CHAPTER XL
HOW THE FLAG FOUND ITS WAY BACK TO THE TURRET
Paul got safely back to Garside with his prize. He mounted with it tohis dormitory and undid the covering in which it was encased. Yes, therewas the old flag, none the worse for its temporary absence from theschool. Paul's heart beat the quicker. He was as proud of the flag asany boy at Garside, and as he looked at it he realized in some degreethe feelings of a soldier when he has recaptured the colours from theenemy.
Folding it up again, he hid it under one of the cubicles, and went insearch of the boys who had been with him in the dormitory when the lossof the flag was first discovered.
He was not long in finding Moncrief minor, who was wandering about theground like a lost spirit. He was unhappy at the absence of hiscompanion in mischief, the redoubtable Plunger. He began to think thathe had been left out in the cold. What a hero Plunger would be if,through him, the flag were brought back again to the school!
As he was thus thinking he saw Paul coming towards him. He quicklyturned his head and walked off as though he had not seen him, but Paulcame up with him in a stride or two, and, clutching him by the arm,twisted him round till he was in front of him.
"You needn't run away, Harry. I want you to do me a favour."
"What is it?" asked Harry, reluctantly.
"You remember that afternoon when the flag was lost?"
Harry looked up quickly. What was coming out about the flag now? Ha, ha,he guessed what it was! Percival had begun to smell a rat. He meanttrying to pump him, so he answered cautiously.
"Of course I do, and so do most of the fellows here, I'm thinking. Iwonder if we shall ever get it back again?"
"I wonder. It was Viner who brought us the news, I remember, and besidesyourself there were several other fellows in the dormitory at thetime--Baldry, Plunger, Sedgefield, Bember. I want you to get togetheragain the same fellows if you can, and bring them to my dorm. Would youmind doing that for me?"
"What for?" was the curious answer.
"Oh, I'll explain what for when you're there. Will you do it?"
Harry thought for a moment before answering. What was Percival's game?He was curious to know; but there couldn't be any harm in doing as heasked.
"I can't bring Plunger--he's got something special in hand, but I'llhunt up some of the others, and bring them along with me, if I can."
So he ran off, and Paul returned to the dormitory. Half an hour elapsedbefore he heard the welcome sound of footsteps on the stairs. Harry hadsucceeded in capturing three out of the five, Sedgefield, Baldry, Viner.They were just as curious as Harry was to know what Paul could want withthem.
"I'm much obliged to you for coming along," said Paul, "it's really verygood of you, considering the dead-set against me. But I wanted to gettogether the fellows who were here when Viner brought up the bad newsabout the flag. I wish all six were here, but I must be satisfied withfour out of them. At any rate, there's enough of you to remember what Isaid. I said, you'll remember, that through me the school had eatendirt."
"Oh, yes, we remember that well enough," said Viner bitterly, "becauseit was so true."
"So true; yes, Viner. As your memory's so good on that point, perhapsyou can remember what else was said?"
"Of course I do. We all do, for one or two of us have laughed over itsince. You talked some nonsense about the school suffering through you,and through you being lifted up again."
"And that you meant getting the flag back again, and putting it in itsold place on the turret," added Sedgefield.
"You're right, Viner, and so are you, Sedgefield. I'm glad you rememberthings so well. I made that promise, uncertain whether or not I shouldbe able to carry it out, but determined to do my best. Well, by God'shelp, I'm able to keep my word."
To the profound amazement of the boys, he drew out the flag.
"Where did you find it? Where did you get it from?" cried Viner.
Harry did not speak. He could only stare at the flag. Was it really theold flag? There could be little doubt about that. How, then, hadPercival come by it? Had he stolen a march upon Plunger and the others?
"Where did I get it from? Well, that's my secret for the present. I'vegot the flag, and kept my promise. Now I want you to mount with me tothe turret, so that we can put it back again in its old resting-place."
He waved the flag over his head, and Baldry and Sedgefield gave a cheer.Harry echoed the cheer in a dazed, bewildered fashion. He had not yetrecovered from his surprise. Viner remained silent. They followed Paulto the turret, where once again the flag was placed on the summit withanother cheer.
Meanwhile Plunger was inside the shed, awaiting with no smalltrepidation the arrival of the "Mystic Brethren." He had not long towait before six of the masked brethren entered. The foremost of thesewas Mellor, followed by five of his companions. They had put on theirmasks outside the door, so that Plunger was just as much in the dark asto who they were as ever.
"Gargoyle with the eyebrows, greeting!" exclaimed Mellor.
"Greeting," repeated the other masks, bowing.
"Now, then, greet," came a peremptory cry, as Plunger received the pointof two or three knees in different parts of his body, which sent himstaggering round the circle. It revived painful memories of a similarperformance on his part on a previous occasion, and he hastily stammeredout, "Gr-gr-greeting," and jerked his head in imitation of thebrethren.
"We are glad thou hast obeyed the call; but where is thy brothernovice--Henry Moncrief?"
"He--he's otherwise--engaged," stammered Plunger, not knowing what tosay.
"Otherwise engaged! Know this, Gargoyle with the wiry thatch, noengagement should keep him from answering the call of the MysticBrethren. It shall be inquired into."
As he spoke, Plunger saw, with fear and trembling, that one of thenumber had drawn from the box the weapons he so well remembered--thesticks with bladders attached to the ends. He guessed what was coming,and it came.
"Describe the Mystic Circle!" cried Mellor.
It was useless resisting. Down flopped Plunger on his knees and hands,and crawled round the ring as quickly as possible three times, while thebladders showered upon his head with amazing rapidity. Then the brethrenjoined hands, and galloping wildly round him, repeated as before:
"Beetles of the Mystic Band Wind we round thee, hand in hand; Whene'er thou hear'st thy chieftain's call, Rest not, pause not, hither crawl, Or to the realms of Creepy-crawly, Shivery-shaky we will haul thee."
And once again, to the strains of this extraordinary incantation,Plunger was sent whirling about the ring from side to side, as though hewere an indiarubber ball. The last time two of them--Harry andhimself--divided honours; but this time Plunger had it all to himself.Owing to this fact the brethren were able to give him their sole andundivided attention, and they did it with such effect that Plunger beganto wonder whether he was himself or someone else.
"Dost thou like the Mystic Circle?" inquired Mellor, when they paused.
"Oh, y-y-yes," stammered Plunger, with a painful attempt to laugh, "verymuch." And then he added quickly, as he saw the uplifted bladders readyto descend: "But--but if you've got any more of it, you might keep itfor my brother novice."
"It shall be as thou askest, Gargoyle with the eyebrows," said Mellor."And now to business."
"To business? Do they call what I've just gone through pleasure?"thought Plunger, as he waited in fear and trembling what was to comenext.
"Thou belongest to the Third Form?"
Plunger nodded.
"A wonderful scholar art thou, Gargoyle with the wiry thatch," was thecutting comment.
"Oh, I could be much higher in the school," exclaimed Plunger, blushingto the roots of the "wiry thatch"; "but I don't like the boys in theupper Forms, you know. They put too much side on for me."
"You look a modest, retiring kind of fellow. That's the reason theMystic Brethren have taken such a fancy to thee."
Down came the bladder
s on Plunger's back as tokens of brotherlyaffection. Plunger felt flattered at this testimony of the brethren tohis virtues, but he wished at the same time they had expressed it insome other way.
"It's very kind of you," he gasped.
"Though thou dost despise the bounders of the Upper Form, peradventurethou wouldst not mind taking a small present from the Mystic Brethren ofthe Fifth?"
"A present?" repeated Plunger, pricking up his ears. "Not at all. Shallbe delighted to make myself useful."
"Let me see. The head boy of the Fifth is one named Hasluck, is he not,wearer of goggles?"
"Yes."
"Is there not also in that same Form one named Leveson, famoustimekeeper, owner of a stop-watch?"
Plunger nodded, marvelling at the accuracy of the brethren'sinformation. At a sign from Mellor, one of the masks, who was no otherthan Crick, left the circle, and brought from the corner of the shed along parcel, wrapped in American leather-cloth--a facsimile, in fact, ofthe parcel which Paul had received from Wyndham a little earlier.
"Give this to Hasluck, in the presence of the timekeeper Leveson and asmany other menials of the Fifth as thou canst find. It is a souvenirfrom thy brethren to celebrate thy initiation to the Mystic Order. Dostthou understand?"
Fluttering with excitement, Plunger clutched the parcel, and declaredthat he understood perfectly.
He had not got far on the homeward road before he was rejoined by hiscompanions, who had been lying in wait for him behind the friendlyshelter of a hedge.
"I've got it!" he gasped.
"Got what?" demanded Newall.
"The flag!" he cried, flourishing the precious parcel.
"Bravo, Plunger!" exclaimed Newall.
"Hurrah!" shouted Parfitt. "How did you get it?"
"Presented to me in honour of my initiation to the Mystic Order."
"Let's have a look at it."
"It mustn't be opened till we get to the school. Hasluck's got to openit, in the presence of Leveson."
As Plunger had faithfully followed out their instructions, they couldnot very well object to this condition, so they ran by his side,questioning him by the way as to what had happened to him in hisabsence. Plunger answered to the best of his ability, colouringconsiderably the part he had played in the ceremony, and the esteem inwhich he was held by the brethren.
"Why--why, what's that?" exclaimed Stanley, coming to a dead stop. Theothers did the same. Their eyes followed his to the turret. There wasthe old flag flying from the top!
Plunger turned pale; then a sickly hue went over his face as he lookedfrom the flag to the parcel in his hand.
The Hero of Garside School Page 41