The Gayton Scholarship: A School Story
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*CHAPTER VI.*
*THE EXAMINATION.*
It really seemed as if fate was dead against Jim Hartland's winning theGayton Scholarship For some time his mother, though saying nothing tothe children, had not felt well. The shock of her husband's death, andthe consequent change in circumstances, had done much to depress her,and the hard struggle to earn a scanty living had made her worse. Shehad done her best to keep up as long as possible; but on the Mondaymorning she was too ill even to get Jim's breakfast.
"Never mind, mother," said he cheerfully; "you stay in bed. I'll see tothings. The lessons must go for a bit."
Being a handy sort of fellow, he made breakfast, carried some up to hismother and Susie, straightened things a bit downstairs, and then ran offto his work.
There still remained three weeks till the day of the examination; but,unfortunately for Jim, his mother's illness lasted two-thirds of thattime. Mrs. Boden went in as often as she could, and a kindly neighbourdid several odd jobs; but there were so many things to be done that Jimfound all his time occupied.
"I should chuck the 'Gayton' if I were you," said the Angel one morning."It will be no good to you if you win it, and with all these upsets youcan't expect to be at your best."
"The fellows would think I was afraid of being beaten."
"What's the odds? Who cares what they think? There's no sense inworking yourself half to death for nothing."
"Not a bit; but I'm going in all the same."
"Well, you are a stubborn beggar, and no mistake," said his chum, whousually spoke his mind.
The examination was to be held in one of the rooms at the Gayton School,and on the Monday morning the candidates assembled in the bigplayground.
Jim, who had been granted leave for the day by Mr. Broad, went down withDick and Tom Moon, who was one of the Magpies. He was feelingwretchedly ill; his head ached, and his brains were all at sixes andsevens. He had worked like a horse all the week to make up for losttime, and was paying the penalty. He had lost all sense of proportion,and it seemed to him that life would be worth nothing if he failed towin this scholarship.
"Hullo!" cried Dick suddenly; "there's Dandy Braithwaite!--Morning,Dandy! Why, you look as pleased as if you'd won the scholarshipalready!"
"I'm going to have a good shot at it, anyhow."
"Bravo, my boy!--Hullo, Temple! You here?"
"Why not?" asked Temple in surprise.
"I thought you'd more sense, 'pon my word! Now what is the use of youfellows wasting your time when there are three of the Deaneryites in therunning?"
The boys who knew the Angel's little ways greeted his remark withgood-humoured laughter; the others thought he was a conceited donkey,and some said as much.
"Much plague in India just now, Dicky?" asked Temple mischievously.
"Wait till I've seen the geography questions."
"What's the joke?" asked Tom Moon.
"Haven't you heard of the Angel's little dodge? Why, they fairlyscreamed over it at the Deanery."
"Look here, Moon," said Dick, without a twinkle in his big blue eyes;"it was a beastly shame, and they treated me most unfairly. We had towrite an account of a trip up the Ganges and a visit to Benares. Well,you know there was a horrible plague at Benares just then, and Icouldn't afford to risk my valuable life in the town, so I skipped it,stating my reasons. And what do you think they said?"
"Can't guess."
"Why, that 'twas a fake, because I didn't know anything about theblessed old town." And he looked so solemn that Moon was half inclinedto think he had been badly treated.
"Did you really put that down?" asked one of the boys in the group.
"Of course I did!" answered Dicky, in a tone of surprise. "Theycouldn't expect me to go to a plague-spot like that!"
"Didn't I hear some yarn, too, about a dead passenger?" asked Temple.
"Very likely," said the Angel calmly; "that was another misfortune. Yousee, we had to describe a voyage from London to Odessa, and a very nicelittle trip, too. Well, my passenger started in a yacht, and had ajolly good time, jotting down his descriptions every night. At last hegot into the Adriatic, and the poor fellow fell overboard. The skipperfished him out, but he was quite dead; and so, of course, the tripended. Now, what do you think the inspector had the conscience to askme? 'Boden,' said he, 'couldn't you remember any more of thecoast-line?' Just as if I'd play a trick like that!"
"Don't cry, Dicky!" observed Temple. "The inspector didn't know you aswell as we do, or there would have been no need to ask such aquestion"--an oracular speech with rather a doubtful meaning.
Jim did not join in the chaff--in fact, he scarcely heard it. His wholemind was absorbed in the forthcoming examination, and he waitedimpatiently for the door to be opened. When Temple and several of theothers spoke to him he answered briefly, and then relapsed into silence.
"What's the matter with him, Dicky?" whispered the popular captain ofthe Magpies, as they entered the building.
"Too much work. He's been overdoing it, and I shouldn't wonder if hebreaks down. He's slaved like a nigger since the news of his father'sloss came."
"Poor old chap!" said Temple. "It was hard lines, and no mistake."
The boys passed along a broad corridor, mounted a staircase, and entereda large room. Above the door was a card bearing the words, "Candidatesfor the Gayton Scholarship."
"Move quietly, please," said a spectacled gentleman standing at a desk."Each boy will find his name on the desk at which he is to sit."
They were arranged in alphabetic order, and Dick found himself justbehind Braithwaite. Jim was in the middle of the room, and Temple atthe end. In a short time they were all seated, and the examiner readthe rules and regulations. Then his colleague went round with thequestions to be answered during the morning, and presently the onlysound to be heard was the scratching of busy pens.
After a rapid glance at the paper, Dick settled to work with a pleasantsmile; the questions were just to his liking, and he felt sure of doingwell in the morning at least. Braithwaite, too, seemed satisfied, whileTemple used his pen as if he were master of the situation.
The one boy in the room who appeared ill at ease was Jim Hartland. Hisface was hot and flushed; there were drumming noises in his ears;letters and figures, all jumbled together, danced wildly before hiseyes. At the end of the first half-hour his paper was still blank.Long afterwards, in talking about the examination, he told me that, butfor the examiner, he does not think he should have written a singleword.
That gentleman, seeing something was amiss, went over, and laying onehand on the boy's shoulder, said kindly, "Are you ill, my lad?"
The sympathetic tone seemed to break the spell, and looking up, Jimanswered, "My head aches a bit, sir, but it's getting better now. Ithink I can make a start."
"That's right, my boy. Time's flying; but you must do your best."
"Yes, sir," said Jim gratefully, and by a great effort he managed toconcentrate his attention on the questions. Once started, he workedfeverishly to make up for the lost half-hour; but at one o'clock he hadto hand in his papers without having gone over them a second time.
Fortunately the interval was too short for comparing notes. There wasscarcely time for more than a rush home, a hurried meal, and a run backto be ready for the opening of the doors.
At the gate Jim overtook Braithwaite, who, much to his surprise, said inquite a friendly way, "Done pretty well, Hartland?"
"Pretty well, thanks; how did you get on?"
"Prime! The questions were just made for me."
Just then the Angel came along.
"I say, Dandy," he cried, "how came you to be doing Euclid thismorning?"
"Euclid? I wasn't!"
"What were you drawing, then?"
"Why, a map of the United States!"
"Oh!" The blue eyes opened wide with assumed wonder. "I thought 'twasa figure in Euclid."
"Wasn't the arithmetic beastly stiff?" grumbled Tom Moon. "Did anybodydo that thing about the two trains passing each other?"
"Oh, that was easy enough!" laughed Temple. "It worked out tothirty-seven seconds and a half."
"I got that," said Braithwaite.
"So did I," cried Dick, throwing up his hat. "Well done, Boden, my boy;you'll pull this scholarship off yet!"
Jim said nothing, but his skin burned like fire as he remembered thathis answer was more than an hour and twenty minutes.
Just then the doors were opened and the boys trooped into their places.While waiting for the papers to be given out he recalled the sum inquestion, and soon found what a ridiculous mess he had made of it.
"It's no use," he thought to himself bitterly; "as likely as not I'vemade as big a hash of the rest."
Once he thought of pleading illness and giving up the struggle. Theexcuse would not have been without a backing of truth; but, after all,Jim was no coward, and he thrust the idea aside.
"No," muttered he, "I'll see the thing through."
The first subject in the afternoon was history, for which he had alwaysa liking; and when the paper was finished he felt that he had at lastdone himself justice. Encouraged by this success, he worked away at theothers, feeling more and more cheerful at the end of each subject.
"Well," said the examiner, when he came to collect the papers, "are yousatisfied?"
"With this afternoon's work, sir," said Jim; "but I'm afraid I lost mychance this morning."
"Oh, you mustn't worry about that. 'Never despair!'--that's the motto,you know!" And the gentleman gave him a good-natured smile as he passedto the next desk.
Outside, the boys clustered together, comparing notes and talking overtheir doings. Some smiled complacently, others looked rather miserableas they discovered their mistakes.
"The algebra paper was a teaser," remarked Temple, "and as for the lastequation, I couldn't do it at all.'
"I don't believe it comes out," said Braithwaite, while Dick admittedwith a grin that he had left it untouched.
"Did you have a shot at it, Hartland?" asked Temple.
"Yes," said Jim; "it seemed easy enough, unless I misunderstood it."And with paper and pencil he proceeded to work it out.
"O my aunt!" cried Dick, who was very fond of bringing that worthyperson into his conversation "I believe you've got it, Jimmy!"
"Yes," said Temple, "it certainly looks right. That will give you alift, Hartland; it counts twenty marks."
"Well," replied Jim, thinking of the morning's work, "I shall need themall."
Presently the groups began to break up, and the boys to disperse. Jimstill seemed very gloomy, and even his lively little chum found itdifficult to bring a smile to his face.
"You haven't to go to the shop, have you?" he asked.
"Not to-night."
"That's jolly; we'll have a good game down at the Old Fort. It's agessince you were down, and the fellows will be glad to see you. Sayyou'll come, just to please me."
After a good deal of hesitation Jim promised, and the Angel went offwhistling merrily. He little guessed what a terrible tragedy he wasthus, in an indirect way, helping to bring about.