The King of the School, or, Who will Win? — page 42: what you’re looking at

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

30 some very strange noises were heard all over the house long after we had gone to bed. Don’t you remember, Charlie ? Don’t you, Marsham ?” The two youths addressed, having a} recollection of the uproar caused by a bolstering match, assented, and the hour having struck, they all retired. At Lexicon College the bed-rooms were arranged on each side of two long corridors, one on the first floor and one | above. | Some were occupied by parties of four, six, or even eight small boys; but the seniors slept two in a room, The Earl of Pembridge in consider- ation of his rank, had an apartment to himself; and so did Webber, his com- panion, having been sent to that part of the building devoted to the sick. The boy had caught a violent influ- enza and inflammation of the throat through not wrapping himself up pro- perly after taking violent exercise on the water. Half-an-hour was allowed them to disrobe, then a bell sounded, and all | candles were extinguished. On this particular night, a few minutes after the lights were out,a little party assembled in the earl’s bed-room to partake of a second supper of cold chicken, cherry pie, and sherry. The youngsters did not trouble about a candle, for the window was wide open, the moon was half-full, and the road to the mouth is never very difficult to discover. | Frank Everton, Fitzgerald, Marsham, and Lascelles were there, but they still waited for Freddy Webber. | Egerton, as KING oF THE SCHOOL, occupied the post of honour at the head of the tabie, the host being on his right hand, | The feast was spread, and the boys felt hungry. ‘‘ What can keep Freddy, I wonder ?” said Fitzgerald, “ Perhaps he has frightened himself with his own ghost story, and dares not venture along the corridor,” suggested Lascelles THE KING OF THE SCHOOL; OR, WHO WILL WIN? “T should like to bet two to one that Freddy does not believe in the super- natural more than any of the rest of us,” said Marsham. | _ Just then the door quietly opened, and Webber entered. The others could just see by the dim light in the room that his face seemed brimful of suppressed mirth; but he offered no explanation, and the feast commenced. Dr, Whackley was well aware that the boys were in the habit of meeting in each other’s rooms after hours, but so long as no disturbance was made he closed his eyes to this breach of the rules. For some time they enjoyed them- selves quietly enough, conversing in low tones, and pledging each other in tum blers of sherry and waters. | Suddenly they heard a very, very slight tap at the door. “Come in,” said the host, thinking | that perhaps some other boy had heard of the feast and wished to join them. There was no answer to this invita- tion, but a few seconds afterwards they again heard the sounds—tap, tap— followed by a slight scratching sound. Lascelles, who happened to be sitting nearest the door, looked out immediately, fancying that some practical joke was being played. Not a living being to be seen! He hearda rattling, pattering noise, though, towards the end of the corridor. “Some of the fellows are getting up a spree,” said the boy, as reseating him- self at the table he reported what he had (or rather, had not) seen. “ They had better mind what they are about,” observed the Earl of Pembridge. Frank Egerton said nothing, but placed the water jug on the floor beside his chair, in evident readiness for a raid on the disturbers, For some time all was silent, except that sundry sounds from the rooms be- neath told them that others had been similarly disturbed. Webber’s face, as seen by the moon light, was a picture of delight, co MAICLOOC EO mn