CHAPTER EIGHT.
I stood gazing into the little looking-glass with my spirits sinkingdown and down in that dreary way in which they will drop with a boy whowakes up in the morning with some trouble resting upon his shoulderslike so much lead.
I was more stiff and sore, too, at first waking, and all this combinedto make me feel so miserable, that I began to think about home and mymother, and what would be the consequences if I were to dress quickly,slip out, and go back.
She would be so glad to see me again, I thought, that she would not becross; and when I told her how miserable I was at the school, she wouldpity me, and it would be all right again.
I was so elated by the prospect, and--young impostor that I was--so gladof the excuse which the marks upon my face would form to a dotingmother, that I began to dress quickly, and had got as far as I couldwithout beginning to splash in the water and rattle the little white jugand basin, when the great obstacle to my evasion came before me withcrushing power, and I sat on my bed gazing blankly before me.
For a terrible question had come for an answer, and it was this:
"What will uncle say?"
And as I sat on the edge of my bed, his handsome, clearly-cut face, withthe closely-cropped white hair and great grey moustache, was therebefore me, looking at me with a contemptuous sneer, which seemed to say,"You miserable, despicable young coward! Is this the way you fulfilyour promise of trying to be a man, worthy of your poor father, who wasa brave soldier and a gentleman? Out upon you for a miserable youngsneak!"
That all came up wonderfully real before me, and I felt the skin of myforehead wrinkle up and tighten other parts of my face, while I groanedto myself, as if apologising to my uncle,--
"But I can't stop here, I am so miserable, and I shall be horriblypunished for what I could not help. The boys say the Doctor is verysevere, sometimes."
There was my uncle's stern face still, just as I had conjured it up, andhe was frowning.
He will be horribly angry with me, I thought, and it would make poormamma so unhappy, and--
"I can't go, and I won't go," I said, half aloud. "I don't care if theDoctor cuts me to pieces; and I won't tell how I got the marks, for, ifI do, all the boys will think I am a sneak."
"Fill the tea-cup--fill the tea-cup--fill the tea-cup! High up--highup--high up! Fine morning--fine morning--fine morning!"
The notes of a thrush, sounding exactly like that, with the help of alittle imagination; and I rose, went to the window, gazed out, and therewas the sun, looking like a great globe of orange, lighting up the mistsin the hollows, and making everything look so glorious, that I began tofeel a little better.
Turning round to look at my schoolfellows asleep in their little narrowbeds, all in exceedingly ungraceful attitudes, and looking towzley andqueer, I saw that, as I held the blind on one side, the sunlight shonefull on Mercer, and I hurt myself directly by bursting out into a silentfit of laughter, which drew my bruised face into pain-producing puckers.But it was impossible to help it, all the same, for Mercer's phizlooked so comic.
The swelling about his eyes had gone down, and there were only veryfaint marks beneath them, but his mouth was twisted all on one side, andhis nose looked nearly twice as big as usual.
He's worse than I am, I thought, as I stood gazing at him, and thisbrought up our visit to the lodge the previous evening, and a grimfeeling of satisfaction began to make me glow, as I dwelt upon Mercer'splans, and in imagination I saw myself about to be possessed of apowerful talisman, which would enable me to retaliate on my enemies, andbe always one who could protect the weak from the oppressor. And as Istood thinking all this, I turned again to look out of the window, wherethe lovely landscape of the Sussex weald lay stretched out before me,and listened to the birds bursting forth into their full morning song,as the sun literally cut up the mists, which rose and dispersed just asthe last of the mental mists were rising fast from about me. There wasthe glorious country, with all its attractions for a town boy, and closeby me lay Mercer, who seemed to me quite a profound sage in hisknowledge of all around, and I felt that, after all, I had got too muchbudding manliness in me to give up like a coward, who would run away atthe first trouble he had to meet.
I was a natural boy once again, and, going back to Mercer's bedside, Ibegan to think that there was no fun in seeing him sleeping away therewhile I was wide awake; so, stealing softly to his little wash-stand, Itook the towel, dipped one corner carefully in the jug, and then, with abig drop ready to fall, I held it close to his nose, squeezed it alittle, and the drop fell.
The effect was instantaneous.
Mercer gave a spring which made his bed creak, and sat up staring at me.
"What are you doing?" he said. "Why can't you be quiet? Has the bellrung?"
"I don't know," I said. "I haven't heard it."
"Why--why, it's ever so early yet, and you're half dressed. Oh, how mynose burns! I say, is it swelled?"
"Horribly!" I said.
He leaped out of bed, ran to the glass, stared in, and looked roundagain at me.
"Oh my!" he ejaculated, as he gazed at me wildly; "there's no gettingout of this. Bathing won't take a nose like that down. It ought tohave on a big linseed meal poultice."
"But you couldn't breathe with a thing like that on."
"Oh yes, you could," he said, with the voice of authority. "You get twobig swan quills, and cut them, and put one up each nostril, and then puton your plaster. That's how my father does."
"But you couldn't go about like that."
"No, you lie in bed on your back, and whistle every time you breathe."
I laughed.
"Ah, it's all very fine to laugh, but we shall be had up to the Doctor'sdesk this morning, and he'll want to know about the fighting."
"Well, we must tell him, I suppose," I said. "They began on us."
"No," said Mercer, shaking his head, and looking as depressed as I didwhen I woke; "that wouldn't do here. The fellows never tell on eachother, and we should be sent to Coventry. It's precious hard to belicked, and then punished after, when you couldn't help it, isn't it?"
"Yes," I said. "Then you won't tell about Burr major and Dicksee."
"Oh no. Never do. We shall have to take it and grin and bear it,whether it's the cane or impositions. Worst of it is, it'll mean everso much keeping in. I wouldn't care if it had been a month or two ago."
"What difference would that have made?"
"Why, it was all wet weather then. Now it's so fine, I want for us togo and collect things, and I'm not going to be beaten over thatstuffing. Next time I shall look at a live bird ever so long before Itry to stuff one, and then you'll see. We'll be on the watch next time,so that old Eely shan't catch us, and--ha, ha, ha! Oh my! oh my! ohmy!" he cried, sitting down on the edge of his bed, rocking himself toand fro, and kicking up his bare feet and working his toes about in theair.
"What are you laughing about?" I said, feeling glad to see that he toowas getting rid of the depression.
"Wait a bit," he whispered. "Won't we astonish them! Oh, my nose, howit does hurt!" he added, covering the swollen organ with his hand, andspeaking in a snuffling tone. "I shall aim straight at old Eely's snuball the time, so as to make it twice as big as mine is. He will be somad, for he's as proud of himself as a peacock, and thinks he'shandsome. What do you think he does?"
"I don't know," I said.
"Puts scent on his handkerchief every morning--musk. Oh, he is a dandy!But wait a bit! Seventeen shillings! Isn't it a lot for two pairs ofgloves? And, I say!"
"Yes."
"He's an awful dandy about his gloves too. By and by, when he's had hislicking,--two lickings, for you shall give him one too,--I'll tell youwhat we'll always say to him."
"Well?"
"We'll say, `What sized gloves do you take?'"
"But he will not know anything about the gloves," I said, interrupting alaugh. "We shan't have gloves on then."
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p; "No more we shall. What a pity! That spoils my joke. Never mind.Let's dress, and go and look at the gardens--perhaps there may be somegood butterflies out in the sunshine; and as soon as cook's down, I'llbeg some hot water to bathe my nose."
But Mercer did not put in a petition for the hot water. "It's no good,"he said, when we were down by the gardens, soon after we were dressed."It's like physic; we've got to take it, so we may as well face it allout and get it over."
Very good philosophy, of course, but I did not feel hopeful about whatwas to come.
It all began at breakfast, where we were no sooner seated, than MrRebble came by with the new assistant master.
"Bless me! Good gracious! Look, Mr Hasnip. Did you ever see such anose? No, no, Mercer: sit up, sir."
Poor Mercer had ducked down to hide his bulbous organ, but he had to situp while Mr Hasnip brought his smoke-tinted spectacles to bear upon it.
"Terrible!" he said. "The boy must have been fighting."
"Yes; and here's the other culprit," cried Mr Rebble. "Look at thisboy's eye and mouth. Have you two boys been fighting?"
"Yes, sir," I said in a low voice.
"Disgraceful! Well, the Doctor must know of it, and he will punish youboth severely."
The two masters moved off to their table, and a buzz of excitement ranthrough the nearest boys, while, as I looked up, I could see Burr majorstanding up in his place and looking over toward us.
"I say," whispered Mercer, "here's a game; they think we two have beenfighting together like old Lom did. Let 'em think so. Don't you say aword."
"But it will be so dishonest," I expostulated.
"No, it won't. If they ask you who you fought with, you must saynothing."
"Not tell them?"
"No. The Doctor will say you are stubborn and obstinate, and threatento expel you; but he don't mean it, and you've got to hold your tongue,as I told you before. We never split on each other here."
"Will the Doctor know, do you think?" I asked, as we went on with ourbreakfast.
"Sure to. Old Reb's safe to go and tell him directly he comes."
I soon heard that this opinion was shared, for one of the bigger boyscame over from his seat near Burr major.
"I say," he said, "Reb's sure to tell the Doctor about you two. Shallyou say that you had a round with big Burr and old Fatsee?"
"Did Eely tell you to come and ask?" said Mercer, glancing toward whereBurr major was anxiously watching in our direction.
"Never you mind. Are you going to tell?"
"What is it to you?"
"A good deal. You tell, and half a dozen of us mean to wallop you two,and you won't like that."
"Oh, I shouldn't mind, and Burr junior wouldn't. I know old Squirmysent you to ask because--there, look at him--he's all in a fiddle forfear the Doctor should punish him--a great coward!--for knocking smallerboys about."
"Look here," whispered the ambassador, "don't you be quite so saucy."
"Shall if I like. You go and tell old Eely, old slimy Snip, that I'mnot like his chosen friend Dicksee, a miserable, tale-telling sneak. Ishan't let out about Burr major being such a coward, and Burr here won'ttell about fat-headed Dicksee, so now you can go."
"And you'd better keep to it," said the boy, looking at me fiercely; butI did not feel afraid, for Mercer's project about the gloves had sent aglow through me, and, as he said, our time would come.
But I felt anything but comfortable an hour later, when I was back inschool, after the breakfast had been cleared, for I could see that theboys had their eyes upon us, and were whispering, and I knew it relatedto the punishment to come.
The worst moments were when the Doctor entered and took his place in hispulpit amidst a suppressed rustle, and I set my teeth as I stood up, andshrank down again at the earliest opportunity, feeling as if theDoctor's eye was fixed upon me, and, as it happened, just as I waswishing he would speak, and, as I felt it, put me out of my misery, heuttered one of his tremendous coughs, which had far more effect inproducing silence than Mr Rebble's words.
"Thomas Mercer, Burr junior," he said loudly, "come up here."
"I wish I had run away this morning," was my first thought, but it wasgone directly, and I was glad I had not, as I walked as firmly as Icould, side by side with my brother offender, right up to the front ofthe Doctor's desk, where he sat frowning upon us like a judge withouthis wig and gown.
"Hah!" he ejaculated in his most awe-inspiring tones, as he looked at ussearchingly. "No doubt about it. Disgraceful marks, like a pair ofrough street boys instead of young gentlemen. So you two have beenfighting?"
"Yes, sir."
"Yes, sir."
"I am glad that you have frankness enough to own to it. You, Mercer,knew better; but you, sir, had to learn that you have broken one of themost rigid rules of my establishment. I object to fighting, as savage,brutal, and cruel, and I will not allow it here. Mr Rebble, give theseboys heavy impositions, and you will both of you stop in and study everyday for a fortnight under Mr Hasnip's directions. Some principalswould have administered the cane or the birch, but I object to thoseinstruments as being, like fighting, savage, brutal, and cruel, only tobe used as a last resource, when ordinary punishments suitable forgentlemen fail. I presume that you make no defence?" He continuedrolling out his words in a broad volume of sound. "You own that youhave both been fighting? Silence is a full answer. Return to yourplaces."
I heard Mercer utter a low sigh, and my breast felt overcharged as wewent back to our desks, where we were no sooner seated than Mercerwhispered,--
"Never mind, old chap! we'll help one another; and he never asked who wehad been fighting with, so we didn't get extra punishment for beingstubborn. Oh dear me, what a rum place school is!"
Poor Mercer, he had yet to learn, as I had, that the school was only theworld in miniature, and that we should find our life there almostexactly the same when we grew up to be men.
"I wonder what Mr Hasnip will set us to do," I thought, as the clock atlast told that the morning's studies were nearly at an end, and I wasstill wondering when the boys rose, and Eely Burr, Dicksee, and theother big fellow, Hodson, came round behind us, and the firstwhispered,--
"Lucky for you two that you didn't tell. My! I shouldn't have liked tobe you, if you had."
"Go and scent your handkerchief," said Mercer angrily. "I'd tell if Iliked."
"If they weren't here, I'd punch your ugly head," whispered Eely, andthey all three went out, leaving us two alone in the great schoolroom,with the ushers at one end, and the Doctor, contrary to his usualcustom, still in his desk at the other.
"Stand, Thomas Mercer and Burr junior," he said. "Or no--Mercer cankeep his seat."
I rose with Mercer, who resumed his place.
"Burr junior," said the Doctor, rolling out his words slowly, as if theywere so precious that they ought to make a proper impression, "Isentenced you to a certain series of punishments, to endure for fourteendays; but you are new, untrained, and have been so unfortunate as toreceive such education as you possess by private tuition. Under thesecircumstances, you are wanting in social knowledge, especially of thekind bearing upon your conduct to your fellow-workers in a school likethis. In consequence, I shall make a point of looking over this yourfirst offence, and exonerating you. That will do."
I murmured my thanks, and remained in my place.
"Well," said the Doctor, as Mr Hasnip coughed to take my attention,"why are you waiting?"
"For Mercer, sir."
"But I have not excused him. He is not a new boy; and besides, I amsure you would like him to be punished."
"No, no!" I said eagerly; "and I don't want to be let off if he isnot."
"Hum! Hah!" ejaculated the Doctor, looking at me benevolently throughhis spectacles. "Well--er--er--yes--I like that. Mercer, you areexcused too. That will do."
"Thank you, sir; thank you, sir," cried Mercer joyfully; and we bothbowed and hurried away to the loft,
Mr Rebble shaking his head at us aswe passed his desk, and Mr Hasnip, as I thought, looking sadlydisappointed as far as I could judge, though I could not see his eyes.
On reaching the loft, Mercer was in such a state of exultation that herelieved his feelings by standing upon his head on the corn-bin; but Idid not feel so glad, for I had not spoken out, and the Doctor had beenacting under a misconception, and I said so.
"Oh, never mind," cried Mercer, speaking with his heels in the air. "Wecouldn't explain, and it don't matter. Oh, I say, won't old Eely bepleased that we've got off!"
I did not answer, for I still felt that I should like to go and tell theDoctor frankly everything that had passed.
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