Part 26 (2/2)
”Oh, well, I expect he got a bit excited. First time he had played footer for a school side.... I was a bit fierce my first game for England. Don't blame him. He's a keen kid, and I am sure the other side did not mind.”
Christy mumbled indistinctly. No one ever seemed to take much notice of what he said. That evening, however, he and Rogers, over a gla.s.s of port, agreed that Caruthers was a thoroughly objectionable young fellow who ought to be taken in hand, and with this Christian sentiment to inspire him Rogers went home to put a few finis.h.i.+ng touches to his sermon for the next day.
CHAPTER II: CARNIVAL
The tradition of Pack Monday Fair at Fernhurst is almost as old as the School House studies. The legend, whether authenticated or not only Macdonald, the historian of Fernhurst, could say, was handed down from generation to generation. It was believed that, when the building of the Abbey was finished, all the masons, gla.s.s-workers and artificers packed up their tools and paraded the town with music and song, celebrating the glory of their accomplished work. And from time immemorial the townspeople have celebrated the second Monday in October by a.s.sembling outside the Abbey at midnight, and ushering in a day of marketing and revelry by a procession through the town, beating tin cans and blowing upon posthorns. With the exception of this ritual, the day had become merely an ordinary fair. But there was no sleeping on that Sunday night, and for the whole week tantalising sounds of shrieking merry-go-rounds, of whistling tramcars and thundering switchbacks were borne across the night to disturb those who were trying to work in hall. It used to be the custom for the bloods to creep out at night and take part in the revels; but when the new Chief had come, four years before, he put a firm hand upon such abuses, and had even threatened to expel anyone he found in the act, a threat which he had carried out promptly by expelling the best half-back in the school a fortnight before the Dulbridge match; so that now only a few daring spirits stole out in the small hours of the night on the hazardous expedition. Those courageous souls were the objects of the deepest veneration among the smaller boys, who would whisper quietly of their doings in the upper dormitories when darkness lent a general security to the secrets that were being revealed.
This term about three days before Pack Monday, Gordon, Mansell, Carter and a few others were engaged in their favourite hobby of s.h.i.+pping Rudd's study. One chair had already gone the way of all old wood, and the table was in danger of following it, when Rudd suddenly burst out:
”Oh, you think yourselves d.a.m.ned fine fellows, six of you against one!”
A roar of laughter went up. It was the traditional complaint of all weaklings in school stories, and was singularly of the preparatory school type of defence.
”Jolly brave, aren't you? I'd like to see any one of you do anything that might get you into trouble. I don't mind betting there's not one of you that would dare to come out with me to the fair next Monday.”
There was an awkward pause. The challenge was unconventional; and the Public School boy is not brought up to expect surprises. The only thing to do was to pa.s.s it off with a joke.
Lovelace stepped into the breach.
”Do you think any of us would go anywhere with a swine like you who does not wash? Dirty hog!”
”Of course you would not; you are afraid.”
At that point Gordon's hatred of taking the second place, which had before led him into difficulties, once again a.s.serted itself. ”d.a.m.n it all,” he thought, ”I am not going to be beaten by Rudd!”
”Do you say we are all funks if we don't go?”
”Yes!”
”All right then, d.a.m.n you, I will go with you, just to show you that you are not the only person in this rotten school who's fool enough to risk being bunked.”
Rudd was taken aback. He had made the challenge out of bravado. He had regretted it instantly. In the same spirit Gordon had accepted the challenge; he also wished he had not the moment afterwards. But both saw that they would have to go through with it now.
”Good man,” said Rudd, not to be outdone. ”I wanted someone to go with me; rather lonely these little excursions without company.”
He spoke with the air of one who spent every other night giving dinner-parties at the Eversham Tap.
”Look here, now,” broke in Mansell, ”don't make b.l.o.o.d.y fools of yourselves. You will only get the sack if you are caught, and you probably will get caught; you are sure to do something silly. For G.o.d's sake, don't go. It's not worth it. Really, not!”
”Oh, shut up; don't panic,” was Gordon's scornful answer; ”we are going to have a fine time, aren't we, Rudd?”
”Splendid,” said Rudd, who wanted to laugh; the whole situation was fraught with such a perfectly impossible irony.
”Oh, do have some sense, man.” Lovelace was impatient with him. ”What is the use of rus.h.i.+ng about at midnight in slouch hats with a lot of silly, shrieking girls?”
”You can't understand, you live in the country. I am a Londoner. You want the true c.o.c.kney spirit that goes rolling drunk on Hampstead Heath on Easter Monday.”
”Well, thank G.o.d, I do want it, then,” said Lovelace.
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