The Island School — page 252: what you’re looking at

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

( a 1° a a hes f ae - . a ete >F +f ‘ wt isa Oe af ee oe ne cn Wee ee ik ae ae ok. used them- | i a ae two Chains had worked nee “i the ae ; ig no other occupant of the castle seemingly taking the au 14 Toast interest in the tower. /. There were three chambers in all, and every one was fast. They were also reemedintoly. above each - other. Ri x a _ “This is a licker for us, Morse!” said Jim, on the eine of the third day, as they sat on the stairs _ with small iron crowbars in their pads “we can't : DS make the blessed doors pudge a peg.” «They fit as close as wax,” said Morse. __ “ Couldn’t you blow them clean in ?” ie _ “Yes, at the risk of bringing the tower down.” | zg _ Through the keyholes they could see nothing. In- Bs side all was dark, The small orifices that served as windows were blocked. And again a suggestion from Ji im, that they should Eh "break away the woodwork of the door piecemeal, was foiled by the discovery that under a thin coating of : woodwork the door was solid steel. Ps 0 There is some ancient mystery behind this,” said _ Morse, tapping one of the doors as he lounged against Pe it ; “they were closed inside by somebody, who, in my belief, never came out again.” “Hang it!” exclaimed Jim, “there are three of Shon.” a _ “JT don’t care if there are thirty. That is my view Biot it.” “ But can you picture shee. persons making up their _ minds to shut themselves up at the same time in Daas one above another ?” | _ “The rooms may communicate in some way.” “Ah! Just so! I never thought of that.” - But whatever they might surmise, 1t gave them little comfort. They had to leave the subject where it had been all through—a mystery. _ Mr. Farrell, who had gained confidence and was _ gradually becoming himself again, now announced that it was his intention to resume the school, and “for, the present” the great hall would ‘have to be need for educational as well as gastronomical and | eneral purposes. _ It was, he declared, a makeshift only until he could a men over from Spain, and have another house ou an As for abandoning the school,” he said, lightly, oo” am not the man to be frightened by trifling hitches r outside wterference. I trust those who have had he temerity to upset us here for a while will recognise hat much now, and act accordingly:” This was a public statement he had the audacity to ke vi. the presence of them all. except Mrs. Farrell ivelin », and oe ahaa took cee the breath of fie. eM ig nt igi os ie my er ME 4 i et ? but full of life and spirits, and there is no doubt that , ) é asa) ie eect ela rs) ACE ‘ ey LB HN i : ‘ ae: . at, (He 1 e must ean a Selitic. that he can never be. interfered Wine ea: sald Terry, “to make so bold Be an assertion.” | Be Sys He also once more s urged on the boys the adv te ability of saying as little as possible in their letters me) a for home—indeed, as before, he expressly interdicted it, vet but he did not insist upon reading the correspondence — a before it was despatched. His Sas expec Dae forbade it. 4 a “ As the boats in the lagoon had been left auboncheda he there was no difficulty about mails, provided anyone Me would take them out on the days when Spanish mail- — ae boats might be expected to pass. Jim and his old a assistants of course volunteered for this duty, and | wh ljetters were prepared for home. | ~ On that very evening Rainstone and Felton, for the . M first time since they were wounded, reed their be places at the general table. They were still weak, : { oe —s ae hin Cee returning to the old course of things would materially is if assist” them towards convalescence, especially as there - re ave the Va wards walled the council tice and ce them their ry united opinion that the commands of Mr. Farrell ae ue with regard to letter-writing should be ignored. | ae i “We think,” said Jim, “that our friends_at home ought to know how we are fixed. Nap is such an . lidiat that an infant school is as much as he can mh manage. Besides, there are a lot of little fellows here who ought not to be exposed to any further | peril.” 4 ) “We big fellows can make light of the affair,” ae a Morse ; “ but school-keeping, under the circumstances, — isafarce. For my part, if we are to live a wild life, My at war with all kinds of savages, I would prefer doing it out and out.” ean i no “Tt is for others you speak, I know,” said Rainstone, “and I think you are right. Unless something | is aN done, the school will end with a horrible mess of some Te ii sort.” a Sty ‘‘Can’t we hang Nap ?” suggested Geneon es “Tf [ thought it would help matters,” said Steene, — : te grimly, “IT would make a gallows for him to-morrow.” Oe p “But it won't,” said Jim. ‘ My view of the case is — ‘ this: if we could thin the school down to about fifty, , ie | with a veal master—a man of pluck—at the head, we Re could enjoy life here. But with Nap, never. In pet ; times of peace he is an overbearing ass; in times of i rf trouble he is a cur. ‘ These are hard Words. I knows Thy but he certainly deserves them.” i he) A murmur of general assent followed this denun- ‘iit ciation of the schoolmaster, and it was settled that the NM bf Nf boys: er Pa tals to write haat just a they : , a aed 1h) rag bi is 4 ray . Wirt. ¥, SNA di i , ( ‘ Hy, p eine ies) Sag /p Mae Wye ie i any Ze) th) onl) gee ‘ HabH io nn i @ EQTNG| i ' we