Burr Junior Part 16

"Not he. All right again direckly. You let him warm himself, and I'll run up to the schoolhouse and fetch him some dry clothes."

"No," cried Mercer, rousing himself now. "We'll both run up, and get in without any one seeing us, and go and change our things."

"Ay, that'll be best," said Jem; "and, if I was you, I'd start at once.

Run all the way, and it'll warm you up."

"Yes. Thank you for coming and helping us," said Mercer, who had now quite found his tongue.

"Oh, that's all right," said the man jocularly. "That's a fine eel, but don't fish for 'em that way again. Going in after 'em ain't the best way; you see they're quicker, and more used to the water than you are."

Mercer shuddered.

"Come along, Burr," he said feebly.

"Wait a minute. Here's your eel and the carp. Where's that there rush basket, missus?"

"Oh, we don't want the fish," said Mercer, with a shiver. "Come along, Burr."

He hurried out of the cottage, and into a lane. "Keep listening," he said. "If you hear any one, we'll go across the fields."

"There's some one coming now," I said.

"Oh dear! it's old Rebble. He hasn't seen us. This way."

He stooped down, and ran to a gate, crept through, and then, leading the way, he walked fast along by the side of a hedge till we had crossed one field, and then began to trot, seeming to get stronger every minute, while I followed, with my wet trousers clinging to my legs, and the water going "suck suck" in my boots.

We crossed two or three fields, and then Mercer drew up, panting, and with the natural colour coming back into his face.

"We'll walk now," he said, "and go right round, and slip in through the garden. Perhaps we can get in and up to our room without being seen."

"Yes, do," I said, looking dolefully at my wet legs, and my jacket all covered with green from the penstock. "Feel better now?"

"Yes, I'm getting all right. I say, didn't I seem like a horrid coward?"

"I don't think so," I said. "It was enough to frighten anybody."

Mercer was silent for a few minutes. Then he began again.

"I never felt like that before. I was going to swim, but the eel had gone about my legs, and as soon as I felt the line round them, and that horrid great thing twining it all over me, I tried hard to kick it off; but you haven't got much strength in the water, and then, as I felt that I couldn't get my legs clear, I came over all queer, and so horribly frightened that I couldn't do anything. It was just like having a dream in the night, after eating too much cake."

"It was very horrible," I said, with a shiver at the recollection, though I was beginning to feel warm.

"Yes, wasn't it? I say, don't go and think me a coward, there's a good chap."

"I was not going to think you a coward," I said. "It isn't likely."

"But I must have seemed like one, because I can swim ever so far, but when I found myself like that, all the strength went out of me.--I say!"

"Yes?" I said, for he remained silent, and trudged on, looking hard at the ground.

"I did like you for paying at Polly Hopley's, and I said I'd do anything for you, but I can't tell you what I feel now, for your helping me."

"Don't wish you to tell me," I replied. "Come along. I want to get on some dry things."

"But--"

"Hold your tongue," I said. "There's some one coming."

He looked sharply in the indicated direction, and a shout saluted us.

"It's some of the boys," he whispered. "Come on." He led the way to a hedge, forced his way through, and I followed, and once more he led me along at a trot, with the great house right before us among the trees, and then, striking off to the right, he went through field after field, and then through a gate, and along by the side of a deep ditch, to stop short all at once, as a man started out of the hollow, and tried to hide a small gun.

"Why, Magglin," cried Mercer, "you're after rabbits."

"Nay, nay; rats. They comes after the taters. Been fishing?"

"Come on," whispered Mercer, and he ran along by the hedge, turning once more to the left, and at last pulling up in a clump of fir-trees, on the north side of the big house.

"Now then," he said, "I daresay the Doctor hasn't come back, and the ladies are sure to be with him. We'll creep in by the front door and get up-stairs. Keep close to me."

He paused for a few minutes to get breath, and then started off, through the shrubbery, across the lawn, and in at the front door.

The hall was empty, and he sprang up the well-carpeted staircase, reached the first floor, ran lightly along a pa.s.sage, and through a baize door, which separated the Doctor's part of the house from the boys' dormitories.

"All right!" he whispered, as he held the baize door for me to pa.s.s through; "n.o.body saw us, and the boys will not be up here."

He led the way down a long pa.s.sage to another staircase, ran up, and I recognised the floor where our bed room was, when, just as we were making a rush for it, a door opened, and the big fat boy d.i.c.ksee came out, stared, and then burst into a roar of laughter.

"Oh, here's a game!" he shouted. "Old Senna's been diving after podnoddles, and giving the new chap lessons."

Mercer rushed at him so savagely that d.i.c.ksee stepped back, and the next minute we had reached our room, rushed in, and banged the door.

"Oh, isn't he a beast?" cried my companion, panting, and looking all aglow now. "He'll go and tell the boys, but we mustn't say where we've been."

Half an hour after, we went down, dressed in our other suits, feeling very little the worse for our adventure, and just as we reached the big schoolroom, the big clock up in the turret chimed.

"Why, we're in good time for tea after all," said Mercer. "They always have it late on holidays. Quarter of an hour to wait. Let's go and walk down to the boys' gardens."

He led the way out and across the playground to a gate in the hedge, through which we pa.s.sed, to come plump on the Doctor, three ladies, and Mr Rebble, who carried a creel by the strap, and had a rod over his shoulder.

"So you've had no sport, Mr Rebble?" the Doctor was saying.

"No, sir, none. The wind was in the wrong quarter again."

"Aha!" said the Doctor, as he caught sight of us; "our new young friend, Burr junior. My dears, this is our new student. Burr junior, my wife and daughters."

We both took off our caps.

"Friends already, eh?" said the Doctor. "History repeats itself, the modern based upon the cla.s.sic. Quite a young Pylades and Orestes.