St. Winifred's; or, The World of School

by F. W. Farrar

  CHAPTER THIRTY FOUR.

  A CONSPIRACY FOILED.

  As the feathery snows Fall frequent on some wintry day... The stony volleys flew.

  Cowper.

  Yes, Charlie had conquered, thanks to the grace that sustained him, andthanks, secondarily, to a good home training, and to Walter's strong andexcellent influence. And in gaining that one point he had gained all.No one dared directly to molest him further, and he had never again tomaintain so hard a struggle. He had resisted the beginnings of evil; hehad held out under the stress of persecution; and now he could enjoy thesmoother and brighter waters over which he sailed.

  His enemies were for the time discomfited, and even the hardy Wilton wasabashed. For a week or two there was considerably less bravado in hisface and manner, and his influence over those of his own age was shaken.That little rap of the cane which Bliss had given him had a mostsalutary effect in diminishing his conceit. Hanley retracted hispromise to deny all knowledge of anything wrong that went on, and openlydefied Wilton; even Elgood ceased to fear him. Charlie had feltinclined to cut him, but, with generous impulse, he forgave all that waspast, and, keeping on civil terms with him, did all he could to draw himto less crooked paths.

  Mackworth was so ashamed that he hardly ventured to show his face. Hehad always made Bliss a laughing-stock, had nicknamed him Ass's Head,and had taught others to jeer at his backwardness. He had presumed onhis lazy good humour, and affected to patronise and look down on him.An eruption in a long-extinct volcano could not have surprised him morethan the sudden outburst of Bliss's wrath, and if the two blows which hehad received as he fled before him in sight of the whole house had beenbranded on his back with a hot iron, they could hardly have caused himmore painful humiliation. For some time he slunk about like a whippedpuppy, and imagined, not without some ground, that no one saw himwithout an inclination to smile.

  Kenrick, too, had reason to blush. Every one knew that it was Bliss,and not he, who had rescued the house from attaching to its name anotherindelible disgrace; and when he heard the monitors and sixth-formtalking seriously among themselves of the bad state into which theNoelites had fallen, he felt that the stigma was deserved, and that_he_, as being the chief cause of the mischief, must wear the brand.

  All Kenrick's faults and errors had had their root in an overweeningpride, a pride which grew fast upon him, and the intensity of whichincreased in proportion as it grew less and less justifiable. But nowhe had suffered a salutary rebuke. He had been openly blamed, openlyslighted, and openly set aside, and was unable to gainsay the justice ofthe proceeding. He felt that with every boy in the school, who had anyright feeling, Bliss was now regarded as a more upright and honourable--nay, even as a more important and influential, person than himself.Among other mortifications, it galled him especially to hear the warmthanks and cordial praise which Power and Walter and Henderson expressedwhen first they happened to meet Bliss. He saw Walter wring his hand,and overheard him saying in that genial tone in which he himself hadonce been addressed so often--"Thank you, Bliss, a thousand times forsaving my dear little brother from the hands of those brutes. Charlieand I will not soon forget how much we owe you." Walter said it withtears in his eyes, and Bliss answered with a happy smile--"Don't thankme, Walter; I only did what any fellow would have done who was worthanything."

  "And you'll look after Charlie for me now and then, will you?"

  "That I will," said Bliss; "but you needn't fear for him--he's a hero, aregular hero--that's what I call him, and I'd do anything for him."

  So Kenrick, vexed and discontented, almost hid himself in those days inhis own study, the victim of that most wearing of intolerable andsickening diseases--a sense of shame. Except to play footballoccasionally, he seldom left his room or took any exercise, and fellinto a dispirited, broken way of life, feeling unhappy and alone. Hehad no associates now except his inferiors, for his conduct hadforfeited the regard of his equals, and with many of them he was at openfeud. The only pleasure left to him was desperately hard work. Notonly was he stimulated by a fiery ambition, a mad desire to excel in thehalf-year's competition, and show what he was yet capable of, and so tosome extent redeem his unhappy position, but also his heart was fixed ongetting, if possible, the chief scholarship of Saint Winifred's--ascholarship sufficiently valuable to pay the main part of those collegeexpenses which it would be otherwise impossible for his mother to bear.He feared, indeed, that he had little or no chance against Power, oreven against Walter, who were both competitors, but he would not give upall hope. His abilities were of the most brilliant order, and if he hadoften been idle at Saint Winifred's, he had, on the other hand, oftenworked exceedingly hard during the holidays at Fuzby, where, unlikeother boys, he had little or nothing else to amuse him. Mrs Kenrick,sitting beside him silent at her work for long hours, would have beenglad enough to see in him more elasticity, more kindliness, lessabsorption in his own selfish pursuits; but she rejoiced that at home,at any rate, he did not waste his vacant days in idleness, or spend themin questionable amusements and undesirable society.

  Almost the only boy of whom he saw much now was Wilton, and but for him,I do believe, that in those days he would have changed his whole tone ofthought and mode of life. But he had a strange liking for thisworthless boy, who kept alive in him his jealousy of Walter, hisopposition to the other monitors, his partisanship, his recklessness,and his pride. Sometimes Kenrick felt this. He saw that Wilton was badas well as attractive, and that their friendship, instead of doingWilton any good, only did himself harm. But he could not make up hismind to throw him off, for there was no one else who seemed to feel forhim as a close and intimate friend. Many of Kenrick's failings rosefrom that. He had offended, and rejected, and alienated his early andtrue friends, and he felt now that it was easier to lose friends than tomake them, or to recover their affection when it once was lost.

  But the bad set at Saint Winifred's, though in one house their influencewas weakened, were determined not to see it wane throughout the school.Harpour and his associates organised a regular conspiracy against themonitors. When the first light snow fell they got together a very largenumber of fellows, and snowballed all the monitors except Kenrick, asthey came out of morning school. The exception was very much toKenrick's discredit, and in his heart he felt it to be so. During thefirst day or two that this lasted the monitors took it good-humouredly,returning the snowballs, and regarding it as a joke, though an annoyingone; but when it became more serious, when some snowballs had beenthrown at the masters also, and when some of the worst fellows began tocollect snowballs beforehand and harden them into great lumps of ice ashard as stones, and when Brown, who was short-sighted, and was thereforeleast able to protect himself, had received a serious blow, Power, bythe advice of the rest, put up a notice that from that time thesnowballing must cease, or the monitors would have to punish the boyswho did it. This notice the school tried to resist, but the firmness ofPower and his friends put a stop to their rebellion. If the notice wasdisregarded he determined, by Walter's, advice, to seize theringleaders, and not notice the younger boys whom they incited.Accordingly next morning they found the school gathered as usual, inspite of the notice, for the purpose of pelting them, and, sayingnothing, they kept their eyes on the biggest fellows in the group. Ashower of snowballs fell among them, hitting several of them, and, tothe great amusement of the school, knocking over several hats into thesnow.

  "Harpour," said Walter, very sternly, "I saw you throw a snowball.Aren't you ashamed of yourself that you, a fellow at the head of theeleven, should set such a bad example? Don't suppose that your size orposition shall get you off. Come before the monitors directly afterbreakfast."

  "Hanged if I do," answered Harpour, with a sulky laugh.

  "Well, I daresay you _will_ be hanged in the long-run," was thecontemptuous reply; "but come, or else take the consequences."

  "Tracy," said Henderson, "I saw you throw a snowball which knocked offPower
's hat. It was a hard one too. You come before the monitors withHarpour."

  "I shall be quaite delaighted," drawled out Tracy.

  "Glad to hear it; I hope you'll be quaite equally delaighted when youleave us." The mimicry was so perfect that all the boys broke into aroar of laughter, which was all the louder because Tracy immediatelybegan to chafe and "smoke."

  "And, Jones," said Power, as the laugh against Tracy subsided, "I thinkI saw _you_ throw a snowball and hit Smythe. I strongly suspect, too,that you were the fellow who hit Brown yesterday. I think every onewill know, Jones, why you chose Smythe and Brown to pelt, instead of anyother monitors. You too come to the sixth-form room after breakfast."

  "I didn't throw one," said Jones.

  "You astounding liar," said Henderson, "I saw you with my own eyes."

  "Oh, ay; of course you'll say so to spite me."

  "_Spite_ you," said Henderson scornfully; "my dear fellow, you don'tenter into my thoughts at all. But mark you, Master Jones, I knowmoreover that you've been the chief getter-up of this preciousdemonstration. You told the fellows that you'd lead them. I'm not surethat you didn't quote to them the lines--

  "`Press where ye see my _white plume_ shine amid the ranks of war, Andbe your oriflamme to-day the helmet of--Jones.'"

  Another peal of laughter followed this allusion to Jones's well-knownnickname of White-feather, a nickname earned by many acts of conspicuouscowardice.

  "Hush, Flip," whispered Power, "we mustn't make this quite a joke.Jones," he continued aloud, "do you deny throwing a snowball just now atSmythe?"

  "I didn't throw one," said Jones, turning pale as he heard the hiss, andthe murmur of "White-feather again," which followed his denial.

  "Why, what a pitiful, wretched, sneaking coward you are," burst outFranklin; "I heard you egging on these fellows to pelt the monitors--they wouldn't have done it but for you and Harpour--and I saw you hitSmythe just now. You took care to pelt no one else, and now you deny itbefore all of us who saw you. Upon my word, Jones, I feel inclined tokick you, and I will too."

  "Stop, Franklin," said Walter, laying his hands on his shoulder, "leavehim to us now. Do you still deny throwing, Jones?"

  "Well, it was only just a little piece of snow," said Jones, showing inhis blotched face every other contemptible passion fused into the onefeeling of abject fear.

  "Faugh!" said Power, with scorn and disgust curling his lip and burningin his glance; "really, Jones, you're almost too mean and nasty to haveany dealings with. I don't think we can do you the honour of conveningyou. You shall apologise to Smythe here and now, and that shall beenough for _you_."

  "What! do you hesitate?" said Franklin; "you don't know when you're welloff. Be quick, for we all want our breakfast."

  "Never mind making him apologise," said Smythe; "he's sunk quite lowenough already."

  "It's his own doing," said Walter. "We can't have lies like his toldwithout a blush at Saint Winifred's. Apologise he must and shall."

  "Don't do it," said Mackworth.

  "What!" said Henderson, "is that Mackworth speaking? Ah! I thoughtso--Bliss isn't here!"

  Henderson's manner was irresistibly comic; and as Mackworth winced andslunk back to the very outside of the crowd, the loud laugh whichfollowed showed that the complete exposure of the worthlessness of theirchampions had already turned the current of feeling among the youngconspirators, and that they were beginning to regret their unprovokedattack on the upper boys.

  "Now then, Jones, this is what you have to read," said Walter, who hadbeen writing it on a slip of paper--"I humbly beg Smythe's pardon forpelting him, and the pardon of all present for my abominable lies."

  Jones began to mumble it out, but there arose a general shout of--

  "On your knees, White-feather; on your knees, and much louder."

  Franklin, who was boiling over with anger and contempt, sprang forward,took Jones by the neck, and forced him on his knees in the snow, wherehe made him read the apology, and then let him loose. A shower ofsnowballs followed him as he ran to the refuge of the breakfast-hall,for there was not a boy present, no matter to what faction he belonged,who did not feel for Jones a very hearty contempt.

  "I hope we shall have no more of this, boys," said Power, before therest dispersed. "There have been monitors at Saint Winifred's for ahundred years now, and it's infinitely better for the school that thereshould be. I suppose you would hardly prefer to be at the mercy of sucha fellow as that," he said, pointing in the direction of Jones's flight."I don't know why we should be unpopular amongst you. You know thatnot one of us has ever abused his authority, or behaved otherwise thankindly to you all. But I am sorry to see that you are set on--set on byfellows who ought to know better. Don't suppose, any of you, that theywill frighten us from doing what we know to be right, or that _you_ canintimidate us when we are acting for the good of the school."

  They cheered his few simple words, for they were proud of him ashead-monitor. They had never had at Saint Winifred's a better scholar,or a more honourable boy; and though Harpour and his friends affected tosneer at him, Power was a general favourite, and the firm attitude whichhe now assumed increased the respect and admiration which he had alwaysinspired.

  "No more notice will be taken of this, you little fellows," said Walterto the crowd of smaller boys; "we know very well that you have merelybeen the tools in other hands, and that is why we only singled out threefellows. I am quite sure you won't behave in this way again; but if youdo, remember we shan't pass it over so lightly."

  "Come here you, Wilton," said Henderson, as the rest were dispersing."You've been particularly busy, I see. So! six good hard snowballs inyour jacket pocket, eh? Now, you just employ yourself in collectingevery one of these snowballs that are lying ready here, and throw theminto the pond. Don't let me see _one_ when I come out. Belial juniorwill have to curtail his breakfast-time this morning, I guess," hecontinued to Whalley; "the young villain! shall we ever bring him to aright mind?"

  Wilton, in a diabolical frame of mind, began his appointed task, and hadjust finished it as the boys came out of breakfast. "That will do,"said Henderson. "I must trouble you for one minute more. Come withme." Shaking with cold and alarm, Wilton obeyed, muttering threats ofvengeance, and driven almost frantic by the laughter with whichHenderson received them. He walked across to the sixth-form room, andthen seeing that all the monitors were assembled, sent him "to tell hisfriends, Harpour and Tracy, that their presence was demandedimmediately."

  "Never mind, Raven," said Kenrick to him; "it's a shame of them to bullyyou."

  "I have made him collect some snowballs which he had a chief hand inmaking, and with one of which yesterday a monitor was seriously hurt;then I have sent him a message for two worthless fellows, whose counselshe generally follows; both of which things I have done to teach him amild but salutary lesson. Is that what you call bullying?"

  "I believe you spite the boy because you know I like him. It's just thekind of conduct worthy of you."

  "If it gives you any comfort to say so, Kenrick, pray do; but let metell you, that after the way you have allowed young Evson and others tobe treated in your house, the charge of bullying comes with singularlyill grace from you."

  An angry retort sprang to Kenrick's lips; but at that moment the twooffenders came to the door, and Power said, "Hush, you two. We needunity now, if ever, and it will be very harmful if these fellows find aquarrel going on Kenrick, I wish you would try to--"

  "Oh; yes; it's always Kenrick, of course," said he angrily. "I'll havenothing to do with your proceedings;" and, rising, from his place, heflung out of the room, not sorry to be absent from a scene which hethought might compromise his popularity with some of those who exceptedhim from the list of the monitors, whom they professed to consider astheir natural enemies.

  Harpour and Tracy had thought that when convened before the monitorsthey would have an opportunity for displaying plenty of insolence andindifference;
but when they found themselves standing in the presence ofthose fifteen upper boys, each one of whom was in all respects theirsuperior, all their courage evaporated. But they were let off veryeasily. The monitors were content with the complete triumph they hadgained that morning, and with the disgrace to which these fellows hadbeen compelled to submit. All that they now required from them was anexpression of regret for what they had done, and a promise not to offendin the same way again; and when these had been extorted, they weredismissed by Power with some good advice, and a tolerably sternreprimand. Power did this with an ease and force which moved theadmiration of all his brother monitors; no one could have done it as hedid it, who was not supported by the authority of a high and stainlesscharacter consistently maintained. What he said was not without effect;even the coarse burly Harpour dared not look up, but could only fix hiseyes on the floor and kick the matting in sullen wrath while thisvirtuous and noble boy looked at him and rebuked him; but Tracy was moredeeply moved. Tracy, weak, foolish, and feebly fast as he was, had someelements of good and gentlemanly feeling in him, and, with more wiselychosen associates, would have developed a much less contemptiblecharacter. When Power had done speaking, he looked up and said, withoutone particle of his usual affectation--

  "I really am sorry for helping to get up this affair. I see I've beenin the wrong, and I beg pardon sincerely. You may depend on my nothaving anything more to do with a thing of this kind."

  "Thank you, Tracy," said Walter; "that was spoken like a man. We'veknown each other for some time now, and I wish we could get on moreunitedly. You might do some good in the school if you chose."

  "Not much, I'm afraid now," said Tracy, "but I'll tr(ai)y."

  "Well, then, Tracy, we'll shake hands on that resolve, and bygones shallbe bygones," said Henderson. "You'll forgive my making fun of you thismorning."

  He shook hands with Henderson and with Walter, while Power, holding outhis hand, said, smiling, "It's never too late to mend."

  "No," said Tracy, looking at one of his boots, which he had a habit ofputting out before the other.

  "He applied your remark to his boots, Power," said Henderson, laughing."Did you observe how the hole in one of them distressed him."

  So the monitors separated, not without hopes that things were beginningto look a little brighter than before.