The Island School — page 149: what you’re looking at

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

24 Their voices reached the ear of the crawling man. He stopped, and with an effort turned his face to- -wards them, ‘“‘ Whoever you are,” he groaned, “ help a wounded man on the verge of dying.” It was Mr. Groby, not dead, but injured sorely, and likely enough, without prompt aid, to die. It was Chorker who recognised his voice, and, after ‘a long stare, knew the figure also. He called to the master by name, and asked him what was the matter. “T am stabbed in half a dozen places,” was the ‘feeble answer. ‘ Who isit?” ““Chorker and Mr. Farrell.” “Come to my help. Assist me home.” They could do nothing less, although there were reasons why they should not be so friendly together. ‘Nevertheless they could not leave the wounded man to die, and having assisted him to his feet, each took an arm, and thus the three most unworthy men in ~ *the school crawled back to its sheltering roof together. But it took time, and daylight had arrived when Mr. Farrell, in an authoritative way, knocked at the coor. | eee CHAPTER LXITI. THU LE WELCOME HOME. .ABE us! exclaimed Romeo, “who dat at de door at dis hour ob de mornin’ ?” ‘Macbeth and Hamlet, equally startled by the authoritative nature of the summons, stared at Romeo without making any reply. “Tt not Massa Gordon ith AN, ‘come back, [ suppose,” pursued Romeo. Rat—tat—tat ! * Here it am agen,” said Romeo, “and me being all ‘black wif cleanin’ up de grate. Me not fit to answer ‘de door.” “It am you duty,” said Macbeth, “and derefore you do it on de spot. What do people ’spect at dis time in demornin’? Moreober, who see de black on you nigger paws P” ~ You more ’sponsible for me being a nigger dan I -ammyself. But as it seem dat neider ob you got de ‘courage to answer de door, me do it for you.” Taking the poker with him as a precaution against a sudden attack from a possible foe, Romeo went to the front door, and kneeling down, put his eye to the keyhole. As he did so a third summons was peremptorily wattled on the door. “ Who dere ?” asked Romeo through the keyhole. THE ISLAND SCHOv«c. “Open the door!” roared Mr. Farrell, without. His voice was hoarse and cracked, and Romeo failed to recognise it. | “You jes’ gib a name,” he said, ‘‘and you word ob honour dat dere am no trickin it. Who am you P” “Mr. Farrell.” “Jehominy and butterscotch!” exclaimed Romeo, and without any further hesitation he opened the door. At first Romeo saw the schoolmaster only, lobking none the better in form, feature, or apparel for his — recent adventure. ‘The nigger knew all about the way the schoolmaster had skulked off, and was pre- pared to treat him accordingly. “So you come back?” he said. Well, if me was you, me not show my face to de missus.” “How dare you talk in that way?” demanded the schoolmaster. “What sort ob way you have me talk?” asked Romeo; “when all t’rough you Miss Eveline eaten by a bear, and missus been in husterisks almost t’rough de night.” Romeo now perceived Chorker and Mr. Groby, and his eyes came well out of his head. “What am de marrer wif Massa Groby ?” “ Assist him to his room,” said Mr. Farrell, “and I will ask Mrs. Farrell to supply some ointment for his wounds.” Romeo was helped in his task by his father and grandfather, who had been listening to the colloquy that took place at the door. Chorker, pleadmg hunger, wended his way to the kitchen, and from thence to the larder, where he ate his fill, and then sought his own room with the idea of utilising the next few hours in getting what he had not lately enjoyed—a comfortable sleep. | Mr. Farrell crept upstairs to his chamber, where he found his wife sitting by a table, wrapped in moody meditation. She had not undressed all night, and had only succeeded in getting a few snatches of sleep in her chair. Startled by the opening of the door, she looked round and saw her husband. Instantly her face became that of a frozen woman. | “My dear,” he said, with a miserable cheerfulness, ‘ I have returned.” “Indeed ?” she said; *‘ and why ?” It was a question that completely floored him. He stopped short on the way to an intended embrace, and shuffled uneasily on his feet. “T have returned,” he said, “ because—I have a right to—I suppose.” “No,” she said, “you left us—deserted us in a most cowardly way. And where is your sense of assumption of shame that you show your face here again? I was” always very submissive to you, and believed in you— nN Cc 500 (Ot @ ) CoO CS