The Island School — page 70: what you’re looking at

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

THE HOLIDAYS AT surprised at you. school into contempt. From the first I proposed to act entirely on my own judgment, and I cannot depart from it now. There is, | assure you, no cause for fear. ‘Take my word for it.” “Do mot forget the murder of Mr. Stebbing, sir,” urged Jim. “~T have not forgotten it—how can I?” replied Mr. Farrell. “It is a matter that must be left to me to report.” “Very well, sir,” said Jim, not dreaming that it was the intention of the schoolmaster to do any ching further in it. Not another word was ee between them on the subject, but that night Jim summoned the Council of Ten to meet before breakfast on the following morning at the castle. \ CHAPTER XXV. THE HOLIDAYS AT HAND, HATEVER the deliberations of the council may have been, we must for the present pass them by. There was now one absorb- ing topic on the minds of the majority of the boys, and that was—the holidays were at hand. It. is true they would have to spend them on the island, but that was part of the agreement entered into by their parents and guardians, and the school- master. Of course, if a boy was weary of the life he could leave, but getting away was a matter of difficulty and creat expense, except at stated times, when Mr. Farrell arranged for those leaving to be taken on to Gibraltar, and thence conveyed home by ordinary passenger ship. On these occasions there had hitherto been other pupils awaiting the launch here, coming by certain vessels as appointed. But the holiday time was one of freedom. Within a certain limit, picnics and exploring parties were allowed. Camping out could also be indulged in, and on this occasion it was understood that some of the elder boys, accompanied by one or more of the men, would be permitted to explore the hitherto forbidden wood, And the cave discovered in the chine was also reserved for holiday exploration, for it pleased Mr. Farrell to so arrange it. “That place will not run away,” he said, in response to a request from Morse and others to be allowed to Needless alarm can only bring the | visit it, “ ee —_—_—_—_———_— O00 ___a_—sg4g ST RE ,one-half of his share. HAND. 55 and being open for a time will cleanse it of the foul gases therein at the time it was opened up. Possibly I may think it desirable to visit it prior to my giving permission, but I will not make sure about that.” In restraining the boys, he omitted to put a veto on the men visiting it, and there was one who especially desired to penetrate the mysteries of the cave, for he had got it into his head that some vast treasure was surely hidden there. This was Old Chorker, but not being endowed with more courage than was wanted on ordinary occasions, he dared not venture alone. Who, then, among his fellow men could he ask to accompany him ? He thought of Rob Changeling, and rejected himas a scofier and scorner of better men than himself—in- cluding Chorker, of course. Then he pondered on the advisability of getting Martin to go, but there was no love lost between him and Martin. When the treasure was found, he might be disposed to claim it all. From him he carried his mind to the rest of the — working masters, and found none suitable. Weighed — in the balance, they all lacked something, Finally his mind turned to Romeo. Here was the person who would be most suitable. Romeo was tall and strong; he was also simple, and when it came to dividing the spoil a man of Chorker’s ability could easily bamboozle him out of Yes, Romeo was the very man. | So Romeo was approached by the wary Chorker, and his mind having been inflamed by a prospect of future wealth, easily acquired, he readily fell in with the proposal. As it was known that the boys would be free to go to the cave on the very first day of the holidays, Chorker elected to visit 16 the night before. “We'll clean the place out, Romeo, afore they gets there,’ said Chorker—he sat in the scullery upon a table, swinging his legs about—“ and so get the laugh of them.” “Wat yer goin’ to do wif de money: Romeo. ‘Bury it in the sand till we can cut the business of playing slave to Farrell,” answered Chorker. “ You leave it to me. And mind this: not a word to your father or the old man.” Romeo had no intention of revealing the secret en- trusted to him, and said so. Then he fetched a mug of table-beer, and they drank success to the expedi- tion. About two days before the actual breaking another mailboat was expected, by which letters could be sent home. The boys were enjoined not to say a word about their previous loss, but to write as if nothing had happened. 977 inquired mnicboo (ee) CS CoO mn