Burr Junior Part 52

"Never mind, never mind. Hooray! hooray!" he cried, dancing round the room and snapping his fingers; "we've licked 'em--we've licked 'em! and you're c.o.c.k of the school. Hooray! hooray!"

"But I half wish I hadn't won now," I said.

"You will not to-morrow. Oh dear! poor old Eely! didn't he squirm! Oh, I say! I wish I had given it to old d.i.c.ksee ten times as much."

I couldn't help laughing, but it hurt horribly, and I was serious again directly.

"I say," I said painfully, "old Lom did teach us well!"

"Teach us! It was splendid. I feel as if I could go down and fight the Doctor."

"Do you?" I said dolefully. "I feel as if he is going to fight us."

"Not he; come on. You can't afford to be afraid of anything now."

"Hadn't I better stop?" I suggested, with another look in the gla.s.s.

"No; you must come. If you don't, the Doctor is sure to send for you, and that will make it worse. I say!"

"Well?"

"People who fight used to take the spoils of the vanquished. I wish I could have taken old d.i.c.ksee's four-bladed knife, with the lancet and corkscrew to it, and you could have taken old Eely's watch."

"I don't want his watch," I said snappishly.

"I do, and I'd have changed with you. Come on."

We ran down-stairs, and, feeling very nervous, hurried to the schoolroom, from whose open windows came the clatter of knives and forks.

Fortunately for us, we had to enter at the opposite end to where the Doctor would be seated, nominally taking his meal with us, and of course the ushers knew that we must be late, so with heads bent down we hurried in, conscious that every eye was upon us, and that the temporary cessation of the rattle on the plates was due to the boys leaving off eating to stare at our injuries.

I saw both Mr Rebble and Mr Hasnip look up and frown as they caught sight of my damaged face, and I was congratulating myself on escaping the Doctor's eye, when he looked up, frowned, and went on with his lunch.

"It's all right," whispered Mercer, scuffling into his place beside me, the boys around, to my great surprise, seeming to look at my marks with quite respectful eyes, and evidently as a conqueror's honours or laurels, when there was a sharp tapping on the table from the Doctor's knife-handle.

Profound silence ensued, Mercer just gripping my knee and whispering,--

"Oh, crikey!"

"Mr Rebble," said the doctor in deep tones.

"Sir?"

"To the commercial man punctuality is the soul of business; to the gentleman it is the soul of honour; and to the scholastic pupil it is the soul of er--er--the soul of er--er--er--duty. Be good enough to see that Mercer and Burr junior have impositions. Er--rum! Er--rum!" The Doctor finished by coughing in a peculiar way, and the clatter of knives and forks began again.

"He don't know yet about the fights," I whispered; "and, I say, look!"

"What's the matter?"

"Eely hasn't come down yet."

"Fatty has. I say, just look at his eyes."

"Horrid!" I whispered. "He looks fatter than ever. But Eely--oh, I hope he isn't very bad!"

"I hope he is," said Mercer maliciously. "He's been f.a.gging me these three years. I know he's twice as bad as you, and serve him right."

We began our dinners, but Mercer's appet.i.te was as bad as mine. The salt made my mouth smart, and every bite hurt my loose tooth. But there were congratulatory smiles from all round whenever I looked up, and every boy who could reach me with his foot gave me a friendly kick under the table, Mercer coming in for his share. In fact, I found that I had suddenly become the most popular boy in the school, though I did not at all appreciate the honour then.

"Look: there's Eely," whispered Mercer, as a tall thin figure now appeared at the door, then suddenly grew shorter by the lad bending down as low as possible, and creeping toward his place by Stewart and d.i.c.ksee.

But it was all in vain, the clatter of the knives and forks ceased, and the boys watched him, and whispered, drawing the Doctor's attention to the bent figure; and once more, after fixing his gold eyegla.s.ses on the bridge of his nose by the hinge, and watching till my late adversary had crept into his place, he tapped the table with his knife-handle loudly.

"Young gentlemen," he rolled out in sonorous tones, "have the goodness to b.u.t.ton up your pockets, and to be on the _qui vive_. I just saw the door darkened by a sinister-looking figure, which crept in as if to commit a burglary, a petty larceny, a scholastic form of shop-lifting, or some crime of that kind, so be upon your guard. Did any one else see the figure?"

There was a pause, then d.i.c.ksee spoke with a malicious grin upon his fat face.

"Please, sir, I did. It was Burr major."

"Dear me! Indeed? Mr Burr, have the goodness to stand up and explain this extraordinary conduct."

Oh, poor old Eely! I thought sympathetically, as poor Burr major stood up, hanging his head, and looking much shorter than usual, and I heartily wished that Mercer had punished d.i.c.ksee more.

"Dear me! Burr major, what is the er--er--eh? I beg your pardon, Mr Rebble."

The Doctor bent toward his first lieutenant with great dignity, and the latter said a few words in a low tone.

"Dear me! Indeed? Oh, I see!" said the Doctor. "Burr major, you can sit down. You will come to my room directly after dinner, and--er--er-- what names did you say Mr Rebble?"

"Oh dear! It's coming, Frank," whispered Mercer.

"Exactly!" said the Doctor, after a conference in a low tone with Mr Rebble. "I see. Er--rum! d.i.c.ksee, Hodson."

"Please, sir, I wasn't fighting," cried Hodson excitedly.

Mr Rebble whispered to the Doctor.

"An accessory, it seems, Hodson," said the Doctor. "You will come to my room directly after dinner, with Mercer and Burr junior. I have not heard the names of the other boys who were present," continued the Doctor.

"Please, sir, Wilson was one," cried d.i.c.ksee.

"Thank you, d.i.c.ksee," said the Doctor drily, as he fixed him with his glittering gla.s.ses; "I am obliged to you. History repeats itself.

There has always been one in every confederation ready to betray his fellows to save his own skin. I am afraid, d.i.c.ksee, that your skin will not be safe. Were you present, Wilson?"

"Yes, sir," said the little fellow.

"Fighting?"

"No, sir, I wasn't fighting; but--"