The Island School — page 116: what you’re looking at

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

ie Mae tee naueh, Mee “Farrell ie eae before Lhe asked haar me to fetch youorGroby. N ot being able to find your : _ LT sent Groby along, and he’s been with her ever since.’ ae “Ib isa phe desertion !” cried Jim, hotly. aa “A what ?” asked Lal Brod ie, surprised. “A cowardly desertion !” repeated Jim. “ Look be ~ here, Lal. That man knows there is danger lurking round us. We haven’t quite got rid of our enemies. a - More have cropped up, and Farrell knows it. Instead x of facing the position hke a man, the duffer has cut a ; and run to save his own skin.” OK “And they christened him Napoleon !” murmured Lal, drily. “But, I say, Jim, what sort of fellows have 3 ah we to fear ?” ae, “You shall know soon. I must goat once and see Mrs. Farrell, even at the risk of colliding with Groby. IT used to think he was a friend and good maa but, on my word, I begin to doubt him.” “ You think he is another Nap ?” “No; I have other notions concerning liim. ie can’t stay to talk now.” | a Jim walked away, and entering the house, met Macbeth, who was coming out. OM “You de very pusson I comin’ for, Massa Gordon, he said. “Miss Evelme in Number One Class-rcom, an’ she wish to see you ’tick’ler. *Fore you go, sar, i a _ gib us a word ob comfort about dat boy, Romeo, ob ours. He lef’ us wifout a partin’ word, an’ me an’ him fader been broken-hearted.” “ Romeo was all right when I left him,” replied Jim. 2) “T expect you will see him back in a day or two.” _ “He berrer come soon, Massa Gordon, for dem sperrits hab been roamin ’bout’ de house ebery night since he lef us. Me and Hamlet hear ’em going up and down de stairs, but I ’spect dey forgot which room was ours, for dey not come in. Still it keeps us awake wif rappyrenshuns ob dere payin’ us a visit.” _ “Romeo will quiet them when he returns,” said Jim, _____He wasina hurry to get to Number One Classroom, for he knew that Eveline would not lightly send for . Yr ee him. He found her im tears. Se Moved to the depths of his young heart, he asked her what had so distressed her. It was simply a -_ matter-of-fact question, for he iti! guessed the origin of her tears. “To think that papa should so meanly desert us,” she sobbed. “He is hardly .responsible for anything he does,” replied Jim. “That terrible experience on board the _ ‘Dart’ on the other side of the island has completely ' demoralized him.” Ve “Ttis kind of you to make excuses,” said Eveline, Na “put I always knew he was not all he pretended to be. Tam not erying on my own account now. It is for i zs ro) ma. Bhe i is rh bait overcome by the an letter | Jd 2 pa he «ie /\ d j ' mee Ni ae ete eM ee My LON wat dat A aN sae Meh Sa) HO a7 pw 74s ies i Ey, ag 6a ae \s : i we oa Yr Ne 1¥ iy; ete, is 7 | G ; an AX oy j aati tf ap 7 ‘) / vee til} Ue itt, Ae yt ales $ j Ma by 7 Lise dy ‘ lwey 4 ee) - ’ . ' But I- ~ coe S $ ~~ ~ a —~—,* - —<_" ° . = i, mel a. Sear Eo Res ones Po ~ > - > — a =" ct ; ot : tes See ‘ —~ (\. i “Ts feos Puecoiilay of ay seeing it 2” nga Jim, “There it is,” said Eveline, producing the letter from her pocket, and handing it tohim. “I would ‘ not have troubled you with it eyen now, but there i is ce something very strange in Mr. Groby. I do not ih < think he is a real friend to us, and I detest him.” Besse The emphasis she put upon the verb active left no room for doubt as to her sentiments. She had sud- denly cenceived a hatred for the under-master. Jim asked her what caused her to change her “ opinion, but she refused to say more. : rae ant “ Mr Turner is like a scared rabbit,” she said, “a Mr. Storeby is not a man we can appeal to. im, E told mamma I had asked you to do what you could | a to help us all, and she acquiesced. But she is almost _ ‘ prostrated.” ! Ae se “ Let me read the letter,” said Jim, as he cast tae i eyes upon it. Bah i i ie i Here is the precious epistle : es “DEAR WIFE AND DAUGHTER,—It is perfectly clear to. 4 i 7 me that we are in peril of being all killed outright by our | enemies, and therefore I think it my duty to. hasten ti oe Gibraltar to lay the position before the governor there, ae I trust I may be in time, but should I not yon will under- stand that it will be better for one of us to be saved than — all lost. Could I have assisted youin any way by remain- u ing I would have done so, butit would have been worse ti than useless for me to stop on the island. tea ie ‘IT may say also that your eonduct in supporting that eh rebellious boy Gordon has in a great measure alienated iy my affection from you, but as a matter of duty I will — do what I ean to prevent the catastrophe that oe o ie all. “ NAPOLEON FARRELL.” ae “ Eveline,” said Jack, “I cannot trust myself ae your presence to comment on this letter. All Iwill — sik say is that what I can do, and others with stout oe hearts can aid meto do, shall be done.” | She gave him her hand and he raised it respectful Nd to his lips. in Bf | Then, with a heart full of bitter ene ee et stern resolve, he left the room. °; CHAPTER XLVII. : Ba ‘ r TWO STRANGE BIRDS AT SEA. ee me Chane foe his companion, 7 fully believed that hea had Gibraltar. Knowing nothing what- ie ever of navigation, he had from the first received the assurances of his subordi- ie Wi = é ve is x nate, that he was a past-master of it, in perfect faith. ia aR while ay conscious of being igaorauey a y nea co ie) hd ‘comicboo fs oe ne Ais an Nba Sh Say Mvmt vif <S-;cOom ay is v ‘4 ; vay Rita iia aa wi hate iy he ape