The Willoughby Captains Part 11

"Awfully uncivil of him, when he knows how grateful we should be to him," said Silk, laughing. "Never mind, old man, keep in with him if you can. Something's sure to turn up. He won't suspect you, as you're in the schoolhouse; and we ought to be able to manage to put a spoke in his wheel somehow."

"Wish you may do it," said Gilks. "Anyhow, I dare say you are right; it's no use flaring up too soon, if there is a chance of doing him. By the way, Fairbairn's pretty nearly as bad as Riddell; they're a pair, you know."

"Yes, but Fairbairn's in the boat," said Silk.

"So he is; and what's more, he's got a spite against me, and wants to turn me out of it."

"Why?"

"He says I don't do enough work. I should like to know how a fellow is to work behind a sanctimonious a.s.s like him?"

"I hear the schoolhouse boat isn't a bad one, even without Wyndham,"

said Silk.

"Pretty fair. But if I'm in it I'll see it doesn't win," said Gilks.

"What a nice boy you are, to be sure! I suppose you've a bet on Parrett's, like me?"

"No, I haven't," said Gilks, "but I want it to win all the same, because of Bloomfield. If Parrett's gets to the head of the river, there's all the better chance of getting Bloomfield for captain next term; and things would be far pleasanter then."

"Yes. I don't suppose Bloomfield's very particular," said Silk.

"Not he. You can make him do what you like. He's not all the notions of his own that the Reverend Riddell has, hang him!"

"Well, old man," said Silk, "as I said before, you're a nice boy, and a sweet companion for a tender youth like me. Ha, ha! Good-night. Are you one of the deputation that's going to present the pet.i.tion in the morning?"

"Yes, I am," said Gilks.

"Take my advice and back out of it. It won't come to anything, and if you're not mixed up in it our pious friends will think you are one of them, and that'll pay. Do you twig? Good-night. You _are_ a nice boy!"

So saying these two worthies separated.

Gilks acted on his friend's advice, and contrived to be absent after chapel next morning, when it was proposed to present the pet.i.tion to the doctor. He managed to invent some excuse for his desertion which made it appear it was unavoidable. Nevertheless it was a good deal complained of, because he had been the only representative of the schoolhouse who had promised to go with the others to the doctor.

However it was decided not to postpone the ceremony any further. As it was, one or two were beginning to have their doubts as to its wisdom, and Game and those like him, who were the prime movers in the matter, began to fear the whole thing might fall through.

So, directly after morning chapel, the deputation, consisting of three, marched boldly to the doctor's library and knocked at the door.

"Come in," said Dr Patrick.

He was surprised to see three monitors obey the invitation. It was very rarely that a pet.i.tion was presented from the school to the head master at Willoughby. Once, some years ago, a pet.i.tion signed by the entire school, from the captain down to the junior f.a.g, praying for a holiday in honour of an old Willoughbite having led the British troops to victory in a great battle, had been presented and granted. And once since then, a pet.i.tion from the monitors of each house requesting that the head of each house might be allowed to use the cane when necessary, instead of the captain of the school only, had been presented and declined.

Now came a third pet.i.tion, signed by certain monitors of two houses, asking the doctor to withdraw one captain and subst.i.tute another.

"What is it?" asked the head master.

"A pet.i.tion, sir," said Game, handing the momentous doc.u.ment in.

The doctor opened it and glanced at it with a puzzled look, which soon darkened into a frown.

"What is all this?" he asked, looking up.

His aspect was not promising. Nevertheless it was necessary for some one to speak, and Game therefore blurted out, "We don't think Riddell will make a good captain, sir, and--" and here stopped.

"And what, sir?" demanded the doctor.

"And," said Game, in rather a faltering voice, "we thought you would not be angry if we pet.i.tioned you about it."

"Do you speak for yourself, Game," said the doctor, "or for others?"

"For the monitors, sir; that is, for those who have signed that paper."

The doctor folded up the pet.i.tion and handed it back to Game without reading it.

"I am glad you have told me what it is all about," said he, sternly, "in time to prevent my reading either the pet.i.tion or the names attached.

It does not do you credit as monitors, and I hope you will soon see the matter in the same light. I did not expect it of you, but I regret it less on your account than on account of the school, to whom you have set a bad example. You may go."

The doctor spoke in tones of unwonted anger, not unmixed with scorn. He rarely "flared up," but when he did it was always uncomfortable for those against whom his wrath was roused.

The deputation slunk off sheepishly, carrying their pet.i.tion with them, and too glad to get out of the angry presence of the head master to think of anything else.

The doctor may have been right, and probably was right in thus summarily extinguishing the pet.i.tion and the pet.i.tioners. But he had done it in a manner which was hardly calculated to smooth matters.

Indeed, when the deputation reported their bad success to the monitors who awaited them, the general feeling was far more one of anger at being snubbed than of repentance for having done a foolish thing.

"If Paddy had only taken the trouble to read the thing through," said Ashley, "and honour us with one or two reasons for not doing what we asked, it wouldn't have been so bad."

"As it is he's as good as told us to mind our own business and he'll mind his," said Tipper, little thinking how exactly he had described the case.

"If we're not to be allowed to say a word about the management of the school," said Game, "I don't see what right he has to expect us to do his work for him, and keep order."

"Oh, it won't do to resign or anything of that sort," said Ashley.

"That would be like funking it altogether."

"He'll soon find his mistake out, never fear," said another. "He won't listen to us, but he can't help believing his own eyes."

"Yes, it can't go on for long," said Tipper. "Riddell's bound to show that he's not up to his work sooner or later, and I won't interfere to prevent it."

"Meanwhile," said Game, who of all the malcontents was the most honest, "what's to become of Willoughby? We must keep some sort of order, whoever is captain."

"Why, whatever authority can we have when the most we can do is to report fellows to that milksop?" said Tipper.

"I'll tell you what," said Ashley, "if we're compelled to _call_ Riddell captain, there's nothing to prevent us considering another fellow so."

"What do you mean?" asked some one.

"He means," said Game, "and it's not half a bad idea, that if Bloomfield will help us to keep order, we can consider him captain whether he's called so or not. If once the fellows know they'll get reported to him, we shall have some sort of authority."

"Of course," said Bloomfield, who had not yet spoken, "I'll do my best to keep order and all that; but as I'm not captain, it's no use to pretend being it."