waited and waited,until I saw it was no use staying any longer; so then I gave it up as abad job."
/> "Did the note really say to-night?"
"Yes: I went down just before tea to see if it was still there, and Ibrought it away with me. Here, look for yourself."
As he spoke, Diggory produced the slip of paper from his waistcoatpocket. By the light of the archway lamp it was compared with ahastily-constructed key, and the former translation was found to becorrect.
The Triple Alliance had certainly for once in a way "drawn blank," andthe preparation bell putting an end to their further deliberations, theydirected their steps toward the schoolroom, wondering more than everwhat could be the meaning of that significant word, "To-night."
Now, the real reason of the three friends being thus at fault in theirinvestigations was simply this: they were exactly twenty-four hoursbehindhand in their attempt to unravel the mystery. The conclusionthey had come to with regard to the meaning of the note was correct: atacit understanding had existed for some time among the inner circle ofthe Thurstonian party that this should be the signal for a gathering ofthe clan; but the note, when Diggory had found it, had been lying in theimpromptu post office for a day and a half, and the meeting to whichit was a summons had already taken place on the previous evening.
For the reader, who is a privileged person, we intend to put back theclock, and leaving the Triple Alliance dividing their attention betweenattempts to discover the meaning, first of their Latin author, andsecondly of the enigma formed by this perplexing single-worded epistle,we will give a short account of the gathering to which it referred.
It was while the greater number of their school-fellows were gathered innumerous little groups, whiling away the free time before preparationdiscussing the various rumours that were current respecting Mr. Grice'sencounters with Oaks and Allingford, that the same five conspiratorsassembled for another secret "confab" in the den beneath the pavilion.
In one way it was a fortunate thing for Diggory that he did not discoverthe note sooner, for hardly had Thurston set the lighted candle in theempty bottle than Noaks picked it up, and peered carefully into each ofthe four corners, and behind the heaps of benches and other lumber.
"What are you doing that for?" asked Gull.
"Oh, only to see that no one's come who wasn't invited. D'you rememberlast time what a stink there was of a burnt fusee? Well, after you'dgone I found young Trevanock knocking about the field, and I wouldn'tswear but what he knew something about our meeting. I searched theyoung beggar's pockets; but he hadn't got any more lights, so I let himgo."
The party grouped themselves round the candle, as they had done on theprevious occasion, when Diggory had watched their movements from behindthe pile of forms, and Thurston, with an inquiring look at Fletcher,asked, "Well, what's the object of this pleasant little reunion?"
"I suppose you can pretty well guess," answered the other. "The lasttime we were here we all agreed that before the end of the term was upwe'd get even chalks with Allingford and Co. Well, seeing there's onlyeight days left, I thought it was about time we had another meeting, anddecided what we were going to do.--By-the-bye," added the speaker,turning with something like a sneer on his lips, and addressing hischum, "it's the Wraxby match on Saturday; I suppose they haven't askedyou to play in the team?"
The shaft went home, and Thurston's face darkened with anger.
"No," he answered indignantly, "and I wouldn't play, not if they allwent down on their knees and begged me to. What do I care about theWraxby match? If I could, I'd put a stopper on it, and bring the wholething to the ground."
"Well," continued Fletcher calmly, "that's just what we're going to do.If you'd asked me this morning how we could put a spoke in Allingford'swheel, and pay out him and a lot of those other prigs like Oaks andRowlands, I couldn't have told you; but now the thing's as easy as pat.They'll find out they haven't cold-shouldered me at every turn andcorner for nothing. I'll give them tit for tat, and after Christmas,when I've left this beastly place, I'll write and tell them who did it."
"You seem to have got your back up, old chap," said Thurston, referringto the bitter tones in which the last few sentences had been spoken;"but out with it--what's your plan?"
"Why, this: I'd no idea what a chance we should have when I stuck thatnote in our pillar-box, but here it is all ready made. Allingford andOaks have had a row with little Grice; he's reported them, and it'squite natural they should want to pay him out for doing it. As they'resuch good boys, I don't suppose they'll try anything of the kind; but wemight undertake the job, and do it for them."
The speaker paused to see if he had been understood.
"What!" exclaimed Thurston bluntly, "you mean, play Grice a trick andmake it appear they'd done it because of this rumpus about locking thedoor?"
"That's about it," returned the other, laughing. "What could we dobetter?"
Noaks murmured his approval of the scheme, but Gull and Hawley weresilent. To tell the truth, since the big row following their attack onBrowse had put a stop to any further chance of card-parties and otheramusements in Thurston's study, their attachment to the ex-prefect hadconsiderably lessened. Like many others of their kind, they werethoroughly selfish at heart, and saw no good in running any personalrisk to settle the quarrels of a third person. The party feeling whichhad characterized the last school elections, and caused for the timebeing a spirit of ill-will and opposition towards the school leaders,had just about died a natural death; and if another public meeting hadbeen called in the gymnasium, not half a dozen fellows would haveshouted for Thurston, or allied themselves against the side of law andorder. All this had tended to make Hawley and Gull lukewarm in theiradherence to the cause. Noaks, however, who would have paid any pricefor the privilege of being able to hobnob with those who were in anyhigher position than himself, was ready to follow his two Sixth Formcronies to any extreme they might suggest.
"Well," he inquired, "and what's to be the trick?"
"I only just thought of one on the spur of the moment," answeredFletcher; "but if no one else has a better to suggest, I daresay it'lldo. We might screw up little Grice's bedroom door so as to get himdown late in the morning; his room's right away at the end of thepassage. There is a screw-driver belonging to Oaks lying in one of theempty lockers--it has his name on the handle; and if we happened todrop it as we came away, I think that in the face of this row it wouldlook uncommonly like his doing. D'you twig?"
There was something so mean and cowardly in this scheme, and in themanner in which the proposal was made, that even Thurston gave vent toan exclamation of contempt.
"So that's your little game, is it?" he inquired.
"Yes, that's it; that's my little project for putting a stop to theWraxby match. There'll be an awful row, and the doctor'll keep the teamfrom going. Now, then, who'll do the trick?--Will you, Hawley?"
"No fear," answered Hawley. "Gull and I did most of the last twoblow-ups; it's some one else's turn now. Suppose you do it yourself, asit's your idea."
Fletcher frowned: in matters of this sort he liked to make the plans andget others to execute them. "Well, I was thinking one of you might," hebegan.
"Oh, bother!" interrupted Thurston, whose revengeful spirit had beenonce more aroused by the mention of the Wraxby match--"it's nothing;you and I'll do it."
"And I'll help if you like," added Noaks, who thought the presentoccasion a good opportunity to distinguish himself.
"All right," continued Thurston: "you go down town and get some screws,Noaks--two or three good long ones."
"Well, we'll fix to-morrow night," said Fletcher. "Keep awake, and meetat the top of B staircase, say at one o'clock; then there's no fear butwhat every one'll be asleep."
The Triple Alliance had for some hours ceased to puzzle their brainsover either Virgil or cipher notes, and the whole of Ronleigh Collegewas apparently wrapped in slumber, when three shadowy figuresassembled on the landing at the top of staircase B, and proceedednoiselessly along the corridor, and down the side passage at the end ofwhich Mr. Gri
ce's room was situated.
"Have you got the screws?"
"Yes," answered Noaks, producing a twist of paper from his pocket.
"Don't you think I'd better go and keep _cave_ at the top of thestairs?" whispered Fletcher.
"No," returned Thurston; "Noaks can do that. I'll make the two holes,and you must put the screws in; you're the best carpenter of the lot."
Standing in the cold, dark passage, the work seemed to take ages toperform; but at length it was finished.
"Hist! what are you doing?"
Fletcher had produced a scrap of paper from his pocket, and wasseemingly about to slip it under the door.
"I want to make certain that it shall be put down to Oaks," hewhispered; "so in case the screw-driver should be overlooked, I'm goingto slip this under the door for Grice to find in the morning."
Thurston glanced at the paper, and saw printed thereon in bold capitalsthe following inscription:--
"BE IN TIME BY THE SCHOOL CLOCK."