Foxholme Hall, and Other Tales
Page 15
you, Master Jones?" said the fellow, with a supercilious look.
"Pretty well, Tommy Green," answered Reginald, giving him back glancefor glance.
"How dare you call me Green!" exclaimed the big boy, looking angry.
"Because you have a remarkably verdant hue about you," answeredReginald, who felt galled by the tone of bullying superiority assumed bythe other.
The big boy's rage at the unusual impudence of a new fellow instantlyblazed forth. "Take that for your pains, young one!" he cried out,giving Reginald a blow on the chest; "and that--and that--and that."
Reginald was for a moment staggered, but instantly recovering himself,he flew at the big fellow, and returned the blows with interest.
"A mill--a mill--a mill!" was the cry, and fellows rushed up from allparts of the yard, and closely surrounded the combatants. Reginalddefended himself as well as he could from his big antagonist, who,fortunately, though evidently inclined to bully, was no great adept inthe science of pugilism. At another time Reginald would have foughtwith the hope of victory; now his chief object was to defend his face,so that he might not have to make his appearance before the Doctor witha black eye or a bleeding nose. He made up for want of size and weight,and science also, for he had not much of it, by his activity, andconsequently the big fellow exhausted his strength by frequentlystriking at the air, when he thought that he was going to put in aneffective blow. As Reginald's courage and coolness manifestedthemselves, he gained plenty of supporters, and he soon guessed that hisopponent was no great favourite. The exclamations and cries in hisfavour every moment grew warmer and warmer. This encouraged him, orrather, for he did not want much encouragement, discouraged the other.He continued fighting as cautiously, but commenced more aggressiveoperations, very much to the astonishment of the big fellow, who hadfancied that he was going to gain an easy victory,--in fact, intended togive the new-comer a thrashing for his impudence.
"Well done! well done! Famously hit! Bravo! Pitch into him, littleone!" were the exclamations over and over again repeated by his friends;while the opposite party kept shouting, "Go it, Cicester!--Give it himsoundly!--Hit him hard!" Cirencester, however, did not seem to be verysuccessful in putting this advice into execution, and impartialobservers were of opinion that Warrender was getting the best of it,when the cry was raised of "All up--all up!" and the masters were seencoming out of the Doctor's door. After stopping a minute to have ashort chat together, they proceeded to the school.
The moment the masters appeared, the combatants were separated, andCirencester drew off without making any remark. The delay enabledReginald to arrange his neck-tie, smooth his hair, and shake himselfinto his jacket. He felt rather bruised and heated, but he borefortunately no remarkable outward traces of his combat. He soonrejoined Mr Lindsay, who took him to the Doctor, who looked, hethought, benignantly at him, and great was his satisfaction to find thathe was placed in the Lower Remove.
From that moment he resolved to show that he had not been wronglyplaced. It was a great satisfaction to feel that he should have only toremain a year numbered among those who could be fagged. He was thusalso only one division below Power. He found that unless he was"plucked," he should rise one division every half-year, with certaintrials and examinations interposed, into Fifth Form, and so on, but thatthere was no trial into Sixth Form, the vacancies in it being filled upby seniority.
Power and Anson congratulated him on his successful _debut_ in theschool-yard.
"Cicester, big as he looks, is below you in the school," observed Anson."He is an earl, but we don't take note here of titles. He eats toomuch to be strong, and thinks too much of himself to have many realfriends. I am very glad that you treated him as you did, because Ithink that it will sicken him of attacking you again, and make otherfellows treat you with respect. Of course, however, there aretuft-hunters here as well as elsewhere, and as some of the Fifth Formare among his friends, you must expect to be fagged a little sharply bythem occasionally, if you get in their way. However, you'll know how tomanage to keep out of rows. One thing I have found out; there is no useattempting to shirk fagging. A fellow is always certain to get theworst of it. There is no dodge a fellow can try which the Fifth Formare not up to, because you see that they have tried them all themselves.The worst thing a fellow can do is to show the sulks. He is certain totake nothing by it. I always find it best to do a thing willingly andpromptly, however disagreeable it may be."
Reginald thanked his friends for their advice, and moreover took care tofollow it.
The next day, when he went into school, he was found to have preparedhis lessons particularly well, and the master looked at him with anapproving eye, as a boy likely to do credit to himself, and some little,perhaps, to the school. From the very first Reginald set himselfagainst the use of cribs. He was rather laughed at for this, at first,by his associates, who were aware of what they considered his peculiarcrotchet.
"I have just a question to ask you fellows," he observed one day. "Doyou think it right or gentlemanly to tell a lie? Answer me seriously,not in joke."
It was agreed that a lie was ungentlemanly and wrong.
"Well, is it not equivalent to the telling a lie to pretend to haveobtained knowledge in one way, when you have obtained it in another? Isit not the same to take up a copy of verses or an exercise which you didnot write, and to pretend that you wrote them? That is one reason why Iwill not use a crib. I should feel ashamed of myself, and disgracedevery time I did so. Another reason is, that we came to school to gainknowledge, to prepare ourselves for college, and for our future coursein life, as completely as we can; and the use of cribs prevents ourdoing this, for though they may enable us to get through a lesson,depend on it a lesson learnt with them is very quickly again forgotten.There is nothing like having to turn over the leaves of a dictionarythat we may find a word, to enable us to remember it."
"Yes, but few fellows can turn over the leaves as quickly as you can,"observed Anson.
"I learned the knack at a private tutor's long ago," answered Reginald."I thought it a bore at first, but he showed us how to do it properly,and I very soon found the advantage of what he insisted on."
Power supported Reginald in this and many other respects, when he heldout boldly against what his straightforward, honest mind at once saw tobe bad practices. He made enemies by so doing, but he also madefriends; the enemies he made were the least worthy, and the friends themost worthy of his school-fellows--many of them becoming and continuingfirm and fast ones.
Reginald very soon made acquaintance with old Harry Cannon, the watermanat Cuckoo Weir. Fully thirty fellows were either standing on LowerSteps or in punts, without a rag on them, ready to plunge into the clearstream; or were swimming about by themselves, spluttering and coughing;or were being dangled at the end of old Harry's blue pole. Reginald hadthought that it was necessary to go, at all events, in the first place,to old Harry. Many of the fellows, not knowing that he could swim,tried to frighten him; but, without much ceremony, he doffed hisclothes, and in he went with a "rat's header" at once, and swam boldlyup the stream, stemming it lustily; then he turned a sommersault, trodwater, and went through a variety of manoeuvres to which the youngsterspresent were but little accustomed.
"You'll do, sir; you'll do," shouted old Harry, quite delighted with thespirited way in which he took to the water; "a Newfoundland dog couldn'thave done it better."
Of course, on the first "passing day," Reginald--who was to be met byPower, Anson, and some others of his new friends, in a boat--started offfor Middle Steps.
The masters stood ready. Reginald jumped into the punt, and, withseveral others, was carried out into mid-stream. Several were orderedto plunge overboard before him. Most of them went in with "footers,"and now two or three were ordered to come out and take further lessonsfrom old Harry. Reginald waited patiently till his turn came, and thenoverboard he went with a fine "rat's header," and downwards he dived.He did not come up. The masters were
alarmed, and shouted to old Harryto look for him.
"What can have become of the boy?" exclaimed one of them, in real alarm.
Suddenly, not far off, up came Reginald, with a big stone in his hand.
"All right!" he exclaimed. "I wanted to bring a trophy from thebottom;" and, depositing it on Middle Steps, away he swam in good styleto Lower Steps. Just touching them, away he went--now swimming with onearm, now with the other, now with both hands like a dog, now turning onhis back and striking out with his feet.
"You'll do, and do famously!" exclaimed the master, who was not famedfor bestowing unnecessary compliments on any one.
Reginald came out with no little feeling of allowable pride, and,dressing quickly, stepped