Part 19 (1/2)
”Easily,” said Mike ”Look up yonder: we can take those two pieces of rock up on the ridge for our bearings They stand as two ends of the base A B, as Mr Deane would say, and if you draw lines from them they will meet here at this point, C This hole's C, and we can't mistake it”
”No But look here: this is better still Look at that bit of a crag split like a bishop's et this laid-down rock in a line with it, and there are our bearings; we can't be wrong then”
”No,” cried Mike ”Who wouldn't kno to take his bearings when he's out, and wants to mark a spot! Now then, is it lay our heads for ho while before either of the of their discovery, and when they did drop off, the dark, tunnel-like place was reproduced in their dreams
CHAPTER NINE
STUDY VERSUS DISCOVERY
”Dear, dear, dear, dear!” in a tone full of reproach, and then a series of those peculiar sounds enerally written ”tut-tut-tut-tut!” for want of a better way--for it is like trying to express on paper the sound of a Bosjes of a cock
The speaker was Mr Hu university ed with Sir Francis Ladelle and the Doctor to come and stay at the Mount, where he was to have a comfortable home and the Doctor's attendance, a e, to help on the two lads in their studies everyhis own
The plan had worked adreat love of learning, and always ready to display a warm friendshi+p for boy or man who possessed similar tastes The lads liked him: he was always firm, but kindly; and he possessed that wonderful power of i at a loss forexpression in classic lore, or ly upon his pupil'sof this chapter he was seated with the two boys in the long, low library at the Mount, whose heavy s looked out upon a great, thick, closely-cropped yew hedge, which loomy, for it coh at the saales which swept over the island fro after the discovery in so unpleasant a manner of the hole at the foot of the slope, and their projected visit of investigation in the afternoon so filled the lads' heads that there did not seem to be any roo the absence oftiety and, in spite of his placid nature, annoyed
The Latin reading and rendering went on horribly, and the an to write down _a_ + _b_--_c_ = the square root of _x_, his mind wandered away to the rocks over the Black Scraw For that root of _x_ was so suggestive: _x_ represented the unknown quantity, and the Black Scraas the unknown quantity of which he wanted to get to the root; and, over and over again, when the tutor turned to him, it was to find the boy, pen in hand, but with the ink in it dried up, while he sat gazing straight before hirottoes and caverns, lit up by lanthorns which cast the black shadows of two explorers behind theranite floor
But this did not apply only to Vince, for Mike was acting in a similar way; and at the end of an hour Mr Deane could bear it no longer, for it had happened at a ti effort of will to be patient with the inattentive lads when suffering pain
And so it was that at last he uttered the ”dear dears” and ”tut tuts,”
and roused the two boys from their dreams about what they would see in the afternoon
”Are you unwell, Vincent Burnet?” he said
”Unwell, sir?--oh no!” said the lad, colouring a little
”You see; and Michael Ladelle here is the sa”
”Oh, I'm quite well, sir,” said Mike hurriedly ”Perhaps it's the weather”
”Perhaps it is,” said Mr Deane drily ”Now, pray get on with those problean to work awayhis head upon his hand and looking down at the paper upon which he was hi out the problem he had set the boys, so as to be able to show them, step by step, hoas best done, Mike scribbled so on a scrap, shut it in a book, and passed it to Vince, after glancing across the table and then giving hilanced across too; but Mr Deane was apparently intent upon the proble the new quill pen, and for series of beautifully formed characters which were always looked upon by the boys with envy and surprise
Vince opened the book at the scrap of paper and read:
”I say: let's tell old Deane, and o with us”
Vince turned the paper over and wrote: