The King of the School, or, Who will Win? — page 30: what you’re looking at

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

24, THE KING OF THE SCHOOL; OR, WHO WILL WIN ? {0 gp PP Fr ee PE Pr there during the day, and was not expected. Such news as this did not give Baynes any very great pleasure: he tossed about on his bed and the feverish symp- toms became considerably aggravated. The senior boys (the juniors had not been told anything about the expected visit) remained in their rooms ready dressed, , All the lights were extinguished, but it would be only the work of a moment to re-kindle them. | | For a long time all was quiet. At length the great bell of the cathe- dra] tolled the hour of midnight. Then a few minutes afterwards was heard the faint tinkling of one of the alarum bells. | . At the first sound of the bell, Egerton and Fitzgerald left their room, joining Pembridge, Marsham, and half-a-dozen others in the passage. They all wore slippers, and moved along noiselessly towards one of the side doors, near which the tinkling of the bell had been heard. All in a body they rushed out of the doorway towards a spot where, in the murky darkness, two figures could be seen struggling. “Help, help, help!” screamed a shrill, boyish voice, ‘There spoke ‘the Heir of a Noble Housel” exclaimed Webber, who al- though he had not received any official information of the intended burglary, had managed to find his way out as soon as any of the seniors. “ To the rescue, then !” said Egerton. The small boy, anxious to distinguish himself, and win golden opinions from his superiors, darted off, and found that the two struggling figures were— Harry the London waif, And, _ Ablack-whiskered individual, respec- table as regards costume, but disreput- able in respect to facial expression. “Surrender, villain !” said Webber, seizing the black-whiskered gentle- man(?) by the coat collar. “ Get out of this, you muff!” was the response, and young Webher received a blow which set all his teeth rattling, and landed him some six or eight feet from the scene of conflict. | “What an uncivil brigand,” muttered Webber, as Frank Egerton, the Earl of Pembridge,and Doctor Moeritz collared his assailant, The struggle that ensued was brief. The black-whiskered gentleman yielded to superior numbers, and the two extra policemen (who, of course, were not on the spot when most wanted) handcuffed him and led.him off to the station. | “Don’t ‘worry yourselves, Ill go quietly enough,” the boys heard him say. “I can produce several very respectable townspeople to speak as to my character.” | “ Delighted to hear it,” responded the police, who, however, kept a tight hold, the prisoner not being known to them. Then the King of the School and his companions went back to their beds, well satisfied with their night’s work; — but, of course, the news quickly spread | through the building. In a very few minutes every one in the place knew what had taken place. Most of them sleep well, but there was one to whom the hours of darkness were a terror. His sleep was haunted by dreams of the most fearful kind, | * * * * # In the morning all those who had assisted in the capture of the supposed burglar, attended at the magistrates’ office, The sapient landed gentry who dis- pensed justice in Ballsbury, sat only three times a week, but it so happened that this was one of the days. Doctor Whackley was there, with Professor Moeritz, and _half-a-dozen pupils from Lexicon College; and after one or two cases of turnip-stealing had received their just punishment, in the shape of six months imprisonment for each offence, the great prisoner of the day was placed in the dock. The charge was, being found loiter- ing about the premises of Doctor John. (C(O) MAICLOOC (S(O) mn