The King of the School, or, Who will Win? — page 84: what you’re looking at

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

(8 YEE KING OF THE SCHOOL; OR, WHO WILL WIN? (ape GST ETE EY ST, CHAPTER XXI. ANOTHER COMBAT. It certainly was rather hard hitting on the part of the earl; but then he thought, felt, and spoke on behalf of his friend. Mrs. Egerton could not understand it, and maintained a perfect silence as they walked back to the school. Then she said, as she parted from the earl— | “You had best say nothing about this for a few days. In his present state of health it might have an in- jurious effect.” “T shall be silent on the subject till he has quite recovered. * * * * * # Several days passed away, and no one in the school but Pembridge and Charlie Fitzgerald had heard of the scene we have just described. Every day one or other of the last- named personages took a stroll in the direction of old Conway’s cottage, and: left word how the invalid was pro- gressing; but Frank himself did not know that his mother had discovered his little love affair. At length the invalid was able to rise from his bed and walk from one room to the other: anda few days after he showed himself in the schoolroom for half-an-hour, though he took no part in the lessons that were going on. An enthusiastic cheer greeted him, and Olympian Jove ( Doctor Whackley) descended from his throne to salute the King of the School. “TY am delighted to see you here again, Egerton,” said he, “It would agave grieved me much haa you lost your life in saving mine.” “Sir, I only did what I hope and believe any other of your pupils would have done, replied our hero.” Professor Moeritz came up beaming at Egerton through his spectacles, and shook him by the hand, muttering, “ Zo glad, zo glad dat der Rauber— ze tief have not killed you. Goot O ,”? “Thank you, Doctor Moeritz. Iam sorry we did not catch the thief.” There was one person in the school, and not far from the head of it, too, who took no share in these congratula- tions. Our readers will have no diffi- culty in guessing that we allude to Baynes. During allthe time Frank had beenan invalid, this youth had been endeavour- ing to keep the chief seat in the form, but in vain. Charlie Fitzgerald and the Earl of Pembridge studied to pre- vent him from so doing. Never be- fore had the earl such an incentive to study. At length Frank Egerton fell into accustomed routine of school life again, and his mother, having no longer an excuse for remaining with her darling, returned to London. She had not ‘said a word to him about the pretty milliner, for she considered him still to be too weak to be worried.. “T will speak to him when he comes home for the holidays,’ she said to herself, and so she left him. Since the death of Frank’s fatner and seizure of his property by Baynes, Senior, Baynes himself had been very unpopular in Lexicon College. Few of the boys cared to speak to him, and those who did so condescend, were very cold and abrupt in their con- versation. This was certainly very annoying. “ Now,” thought the bully, “ now is the time to be revenged. He pretends to be quite recovered, but I don’t think GOnnlGaoe A) (S(O) mn