Part 13 (1/2)

”Come and try,” said Oaklands, folding his arms with an air of defiance.

Coleman, reckoning on his adversary's dislike of exertion, and trusting to his own extreme quickness and activity to effect his escape scot-free, made a feint of turning away as if to avoid the contest, and then, with a sudden spring, leaped upon Oaklands, and succeeded in just touching his nose. The latter was, however, upon his guard, and while, by seizing his outstretched arm with one hand, he prevented him from attaining his object, he caught him by the coat-collar with the other, and detained him prisoner.

”I've got you this time, at all events, Master Freddy; now what shall I do with you, to pay you off for all your impertinence?” said Oaklands, looking round the room in search of something suitable to his purpose.

”I have it,” continued he, as his eyes encountered the bookcase, which was a large square-topped, old-fas.h.i.+oned affair, standing about eight feet high, and the upper part forming a sort of gla.s.s-fronted closet, in which the books were arranged on shelves. ”Great men like you, who go ahead of archbishops and so on, should be seated in high places.”

So saying he lifted Coleman in his arms, with as much ease as if he had been a kitten; and, stepping up on a chair which stood near, seated him on the top of the bookcase, with his head touching the ceiling, and his feet dangling about six feet from the ground.

”What a horrid shame!” said Coleman; ”come help me down again, Harry, there's a good fellow.”

”I help you down!” rejoined Oaklands, ”I've had trouble enough in putting you up, I think; I'm a great deal too much tired to help you down again.”

”Well, if you won't, there's n.o.body else can,” said Coleman, ”unless they get a ladder, or a fire-escape--don't call me proud, gentlemen, if I look down upon you all, for I a.s.sure you it's quite involuntary on my part.”

”A decided case of 'up aloft': he looks quite the cherub, does he not?”

said Lawless.

-79--”They are making game of you, Coleman,” cried Mullins, grinning.

”I hope not,” was the reply, ”for in that case I should be much too _high_ to be pleasant.”

”They ought to keep you there for an hour longer for that vile pun,”

said c.u.mberland. ”Is your letter ready, Oaklands, for I must be going?”

”It is upstairs, I'll fetch it,” replied Oaklands, leaving the room.

”Well, as it seems I am here for life, I may as well make myself comfortable,” said Coleman, and, suiting the action to the word, he crossed his legs under him like a tailor, and folding his arms leaned his back against the wall, the picture of ease.

At this moment there was a gentle tap at the door; some one said ”Come in,” and, without a word of preparation, Dr. Mildman entered the apartment. Our surprise and consternation at this apparition may easily be imagined. c.u.mberland and Lawless tried to carry it off by a.s.suming an easy unembarra.s.sed air, as if nothing particular was going on; I felt strongly disposed to laugh; while Mullins looked much more inclined to cry; but the expression of Coleman's face, affording a regular series of ”dissolving views” of varied emotions, was the ”gem” of the whole affair. The unconscious cause of all this excitement, whose back was turned towards the bookcase, walked quietly up to his usual seat, saying, as he did so:--

[Ill.u.s.tration: page79 The Doctor Makes a Discovery]

”Don't let me disturb you--I only came to look for my eye-gla.s.s, which I think I must have dropped”.

”I see it, sir,” said I, springing forward and picking it up; ”how lucky none of us happened to tread on it and break it!”

”Thank you, Fairlegh, it is an old friend, and I should have been sorry to have any harm happen to it,” replied he, as he turned to leave the room, without having once raised his eyes from the ground. Coleman, who up to this moment had considered a discovery inevitable, gave me a sign to open the door, and, believing the danger over, was proceeding to relieve his feelings by making a hideous face at his retiring tutor, when the bookcase, affected no doubt by the additional weight placed upon it, suddenly gave a loud crack.

”Bless my heart,” said Dr. Mildman, looking up in alarm, ”what's that?

Gracious me!” continued he, starting back as his eyes encountered Coleman, ”there's something alive up there! why it's--eh?” continued he, levelling his newly restored eye-gla.s.s at the object of his -80--alarm; ”yes, it certainly _is_ Coleman; pray, sir, is it usually your 'custom of an afternoon,' as Shakspeare has it, to sit perched up there cross-legged, like a Chinese mandarin? It's a very singular taste.”

”Why, sir,” replied Coleman, for once completely taken aback, ”you see I didn't--that is, I wasn't--I mean, if I hadn't--I shouldn't.”

”Hum,” resumed Dr. Mildman, with whom he was rather a favourite, and who, now that he had satisfied himself it was not some wild animal he had to deal with, was evidently amused by Coleman's embarra.s.sment, ”that sentence of yours is not particularly clear or explanatory; but,”

continued he, as a new idea occurred to him, ”how in the world did you get up there? you must have flown.”

”I didn't get up, I was--that is, he----” stammered

Coleman, remembering just in time that he could not explain without involving Oaklands.