The King of the School, or, Who will Win? — page 141: what you’re looking at

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

THE KING OF fHé SCHOOL; OR, WHO WILL WIN? ema gern Cr, EP ee ~ * Each then drew a long breath, braced. up his belt, and rattled up the side of the hill. | “There he goes!” shouted Frank, | and, as. they were descending on the other side, they taxed their legs and lungs to the utmost. It seemed almost certain that the “ Black Bull” would ‘be the finish of the run, and Marsham, who, with Fitz- gerald, kept close behind our two young friends above-mentioned, dropped off :o make the nearest possible cut to the haven ofrest. | Frank scorned all such devices, and pertinaciously stuck to the scent, know~ ing that if he could only hold on for ten minutes more he would run down the hare, and thus bring the chase to a close. He was fast gaining on Lascelles, who, though hehad led the hounds agood chase of seven or eight miles, seemed almost exhausted. Suddenly, however, he changed his direction, turned back, and made for the “ Fox and Goose.” | Thinking that, in the fast gathering gloom, he had deceived the hounds, he slackened his pace, a fault which was at once taken advantage of by Frank and the earl. The “Fox and Goose” was only about a hundred yards distant; could he reach it before either of the hounds? He would make a trial at all events; so he “put on the steam,” as Fran called it, and started as though he had only just started from Lexicon College. Unfortunately for the success of his gallant attempt, his foes (for the occa- sion) were just as sound of wind and ‘limb as himself, and they, too, increased the speed. ‘Twenty yards to the house, but Egerton is not six feet behind him. Ten yards moref Frank is already extending his arm—two yards only from the doorstep-—ah! a hand upon his shoulder! Caught! Lascelles gives w> at once, staggers Ee a , Cp eee EP = | ET elie rt up against the dourstep, and as soon as he can, says— “Well, you have had a good run for it, at all events. “The best of the season!” gasps Frank, wiping the perspiration fro his brow. Then, without any more ado, *ce three boys walked into the parlour of tre little inn, and ordered some mulled ale. The Earl of Pembridge feebly hints at a good draught of porter, but Eger- ton reminds him that cold drink, in their perspiring state, would be very dangerous. After au interval of something like twenty minutes, Marsham and Fitz- gerald appeared, having walked over from the *“ Black Bull;” all five then sat till it wanted but half-an-hour of the hour when they must be in school, wondering what had become of all their companions, and especially of Freddy Webber and Professor Moeritz. While they are wondering, let 1s retrace our steps and see, if we can, what has become of our fat young friend and the German tutor. Both of them found that the water. meadows before-mentioned formed the stiffest portion of the course. | The water-drains and dykes were many of them half-full of water, and a short jump or a false step would cer- tainly subject the unfortunate hound to a very severe ducking. | The professor was the first to come to grief. He had made a leap, and a good one, but, unfortunately, as he was in the act of alighting on the opposite side of the open drain, his heels slipped up, and ‘Herr Moeritz went souse back- wards into the water, which fortunately was not deep enough to drown him. Freddy endeavoured to pull him up butwas unfortunate enough to slip for- ward, aud went sprawling on top oi the professor. There they lay, spraw- ling in the mud, weeds, and water. like a couple of amphibious beingr rather than Christian gentlemen. 135 EO DOC A) EO mn