Part 30 (1/2)

”Oh, well, you see, sir, all the School House fellows had sworn to lay him out!”

”You must not talk like that, Jack. It is not sporting. And it stirs up ill feeling in the school. You can't honestly believe that any gentleman would play a game in that spirit. You have no proof of what you say except mere rumour, I suppose. You mustn't talk like that.”

”The Bull” was not at all pleased, and walked away to turn out the light. Whitaker saw he had gone too far and had said more than he meant to. But he couldn't stand the idea that ”the Bull” should think he had been repeating merely idle chatter.

”But, sir, I know for certain that in the Christy's match the School House men were offering money to Christy's to lay Hazlitt out.”

Buller stopped with his hand on the gas-tap.

”That is a very serious accusation, Jack. Are you telling me that any Fernhurst boys so lack sportsmanlike feeling as to bribe boys in other houses to lay out their rivals, so that it will be easier for them to win.”

”Oh, sir, I don't think that they meant that.”

”Well, you said it, at any rate.”

The gas went out suddenly. ”The Bull” strode out without saying good-night. In his study he turned over in his mind the extraordinary story he had heard. If what Jack had told him was the truth, Fernhurst football, which was to him, and to many others, the finest thing in the world, had become little better than league professionalism. Bribes were being offered for men to be laid out. He had never heard of such a thing. There was no one to remind him that the offering of bribes means little to a schoolboy, and the mere talk of ”laying people out” still less. It is all a question of custom, of the sense in which phrases are used by the particular speakers who use them.

There are certain words which to-day are vulgar and disgusting, but which in the days of Shakespeare would have been used in any company without a blush. And this is so merely because time has given the words a different significance. Indeed, from the point of view of the average person, to leave schoolmasters out of the question, the idea of offering bribes to lay out athletes is revolting. And so it is. It is unsportsmanlike, unworthy of English traditions. But when Gordon offered Burgoyne a s.h.i.+lling to lay out Hazlitt, although he said it was a bargain, he meant nothing at all by his offer. He knew that Burgoyne, once he got on the field, could think of nothing but the game, and would forget all about Hazlitt and himself. Everyone offered bribes, but no one had been known to receive a penny of them. Still, Buller could not be expected to know this. He saw in the affair a menace to the future of Fernhurst sport. Jack's story might be only idle chatter, or it might have some foundation. At any rate he had got to go to the bottom, and sift out the truth for the good of Fernhurst.

After evening chapel on the Sunday before the match the Chief sent for Gordon; when Gordon arrived he found Harding, the head of the House, there too. The Chief looked worried. There was a row in prospect. Gordon racked his brain to think of anything that could possibly have been found out about him. Of course there were many old troubles that might have been raked up. He had always realised that the hand of the past would still be near the shoulder of the present. Yet, what had he been doing recently?

”Isn't Hazelton coming, Harding?” The Chief was speaking.

”Yes, sir; but I believe he is collecting chapel cards.”

Hazelton too. Complications, forsooth. There was an awkward pause. Then Hazelton came in, quite at his ease.

”Sir, the chapel cards; and I believe you wanted to see me, sir?”

”Ah, yes, Hazelton; put the cards on my desk. Now, Caruthers, I want to ask you a question before the head and captain of the House that I hope you will answer truthfully. Did you offer a boy in Mr Christy's house money to 'lay out,' I believe that was the phrase, a boy in Mr Buller's house in the recent house match.”

Gordon thought for a moment. Had he? It was quite likely he had; but he could not remember. Then the scene came back. The crowd in front of the pavilion. Burgoyne: Hazlitt in the offing.

”Yes, sir,” he replied, after the instant's hesitation.

”You seem rather doubtful about it.”

”Well, sir, I was trying to remember whether I had or not.”

The Chief was nettled by such apparent callousness.

”You talk as if you were in the habit of offering such rewards. Are you?”

”Well, sir, it is the sort of thing any fellow might do.”

”That is neither here nor there. I doubt the truth of your statement very much. But even if the school had become so generally demoralised as you suggest, that would not be any excuse for you. As a matter of fact, how much did you offer the boy?”

”A s.h.i.+lling, sir.”

”Was that a genuine offer, now? If he had done what you wanted him to, would you have paid him?”