The Fifth Form at Saint Dominic's Part 4

"What do you say?" yelled the small boy, almost beside himself with rage and astonishment. "It's my brother's ink, and I'm not to give it up,"

said Stephen, shutting the top and keeping his hand on it.

It was enough! The patriarch of the Tadpoles knew his strong point was in words rather than action; but this could not be endured. At whatever risk, the dignity of his order must be maintained, and this insolent, mad new boy must be--kicked.

"I'll kick you on the legs if you don't give it up," said the Tadpole, in a suppressed white heat.

Stephen said nothing, but kept his hand on the pot, and awaited what was to follow.

The hero stepped back a pace or two, to allow of a run worthy of the coming kick; and what might have happened no one knows. At that moment the door opened, and Pembury entered on his crutches.

At sight of this Fifth Form celebrity the Tadpole cringed and cowered, and tried to sneak out of the study un.o.bserved. But Anthony was too quick for him. Gently hooking him by the coat-collar with the end of a crutch, he brought him back.

"What are you doing here?"

"Nothing."

"Yes, he is," shouted Stephen; "he's been trying to take, away Oliver's ink."

"Silence, young gentleman, pray!" said Pembury, very grandly. Then, turning to the Tadpole, he added, "Oh, so you've been trying to bag some ink, have you?"

"Well, I only wanted a little; and this--"

"Silence! how much ink did you want?"

"Only half a potful."

"You shall have half a potful!" said Pembury. "Come here."

The Tadpole obeyed, and glared triumphantly at Stephen.

"Now, Master Greenfield," said Pembury, addressing Stephen; "have the kindness to hand me the ink."

Stephen hesitated; he felt _sure_ Anthony was a master; and yet Oliver's directions had been explicit.

"Do you hear?" thundered Anthony.

"Do you hear?" squeaked the Tadpole, delighted to have the tables turned on his adversary.

"Oliver said I wasn't to let it go," faltered Stephen.

"Do you hear me, sir?" again demanded Anthony.

"Do you hear? give it up!" again squeaked the Tadpole.

Stephen sighed, and surrendered the inkpot. There was an air of authority about Pembury which he dared not defy.

"Now, Master Tadpole, here's your ink; half a pot you said? Put your hands behind you, and stir if you dare!" and Pembury looked so awful as he spoke that the wretched boy was quite petrified.

The Fifth Form boy then solemnly emptied half the inkpot on to the top of the young gentleman's head, who ventured neither by word nor gesture to protest.

"Now you can go, sir!" and without another word he led the small youth, down whose face trickled a dozen tiny streams of black, making it look very like a gridiron, to the door, and there gently but firmly handed him into the pa.s.sage. The wretched youth flew off to proclaim his sorrows to his confederates, and vow vengeance all over Tadpole and Guinea-pig-land against his tormentor and the new boy, who was the author of all his humiliation.

Pembury meanwhile returned to Stephen. That young gentleman had felt his belief in Pembury's authority somewhat shaken by this unusual mode of punishment, but the Fifth Form boy soon rea.s.sumed his ascendency. He produced from his pocket a paper, and thus addressed Stephen: "Dr Senior regrets that he should be absent at such an important time in the history of Saint Dominic's as the day of your arrival, Master Greenfield, but he will be back to-morrow. Meanwhile, you are to occupy yourself with answering the questions on this paper, and take the answers to the head master's study at ten to-morrow. Of course you will not be so dishonourable as to show the questions to any one, not even your brother, or attempt to get the slightest help in answering them.

Good-bye, my boy. Don't trouble to stare at my left leg, if it _is_ shorter than the other. Good-bye."

Poor Stephen felt so confused by the whole of this oration, particularly the last sentence, which made him blush scarlet with shame, that for some time after the lame boy had hobbled off he could not bring himself to look at the paper. At last, however, he took it up.

This, then, was the awful examination paper which was to determine his position at Saint Dominic's, or else expose his ignorance to the scorn of his masters. How he wished he was on the other side of it, and that the ordeal was over!

"Question 1. Grammar. Pa.r.s.e the sentence, 'Oh, ah!' and state the gender of the following substantives: 'and,' 'look,' 'here.'"

Stephen scratched his head and rubbed his eyes. This was not like anything he had learned at home. They must learn out of quite different books at Saint Dominic's.

"Question 2. History--"

"Hullo," thought Stephen, "they don't give many questions in grammar; that's a good job."

"Question 2. History. Whose daughter was Stephen the Second, and why was he nicknamed the 'Green?'"

Stephen laughed. He had found out a mistake in his examiners.

"'Daughter,' the paper said, should be 'son' of course. Funny for Dr Senior to make such a slip," thought he.

"Question 3. History and Geography. Who built England? and state the lat.i.tude and longitude of Saint Dominic's, and the boundaries of Gusset Weir."

"_However_ am I to know?" murmured Stephen, in despair. "I was never here before in my life. Oh, dear, I shall _never_ pa.s.s!"

"Question 4. Compound Theology. Give a sketch of the rise and history of the Dominicans from the time of Herod the Conqueror to the death of t.i.tmus."

"Whew!" was Stephen's despairing e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.i.o.n. "I never heard of t.i.tmus; it sounds like a Latin name."

"Question 5. Pure Theology. Who was Mr Finis? Give a list of the works bearing his signature, with a short abstract of their contents.

What is he particularly celebrated for?"

"Mr Finis?" groaned Stephen. "How can they expect a boy like me to know who he was? And yet I seem to know the name. Oh dear me!"

"Question 6, and last but one," ("That's a comfort," sighed Stephen).

"Mathematics. What is a minus? Describe its shape, and say how many are left when the whole is divided by seven. Reduce your answer to vulgar decimals."

"I'm certain I can never do that. Minus? Minus? I know the name, too.

But here's the last."

"Question 7. Miscellaneous. Give a brief history of your own life from the earliest times, being particular to state your vicious deeds in chronological order."

Stephen sighed a sigh of relief. "I can answer that, after a fashion,"

he said; "but I can't even then be sure of all the dates. As for the others--" and he dashed the paper down on the table with an air of bewildered despair.

"What am I to do? They are all too hard for me. Oh! I wish I might just show them to Oliver. If I was only at home, mother could help me.

Oh, dear! I wish I had never come here!"