The Island School — page 72: what you’re looking at

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

THE MISSING ROMEO, : 57 “What for?” “Oh, he knows that I have removed my things there, and it is just possible he may have gone up to get a peep at them.” “JT should think,” remarked Jim, “that the dose of explosives he had in the chine would have made him shyrof them for ever.” “ No,’ said Morse, “niggers soon forget, and Romeo’s head is like a sieve. Curiosity is the master emotion within him. He must yield, when it rises in his breast.” ‘Suppose he has gone to the castle—what then ?” *‘T did a foolish thing this evening, Jim: After spending some time in arranging my bottles and so on, I came away, leaving the key zm the door.” ‘ How came you to do it P” “Sheer forgetfulness. Iwas thinking out a new idea, and must have come away oblivious of every- thing else. Now, if Romeo has really gone up there, and should get meddling with certain things he will find there, he will get into trouble, I fear.” “ What would be the final result ?” asked Jim. Well, I should say that if he touches a certain compound, and gets fooling with it, he and the greater part of the castle will go upwards, half-way to the moon.” ‘ Suppose we run up to make sure he is not there ?” suggested Jim. °“T was thinking of going up for the key,” replied Morse. “It will be safer in any case. You go in, and when the boys ask where I am, you can say that Iam busy. I daresay that when I get to my den in the castle, [ shall work all night. My new idea is a fizzer, and | am eager to see how it will go.” “ But, old man,’ remonstrated Jim, “ you will never think of passing the night up there.” ‘Why not?” was the quiet reply. “There is no school to-morrow, and a night without sleep won’t hurt me.” * But alone, old fellow ?” “T must be alone when I am really at work. I can only endure company when I exhibit results.” “You must have a wonderful nerve,” said Jim, admiringly. | “Not more than others,” said Morse. “TI daresay, as Iam going up the path and when I am passing through the gates of the castle, I shall feel a bit of a funk coming over me; but as soon as I am in my laboratory, and at work, I shall forget all else. Now, Jim, time is precious, if Romeo is up yonder. Good- bye. Look for me in the morning.” It was a way with Morse to stop all remonstrance, when he was bent on doing a difficult or dangerous thing, by speeding away; and before Jim could say another word he had che Gi in the gloom of the "ee M, i HAE ni t j U4 s Sie Ni M5) ; a ; e - pi As a lover of research into the more violent | qualities of the earth, Morse had few equals of his age in the wide world. On the island he stood alone in that respect. It was an all-absorbing passion with him. Jim, not feeling so Gout interested, was not at all desirous of passing the night in the castle, although he would have done so if his company had been desired by Morse. The hall was filled with boys removing their boots and exchanging them for slippers; and the Babel of voices was as the babbling of many brooks. Jim passed through the mass, exchanging a word with one or two here and there, and finally found a place for sitting down on the stairs beside Terry. “Morse has gone up to the castle experimenting,” he said. “Murder!” exclaimed Terry, “what a nerve he must have !” “IT mention it because he will be missed,” said Jim. “It won't do for Nap or any of the masters to know it. They would make a howling row over it.” On one side of the hall there was a long cupboard with sliding doors. Inside its shallow interior were many lines of numbered pigeon-holes, of the class | used in railway stations to keep luggage-tickets, only larger. It was there the slippers of the boys were kept, each pair having its own pigeon-hole. Jim called out for number ninety-three, and in a few moments his slippers came flying over the heads of the noisy boys. He caught them dexterously, thank ing his unseen helper. Then the voices of some of the heads of the dormitories were heard calling for order, and a com- parative silence ensued, as the little host hastened to | the different rooms. Owing to their being later than usual, the masters were not long in following them, and by eleven o’clock all except Morse and two others were in bed. The two were Macbeth and Hamlet, who sat trembling in the kitchen, not daring to go to bed till Romeo should return and with his all-potent hand arrange the cross-sticks as a barrier against ghosts. Speculation had been freely indulged in by them as to the cause of Romeo’s absence, but it all ended in each idea being rejected, until a dread thought came to Macbeth. It was of such a fearful nature that his white wool quivered on the top of his head. ‘‘ Hamlet,” he said, with a gasp, “‘ de moral trufe ob dis job hab come to me!” “ What am it?” croaned Hamlet. “Dem sperrits hab got de boy and tuk him away agen !” ‘But he tell us dat he sperrit-proof ?” “He tinks so,” said Macbeth, cunningly, ‘and f ‘. ¢/ WY mint Ah iy ud nt cae wey HE ) ere na tice a ee a j Oe rt See { 7