The Gentleman Cadet Part 7

There is nothing that so soon puts off a bully, or a man accustomed to easy victory, as being "collared." The effect is not unusually to make the too confident man lose his head, forget his skill, and fall an easy victim to his opponent. This was the case with Fraser. In the second round he hit wildly and unskilfully at me, and exposed himself to my blows several times, opportunities which I did not neglect, and, finally, I gave him a fair knock-down blow. There were now cries of "Bravo, Shepard!" whilst several small boys who had been quietly watching the fight, and who had been bullied by Fraser on former occasions, jumped about outside the ring with a delight that they did not attempt to conceal.

Three more rounds were fought, during each of which I became more and more confident, as my fear of my adversary's skill and strength was gradually dispelled, and at the sixth round I commenced the attack and completely knocked Fraser out of time.

Cheers greeted my victory, whilst I was patted on the back by nearly all the boys, and looked at with admiration by the smallest. Even the older boys looked at me with surprise, for, excepting one blow on the cheek, I was unmarked, and seemed untouched.

Strong helped me on with my jacket, and seemed quite delighted at my victory.

"This is a great day for you," he said. "There's no one in the school can lick you now; but I'm astonished to find what a mill you are, for six months ago you knew nothing about it."

"Ah," I replied, "I did know nothing then but I determined to learn something, and so I got a friend to teach me. Who do you think gave me lessons?"

"I can't guess."

"Why Howard, who was at the Academy some years ago."

"Howard!" exclaimed Strong. "Why, he was the best boxer that was ever at the Academy, and it was he who licked the prizefighter at Charlton Fair. No wonder you thrashed Fraser so easily."

Fraser took his defeat with a very bad grace. He was a good deal punished, and I was surprised myself at the effect of my blows. It was my first experience of the result of skill in opposition to brute force, and of the advantage of practice before attempting any performance. It was a small thing, it was true, to merely thrash the bully of a school, but the means by which I had achieved this performance gave me a lesson that has never been forgotten. Labour and thought were the means by which I had gained this victory, as they are the means by which nearly every successful result in life is achieved.

From that day I took quite a different position in the school, and led a life free from quizzing or bullying. Fraser hated me, but he feared me too, and to make up for his dislike I found the generality of the boys now sought my society, and always tried to walk with me when we went out for our daily const.i.tutionals. It is a small thing at a school or in afterlife that makes the difference between popularity and unpopularity.

Four months pa.s.sed after my return from my vacation, and my life at Mr Hostler's had grown into a sort of routine. I went through the various daily works there much as did the other boys; but I was not advanced as were the other pupils, and as the time went on and drew nearer to the limit of age at which I could go up for examination I felt more and more certain that my chances of being prepared grew less and less. There were now only six months to the date of my examination, and I had not commenced algebra, yet I had to take up cubic equations and three books of Euclid. In this difficulty and anxiety I wrote to Howard, and told him all my fears and anxieties. As I penned my letter to him I felt ill, and out of health and unfit to do anything; but I sent off the letter, and then hoped I should be more at my ease.

On the following morning, when the "quarter" was shouted as usual, I tried to get up, but was unable to stand, and I knew I was very ill. I asked one of the boys to tell Mr Hostler I was too ill to get up, and in an hour a doctor came and immediately ordered me to be removed to a separate room, where I was physicked and attended by an old servant, who acted as nurse to the establishment. I became worse during the day, and at night was delirious, and it was then known that I had a bad attack of measles.

During three weeks I was confined to bed, and of course made no progress towards qualifying for my examination, and at the end of that time was only able to walk about my room.

It happened that the room in which I had been ill was separated by only a thin part.i.tion from a room in which Mr Hostler usually saw visitors, and what was said in the next room could be easily heard in mine. I was sitting one evening looking out of my window and wondering what my future would be, when I heard Mr Hostler's voice in the next room, and my own name mentioned. I listened eagerly to what was said, for I fancied it might be Howard come to see me; but I was soon undeceived, for the second person I ascertained was Monk.

"You see," said Hostler, "next examination we must send up Hort and Fox, and perhaps two more. They will pa.s.s well, but Fraser we will keep another half. It won't do to send up more than four; besides, I can easily keep him back, on account of his French being bad. Shepard, of course, I never intended to send up. He won't do us any credit, and he can't pa.s.s. I'll keep him another month, and then will write to his father, and tell him that this attack of measles destroyed what little chance he had of pa.s.sing. I think a boy ought to be here at least two years before he goes up, so as to be well grounded; and if Shepard did go up, and did pa.s.s by cramming, it would make the parents of other boys discontented if I kept their sons two years."

I listened to these words as I should to the revelation of an enemy's plot against me. I now saw why I had been kept back, and why no hurry had been adopted to qualify me for my examination. My blood boiled with rage, as I felt that I had been, sacrificed to the personal interest of Hostler; and I at once wrote a letter to my father, telling him what I knew of Mr Hostler's intentions. Several days pa.s.sed without my receiving any answer from home, but at length I received a letter from my aunt, saying my father was too busy to write, and had requested her to reply to me. She said my father was much displeased with me for my suspicions of Mr Hostler--that I was like most idle schoolboys who disliked their tutors--that Mr Hostler had written home before I was ill, saying that I was idle, and that all the special attention he was giving me did not seem to have the desired effect, and that he feared I should not qualify. These faults she said she could quite understand, as when under her tuition she had always found me more fond of play than of work.

At the receipt of this letter I was at a loss what to do. It seemed as if there was a plot against me, and I was helpless to make the truth known. As a last resource I wrote to Howard, and begged of him to come and see me.

Three days after posting this letter, my old nurse came into my room and said a gentleman had come to see me, and I was to go into the dining-room. Upon entering the dining-room I saw, to my delight, Howard, who shook hands with me like an old friend. We drew our chairs together, and I told him how I had been kept back, and how I had heard Mr Hostler's remarks about me, and, lastly, how my father had been prejudiced about me.

When he had heard all I had to say, he thought for a minute and then said, "I don't believe Hostler is a bad fellow at heart, and he, no doubt, fully believed that you could not pa.s.s. He has his regular routine of cramming, and won't go out of it; and, if you stop here, there is no doubt you won't pa.s.s. Now I'm thinking of a plan that may succeed: it is just possible, though not probable. You've four months in which to do twelve months' work; but if it is to be done, I know the only way. There's a man in London who takes only four or five pupils; he is the cleverest fellow I know, for I worked with him half a vacation once, and he got me on wonderfully. His name is Rouse. Now I'll try to persuade your governor to send you there, and that's the only chance I see. I shall be back in Hampshire to-morrow, and will see your governor about it."

On the fourth day after Howard's visit I received a letter from my father, telling me to have my trunk packed, as he proposed removing me from Mr Hostler's that day, and transferring me to Mr Rouse's. I bade my schoolfellows good-bye, most of whom were sorry I was going, and I received their condolence in being withdrawn from Hostler's, as having no chance of pa.s.sing my examination.

At about mid-day my father came, and, after a short interview with Mr Hostler, sent for me.

"I'm sorry you're obliged to be taken away," said Hostler; "but it wouldn't be fair to your friends to keep you any longer on the chance of your pa.s.sing. You've only four months now, and it would take the cleverest boy I know a year to pa.s.s. If you'd been very quick, I might have done it at first, but now it's too late! But what you've learnt at this school will be of use to you all your life."

A steamer was in those days the quickest mode of conveyance from Woolwich to London, and by this means we reached London Bridge, and from thence drove to Trinity Square, Tower Hill, where Mr Rouse lived.

On entering Mr Rouse's drawing-room we were soon joined by a clergyman, who was Mr Rouse himself.

My father stated the case to Mr Rouse, and informed him of the short time before me, and of Hostler having stated the impossibility of my being able to qualify in a year. "The question now is," said my father, "do you think you can qualify him for the next examination?"

Mr Rouse smiled, and said, "You set me rather a difficult task, asking me to accomplish in four months what the celebrated Mr Hostler says can't be done under a year. I can only say it is not probable I can do it, but it is not impossible. It depends entirely on your son's genius and on how well he knows what he has already learnt. I shall be able to tell in a week what he is made of, and what chance there is for me."

I had watched Mr Rouse carefully from the time I had entered the room.

He was rather tall and stout, with a clear dark eye and a half-bald head. There was a sparkle in his eye that at once indicated quickness and thought, whilst his calm, decided manner spoke of a confidence in himself that was not easily shaken. In ten minutes after entering my father left me, and I was installed as a pupil of Mr Rouse's.

"Come upstairs," said Rouse; "I will introduce you to your companions."

I followed my new tutor upstairs, speculating on who the boys might be that I should meet, and was shown into a room that looked more like a drawing-room or study than a schoolroom. In it were three young men, whose ages might be about twenty. One was reading the _Times_, another was lounging against the fireplace, and the third helping himself to a sandwich from a plate on a tray at the sideboard.

"Let me introduce a new pupil to you," said Mr Rouse, "Mr Shepard, who is going up for Woolwich. Mr Robinson, Mr Welton, and Mr Wynn, Addis...o...b.. cadets. Will you have some lunch, Shepard?" continued Mr Rouse. "There's a sandwich and a gla.s.s of ale. We dine at six."

I helped myself to a sandwich and a gla.s.s of ale, for I had now a tremendous appet.i.te, as I was recovering from my late illness, and I then looked round at my companions. I felt I had come to a very different place to that I had left; my fellow-students were men, and I saw gentlemen, whilst Mr Rouse's manner put me at my ease at once; there was none of the bullying, bl.u.s.tering style there used to be in Hostler, and I felt that I had made a good exchange as far as comfort was concerned, though I feared the manner of the cadets did not seem much like hard work.

After about ten minutes' conversation on politics, the performances at the various theatres, and the last good thing in _Punch_, Mr Rouse looked at his watch and said, "Well, shall we commence work again?"

The three cadets took chairs beside the table, and commenced reading books. Mr Rouse gave me a slate and said, "I must find out to-day what you know, so that we may go on safe ground. How far have you gone in mathematics?"

"I have just commenced addition in algebra," I replied.

"Very well, I will give you a couple of questions in rule-of-three, in decimals, in fractions, and in square and cube root, and be careful about your answers."

I was soon busily employed at these questions, and found little difficulty in solving them, for they seemed particularly easy questions.

After a time I told Mr Rouse I had finished, and at once gave him the answers of each. To my surprise I found not a single answer was correct. Something must be wrong I knew, but where it was I did not know. Mr Rouse smiled, and said, "Now, have a careful look at each question, and don't be in too much of a hurry about them, for sometimes there are difficulties you may not see."

I once more carefully examined the problems, and then found I had made a mistake at the very first, and had misread the questions in almost every case. I then reworked these, and eventually brought out the right answers.

By the time I had completed my work the hour had arrived for leaving off study.

"This evening," said Mr Rouse, "you can work out these questions in this paper and have the answers ready by to-morrow morning."

We all dined together that evening like gentlemen. The scramble and noise that used to prevail at Hostler's prevented me from ever enjoying a meal there, so that it was a luxury to sit down to a quiet dinner and to listen to the anecdotes and conversation of Mr Rouse. At no time, either during study hours or at meals, was there anything of the schoolmaster about Mr Rouse; he acted the part of a companion to perfection, and I believe it was as much by his pleasant manner, giving confidence to his pupils, and inducing them to ask his help in every difficulty, as by his knowledge, that he gained the successes he had gained at examinations.

After dinner the three cadets went out. I found that my three companions were Addis...o...b.. cadets, who were going into the Indian army, and who were working during the vacation to get either the Artillery or Engineers. They were so much older than I was, that they seemed like men to me, but they had none of the bullying manner about them that the elder boys had at Hostler's.

When I found myself alone in the study, at Rouse's, after dinner, I felt I could work and think; everything was so quiet that I was able to get on without interruption, and the time pa.s.sed rapidly and pleasantly.

Question after question I worked out, and by the manner in which the solutions seemed to agree with the questions, I believed I was nearly, if not quite, correct in my work. I continued thus occupied till about ten o'clock, when, having a room to myself, I went to bed, with no fear of being disturbed by a "cold pig," or the miserable cry of "Quarter?"

that used to awake me at Hostler's.

Before going to sleep, however, I thought over the problems I had worked out, and fancied I had made a mistake in one, which I at once determined to re-examine, and soon found my second thoughts were correct, and that I had made an error.

This was the first time I had ever worked out a problem in my head, when in bed, and the room was dark, but after this I regularly used to think over the various things I had done during the day, and try to recall each portion, and endeavour to repeat to myself what I had done. By this means I soon acquired a habit of thought quite new to me; instead of what I learnt seeming to rest only on the surface of my mind, as it had at Hostler's, it seemed to impress itself on the brain, and to leave a mark so distinctly as never to be forgotten. I soon realised the fact that I was pa.s.sing through a phase of mental development, produced, as I believed, by the quiet, calm, and reasonable manner in which I was now treated.

Night after night I used to work out the questions given me, and in the morning handed the solutions to Mr Rouse. In the majority of cases I was correct, but if I were wrong Mr Rouse would go over the work with me, giving me hints as regards the way of arranging my figures or doing portions of the work. I often smiled to myself as I compared this system of teaching with the cramming practised by Hostler, and the reasonable manner in which Mr Rouse pointed out mistakes or want of care, with the three-cuts-on-the-hand system of Hostler. I found, after a week at Rouse's, I had really learnt more than I should have done at Hostler's in many months; and it was not only what I had learnt, but the additional power which seemed to have come to my mind, and the consequent ease with which I grappled with problems, that a month before, in the confusion at Hostler's, would have been to me unintelligible.

I discovered, too, at this time, how problems that perhaps for half an hour would appear impossible of solution, if put by for a day and re-tried, would often be found practicable. This, to me, important discovery led me to never give up anything that at first I could not accomplish, but I waited day after day, till I usually found I grew up as it were, so as to surmount the difficulty.

Remembering what Mr Rouse had said relative to forming an opinion in a week, I was very anxious, as the week elapsed, to hear the result of his experience. He did not, however, mention a word to me, and I had not the courage to ask him whether he believed I had a chance of success. I worked steadily on, hoping to defer the evil day, when perhaps it would be p.r.o.nounced that I had no chance.