The Fifth Form at Saint Dominic's Part 21

"Just fancy how foolish we shall look if those young beggars beat us, as they are almost sure to do," said Winter.

Loman was quickly losing his temper, for all this was, or seemed to be, addressed pointedly to him.

"What's the use of talking like that?" he retorted. "You a.s.s, you! as if I could help."

"Shouldn't wonder if you could help," replied Winter.

"Perhaps," suggested some one, "it was the _Dominican_ put him out of joint. It certainly did give him a rap over the knuckles."

"What do you mean?" exclaimed Loman, angrily, and half drawing his supposed sprained hand out of the sling.

"Shut up, you fellows," interposed Raleigh, authoritatively. "Baynes will play in the eleven to-morrow instead of Loman, so there's an end of the matter."

Loman was sorely mortified. He had expected his defection would create quite a sensation, and that his cla.s.s-fellows would be inconsolable at his accident. Instead of that, he had only contrived to quarrel with nearly all of them, alienating their sympathy; and in the end he was to be quietly superseded by Baynes, and the match was to go on as if he had never been heard of at Saint Dominic's.

"Never mind; I'm bound to go and see Cripps. Besides," said he to himself, "they'll miss me to-morrow, whatever they say to-day."

Next day, just when the great match was beginning, and the entire school was hanging breathless on the issue of every ball, Loman quietly slipped out of Saint Dominic's, and walked rapidly and nervously down to the c.o.c.kchafer in Maltby.

"What _shall_ I say to Cripps?" was the wild question he kept asking himself as he went along; and the answer had not come by the time he found himself standing within that worthy's respectable premises.

Mr Cripps was in his usual good humour.

"Why, it's Mr Loman! so it is!" he exclaimed, in a rapture. "Now who _would_ have thought of seeing _you_ here?"

Loman was perplexed.

"Why, you told me to come this afternoon," said he.

"Did I? Ah, I dare say! Never mind. Very kind of a young gentleman like you to come and see the likes of me. What'll you take?"

Loman did not know what to make of this at all.

"I came to see you about that--that horse you told me to bet against,"

he said.

"I remember. What's his name? Sir Patrick, wasn't it? My friend told me that he'd had the best of that. What was it? Ten bob?"

This affected ignorance of the whole matter in hand was utterly bewildering to Loman, who had fully expected that, instead of having to explain himself, he would have the matter pretty plainly explained to him by his sportive acquaintance.

"No, ten pounds. That was what I was to pay if the horse won; and, Cripps, I can't pay it, or the twenty pounds either, to you."

Cripps whistled.

"That's a go and no mistake!" he said. "Afraid it won't do, mister."

"You told me Sir Patrick was sure not to win," said Loman.

"Ah, there was several of us took in over that there horse," coolly said Mr Cripps. "I lost a shilling myself over him. Nice to be you, flush of cash, and able to pay straight down."

"I can't pay," said Loman.

"Ah, but the governor can, I'll wager," insinuated Cripps.

"He would never do it! It's no use asking him," said Loman.

Cripps whistled again.

"That's awkward. And my friend wants his money, too, and so do I."

"I really can't pay," said Loman. "I say, Cripps, let us off that twenty pounds. I really didn't mean about that rod."

Mr Cripps fired up in righteous indignation.

"Ah, I dare say, mister. You'll come and snivel now, will you? But you were ready enough to cheat a honest man when you saw a chance. No, I'll have my twenty or else there'll be a rumpus. Make no mistake of that!"

The bare idea of a "rumpus" cowed Loman at once. Anything but that.

"Come, now," said Cripps, encouragingly, "I'll wager you can raise the wind somewheres."

"I wish I knew how. I see no chance whatever, unless--" and here a brilliant idea suddenly struck him--"unless I get the Nightingale. Of course; I say, Cripps, will you wait till September?"

"What! Three months! And how do you suppose I'm to find bread to eat till then?" exclaimed Mr Cripps.

"Oh, do!" said Loman. "I'm certain to be able to pay then. I forgot all about the Nightingale."

"The Nightingale? It must be an uncommon spicy bird to fetch in thirty pound!"

"It's not a bird," said Loman, laughing; "it's a scholarship."

"A what?"

"A scholarship. I'm in for an exam, you know, and whoever's first gets fifty-pounds a year for three years."

"But suppose you ain't first? what then?"

"Oh, but I'm _sure_ to be. I've only got Fifth Form fellows against me, and I'm certain to beat them!"

"Well," said Mr Cripps, "I don't so much care about your nightingales and c.o.c.k-sparrows and scholarships, and all them traps, but I'd like to oblige you."

"Oh, thank you!" cried Loman, delighted, and feeling already as if the debt was paid. "And you'll get your friend to wait too, won't you?"

"Can't do that. I shall have to square up with him and look to you for the lot, and most likely drop into the workhouse for my pains."

"Oh, no. You can be quite certain of getting the money."

"Well, blessed if I ain't a easy-going cove," said Mr Cripps, with a grin. "It ain't every one as 'ud wait three months on your poll-parrot scholarships, or whatever you call 'em. Come, business is business.

Give us your promise on a piece of paper--if you must impose upon me."

Loman, only too delighted, wrote at Mr Cripps's dictation a promise to pay the thirty pounds, together with five pounds interest, in September, and quitted the c.o.c.kchafer with as light a heart as if he had actually paid off every penny of the debt.