The King of the School, or, Who will Win? — page 92: what you’re looking at

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86 She would take refuge from the squal- ling, grunting tribe in the justice-room. Well it was for the beadle that he fled from his post, and took refuge in the neighbouring hostelry, known as the ‘© Wheatsheaf,” for had Brown Bess come in contact with him, as she dashed beneath the portico, his portly carcass would have received many a dire bruise, even if, haply,no bones had been broken. Frank, to tell the truth, began to erow alarmed, as he found his steed wildly careering through the entrance of the town-hall, and up the broad stone | staircase that led to the offices of the corporation. He began to calculate the chances of broken limbs; and the thought swiftly flashed through his mind that Baynes had persuaded the stable-keeper to mount him on this mad animal in the hope that a broken limb might be the result. All things must have an end, however. Bess, on arriving at the top of the grand staircase, stopped so suddenly that our hero nearly went flying over her head. Bya great effort, however, he managed to keep his seat. Had either of the office-doors been open, the chances are that the mare would have entered one or other of the rooms. As it was, she half-turned her head, and seeing the difficulties of the posi- tion to which she had brought herself, began to tremble violently. Aslight relaxation of the jaws enabled Fragk once more to get a firm pull at the bm. ‘She has brought me up here, she shall carry me down,” said he to him- self, A gentle pull at the near rein, and sne turned as carefully and quietly as possible, stil! slightly trembling. It was necessary to give her the ‘slightest possible touch with the heel | to induce her to commence the descent; then she began to pick her way down the stone steps as gingerly as a farmer’s wite treading among new-laid eggs, THE KING OF THE SCHOOL; OR, WHO WILL WIN? He reached the door, and was greeted with a terrific cheer from the people who had assembled to witness the de- nouément of this strange performance. The noise was listened to with the oreatest calmness by Bess, who seemed in the perpetration of that one wild freak to have completely changed her nature. _ Disregarding the cries of the beadle, who emerged from his retreat, and shouted to our hero to surrender him- self to his custody for contempt of the corporation, Frank trotted quietly away, and rejoined Freddy Webber, who was waiting on the other side of the market- place, expecting each moment to see his friend appear, either flying through one of the upper windows or borne out on a shutter. Hisdelight when he saw Frank quietly riding towards him unharmed can be better imagined than described. | ‘For Heaven’s sake, let us get back to the stables,” he said, as soon as the first congratulations were over. “Why go back ?” asked Frank. “To leave that horrid brute with her owner.” | “T came out for a ride, Freddy, and I mean to have a ride. Come along.” “No, no; not on that beast.” “Yes, on this beast, as you rudely call her. She is a splendid animal, and when we get out on Oddman’s Downs you shall see how she can go,” And despite all Freddy’s entreaties tothecontrary, Frank trotted offthrough the streets, and soon gained the large open space he had alluded to. | Looking round, he saw Freddy coming along at as good a canter as he could screw out of his somewhat antiquated specimen of a horse. “Freddy, you see those three fir trees yonder ?” he asked, as soon as his com- panion came up. “Yes, I see them,” said Freddy. “They are quite a mile away, are they not ?” ‘‘ More; a mile and a half, I should say.” ‘Then lend me your riding-whip.” Go NOC EO mn