Burr Junior Part 40

"This way," he said shortly, and we went out into the pa.s.sage once more, while my heart began to flutter, and I wondered whether I could bear a caning without showing that I suffered, and, to be frank, I very much doubted my power in what would be to me quite a new experience. I set my teeth though, and mentally vowed I would try and bear it manfully.

It was all waste energy, for Mr Rebble threw open the door of our dormitory again, drew back for us to enter, and said, with a nasty malicious laugh, as if he enjoyed punis.h.i.+ng us,--

"Not a morsel of anything till that bread is eaten."

Then the door was closed, sharply locked, the key withdrawn, and his steps died away.

"What a take in!" grumbled Mercer, as we looked round the neat, clean bedroom, and realised that we had only been locked up in the other place while the maids came to make the beds. "I was all screwed up tight, and would have taken my caning without so much as a squeak. Couldn't you?"

"I don't know," I said, "but I felt ready to go on with it, and now I suppose we shall have to wait."

To our great disgust, we did have to wait hour after hour. We heard the fellows go out from school, and their voices came ringing through the clear summer air, and then we heard them come in to dinner; but we were not called down, nothing was sent up to us, and, though we kept watch at the window looking down into the shrubbery, there was no sign of the cook, and the kite string remained unused.

"But she's sure to come some time," said Mercer. "She won't let old Reb starve us. Hi! look there. Old Lomax. There he goes."

Sure enough, the old sergeant marched down the road, and we watched till he was out of sight, but he did not see us.

"I wonder what he thought when we did not go for our lesson this morning," I said.

"Oh, he had heard of it, safe," cried Mercer. "Hark, there they go out from dinner. I say, I'm getting tired of this. They must have us down soon."

But quite an hour pa.s.sed away, and we stood sadly looking out at the beautiful view, which never looked more attractive, and we were trying to make out where the hammer pond lay among the trees, when I suddenly nipped Mercer's arm, and we began to watch a light cart, driven by a grey-haired gentleman, with a groom in livery with a c.o.c.kade in his hat seated by his side, and a big dark fellow in velveteen behind.

"Is he coming here?" whispered Mercer, as we drew back from the window.

We knew he must be, and, peering from behind the white window-curtains, we saw the great fiery-looking roan horse turn at a rapid trot through the open gates, then the wheels of the light, cart seemed to be pulled up at the front entrance, where we saw the groom spring down, and heard the jangle of the big front door bell.

Then we sat down on our chairs by the heads of our beds and waited, and not long, for we soon heard steps on the stairs.

"It's coming now," said Mercer, drawing a long breath.

"Yes, it's coming now," I echoed softly, as a curious sensation of dread ran through me, and directly after the door was unlocked, and Mr Rebble appeared.

"Now, young gentlemen," he said, with a perfectly satisfied air, "the Doctor will see you both in his room."

CHAPTER FIFTEEN.

We followed him, and as we turned through the baize door so as to go down the front staircase, Mercer and I managed to exchange a grip of the hand.

Directly after, we caught sight of the great roan horse at the door champing its bit, and sending flakes of foam flying over its glossy coat, and I noticed even then that one white spot fell on the groom's dark brown coat.

Then, once more drawing a deep breath, we walked in together through the door Mr Rebble threw open, and closed behind us, when, as if through a mist, I saw the Doctor sitting at a writing-table, looking very stern and portly, the General, grey, fierce, and rather red-faced, seated a little way to the Doctor's right, with his malacca cane between his legs, and his hands, in their bright brown gloves, resting on the ivory handle, so that his arms and elbows stood out squarely; while again on his right, about a couple of yards away, stood big, dark, and burly-looking Bob Hopley, in his best brown velveteen jacket.

"Er-rum!" coughed the Doctor as the door was closed, and we looked sharply round at the stern faces before us, Bob Hopley favouring us with a solemn wink, which I interpreted to mean, "I forgive you, my lads."

Then the Doctor spoke.

"Stand there, Thomas Mercer and Frank Burr. That will do. Now, Sir Hawkhurst, will you have the goodness to repeat the charge in their presence."

The old officer faced fiercely round on the Doctor.

"Hang it all, sir!" he cried; "am I the magistrate, or are you?"

"You are the magistrate, sir," said the Doctor gravely, "but I am the master. The distinction is slight, but I allow no one to stand between me and my boys. Unless you are going to proceed legally against them to punish I must request you to let me be their judge."

"Beg pardon, beg pardon," said the General sharply, "Old soldier, sir-- been much in India, and the climate made me hot. Go on!"

I glanced at him quickly as I heard him mention India, and he caught my eye, and shook his fist at me fiercely.

"You young dog!" he roared; "how dare you come after my rabbits!"

"Excuse me," said the Doctor.

"Yes, yes, of course. Well, Doctor Browne, my keeper and I were out taking a look round at the young pheasants in their coops last evening, when we took these confounded young dogs red-handed, ferreting rabbits with that scoundrelly poaching vagabond you have taken into your service, when n.o.body else would give him a job."

"Ah, yes," said the Doctor blandly, "you complained of my employing that man, Sir Hawkhurst. The fact is, he came to me, saying that he had been cruelly misjudged, that he was half starved, and begged me to give him a job. I did so, to give him another chance. Of course, after this, and the fact that my gardener gives him a very bad character and seems much dissatisfied, I shall not employ him again."

"And very wisely," said the old officer. "Well, sir, that's all I've got to say. That is my evidence."

"Thank you," said the Doctor magisterially. "And you, my good man, were with your master, and saw the boys--my boys--engaged there?"

"Yes, sir," said Bob Hopley, touching the black curls over his forehead.

"Rabbit and ferret produced."

As he spoke, he pulled out of one big pocket the dead rabbit, and out of the other the twining and writhing ferret, at which the Doctor gazed with interest through his gold spectacles.

"Singular animal!" said the Doctor, "specially designed by nature for threading its way through the narrow labyrinthine burrows of the rabbit and the rat."

"Confound it all, sir!" said the General--"I beg pardon, I beg pardon."

During the last few minutes the wheels of a carriage had been heard on the gravel drive, and the dog-cart had been driven aside. Then the big bell had clanged, and all had been silent again. For the moment, I had wondered whether it was a parish constable come for us, but the next I had forgotten all about it, till one of the maids entered, with a couple of cards on a tray, which she went round and handed to the Doctor.

"Bless me!" he exclaimed, flus.h.i.+ng, as the General made an impatient gesture, and relieved his feelings by shaking his fist at us both, while Bob Hopley began to smooth the ferret with his great brown, hairy hand.

"Well, sir?" said the General.

"Excuse me," said the Doctor. "A most curious coincidence. Two visitors."

"No, sir, no visitors now; business, if you please. Those two boys--"

"Excuse me," said the Doctor blandly. "The two visitors are the relatives of one of these boys."

Mercer gave quite a start, and I pitied him.

Poor Tom's father and mother, I said mentally, and then I gave a start too, for the General said fiercely,--

"By George! then they couldn't have come better. Show them in, and I'll have a word or two with the boy's father."