The Master of the Shell Part 33

"Hullo, young 'un," said he, "another dog? How many's that?"

"Two," said Arthur, a little doubtful as to the prefect's reception of the news. "You see it would be rough to take him from his mother while he is so young. It's not as if he was no relation."

"Of course not. What have you been doing with Marky these holidays?"

"Oh, he was seedy--sore throat. I fancy he was shamming a bit to get a week extra. You see, he's spoons on my sister Daisy."

"I fancy I've heard that before," observed Felgate.

"What I mean is, he hangs about our place a lot; so it's a good excuse for him to be laid up, you know."

"Quite so. Perhaps he's not in a hurry to come back here for another reason we know of, eh, youngster?"

"Ha, ha! but keep that mum, you know. We must back him through that business. It's nearly blown over already."

"Has it? But, I say--"

Here Ainger came up and detected the puppy.

"You'll have to get rid of that, Herapath," said he.

"What, Smiley's pup? Why? Felgate's given me leave."

"Felgate may do as he pleases. I tell you you must send him home, and Smiley too."

"What!" said Arthur aghast. "Smiley too! why, Railsford knows all about Smiley, and let us have him all, last term."

"But you are not going to have them this term. Two other fellows have started dogs on the strength of Smiley already, and there's to be a clean sweep of the lot."

"Oh, rot! you can't interfere with fellows' rights like that," said Felgate.

"I tell you Railsford gave us leave," repeated Arthur.

"Very well," said Ainger; "unless both of them are packed off home by this time to-morrow, or sent down to the school farm, you'll go up to the doctor and settle the question with him."

"Rubbish!" said Felgate. "Until Railsford--"

"Shut up," said the captain; "I'm not talking to you."

It was hardly to be wondered at if he was out of temper. He was having any amount of extra work to do; and to be thus obstructed by one of his own colleagues was a trifle too much for his limited patience.

Felgate coloured up at the rebuff, knowing well enough that the captain would be delighted to make good his words at any time and place which might be offered him. He remained after he had gone, and said to Arthur--

"That's what I call brutal. You're not going to care two straws what he says?"

"All very well," said Arthur, stroking his puppy; "if he sends me up to Pony, what then?"

"Bless you, he won't send you up to Pony."

"Think not? If I thought he wouldn't, I'd hang on till Marky comes back. He'd square the thing."

"Of course he would. It's a bit of spite of Ainger's. He thinks he's not quite important enough, so he's going to start bullying. I'll back you up."

"Thanks, awfully," said the ductile Arthur. "You're a brick. I'd take your advice."

He did, and prevailed upon Dig to do the same.

The consequence was, that when next afternoon the captain walked into their study to see whether his order had been complied with, he was met by an unceremonious yap from Smiley herself, echoed by an impertinent squeak from her irreverent son.

"You've got them still, then?" said Ainger. "Very well, they can stay now till after you've been to the doctor. Nine o'clock sharp to-morrow morning, both of you."

The friends turned pale.

"Not really, Ainger? You haven't sent up our names, have you? We'll send them off. We thought as Felgate said--oh, you cad!"

This last remark was occasioned by Ainger departing and shutting the door behind him without vouchsafing any further parley.

They felt that the game was up, and that they had been done. In their distress they waited upon Felgate and laid their case before him. He, as is usual with gentlemen of his type, said it was very hard and unjust, and they would do quite right in resisting and defying everybody all round. But he did not offer to go instead of them to the doctor, so that his general observations on the situation were not particularly comforting.

Arthur proposed telegraphing to Railsford something in this form:

"Ainger says Smiley's against rules. Wire him you allow."

But when the form was filled up and ready to send, the chance of it succeeding seemed hardly worth the cost.

Finally they went down sadly after tea to the school farm and hired a kennel, and arranged for the board and lodging of their exiled pets at so much a week.

Next morning, in doleful dumps, they presented themselves before the doctor. Arthur could hardly help remembering how, a short time ago, he had pictured himself standing in that very room, demanding the hand of Miss Violet. Now, Smiley minor, squeaking and grunting, as he hung by his one tooth to his mother's tail, down there in the school farm, was worth half a dozen Miss Violets to him.

And his once expected uncle--!

The doctor dealt shortly and decisively with the miscreants. He caned them for defying their house-captain, and reprimanded them for imagining that dogs could be permitted under the school roof.

On being told that Mr Railsford had known all about Smiley last term, he declined to argue the matter, and concluded by a warning of the possible consequences of a repet.i.tion of the offence.

They went back to their place, sore both in body and mind. To be caned during the first week of the term was not quite in accordance with their good resolutions, and to be bereft of the Smileys was a cruel outrage on their natural affections. They owed both to Ainger, and mutually resolved that he was a cad of the lowest description. For all that they attended to his injunctions for the next few days with wonderful punctuality, and decided to defer, till Railsford's return, their own revenge and his consequent confusion.

Altogether, it was getting to be time for Railsford to turn up. The evening before, the first master's session for the term had been held, and the doctor, for a wonder, had been present. Towards the end of the meeting, after the discussion of a great deal of general business, Mr Bickers rose and asked leave to make a statement. The reader can guess what that statement was.

He begged to remind the meeting that Grandcourt still lay under the cloud of the mystery which enveloped the a.s.sault which had been made upon himself last term. For himself, it mattered very little, but for the honour of the school he considered the matter should not be allowed to drop until it was properly cleared up. With a view to a.s.sisting in such a result, he might mention that towards the end of last term a rumour had come to his ears--he was not at liberty to say through what channel--that the secret was not quite as dead as was generally supposed. He had heard, on what he considered reliable authority, that in Mr Railsford's house--the house most interested in this painful question--the name of the culprit or culprits was generally known, or, at least, suspected; and he believed he was not going too far in mentioning a rumour that no one could make a better guess as to that name than Mr Railsford himself.

Here Mr Grover and Monsieur Lablache both rose to their feet.

Monsieur, of course, gave way, but what he had meant to say was pretty much what Mr Grover did say. He wished to point out that in his friend's absence such an insinuation as that just made by the speaker was quite unjustifiable. For his own part, he thought it a great pity to revive the unfortunate question at all. At any rate, in Mr Railsford's absence, he should certainly oppose any further reference being made to it at this meeting.

"That," echoed monsieur, "is precisely my opinion."

"Very well," said Mr Bickers pleasantly. "What I have to say will keep perfectly well until Mr Railsford comes back."