The King of the School, or, Who will Win? — page 61: what you’re looking at

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

THE KING OF THE SCHOOL; OR, WHO WILL WIN? +) Crawley, who was much lower in the school—being, in fact, a great dunce, “How did you get on?” asked the toady. “Capital—the same number marks as Egerton!” “That’s jolly! Equal in class— equal in the doctor’s good opinion.” “Are you sure of that ?” “Yes. I heard him mention both your names yesterday ia such terms as convinced me he thoug ot quite as much of you as of this bouncing Egerton. You know he went down some degrees in the doctor’s estimation when he was found at that place up town.” “ True.” “Do you know who wrote the letter.” “What letter?” “To the doctor, telling him where Egerton had gone.” “Yes.” “ Tell me.” “JT will; but mind, if you blab, I'll give you the greatest thrashing you ever had. I overheard them planning their tea-party, and I wrote that letter.” ‘What a jolly lark!” At that moment a loud sneeze some- where close by alarmed the boys, who had been under the impression that they were alone. The conversation had been taking place in the box-room before-men- tioned. Both boys looked round, half ex- expecting to find Egerton or one of his friends behind them. Strange to say, however, no one could be seen. | The room appeared empty. ‘Tt must be one of Webber’s rabbits,” said Crawley. The aforesaid pet animal had since their identification with the strange noises been allowed to run about the box-room, to the great disgust of Mar- sham, whose dogs were banished. “Tet us hunt them out,” suggested Baynes, who knew that the rabbits frequently curled themselves up be- hind‘the boxes, to enjoy a quiet sleep. They moved nearly all the lumber of in the place, but no rabbit could be found, and the two boys were just pre- pared to believe that their ears had deceived them when the noise was re- peated. It seemed this time to come from the floor close by their feet. “Perhaps it is the spirit of that poor boy who was killed,” suggested Crawley, turning pale. “ More likely one of the fellows down in Tiddy’s den,” replied Baynes. “Come away quietly.” It happened on this occasion that Baynes had made a correct quess. Tiddy’s den was not a very large or light cellar in which dwelt an elderly, blear-eyed individual called Tiddy, whose occupation was cleaning boots, knives and forks, &c., for the numerous inhabitants of Lexicon College. It so happened that Tiddy being rather thirsty, had bribed our old friend, Harry, the heir of a noble house, to help him while he himself took a walk to the nearest beer-shop. _ There Harry was, when he suddenly became aware of voices overhead, and heard the name of his kind patron, Egerton, mentioned. He at once mounted on an old box which served Tiddy as a seat, and listened. Not a word of the conversation es- caped him, though he could not recog- nise the voices. “This will be something to tell Mr. Egerton,” thought he; “ but perhaps he won’t believe me unless I can tell him who it was.” In a moment he ran out of Tiddy’s den, and took up a position where he could see any one who passed from the school-room into the playfield. A moment afterwards Baynes and Crawley walked out, casting furtive glances over their shoulders. “TJ was right,” thought Harry, as he hurried away towards the boat-house by the river, where Egerton, Pem- bridge, Marsham, and Freddy Webber were preparing for a race in out- riggers. EO DOC EO mn