The Island School — page 342: what you’re looking at

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

i ie ip} i * OUP is “As i ag y r J » cit \ DL Va a NER 4 BES, 4 . ey SW * , ; “sD Ei hi, sy Ps a Cua € ot ae ss PHE COMING to think that the door is simply locked. Let me > .as usual. i it. downey ako in a tor ons thinking it advisable. Martin, who was kneeling down by the laboratory door listening, raised his head pial remarked on the stillness inside. “They will not be here now,” saidJim. “ We have another day’s respite.” At this moment Morse woke up, and, with a quick glance round, realised the position. Through the half-open door leading to the courtyard he saw the grey light of the morning. ‘‘ You have allowed me to skis too long, ” he said. “Nothing has occurred to disturb you,’ eeuked lim, *‘ Nobody has arrived.” Morse got up and surveyed the cee done upon and outside the door. He expressed his entire ap- proval of it.. “They will not force it in a roe he remarked. “They must come first,” said Changeling, with a humorous chuckle. Morse knelt down by the door and remained there for awhile. At last he got upon his feet and said quietly: “ They are there !” The startled look upon the fazes of his companions might have been followed by exclamations of surprise, but he checked them with an upraised hand. “Their game is to come upon us unawares,” he said, “therefore they will make nonoise. At this moment they are stealthily trying to force the door. They will time. They can hack the woodwork to pieces with their knives, or beat it to pulp with the butt ends of ‘their guns, but they will be wary of attracting our attention. They fully believe they have come upon us unawares.” “Well, what will they do ?” inquired Jim. _ “Give it up for the time and go back for some tools ‘to force the door to-morrow night. In their innocence they will not make a disturbance now that daylight is here.” * And to-morrow ?” “We shall see. Now Lam off on alittle mission you hall know all about when I return. I never like to talk about anything until it is done, in case of failure.” “Ts it anything we can dofor you ?” asked Martin. “ Surely you will be overdoing it.” _ “Tshall be back before breakfast,” said Morse. “Now you must make arrangements for everything to go on There must be no examining the barricade, or even talking about it. The beggars must continue i out.” 7 ge a out together and opened the gates, » ir of o1 10 eR for : a 1 obi stroll, he ah “a r t, if i hag ine S Ve OF THE FOE. os z _ fail, of course, or, at the worst, not succeed for some © es “ will be firing through the door. over there—cold pig? Io) eh ra he COREE BOX : MCE ‘ Sit Fibs Bagh 5 bits cg SEAS AY | ye, wer @ . Wiss it 7 Cit SAN PN Abcdiann gs AD Ne at MRE) daa POND eer ON : yin SY ka On Sed RN eb Rei a ae , Phe: opt) iis DE IE, 4 : ¥ J ee fe t " - ’ ‘ 8 sd Caries fellow, Morse,’ muttered Martin ; “ he wil | make a wonderful man.’ “Blessed if he don’t give me the shivers,” ade Changeling. “What with one ’splosive and Be Sj he will be lifting a town one day.” 2 They returned to the hall, and shortly afteumandee ie the relief sentries appeared, in the persons of Sleery | and Felton. They were enlightened as to the fresh | a | turn events had taken, and sent to their posts. _ a Then came Romeo and his progenitors, all of whom > received facers from the news, but acted with com | mendable discretion. And so on until, in due time, be all within the castle were aware of the facts. “Let everything go on as usual,” said Jim, in the ‘ ; words of Morse; “‘ breakfast in the hall, and you will please laugh vd chatter as usual. Be more noisy — and merrier, if you like.” cm be Miss Elegantine was positively the last ae and — she had a question to puty to Jim bearing upon a pros us bability. | | “ Are those creatures armed ?” she asked. t ve | “ Certainly,” replied Jim. | “ With rifles ?” ““Some have them for a ameley. r 9 “Then,” said Miss Elegantine, emphatically, “ they And who, do you think, can eat and drink with that going on ?” ae This was a contingency, of course, but Jim assured her, on the faith he had in Morse’s view of things, that it was not likely to happen. — jk M “And as soon as the first shots fired,” he said, “we can clear out.” “Unless one Slit to get the bullet,” need Miss Hlegantine. ‘ I shall take my meals in the court- yard.” It was cold, but, stabiied with a sense of fear, n not unnatural under the circumstances, she put up with that. Choosing the warmest corner by the | chief tower, she carried a stool there and partook « breakfast in solemn solitude, while the rest ate and drank and were fictitiously merry. | oo” It was a serious thing—far more serious Shan any- thing that had happened before—to have the enemy | fairly within the castle. Held at bay, it is true, but for how long? They all realised their peril, and J im thought deeply over the matter as he sat at table. i Morse came in and quietly sat down by his side. Beyond a slight flush upon his cheeks there was a appearance of excitement about him. a ‘‘Give me some coffee,” he said; “and what is tha Mi Send along some of it. I have worked up an appetite.” Jim, accustomed to his ways, merely asked him in an undertone if all was well. ik ‘Yes, as far as I’ve gone,” he answered, and tum: a Pi ~~ i