The Cock-House at Fellsgarth Part 31

"How _dare_ you speak to me!" said the junior; "you're a cad--I'm not going to f.a.g for a cad."

And he vanished.

Corder went to bed that night sorely perplexed. And his perplexity was not relieved when he rose next morning and found a paper on his table with the following genial notice:--

"Any boy in Forder's found speaking to Corder the sneak will be cut by the house. By Order."

CHAPTER FOURTEEN.

THE SHOP OPENS.

Robert--no one knew his surname--was a regular inst.i.tution at Fellsgarth. Pluralist and jack-of-all-trades as he was, he seemed unable to make much of a hand at anything he took up. He was School porter, owner of the School shop, keeper of the club properties, and occasional School policeman; and he discharged none of his functions well. The masters did not regard him with much confidence, the boys, for the most part, did not care for him, the other men about the place disliked him. And yet, as part and parcel of Fellsgarth, every one put up with him.

As has already been hinted, his management of the School shop had been a conspicuous failure--both for himself and the young innocents who squandered their substance on his tarts. He complained that he could make no profit; and as his method for recouping himself was to supply the worst possible article at the highest possible price, his young customers neglected him and aggravated his loss.

It was rumoured that another more questionable method of replenishing his exchequer was by laying odds on the School games, which (as in the case of the second Rendlesham match) did not always turn out in the way he expected. This, however, was only rumour, and was not to be reckoned among Bob's known transgressions, which were general stupidity, surliness, unsteadiness, and an inveterate distaste for veracity.

Such being his reputation, it astonished no one on the Monday following the events recorded in the last chapter to see the shutters of the shop at the Watch-tower Gate up, and a rudely scrawled announcement, "This shop is closed."

But what did cause astonishment was a subsequent announcement inscribed in print letters:--

"This establishment will reopen on Wednesday under entirely new management. Superior grub at greatly reduced prices. No more shoe- leather or flat swipes! Best tarts 1 penny each; ditto ginger-beer 1 pence a bottle. Fresh fruit and pastry daily. Rally round the old shop!

"By Order."

Speculation ran high as to who the enterprising new tradesman could be.

Some said it was Mrs Wisdom. Others said one of the Penchurch shops was going to run it as a branch. Others suggested that some of the seniors had a hand in it. But the truth never once leaked out.

Our nine juniors played an artful part in that day's business. They mingled with the crowd in front of the notice, and freely bandied about wild conjectures as to who the new manager or managers could be, at the same time hinting broadly that _they_ intended to patronise the new concern.

"Tell you what," said D'Arcy, "perhaps it's the doctor wants to turn an honest penny. Don't blame him either."

"Perhaps it's Rollitt," suggested Cash, amid laughter. "What a game!

He'll go selling tarts by the pint and ginger-beer by the ounce. Whew!

think of Rollitt's ginger-beer."

"I asked Bob if he knew who it was," said Wally, "and he said, `No, he wished he did; he'd get something out of him for good-will.'"

"What's that?" asked Ashby. "If he'd said bad temper, there might have been some of that going about."

"Anyhow," said Wally, "I rather fancy the thing myself. The things can't be worse than they have been, and if they're fresh every day, they're bound to be better, and the tarts are a halfpenny less, and so's the ginger-pop."

"Hooroo!" said Cottle; "you can get half as much again for the same money. I wish they'd open to-day."

After which, one by one they tailed off, leaving a general impression behind them that whoever else was in the secret, these nine young innocent lambs were not.

Matters had not advanced to this stage without considerable deliberation. Several committee meetings had been held, some of which, under Mr Stratton's presidency, had been of a practical nature, others, without his controlling presence, had ended in dust. On the whole, however, the young merchant adventurers had exhibited a reasonable grasp of their responsibilities and an apt.i.tude for dealing with the necessary details.

One point discussed was whether the shop should be open all day, or only at certain times. Mr Stratton was in favour of the latter. He urged that during the off hours between eleven and twelve, and in the afternoon between four and six, would be ample.

The committee argued, from personal experience, that there were other hours of the day when a fellow felt in the humour for a "blow out." To this Mr Stratton replied, "Let him `blow out' by all means, but not on the company's premises. He could do his shopping during shop hours, and `blow out' with his purchases at any hour of the day or night the School rules permitted. They couldn't undertake to provide a banqueting hall for their customers."

"But," urged the committee, "if you have a shopman, why not get your money's worth out of him?"

"Why waste our money on a shopman at all?" propounded Mr Stratton to his astounded fellow-directors. "Why not take turns behind the counter ourselves; say one of the Wheatfields and Cash one week, and Cottle and Ashby the next, and so on? The hours proposed were not school hours; and though the persons on duty might occasionally be done out of a game, still it would fall on all alike, and would be a little sacrifice for the common good."

"But," said Percy, whose hair was on end at this tremendous proposition, "suppose Wally--that is, I mean, wouldn't it be necessary to count the tarts before each chap went on duty and see how many there were at the end?"

"It might with you and your lot," retorted Wally, very red in the face.

"It'd be best to have a weighing machine handy and charge you 8 pence a pound for every pound extra you weighed at the end of the day!"

"We'll neither count nor weigh," said Mr Stratton; "we'll trust to every fellow's honour. Why, if we couldn't do that, do you suppose the shop would keep open a week?"

This impressed the meeting vastly, and the discussion was changed to the question of profits.

The boys were in favour of s.c.r.e.w.i.n.g all they could out of their customers. They didn't see why, if Bob sold bad tarts for three- halfpence, they shouldn't sell good ones at least for the same price.

"It's giving it to 'em both ends," said they.

"Why not?" said the master. "We want the fellows to get the benefit.

We don't want all the profit. As it is, we shall make a farthing on every tart we sell. We ought to sell four times as many as Bob did, oughtn't we?"

"Quite that," said they.

"Very well; see how that works out."

And Mr Stratton took his chalk and worked out this sum on the black- board:--

12 bad tarts at 1 pence = 1 shilling, 6 pence, cost 9 pence, profit 9 pence.

48 good tarts at 1 penny = 4 shillings, cost 3 shillings, profit 1 shilling.

"You see," said he, "if we can only increase the demand, we shall easily make Bob's profit, and more. Having good tarts will increase it in one way, and selling cheap will increase it another. It's worth trying, anyhow."

And so the deliberations went on, and the boys' minds gradually took on the new idea.

The thirty shillings, Mr Stratton reported, had been advanced, and Mrs Stratton was appointed a subcommittee to lay it out. A method of accounts was arranged. The first day's stock was to be charged at the selling price to the shopman for the day. At the end of the day he was to hand over to the treasurer the money he had taken and what was left of the stock, which two items together ought to make up the sum of his responsibility. It was felt that in a very few days the committee would ascertain pretty nearly what quant.i.ty of each article was consumed, and would be able to order accordingly. Any deficiency was to be set down to bad management, and no other reason; and any shopman deficient three days running was to forfeit his right to officiate again during that term.

Lots were solemnly drawn for the distinction of opening the shop, and the choice fell on D'Arcy, and Lickford, who for the next day or two went about shaking in their shoes. As the day drew nearer, the venture seemed a tremendous one, and Mr Stratton had to use all his powers of encouragement to keep his colleagues from not taking fright at the last moment.

"It will all go swimmingly, you'll see," said he. "I will hold myself in readiness to come down and back you up if there's the least hitch, but I shall be greatly disappointed if you need me."

The last act of the committee before commencing proceedings was to draw up a manifesto, which was copied out and duly affixed to the notice boards and the shop-shutters on the morning of the opening.

_Under the distinguished patronage of Mr and Mrs Stratton_.