The Island School — page 59: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

46 roar of the explosions, especially the last. You ought to have been there to see and hear it, sir.” The men looked at Morse wonderingly, and he bore the inspection with quiet ease. Suddenly what he had feared darted into the mind of the school- master. “T appreciate your good work, Morse,” he said, “but now that it has relieved me by the terrifying of a gang of scoundrels from the island, I cannot encou- rage youto go on. The study of that class of chemistry is too dangerous.” “Not if carried ont with care, sir,” urged Morse. “Oh, but I should live in terror if I thought you were going on with these inventions so near the house. The laboratory must be closed.” “Very well, sir,” quietly responded Morse. “T will have the place cleared out,” continued Mr. Farrell, “and put the building to another use.” ‘Whoever clears it out, sir,” said Morse, “ will have to be very careful in moving certain things. I will undertake to remove them all in two asys—to a safe place.” “ Hiverything must be destroyed—destroyed—Morse,” said the schoolmaster, testily. “Really, when I think of the risk we have been running with such material near us, it turns me cold.” “T think the boys have done excellent work,” re- marked Mr. Groby, in an undertone, “ and preaching either of risks past and gone won't do them any good. Send yon to bed and talk to them further on the morrow.” “T suppose you have nothing in the explosive way about you now?” said Mr. Farrell, anxiously. “T don’t think 1 have,” replied Morse, maliciously, slapping his pockets. Gordon, have you anything left ?” “Nothing that I know of,’ answered Jim, care- lessly. “ Nothing that he knows of? claimed the schoolmaster. ““Goto bed, boys,” said Mr. Groby, and with a quiet eri on their faces they hastened upstairs. “It seems to me,” said the schoolmaster, “ that I no sooner get rid of one terror than another crops up. Fancy a boy being able to make explosives of that nature !” “As I said,” replied Mr. Groby, “he has donea good work. It will be interesting for us to visit the chine to-morrow and see the nature of it. Now, sir, with your permission I will return to bed.” Mr. Groby plainly had no patience with the pusil- lanimity of the schoolmaster, but that unhappy man was not alone in his fears. The ec Storeby was similarly troubled. * Morse,” he said, as they went upstairs in a body, ‘fis the sort of nae who will make a destructive man. 1? Good gracious!” ex- S THE ISLAND SCHOOL. He will devote his abilities to the confusion of man- kind.” “To the confusion of your grandmother,” said Mr. Groby, as he turned into his room. ‘ Good-night, Mr. Farrell. Be proud of those two boys, sir.” Mr. Farrell muttered something in reply, but the nature of it was not clear, and the men parted for the night to get what sleep they could. The house was soon still again, and it remained so until the! morning. Romeo did not return. Where was he? That most unfortunate nigger was buried alive under the most extraordinary circumstances that ever fell to the lot of man. ; CHAPTER XXI. EVELINE FINDS A LETTER.—VISIT TO THE CHINE. IHERE was one thing in the school, connected with domestic affairs, none of the trio of niggers was allowed wt to perform on any pretence a whatever. That was the \Y dusting and the arranging * of Mr. Farrell’s private room. This was a Fctker Hveline herself attended to every morning before breakfast. Unconscious of the events of the preceding night she arose in the morning, and, attired in a plain but very talsing calico dress, wended her way to the room where her august parent often sat and meditated on the pains and penalties of being a great man. First of all the general dusting was pertormed, and finally she attended to the table, where she sorted and arranged the books and papers thereon. Attached to thattable were two drawers, Me kept locked, and supposed to hold the secret papers of the schoolmaster. Anyway, he had always shown marked care in keeping their contents hidden from the eyes of his wife and daughter, and that alone was sufficient to excite their curiosity. On this particular morning Eveline discovered, to her amazement, and perhaps joy, that the key had been left in the lock of one of the drawers, and that one key served for both. Now or never was she to learn whether there were any really mysterious things in those drawers or not. She certainly hesitated fora moment, and thought it was rather a mean thing todo. But assuredly there could be no great harm in just peeping in, and, opening the drawer, she peeped in accordingly. It was chock-full of letters, and the impossibility of making anything like an examination of them all was a Ni 900 Eo CS (ot @) mn