The Master of the Shell Part 45

Here another cough, which, however, was promptly suppressed.

"You will get into no more trouble with him than you have got into already for getting up last night after he had gone, and acting in the farce in the Fourth cla.s.s-room."

The culprits regarded one another with looks of consternation.

"Did you see us then?" asked Arthur. "You see, Marky--Mr Railsford I mean--we'd promised to--"

"I want no explanations, Arthur; you had no business to get up then, and you've no business not to get up now. Shamming isn't honourable, and that ought to be reason enough why you and Oakshott should drop it."

After this the delinquents dressed in silence and followed their master down to the cla.s.s-room, where the ironical welcome of their fellows by no means tended to smooth their ruffled plumage.

However, as they _were_ down, their colds recovered in ample time to allow of their taking part in the cricket practice in the afternoon; and the exercise had a wonderful effect in reconciling them to their compulsory convalescence.

They were sitting, half working, half humbugging, in their study at preparation-time, when Railsford again looked in. "Herapath," said he, "if you bring your Cicero down to my room presently, I'll show you the pa.s.sages marked for the Swift Exhibition."

In due time Arthur presented himself. He and Digby between them had smelt a rat.

"He's going to jaw you, you bet," said the baronet.

"Looks like it. I wonder why he always picks on you and me for jawing?

Why can't he give the other fellows a turn? Never mind, he was civil to us that night at the abbey--I suppose I'd better let him have his own way."

So, after a fitting interval, he repaired with his books to the lion's den.

These astute boys had been not quite beside the mark in their surmise that the master had ulterior reasons in inviting Arthur to his study.

He did want to "jaw" him; but not in the manner they had antic.i.p.ated.

After going through the Cicero, and marking the portions requiring special getting up for the examination, Railsford put down his pen and sat back in his chair.

"Arthur," said he, "there is something I should like to ask you."

"It's coming, I knew it," said Arthur to himself.

"Do you remember, Arthur, last term, you and I had some talk one evening about what happened to Mr Bickers, and the mysterious way in which that secret had been kept?"

Arthur fidgeted uncomfortably.

"Oh, yes," said he. "That's all done with now, though, isn't it?"

"I think not. Do you remember my asking you if you knew anything about it, which I did not?"

"Oh yes--I didn't. I know nothing more about it than you do."

"How do you know that? What if I knew nothing about it?"

Arthur looked puzzled.

"I want you to be frank with me. It is a matter of great importance to us all to get this affair cleared up--more to me than you guess. All I ask you is, do you know who did it?"

"Why, yes," said Arthur.

"How did you discover? Did anyone tell you?"

"No; I found out."

"Do you consider that you have no right to tell me the name?"

Arthur stared at him, and once more thought to himself what a wonderfully clever fellow this brother-in-law of his was.

"It doesn't much matter if I tell _you_," said he, "only I mean to keep it dark from anybody else."

"Who was it then?" inquired the master, with beating heart. "Tell me."

"Why, you know!"

"I wish to hear the name from you, Arthur," repeated the master.

"All right! Mark Railsford, Esquire, M.A. That's the name, isn't it?"

Railsford started back in his chair as if he had been shot, and stared at the boy.

"What! what do you say?--I?"

Arthur had never seen acting like it.

"All right, I tell you, it's safe with me, I'll keep it as dark as ditch-water."

"Arthur, you're either attempting a very poor joke, or you are making a most extraordinary mistake. Do you really mean to say that you believe it was I who attacked Mr Bickers?"

Arthur nodded knowingly.

"And that you have believed it ever since the middle of last term?"

"Yes--I say, weren't you the only one in it, then?" asked the boy, who could not any longer mistake the master's bewildered and horrified manner for mere acting.

Railsford felt that this was a time of all others to be explicit.

"I did not do it, Arthur, and I had no more connection with the affair than--your father."

Arthur was duly impressed by this a.s.severation.

"It's a precious rum thing, then, about all those things, you know.

They looked awfully fishy against you."

"What things? I don't understand you."

"Perhaps I'd better not tell you," said the boy, getting puzzled himself.

"I can't force you to tell me; but when you know it's a matter of great importance to me to know how you or anybody came to suspect such a thing of me, I think you will do it."