The King of the School, or, Who will Win? — page 89: 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? LL A combat; so he waited for an opportunity of striking some unseen blow. He even condescended to speak to Egerton on matters connected with school discipline; but, beyond that, there was no communication between them. Doctor Whackley saw all this with much grief, but it was hardly a case that called for his interference. So each youth went his own way without interfering with the other. Frank, not having been forbidden by his mother, still continued to visit the pretty milliner, whose pale cheeks began to grow rosy again. I dare say the four young people, Egerton, Pembridge, Kate Conway, and Lizzie, used to talk a great deal of non- sense during their afternoon and even- ing walks; but this I know, they were supremely happy, although sometimes the poor girls would think, with some- thing like dread, upon the many obsta- cles that had to be overcome before they could be happily united to those they so truly loved. Frank and his friend did not speusct all their leisure time in love-making, however, but took a fair share in the boyish sports and pastimes of the school. The weather was now getting a little too cold for cricket or boating, so foot- ball and paper hare and hounds became the favourite sports. Earl Pembridge, Marsham, and one or two of their friends took long rides in the country occasionally on horses which could be hired at some stables in the town. Of course there was no occa- sion for the earl to hire horseflesh, as he possessed his own Arab steed. Frank Egerton, the King of the School, seldom took part in these eques- trian excursions. His finances were not in a sufficiently flourishing condition ; for, although his mother frequently sent him money, Frank rarely omitted to return it, being well-assured that she could ill afford to spare it. There was hardly a boy in the school who would not have felt much pleasure in being permitted to pay the horse hire for him; but they knew that Frank - -~* was very proud, and that such a pro. position would have been hurtful to h:’ feelings, So Frank generally remained behind on such occasions, and either took a walk with Kate Conway, or had an interview with the detective, who had attached “himself to the local police force, but had hitherto failed to discover the perpetrators of the several robberies at Lexicon College. Egerton had been made aware of the secret that the school and its inmates were watched, and was endeavouring to aid the detective in hunting down the scoundrels, From the circumstance that the villain who assaulted Doctor Whackley in his study, and then so nearly termi- nated our hero’s existence, was a man who evidently could not have been an inmate of the college, the detective had been induced rather to relax the vigi- lant watch he had kept over Baynes, after seeing him beneath the trees with Crawley holding something in his hand like a bank-note. A careful examination of that young gentleman’s pockets and desk a short time afterwards resulted in the dis- covery of a letter, from which it appeared that he actually bad received five pounds from his father that very morning. Frank Egerton, though unable to say why, felt convinced that Baynes, if not the thief, was at least an accomplice, and kept a very sharp eye upon him. All their watchings had been of no use, however; it seemed as though the thief would have the good fortune to escape detection. Baynes seemed to be tolerably free from duns. He was unable to go to his favourite billiard-rooms on account of the doc- tor’s strict orders to the contrary; and the big boys of the college, who sometimes met at the hostelry known as the “ Six Bells,” had not enough of the true spirit of gambling in them to make it very pleasant, or profitable tur, him, (C(O) JOO (CO i