Part 10 (1/2)

”Nay, I don't want anything of that kind; I don't indeed, Lawless; pray leave him alone,” cried Oaklands eagerly.

But Lawless was not so easily quieted, and Oaklands, unwilling to risk the harmony so newly established between them, did not choose to interfere further; so Mullins was dragged across the room by the ears, and was forced by Lawless, who stood over him with the poker (which, he informed him, he was destined to eat red-hot if he became restive), to make Oaklands a long and -59--formal apology, with a short form of thanksgiving appended, for the kindness and condescension he had evinced in knocking him down so nicely, of which oration he delivered himself with a very bad grace indeed.

”And all went merry as a marriage-bell,” until we were summoned to the drawing-room, where we were regaled with weak tea, thin bread and b.u.t.ter, and small conversation till ten o'clock, when Mrs. Mildman proceeded to read prayers, which, being a duty she was little accustomed to, and which consequently rendered her extremely nervous, she did not accomplish without having twice called King William, George, and suppressed our gracious Queen Adelaide altogether.

CHAPTER VII -- THE BOARD OF GREEN CLOTH

”What have we here--a man or a fish?”

--The Tempest.

'”The devil he baited a trap, With billiard b.a.l.l.s and a cue;

And he chose as marker,

An imp much darker Than all the rest in hue.

And he put on his Sunday clothes, And he played with saint and with sinner,

For he'd found out a way

To make the thing pay, And when losing, _He still was the winner!_”

--_Old Legend_.

THE moment Dr. Mildman arrived at home the next day Lawless watched him into his study, and, as soon as he was safely lodged therein, proceeded, by the aid of sundry nails and loops previously placed there for the purpose, to hang his Macintosh right across the pa.s.sage, so that no one could leave the study without running against it. He then ambushed himself near the open door of the pupils' room, where, unseen himself, he could observe the effect of his arrangements. Coleman and I, also taking a lively interest in the event, ensconced ourselves in a favourable position for seeing and hearing. After waiting till our small stock of patience was nearly exhausted, we were rewarded by hearing the study-door slowly open, followed by the tread of a well-known footstep in the pa.s.sage. The next sound that reached -60--our ears was a quick shuffling of feet upon the oil-cloth, as if the person advancing had ”shyed” at some unexpected object; then came the muttered exclamation, ”Bless my heart, what's this?” And immediately afterwards Dr. Mildman's face, wearing an expression of the most thorough perplexity and bewilderment, appeared cautiously peeping from behind the Macintosh.

Having apparently satisfied himself that no enemy was concealed there, and he had nothing further to fear, but that the whole plot was centred as it were in the mysterious garment before him, he set himself seriously to work to examine it. First he pulled out his eye-gla.s.s and, stepping back a pace or two, took a general survey of the whole; he then approached it again, and taking hold of it in different places with his hand, examined it in detail so closely that it seemed as if he were trying to count the number of threads. Being apparently unwilling in so difficult an investigation to trust to the evidence of any one sense, he replaced his eye-gla.s.s in his waistcoat pocket, and began rubbing a portion of the skirt between his hands; the sense of touch failing, however, to throw any new light upon the subject, as a sort of forlorn hope, he applied his nose to it. The result of this was an indescribable exclamation, expressive of intense disgust, followed immediately by a violent sneeze; then came a long pause, as though he were considering of what possible use such a garment could be. At length a ray of light seemed to break in upon the darkness, and once more laying hands on the Macintosh he proceeded, after unhooking it from the nails on which it hung, slowly and deliberately to put it on, with the back part foremost, somewhat after the fas.h.i.+on of a child's pinafore. Having at length accomplished this difficult operation, he walked, or rather shuffled (for his petticoats interfered greatly with the free use of his limbs), up and down the hall, with a grave, not to say solemn, expression of countenance. Appearing perfectly satisfied after one or two turns that he had at last solved the enigma, he divested himself of the perplexing garment, hung it on a peg appropriated to great-coats, and approached the door of the pupils' room.

By the time he entered Lawless was seated at his desk studying Herodotus, while Coleman and I were deeply immersed in our respective Euclids.

After shaking hands with Oaklands, and addressing some good-natured remarks to each of us in turn, he went up to Lawless, and, laying his hand kindly on his shoulder, said, with a half-smile:--

-61--”I am afraid I have made rather an absurd mistake about that strange garment of yours, Lawless; I suppose it is some new kind of greatcoat, is it not?”

”Yes, sir, it is a sort of waterproof cloth, made with Indian rubber.”

”Indian rubber, is it? Well, I fancied so; it has not the nicest smell in the world. I certainly thought it was a smock-frock, though, when I saw you go out in it. Is not it rather awkward to walk in? I found it so when I tried it on just now, and b.u.t.toning behind does not seem to me at all a good plan.”

”No, sir, but it is meant to b.u.t.ton in front; perhaps you put it on the back part foremost.”

”Hem!” said Dr. Mildman, trying to look as if he thought such a thing impossible, and failing--”it is a very singular article of dress altogether, but I am glad it was not a smock-frock you went out in. I hope,” continued he, turning to Oaklands, with an evident wish to change the conversation, ”I hope they took good care of you when you arrived last night?”

This was turning the tables with a vengeance! Lawless became suddenly immersed in Herodotus again.

”Oh! the greatest,” was the reply; ”I had so much attention paid me that I was almost _upset_ by it. I was not quite overcome, though,” he continued, with a sly glance towards Lawless, ”and Mrs. Mildman gave us some very nice tea, which soon restored me.”

”Well, I'm glad they managed to make you comfortable among them,”

observed Dr. Mildman, turning over his papers and books, preparatory to beginning the morning's study.

”Hadn't you better ask him when he expects the sofa will be down?”

suggested Coleman to Oaklands, in a whisper.