The King of the School, or, Who will Win? — page 108: what you’re looking at

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102 THE KING OF THE SCHOOL; OR, WHO WILL WIN? ——— LT erent rani SRE eenNeEs~ ee atney CHAPTER XXVI. A FREE FIGHT. ANOTHER thing transpired that even- ing which only increased the anger of the boys. . | Professor Moeritz, who, of course, was not bound down to any particular time of. retiring, ventured out in the town at alate hour in the evening, a thing he was not in the habit of doing. But the professor had heard that a countryman of his was in the town, sick, and in great distress. Every recollection of Vaterland came back to his memory, and putting his purse in his pocket, he started out to relieve the wants of his fellow exile. The boys were just retiring to bed when Professor Moeritz returned with torn, soiled clothes, and bruised features. ; “TI have been robbed,” he muttered piteously.. Frank and some others took him into the dining-hall and gave him a glass of beer, for he was nearly fainting. |. Then they persuaded him to give an account ‘of the affair, from which it seemed that he had been set upon by the seedy black-whiskered individual before mentioned, who on this occa- sion, was aided by half-a-dozen other low-looking scoundrels. Frank Egerton was more determined than everto putastop to these outrages. He said nothing about the proposed expedition in the presence of Professor Moeritz, lest it should come to the ears of Dr. Whackley, who would be certain to forbid anything of the kind. But when they had all gone upstairs, a meeting of the conspirators was held in Frank’s room, to consider how and when the enemy’s quarters were to be invaded. ‘‘There must be no delay,” observed Marsham. “If we don’t give this lesson at once, the cads will think we are afraid of them.” a “We will teach them diffefently to-morrow after tea,” said Frank, whe was looked up to as the leader. ‘“‘ How do you propose acting, Eger- ton?” asked Lascelles. | ‘¢ Let me see; these affairs all take place in Church Street, where the ruffans seem to congregate. We can get at least forty fellows to go down.” (‘The cads will run as soon as they see us, suggested the earl of Pembridge. “We must provide against that by cutting off their retreat. Marsham and | Fitzgerald, you must head a portion of our troops and go round by St. Ann Street and get into Church Street by that way. Pembridge and Lascelles must lead the others down to the Mil. ford Hill end of the street.” “¢ And you?” a “T shall go first, by myself.” “Why?” “They will be safe to make a rush at me, then you must come to the rescue.” A few more preliminaries were ar- ranged, then the clock struck the hour at which all lights were to be extin- guished, and the boys were very quickly in bed. Very little was said about the pro- posed expedition the next morning, as the leaders judged it prudent to keep everything as quiet as possible. Frank’s lieutenants quietly went round and invited all those who seemed big enough to take part in a fight to be at the market-place at half-past four o’clock in the afternoon, Only one boy declined the invitation, — and that was young Crawley. COMNICLOOC A) EO mn