The Cock-House at Fellsgarth Part 1

The c.o.c.k-House at Fellsgarth.

by Talbot Baines Reed.

CHAPTER ONE.

GREEN AND BLUE.

First-night at Fellsgarth was always a festive occasion. The holidays were over, and school had not yet begun. All day long, from remote quarters, fellows had been converging on the dear old place; and here they were at last, shoulder to shoulder, delighted to find themselves back in the old haunts. The glorious memories of the summer holidays were common property. So was not a little of the pocket-money. So, by rule immemorial, were the contents of the hampers. And so, as they discovered to their cost, were the luckless new boys who had to-day tumbled for the first time headlong into the whirlpool of public school life.

Does some one tell me he never heard of Fellsgarth? I am surprised.

Where can you have been brought up that you have never heard of the venerable ivy-clad pile with its watch-tower and two wings, planted there, where the rivers Shale and Shargle mingle their waters, a mile or more above Hawkswater? My dear sir, Fellsgarth stood there before the days when Henry the Eighth, (of whom you may have possibly heard in the history books) abolished the monasteries and, some wicked people do say, annexed their contents.

There is very little of the old place standing now. A piece of the wall in the head-master's garden and the lower b.u.t.tresses of the watch-tower, that is all. The present building is comparatively modern; that is to say, it is no older than the end of the Civil Wars, when some lucky adherent to the winning side built it up as a manor-house and disfigured the tower with those four pepper-castors at the corners. Successive owners have tinkered the place since then, but they cannot quite spoil it. Who can spoil red brick and ivy, in such a situation?

Not know Fellsgarth! Have you never been on Hawkswater then, with its lonely island, and the grey screes swooping down into the clear water?

And have you never seen Hawk's Pike, which frowns in on the fellows through the dormitory window? I don't ask if you have been up it. Only three persons, to my knowledge (guides and natives of course excepted), have done that. Yorke was one, Mr Stratton was another, and the other--but that's to be part of my story.

First-night, as I have said, was a specially "go-as-you-please" occasion at the school. Masters, having called over their roll, disappeared into their own quarters and discreetly heard nothing. Dames, having received and unpacked the "night-bags," retired elsewhere to wrestle with the big luggage. The cooks, having pa.s.sably satisfied the cravings of two hundred and fifty hungry souls, and having removed out of harm's way the most perishable of the crockery, shrugged their shoulders and shut themselves into the kitchens, listening to the noise and speculating on the joys of the coming term.

What a noise it was! Niagara after the rains, or an express train in a tunnel, or the north wind in a gale against the Hawk's Back might be able to beat it. But then Fellsgarth was not competing; each of the fellows was merely chatting pleasantly to his neighbours. It was hardly a fair trial. And yet it was not bad for the School. When Dangle, who owned the longest ear in the school, could not hear a word which Brinkman, who owned the loudest voice, shouted into it, it spoke somewhat for what Fellsgarth might do in the way of noise if it tried.

The only two persons who were not actively contributing to the general clamour were the two new boys who sat wedged in among a ma.s.s of juniors at one of the lower tables. They may have considered that the beating of their hearts was noisy enough. But people in this world are slow at hearing other people's hearts beat. No one seemed to notice it.

It is due to the stouter of these two young gentlemen to say that the beating of his heart, and the general state of amaze in which he found himself, did not interfere greatly with his appet.i.te. He had brought that accomplishment, if no other, from home, and not being engaged like those around him in conversation, he contrived to put away really a most respectable meal. Indeed, his exploits in this direction had already become a matter for remark among his neighbours.

"It's all right," said one of the juniors, who answered to the name of D'Arcy; "his b.u.t.tons are sewn on with wire. They'll hold."

"I suppose he's made of gutta-percha," observed another. "He'll stretch a little more before he's done."

"I say, what a bill he's running up! By the way, what do they charge for this kind of pudding?"

"It's a dear kind--and nothing like as good as the sort we get for regular. I never could understand why they make fellows sh.e.l.l out for what they eat first-night."

"It _is_ a swindle," said D'Arcy, solemnly. "I've had to make a very light meal, because I've only half a crown, and I'm afraid there won't be much change left out of that."

The new boy was just laying b.u.t.ter on a roll, and preparing to close the proceedings of the meal with a good square turn of bread and b.u.t.ter.

But as D'Arcy's words fell on his ears he suddenly stopped short and looked up.

"I say," said he, "isn't this dinner charged in the house bill then?"

D'Arcy laughed derisively.

"Well, you most be a m.u.f.f. Don't you know school doesn't begin till to- morrow? They give you dinner to-night, but you're not obliged to eat it."

The new boy took a gulp of water, which he calculated would be gratis under any circ.u.mstances, and then gasped--"I say, I didn't know that."

D'Arcy looked solemn. "Jolly awkward," said he; "what have you had?"

Whereupon Master Ashby, the new boy, entered on a detailed confession, which D'Arcy, evidently an expert at mental arithmetic, "totted up" as he went along.

"How many times pudding did you say?" he asked towards the end, "Twice and a bit."

"Three and ten; I dare say he won't be stiff about the bit, three and ten; and that roll and b.u.t.ter--"

"I've not eaten them."

"No, but you've touched them. You'll be charged, unless you can get a fellow to take them off your hands."

"Will _you_ have them?" asked Ashby.

Whereupon there was a laugh at _D'Arcy's_ expense, which annoyed that young gentleman.

"I don't want your second-hand grub. You'd better take it round and see what you can get for it."

Ashby looked at the bread, and then glanced round the table.

"No," said he, "I'll have it and pay for it, if it comes to that."

"That'll be four bob."

Ashby gave a gulp of despair.

"I've not got so much."

"Then you'll get in a jolly row."

"Could you lend me one and six, I say?" asked the new boy.

Again D'Arcy got the worst of the laugh.

"Didn't you hear me say I'd only just got enough to pay for my own? But I tell you what; you can hide under the table. You're not known."

Ashby looked round, and felt about with his foot under the table to ascertain what room there might be there. Then he flushed up. "No, I shan't," said he; "I'd get into the row instead."

As his eye travelled round and marked the curious smile on every face it suddenly dawned upon him that he had been "done." His first sensation was one of immense relief. He should not have to pay for his dinner after all! His second was a cunning device for getting out of the dilemma.

"I thought you'd begin to laugh soon," said he to D'Arcy. "I knew you couldn't keep it up."

D'Arcy turned very red in the face and glared at this audacious youngster in deserved wrath.

"What do you mean, you young a.s.s? You know you've swallowed it all."

"He swallowed all the grub anyhow," said another.

"No, I've not," said Master Ashby. "I'd have another go-in now. I knew he'd have to laugh in the end."

It was hopeless to deal seriously with a rebel of this sort. D'Arcy tried to ride off on the high horse; but it was not a very grand spectacle, and Ashby, munching up the remains of his roll, was generally held to have scored. The relief with which he hailed the discovery of his mistake was so genuine, and the good spirits and appet.i.te the incident put into him were so imperturbable, as to disarm further experiment at his expense, and he was left comparatively free to enjoy the noise and imbibe his first impression of Fellsgarth in his own way.