The King of the School, or, Who will Win? — page 95: 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 89 “Very much indeed. Oh, it is so | number two, tooled by Albert Marsham, \? kind of you “ What say you, Lizzie?” inquired the earl. “T should like it above all things, dear Gordon (Gordon was the earl’s Christian name), I have never been to a pic-nic yet.” “But we must get a few others,” suggested Frank. “ We'll bring three or four of our fellows, and you must invite some ladies.” These young people, not thinking any harm in a day’s innocent amusement themselves, of course did not for a moment imagine that a cold and suspicious world would perhaps hint that it was improper for young people to enjoy the pleasure of a. pic-nic without having a lot of old people to look after them. | So they made all their arrangements. It was agreed that two vehicles, each capable of holding about six people, should be in readiness at the ‘“ Red Lion,” at half-past eleven on Wednes- day morning, to convey the whole party to Knitton Folly, a most de- lightful wood, about six miles distant. The earl of Pembridge undertook to make arrangements with White, the best pastrycook in the town, fom a couple of hampers of refreshments. # # # * * # Imagine that it is Wednesday, 11.30 AM. The scene is the court-yard of the “ Red Lion” btotel. : In addition to the four people who arranged the affair, Marsham, Lascelles, and Freddy Webber are present, also two young ladies named Griffiths, with their mamma, who, on learning the manner in which the expedition was organised, volunteered to accompany it, as a sort of body-guard and defence against all kinds of scandal and evil speaking. Frank Egerton, of course, drives one of the vehicles, which also contains Kate Conway, her sister, the Earl of Pembridge, and Mrs. Griffiths, the re- mainder of the party being in vehicle who was a far better hand at driving than parsing. A most pleasant drive was it. First over the old stone bridge, then by the side of some fertile meadows; but, gradually ascending, they reached a range of glorious downs, covered with golden-blossomed furze. Four hundred and odd feet above the level of Lexicon College playfield, where the summer breezes, though gentle and soft, sang weird songs in their ears, and nothing else could be heard on the now deserted race-course save the shrill cry of the lapwing, and the hum of the bee. On one side of the road that famous region of fir and beach, known as the Warren (my lord’s keepers would not allow pic-nics there); and on the other hand an expanse of some miles of open and cultivated land, in one part de- scending into a valley where the villages of Coombe, Stratford, Bishops- stone, and Chalk lay, hidden from the gaze of our young excurtionists At length they reached Knitton Folly, and turned aside out of the old, grass-prown, Roman road they had been travelling. — The earl was pilot, and told Frank to keep on down the central ride or | avenue, which he did till they reached a vast cavity in the hill-side, commonly known as the Devil’s Punch-bowl ; popular tradition asserting that his satanie majesty was formerly in the habit of mixing his strong potations there. | Not far from the Punch-bowl was a little cottage, inhabited by one of the keepers, whose son, an uncouth urchin of ten, readily agreed to take charge of the horses and provisions. It was not long past noon when our friends reached their destination; a slight luncheon was partaken of, and then the party dispersed, intending to meet again at four for a more substa-~ tial meal. Of course Frank and Kate Conway walked away together, and equally, of EO DOC EO mn