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+*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 60604 ***
+
++-------------------------------------------------+
+|Transcriber's note:                              |
+|                                                 |
+|Obvious typographic errors have been corrected.  |
+|                                                 |
++-------------------------------------------------+
+
+
+NEW POPULAR BOOKS FOR BOYS.
+
+Uniform in size with this Volume.
+
+
+_By H. ESCOTT INMAN._
+
+DAVID CHESTER'S MOTTO--
+
+"HONOUR BRIGHT."
+
+With 16 Original Illustrations.
+
+LOYAL AND TRUE.
+
+With 16 Original Illustrations.
+
+THE SECOND FORM MASTER OF ST. CYRIL'S.
+
+With 16 Original Illustrations.
+
+
+_By J. HARWOOD PANTING._
+
+CLIVE OF CLAIR COLLEGE.
+
+With 16 Original Illustrations by RAYMOND POTTER.
+
+THE HERO OF GARSIDE SCHOOL.
+
+With 16 Original Illustrations by ERNEST HASSELDINE.
+
+
+_By M. B. MANWELL._
+
+THE BOYS OF MONKS HAROLD.
+
+With 16 Original Illustrations.
+
+
+_By S. WALKEY._
+
+KIDNAPPED BY PIRATES.
+
+With numerous Illustrations by PAUL HARDY.
+
+
+_By EDGAR PICKERING._
+
+THE CRUISE OF THE ANGEL.
+
+With Original Illustrations by LANCELOT SPEED.
+
+
+_By the REV. ERIC LISLE._
+
+UNDER HONOUR'S FLAG.
+
+With Original Illustrations by G. H. EVISON.
+
+
+LONDON: FREDERICK WARNE & CO.
+
+AND NEW YORK.
+
+
+
+
+UNDER HONOUR'S FLAG
+
+[Illustration: "FORGETFUL OF ALL PRECAUTION ELGERT STRUCK A SAVAGE
+BLOW AT HIM." _Frontispiece._ [_see p. 257._]
+
+
+
+
+Under Honour's Flag
+
+
+By the
+REV. ERIC LISLE
+
+
+WITH ORIGINAL ILLUSTRATIONS BY
+G. H. EVISON.
+
+
+[Illustration: Logo]
+
+
+LONDON
+FREDERICK WARNE & CO
+AND NEW YORK
+
+(_All rights reserved_)
+
+
+
+
+BUTLER & TANNER
+THE SELWOOD PRINTING WORKS
+FROME AND LONDON
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS
+
+CHAPTER                                            PAGE
+     I A STRANGE AFFAIR                               1
+
+    II A CRUEL IMPLICATION                           15
+
+   III MR. ST. CLIVE PROVES HIMSELF A TRUE FRIEND    25
+
+    IV RALPH'S FIRST DAY AT SCHOOL                   35
+
+     V MAKING THINGS STRAIGHT                        45
+
+    VI AN EARLY MORNING SPIN                         55
+
+   VII HORACE ELGERT GOES A LITTLE TOO FAR           65
+
+  VIII A MYSTERIOUS MIDNIGHT VISITOR                 75
+
+    IX ALTOGETHER BEYOND EXPLANATION                 84
+
+     X COUNSELS AND PROMISES                         94
+
+    XI GOING IN FOR GRINDING                        103
+
+   XII THE STOLEN BANKNOTE                          113
+
+  XIII DIVIDED OPINIONS                             122
+
+   XIV BY THE RIVER SIDE                            131
+
+    XV THE LOST POCKET-BOOK                         140
+
+   XVI THINGS LOOK BLACK FOR RALPH                  150
+
+  XVII THE PLOT THAT FAILED                         159
+
+ XVIII WHERE THE BANKNOTE WENT                      168
+
+   XIX THE LAME HORSE ONCE MORE                     177
+
+    XX TO MR. ST. CLIVE'S                           186
+
+   XXI A HOUSE OF REFUGE                            195
+
+  XXII AN AFTERNOON RAMBLE                          204
+
+ XXIII THE RUIN AND THE LONELY HOUSE                213
+
+  XXIV FOR THE SAKE OF REVENGE                      222
+
+   XXV JUST IN TIME                                 231
+
+  XXVI TOM WARREN SPEAKS HIS MIND                   240
+
+ XXVII IN THE DEAD OF THE NIGHT                     249
+
+XXVIII THE NEXT DAY                                 259
+
+  XXIX WHAT TINKLE AND GREEN CAUGHT                 268
+
+   XXX WHAT DETAINED RALPH REXWORTH                 277
+
+  XXXI THE TABLES ARE TURNED                        286
+
+ XXXII FLOGGED AND EXPELLED                         294
+
+XXXIII CONCLUSION                                   303
+
+
+
+
+UNDER HONOUR'S FLAG
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I
+
+A STRANGE AFFAIR
+
+
+The late autumn afternoon was rapidly drawing in, closing ominously and
+sullenly, as if rebelling against the approach of the winter, and the
+nearer coming of the night.
+
+Great banks of purple vapour rose in the west; and sinking towards the
+earth, spread abroad in hazy wreaths, which seemed to possess, in a
+fainter degree, the hues of their parent clouds above.
+
+The air was heavy with moisture, which condensed and dripped from the
+red leaves of the sycamore, the brown of the beech, and the yellow of
+lime and poplar. It glistened on the rich green of the crimson-berried
+hollies; it begemmed the festooning webs of the weaving spiders; and
+brought with it a chilling breath which seemed to strike through one.
+
+In that gloaming hour a man and youth toiled wearily up the steep hill
+over which the main road runs before it descends into the quaint old
+town of Stow Ormond; yet as they reached the summit they hastened
+their steps, with the air of those who were drawing near to a welcome
+resting-place.
+
+The man was tall and refined-looking; and though a crisp, curling beard
+and full moustache hid the greater part of his face, the features
+visible revealed determination and strong will, and their bronzed hue
+showed plainly that their owner had lived beneath warmer skies than
+those of England. And yet, despite health and good looks and strength
+of will, an expression of anxiety was there; and as he walked along he
+appeared to be more occupied with his own thoughts than in attending to
+the remarks of the lad by his side, whose questions he frequently left
+unanswered.
+
+The boy was so like the man that there could be little room for
+doubting that they were father and son; a well-built, handsome youth,
+with the same bronzed cheek, but with an expression on his face which
+indicated the utmost disgust with his surroundings. This was his first
+experience of a damp, chill autumn mist, and he did not like it in the
+least.
+
+Both the travellers were comfortably clad, though their clothes seemed
+cut more for comfort than with a regard to fashion; indicating that
+they certainly were not from the workshop of any fashionable tailor.
+
+Reaching the top of the hill, the two wayfarers paused; and the man,
+pointing down into the town which lay before them, said, with a sigh of
+relief:
+
+"There you are, Ralph! That is our destination for to-night; it may be
+our haven for many days."
+
+"Funny looking place," laughed the boy. "But all these English towns
+are funny, after the plains and the mountains. And it is funny," he
+added, "that I am an English boy, and yet am talking like that."
+
+"Not funny, lad, seeing that you have never set foot in your native
+land before. Ah me, it is not funny to me! It comes back like the
+faces of old familiar friends. The scenes of childhood's happiness,
+and youth's hopes and follies. All changed, and yet nothing changed;
+and I myself unchanged, and yet most changed of all! Come," he went
+on, "you are tired, for we have walked a long way, and have had a long
+railway journey into the bargain. Unless things are altered down there,
+we shall find a comfortable old inn where we can put up, Ralph--a real
+old English inn. Quite different from the hotels where we have stopped.
+Come on, lad!"
+
+Changing his handbag from one cramped hand to the other, the lad obeyed
+the call, and trudged forward briskly with the strong, elastic step of
+buoyant youth. At first he poured out a string of questions relative
+to life in English towns; but one or two being unanswered, he glanced
+towards his father, and perceiving him buried in thought again, he
+walked on in silence, yet keen-eyed, noting everything around.
+
+A few scattered cottages and outlying buildings passed, the pair
+were in the precincts of the town itself; and almost one of the first
+houses they came to was the one the father sought--a quaint, thatched,
+many-gabled old place, with commodious stabling and a great creaking
+sign-post near the horse trough, giving the information to all who
+cared to possess it that this was the _Horse and Wheel Inn_, wherein
+might be found accommodation for both man and beast.
+
+"Just the same! Nothing changed!" murmured the man as the two arrived
+at the spot. "Twenty years have brought no revolution here. Come, lad!"
+And he entered the old hostelry.
+
+A bonnie waiting-maid met them; and in response to the man's query if
+they could have a room she called the landlord, a portly old fellow,
+with bald head fringed with grey hair, a pair of twinkling merry
+eyes beneath overhanging brows, and a face wherein all the principal
+features seemed to be entered into a competition as to which could look
+the ruddiest.
+
+"Have a room, sir?" said this individual, in a voice which seemed to
+proceed from his boots. "Ay, that you can, sir, and all else that you
+require. Here, Mary girl, show the gentleman to Number Ten! Have the
+bags carried up, and serve their dinner in the private room."
+
+"Number Ten!" said the guest, as he heard the number given. "Come on,
+Ralph, I know the way!" And he led his son upstairs with the air of
+one who did indeed know, much to the worthy landlord's astonishment,
+who murmured to himself as he waddled off to attend to some waggoners--
+
+"He must ha' been here before; but I don't remember his face in the
+least."
+
+"He does not recognize me," mused his guest, in his turn. "How should
+he, after all those years? Poor old Simon, he has not changed much! A
+little stouter, a little huskier, and more shaky; that is all. Time has
+dealt gently with him!"
+
+The meal, which was ordered and duly served, proved that the _Horse
+and Wheel_, whatever it might do for beasts, claimed no more than its
+due when it came to accommodating the beast's master, man; and the
+appetites of the travellers enabled them to do ample justice to the
+food, served in a room rendered all the more cheerful by the roaring
+fire--a good, old-fashioned English fire--which blazed away in the
+capacious fireplace.
+
+But the meal over, the gentleman rose and donned hat and coat, turning
+to his son when he had done so.
+
+"Ralph," he said, "I am going out by myself. I have not brought you
+across the ocean and to this place for nothing. I have business to do
+here which may affect all your future life. What that business is, lad,
+I cannot tell you just now; but you shall know of it presently. I shall
+not be away long--not more than an hour or two--and you can spend the
+time as you like. I do not suppose that you will find much in the shape
+of literature here, beyond a copy or two of some local paper or an
+agricultural magazine. They won't interest you much, so you must occupy
+the time as best you can. Prospect around a bit, but don't miss your
+way, or you will find it harder to pick up trails again here than you
+would out yonder where we have come from."
+
+"I shall be all right, father," the boy answered, rather pleased than
+otherwise to be left alone for a little. Every lad of fourteen with any
+spirit in him rather likes that kind of thing.
+
+"Of course you will be. You cannot very well get into harm, and you are
+not the boy to get into mischief. Well, good-bye, my lad, and to-morrow
+if all is well, I will show you what English rural scenery is like, and
+you will find it is more beautiful than it has seemed to you yet." And
+with that the gentleman went out, leaving the boy alone.
+
+At first Ralph wandered round the rooms and examined all the funny,
+old-fashioned pictures, and frowned at some old-time Dresden ornaments
+of shepherds and shepherdesses in Court attire, as though he was not
+quite sure whether they were intended for pagan idols or not; and then,
+getting tired of this, he put on his hat and strolled down into the inn
+yard, where he found more to interest him in an ostler who was busily
+grooming a couple of powerful waggon horses. Ralph had never seen a
+real cart-horse before, for the horses he had been accustomed to were
+little, thin, wiry creatures, all sinew and bone, and spirit--horses
+that could go, and would go, until they dropped, but pigmies compared
+to these mighty creatures--the largest of all the species.
+
+Then he picked up a long coil of rope lying near and examined it
+with critical eye, which yet seemed to disapprove of its texture and
+quality; and then, idly fashioning a running noose at one end, he
+coiled that rope up, and sent it with a flying jerk over a post thirty
+feet away.
+
+The man stared and paused in his work.
+
+"Ay, but ye couldn't do that again, sir," he ventured; and Ralph, with
+a little flush of something like conceit, immediately repeated his
+performance.
+
+"That be main clever," said the man, and he shambled off to get "Tom"
+and "Garge" and "Luke" to come and see the young gentleman's wonderful
+deed.
+
+Ralph was delighted, and he varied his work by sending the noose over
+one of the men as he ran at full speed across the yard. It was nothing
+to him; he had handled a rope as soon as he had handled anything, and
+he wondered at the surprise the thing caused to these men.
+
+[Illustration: "SENDING THE NOOSE OVER ONE OF THE MEN AS HE RAN AT
+FULL SPEED ACROSS THE YARD." p. 7]
+
+A drove of cattle passed, and Ralph paused and regarded them with
+interest. They were good beasts, but nothing like the troublesome
+wild cattle which he had known. They seemed perfectly contented with
+everything in this life.
+
+"They are very quiet," he observed, and the man nodded.
+
+"They be quiet enough, sir, but there be a bull in yonder paddock; ye
+will see him in a minute, for they will be coming to drive him back to
+his shed; and he be very savage. He ha' killed two poor chaps now, and
+it be a risky job dealing with him. He be quiet enough as a rule; but
+when his temper is bad, then he is bad, too--and very bad."
+
+"I would like to see him," was the boy's answer; and almost before
+the words were out of his mouth he had his wish granted; for a fierce
+bellow of deep-voiced rage was heard, and rushing along, a broken
+halter streaming behind, there came a magnificent black bull, while
+in his rear, shouting and waving their arms in distress, ran two men,
+who had evidently been engaged in bringing the monster home when he
+had turned upon them, and sent them spinning this way and that ere he
+darted off.
+
+Every one in the way rushed to the nearest cover without ceremony; and
+then a wild scream of terror broke on the air, and Ralph saw, directly
+in the fierce creature's path, a pretty girl, seemingly but a year
+younger than himself; a girl transfixed with fright, standing there,
+directly in the pathway of horrible injury, if not death!
+
+And what could he do? He who had been used to cattle was the only one
+who kept his courage. Had he been in the saddle and armed with a good
+stock whip the thing would have been touch and go; but he had nothing,
+and he could not tackle the bull empty-handed.
+
+Stay, there was one thing--the rope! A chance, but a slender one. Quick
+as a flash he put a couple of turns round the post he had been aiming
+at and gathered the noose for a cast. The bull came thundering along
+the road, head down, tail out, snorting with rage and defiance. If it
+kept on like that it would pass quite close to him. He put another turn
+round the post. The shorter the rope the better the chance; and then,
+hand and eye acting in unison, he sent the noose round his head and
+made his cast. If he succeeded the bull would be over, if he failed the
+girl must go down.
+
+And succeed he did. It was to him quite an easy throw. The noose
+settled fairly over those curving horns. There was a jerk, a roar of
+rage and fear, and the great struggling creature was hurled forward so
+violently, through the force of its flight, that it fell in a cloud of
+scattered mud and stones, and lay half stunned and wholly bewildered.
+
+Ralph, with a cry of thankfulness, ran forward, and pulled the girl
+from her dangerous proximity to its mighty legs, just as a gentleman,
+pale with terror, rushed from a shop near by, where he had been giving
+some orders.
+
+"Irene!" he cried. "My little Irene! Thank Heaven that you are safe!"
+Then, as he saw the bull still noosed, and now in the hands of several
+men, he went on--
+
+"But who did that? Who stopped the bull in that way?" and a dozen hands
+pointed to Ralph, who stood there feeling rather confused and awkward,
+and wishing that he could run away. Young ladies were more terrible
+things in his eyes than were angry bulls; and this young lady was
+thanking him so prettily, while her father, for so the gentleman was,
+kept shaking his hand, hardly able to voice his gratitude. He seemed
+overcome with a sense of the good hand of Providence in the matter.
+
+"You are staying at the inn," he said. "I must return and express my
+thanks to your father. I will take my little daughter home first and
+then come back. Perhaps he will be in by then. What is your name, my
+dear young gentleman?"
+
+"Ralph Rexworth," the lad answered. And the gentleman answered--
+
+"And mine is Hubert St. Clive, and if ever I can be of service to you I
+shall think nothing too much to enable me to show some return for what
+you have done for me and mine this evening."
+
+It was really a relief to Ralph when Mr. St. Clive had gone, and he was
+glad to get back to his room and escape the curious and admiring crowd,
+though even then he could not shut the landlord out, nor prevent the
+admiration of the maid, who would come in on all sorts of pretexts just
+to have a peep at him; and so the evening wore on, and the time for his
+father's return drew near.
+
+But no father came, and at last Ralph began to grow anxious. He could
+not tell why, but he felt nervous. Had he been alone on the great Texan
+plains, where his boyhood had been passed, he would not have cared in
+the slightest; but here he was so lonely, everything was so different.
+His father had been gone nearly five hours, and Ralph did not know what
+to make of it.
+
+And ten came and went, and eleven; and the landlord looked in
+restlessly, for the old fellow was beginning to have uneasy suspicions
+that his guest had gone off and did not mean to return again, and there
+was the dinner unpaid for.
+
+Still, he could not turn this lonely boy out, so he suggested at last
+that Ralph should go to bed.
+
+"Most like your father has been detained, sir, and he won't be back
+till the morning," he suggested. "Even if he does he can ring us up. We
+likes to get to bed as soon as we can after closing time, for the days
+are long enough, and we do not get too much rest."
+
+So the landlord said, and Ralph took the hint and went to his room.
+Throwing himself beside his bed, he prayed as he had never prayed
+before, asking his Heavenly Father to quickly send back to him his own
+dear parent.
+
+To bed, but not to sleep. What could have happened to his father? Had
+he met with any accident? A thousand fears and questions presented
+themselves to the boy's mind, until at last he fell into a restless
+sleep, to dream that his father was calling to him for aid; and when
+he awoke it was to the alarming knowledge that he was still alone--his
+father had not come back.
+
+His distress was now intensified, and old Simon, the landlord, was
+very perplexed; but he was a good-hearted old fellow, and he saw that
+the boy was provided with a good breakfast, reminding him that Mr. St.
+Clive would be certain to be round in the morning, as he had not come
+the evening before, and that then they could consult with him as to
+what was best to be done.
+
+"You have your breakfast, anyhow," he said. "No one is worth much
+without their food. Mr. St. Clive is a very good gentleman, and he owes
+you a lot for having saved his little daughter. I am quite sure that he
+will be ready to advise you."
+
+"But where can my father have got to?" asked Ralph, and the old man
+shook his head.
+
+"It is more than I can say, sir. Perhaps he will be back soon."
+
+But no father came; and when Mr. St. Clive arrived, which he did soon
+after breakfast was over, he was informed of Ralph's trouble, and he
+looked very grave indeed.
+
+"Run away! Nonsense, Simon?" he said to the landlord, after he had been
+told. "That is absurd! If this gentleman had desired to do anything so
+base as desert his son, he would never have brought him all the way to
+England in order to do so. I will see the young gentleman."
+
+"My dear lad," he greeted Ralph, when he was shown into the room where
+the boy was. "I was unable to return last evening, but I understand
+that it would have been no use had I done so. Your father has not come
+back, I hear."
+
+"No, sir," replied Ralph; "and I feel very troubled, for I cannot
+imagine what has kept him away. He said he would only be a short time."
+
+"You do not know where he was going, or whether he knew any one in the
+locality?"
+
+But Ralph shook his head.
+
+"I do not know, sir. Father did not tell me anything. We have lived all
+my life on the ranch in Texas, and when mother died last year father
+sold the ranch and brought me to England; but he did not tell me why."
+
+"It is strange; but still, it is foolish to make trouble. He may have
+found his business take longer than he anticipated, and--well, Simon?"
+
+"Beg pardon, Mr. St. Clive, but one of the men from Little Stow has
+just come in, and he has brought me this. He says that he found it in
+Stow Wood, just by the Black Mere."
+
+And what was it that he had found? What was it that should wring a cry
+of grief from Ralph Rexworth? Only a hat--broken, as from a blow, and
+with an ominous red smear upon it. Only a hat; but that hat was never
+bought in England. It was the hat which his father was wearing when he
+left the inn the previous evening; and there it lay now upon the table,
+a grim, silent explanation of why that father had not returned.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II
+
+A CRUEL IMPLICATION
+
+
+"My dear lad, it is foolish to give way to grief before you are sure
+that there is cause for it"--so said Mr. St. Clive to Ralph Rexworth,
+trying to comfort the boy and restore his confidence. "I admit that
+this, coupled with your father's absence, looks serious; but still,
+we do not know what explanation there may be to it. Come, try and be
+brave; trust in God, even though the very worst may have befallen; idle
+grief is useless. Let us go to Stow Wood and examine the place; perhaps
+we may discover something which this man may have overlooked. Pluck up
+your courage, and hope for the best; and Ralph, remember, that whatever
+happens you have a friend in myself, who counts it a privilege to be
+able to do anything to show how grateful he is to you for what you did
+yesterday."
+
+Ralph, with an effort, subdued his feelings, and replied gratefully--
+
+"You are very kind to me, sir. Let us do as you suggest. Will you
+take me to the place? I do not know anything of the country here, of
+course."
+
+"I will go with you, and we will have this man accompany us, and show
+us exactly where he found this hat. Come, we will start at once."
+
+Stow Wood was about a mile and a half from the inn, a rather
+dismal-looking place, where the grass grew long and dank, and where
+stoats and rats found a safe retreat from which to sally forth at night
+upon their marauding expeditions; and the grimmest, most lonely spot
+was around the deep pool, known locally as the Black Mere.
+
+A dark, motionless pool it was; in some parts covered with green weed,
+surrounded by coarse grass.
+
+Local superstition said that it was haunted, and though sensible people
+laughed at that, still the appearance of the spot was enough to give
+rise to such a legend.
+
+"I found the hat just here, sir," said the man, bending down and
+pointing to a clump of blind-nettle. "You can see where it was lying,
+sir."
+
+Mr. St. Clive and Ralph stopped and examined the place. It was clear
+that something resembling a struggle had taken place here, for the tall
+grass was trampled and beaten flat, and, in some places, the earth
+itself had been cut up, as though by the heels of boots. Mr. St. Clive
+felt very grave--if ever anything seemed to tell of a tragedy, this
+did--and he said to Ralph--
+
+"My poor boy, I must own that there seems every appearance of foul play
+here. We shall have to see the police. You are quite sure that your
+father told you nothing, however unimportant it may seem, which might
+give us an inkling of where he was going?"
+
+"He said nothing, sir," answered Ralph sadly. "It is all a mystery to
+me. But now we are here we may as well learn all that we can."
+
+"What more can we learn, Ralph?" asked Mr. St. Clive. "This silent spot
+will not speak and tell us what happened."
+
+"Not to you perhaps, but it will speak to me, sir. I have been brought
+up on the plains, remember, and grass and trees may tell me more than
+they can tell to you. First, sir, is this a direct road to anywhere? I
+mean, is it a general thoroughfare?"
+
+Mr. St. Clive shook his head.
+
+"No, Ralph. It is a rarely frequented spot. The village people are half
+afraid of it. It is a short cut from Stow Ormond to Great Stow, and it
+would argue that your father must have been familiar with the place for
+him to have taken it."
+
+"Where else besides Great Stow does it lead to, sir?"
+
+"Why, my lad, to nowhere in particular. It takes you out the other side
+of Stow Common, and, of course, from there you can go where you will."
+
+Ralph nodded.
+
+"So that we may suppose that any one crossing here would be going to
+Great Stow?"
+
+"Yes. It would save him going all round through Little Stow."
+
+"Very well, sir. Now we will go to the side of the wood nearest to the
+inn."
+
+"Why?" asked Mr. St. Clive in surprise.
+
+"Because I want to know whether my father crossed this place in going
+from the inn; and if so, I want to try and see where he went to. There
+is a lot to learn here, sir; but I must start at the beginning."
+
+Mr. St. Clive was impressed, though he could not understand what Ralph
+meant; and so together they went back to that part of the wood which
+bordered upon Stow Ormond, and here Ralph began to walk to and fro,
+carefully surveying the grass, until presently he stopped and said--
+
+"My father did cross here. He got over that stile."
+
+"How do you know, Ralph?" asked Mr. St. Clive. "I confess that I see
+nothing to indicate it."
+
+"Why, it is quite clear, sir," answered the boy. "See, the ground here
+is soft and muddy, and this is the imprint of my father's foot here
+in this soft red clay. That has taken the mark like wax. That is his
+square-toed boot."
+
+Mr. St. Clive had to admit that so far the boy was correct. Some one
+wearing a square-toed boot had stepped into a little heap of clay, and
+the footmark was quite clearly defined.
+
+"Now," Ralph went on, pointing to the stile, "here is a mark of clay on
+the stile, so he must have crossed here, and here the grass has been
+trodden down as he went on."
+
+This latter sign was nothing like so clear, but the boy, used to
+reading tracks in the far-off West, showed the man how the blades of
+grass were turned from the weight that had trodden on them; and as
+they walked forward the traces became even plainer, leading past the
+pool, and on towards the common; and Ralph gave a cry as he studied the
+ground.
+
+"Here are two people walking now," he said; "and one wears pointed
+boots!"
+
+"The man who brought the hat to us," suggested Mr. St. Clive.
+
+"No, sir. He wore big boots, with nails in them. You can see the marks
+of those quite plainly, and he came here last of all."
+
+"How do you know that?" demanded Mr. St. Clive, very interested.
+
+"Because the marks that he has made are over all the others," was the
+explanation. "Let us go on."
+
+They followed the traces, faint though they seemed, until they reached
+the common; and here, though Ralph studied the ground for nearly an
+hour, he could discover nothing. Several roads crossed the common,
+and the men must have traversed one of these, but which one there was
+nothing to show.
+
+Back to the pool they went, and here Ralph paused; and Mr. St. Clive,
+looking at him inquiringly, said--
+
+"Well, what now, my boy? Have you learnt anything?"
+
+"Yes--a lot, sir; but I do not understand it. Let me tell you what
+these signs tell me. My father crossed here alone, and went somewhere
+across the common, and I do not think that it could have been very far
+away. Then he came back alone----"
+
+"But the second man?" queried Mr. St. Clive.
+
+"One moment, sir. He came alone, and he stopped to light another cigar
+just here. Look, here is the match half-burnt, and the stump of the one
+he threw away."
+
+"Yes; go on," said Mr. St. Clive, nodding his head. "You have reason
+for what you say."
+
+"Now, some one followed my father back, and he wore rather small boots
+with pointed toes----"
+
+"Plenty of gentlemen do that. I wear such boots myself, you see."
+
+"I know, sir. This man was dodging my father, and when he stopped to
+light his cigar the man stopped too, just over there behind that hedge."
+
+"My dear lad, what makes you say that?"
+
+"The mark of his feet are there, and I think he fired at my father more
+than once. He fired once and missed, I know, because this tree has
+got a bullet in the bark, and I am going to have it out! Then he ran
+forward, and there must have been a fight, and father fell just here.
+Look, you can surely see where he lay? See the length where the grass
+is crushed; and see these two marks--a heel and a toe; that means,
+that some one knelt beside him, and----. Look, look, sir!"
+
+A glimmer of something bright in the long grass caught Ralph's eye,
+and, stooping, he picked up a watch and chain, and a purse, which had
+evidently been thrown hastily aside.
+
+"Whoever killed my father searched him, and wanted something in
+particular. It was no robber, for then he would have taken these and
+not thrown them down."
+
+Mr. St. Clive could only look on in silence. There was something very
+strange in the boy thus unfolding the incidents of a strange mystery,
+reading them from almost invisible signs upon the grass. And Ralph
+continued--
+
+"Then the man ran away and came back with a cart--you can see the marks
+of the wheels. See, they come close up here! And here he drove off
+again. I suppose that father was in the cart--that is what he brought
+it for. The horse went a bit lame, too, in the off forefoot. That is
+all the place can tell me, sir."
+
+All! Mr. St. Clive was amazed that the boy was able to see so much, and
+he followed his reasoning, noting how one footmark partly obliterated
+another, proving that it had been made after it. That a strange meeting
+had taken place in that lonely wood seemed indeed all too likely, but
+beyond that all was mystery. Why had Mr. Rexworth entered this place,
+whither was he going, and who was the man who had come after him?
+
+Ralph had his knife out, and was busily cutting away the bark of one of
+the trees which stood close by. His action proved that he had not been
+wrong in his conjecture--a flattened piece of lead was embedded there,
+and Frank put it into his pocket.
+
+"Perhaps one day that may tell me some more," he said.
+
+But there was nothing more to do there, though Mr. St. Clive said that
+he would see that the wood was searched through, and that the mere
+was dragged; and then, trying to speak comforting words to Ralph, he
+returned with him to Stow Ormond. And as they entered the inn, a tall,
+handsome gentleman, with one hand in a sling, came out, and seeing Mr.
+St. Clive, greeted him with: "Hallo, St. Clive, I hear that your little
+girl had a narrow escape last night!"
+
+Mr. St. Clive frowned.
+
+"Yes, from your bull, Lord Elgert. You ought to have the brute properly
+guarded. If it had not been for this young gentleman, Irene might have
+been killed."
+
+Lord Elgert stared at Ralph, and his look was not pleasant.
+
+"Oh, is this the young man who noosed him? Well, he has broken the
+bull's knees; but, however, it is fortunate that he was at hand. By the
+way, what is this that Simon tells me. Something has happened in Stow
+Wood?"
+
+"I fear so," replied Mr. St. Clive; and he narrated briefly what they
+had discovered.
+
+Was it fancy, or did Ralph notice that handsome face turn a shade paler
+when mention was made of the bullet cut from the tree? Somehow the boy
+did not like this wealthy gentleman, though he knew not why he should
+regard him with enmity. When Mr. St. Clive had concluded, Lord Elgert
+said--
+
+"Dear, dear! How strange! But still, you do not know that anything
+has happened. You will tell the police, of course. Can you give a
+description of your father, my boy?"
+
+"I can show his likeness, sir," replied Ralph, taking out his
+pocket-book. "Here it is!"
+
+Lord Elgert took the photograph, but as he looked at it he gave a
+whistle of surprise.
+
+"So this is the missing man?" he said. "St. Clive, perhaps, I can tell
+you something of interest. Last night my place was broken into, and
+I woke up to hear a man in my study. I went down and switched on the
+electric light, so that I could see the rascal quite plainly. He turned
+and tried to bolt, but I closed with him, and in the rough-and-tumble
+he managed to cut my hand open and clear off. St. Clive, I am positive
+that the man was none other than the original of this likeness, and----"
+
+He was interrupted by a passionate cry of pain and anger, and Ralph,
+snatching the photograph from his hand, stood confronting him with
+blazing eyes.
+
+"It is false!" he cried. "You know it is false! I believe that you are
+responsible for my father's disappearance!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III
+
+MR. ST. CLIVE PROVES HIMSELF A TRUE FRIEND
+
+
+"I believe that you are responsible for my father's disappearance."
+
+So did Ralph Rexworth cry in his anger; and Lord Elgert started, and
+his face grew dark with rage.
+
+"You impudent young dog!" he shouted, raising his stick; and the blow
+would have fallen, had not Mr. St. Clive stopped it with his arm.
+
+"Lord Elgert," he said sternly; for he was shocked at the callous way
+in which the charge had been made, "I cannot stand by and allow that.
+You have made a very serious charge----"
+
+"Nothing so serious as that young rascal has made. I am surprised
+that you stand by and listen to it, St. Clive; but you always were
+antagonistic to me! I assert what is fact. My place was broken into----"
+
+"Did any one but yourself see this man?"
+
+"An absurd question! Who was there to see him? By the time the alarm
+was given he was gone. I shall have to tell the police of that
+photograph; it will be wanted to help in tracing him. I expect this
+story is all nonsense; and upon inquiry it will be found that the
+farthest these two have travelled is from London. Most probably this
+boy, who makes such unfounded charges, knew well the business which
+brought his father here. The story of what happened in the woods is
+really too romantic. If two people were there, the second was most
+likely an accomplice; and they have gone off, leaving the boy here to
+see what he can learn, or pick up. You are easily deceived, St. Clive."
+And Lord Elgert turned upon his heel with a mocking laugh.
+
+But ere he could go, Ralph stood in his path, regarding him with a
+fixed stare.
+
+"I do not know you," he said. "I never saw you before; but I can tell
+friend from enemy, and you are an enemy. I am only a boy; but one day I
+will bring your words back to you, and make you prove them."
+
+"Out of my way, you young rascal!" came the answer, "or I will have you
+in prison before long. St. Clive, I wish you joy of your young friend.
+Take my advice, and keep a sharp eye on the silver, if you suffer him
+to enter your house."
+
+Ralph would have surely been provoked into some foolish action had not
+Mr. St. Clive laid a gentle hand upon his shoulder, and led him back
+into the inn; and then the boy quite broke down.
+
+"Oh, sir! Oh, sir!" he cried. "To say such things about my dear
+father--my dear, kind father! But he shall prove them," he added
+fiercely. "I will make him prove them. I believe that he knows
+something."
+
+"Ralph," answered Mr. St. Clive quietly, "because Lord Elgert has been
+both unkind and foolish, that is no reason why you should talk wildly.
+To say that Lord Elgert has had anything to do with your father's
+disappearance, seems to me to be the very height of folly. He is a rich
+man, and one of our justices----"
+
+"Where does he live, sir?" queried Ralph suddenly.
+
+"At Castle Court, near Great Stow. Ah," he added, as he saw Ralph's
+look, "I know what you are thinking--that it is in the direction
+whither your father was going! But remember, that will be equally
+applicable to Lord Elgert's story that your father was going there.
+It is most likely that some one in a measure resembling your father,
+did break into Castle Court--we have not the slightest reason for
+discrediting Lord Elgert's statement--and in the confusion of the
+struggle, he did not clearly distinguish his opponent, and so says that
+he resembles this photograph. Mistaken identity is a common occurrence,
+and----"
+
+"You do not believe his story, sir? I could not bear to think that."
+
+"I do not, Ralph. If I did so, I should still feel my debt of gratitude
+to you; but I do not believe it. I am not so foolish as to mistake
+between a gentleman and a thief; and though I have not seen your
+father, I think that I can see him in you and your manner. Now be
+brave, and do not trouble about what his lordship said. He was angry
+because you spoke as you did; and though it was natural, your language
+was not very polite." And Mr. St. Clive smiled slightly. "Now let us
+talk sensibly. First, you cannot stay here by yourself; therefore,
+disregarding the warning I have received, I invite you to be my guest
+for the time, until we can see what is best to be done. What money have
+you of your own?"
+
+"Only a few shillings, but there is the purse, sir." And Ralph opened
+the purse which they had picked up in Stow Wood. "Here are five
+sovereigns, and two five-pound notes, sir."
+
+"Then we had better pay the innkeeper and make a start. Simon"--as the
+old fellow came in answer to the bell--"I am going to take this young
+gentleman home with me. If his father should return, or if letters
+arrive, you will let us know. Make out your bill. And, Simon, I suppose
+that you did not recognize Mr. Rexworth at all?"
+
+"Why, no, sir; I cannot say that I did! But he knew the place, sir;
+and when I told the girl to show him up to No. 10, sir, he just went
+straight up to it. He knew the _Horse and Wheel_, sir."
+
+"Well, get your bill ready."
+
+The old man went out. It was something of a relief to know that he
+was going to be paid; for he had begun to have some doubts about the
+matter.
+
+So it came about that Ralph Rexworth was taken home by Mr. St. Clive;
+and there he was received with kindness and warmth by that gentleman's
+wife, while little Irene smiled shyly, and put out one dainty little
+hand for him to take in his brown palm.
+
+"I thank you very much," the little lass said. "I think that horrid
+bull would have killed me if it had not been for you." And Mrs. St.
+Clive shuddered as she listened; for her husband had told her how great
+was the peril from which Irene had been rescued.
+
+Leaving the two young people to make friends, Mr. St. Clive took his
+wife aside and told her of the strange position in which their young
+guest was placed.
+
+"The boy does not seem to have a friend in the world," he said. "And he
+is undoubtedly a gentleman, Kate. What is to be done? His father may
+return; but I confess that it looks as if a tragedy had taken place. It
+was wonderful how the lad pieced together traces which were invisible
+to me. I fear that something bad has occurred. As to Lord Elgert's
+idea, I do not put much faith in it. Elgert is too fond of thinking
+evil of people--he is one of the most merciless men on the bench. What
+shall we do, Kate?"
+
+"Do?" replied his wife, with a fond smile. "Why, Hubert, you have
+already determined what to do!"
+
+Her husband laughed pleasantly.
+
+"I confess that I have. Still, I like to have your desire run with my
+own. You want this lad to stay here?"
+
+"Yes, Hubert. If he is lonely and friendless, let us be his friends;
+for had he not rescued her, our dear little daughter would have been
+killed."
+
+So husband and wife agreed; but when they went to Ralph they found that
+he was not quite willing to accept the invitation.
+
+"I know how kind it is of you," the boy said. "And it is true that
+I have no friends, and nowhere to go; but I--I cannot live on your
+charity. I want to earn my living somehow."
+
+"That is good, Ralph," was the hearty reply of Mr. St. Clive; "but you
+must be reasonable. There is such a thing as unreasonable pride. You
+cannot earn your living in any calling as a gentleman, without you are
+fitted for it. Your life on the plains, and life here, or in London,
+would be very vastly different. If you had friends in Texas we might
+send you back again----"
+
+"No, no, sir!" cried Ralph, interrupting him. "I could not go back.
+Here I must stay for two reasons. I must live to find out what has
+become of my father, and I must clear his name from the accusation that
+man made."
+
+"Your first reason is good; your second I do not think that you need
+worry over. Then you will stay? Well, then, you must certainly let the
+wish of my wife and of Irene conquer your pride. I want to help you
+all I can; and if presently it is better for you to go, I promise you
+that I will not seek to detain you."
+
+"Do stop, Ralph," added Irene, who, pet as she was, had stolen into
+her father's study, and heard what was said. "I want you to stay; and
+I want you to teach me how to throw a rope like that, though I should
+never dare to throw it at a bull. Please stay."
+
+And somehow Ralph looked down into that upturned little face, and he
+could not say "no."
+
+"It is very good of you, sir," he murmured, to Mr. St. Clive,
+"especially after what Lord Elgert said----"
+
+"My lad, do not be so sensitive concerning that."
+
+"But I cannot help it, sir. He first called my father a thief; and
+he--he--you know what he said about your silver?"
+
+And Ralph turned very red.
+
+Mr. St. Clive understood, and sympathized. He liked Ralph all the
+better for being keenly sensitive about it.
+
+"There, let it go, my dear boy. Now, once more, business. Have you any
+luggage, save these two handbags?"
+
+"In London, sir. Two great trunks. Father left them at the station.
+Here are the papers for them." And the boy took a railway luggage
+receipt from his pocket-book.
+
+"This is important. We may find something to help us in those trunks,"
+cried Mr. St. Clive. "Of course, I am not legally justified in touching
+them, Ralph; but, under the circumstances, I think that I might do
+so. We must have them here, and examine their contents. We may then
+discover what brought your father to Stow Ormond; and that, in its
+turn, might give us some clue as to what may have happened."
+
+"I do not think there is much doubt as to what has happened," sighed
+the boy. But Mr. St. Clive would not listen to that.
+
+"Never look at the darkest side, lad. There is a kind Providence over
+all, and we must never despair. Now, our very first task must be to
+obtain your travelling trunks without delay."
+
+Mr. St. Clive lost no time in putting this resolution into practice.
+The trunks were got down from London, and opened; but, to their
+disappointment, their contents revealed nothing which tended in any way
+to throw a light upon the mystery--clothing, a few mementoes of their
+Texan home, and--and in view of Ralph's future welfare this was most
+important--banknotes and gold to the amount of £3,000!
+
+"No need to feel yourself dependent upon any one now, Ralph," was the
+remark of Mr. St. Clive, as they counted this money; "and no need to
+give another thought to Lord Elgert's suspicions. People possessed of
+so much money do not go breaking into houses, risking their liberty
+for the sake of what they may be able to steal."
+
+Now, though Irene St. Clive was delighted, and would have been quite
+content for Ralph to have stayed as her companion, her father did
+not look at matters in that way; and he had a serious talk with
+Ralph, having first quietly questioned him in order to ascertain his
+acquirements.
+
+"You see, Ralph," he said, "what a man needs in England is quite
+different from what he may need abroad. You can ride, shoot, and round
+up cattle; but that is no good here. Your father has given you a
+general education, so that you are not a dunce; but it is nothing like
+what you will need as a gentleman here. Knowledge is power and your
+desire to clear up the matter of your father's disappearance demands
+that you should acquire all the power obtainable. My advice--I have
+no right to insist, remember--but my advice is that you should spend
+a couple of years at a first-class school--we have a splendid one
+here--and if you work honestly during that time, with your intellect
+you ought to have made a good headway. What do you say?"
+
+The boy knit his brows. To one who had passed his days in a wild, free
+life, such a prospect did not hold out many charms; but then Ralph was
+fond of learning, and had sometimes sighed that he could not learn
+more. Besides, his one object in life was to solve the matter of his
+father's disappearance, and clear his name from any foul charge. In
+his heart, Ralph had resolved ever to live under honour's flag. He
+looked up, and answered frankly--
+
+"I will be guided entirely by you, sir, unless my father comes back;
+then, of course, I should do whatever he directed."
+
+"My feeling is, that had your father elected to remain in England he
+would certainly have sent you to school. Now, Ralph, I am going to be
+frank with you. We have, as I have said, a splendid school near here;
+but amongst its pupils is Horace Elgert. I fear that he takes after
+his father somewhat; and if Lord Elgert has said anything, or does say
+anything to him when he knows you are there, young Horace may try to
+make it unpleasant for you. Do you understand?"
+
+"Perfectly, sir," replied Ralph.
+
+"And will you go there?"
+
+Ralph looked Mr. St. Clive in the face, and he answered firmly:
+
+"Yes, sir. The boy's being there is nothing to me. I will go."
+
+"Good!" replied Mr. St. Clive, with a nod of appreciation. "We will go
+over and see the Headmaster to-morrow."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV
+
+RALPH'S FIRST DAY AT SCHOOL
+
+
+"He is a fine young fellow, but his past life has been spent amidst
+very different scenes, and he is far from having a fitting education.
+But he is very intellectual and will acquire knowledge quickly. His
+father must have been a gentleman, and he has taught his son to be one
+also."
+
+It was Mr. St. Clive who spoke, and his words were addressed to Dr.
+Beverly, the principal of Marlthorpe College--the best school in all
+the county.
+
+A fine-looking man was the doctor, tall, erect, dignified, with firm
+face and piercing eyes--eyes which could look terribly severe when
+their owner was angry, but which otherwise were gentle, and even
+mirthful.
+
+Dr. Beverly was proud of his school, but prouder still of his work. He
+did not labour to make scholars only, but also to build up men--good,
+noble men--who should be a credit to the old school, and a blessing to
+their country. Work or play, the doctor believed in everything being
+done as well as it could be, for his watchword was "Whatever you do, do
+it to the glory of God," and nothing can be done to God's glory that
+is not done as well as it possibly can be.
+
+Mr. St. Clive had explained how Ralph came to be under his care,
+and had told the doctor how much he owed to him; and he finished by
+mentioning the cruel statement which Lord Elgert had made, and the
+angry way in which Ralph had answered it.
+
+"I tell you this," he said, "that you may know everything. I attach no
+weight to Elgert's statement myself--it is too absurd, but you must
+exercise your own discretion," and the doctor smiled slightly.
+
+"Lord Elgert is rather prone to make rash statements," he said. "I
+shall be quite willing to receive your young friend, and I will do my
+best to turn him into a good man."
+
+"That I am sure of," was the hearty reply, "and I am also sure that you
+will have good material to work upon. Then I will bring Ralph over."
+
+"And do you propose that he shall board here entirely, or return to you
+every Saturday, as most of the lads do?"
+
+"Oh, come home. That is how I did in my day--you know I want to watch
+the boy. Good-day, doctor," and Mr. St. Clive came away.
+
+Marlthorpe College was a splendid old building, with large playing
+fields at the back, and a great quadrangle in front, to which entrance
+was gained through a pair of great iron gates, against which the
+porter's lodge was built.
+
+The school itself was at the other side of the quadrangle, directly
+facing the gates--a two storey building, with the hall, in which the
+whole school assembled upon special occasions, below, and with the
+classrooms above. It had two wings; the one to the right being the
+doctor's own residence, and that on the left the undermaster's quarters.
+
+At the back there were again buildings on the right and left--on the
+left junior dormitories, the dining-hall, and matron's rooms; and on
+the right senior dormitories and studies.
+
+Mr. St. Clive drove home and told Ralph the result of his visit.
+
+"I am sure that you will like the doctor," he said, "and you will find
+your companions a nice lot of fellows. Of course there will be some
+unpleasant ones; and Ralph, if things are as they used to be, you
+will find that there are two sets of fellows--those who mean to work
+honestly, and those who never intend to take pains. I need not ask
+which set you will belong to," and Mr. St. Clive smiled. "But now,"
+he added, "I want you to try and be brave. You have a very terrible
+sorrow, I know; and it is hard to put it from my mind----"
+
+"It is never from my mind, sir," interrupted Ralph sadly. "I am always
+thinking of it."
+
+"But you must not brood over it. To do that, will unfit you for all
+else. Leave it with God, Ralph, and do not let even so great a grief
+interfere with life's duties. Will you promise me to try and remember
+this?"
+
+"I will indeed, sir," answered Ralph. "If I have lost father, I mean to
+try and think that he knows, and just do that which would please him."
+
+"That is good; but still better is it to remember that we have to
+try and do that which shall please our Heavenly Father. Now, Ralph,
+I suppose that out where you made your home, blows often were the
+only way of settling troubles. I do not say that blows are never
+justifiable, for sometimes we are placed in such circumstances as
+warrant fighting, but do not be too ready to quarrel, or to avenge
+every fancied insult with your fist. But there, I am sure that I can
+leave that to you. Now come to lunch, and then we must see about
+starting."
+
+"I am so glad that you are coming home every week, Ralph," so said
+Irene St. Clive, when she heard of the arrangements which her father
+had made. "My own lessons are finished on Friday, and we can have all
+Saturday to ourselves. I shall count all the days until each Saturday
+comes."
+
+So with kindly words to cheer him on his way, Ralph started off with
+Mr. St. Clive, and was introduced to Dr. Beverly; and Ralph felt that
+he liked the doctor from the very first moment that he saw him; and he
+determined that he would do all that he could to get on and prove to
+Mr. St. Clive that he meant to keep his word.
+
+Then when his friend had gone, the doctor questioned Ralph to see just
+what he knew; and at the conclusion of the examination he laid his hand
+on his shoulder.
+
+"My boy," he said, "it is my desire always to have the fullest
+confidence in my scholars, and also to enjoy their confidence. I want
+you to remember that I desire to be your friend as well as your master,
+and that out of school hours I am always glad to see any of my boys who
+want to talk with me. I do not mean who want to come tale-bearing," he
+added, and Ralph smiled as he answered--
+
+"Thank you, sir. I think I understand."
+
+"You will have to be in the Fourth Form at first, that is the lowest
+Form in the Senior House," the doctor continued. "But if you work well,
+you will soon be in the Fifth. Now, if you will come with me I will
+introduce you to your master, Mr. Delermain, and I think you will find
+him ever ready to help you in any way he can."
+
+Ralph thanked the Head again, and followed him, with more of curiosity
+than of nervousness, to make the acquaintance of the boys with whom he
+was to study; and twenty pairs of eyes glanced up as the Head opened
+the door, and then dropped as quickly when they saw who had entered.
+
+But the master rose from his seat and came forward to meet the doctor,
+who said, patting Ralph on the shoulder--
+
+"I have brought you a new scholar, Mr. Delermain. This is Ralph
+Rexworth, and he is the young gentleman of whom you have heard--the one
+who saved Mr. St. Clive's daughter." Hereat the eyes were stealthily
+raised, and glances of something like respectful awe followed. Of
+course every one there had heard of the incident about the bull, and of
+the disappearance of Mr. Rexworth.
+
+"Rexworth is rather backward," the Head continued. "His life has been
+spent abroad, and he has not had the opportunities for study; but I
+believe that he will soon pick up." And with this Dr. Beverly went, and
+Mr. Delermain, having spoken a few words of welcome, beckoned to a boy
+to come forward.
+
+"Warren, let Rexworth sit beside you this afternoon, and give him a set
+of the sums we are doing. If you find them too difficult," he added to
+Ralph, "do not hesitate to come to me."
+
+But Ralph did not need to ask for aid, he could do the sums and the
+exercises that followed. Indeed, he did better than some who had been
+there longer, notably one big lad with a sickly flabby face, who was
+seated at the bottom of the class, and who received a reprimand from
+his master for his indolence.
+
+"It is shameful, Dobson! Here, a new boy has done better than you have.
+Your idleness is disgraceful."
+
+A writing exercise followed; and Ralph was bending over his book, when
+flop!--a wad of wet blotting-paper hit him in the cheek. He looked up,
+but every one seemed busy with their work, so wiping his cheek he put
+the wet mass on one side, and went on with his task. Flop! A second
+wad came. Ralph noted the direction, and saw that at the end of the
+form Dobson was seated, and Ralph had his suspicions. Pretending to
+be absorbed in his work, he kept a covert watch; and presently he was
+rewarded by seeing Dobson extract a third wad from his mouth, where he
+had been chewing it into a convenient pellet, and under cover of the
+boy in front of him prepare to fire it by a flick of his thumb. Ralph
+raised his eyes and looked him full in the face, and, somehow, Dobson
+seemed confused. He turned red, and bent over his work hastily; and no
+more pellets were fired at Ralph that afternoon.
+
+It seemed rather a wearisome afternoon to the boy, used as he was to
+his open-air life, but he worked away with all his might; and presently
+the bell rang and work was over; and then Warren, the boy beside whom
+he had sat, came to him and held out his hand.
+
+"I am first monitor of our form," he said, "and I hope that we shall be
+friends. If you come with me I will take you round the school."
+
+"Rexworth."
+
+Ralph turned as his name was called; his master stood there.
+
+"I want you a few minutes. Warren, you can take him round afterwards.
+I want to arrange about his study."
+
+"We have only got one vacant, sir," the monitor said. "Charlton has
+that."
+
+"I know," was the quiet answer; and then, when Warren ran off, the
+master turned to Ralph.
+
+"Rexworth," he said, "I must explain that in our form every two boys
+have one study between them, and as you heard Warren say, we have only
+one study that is not fully occupied. A lad named Charlton has it, and
+you must chum with him. It is about him I want to speak to you."
+
+"Yes, sir," said Ralph, wondering why his master spoke so gravely.
+
+"Rexworth, I am sorry to say that Charlton is not quite in favour
+with his schoolmates. His father got into some trouble and has
+disappeared--it is supposed that he is dead--and the boy managed to
+gain a scholarship at another and poorer school, and has come here.
+He is a real nice lad, but very weakly and timid, and the others put
+upon him, partly on that account, partly because of his father's
+disappearance, and partly because he is poor--a sad crime in the eyes
+of many. It would have been wiser, I think, if he had not come here,
+but Dr. Beverly wished him to do so. I wish, Rexworth, that you would
+try to be his friend, for he needs one; some of the lads are nice
+enough to him, but he seems so very much alone."
+
+"I would like to help him, sir," was the ready answer. And the master
+smiled.
+
+"I thought that I was not mistaken in you," he said. "Look, there the
+lad is. Charlton, come here."
+
+The lad came up. He was a pale boy, very delicate in appearance, and
+with a sad, wistful face.
+
+"Yes, sir," he said.
+
+"Charlton, there is only one vacancy in our studies, and that is with
+you. Rexworth will have to chum with you." The boy cast a startled
+glance at Ralph. "Take him and show him where it is, and try to make
+him feel at home."
+
+"Yes, sir." The boy beckoned to Ralph. "Please come with me," he said,
+in troubled tones, as if he doubted whether Ralph would care about
+sharing the study with him.
+
+"Have we got to be chums?" asked Ralph; and the other boy nodded.
+
+"Yes. That is what we call it. It means sharing studies; but you need
+not speak to me if you don't want to, and I will not be in the study
+much. I am not as it is, for they are always disturbing me and spoiling
+my things."
+
+"They! Who?" demanded Ralph; and the lad answered--
+
+"The other chaps and the Fifths. Dobson, in ours, and Elgert of the
+Fifth, are the worst. They go in and spoil my things."
+
+"They have no business to, of course?"
+
+"Go in? No, of course not--only the two who chum have any right in it.
+Here we are, and--there, they are in now!"--as a scuffling and burst
+of laughter came from the inside of the study before which the boy had
+halted. "Oh, what are they doing! Will you stop until they have gone?"
+
+"Not I," answered Ralph grimly. "That study is mine as well as yours,
+and I mean to see that we have it to ourselves, Charlton. Come on, and
+we will see what is up." And saying this, Ralph threw open the door and
+walked into the little room, followed by his companion.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V
+
+MAKING THINGS STRAIGHT
+
+
+A burst of laughter greeted Ralph's ears as he opened the study door,
+and some one said:
+
+"Look sharp. Here he comes! Hurry up there, Elgert!"
+
+But the laughter died away somewhat awkwardly when the boys saw that
+Charlton was not alone, and one or two of the boys came up to Ralph.
+
+"Hallo, you new fellow! They surely haven't put you to chum with
+Charlton, have they? What a shame! I should kick against it. Some one
+else must make room for you."
+
+Such were the remarks of those who had taken a fancy to Ralph, but he
+paid no heed to it all. He just calmly gazed round, as if counting the
+number of boys there and taking their measure; and then he quite as
+calmly shut the door, locked it, and put the key in his pocket. Those
+present looked in surprise for a moment--some laughed, and one, a tall,
+handsome boy, came haughtily up to him.
+
+"What do you mean by that?" he demanded. "How dare you lock that door?"
+
+Ralph regarded him with the utmost coolness. No one had told him who
+the boy was, and yet he seemed to know--he felt sure that this was none
+other than Horace Elgert himself.
+
+"Wait a bit," he said calmly. "So far as I understand, this study
+belongs to Charlton and myself. We have a perfect right to lock the
+door."
+
+"But not to lock us in," retorted Elgert. "Open it at once, and think
+yourself lucky that you don't get a licking for your impudence!"
+
+"Steady!" was Ralph's answer. "It seems to me that if you had not been
+where you have no right to be, you would not have got locked in; and
+now that you are here, you must wait my pleasure as to going out."
+
+This was beginning school life with a vengeance, but Ralph believed in
+settling things once and for all, and his indignation was hot as he saw
+what these half dozen lads had been doing.
+
+But Horace Elgert was not a boy to be spoken to like that, and he came
+striding up to Ralph to take the key by force.
+
+"I will soon settle you," he began, and he aimed a blow at this
+impertinent new boy's head, only somehow the blow did not get there.
+Ralph adroitly stepped aside, and the Honourable Horace Elgert stumbled
+to the ground violently.
+
+"A fight! A fight!" cried the rest; but Ralph smiled and shook his
+head.
+
+"Oh, no, my friends. I have something better to do, and this is not the
+place for fighting."
+
+They were staggered. They could not understand this coolness and,
+moreover, they had all heard about Ralph having tackled the bull, and
+the story had grown somewhat. They stood considerably in awe of this
+boy from the Western plains, and they began to wish that they were
+anywhere else than in his study.
+
+Horace Elgert got up, his face white with passion but he made no more
+attempts to take the key from Ralph.
+
+"You are right," he said, in suppressed tones; "this is not the place
+to fight. Open the door, and we will soon settle things."
+
+"Presently," was all the answer he got. "Now, then, let us see what you
+have been up to."
+
+He glanced round at the books tumbled on the floor, at a desk upset, at
+an ink-bottle on its side, and then turned to his chum.
+
+But Charlton was standing, looking very white, and staring at a picture
+on the wall--the picture of a lady, and beneath it some one had
+written--
+
+"This is Charlton's mammy. But where is his daddy? Puzzle--Find daddy,
+and tell the police."
+
+Ralph felt his nerves tingle. He felt sure that Elgert had done that,
+and he remembered the words of Lord Elgert respecting his own father.
+
+"Who did that?" he said, and no one answered. He went up to Elgert.
+"Did you do it?"
+
+"Well, if I did, what is it to do with you? Mind your own business!"
+
+"Take that scrawl down. Quick, or I shall lose my temper, and then I
+fancy some one will get hurt! Down with it! That is right"--as the
+other, considerably startled, pulled the writing down. "Give it to me."
+
+It was remarkable how the daring of the one lad held the half dozen in
+check. Elgert handed him the paper, and Ralph tore it up and threw the
+fragments into his face.
+
+"Now then, you have upset this room. Just put it straight again,
+and look sharp about it!" he said. "And please to understand that
+Charlton and I are chums, and mean to stick together. Oh, and I want a
+word with you"--and he walked up to Dobson, who turned a trifle more
+pasty-looking than before. "Do you know what these are?"
+
+Ralph produced two wads of chewed blotting-paper from his pocket as he
+spoke, and Dobson blustered--
+
+"You keep to your chum, since you are so thick with him. I don't want
+anything to do with you. I say, you chaps, are you going to let him
+crow over you like this? Rush him!"
+
+"Good advice; only, why don't you do the rushing first?" said Ralph.
+"I asked you if you recognized these. If you don't, I will tell you
+what they are--they are pieces of blotting-paper, which you chewed
+and then threw at me. They came out of your mouth, and they are
+going back there again--when I have mopped up this ink which you have
+spilt." Ralph suited the action to the word, and presented the two
+unpalatable-looking objects to Dobson, who was at once a coward and a
+bully. "Now, then, open your mouth!"
+
+"I won't! Who do you think that you are? I---- Oh!"
+
+For Ralph did not argue. He grabbed hold of Dobson, and with a quick
+jerk sent him backwards across the little study table.
+
+"Oh, oh! You are breaking my back!" howled the bully.
+
+"Open your mouth!"
+
+"I won't! Oh, help me, you fellows--he will break my back! Oh! Ugh!
+Ow! I am choking!" For, just as he opened his mouth to yell, Ralph had
+pushed both those pieces of blotting-paper in.
+
+"Now, then, take them," he said. "Quick, or it will be the worse for
+you!"
+
+Dobson, with many queer grimaces, had to comply--it was the most
+unsavoury morsel which he had tasted for many a day.
+
+[Illustration: "DOBSON, WITH MANY QUEER GRIMACES, HAD TO COMPLY." p. 49]
+
+"Now! Ah, I see that you have straightened things!" Ralph went on. "Now
+you chaps can go, and the next time you want to come into our study
+take my advice and ask leave, or there will be more trouble. Clear out!"
+
+And he unlocked the door and flung it open.
+
+And out those half dozen boys went, looking considerably crestfallen
+and stupid, and knowing also that they were cowards--they were all
+frightened by Ralph, so greatly does one of dauntless bearing affect a
+number.
+
+But one boy turned, and that one was Horace Elgert, and he came back
+and gave Ralph look for look.
+
+"Look here, you new fellow!" he said, "you have been very clever, but
+you have done a bad day's work for yourself. You have made one enemy at
+least. As for that insult which you offered me, you will have to fight
+me for it; and as for you, you miserable cub"--and he turned towards
+Charlton, who cowered back before his raised fist--"as for you, I
+will----"
+
+"Hold hard--you will do nothing!" answered Ralph, with the utmost
+good humour. "You are talking tall, that is all about it. Now, take
+my advice, and go; and when you are calmer, you will see things
+differently. And then, as to fighting--well, I shall not run away in
+the meantime. Clear!"
+
+And with that he shut the door and locked it behind his discomfited
+foes. Then, seating himself, he looked at the bewildered Charlton, and
+laughed again as he saw the look of admiration in his face.
+
+"There, I think that has taught them a lesson! We shall not have them
+upset our study again," he said. "One must maintain one's rights, and
+we may as well begin as we mean to go on. So this is our study, is it?"
+
+"Yes, if you will share it with me," the other boy said. And Ralph
+answered--
+
+"Share it? Of course I shall share it with you! Did not you hear Mr.
+Delermain say that we were to share it?"
+
+"But most fellows don't like me, because--because----"
+
+"Never mind why," interrupted Ralph, anxious to spare the boy's
+feelings. "I heard something about your father being gone; well, my
+father is gone, you know"--and Ralph's voice shook a little--"and so we
+two ought to be chums, and help each other. Then, I suppose that you
+know more than I do; for, except at roping a steer or rounding up a
+herd of cattle, I am afraid that I am not of much use. You will be able
+to help me on no end."
+
+"What! I help you?" gasped Charlton. "How can I do that?"
+
+"You know Greek and Latin, and goodness knows how much more, that I am
+only just at the beginning of, and you will be able to give me a hand
+with it. I want to get on and pick up things as quickly as I can."
+
+"I might help you that way, if you would let me," the boy said
+doubtfully. And Ralph laughed.
+
+"What a chap you are! Have I not told you that I shall be downright
+thankful: and there you keep on about if I will let you. Come, shake
+hands upon it! Charlton, we two are chums, and we are going to stick
+together and help each other. Is that so?"
+
+"Yes, if you will. I shall be so glad to have a chum, because it has
+been rather lonely sometimes; and then, you see, I am not very strong,
+and I am not brave like you, and the fellows know it, and they try to
+play all sorts of tricks upon me. Do you really mean to be my chum,
+Rexworth?"
+
+"Really and truly! Now, let us go down, and then you can show me what
+the place is like," was Ralph's answer. And the two, descending to the
+playground were met by Warren, who stopped and looked from Ralph to
+Charlton, and then asked--
+
+"I say, Rexworth, what have you been up to so soon? There is Dobson
+declaring that he will do all manner of things to you. You seem to have
+been having some fun already."
+
+So Ralph explained what had happened, and the monitor laughed until the
+tears ran down his cheeks.
+
+"Well, all I can say is that you are a cool hand," was his comment,
+"and I am not sorry that you have taught Dobson a lesson. You have not
+much to fear from him, but you will find that Elgert, for all he is an
+Honourable, has precious little honour about him. He will pay you back
+if he gets the chance, be sure of that. However," he went on, "I am
+glad that you two are chums, for I think you will like each other; but
+there is the bell for tea. Come on, or we shall be late."
+
+The rest of that day passed without further incident and at last the
+boys--evening preparation and supper over--went trooping to their
+dormitories, there to laugh and chat as they undressed; and many
+glances were bestowed upon Ralph. His exploit of that afternoon had
+been spoken of, and there was no attempt to play any jokes upon one who
+was prepared to take his own part so vigorously.
+
+But presently the laughing suddenly stopped, and something like a
+hush of surprise succeeded the noise. Warren seated on the edge of
+his bed, looked round to see what had happened--he thought that one
+of the masters had come in unexpectedly; but he saw his companions
+standing glancing across towards the spot where Ralph's bed was, and
+he, following their gaze, saw that the boy who was ready to face half a
+dozen of his companions, was down on his knees, his head bent upon his
+hands in prayer.
+
+Warren felt a thrill of shame. He was a real good lad at heart, but
+somehow he did not do that--none of them did--they thought that public
+prayers were enough; and yet he had promised his mother that each night
+he would kneel alone in prayer.
+
+Some of the boys were tittering, some looked grave. Warren suddenly
+found himself resolved. "If a thing should be done, do it at once," was
+his motto. He gave one hasty glance round, half ashamed, half defiant,
+and then, in the sight of all his companions, the Fourth Form monitor
+also knelt down by his bed, following the brave example set by Ralph
+Rexworth.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI
+
+AN EARLY MORNING SPIN
+
+
+It was quite a common thing for new boys at Marlthorpe College to be
+made the victims of practical jokes during their first night in the
+school; but such was the impression which Ralph Rexworth had made, that
+no tricks were attempted with him. A boy who could take his own part so
+vigorously was not the sort that it was safe to take liberties with.
+
+Nor was that the only reason. With Dobson and his friends it was quite
+sufficient, but with the better boys, that quiet kneeling down to pray
+had not been without effect. Some of them recognized that to do that
+might require more courage than to deal as he had done with those who
+had invaded his study--a moral courage, far greater and better than a
+physical; and they realized that a boy who possessed that courage was
+not a fit subject for stupid jokes.
+
+So Ralph slept peacefully until the morning, when, used to early rising
+all his life, he opened his eyes before any of the other boys were
+awake.
+
+At first he felt puzzled with his surroundings, but he soon remembered;
+and propping himself upon his elbow he lay watching the faces of the
+others, wondering what sort of lads they would prove to be, and how he
+should get on with them, and whether he would be able to master the
+lessons which they were engaged upon.
+
+Then he looked at Charlton, and thought how sad he looked, even in his
+sleep; and he noted how often he sighed. Perhaps he was dreaming of his
+father.
+
+That sent him thinking of his own father, and the mystery of his fate;
+and he pondered whether it would ever be possible for him--a lonely boy
+in this strange land--to find out the truth concerning his parent's
+disappearance. But he was not altogether alone; it was wrong to think
+of himself in that light. God had given him a friend in Mr. St. Clive,
+and another in Mrs. St. Clive, and yet a third--a very nice, lovable
+third--in Irene! Ralph, who had never had anything to do with girls,
+thought Irene the sweetest, dearest little friend that it would be
+possible to find.
+
+A bell rang, and his companions stretched and yawned and opened their
+eyes; and though some grunted and turned over again, determined to have
+every minute they could, several jumped up at once, and hastily pulling
+on their clothes began sluicing and splashing in good, honest, cold
+water.
+
+"Hallo! Awake? Slept well?" queried Warren seeing that Ralph was
+preparing to follow the example of these last boys. "Any one try any
+games with you in the night?" And he came and sat down on Ralph's bed,
+and grinned when the new boy answered that he had not been disturbed.
+
+"I suppose they thought better of it. That is your basin!" he added,
+pointing to one washstand. "Mind that they don't take all the water, or
+you will either have to sneak another fellow's, or go and get some more
+for yourself. Look sharp, and then we will go and have a turn with the
+bells, and a spin afterwards, I like to get all I can before breakfast;
+it seems to set a fellow up for the day."
+
+Ralph nodded, and began vigorously sluicing and polishing; and the
+boys, too busy about their own business, paid no attention to him. He
+was quite capable of looking after himself, in their opinion. At last,
+all ready to accompany the monitor, he quietly repeated his action of
+the previous night--he knelt down in prayer.
+
+That staggered even Warren. As a whole, the boys were good lads, but
+even those who had been accustomed to evening prayers in their homes
+did not seem to think that morning prayers were quite as important.
+They wanted to scramble off to play as quickly as possible. The Head
+always read prayers in school, and that was enough; and here was this
+new fellow wasting precious time in this way!
+
+A few sneered and giggled; some shrugged their shoulders, and ran off;
+some looked grave; and Warren sat nursing his foot, and pondering;
+while Charlton turned red.
+
+But they made no remarks; and when Ralph rose from his knees, the three
+went out together. Warren was turning over a decidedly new leaf. If he
+had not annoyed Charlton before, he had left him pretty much alone, and
+now he was admitting him to his company. Well, Charlton was Rexworth's
+chum, and if he wanted Rexworth he must have the chum as well.
+
+Charlton hardly expected the monitor to be friendly to him, but he
+waited for his chum, and Warren waited, too.
+
+"Let us get down and have a try at the bells," suggested the monitor,
+leading the way. And Ralph inquired innocently--
+
+"Ringing bells, do you mean?"
+
+Whereat Warren stared, and felt just a little less respect for the
+new boy. What sort of a fellow could he be if he didn't know what
+dumb-bells were?
+
+"Ringing bells?" he repeated. "No; dumb-bells--exercises, you know!
+Come on, I will show you."
+
+"I never saw bells like those," was Ralph's comment, when a pair was
+produced. "How do you use them?"
+
+Warren went through a set of exercises, and then handed them to Ralph,
+who laughed, and said--
+
+"Why, they don't weigh anything! I don't see much exercise in this!"
+
+"They are six-pounders," was the answer; "quite as heavy as you will
+want. Now try this exercise--do it a dozen times."
+
+Warren showed Ralph the right way, and off he went; Charlton, who had
+also got a pair of bells, doing the same. And, to Ralph Rexworth's
+surprise, he found that those weights at which he had laughed soon made
+him feel tired, and that Charlton could keep on longer than he could.
+He could not understand that.
+
+"I don't see why it should be," he said.
+
+And a voice replied--
+
+"Because you are exercising muscles which you have not tried much
+before, my lad." And he turned, to see Mr. Delermain watching him.
+
+"Try again," said the master. "Only once; this sort of thing must be
+done gradually. Go slow, and take time."
+
+Ralph obeyed: but dumb-bells certainly made his arms ache. And then
+Warren suggested Indian clubs.
+
+"Indian clubs," repeated Ralph, "and what are they? I never saw the
+Indians use clubs. They have knives and hatchets, and spears and bows,
+and some of them use guns, too, and shoot wonderfully well; but I never
+saw them use clubs."
+
+Now that speech caused a smile, but it was a very respectful smile; for
+here was a boy who had actually seen real Indians. That was something,
+even if he did not know what Indian clubs were!
+
+However, the clubs were produced, and Ralph was shown how to swing
+them. And, as a natural result of his first attempt, he hit his head a
+smart crack, evoking a burst of laughter thereby.
+
+"Slow and steady," he answered; "I shall get it in time. I don't
+understand these things; but if you get me a coil of rope, I will show
+you one or two little things that I do not think any of you can do."
+
+"A coil of rope--that is easily supplied," said Mr. Delermain; and
+when it was brought, he said: "Now, Rexworth, let us see what you can
+do." And all the boys stood round while Ralph took the rope and made a
+running noose at one end.
+
+"Give me plenty of room," he said, and he commenced to whirl the noose
+round and round his head, letting the rope run out as he did so; until
+at last he held the very end in his hand, and the rest was twirling
+round and round him in a perfect circle.
+
+"One of you try to do that," he said.
+
+And try they did, in vain. They could not even get it to go in a
+circle, and it made their arms ache dreadfully.
+
+Then he made the circle spin round him on its edge just as if that rope
+was a hoop; and afterwards he actually jumped through it as it was
+going, explaining that the cowboys on the ranches frequently indulged
+in such tricks as these, and were experts at it--far more so than the
+Indians themselves.
+
+Then nothing would do but that he must show them how a lasso was
+thrown. And though several, including the master, essayed to try, not
+one of them was able to send the noose over Ralph's shoulders, though
+he caught them, one after the other, without the slightest trouble.
+
+"It is what one is used to," he said laughing. "I have not had much to
+do with bells and clubs--nothing to do with them, indeed--but I have
+played with a rope all my life."
+
+Dobson had come in with his friends, and he stood and glared. Elgert
+came in, and looked angry. This new boy was evidently on the way
+to become a favourite in the school, and, unless something was
+done, he might rival them. Though just then they did not speak to
+each other about it, both Dobson and Elgert arrived at the same
+conclusion--namely, that something should be done, and that Ralph
+Rexworth should be humbled and disgraced.
+
+Then Warren suggested a spin, and of course Charlton went, and two or
+three other boys--who found Ralph very good company--had to come too;
+and since they did come, they could not ignore the boy they had all
+neglected in the past. Poor Charlton, he could hardly understand it, it
+almost frightened him!
+
+It was delightful out in the fields, in the fresh morning, with the dew
+still sparkling on the leaves, and with the air full of the songs of
+the wild birds. There is a charm and sweetness and delight about the
+early morning which they who are late risers have no idea of. It sets
+the nerves tingling and the blood dancing, and makes one feel as if he
+were walking on air, and not on solid earth.
+
+Away they went across the playing field, and out on the common, on
+towards Great Stow; arms well back, shoulders square, bodies gently
+sloped, going with good, long, swinging strides.
+
+Ralph was in his element now, for running, equally with rope work, was
+an accomplishment practised by all those amongst whom he had lived. A
+very necessary accomplishment, seeing that the ability to run swiftly,
+and to keep up without fagging, might mean all the difference between
+life and death in a land where the natives were quarrelsome and quite
+ready to go upon the warpath upon the least provocation.
+
+Some of the boys outstripped him at the first go off, but he kept on
+running low, swinging well from the hips, and those who had gone with
+a spurt at first soon found that he could, to use Warren's expression,
+"run circles round them, and then beat them hollow."
+
+But presently Ralph slackened his speed, for he had noticed that
+Charlton was fagged, and he--having pledged himself to be the boy's
+chum--was not going to desert him. The rest were by no means sorry to
+stop; for though their pride would not allow them to give in, they
+had all had nearly enough of it. And panting, laughing, happy in all
+their youthful strength and spirits, they pulled up and wiped the
+perspiration from their foreheads.
+
+"Let us go over to Tibb's Farm, and get a drink of milk; and then
+we must be getting back, or we shall get slated and be late for
+breakfast, and that won't do," directed Warren, and the others agreed.
+
+The farm was but a short distance away, and it was evident that this
+visit was nothing out of the ordinary; for the farmer's wife smiled,
+and produced tumblers of milk and wedges of cake, and charged the boys
+a penny each--which certainly was not exorbitant.
+
+And the way they got rid of that cake! And they were going home to
+breakfast!--ay, and would be able to eat it, too, cake notwithstanding!
+So much results from getting up early!
+
+Perhaps it was because of his exhibition with the rope--perhaps it was
+the run; but as Ralph sat there his thoughts went back to his trouble.
+
+How often had he been out in the early morning on the hot plains alone
+with his father! And how once when the grass caught fire, they had to
+run for dear life and take shelter in the creek until the fiery sea had
+swept by! And now, now, where--oh, where--was that father? It would
+come back, try to be as brave as he would. It would come back, and his
+heart would suddenly fill with pain, and cry out for that lost father.
+
+"Time's up!" sang out Warren, stuffing the last of his cake into his
+mouth. "Now, you fellows, come on!"
+
+Off they went with a whoop and hallo! Perhaps not quite so fast now,
+for cake and milk interfere somewhat with scudding. And Ralph, now with
+his chum and Warren, suddenly stopped, staring hard on the ground.
+
+His companions could see nothing, and looked at him in surprise. Their
+eyes had never been trained to read the surface of the earth. But Ralph
+had suddenly lighted upon a freshly made trail. A trap had gone along
+here--a light trap, like that which had left those other traces in Stow
+Wood; and this trap, like that again, had been drawn by a horse lame in
+its left forefoot!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII
+
+HORACE ELGERT GOES A LITTLE TOO FAR
+
+
+"What's the matter, Rexworth?"
+
+So queried Warren. Ralph was standing anxiously looking around. He was
+perplexed, and did not know what he ought to do. These marks might
+afford him a clue to the mystery of his father's disappearance; and yet
+the chance seemed but slight, there were more horses than one going
+lame in one leg. If he stopped he would be late for school, and he did
+not want to get into disgrace.
+
+He could not explain to his companions, for he saw that if he was
+ever to succeed he must keep his secrets to himself. A casual word,
+heedlessly dropped, that he was looking for a lame horse which drew a
+light trap might be enough to make the owner of horse and trap very
+careful that he should not be traced.
+
+"It was nothing," he said slowly. "I was thinking."
+
+"Then don't stop to think now," was the advice he received. "We have
+been a little too far. You scudded along so, and we tried to beat you.
+We cannot waste any more time. Come on."
+
+He went on with his friends. He felt that it was right to do so.
+Moreover, the man with the horse and trap must be in the locality
+still, and if he was not scared off, those tracks would be made again,
+perhaps even more clearly, and Ralph might then have better opportunity
+of following them. It was the right thing to go back to the school now.
+
+"I say," suddenly queried Warren, as they hurried on. "Has Elgert said
+anything more to you?"
+
+"No; I have not seen him, except just as we were coming out, when he
+came into the gymnasium."
+
+"Well, he is bound to do so, after what happened yesterday. I do not
+see how he can help it, or how you can avoid it. You will have to fight
+him, Rexworth."
+
+"I am sorry to hear you say that, for I don't want to be fighting if
+I can help it, and I would far rather be friends with----" He paused.
+He was going to say "friends with him." But that was not true. He felt
+that, apart from anything which had happened yesterday, he could not be
+friends with the son of a man who had said that his father was a thief.
+
+"I don't want to fight him," he said slowly; and Warren nodded.
+
+"I know; but if he challenges you, what then?"
+
+Ralph looked grave. No boy likes to be thought a coward; but still he
+did not want to fight.
+
+"If I can get out of it I shall," he said: and the monitor looked just
+a trifle disappointed, while one or two of the boys laughed.
+
+"It is not that I am afraid of him," Ralph said hastily. "It is that I
+don't want to begin fighting, if I can avoid it."
+
+"For goodness' sake, then, keep out of his way, and don't let him
+get to know that, for if Elgert thinks that he can do it without the
+chance of a row following, he is bound to challenge you. He is bound
+to, anyhow, so far as I can see, and it won't be nice for a fellow in
+the Fourth to refuse a challenge from the Fifth. If it was one of the
+youngsters in the Third, it would be different. No one would say that
+we were frightened to fight them; but in the Fifth they are bound to
+say that it was fear, and---- Hurry up, you chaps, there is the bell
+going!"
+
+A scamper, fast as they could go, and they trooped in to breakfast, so
+hungry, spite of cake and milk, that not even the troubled question
+of the probable challenge could disturb their appetites. Only Warren
+looked across to where Horace Elgert sat, and he muttered to himself--
+
+"I wish that we hadn't talked of it before the others. If one of them
+lets out that Rexworth will not fight, Elgert is sure to make no end of
+it. I understand why Rexworth don't like it, and it is all right, but
+still--oh, he will have to fight, like it or not, and that is all about
+it."
+
+Morning lessons occupied their thoughts after breakfast, and Ralph
+found himself quite eager to master the things which, while they were
+hard to him, seemed easy to his companions. He had already determined
+that he would excel with dumb-bells and Indian clubs, and now it was
+just the same with lessons. He hated to be beaten, and he was not going
+to be beaten.
+
+And already he reaped the reward of having put in a couple of hours'
+study the evening before, with Charlton to lend him a hand. He was
+praised by Mr. Delermain, and rose rapidly from the bottom of the class
+towards the top, and, thanks to his firmness the day before, he had no
+more of the unpleasantness with Dobson, who remained persistently at
+the very bottom of the class.
+
+Slow and steady, he found the best way, doing each thing thoroughly,
+and thinking only of one thing at a time; and that is always the best
+way, not only to learn, but to do everything in life.
+
+He was quite surprised when the bell rang--the morning seemed to have
+slipped away, and he put his books away and went, Charlton with him,
+into the playground.
+
+"I don't know how I should have got on if you had not helped me last
+night, and I am very much obliged to you," he said. And the other boy
+smiled. It was very nice to hear any one say that he had been of use to
+them.
+
+The pair sauntered across the playground, and presently they saw
+that Horace Elgert and some of his chums were coming towards them,
+and Ralph stopped, a strange, firm look on his face, and awaited his
+approach.
+
+Up the others came, and Elgert, hands in pockets, addressed him--
+
+"I want a word with you. You know what we have got to do. You cheeked
+me last night, and you have got either to thrash me or be thrashed."
+
+Elgert spoke very confidently, for, as Warren had feared, he had heard
+that it was unlikely that Ralph would fight him.
+
+"It is this, then," replied Ralph quietly. "You mean that we have got
+to fight?"
+
+Elgert looked round and laughed. A whole lot of the boys had come up,
+seeing them standing there, and knowing what they would be talking
+about.
+
+"Hear him!" he said. "How innocent! He cheeks me last night, and then
+asks if I mean we have got to fight! Yes, I do mean it! After afternoon
+school, the other side of the playing-field; and make up your mind for
+a thrashing!"
+
+"I have not the slightest wish to fight you. I was going to say that I
+had not any intention of fighting you," said Ralph.
+
+And some of the boys groaned, and muttered "Coward!"
+
+"I don't care whether you have wish or intention," replied Elgert, in
+truculent tones. "I have both wish and intention of thrashing you, and
+so you have got to put up with it, and afterwards beg my pardon. Do you
+hear that?"
+
+"I hear," was the quiet reply.
+
+And Ralph's eyes sparkled slightly.
+
+"Very well. This afternoon, the other side of the playing-field; and
+you mind that you are there, for it will be worse for you if I have to
+come and find you! That is all."
+
+And round swung Elgert on his heel and walked off, leaving Ralph
+standing unmoved by his angry, insulting tones.
+
+But if Ralph was unmoved, his companions in the Fourth were not, and
+Warren said, almost entreatingly, as he caught hold of Ralph's arm--
+
+"Look here, Rexworth, you must fight him after that! It is no good
+talking, you must fight him!"
+
+A statement which was received with approval by all the others there.
+
+"Well," said Ralph, "if I must, I must. I don't want to, though."
+
+"But for the honour of the class you must, or we shall never hear the
+last of it from them. You will meet him where he said?"
+
+"Not I!" laughed Ralph. "If I must fight, I must; but I am not going to
+be ordered about by him; and I am not going to do anything which makes
+it look as though I were a party to the fight. If he wants me, he must
+come and find me, as he threatened to do. There, we will say no more
+about it now."
+
+"He will do it all right," reflected Warren. "Elgert will find that he
+has gone a trifle too far."
+
+The afternoon passed away in study, and whatever any of the others
+may have felt of anxiety or interest in the likelihood of the fight,
+certainly Ralph did not let it trouble him. He was engaged with some
+sums which worried him a trifle, and when once one of his neighbours
+whispered to him in reference to the combat, Ralph glared at him, and
+requested him to be quiet in a manner which there was no gainsaying.
+One thing at a time with Ralph.
+
+But when the work of the day was finally over, he strolled calmly
+into the playground, calling to Charlton to accompany him. Charlton,
+who looked so terribly anxious, realized that Ralph must fight, and
+yet dreaded the issue, for Elgert was no mean foe. Charlton, who, in
+self-reproach, thought that it was all his fault--that it was only
+because Ralph had stood up for him concerning the study.
+
+"I say, Charlton, I want you just to show me how to get on with
+cricket," Ralph said. "Every one seems to play; but I cannot make
+anything out of it, except that you have to hit the ball, and run if
+you can."
+
+Charlton beamed; this was a delightful experience for him, and he at
+once led the way to the playroom, and secured one of the school sets.
+
+"Come in!" he said. "I will soon explain the rules to you, and you can
+try batting. I will bowl for you as long as you like."
+
+Perhaps Ralph was conscious that he was being covertly observed by many
+anxious eyes; but he gave no sign, nor did he move a hairsbreadth when
+presently he saw Horace Elgert coming in his direction, a curious and
+somewhat eager crowd at his heels.
+
+"Go on, Charlton, don't stop," he said very quietly, for his chum had
+stopped, and was fingering the ball nervously. "Fire away!"
+
+The lad would have obeyed, but Elgert had arrived, and he gripped the
+weaker lad's arm and twisted the ball out of his hand.
+
+"You clear off!" he said. "We don't want one of your sort here."
+
+But Ralph remarked quietly--so very quietly: "Charlton, you stay where
+you are."
+
+"Be off!" again said Elgert; and raised his hand, to find that not
+Charlton but Ralph was before him, and to hear that quiet voice say
+again--
+
+"Charlton, if you budge an inch, I'll thrash you myself. Neither you
+nor I can be ordered about, unless the fellow who does the ordering is
+able to enforce his demands."
+
+Elgert paused then. He was not a coward, but there was something very
+disconcerting in this quiet bearing, especially when he called to mind
+the fact that Ralph had not been frightened the evening before. He had
+determined to fight, and then he had heard that Ralph was afraid, and
+he had acted upon that information; and now Ralph was not afraid, not
+in the least. And indeed, instead of being afraid, he was asking, still
+quietly--
+
+"Now, Horace Elgert, I am tired of this rubbish. What do you mean by
+it?"
+
+"Didn't I tell you to come and meet me the other side of the
+playground?"
+
+"Yes. And I decline to do anything of the sort. When people want me,
+they generally come to me, not order me to go to them."
+
+"Well, I have come: and now I am going to thrash you!"
+
+"I see. Start right away; don't wait for me!"
+
+Some of the Fourths laughed. This was quite unexpected. Elgert was
+manifestly disappointed, but he turned red.
+
+"We don't generally fight here," he said. "Will you come over?"
+
+"No, I will not. I will not budge an inch. I don't want to fight; but
+if you start it, it must be here. And if you don't stand aside and let
+us go on with our game there will be trouble!"
+
+"You fellows can laugh!" suddenly blazed Elgert, turning towards the
+grinning Fourths. "A nice thing to laugh at! He has got the proper
+chum--that's one thing! We all know about Charlton, and why no one
+will chum with him; and this chap is not much better. I saw my pater at
+dinner-time, and a fine way he was in when I told him of the new boy we
+had.
+
+"You know the yarn he told about his father disappearing? Where has he
+gone to? People don't disappear in England, unless they want to! My
+pater says that a burglar broke into our house, and that he fired at
+him and hit him; and he says, from the description, that the burglar
+must have been the man that came to Stow Ormond with this chap, and
+passed as his father, and----"
+
+"Stop!" said Ralph, very quietly still, but with an ominous expression
+of face.
+
+But Elgert laughed contemptuously.
+
+"Why, I don't know that I would soil my hands fighting with the son, or
+the associate, of a thief!" he said.
+
+And then, suddenly forgetting everything in the feeling of hot
+indignation which overwhelmed him, Ralph Rexworth raised his hand, and
+in a moment his taunting enemy lay prostrate on the ground.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII
+
+A MYSTERIOUS MIDNIGHT VISITOR
+
+
+"Hurrah!"
+
+"Bravo, Rexworth!"
+
+"Now, you Fifths, does your man want to fight?"
+
+Such were the gleeful shouts of the Fourth when they beheld Horace
+Elgert on the ground. And the Fifths, alarmed for the honour of their
+class, rushed to pick up their fallen champion, saying--
+
+"Don't make such a row! Of course he will fight. Get over to the other
+side, where we shall not be seen, and we will come!"
+
+But Ralph would not listen to any such arguments. He stood there,
+looking down at his fallen foe, and he said shortly--
+
+"You fellows will please to mind your own business! I am going nowhere
+to fight until this chap has apologized, then, if a fight is wanted, we
+will move!"
+
+"But you cannot fight here! The Head will see us!" cried a score of
+voices.
+
+"I cannot help that! This fellow has told a lie about my father, and he
+has got to unsay it, or take the consequences! I suppose that he thinks
+I was afraid because I tried to avoid a fight the very first day of
+being at school. Well, I am not afraid! If he had only talked about me
+I might have taken no notice, but when he comes to speaking as he has
+done he is going too far, and he has got to take back his words now, or
+finish it here!"
+
+Meanwhile, Elgert had struggled to his feet, and he looked dazed from
+the effects of the blow, while his face was already growing swollen and
+discoloured.
+
+"Stand aside!" he said hoarsely. "I will fight him here! If the Head
+himself were looking on, I would fight him!"
+
+"You are a pair of fools!" muttered a Fifth-Form monitor. "We shall
+be spotted, for a certainty, and all of us get carpeted for this! Go
+calmly, you silly fellow, or he will smash you!" and he broke off in
+his complaint to give this last advice to Elgert, who had rushed at his
+opponent, mad with pain and anger, and had gone down for the second
+time!
+
+"Look out! I knew how it would be! Here comes the Head!" shouted one
+boy; and a hurried rush took place, leaving the two boys and Warren and
+Charlton alone when the master reached the spot.
+
+"Elgert! Rexworth!" he exclaimed in tones of displeasure. "What
+does this mean? You, too, Warren! You, a monitor of the Fourth, and
+encouraging a new boy in fighting! I am displeased, indeed!"
+
+"It is my fault, in one way, sir," replied Ralph, without waiting
+for the others to speak. "Elgert said something concerning my father
+which angered me, and I struck him. He wanted me to come across the
+playground and fight where we would not be seen, but I was angry, and
+would not do so."
+
+Something like a smile played across the grave face for a moment as the
+Head heard this speech.
+
+"You boys seem to think that if I do not see you fight no offence is
+committed. You do not recognize the fact that fighting in itself is
+poor, and low, and degrading. I know that boys settle their quarrels
+in this manner, but I decry it. Now, the fact of fighting here is a
+double offence, for you are within sight of my study window. I am sorry
+that it has happened, but I will overlook it on condition that you and
+Elgert shake hands."
+
+"I cannot do that, sir," was Ralph's respectful answer; and Elgert on
+his part, said:
+
+"I will not do it!"
+
+"Boys, boys! 'Cannot,' and 'will not!' Neither expression is seemly!
+You will go to your respective studies and remain there until you are
+in better minds!"
+
+"It is not that I am angry, sir," Ralph said, very respectfully. "This
+boy has said that my father is a common thief!" Ralph's voice shook
+just a little as the words came. "He says that his disappearance is due
+to that! You must see, sir, that I cannot shake hands with him after
+that!"
+
+"Elgert, what have you to say to this?" demanded the Head sternly; and
+Elgert stammered--
+
+"I didn't exactly say that, sir."
+
+"Yes, you did!" blurted Warren. "He did say it, sir, and he has been
+trying to get up this fight! It is no use denying it. It began because
+Rexworth turned him and some more out of the study he shares with
+Charlton. They say enough unkind things about him," he added. "There
+was a bit of a bother, and Elgert got knocked over, and he challenged
+Rexworth to fight him after school to-day. Rexworth, would not do it,
+and he said that if a fight was forced upon him it should be wherever
+he chanced to be at that moment. Elgert came here and began sneering
+and saying unkind things, and then Rexworth struck him, and that is all
+the truth. I know that I ought to have tried to stop it, but we and the
+Fifth don't get on well, and so--and so----"
+
+"Because of class rivalry you allowed your companion to fight. It is
+not right, Warren! Monitors should try to enforce the rules, not to
+break them. Elgert, you will do me two hundred lines, and be good
+enough to remember that if I consider any boy fit to become a scholar
+here it is not for you to make such statements as you appear to have
+done."
+
+"I only said what my father told me!" sulkily answered Elgert; and the
+Head frowned.
+
+"What you and your father may say in private is no concern of mine,
+Elgert," he replied coldly; "what you repeat in public here is another
+matter, with which I have to do! Do your imposition and bring it to
+me before class to-morrow, and mind that I have no more of this. You
+other lads, I will overlook this in your case this time, seeing that it
+appears that violent provocation was given; but, mind, there must be no
+more fighting in the playground boundaries! See that I am obeyed!" And
+the Head turned away.
+
+"Don't think that we have finished yet!" said Horace Elgert, looking
+darkly at Ralph. "I will have my revenge for this, as sure as you are
+standing there!" and, with that he went.
+
+And the three Fourth-Form boys went indoors; while the rest of the
+lads, who had scattered, came back eagerly discussing what punishment
+the offenders would receive.
+
+And the general verdict was, "It served Elgert right, and that he had
+no business to have spoken as he had done!"
+
+"But suppose it is right?" queried one lad. "You know, there is
+something queer about it!"
+
+"Something very queer," said another; "but that story is all nonsense!
+My dad knows Mr. St. Clive very well, and he told him all the story and
+how there was plenty of money in Mr. Rexworth's possession. Besides,
+any one with eyes can see that Rexworth is a gentleman, even if he has
+some strange ways through living abroad. Elgert is too fond of thinking
+he is all the world and every one else dirt beneath his feet. It
+serves him jolly well right!"
+
+"Well, there is one thing," admitted a third boy, "that fellow Rexworth
+may be queer in some ways, but he is no fool when it comes to a
+scrimmage, and he knows how to defend himself! I don't think any of us
+are likely to try for a row with him after what we have seen!"
+
+Meanwhile, Ralph, ignorant of the criticisms which were being made
+in his favour, had gone to his own study. He felt sorry for what had
+occurred, and the cruel words which had been spoken had gone like
+arrows to his heart and brought back all his trouble. He felt like
+running away to Mrs. St. Clive and getting her to comfort him.
+
+And then Charlton came in, very gently, as if half afraid to intrude
+his presence upon his chum. He came and bent over Ralph's chair,
+putting one hand on his shoulder, and whispered--
+
+"Ralph, I am so sorry! Don't you worry about it!"
+
+Ralph looked up, and a brave smile came to his lips.
+
+"Hallo! Is it you, Charlton?" he said. "No, I won't worry about it; but
+I am sorry that I have commenced my school life so badly. There, we
+won't think of it any more! If you are not busy, you might just lend
+me a hand with to-morrow's exercises. If it were speaking French or
+Spanish, I should be all right, but I don't seem to understand Latin
+in the slightest."
+
+"Let us go through it," replied Charlton eagerly. "I shall be glad to
+do it."
+
+So troubles were forgotten, and the chums bent over the table and soon
+became absorbed in their task. Learning lessons is not anything like so
+bad when you put your heart into it.
+
+So the evening passed, and bed-time came; and once more Ralph knelt
+down to offer up his evening prayers. And not only Warren and Charlton,
+but some other boys followed his example now, for his action had
+reproached them and made them think soberly of things which they had
+been careless about all too long.
+
+But Ralph was not easy in his mind. Somehow, he felt that he had no
+kindly thought for Elgert--and he had been praying to be forgiven, as
+he forgave his enemies! That was a very troublesome thought, and it was
+still in his mind when he fell asleep.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+What was that noise?
+
+Ralph Rexworth sat up in bed, and listened. Accustomed to wake at the
+slightest noise that might betoken danger, and to wake with all his
+senses about him, he had been disturbed by a strange, scraping sound,
+the cause of which he could not think of.
+
+Only one dim point of light burnt in the dormitory, and all was still
+there save for the breathing of the sleepers. It was no sound of that
+sort which had awakened him.
+
+There it was again--outside! He remembered having heard a sound like
+that once before--when the Indians had risen and come to attack the
+ranch. He had laid and listened to them as they crawled over the tops
+of the sheds, and the sound was like that! It was from outside! He
+rose, and creeping to the window, he lifted one corner of the blind,
+and peeped out.
+
+Nothing there--stay, that was wrong! Surely that was a ladder propped
+against the wall? What was a ladder doing there, for there was none
+there the evening before! And the window there was open! Some one must
+have got in at that window!
+
+Was it one of the boys who had been up to mischief, or, it seemed
+absurd, was some thief breaking in? Thieves did not, as a rule, break
+into schools!
+
+He was half inclined to raise an alarm. But the thought came, that if
+this was some midnight escapade on the part of some of the boys, to do
+that might be to get them into disgrace--to make more enemies, and to
+interfere in what did not concern him.
+
+That was a window just outside the Fifth-Form dormitory, too! Elgert
+might be in it, and he did not want to be the means of getting him into
+any more trouble.
+
+But suppose that it was a thief? Ralph crept to the door and opened it
+noiselessly. He peered down the corridor, but nothing was to be seen or
+heard.
+
+Stop! Surely he did hear a faint sound--a very faint sound! He felt
+that he must go and see; a strange, uneasy feeling had possessed him; a
+strange presentiment that all was not right.
+
+He crept down the passage, and turned towards the Fifth-Form dormitory,
+and a breath of cold air met him. The window was open, and the top of a
+ladder could be seen--and the door of the dormitory was open also!
+
+With cautious, stealthy steps he crept on, pausing once when the boards
+creaked beneath his weight. There was something eerie in being here
+alone at midnight; it was worse than being out alone on the plains.
+
+He reached the door, and peered into the dormitory with its long row
+of sleeping boys there. There was nothing here in the shape of a lark
+going on. All was still and silent.
+
+There was his enemy lying asleep, his handsome face just catching a
+glimmer of moonlight which found its way through the blind; and as
+Ralph looked he saw a strange apparition--a man slowly appeared, rising
+at the side of the bed! A man with pillow in his hands, which he was
+about to press down upon that sleeping boy! A man going to murder
+Horace Elgert!
+
+Like a flash the truth burst upon the watching boy, and, with a loud
+cry, he threw the door wide open and rushed into the dormitory.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX
+
+ALTOGETHER BEYOND EXPLANATION
+
+
+"Thieves!"
+
+"Fire!"
+
+"Help! Help!"
+
+The whole house was aroused. The cries of confusion and alarm coming
+from the Fifth Form dormitory were repeated by others who, entirely
+ignorant as to what was the matter, and aroused from slumber by the
+noise, tumbled from their beds and rushed out wildly, under the
+impression that nothing less than the house being ablaze could account
+for the cry.
+
+The doctor and masters came hurrying to the spot; and while the
+Head ran to the Fifth Form room, the master got the other boys into
+something like order, ready to be marched quietly downstairs if the
+alarm of fire should prove to be well founded.
+
+The first thing that the doctor noted was the open window and the
+ladder, and the next, that a confused babel of sound was going on in
+the Fifth's room; and as he strode to the door he was met, full tilt,
+by a boy with torn clothes, apparently seeking to free himself from the
+grasp of half a dozen Fifth Form boys. To his bewilderment, the Head
+saw that this boy was his new scholar, Ralph Rexworth.
+
+His strong hand gripped the boy's arm, and his voice thundered out a
+command for silence, which the boys obeyed all save Ralph, who cried--
+
+"If you do not follow him at once, he will be off, sir! These fellows
+stopped me, and he has got a good start!"
+
+"He! Who?" cried the Head. And the boy replied--
+
+"The man who was in the Fifth, sir. He knocked me down, and bolted; and
+then the boys woke, and got me, and would not let me go!"
+
+"You have been dreaming, boy. Silence, all! Kesterway, you are head
+monitor. Explain to me! All boys from other Forms back to their rooms;
+there is no cause for any alarm. At once, please! Now, Kesterway!"
+
+"I can tell you nothing, sir. I heard a noise, and woke; and there was
+Elgert, and one or two others holding a boy who kicked and struggled;
+and just as I jumped out of bed and ran round, he broke away and rushed
+for the door."
+
+"It was Rexworth, sir!" cried one boy. "He was in our room trying to
+play some trick upon Elgert. They have been having a row, sir."
+
+"Will you have the goodness to hold your tongue, sir!" exclaimed the
+master, a trifle irritably; and the boy subsided at once.
+
+"Elgert, what have you to say? Did this boy attempt to play any tricks
+on you?"
+
+"Yes, sir! I was asleep and I was aroused by a violent cry and a blow,
+and some one was struggling on my bed, as if he had jumped on and
+was trying to hold me down; I gripped hold of him, and found it was
+Rexworth. The other fellows woke, and began crying out; and then, when
+they found who it was that had made the row, they got angry and went
+for him!"
+
+"That will do. Now you, sir, what have you to say? Speak up, and
+tell the truth! Why have you disturbed the whole household in this
+disgraceful manner?"
+
+So the doctor asked, and terribly angry did he look; but very different
+was his expression when he had heard Ralph's story. It sounded
+incredible that any one should attempt to enter the school for the
+deliberate purpose of injuring any boy; and he would have put the story
+down as a fabrication, but there was the plain evidence in the shape of
+the open window and the ladder.
+
+If Ralph had invented it, he must have managed to leave the house, drag
+the ladder across the playground, raise it to the window, and then go
+back and open that window; and that also seemed absolutely impossible.
+
+"I saw the man, sir!" the lad said; "he was creeping on his hands and
+knees, and when he got to Elgert's bed he got up, and he had a pillow.
+He was going to smother Elgert. He dropped the pillow when I shouted
+and ran in. It is by the bed now. I tried to clutch him, sir, but he
+was too strong. He struck me, and knocked me over on top of Elgert, and
+then they held me and actually let him escape. He darted away like a
+flash, sir; and I expect that he is far enough away by now!"
+
+Bewilderment, incredulity, wonder, all were depicted upon the faces of
+those who listened; but Elgert actually laughed in the Head's presence,
+and asked how any one could be expected to believe such a story.
+
+"Who is there who would want to harm me, sir?" he said. "Why, it is
+really absurd to think of such a thing! I have had a row with this boy,
+as you know, and I suppose that he wanted to play a trick on me, and
+quite forgot the row that would be made."
+
+"Be good enough to keep your remarks to yourself, until I ask for your
+opinion, Elgert!" said the Head sternly. "Now, all you boys, back to
+bed! In the morning I will go into the matter properly. To bed at once!"
+
+It was all very well to say "to bed," but "to sleep" was quite another
+matter. Sleep seemed banished from most eyes; and in the Fourth, Ralph
+was plied with question after question, until at last he positively
+refused to talk any more.
+
+Truth to tell, Ralph was somewhat disgusted. He had done more than
+most boys would have risked; and had it not been for him, Elgert would
+have been murdered, and this was the best thanks he received!
+
+And yet, as he thought of it, it seemed quite natural to him. After
+all, it was a very mysterious business; and if people did not believe
+it, it was not to be wondered at. He would wait patiently until the
+morning; and then, if the doctor did not believe him, it would not be
+his fault.
+
+And when morning came, and breakfast was over, the Head sent for Ralph,
+and again listened to his story, and questioned him closely; and he
+felt convinced that the boy was indeed speaking the truth.
+
+That only perplexed him the more; a foolish joke would be
+understandable, but a deliberate attempt to harm one of the boys under
+his charge was a thing which he could not by any means comprehend.
+
+He went into the playground and surveyed the ladder; it had been left
+just where it was. He went to the boundary wall and examined that, and
+there was a stain of blood--some one, in hastily getting over, must
+have cut his hand upon the broken glass with which it was finished off.
+He felt, beyond question, that Ralph's tale was true. Some one had been
+there, but who that some one was, was a mystery indeed.
+
+But the doctor was a just man, and as he had thrown some doubt upon
+Ralph's story, he summoned the entire school, and told them he was
+quite satisfied that what Ralph had said happened was absolutely true.
+
+"Mysterious as it is, I feel satisfied that one of our number has been
+in dreadful peril, while he was innocently sleeping; and it is to the
+goodness of God that he owes his preservation. God, Who made Ralph
+Rexworth wake up and look from the window and then go to the help of
+Elgert! And I trust," he added gently, "that this circumstance may make
+the two chief actors in this incident better friends! I am sorry to
+know that they are not very friendly, but I hope that they will be so
+in the future!"
+
+So the affair ended--so far as public investigation went, though it was
+talked over again and again by the boys. The Head communicated with the
+police, and a detective came down; and however much he may have been
+bewildered and ready to put it down to the tricks of schoolboys, yet
+after he had seen the ladder and the bloodmark, and heard Ralph tell
+his story, he also had to admit that the boy was undoubtedly telling
+the truth, and that the school had been entered in the manner described.
+
+But Ralph worried over it. The very mystery surrounding it brought back
+the mystery of his father's disappearance. He pondered all day over it,
+until he felt weary and angry with himself; and he hailed the close of
+school with delight, suggesting to his chum and Warren that they should
+go for a good long walk, a proposal with which they immediately agreed.
+
+"Now, look here," said Ralph, when the trio had started, "there is only
+one thing; for mercy's sake don't talk about that business of last
+night! I am fairly tired of it, and I want to forget it if I can!"
+
+"All right, old chap," answered Warren, with a laugh; "let us go into
+the woods and see if we can find anything worth taking in the way of
+specimens. I got two lovely orange-tips there the other day, and some
+silly fellow went and knocked over my setting-board, and spoilt them
+both!"
+
+"The woods be it," answered Ralph readily.
+
+And so they sought the green, cool, shady glades, where the wild birds
+were so tame, and where such splendid butterflies and dragon flies were
+to be captured.
+
+They wandered hither and thither, enjoying the quiet sylvan beauty; and
+presently, stretched on the grass, they spoke of the difference of this
+scene to that which Ralph had known in his younger days; and Warren lay
+flat on his back, and asked question after question concerning the wild
+people of the great Texan plains.
+
+"I didn't know that there were any Indians left," the monitor
+confessed; and Ralph laughed.
+
+"Plenty of them; and then there are the Gauchos--they are of Spanish
+descent, and they are for ever fighting with the Indians. It is very
+different living out there; and, even in the towns, men seldom go about
+unarmed."
+
+"Pleasant," was Warren's remark. "I think that I will stop where I am;
+even if we do get midnight visitors now and again."
+
+"I say, that subject is forbidden," laughed Ralph.
+
+And then he was silent so long that, presently, Warren asked him what
+he was thinking of, and Ralph sighed.
+
+"Something that is hardly ever out of my thoughts," he answered
+gravely. "Speaking of my old home brought it back----"
+
+"Your father?" queried Warren; and Ralph nodded.
+
+"It must be precious hard for you," the monitor said. "I think that if
+I were in your place I should go silly."
+
+"No, you would do what I do, old fellow; just pray to God to bring
+things right. I felt bad at first, and it was Mrs. St. Clive who taught
+me to be brave."
+
+"I like her," remarked Warren, with a nod. "She is awfully nice, Ralph.
+I wonder if ever you will hear anything about your father?"
+
+"Yes," came the confident answer. "I feel sure that I shall; and
+sometimes, Warren, it may seem strange, but it comes to me that he is
+not dead, and that he will come back!"
+
+"But if he were not dead he would not have gone off and left you all
+alone like this," objected Warren. "I should not think that."
+
+"He may not be able to help it. There, we won't talk of it; only I
+cannot help thinking like that sometimes. Where is Charlton?"
+
+The question brought the fact out that they were alone; their companion
+had gone off and left them there while they were talking.
+
+"Now, where has that silly chap got to?" queried Warren, sitting up.
+
+"Gone after a butterfly, perhaps. He will soon be back."
+
+"But it is time that we began to move. He is such a silly fellow that
+he is as like as not to go and lose himself. Hallo! Charlton! Charlton!
+Coo-ee! Charlton!"
+
+They paused and waited, but no reply came; and Warren got up, a trifle
+cross.
+
+"Of all the silly kites!" he said. "What trouble has he got into now?
+Charlton, I say, where are you?"
+
+"Better let us go and have a look for him," said Ralph; and the two
+started, Warren grumbling all the way, until in response to their
+shouts, they heard an answering call, and saw their companion appear.
+
+"Well, you stupid!" began Warren; but Ralph checked him, for the other
+boy looked scared and pale.
+
+"Why, what is the matter?" he asked. "You look as if you had been
+scared. Has any one frightened you?"
+
+"I! Any one frightened me? Oh, no!" answered Charlton quickly. "How
+silly! Who could be with me? I got lost--and lost my head! I felt a
+little afraid, until I heard you call."
+
+"We have been shouting for the last half hour!" grumbled Warren. "Come
+along! We shall be late for tea!"
+
+But Ralph said nothing. He was puzzled. The spot where they stood was
+damp and clayey; and on the soft ground were the imprints of two pairs
+of feet, going towards the bushes from which Charlton had emerged. Of
+those footprints, one set was a boy's, and evidently made by his chum;
+the other set was a man's.
+
+Charlton said that he had been alone, but Ralph knew better. A man had
+been with his chum, but who was that man? Was he the one who had broken
+into the school the previous night?
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X
+
+COUNSELS AND PROMISES
+
+
+"My dear lad, it certainly is very strange. You seem, since your
+arrival in England, to be surrounded with mysteries."
+
+Ralph was sitting alone with Mr. St. Clive; and the latter, having
+questioned him as to how he had got on during his first week at school,
+Ralph had told him of his various experiences--of his quarrel with
+Horace Elgert, and of the strange midnight episode which had taken
+place--Mr. St. Clive listening with interest, and making the remark
+that it was very mysterious, as the lad concluded his story.
+
+"It is strange, sir," answered Ralph, "and at first Dr. Beverly seemed
+inclined to doubt my story; while Horace Elgert, instead of taking it
+seriously, actually said that it was not true, and that I had gone into
+the Fifth dormitory on purpose to play some trick with him. I think,
+though," he added, "that he only said that to anger me."
+
+"It is very strange," Mr. St. Clive repeated. "And then this other
+boy----"
+
+"Charlton, do you mean, sir?"
+
+"Yes. You say that you are sure he was with some man, and that he
+denied it?"
+
+"Yes, sir. I asked him if he had been with any one, and he looked quite
+frightened."
+
+"That may easily be. I know something of his history, or rather, of the
+family's. His father was accused of some crime, and, strangely enough,
+Lord Elgert was the prosecutor. A cheque was forged, I believe. Mr.
+Charlton managed to escape, but he was never able to come back; and it
+was finally said that he was dead. It is quite possible that he has
+returned, and that he got into the school to see his son, and went into
+the wrong dormitory. That is possible, I say, though I do not think it
+likely. He would hardly run such a risk, in my opinion; and more so, as
+he could have gone to his wife, and then let her send for the lad."
+
+"I did not think of it being his father," acknowledged Ralph. "I was
+thinking of something else."
+
+"Yes?" inquired Mr. St. Clive.
+
+"Cannot you guess, sir? My father is gone, and I know nothing of his
+fate. What if this man was the one who met him in Stow Wood. He might
+be able to solve the matter."
+
+"He might," was the reply, "but it is not likely. Charlton, as I
+remember him, was a timid, shrinking man; that was proved by the way he
+took to flight. He would not be likely to do such a thing."
+
+"But he might, sir. Some one must have done it," persisted Ralph. "I
+feel as if I ought to watch Charlton, and find out who it was that he
+met. I could do it, too! I may not be very clever with books, but I
+could do that kind of thing."
+
+"And then?" came the grave question.
+
+And Ralph cried, almost fiercely--
+
+"Can you ask me that, sir? If my father has come to harm, the one who
+harmed him must be punished."
+
+"Even though he is your chum's father. Ralph, this is quite natural;
+and even beyond that, I do not say that if you could discover the man
+who killed your father--supposing that he is killed--he should not be
+given up to justice. I only say, 'pause, and be careful.' Remember the
+man your chum saw may be his father, and yet may be entirely innocent
+of the crime which you naturally desire to have punished. You, in your
+eagerness, may deliver an unfortunate man up to justice, and then find
+out that he is not the man you seek. And if I can read anything of your
+nature, that would be a cause of bitter regret with you for many a long
+day."
+
+"It would, sir," acknowledged Ralph readily. "But unless I can find the
+man, how can I know the truth?"
+
+"Well, my lad, I feel that I can only advise you to be careful;
+and, above all, even in this desire to have your father's assailant
+punished, see to it that no motive of revenge actuates you. Remember
+that it is written: 'Vengeance is Mine. I will repay, saith the Lord.'
+Remember also that it is 'As we forgive them that trespass against us.'"
+
+"But you would not have me let the man go free, sir?" protested Ralph.
+"The only thing I seem to have before me is to find out what happened
+to my father."
+
+"But not of necessity to help hunt any man down. Besides, Ralph, there
+is another thing. You mention that you have again seen the tracks of
+that horse. Now, does it not strike you that, if this man is the father
+of your chum, and a fugitive from justice, he would be the last person
+in the world to be riding about in a trap? That is a very important
+thing to remember."
+
+"I never thought of that," the boy acknowledged. And Mr. St. Clive
+nodded.
+
+"Precisely; and yet such things, in so important a business, must be
+taken into consideration. Now, Ralph, my advice--my earnest advice--is
+that you proceed very carefully, and be quite certain that you have
+reason for each step before you take it. And one thing more, my
+dear boy. It is not well to say that even unravelling the mystery
+surrounding your father's disappearance is the chief object of your
+life. The chief object should be to become a noble, true man, alike
+a blessing to your fellows and an honour to God. Do you remember how
+it says in the Bible: 'There is a banner given to thee, that it may
+be displayed because of righteousness'? Now, that is a verse I like.
+God gives you His standard, and He says not only 'march under it, but
+bear it for Me.' Die for the colours of the King, if need be, and fight
+always under honour's flag. Ralph, that is my counsel, the best I can
+give you, as your true friend. Wait for God to bring the mystery to
+light. Do not let revenge be your life's object, for revenge is of the
+devil. Let love be your watchword, and honour your banner. Ralph, will
+you promise me this?"
+
+"I will, sir," answered the boy, deeply moved. "I will try and be a
+good standard-bearer."
+
+"I feel sure of it. Shake hands. I know that I shall have cause to be
+proud of your friendship. Now, I must not take up all your time. I know
+that Irene is waiting patiently for you, so run and join her, and make
+the most of your brief holiday."
+
+And what a delightful holiday it was, in spite of the trouble over
+him! It was a splendid thought to think of himself as being a
+standard-bearer. And he told Irene all about it; and she, in return,
+told him of the young hero who, being wounded, and fearing that the
+colours he bore would be taken from him, placed them beneath him, and
+lay in silent suffering until the enemy found him and, in pity, sought
+to help him. And then she told how he begged so hard that he might not
+be moved that they wondered; and when, even against his wish, they
+raised his dying form, there they found the colours which he loved, and
+which he had guarded so well; and they wrapped them round him and bore
+him away. And when he died they buried him with the flag which he had
+carried, and gave him all honour for being true man and hero.
+
+It was a fine story, and set Ralph's heart beating more quickly. And
+then Irene said that he must be as true, and be her champion, and win
+in the battle of right against wrong. And Ralph--well, I do not mind
+owning that he kissed her; and seeing that he had been brought up all
+his life on the plains, and had never been used to girls' society, that
+really was a daring thing to do.
+
+So the holiday was spent, and Sunday passed in quiet and worship. And
+then on Monday morning back he went to Marlthorpe College, and the
+fight of another week.
+
+And the battle began almost at once, for very soon after his arrival he
+was called into the doctor's study, where he found two stern-faced men,
+whom he was told were detectives; and they questioned him closely as to
+the events of that night when he had seen the man, and even went so far
+as to hint that he must have been dreaming and walking in his sleep,
+and that made Ralph feel very like losing his temper. Dreaming! As if
+he did not know that he had been very wide awake indeed!
+
+And they called Horace Elgert in also, and questioned him as to whether
+he had seen anything, or whether he could think of any one likely to
+harm him. And Elgert laughed in the most insulting manner.
+
+"I don't believe a word of it!" he said, with seeming frankness. "It is
+a silly business, and it had best be forgotten. There is a great deal
+too much being made out of it. I suppose that Rexworth wants to pose as
+a hero. I told my father of it, and he laughed about it; but he said
+that he would ride over this morning and question Rexworth himself."
+
+"I do not want him to question me!" cried Ralph, flushing angrily. And
+Elgert laughed again.
+
+"Very likely not; but he will do it, all the same," he replied. And
+then Dr. Beverly interrupted them sternly.
+
+"Silence, both of you! I did not tell you to come here to have this
+nonsense, but to answer any questions which these gentlemen might wish
+to ask you. Back to your classes, both of you, and mind that I have no
+trouble with either of you! If you cannot be friendly, keep apart!"
+
+"I am sure that I want to," muttered Elgert, as he went; but he only
+spoke loud enough for the words to reach Ralph's ears.
+
+It was very hard to keep cool and pay attention to his work; but Ralph
+remembered his promise to his good friends, and he set sternly to the
+tasks before him, only to be interrupted an hour afterwards by the
+doctor sending for him again; and this time--how hot and angry he came
+all in a moment!--it was to be questioned by Lord Elgert, who sat there
+as cold, as haughty, and overbearing as ever.
+
+"Now, young man," he said, when Ralph entered, "I want to hear, for
+myself, this remarkable story."
+
+Ralph paused a moment. With a strong effort he mastered himself. If
+he was a standard-bearer, he must remember to give soft and polite
+answers, so he said politely--
+
+"I am afraid that I have little to tell, sir, that I have not told
+already; and, unfortunately, it does not seem to be believed."
+
+"Never mind that. Begin at the beginning, and tell me all that
+occurred."
+
+So Ralph complied, and Lord Elgert sat listening with frowning face and
+watchful eyes; and Ralph could see that he, like his son, really did
+believe the story, even though he pretended not to.
+
+"Well, well, doctor," said his lordship, when the tale was told, "I am
+inclined to think that it is a case of sleepwalking----"
+
+"But did I put the ladder against the window in my sleep, sir?" asked
+Ralph. "The detectives did not think that, nor do you. I have no
+interest in inventing such a story; and I have no wish to do anything
+to annoy your son, so long as he leaves me alone----"
+
+"I do not think that the boy dreamed it," said the doctor. And Lord
+Elgert frowned.
+
+"Hum! Hark, boy! I suppose that it was not your own father, come to see
+you, eh?"
+
+Then up started Ralph indignantly, and cried--
+
+"You have no right to insult me like that! Why should you? I know
+nothing of you, and yet, upon the only two occasions when we have met,
+you have spoken in that way. My father! Why should he come like a thief
+at night? He has never done anything to be ashamed of. Never, I say, in
+spite of the tale you told. That tale is not true!"
+
+"Each to his own opinion, young man," retorted Lord Elgert drily. "You
+take my advice. Attend to your studies, learn all you can, and then go
+back to the land you came from; for you will get on best there!"
+
+"Lord Elgert," answered Ralph fearlessly, "you may mean that kindly
+or you may not. I neither know nor care. It is your advice, but it is
+advice which I shall not take. I have something to do here. I have
+to find out what has become of my father, and I have to prove that
+your accusation that he is a thief is not true. I am only a boy, Lord
+Elgert, and you may laugh at me, but I know that I shall succeed
+presently, and when I do perhaps I may also learn the reason for your
+disliking me so much."
+
+"What do you mean by that?" shouted Lord Elgert angrily. And Ralph
+replied--
+
+"Just what I say!"
+
+Then he turned and asked the doctor if he wanted him any more. And
+receiving permission to go, he went back to his class; while Lord
+Elgert rode homewards, with black looks and frowning brow.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI
+
+GOING IN FOR GRINDING
+
+
+"Boys, I have an announcement to make."
+
+The whole school were gathered for the usual morning prayers, the
+masters each at the head of his class; and when the reading was over,
+the doctor, instead of dismissing them to their classes as usual, still
+stood at his desk, and the boys looked up eagerly. Was it a holiday, or
+a challenge from some neighbouring school to a football match?
+
+Alas, for such hopes! It was neither the one nor the other. It was
+something which only interested a very few of the most industrious
+there.
+
+"The Newlet gold medal examination for mathematics will be held in a
+month's time from now; and it will be needful for intending competitors
+to hand in their names to their masters at once. I trust that the
+school will be well represented at the examination. We lost the medal
+last year, though we had a very good average; but the year before that,
+Kesterway, who was then only in the Fourth, gained it. That debars
+him from again trying for it; but I hope that others will enter the
+field, and do as well as he did. The second and third boys gain silver
+medals. That is all. Dismiss to your classes."
+
+"I say, Dobby, there is a chance for you to distinguish yourself,"
+whispered one boy in the lazy one's ear, as the Fourth trooped away.
+And Dobson glared, for of all things, mathematics was his weak point.
+
+"Dobson cannot do it," laughed Warren, overhearing the words. "His
+system of mathematics is erratic. When it comes to eating tarts at
+some one else's expense, it is wonderful how many he can take without
+counting them up; but if he has to treat--well, one multiplies itself
+into twenty."
+
+"You shut up," growled Dobson. "I never had tarts at your expense."
+
+"No, my son, and you never will," laughed Warren. "Hurry up and take
+your place. You know where it is--top wrong end."
+
+Mr. Delermain entered, and the class settled down to work; but Ralph
+found himself pondering over that prize which was offered. True,
+figures were not his strongest point; but then he had a great belief
+that any one who sets his mind to a thing can manage to do it in time,
+and, somehow, he felt that it would be very nice to take that medal
+home and show it to Irene.
+
+So when recess was called, he managed to get hold of Warren and
+question him about it.
+
+"The Newlet," explained the monitor. "Well, it certainly is rather
+stiff. I suppose that I must go in for it, though I don't think I
+shall stand much chance. There will be Philmore and Standish of the
+Fifth; I don't know if Elgert will try for it. He thinks no end of his
+mathematics, but if you ask me, I think that a crib has a good deal to
+do with it."
+
+"A crib?"
+
+"Yes. You know. Don't know what a crib is!" as Ralph shook his head.
+"Oh, you sweet innocent, I thought I explained that to you before! It
+is a book with all the answers in it----"
+
+"That is cheating," said Ralph. And Warren nodded.
+
+"Of course it is; but it is frequently done, not only for exams,
+but for class work. Suppose a fellow is late in--been at cricket or
+anything--and he hasn't got time for prep., and don't want to lose his
+place, a crib comes in very handy; only some fellows always use 'em,
+because they are so lazy----"
+
+"Dobson, for instance," suggested Ralph. But Warren laughed, and shook
+his head.
+
+"Bless you, no. He is too lazy even to use a crib. He does not even
+pretend to do his lessons; and he is in pretty little danger of losing
+his place, seeing that it is always at the bottom of the class."
+
+"Well, I think it mean and dishonourable to use cribs," Ralph declared.
+"If I could not manage without that I would not manage at all."
+
+"It is pretty often done," Warren replied. He was not quite guiltless
+himself; and he felt a trifle ashamed of Ralph's honest wrath. "I
+suppose it is wrong; only a fellow does not think so at the time.
+But you were asking about the Newlet. It is stiff, but it is worth
+winning----"
+
+"I should like to try for it," murmured Ralph. And the monitor stared.
+
+"You! Well, there is nothing to prevent you from doing so; only you
+will have to grind awfully, if you don't crib----"
+
+"I shall not do that," interrupted Ralph firmly. "Once for all, let
+that be understood. If I cannot stand a chance without cheating, I will
+not go in for it."
+
+"Well, then, it is just grinding, that is all."
+
+"Grinding," repeated Ralph, raising his brows. And Warren laughed again.
+
+"Bless your heart! It is refreshing to find any one as innocent as you
+are. Grinding, my dear fellow, is working, swatting, putting in full
+time, giving up games and larks and story books, and working on every
+moment you have got to spare. It is living on mathematics all the time."
+
+"In plain words, it is working hard," laughed Ralph. "And if a thing is
+worth doing, it is worth working well for----"
+
+"Right you are. Go ahead, and good luck. You are letting yourself in
+for a nice thing, though; but, I suppose, that if you enter you will
+stick it out. Best tell Mr. Delermain; it will please him to have you
+enter. He likes his Form well represented, even though we cannot all
+win."
+
+Warren was right in that; the master was very pleased when Ralph spoke
+to him about it.
+
+"I should like to go in for it, sir," the boy said. "I suppose it seems
+rather absurd; but I could try at least, and the study will not do me
+any harm."
+
+"Not if it is honest study, Rexworth," replied Mr. Delermain. And those
+truthful eyes were raised steadily to his own.
+
+"It will not be anything else, sir," Ralph said. "If I cannot do it
+honestly, I shall not do it at all."
+
+"That is the way, Rexworth." Mr. Delermain laid one hand on the boy's
+shoulder as he spoke. "And even if you do not win, the work itself is
+sure to prove of great use to you later on. By all means enter; and if
+you want any assistance or advice, do not hesitate to come to me. I
+shall always be very glad to do anything in my power to assist you."
+
+So Ralph put his name down, and some of the boys stared when they heard
+it. A new boy, only a week there, putting his name down for the Newlet!
+
+"Cheek!" said Elgert.
+
+"Rubbish!" said Dobson.
+
+"No use!" said a good many; but Ralph paid no heed to it all. One thing
+nerved him. Elgert was going in for it; and he felt that if he could
+not beat him, it would be strange.
+
+"You will have to work very hard, Ralph," was the verdict of Mr. St.
+Clive, when he heard of it. "It is an honour to gain the medal, but it
+is an honour that has to be earned by hard work."
+
+"You will try your very best, won't you, Ralph?" pleaded Irene. "I
+should just love you to win it, the same as if you were my very own
+brother."
+
+Brother! Well, well; Irene and Ralph were but young; perhaps, later on,
+it would not be brother, perhaps--who can say?
+
+So Ralph began to undergo that process which Warren called swatting,
+or grinding, and it was not all easy. When the day's work was over,
+and the boys ran off to their games, or settled down to their story
+books--and Ralph loved story books--it was not easy to get out the
+dry figures and bend over them, studying tricky sums, or working out
+obscure equations; it was not easy, but it had to be done. Ralph was
+beginning to understand what work meant.
+
+And Charlton proved himself a good chum in the hour of need, for he was
+farther on than Ralph, and could help him in many points. Indeed, Ralph
+wondered why he had not entered himself; but Charlton sighed and shook
+his head.
+
+"He did not want the worry of it," he said.
+
+Ralph had said nothing more to him concerning his suspicions, but
+they were frequently in his mind. He never lost sight of his father's
+disappearance. He was for ever keeping his eyes open for anything that
+might put him on the right track. But Mr. St. Clive's remark that he
+might perhaps be the means of harming a man who had never harmed him or
+his, made him very careful about saying or doing anything. Something
+was worrying Charlton, that he could plainly see; but since the boy did
+not say anything to him, he hesitated to try and force his confidence
+in any way.
+
+So he worked with Charlton; and sometimes Warren would pop in and ask
+him how he got on, or compare notes with him. And Warren confessed
+that he had been influenced by Ralph's words, and that he was working
+on what he called "the square," which meant that he was doing without
+cribs and keys.
+
+And when particularly knotty points occurred, Ralph would carry his
+books away and consult Mr. Delermain; and the master helped, and
+advised, and praised him, and spoke very encouragingly of his progress
+and his chances.
+
+"There is nothing to beat honest, hard work, Rexworth," he said one
+evening, as the lad sat in his room. "What you gain unfairly, you soon
+lose; but what you learn honestly, that you hold, and it serves as a
+foundation to build other knowledge upon."
+
+"I do not know how to thank you enough, sir," the lad answered, and Mr.
+Delermain smiled.
+
+"The fact that I see you working honestly, is more than reward for
+me, Rexworth. Now if there is nothing more, run away, for I have some
+letters to write."
+
+Ralph rose, and as he did so, in gathering up his books he knocked a
+piece of thin paper on to the ground from off the table. He stooped
+with an apology and picked it up. He could not help seeing what it
+was--a five-pound note--and he handed it to his master, who took it and
+placed it on his desk.
+
+"Thank you, Rexworth. Do not forget to come to me at once, if you want
+any more help."
+
+Charlton awaited him in their study, and the lad seemed but ill at
+ease. He looked at Ralph doubtfully for a while; and, at last, said
+timidly--
+
+"Rexworth, I hope that you won't be angry, but could you--that is, I
+mean, will you----"
+
+"Out with it, old fellow," laughed Ralph. "Will I what?"
+
+"Lend me some money. I am without any, and I want some----"
+
+"I can lend you ten shillings, if that is any good," answered Ralph
+readily. And Charlton beamed.
+
+"Will you? Oh, I am obliged! I will pay you back soon. I shall have a
+little money in a few weeks."
+
+"That is all right. Here you are," and Ralph handed him the money, and
+turned back to his task again.
+
+[Illustration: "'THAT IS ALL RIGHT. HERE YOU ARE,' AND RALPH HANDED
+HIM THE MONEY." p 110.]
+
+But now he could not work. He wondered what Charlton wanted the money
+for, and where he was going to get any more to pay him again. Somehow
+the sums seemed to get muddled; and he jumped up at last, with an
+exclamation of annoyance--
+
+"Bother it! It won't come right! I quite forget how Mr. Delermain
+said I was to do it. I will run and ask him again; he won't mind my
+bothering him."
+
+He took his book and went out. The corridor leading to the masters'
+rooms was rather dark, for the gas had either not been lit, or had been
+turned out by some one. Just before the room was reached the corridor
+turned sharply to the right, and here it was quite dark. And, as Ralph
+turned this corner, he encountered some one, who ran against him with
+such force that he almost fell down; and before he could recover from
+his surprise, that unseen boy had disappeared round the corner, running
+swiftly and silently, as if anxious to escape notice.
+
+Ralph muttered something about clumsy fellows, and picked up his
+papers, which had been scattered in all directions. Then he went on to
+Mr. Delermain's room, and saw that the door was open, but the room in
+darkness. His master had evidently finished his letters and gone.
+
+"I shall have to let it wait until to-morrow," he said. "It's jolly
+vexing, just as I was getting on so nicely."
+
+He turned from the door, when a step sounded in the corridor, and a
+light glimmered round the corner. Some one was coming. And then a voice
+said--
+
+"Why, Rexworth, what are you doing here? You have no business in this
+corridor." And Ralph found himself face to face with Dr. Beverly.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII
+
+THE STOLEN BANKNOTE
+
+
+Now, why Ralph should have felt in the slightest degree confused by the
+sudden appearance of Dr. Beverly, he could not have said; and yet he
+was conscious that he exhibited something of hesitation in his manner.
+It was perhaps due to the doctor finding him there in the dark, and
+looking rather suspicious and stern.
+
+The fact was that the doctor was so used to his pupils playing tricks
+and getting into scrapes, that it was but natural that he should scan
+the boy's face closely, and he noted that Ralph looked confused.
+
+He repeated his question sharply, and then the boy recovered himself
+and described how he had come to ask Mr. Delermain to again explain the
+point which had escaped his memory.
+
+"Mr. Delermain has gone out, I believe," Dr. Beverly said, when Ralph
+concluded. "But perhaps I may be able to make the point clear. Come to
+my study and let me see what you are doing."
+
+Ralph followed the doctor, not without some little nervousness; for,
+like all the boys, he stood somewhat in awe of the head master; but the
+doctor smiled, and was so kind that he soon put the boy at ease; and,
+after scanning the neat rows of figures in the exercise-book, he nodded
+approval.
+
+"I am glad to see that you work so neatly, Rexworth," the Head said.
+"Now, this point. Here is your error--it is very simple, though easily
+made."
+
+And taking a pencil, he worked out the sum himself, making Ralph go
+over it with him, and explaining each detail as it was done, so that
+Ralph was able to understand it quite easily; and, with words of
+thanks, took his books and went off, the doctor saying, as he departed--
+
+"But let me give you one word of advice, Rexworth. It is all very well
+to be industrious; but remember, the brain wants rest, and you cannot
+learn properly when you are jaded. Put the books away, and do something
+else until bedtime--draw, read, or whatever you like. It pays to have a
+little relaxation when one is working hard."
+
+Now Ralph valued the master's experience too much to neglect that
+advice; and, though he had intended to work for another hour, he put
+his books away when he reached his little study, and, picking up his
+long-neglected story, he settled down with a sigh of relief for a quiet
+read.
+
+But he could not read. He wondered who it was that had run up against
+him, and what he was doing in the master's quarters. He felt uneasy, he
+could not say why. Then he had behaved so foolishly when the doctor
+first met him! As if any one had any need to be afraid of such a kind
+man as Dr. Beverly!
+
+Then he fell to thinking of Lord Elgert; and he wondered why he should
+seem to be so bitter against him, and why he seemed to take a delight
+in saying that his father was a thief. Ralph could not understand Lord
+Elgert; he was as much a mystery as was his father's disappearance.
+
+Then, from thinking of the father, his thoughts went to the son; and he
+wondered whether Horace Elgert would stand any chance of winning the
+gold medal, and whether he was working with one of those cribs; and he
+caught himself thinking how nice it would be to defeat his rival and
+carry off the prize.
+
+But then he checked himself. He wanted to win, but that ought not to be
+the real motive for it. After all, to want to win only to make Elgert
+vexed, was a very poor sort of thing.
+
+"I seem to be for ever catching myself up," he reflected. "It is harder
+work being a standard-bearer than I supposed at first."
+
+The bell rang for supper, and there was no more time to think then.
+Boys were laughing, shouting, enjoying the freedom which was allowed at
+this last meal of the day; and after that was over, the classes went
+off to their dormitories, and silence soon reigned in the school. And
+Ralph slept calm and peaceful, little dreaming what trouble was coming
+for him in the morning.
+
+But that trouble came, sharp and swift, before the classes assembled
+for morning school--the heaviest trouble that Ralph had been ever
+called to face, with the exception of that all-supreme one--the loss of
+his dear father.
+
+Breakfast was over, and the boys crowding from the dining-hall to
+snatch a few minutes' play prior to entering classes, when Ralph felt a
+hand laid on his shoulder and, turning, saw Kesterway by his side.
+
+"Rexworth, the Head wants you in his study at once!" the monitor said;
+and Ralph, wondering what could be the matter, turned and went to the
+doctor's room forthwith.
+
+And when he entered, he found both Dr. Beverly and Mr. Delermain there;
+and both looked very grave he thought.
+
+"You sent for me, sir?" he asked, looking towards the doctor, and the
+master nodded.
+
+"I did, Rexworth. Come in and shut the door. Now sit down and listen
+to me. You know that neither I nor Mr. Delermain would willingly say
+anything to hurt your feelings--I am sure that you realize that?"
+
+"Of course I do, sir," replied Ralph, wondering greatly. "You have both
+always been kind to me."
+
+"Well, now, I am going to say something that may seem hurtful," the
+master went on. But then he stopped as he encountered those calm, brave
+eyes, and he motioned to Mr. Delermain. "Suppose you speak?" he said,
+and Ralph's own master complied.
+
+"Rexworth," he said quietly, "it is not pleasant to say anything that
+could be interpreted into the faintest suspicion of doubting your
+honesty----"
+
+"I hope that you do not doubt it, sir," replied Ralph quickly. "It
+would be a very great trouble to me if you did! But I see that
+something is wrong; and if that is so, it is best to know it at once
+in plain language. If you have to say anything to hurt me, it must be
+something grave indeed!" he added.
+
+"It is grave," acknowledged the master. "You remember, last evening,
+knocking a banknote from my desk, and picking it up for me?"
+
+"Perfectly well, sir."
+
+"I replaced that note on my desk, and, having some letters to write, I
+forgot to take it up again; and when I went to post my correspondence,
+I left it there on the desk. When I returned, the note was gone, and
+the only person who was near my room, so far as we know, was yourself.
+Dr. Beverly saw you there."
+
+"And you think that I have stolen your banknote, sir?" cried Ralph,
+regretfully. But Mr. Delermain shook his head.
+
+"No, no, Ralph! You must not go so far as that. I only tell you the
+facts, as far as we know them. The note was there, the note has gone,
+you are the only one who was seen near the spot!"
+
+"There was some one else, sir!" cried Ralph; and he narrated how some
+one had pushed against him and run down the dark corridor. Both masters
+listened gravely as he did so.
+
+"And you have no idea who this was? Did not recognize either voice or
+figure?"
+
+"No, sir. He did not speak, and it was so dark, and the thing so
+sudden, that I was taken quite by surprise!"
+
+"You can think of no one? Know of no lad you saw in that part of the
+house?"
+
+"No, sir," answered Ralph; but even as he spoke one thought flashed
+into his mind. "Charlton, his chum! Charlton was in need of money!
+Could it have been Charlton?"
+
+"I can think of no one, sir," he replied. "I can quite see how it looks
+against me; but Mr. Delermain has proved so good a friend to me, that
+it seems hard that I should be thought capable of robbing him."
+
+"Let me impress upon you, Rexworth," said the doctor, "that we do not
+look at the matter in that light. We sent for you because we knew that
+you were near the place--in the room, indeed. The matter must be made
+public, and questions must be asked; and it is natural that, since you
+are the only one who was near the place----"
+
+"I was not the only one, sir," he answered quietly.
+
+"No, there is that other boy whom you say ran past you in the dark;
+but, my lad, unless something can be found out concerning that boy, we
+have only your bare word; and suspicion is bound to fall mostly upon
+yourself. That is why we both felt that you should be seen privately,
+before the circumstance was made known to the whole school. That is
+all. You can go!"
+
+"It is impossible that such a boy can be a thief, sir!" cried Mr.
+Delermain to the Head, when Ralph had gone. "I would stake my life upon
+his honesty!"
+
+"I feel somewhat the same, Delermain," answered the Head. "But the note
+is gone, and he is the only one known to have been near. The school
+will not view the thing in that light."
+
+"I should rather that the school did not know, sir," suggested the
+master; but at this Dr. Beverly shook his head.
+
+"No, no, Delermain, I will not have that. We will have no
+favouritism--no keeping things back. If it was my own son who was
+implicated, the thing should be gone on with. For the sake of every one
+concerned, it must be gone on with."
+
+But what a sensation it caused when the doctor made the announcement
+to the school! He had classes stopped, and all the school assembled in
+the hall; and there, standing at his great desk, he spoke to the lads,
+telling them that the banknote was lost.
+
+"It can hardly have been mislaid," he said, "for Mr. Delermain put it
+beneath a heavy paper-weight; and upon his return he found that weight
+had been moved. Now, there are two things I want to impress upon you
+all, very solemnly. Some one must have done this--some one acting,
+perhaps, under a sudden temptation; some one, perhaps, who did not
+understand the full gravity and magnitude of his offence. Let that some
+one come and own his fault to me, like a man and a Christian should do.
+Remember, also, that the number of that note is known. It cannot be
+parted with, or converted into money, without eventually being traced,
+even through successive stages, back to the one who originally parted
+with it.
+
+"Then, remember also, that there is one of your number who is
+particularly affected by this loss; there is one boy who knew this note
+was there, and who is known to have been near the study during Mr.
+Delermain's absence. A boy who frankly explains what took him there,
+and who declares that some one passed him hurriedly in the darkness of
+the corridor. That boy is Ralph Rexworth, and the boy who passed by him
+must undoubtedly be the thief!"
+
+It was kindly put by the Head, for it seemed as if it exonerated Ralph
+from all suspicion; but there were those in the classes who, as the
+Head had foreseen, did not look at it from that standpoint; and Dobson
+muttered to his nearest neighbour--
+
+"That is all very well, but why may not Rexworth have taken it himself?
+He is the only one who knew that it was there."
+
+And the boy to whom this was addressed nodded.
+
+"I again earnestly entreat the boy who has done this thing to confess
+his fault!" the Head went on. "Do not let us have the taint of a
+thief amongst us! Let the culprit act the better part, and remove the
+disgrace from the school! Now go to your classes, and think over what
+I have said, and I trust ere the morning has passed, the boy who is
+guilty will have taken the better course and have come to own his fault
+to me!"
+
+Away to their rooms they went; and now tongues were loosened,
+and comments made; and oh, how hard it was for Ralph to keep his
+temper! for Elgert was not slow to take all the advantages which the
+circumstance offered to him.
+
+"It is all right to talk about shame being on the school!" he said to
+his companions. "What else can you expect? There is Charlton--look
+at him! 'Like father, like son,' you know. Then there is his chum,
+Rexworth. 'Birds of a feather flock together.' It does not take very
+much to see who the thief is, Rexworth was caught almost in the act,
+by the Head himself; and it is very easy to make up a tale of some one
+running by him in the dark."
+
+"Of course," was the answer; and Ralph heard it all so plainly, as
+Elgert had intended that he should do. Poor Ralph, it was a hard task
+for him to keep his temper--to remember his promise, and act the
+standard-bearer's part!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII
+
+DIVIDED OPINIONS
+
+
+There was but one serious theme of conversation at Marlthorpe College
+during the remainder of that day, and it is not difficult to guess that
+the theft of the banknote formed its subject. From the highest class
+to the lowest--from the First Form youngsters right up to the Upper
+Fifth--the boys discussed the business eagerly, and, it must be owned,
+with divided opinions.
+
+For there were some there who, being quick to perceive true nobility of
+character, felt that it was impossible for such a boy as Ralph Rexworth
+to be a thief. They were like Dr. Beverly and Mr. Delermain, and felt
+that, dark as the circumstances made it appear for Ralph, he could not
+be guilty of such a mean action. And there were others who, with all
+the thoughtlessness of youth, and influenced, perhaps, by the words of
+Elgert and Dobson, were quite ready to declare Ralph guilty off-hand,
+without the slightest hesitation.
+
+And it was bitter for Ralph--far more bitter than any there could
+understand. He felt that they all looked with suspicion upon him. And
+he even did his best friends some injustice, yet they, right down to
+their hearts, believed him to be guilty.
+
+He wanted at first to throw aside his books and go back to Mr. St.
+Clive and to Irene, but he pulled himself up sternly. He would not run
+away like a coward. It would appear as if he were really guilty. He
+would stay and fight it out and prove his innocence. He felt sure that
+it would aid him in getting at the truth concerning his father, and so
+he settled sternly down to his work, and even, in his battle, seemed a
+little cold and standoffish to his best friends.
+
+And Charlton--ah, Ralph could not help thinking that Charlton
+knew something about this. He seemed so strange, so different and
+hesitating. He felt like challenging him to tell the truth, but
+something, he was not quite clear what, made him hesitate. It was bad
+enough to be suspected himself, and he was a fairly strong boy, able to
+take his own part, but what would timid, weakly Charlton feel if the
+suspicion were thrown upon him?
+
+"I won't do anything to let him think that I suspect him, until I can
+be sure that I have good grounds for suspicion," Ralph reflected.
+
+And then he paused. And if he had those good grounds, what then?
+Suppose that he could even be certain that Charlton was the culprit,
+what then? The boy would have taken the money for his mother in all
+likelihood, and----
+
+Ralph shrugged his shoulders and turned resolutely to his work, and,
+though plenty there believed that he was guilty, there was such a look
+upon that strong young face that they forbore to speak their opinions
+directly to him, but only revealed them by cutting him contemptuously
+whenever he chanced to be in their company.
+
+But he was not left without comforters. Mr. Delermain took the
+opportunity to speak with him quietly, and as he placed one hand gently
+upon the strong young shoulder, and looked gravely into the face, now
+somewhat clouded with its sorrow, the kindly master said--
+
+"Rexworth, my dear boy, I could find it in my heart to wish that I had
+never mentioned this loss."
+
+"I do not, sir," answered Ralph quickly. "If the thing has been done it
+ought to be mentioned, no matter upon whom the blame may fall. It is
+rather hard to feel that so many of the boys believe that I have done
+it, but then, you see, I was in your room, and things look black, and I
+have no means of proving that my story of some one having passed me is
+really true."
+
+"I would that we had any clue to that," observed the master. "If we
+could only find out who that was! You have no suspicion, Ralph?"
+
+And he glanced into the boy's eyes.
+
+"No sir." Then Ralph hesitated. That was not quite true. He had a
+suspicion. "I would rather not talk of it, sir," he answered, after a
+pause. "Perhaps it is not quite right to say that I have no suspicion,
+but it is only a suspicion, and I have no right to talk about it,
+seeing that I have no solid grounds to go upon. I am accused solely
+upon suspicion, and I know how hard it is."
+
+"I applaud your sentiment," said Mr. Delermain. "Well, my dear lad, let
+me impress upon you that I do not believe you to be a thief. Let me
+give you my sympathy, and let me encourage you to bear this trial--I
+fully understand how hard it must be for one of your nature--bravely;
+and let me assure you that I shall look forward with just as much
+pleasure as formerly to your visits in the evening. Do not let this
+interfere with your studies for the Newlet medal, and rest sure that I
+should not again invite Ralph Rexworth into my study if I suspected him
+of being a thief."
+
+"The boy has some sort of suspicion," reflected the master, after Ralph
+had gone. "He suspects some one. Now whom can that be? Is he shielding
+that boy Charlton? He is a weakly dispositioned lad--one likely to fall
+into temptation, and to yield to it too. I must watch him quietly.
+Charlton is the most likely boy to have done this. He is poor too.
+Perhaps he took it to help his mother. Poor lad! if that is the case, I
+would be the last one to bring him to punishment." He paused and shook
+his head. "I ought to take a lesson from Rexworth," he went on, with a
+smile. "He will not speak upon mere suspicion, and here I am weaving a
+theory without the slightest ground for so doing, and actually arriving
+at the conclusion that a certain boy is guilty, when I have not the
+least right to even connect him with the theft."
+
+Mr. Delermain went back to his duties, but still that thought was in
+his head--was it possible that Charlton had taken that five-pound
+note, and that Ralph Rexworth knew it, and was silent only for the
+sake of his chum? Ralph felt quite cheered by his master's words.
+He did not dream that Mr. Delermain thought anything about Charlton
+being the thief, and he soon found another comforter in the person
+of good-hearted Tom Warren; for the monitor came up to him with
+outstretched hand, crying heartily--
+
+"Look here, Rexworth, you are asking for a fight with me, that's what!"
+
+"Eh?" said Ralph, staring. "I don't understand."
+
+"Well then, why are you cutting me like this? Oh, think I don't notice
+it? You are sitting moping, just like an old magpie that is moulting.
+Look here, don't be so jolly silly as to worry about what these kites
+say or do. It's only Elgert and his gang, and Dobby and Co. They are
+always glad to be able to chuck stones at another fellow's glasshouse;
+but they will get their own windows smashed in time. Now, don't hide
+your head as though you had done something to be ashamed about. Come
+into the playground with me."
+
+"The other fellows don't want me, and I don't want to go where I am not
+wanted."
+
+"Rubbish! Downright silly rubbish!" retorted Warren. "I want you!
+I want you to show me how to throw one of those ropes like you do.
+I cannot manage it. I was trying the other day, and I caught Bert
+Standish an awful smack in the eye, and jolly nearly knocked it out for
+him; and if you had seen him scudding after me, one hand on his injured
+optic and the other shaking in very wrath! I didn't stop to argue until
+I got safe inside my study and had the bolt drawn; and then he stood
+outside kicking the panel, and calling me a chump, and a kite, and a
+cuckoo, and all manner of pretty and polite names, and inviting me to
+come out and let him wipe up the floor with me. I spoke soft words, and
+tried to pour oil on troubled waters, only the troubled waters were not
+taking any, and would not be assuaged until Kesterway came along and
+said that he would report him for damaging the paint if he didn't stop
+it. I have kept out of Bert's way since then, and he has got a lovely
+bruise under his eye. Come on, Ralph, and show me how you do it without
+knocking any one's head off."
+
+So Ralph suffered himself to be taken into the playground, and though
+some looked at him suspiciously and edged away from him, others of
+Warren's disposition resolved that, at any rate, they would wait for
+proof before condemning him, gathered round Ralph, and made him feel
+that they were his friends.
+
+So opinions were divided, and Marlthorpe College split into two
+parties, one for, and one against Ralph--one with Tom Warren at its
+head, and the other with Horace Elgert, the Honourable Horace Elgert,
+the nobleman's son!
+
+And Elgert was not quite satisfied, for he saw that Ralph was not sent
+to Coventry, as he had intended that he should be. He saw that some
+of the boys recognized that he was not the sort of lad to be a thief,
+and he determined that, if it could be done, their opinions should be
+changed.
+
+"If I can only prove that he did it," he mused, "I may be able to
+manage that, if I have any luck."
+
+So the days of the week slipped away, once more bringing the Saturday
+holiday near, and it had been one of the hardest weeks that Ralph
+Rexworth had ever known--a week that had called for all his strength of
+will and purpose to enable him to face and overcome its difficulties
+and temptations.
+
+It was Friday afternoon, and Ralph was in his study putting his books
+straight prior to leaving--he was always neat in his habits--when
+Charlton came in, hesitating, troubled-looking, as ever.
+
+"Glad the week is over, Ralph?" he asked, after he had stood in silence
+for a little while watching his chum.
+
+And Ralph nodded.
+
+"Yes. It has been a little hard. I shall be glad to have a rest from
+it," he answered.
+
+"They are wicked to try and make out that you took that note. They
+ought to know that you did not. I know you did not."
+
+"Do you? How?" was the quiet answer to this indignant outburst.
+
+And Charlton seemed confused.
+
+"Why, because--don't you see--because--you could not do it, of course."
+
+"Thanks!" said Ralph. "It is nice to hear you say that."
+
+But, alas! he wondered whether Charlton had any better grounds for his
+belief.
+
+And then the boy went on, taking ten shillings from his pocket.
+
+"Here are the ten shillings which I owe you. I am much obliged."
+
+Ralph looked hard at him, and made no attempt to pick up the money.
+
+"Charlton," he said quietly, "I thought you said that you would not be
+able to repay me for some time."
+
+And Charlton looked more confused than ever.
+
+"I know, but I--I can pay you now."
+
+"How did you get the money?" asked Ralph.
+
+And his chum grew more nervous.
+
+"I had it given--I mean that I---- Why do you ask that?"
+
+"I will tell you, Charlton," answered Ralph gravely. "I don't mean to
+tell any one else, though. You had no money at the beginning of this
+week, and now you can pay me ten shillings. Where did you get the money
+from? Did you take that five-pound note?"
+
+For a moment the lad stood silently staring at Ralph. Then his pale
+face went crimson, and he burst out indignantly--
+
+"What do you mean? Do you think that I stole it? Do you mean that I am
+a thief? You can't mean that, Rexworth! Did you ever catch me telling a
+lie?"
+
+"Yes," said Ralph quietly. "I did once."
+
+"When?" demanded Charlton.
+
+And Ralph answered--
+
+"Last week in the woods, when you said that you were alone. I know that
+there was a man with you."
+
+"That is a lie!" answered Charlton wildly. "There was no one. You have
+no right to say there was any one with me." He seemed quite beside
+himself with terror. "I know what it is, Ralph Rexworth! You have taken
+that note after all, and now you are trying to put the blame upon me.
+We are not chums any longer. I hate you!"
+
+And with that Charlton rushed off, choking with anger and bitter grief,
+and Ralph stood there looking after him, more in regret than in anger.
+
+"Poor chap!" he muttered. "I ought not to have spoken like that. It
+only shows how easy it is to make a slip, if you are not for ever
+watching. Perhaps I am wronging him, after all."
+
+He paused. His eyes fell upon the money which Charlton had placed upon
+the table. If he was wronging him, then where had Charlton managed to
+get that money from?
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV
+
+BY THE RIVER SIDE
+
+
+"I wish that I had not spoken like that to him."
+
+So Ralph Rexworth mused as he left the study and went along the
+corridor--anger at the violent outburst and the accusation which
+Charlton had hurled at him, he felt none.
+
+A muffled sound broke upon his ears--the sound of some one sobbing
+violently, and he stopped, peering along the corridor until he made
+out the form of his former chum. Charlton had flung himself down full
+length, and was crying as if his heart would break.
+
+It was more than Ralph could stand--he went up to him and laid a hand
+upon the prostrate boy's shoulder.
+
+"Charlton," he said kindly, "don't cry. I am awfully sorry that I have
+offended you, and that we have quarrelled. I did not mean to do it.
+Won't you get up and shake hands with me?"
+
+"No!" came the broken answer. "Go away, I don't want you! You were the
+only chum that I had, and now you say that I am a thief! I never said a
+word against you. I told Dobson that he was telling lies when he said
+that you had stolen the note, and he beat me. I did not mind that,
+because I was trying to stick up for you; and now you say I stole it!"
+
+"Come, shake hands," pleaded Ralph, feeling somehow that he was on the
+wrong track. "I am sorry."
+
+"You ought to have known how it feels to be called a thief," the other
+lad continued. "You are not my chum--I don't care about you being
+strong and me being weak--I don't want to be your chum. I know that my
+father was called a thief, but it was not true--he never did anything
+wrong--and I know that people sneer at me. But I am not a thief--I
+never stole anything, and you, seeing what Elgert has said about your
+father, and that you have been accused, might have been a little more
+kind to me."
+
+"Well, I have said that I am sorry. Won't you shake hands?" said Ralph
+again. "And I had a note from Mr. St. Clive, and he told me to ask you
+and Warren to come over to-morrow. Won't you come?"
+
+"No," answered Charlton. "You don't want boys there who have convict
+fathers, and who you believe to be thieves. You go away, Ralph
+Rexworth. We shall never be friends any more until you have been proved
+wrong. When I can prove to you that I had no hand in taking that note,
+then we will be chums again.
+
+"And," he added, sitting up, "it is a wicked, wicked lie to say that I
+was with any man in those woods. It is not true, and you are making it
+up. There--go away, and make what chums you like. I suppose that we
+must still share the same study! I won't worry you with my presence
+very much, I can promise you; but I won't make friends, and I won't
+forgive you, and I won't take back one word of what I have said that I
+believe about you--not even if you beat me--and you are strong enough
+to do that, I know."
+
+"I am sorry. I don't want to beat you, Charlton," responded Ralph, "and
+I am very grieved that we are not to be chums. Perhaps after Sunday you
+will think differently."
+
+"I will never think differently--never--never!" cried Charlton. And
+jumping up he rushed off, leaving Ralph to continue his way alone, and
+somewhat heavy-hearted, for he had a genuine liking for the lonely,
+sad-faced boy, and was indeed truly sorry that he had said anything to
+cause him such pain and grief.
+
+"Hallo, Rexworth! What have you been doing with Charlton?" asked
+Warren, meeting him in the playground a little later. "He rushed across
+here a little while ago as though he were training for a race; and when
+I asked him if he had seen you, he said that he didn't know anything
+about you, and that he didn't want to know, either. Whatever have you
+done to upset him in that way?"
+
+"We have had a bit of a quarrel," answered Ralph. "Don't ask me about
+it, old fellow, for I don't want to talk of it. I hope that he will
+be all right again next week. By the way, Mr. St. Clive has asked me
+whether you would care to come over and spend the afternoon with me
+to-morrow."
+
+"Will a duck like to swim when it gets enough water to paddle its
+little tootsies in?" laughed Warren. "My dear chap, I will come on the
+wings of greased lightning. I must go home and tell the mater first
+though, or she will wonder what has become of me--fancy that I have met
+with an accident, or something. Fellows ought not to be careless about
+such things as that. Then I will come on, if that will do, and--great
+guns! there goes the bell, and it is my turn to see the school ready
+for calling over. I am off"--and away Warren sped as fast as he could
+run.
+
+The evening passed, the following morning came and went, and
+still Charlton gave Ralph no opportunity for renewing his offer
+of friendship. He looked pale, miserable, but determined--Ralph
+had wounded him to the very soul, and he would not--could not
+indeed--forget or forgive it.
+
+The hour of departure came, and still Charlton avoided Ralph. They left
+without wishing each other good-bye, and Ralph set out for Mr. St.
+Clive's, feeling disappointed and heavy-hearted.
+
+But disappointment and heavy-heartedness could not long find place in
+that bright home. The very first greeting, the warm handshake of Mr.
+St. Clive, the smile of his wife and the rush with which Irene came to
+greet him, altogether united to banish every melancholy thought, and to
+bring sunshine to his heart.
+
+And what a circle of sympathetic listeners he had when he told them
+about the theft, and how he had chanced to be upon the scene. And both
+Irene and Mrs. Clive laughed, and were at the same time very indignant
+that any one should dare to suppose, even for one moment, that Ralph
+could possibly be a thief.
+
+But Mr. St. Clive looked grave, for he could see how hard this was for
+the lad, and could understand what a big fight it must have been for
+Ralph.
+
+"Never fear, my boy," he said when the story was told. "It is hard, but
+the truth must come out at last--it always does in this world of ours.
+But now," he continued, "about your friends--I hope they are to be my
+guests to-day."
+
+"Warren will be here, sir," answered Ralph. And Mr. St. Clive asked,
+"And not Charlton?"
+
+"No, sir, he could not promise." Ralph did not go into the matter of
+his quarrel with his chum then; he wanted to talk to Mr. St. Clive
+alone about that; and the gentleman, seeing that something must have
+gone amiss, did not press his questions further.
+
+Then Ralph went off with Irene, and had to tell her everything over
+again, while she sat and listened with sparkling eyes, especially when
+he told her how Mr. Delermain had behaved.
+
+"I would like to kiss him," she said. "He is a nice man." And Ralph
+suggested that, as she could not do that, the next best thing would be
+to kiss him instead--a thing which proves very conclusively that Ralph
+was very quickly getting used to the ways of Western civilization.
+
+And then, with a merry call, Tom Warren came upon the scene, for he had
+arrived, had been welcomed by his host, and sent out into the garden
+to meet his friend. Irene was introduced--she had known him before, by
+the way, but that doesn't matter--and Warren was nice, and didn't think
+girls a bit of a nuisance--which shows that he was a wise boy--and the
+three just got on as well as could be, until the bell rang for lunch,
+and--
+
+Well, well, they did enjoy that lunch, that is all; and they
+demonstrated very clearly what exceedingly healthy appetites they all
+possessed; and then, that over, they set out for a stroll along the
+river's bank--for it was very pretty there, and Irene loved the spot.
+The trees were so stately, and, in some places, grew right to the
+water's edge, and the grass was so green and velvety, and the river
+ran so smoothly--perhaps too smoothly--for the current was strong
+and swift, and glided along, making the water look like a stream of
+glass as it turned the curve towards Becket Weir, and went roaring and
+foaming down twelve feet like a little Niagara.
+
+But to-day, when they reached the spot they were somewhat disappointed
+to find that they were not the only occupants. A party of boys were
+there--boys from the college--and, of all boys in the world, Elgert,
+Dobson, and some of their chums who had been to Mr. St. Clive's.
+
+Some of the boys were fishing, for there were excellent perch and roach
+in the still pools; and Horace Elgert had his canoe, a pretty little
+boat--light, easy, and graceful, so long as it was kept away from the
+immediate neighbourhood of the weir.
+
+"Oh," growled Warren, as he saw the others. "How jolly annoying!" And
+at that Irene burst out laughing, and inquired how anything could
+possibly be "jolly annoying."
+
+"Well, very annoying, Miss St. Clive," was Warren's answer. "Just to
+think of that lot being here!"
+
+"I don't see that they need annoy us," she answered.
+
+"We will go a little farther along the bank, down by the weir."
+
+Some of the other boys greeted Warren, and raised their hats as they
+saw Irene--whom most of them knew by sight; but of Ralph they took no
+notice, and Elgert, coming by in his canoe, called out loud enough for
+all to hear--
+
+"Keep your eyes on your property, you fellows, you might lose something
+here."
+
+"The cad!" muttered Warren, while Irene gave Ralph's arm a little
+squeeze, as if to tell him never to mind.
+
+"The cad!" said Warren again. "He would not dare do that if you were in
+the playground; and just look at him showing off in that canoe--as if
+no one but he could use a paddle."
+
+"He cannot use one," laughed Ralph. "That is not the way to swing it.
+He takes it over and over like the sails of a windmill, describing
+circles with every stroke."
+
+"Well," asked Warren, "how would you use it? I confess that is the way
+I should handle it."
+
+"It is not the right way. It should be swung from side to side, and he
+will be over if he tries to play tricks like that"--as Elgert made a
+fancy stroke which brought the boat down on one side.--"There, he has
+dropped his paddle! Be careful"--and he raised his voice--"Be careful!
+He is over!"
+
+Yes; the warning came too late. Elgert reached over to regain his
+paddle, the canoe took one sudden lurch, turned bottom up, and sent the
+boy struggling into the water. Elgert could not swim--Ralph saw that
+at a glance; and, without waiting, off went coat and waistcoat, and
+into the river Ralph Rexworth went after his foe--the river that ran so
+swiftly on to the boiling, roaring weir.
+
+[Illustration: "INTO THE RIVER RALPH REXWORTH WENT AFTER HIS
+FOE." p. 138]
+
+It was a hard fight, but Ralph had the advantage of being carried by
+the current right down to the struggling boy, and, ere long, he had
+reached him, was gripping his arm, and had commenced the struggle back
+to the bank, only to find that Warren was by his side ready to give his
+help.
+
+And between them they managed to get Elgert back to the shore. Not
+without a big battle, for the water pulled like giant hands, seeking to
+sweep them all away. They had to swim in a slanting course, and even
+then, ere the bank was reached, they were perilously near to the spot
+over which the water took its leap, and where the notice-board with the
+big "Danger" was so prominently fixed.
+
+But they managed it; and Elgert was hurried off by his friends, while
+Warren and Ralph, soaked as they were, had to race back to Mr. St.
+Clive's, with Irene behind them urging them not to stop for her, but to
+get back as quickly as ever they could.
+
+Only to think of it! Ralph Rexworth had actually rescued, with the help
+of Warren, his enemy Horace Elgert from almost certain death!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XV
+
+THE LOST POCKET-BOOK
+
+
+Ralph Rexworth was inconsolable--he had lost his pocket-book. Now, a
+lost pocket-book may not seem a very big thing to grieve over, seeing
+that another one can be bought for a reasonable sum; and yet Ralph did
+grieve, and grieve greatly.
+
+For this pocket-book was not like other pocket-books that might be
+bought. It was one which his father had given to him--the very last
+present which he had ever received from him--and it contained, amongst
+other things, and the greatest treasure of them all, a portrait of
+his darling mother, and the letter which his father had written to
+him on the day he made the present. What wonder, then, that a boy who
+loved his parents as Ralph Rexworth had done should grieve, and grieve
+greatly, over such a loss?
+
+He found out the loss shortly after he reached Mr. St. Clive's, after
+rescuing Horace Elgert. He had been looking at some portraits of Irene,
+which had only just arrived from the photographers, and she had given
+him one to keep for himself. What should he do with such a gift but put
+it into his pocket-book--and his pocket-book was not there!
+
+Irene saw the change which came over his face when he had discovered
+the loss, and she asked him what was the matter. His face went quite
+white, so that Tom Warren, looking at him, wondered why such a manly,
+sensible chap should look so bad over such a little thing.
+
+But then Tom Warren had father and mother living, and plenty of friends
+around; so that made all the difference. He did not understand what it
+was to be all alone in the world, or how people like that treasured
+every relic of friends and happy days that had been.
+
+"Perhaps it tumbled from your pocket when you threw your coat off down
+by the river?" he suggested. "Let us go and have a look for it." And
+the two boys set off together.
+
+"He does seem cut up," the monitor reflected, as they ran on; for Ralph
+hardly had a word to say now, so anxious was he.
+
+But, no--no pocket-book was to be found. They searched every foot of
+the towing-path, and then went into the wood, to the very spot where
+they had rested that afternoon; but not a sign of the book could they
+see, and at last Warren declared that it was no use looking further.
+
+"You cannot have dropped it anywhere about here," he said, "unless
+some one has seen it and picked it up. Had it got your name inside?"
+
+"Yes," answered Ralph; "but then they won't know where to bring it. How
+will they know who Ralph Rexworth is, or where he lives? I am afraid I
+shall never see it again; and--and--" And Ralph broke off, unable to
+finish his sentence.
+
+"Oh, come, don't be like that, Rexworth!" protested Warren. "At any
+rate, you can advertise for it and offer a reward; and any one who
+found it would be only too glad to bring it back and get the money. An
+old pocket-book is not so great a find that any one would want to keep
+it from you."
+
+"No; it is only of value to me," admitted Ralph, giving one last vain
+look round. "Well, it is no use staying here now; and it is beginning
+to grow dark. I suppose that we had better go back."
+
+The St. Clives were quite anxious to know whether the book had been
+recovered when the two boys once more reached the house, and they were
+full of sympathy when Ralph sadly shook his head.
+
+"I suppose you are quite sure that you brought it away from school
+with you, Ralph?" said Mr. St. Clive; and that brought just one little
+ray of hope. Ralph could not be quite sure. He thought that he had
+done so--he always took it from the pocket of the coat he took off and
+transferred it to that of the one he was going to wear. He had taken
+off his school-jacket when he left that afternoon, and though he felt
+nearly sure that he had done so, he could not be quite certain that he
+had taken his pocket-book from the pocket.
+
+But he felt so anxious and worried that all the pleasure of the evening
+was gone; and when Warren finally said good-night and ran off to his
+own home, it was still with the reflection that Ralph Rexworth must
+indeed be a queer sort of chap, or else there must be some extra
+special reason for his worrying over that pocket-book in the way he did.
+
+And when Warren had gone, Irene came and sat by her friend's side,
+being, indeed, a staunch little friend herself, and wanting to do
+something to comfort him; and she whispered again how she sympathized
+with him, and that perhaps the book was still at school, or, again, if
+it were really lost, it would be sure to be found by some one who would
+be likely to see the advertisement which Mr. St. Clive said should be
+printed, and then they would certainly bring it back to him.
+
+And then she talked of the deed which Ralph had done that day, and how
+glad she was that he had been the means of saving Horace Elgert; and
+how, in returning good for evil, he would be sure to conquer; and just
+for the moment Ralph forgot his loss, and was interested.
+
+"I could not do anything else, Irene," he said. "When it comes to
+saving a fellow's life, one cannot stop to consider whether they are
+friends or enemies. It had to be done, though it has cost me enough,"
+he added sadly.
+
+"You think that you lost your pocket-book then?" she said; and he
+nodded.
+
+"Yes. I must have jerked it out of my pocket when I threw my coat off."
+
+"Well, then some of the other boys will most likely have found it, and
+they will bring it back to you on Monday."
+
+"I hope, if they do find it, they will not open it and get playing
+about with its contents," he said anxiously; and she laughed.
+
+"Why, how silly, Ralph! How can they possibly find out to whom it
+belongs unless they open it? Why should you mind that? You have nothing
+in it that you are afraid for people to see?"
+
+"Oh, no, no; of course not!" he answered quickly. It was not that.
+He could not explain it to Irene--he could hardly understand it
+himself--but the idea of other hands touching that, and other eyes
+prying at its treasured contents, was very repugnant to Ralph's
+feelings.
+
+The next morning Ralph was up early, almost as soon as it was light,
+and back in the neighbourhood of Becket Weir; and there, all alone in
+the freshness of the early day, he hunted this way and that, far more
+carefully than he had done the previous evening, but with as little
+success. There was not a trace of the pocket-book, but--he paused, his
+nerves tingling--some one had driven along the towing-path. The tracks
+were perfectly plain upon the dew-damp earth; and the tracks were
+those of a light cart which was drawn by a horse lame in its left fore
+foot--the same tracks which he connected with his father's fate, and
+which he had not seen for some time now!
+
+He stood looking round. It was Sunday--the day of peace and rest
+and gentle thoughts, and yet for the moment his heart filled with
+hard ones. He must follow these tracks! They might not lead to the
+recovery of his father--alas! he could not but believe now that father
+was dead--but they would lead to the man who had killed him; and
+then--then----
+
+Sweet and low the bells came from the distant church, ringing for the
+first early morning service. They seemed to whisper messages to Ralph;
+but for once he turned a deaf ear to their voices. He must follow these
+tracks, Sunday or no Sunday.
+
+Along the path he went, his eyes fixed on the ground--past the roaring,
+tumbling weir, and the marks grew clearer. Hope rose in his excited
+heart. This was more in accordance with his tastes and desires. It was
+like being back on the long, rolling prairies. He would find out the
+truth now--at least, he would find out who this man was who drove a
+lame horse!
+
+Vain hopes, vain thoughts! Clear and unbroken, the marks ran until
+the towing-path turned out on the main road just by Becket Bridge,
+and there, on the hard, stony road, all tracks were lost. It was
+failure again; and a sudden rush of sorrow came to Ralph, a sudden
+sense of disappointment and loneliness; and sitting down there on
+the stone coping of the wall that separated the road from the river,
+Ralph Rexworth burst into tears. He could not help it--he felt so very
+depressed and weary; and not even the thoughts of Mr. St. Clive and
+Irene could drive that depression away.
+
+But still the bells rang, and their sweet voices thrust themselves upon
+him. I am not sure that a good cry is not a good thing sometimes, even
+for a boy. He felt all the better now, and he thrust back his weakness
+and squared his shoulders, turning once more for the house, lest his
+absence, being noticed, the family might wonder what had become of him.
+
+But his adventures were not quite over for the morning; for, as he
+went back, he became aware that far off to the right, just where the
+spinney came creeping down to the common, there were two persons
+walking--a man and a boy. He could see them quite plainly; and though
+they were so far off, his eyes, accustomed in the past to be used on
+the sweeping plains, where safety, and even life, may depend upon keen
+sight, distinguished the boy as his former chum, Charlton--Charlton and
+a man--who but his father? And again came the thought, in spite of all
+the reasoning which Mr. St. Clive had used--was there any connexion
+between that man, the tracks of the lame horse, and his own dear
+father's disappearance?
+
+Very slowly did Ralph return to his benefactor's house. He was
+restless, anxious; all the stormy feelings seemed to have returned. And
+all this had come through the loss of his pocket-book!
+
+That Sunday was a hard one for Ralph. Even the quiet church, with its
+solemn service, its sweet music, and its glorious coloured windows, did
+not seem quite the same to-day. It was as though Satan was combating
+with him, whispering that it was no use striving to go Christ's
+way--that the road was too hard and the service too ill-paid--that it
+was far better to give up trying to be noble and good and just be as
+other boys were--as Dobson and Elgert, and that sort.
+
+Indeed, the temptation came that it was just downright silly to go to
+school at all, when he could go back to his old life and live in all
+the wild freedom of the plains. So Ralph was tempted; and it seemed as
+if he could get no good from the day at all--as if all striving to do
+so were in vain--and as if he would have been just as well if he had
+stopped away from church altogether.
+
+Even Irene did not seem able to cheer him up. Despairing thoughts, dark
+thoughts, doubting thoughts--one after another they came; for Ralph was
+like Christian in _Pilgrim's Progress_--he was in the dark valley, and
+all manner of evil things seemed to assail him as he journeyed.
+
+Perhaps Mr. St. Clive understood--he seemed to understand most
+things--for that night, when the family knelt at prayers together, he
+prayed especially for all who had special grief to bear and special
+temptations to endure; and somehow that prayer seemed to do Ralph more
+good than anything else had done. It seemed to pull him up, and to tell
+him that, let him be tempted as he might, conquest was possible if the
+temptation was met in the strength which comes through prayer.
+
+Monday morning came at last--the first Monday morning when he had
+really felt anxious to get back to school; and off he set, promising to
+write to his friends and let them know whether the pocket-book was safe
+at the school in the pocket of his other coat.
+
+He met Warren on the road, and the monitor asked him if the book was
+found; but Ralph shook his head in token that it was still missing.
+
+The school was reached at last, and Ralph hurried across the playground
+and darted up to the dormitory. His coat was in his box. He felt in the
+pocket; the book was there--safe! There had been no need to worry! He
+had left it behind him, and it had been safe all the time!
+
+Warren had followed him, and Charlton was there, and half-a-dozen of
+the others. Charlton had taken no notice of him when he ran in.
+
+"There you are, you kite!" laughed Warren. "You left it here all the
+time, and you have been worrying yourself to fiddle-strings, as if it
+contained the most important things in the world, and just trembling
+in your shoes for fear any one should find it and open it, and----"
+
+Warren stopped short. A boy, running by, accidentally pushed against
+Ralph and sent the book flying from his hands. It fell at Warren's feet
+and burst open; and from it there fluttered on the floor, in plain view
+of every boy there--a five-pound note!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVI
+
+THINGS LOOK BLACK FOR RALPH
+
+
+A five-pound note!
+
+There it lay, face upwards; and for a moment there was silence in the
+dormitory. Every eye was turned upon the boy, who stood staring at that
+accusing piece of paper, as if turned to stone. If ever any one looked
+guilty, Ralph Rexworth did at that moment. It was so unexpected, so
+inexplicable--and worst of all, though not a word was spoken, he seemed
+to feel what his companions thought, to know that they looked upon him
+as a liar and a thief.
+
+As for Warren, he stood with open mouth and staring eyes, as if he
+could not believe his senses. So this was why Ralph had been so anxious
+about finding his pocket-book! But when Elgert, who had also come
+into the room, took in the scene and muttered scornfully something
+about "Like father like son," Warren turned on him savagely, with a
+contemptuous--
+
+"Shut up, you cad! You, at any rate, should be the last one to speak,
+seeing that he saved your life on Saturday." And at that sharp reproof
+Elgert shrank away, abashed for once.
+
+Then Warren stooped and picked up the note, for it still lay there, and
+every one seemed too bewildered to move--and he held it out to Ralph.
+
+"Rexworth," he said, in low, grave tones, "this was in your
+pocket-book. It don't want much talking about, you can see what it
+looks like against you. But I want to say, and I feel that I must say
+it, I cannot believe that a chap like you can really be guilty of such
+a horribly mean thing. You and I have been good chums, and if any one
+had asked me my opinion, I should have said that there was no chap in
+the school I could more honour and trust. But this thing has got to be
+explained, and I must do my duty as a monitor, even if it gets my best
+chum into trouble. I must tell the Head of this. If I did not, some one
+else would, and it is my duty to do it."
+
+"You don't think that I stole it," faltered Ralph. It seemed so
+horrible that it unnerved him, and made him lose his firm resolution
+for the moment. It would be only for a little while: presently the old
+grit would come back, and he would be firm enough. But the greatest may
+flinch for the moment--recoiling from the horror of the accusation or
+suspicion--and others may put down their agitation to a wrong cause,
+think it the evidence of a guilty conscience, and condemn them untried.
+
+"You don't think that I stole it?" he faltered, as if pleading that
+Warren would not think so poorly as that of him. But the monitor
+replied gravely:
+
+"I don't think anything about it, Rexworth. I don't want to think, for
+if I did, I should think wrong, perhaps. I can only act on the thing as
+I know it. You lost your pocket-book, you said. You were in a terrible
+mess over the loss. You, yourself, said to me that you hoped no one
+would look inside it if they picked it up; and I, with my own eyes, saw
+this note fall out of it just now, the note I suppose Mr. Delermain
+lost, and which you declared that you had not seen. I must tell the
+Head. I only wish that it were not part of my work to have to do so."
+
+Then the old resolution came back. Ralph's self had not deserted him,
+and he spoke, quietly and calmly, so that all the dormitory could hear
+his troubled tones.
+
+"Thank you, Warren. I value your friendship, which makes doing your
+duty so hard a thing for you, and I quite understand that you cannot
+give me that friendship now, while this thing is over me. I know it
+looks very bad against me. I have some enemy here, and that enemy has
+been just a little too clever for me."
+
+Just as he spoke his eyes caught sight of Charlton, standing looking so
+white and scared, and the thought came: Had he done this? He seemed to
+avoid his gaze. Ralph paused only a moment, and then went on--
+
+"There is one thing, however, that I can do to prove that I value your
+friendship, and that is take the task of speaking from you. If you
+choose to wait until after prayers, I will tell the Head myself, in
+open school, and you can all hear me do it."
+
+Warren hesitated for a moment. He hated to have to do the task, and if
+Ralph would tell himself, it would do just as well.
+
+"Very well," he said, "if you will do that, I have no objection; and,
+look here, you fellows," he added, turning to the others, "do, for
+mercy's sake, keep this to yourselves, all of you; or it will be all
+over the school, and it is not a nice thing to have connected with our
+Form. We may have been a bit wild, but we have never had a thing like
+this before, and I would have done anything rather than have had it
+now."
+
+He turned away as he spoke, and the others followed slowly, leaving
+Ralph there alone--alone with his pocket-book, and the note which had
+come from it.
+
+No, not quite alone, for Charlton still stood there regarding him with
+the same half-frightened, half sorrowful look; and at last Ralph,
+becoming aware of his presence, turned and looked at him.
+
+"Well," he said, "what do you want? Why don't you clear off, like the
+rest have done?"
+
+The boy backed away from him, as if almost frightened.
+
+"And it was you, all the time," he said, in low tones. "You, whom I
+thought so noble and good! You took it, and then you dared to ask me if
+I had taken it, to hint that it was me. Oh, Ralph Rexworth, I did not
+think that there was any one as mean as you."
+
+Ralph regarded him gravely for a little while, and then he said--
+
+"And suppose that I still think that you took it, Charlton? Suppose
+that I ask you whether you put this note in my pocket-book?--for some
+one put it there, that is quite certain. Is this done in spite, because
+of what I said to you on Friday?"
+
+Then Charlton started forward, as if beside himself with anger.
+
+"How dare you, Ralph Rexworth--how dare you! Is that the way in which
+you are going to try and get out of it? Try and put it on to my
+shoulders! Ralph Rexworth, I stayed here when the others went because I
+was going to offer you something--going to offer to take the blame and
+seem to be the thing which you accuse me of being. The boys all look
+upon me as a thief's son, and it would not make much difference if I
+were turned out. I was going to offer to say that I had done this, and
+put it into your book. Going to do it because you were kind to me, and,
+even after what you said, you tried to make friends again. I would have
+done it, Rexworth, but I will not now. If you can be as mean as that, I
+will not do it."
+
+"Hold on a bit, Charlton," answered Ralph. "If you had any idea of that
+sort, I thank you for your kindness. But you don't suppose that I would
+be a party to a thing of that kind, do you? Let you tell a lie and get
+the blame, that I might escape trouble! Not me! If you have done it,
+own up or hold your tongue, as you like. But if you have not done it,
+you shan't say that you have, and that is all about it." And he added,
+as Charlton turned away--
+
+"If I have wronged you with my suspicions, I am sorry. I know how easy
+it is to be wrongly judged."
+
+"And you will find how hard it is to bear," the other boy said, and
+then he, too, turned away, leaving Ralph considerably perplexed. Had
+Charlton taken the note and placed it in his pocket-book? After all,
+Ralph hardly thought so, it was not like him to do that, and yet--yet
+some one must have done this wicked thing, some one who wanted to get
+him into trouble!
+
+But there was no more time to spare, the bell for prayers was ringing,
+and he went down to his place.
+
+In spite of Warren's pleading, it was evident that the story had leaked
+out; for, as Ralph appeared, there was a considerable amount of subdued
+hissing and groaning, which made the masters look up in surprise, and
+the monitors to call silence in angry tones.
+
+Then the Head appeared, and prayers were read. Poor Ralph! It was
+harder than ever to attend to worship now. He felt nervous at the
+ordeal before him, and yet he felt also that to seem nervous was to
+seem guilty--and he was innocent! That thought calmed him. The service
+was over, the Head was just going to dismiss the school when Ralph rose
+in his seat, and said in clear tones--
+
+"Please, sir, may I say something in open school? It is something of
+importance, something connected with the banknote which Mr. Delermain
+lost."
+
+The words created quite a sensation amongst those who were ignorant of
+what had transpired, and the doctor answered--
+
+"Would it not be better to speak with myself first, Rexworth? Then I
+can decide whether what you have to communicate should be made public."
+
+"I would rather speak here, sir. In fact, I have promised to do so. It
+only concerns myself, please, sir."
+
+"Then you may speak. Be brief and plain, and let us hear what you have
+to say."
+
+So Ralph spoke, turning half to the Head, half to the school; and
+describing how he had thought that he took his pocket-book with him and
+how he had found it in his other coat, when he got back that morning;
+and how, also, the five-pound note had been seen to tumble from it,
+when it fell on the floor.
+
+"I know, sir," he said, in conclusion, "that the thing looks as bad as
+bad can be, and that if every one here believes me to be a thief, it
+is only natural; but I can only say, sir, what I have said from the
+beginning. I am quite innocent. I never saw that banknote from the time
+when Mr. Delermain laid it on his desk until this morning, when it fell
+from my pocket-book and Warren picked it up."
+
+The doctor listened in silence, his keen eyes fixed upon the face of
+the lad before him; and Dr. Beverly felt perfectly certain that Ralph
+Rexworth was speaking the truth.
+
+And yet, if that were so, it meant not only that some other boy was a
+thief, but also that a boy must be deliberately trying to get Rexworth
+wrongly accused; and that seemed a very dreadful thing in the eyes of
+the noble, upright master of Marlthorpe.
+
+"You say you were under the impression that you took your pocket-book
+home with you, Rexworth?" he said, when the boy had concluded; and
+Ralph replied--
+
+"Yes, sir. I can say yes to that, though I suppose that I must be
+mistaken, seeing that I found it safely in my coat-pocket when I went
+to the dormitory the first thing this morning."
+
+A low murmur went round the school. Some of the boys were evidently
+convinced that Ralph was guilty, and that he was only striving to
+screen himself, and their youthful hearts rebelled against such
+behaviour.
+
+"Hiss, hiss!" "Thief, thief!" ran round, and Ralph started as though he
+had been struck by a whip.
+
+The doctor struck his bell sharply, and silence followed. The offenders
+looked somewhat dismayed at their own audacity.
+
+"Silence, there!" he cried. "Is it the custom to call a man guilty
+before even the whole evidence is heard? What Rexworth says is very
+true. The facts do seem to unite to condemn him, and yet it is
+possible that those facts are unworthy of credence."
+
+"Whatever does the Head favour that fellow for?" muttered Elgert,
+to one of his own friends. But he received a look of disgust and an
+impatient--
+
+"Oh, shut up! Didn't he pull you out of the river?" That was the second
+time that morning Horace Elgert had been so rebuked.
+
+"This," the Head continued, "demands the most careful, searching
+investigation. If Rexworth is guilty, I shall be the last to screen
+him; if he is innocent, it is but my duty to strive to establish that
+innocence. If any boy has been wicked enough to deliberately do this
+for the very purpose of getting this lad into trouble, I most earnestly
+entreat that boy to think of what he has done, and to confess his fault
+before this goes farther, and----"
+
+The Head paused and looked round, the door was opened, and Lord Elgert
+had entered, just in time to overhear his last words.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVII
+
+THE PLOT THAT FAILED
+
+
+The entrance of Lord Elgert interrupted the serious business being
+carried on; and somewhat impatient, even if curious, glances were
+directed towards him as he walked up to Dr. Beverly.
+
+"I evidently come at an inopportune moment," the nobleman said, as he
+surveyed the scene before him; "and yet, perhaps, it is a fortunate
+interruption, if this lad is in trouble, as he seems to be"--and
+he nodded towards Ralph, who met his gaze with some coldness. "If
+my interruption is untimely I will withdraw." And he looked round
+inquiringly.
+
+"We certainly are in the midst of a painful inquiry," replied the
+headmaster gravely. "I do not suppose that your visit is connected with
+it in any way."
+
+"My visit is wholly and solely to thank Ralph Rexworth and Tom Warren
+for their bravery in rescuing my son last Saturday," was the reply.
+
+And these words also caused something of a sensation, for, to the
+school at large the adventure at the river side was still unknown.
+
+The Head himself had evidently not heard of it, for he looked
+surprised, and Lord Elgert continued--
+
+"The two boys risked their lives to save that of my son, and I cannot
+be slow in coming to express my thanks and admiration. If Rexworth is
+in any trouble, I sincerely trust that any influence which I may have
+will be allowed to weigh in his favour."
+
+"Perhaps we had better finish the business in hand first," suggested
+the Head. "It is connected with something of which I understand you
+have already been informed. A banknote which was missing some time ago
+has been recovered, and it was found in Ralph Rexworth's pocket-book."
+
+"Dear, dear," said Lord Elgert, in grieved tones; "I am truly
+sorry--very sorry. But the temptations to which youth are exposed are
+great. It may be possible to overlook this unhappy matter for once----"
+
+"Sir--sir," broke in Ralph, indignantly appealing to Dr. Beverly, "I
+know that you have always been kind to me, and I ask you to protect
+me from Lord Elgert's insults, lest I may forget myself and say words
+which I ought not to say. I want no friendship nor influence of his. I
+am not guilty, and I will not accept anything which will make it appear
+that I am. As to saving his son, Warren did as much as I did, and we
+could do no less for any one who was in danger, but I can honestly say
+that I wish that it had been any one else than Horace Elgert."
+
+A very ugly look swept over the face of Lord Elgert, and he stepped
+back, remarking to Dr. Beverly--
+
+"In that case, there is no need for me to interrupt you any longer--at
+any rate, so far as this boy is concerned."
+
+"Now, attention!" said the Head; and the school straightened up again.
+"We have heard what Ralph Rexworth has to say, and some of you are
+evidently quite certain that he is guilty--that he is a thief, and,
+worse, a liar also--and that in face of what we have just heard. A
+boy who risks his life to save that of another is surely not so poor
+spirited as this. To believe that he is, is to believe that utter
+contradictions can be reconcilable."
+
+"Please, sir," said one lad, rising in his place, "there is one thing
+which I should like to say."
+
+"You may speak, sir," was the reply which he received; and the boy went
+on--
+
+"Rexworth says that he thought he took his pocket-book away with him on
+Saturday. Please, sir, so he did, for I saw him take it from his other
+coat. He laid it on his bed for a minute, and then looked at a likeness
+in it, and afterwards put it into his pocket. So that if it was found
+here this morning, some one must have picked it up and brought it back."
+
+"That is most important, if it is true," said the Head, while Ralph
+felt a rush of relief, and turned grateful eyes upon the speaker.
+
+"Are you sure that he did put it into his pocket, and not either
+replace it in the coat from which he took it, or leave it lying on the
+bed?"
+
+"Quite sure, sir," answered the lad confidently. "I saw him slip it
+into his pocket, and I wondered whose likeness it was that he carried
+about with him."
+
+"It is my mother's, sir," said Ralph in a low voice.
+
+And the Head nodded.
+
+"Then, if this be true, a most wicked and evil plot has indeed been
+attempted--one so bad that, when I discover those who invented it, they
+shall surely be expelled. I am glad to have this testimony, although it
+was almost needless, for I am already quite certain that Ralph Rexworth
+is innocent--or, I had better say, that the evidence against him is
+valueless.
+
+"In the first place, this pocket-book"--and he held it up--"has
+certainly been dropped, for its side is still stained with mud, and
+there is the mark of a boot, where some one has stepped upon it. In the
+next place--and this in itself is sufficient--a little mistake has been
+made. Is this note yours, Rexworth?"
+
+And he turned, holding the banknote to the astonished Ralph.
+
+"No, sir," the boy answered, not knowing what to make of this turn in
+affairs.
+
+"Have you not such a thing as a five-pound note?" he was next asked.
+
+And again he replied in the negative.
+
+"Well," the Head went on, "it certainly is not the one lost by Mr.
+Delermain. Every banknote, as I suppose you know, has its own number,
+and this number is not that of the note lost, so that either some one
+has been kind enough to make Rexworth a present of a five-pound note,
+or else they have, by oversight, or through ignorance, put a note into
+his pocket-book to make it appear that he is a thief, not considering
+that it is as easily distinguished from the one which is missing, as if
+it were for a different amount, and----"
+
+The doctor paused once more, for Ralph broke down. He had kept stiff
+enough so far; but now, as he heard that by no means could he be
+accused, and that some one must certainly have done this out of spite,
+his courage gave way, and he cried out--
+
+"Why should any one want to harm me so? I have done nothing to make any
+one wish me evil. I am almost a stranger in England, and yet people try
+to do such things as that! I cannot stay, sir. I must ask Mr. St. Clive
+to send me back. England is a wicked place, and strangers are treated
+wickedly."
+
+"Perhaps all England is not as bad as you think it, my lad," replied
+the Head kindly, "though I confess that your experiences are enough
+to make you form such an opinion. But do not decide hastily. I think
+that out of all such trials you will emerge a conqueror, and I know
+that such wicked attempts as have been made against you must, sooner or
+later, recoil upon the heads of those who make them."
+
+"I sympathize with the lad," said Lord Elgert, "and I take no offence
+at the way in which he spoke. You remember, Rexworth, that if ever you
+want a friend you can come to me. I think your decision a wise one.
+This land is no place for you, and if you wish to return to your old
+home, I will myself provide all the money which is required. I want you
+to let me give you a gold watch--I have one for Warren, also."
+
+"I will take nothing from you," cried the boy, so that all could hear.
+"I do not trust you. For some reason you seem to hate me, and I believe
+that you are at the bottom of all my troubles."
+
+"Rexworth," said the Head, in grave remonstrance; and the boy checked
+himself.
+
+"I am sorry, sir. I ought not to have spoken like that," he said
+penitently; "but Lord Elgert knows how impossible it is to take any
+favours from him, after what he has said about my father. All I desire
+of him is that he will leave me alone to fight my own battle."
+
+Lord Elgert shrugged his shoulders.
+
+"If that is so, I cannot help it," he said. "If you change your mind
+and need a friend, you can come to me. Now for Master Warren."
+
+"Please, sir," said Warren rising, "I don't want anything for just
+doing my duty; and, anyhow, I could not take any present or reward
+without first asking my father's leave."
+
+Lord Elgert bit his lip.
+
+"It seems that I am to be deprived of the pleasure of giving any
+reward at all," he said. "In that case, I will intrude no longer, Dr.
+Beverly."
+
+And with a sense of discomfiture Lord Elgert departed, and the Head
+again addressed the boys, enlarging upon the wickedness of what had
+been done, and once more pleading that the culprit, whoever he was,
+would act a man's part, own his wrong, and ask for mercy. Alas! there
+was no response to his pleading, and after a short pause the Head
+dismissed the school to its various classes.
+
+But surely never before had Marlthorpe had so much to talk of; and
+never before did the masters allow more talking. For the thing was so
+bad, and the lessons to be learned so grave, that each master felt as
+if it were almost his duty to bring the subject before the boys, even
+to encourage them to talk of it, if in so doing those lads could be
+taught that honesty and truth must prevail in the end, and that deceit
+and wrong-doing must fail.
+
+But oh, what a good thing it was for Ralph when Mr. Delermain shook
+hands with him.
+
+"My dear boy," the master said, "none can rejoice more than I do that
+the clumsy attempt to fasten this theft on your shoulders has failed.
+Had it not been shown to be such an attempt, I should still have felt
+confident that it was so, being sure that you would not have done
+this thing. Still, it is well to have it proved to be but an attempt.
+Now, take my advice, and banish it from your mind. Do not even worry
+as to who did it, nor as to their motive. These things will manifest
+themselves in time, and until they do they are not worth troubling
+about, nor allowing to interfere with your work, and particularly with
+your chances for the Newlet."
+
+And Warren came to him also, as frank and good-hearted as could be.
+
+"I suppose that you feel as if you wanted to punch my head," he said;
+"but I had to do my duty, old fellow, even if it were an unpleasant
+one."
+
+And to him Ralph had answered--
+
+"I should have thought precious little of you if you had not done it.
+Of course, you could not have done anything different from what you
+did."
+
+Charlton said nothing--only he looked at Ralph wistfully, and it seemed
+as if there was something of relief in his eyes. Charlton was a puzzle
+to Ralph. He could not understand the boy anyhow.
+
+Nor was Warren the only one who came and spoke to Ralph and expressed
+abhorrence for the attempt to brand him as a thief, and satisfaction
+that he was cleared from the accusation.
+
+But that same day, in a quiet corner of the playground, Horace Elgert
+came across Dobson, and, seizing him by the collar, he shook him
+savagely.
+
+"You great blundering donkey," he said. "How did you come to do it? You
+have made a pretty mess of things."
+
+"Well," growled Dobson, shaking himself free, "it is no good to kick up
+a row about it. No harm is done, only he has managed to get clear."
+
+"But how did you do it? I cannot think how it was."
+
+"Easy enough. I had five pounds that my aunt sent me. I am a favourite
+with her"--and Dobson smiled complacently. "Well, I had that in my
+pocket, and when you handed me over the other note, after I picked up
+his pocket-book, I must have put the wrong note in, that is all."
+
+"But what did you do with the one I gave you?" demanded Elgert quickly.
+
+"Changed it up in the town."
+
+"Changed it!" he gasped. "You idiot! Don't you know that it can be
+traced by its number? I suppose that you wrote your name on the back?"
+
+"Of course I did," said Dobson, looking very scared.
+
+"Yes, and that note will come back to you, perhaps brought by a
+constable. You have done a nice thing!"
+
+"But I didn't steal it--you stole it!" cried Dobson, in alarm. And
+Elgert struck him a savage blow.
+
+"So you would turn sneak, would you? Well, there is no proof that I
+stole it. There is plenty of proof that you had it, changed it, and put
+your note into the pocket-book. You will suffer, and not me."
+
+"What--what can we d-d-do?" gasped Dobson, his knees knocking together.
+And Elgert answered--
+
+"We must go up into town to the place where you changed it. We must get
+that note back if we can, even if we have to give double for it. There
+is no telling what will happen, unless we get hold of it."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVIII
+
+WHERE THE BANKNOTE WENT
+
+
+Brown's cake-shop was out of bounds for the younger boys at
+Marlthorpe College. The boys in the upper classes might go there if
+they chose; but as it was over a mile from the school, the Head had
+wisely determined that it was too far away for the little lads to be
+continually running there to spend their pocket-money; especially as
+there was a very clean and nice shop in the village close by--a shop
+kept by a kindly old dame, where Dr. Beverly was certain the boys could
+not come to harm.
+
+It was quite as good a shop as Brown's; but, because it was within
+bounds, and because the lads were forbidden to go to the town, it was
+not patronized as it should have been; while Brown's received many a
+secret visit. It was a shame that the upper fellows might go there,
+when the juniors might not! It was the cause of heartburnings. There
+were no cakes in all the world like those which Brown's sold! The chief
+inducement to get promoted was that Brown's might be visited freely.
+
+Of course, it was wrong and foolish; but then, boys are apt to think
+wrongly and do foolishly; and, therefore, the reason of two small
+mortals scuttling along the road, and dodging into Great Stow, with
+eyes ever on the alert for monitors and masters, was not hard to
+seek--their destination was, of course, Brown's.
+
+A nice pair of young rebels they were. One was small and freckled and
+sandy, with small eyes, and a decidedly pug nose; and the other was a
+remarkably fat youth--so fat that it really seemed wonderful that he
+could run as he did.
+
+They darted along, avoiding the main street, until the noted
+establishment was reached; then, after a careful and cautious peering
+in, to make sure that the coast was clear, they dived in, and the door
+closed behind them.
+
+Now, Brown knew about these unlawful visits. He was very glad that
+he was without bounds, for he was quite certain that being so would
+increase his trade. He encouraged his youthful customers. He called
+them noble-spirited boys, who refused to bow to harsh rules. He said
+they were young heroes; and he had a nice little room behind the
+shop, with the window screened by a thick curtain--rather holey and
+dirty, it is true--and there was a bell to ring for Brown; and little
+white-topped tables to sit at; and it seemed so grand and "grown-up" to
+call for the waiter--though it was Brown himself who came--and to order
+a penny bun, or a jam tart, and for Brown to say "Yes, sir; at once,
+sir." Oh, it was very, very delightful, and it had a spice of adventure
+about it.
+
+So into the private room dived the two youthful spendthrifts, and
+ordered tarts and ginger-beer and ices, and then seated themselves at
+their ease to enjoy this forbidden feast.
+
+"Ain't they prime, Jimmy?" gloated the fat boy, as he put himself
+outside a three-cornered puff; and Jimmy, with his mouth full of tart,
+was understood to reply that they were "ripping."
+
+The shop-bell tinkled, and Jimmy jumped up. He was not quite sure who
+might come in, and he squinted through one of those convenient holes in
+the blind, a fragment of tart still in his hand.
+
+"I say, it is Elgert's man!" he said, looking round. "I wonder what he
+wants here?"
+
+"Oh, he doesn't signify. Let us enjoy ourselves, for we cannot stay
+long, and we shall have to run all the way back."
+
+That eating cakes was a good preparation for running a mile is open
+to question, but the two boys evidently had no doubts concerning the
+matter; and so they sat there, while the man who had entered talked to
+Brown over the counter, and, seeing that the door was not quite closed,
+the boys could not help hearing a little of what passed.
+
+"I'll bide my time, Brown," Elgert's man said. "I will not be
+impatient, but I will humble that young cub yet! I hate him even more
+than I do his father. He treats a man like the dirt beneath his feet!"
+
+"So he does," muttered Jimmy Green to Tinkle; "that is quite right!"
+
+And Tinkle nodded. He was busy with an ice just at the moment.
+
+"I say," said Brown to the man, "if you are not in a hurry, I wish that
+you would run over to the inn and ask them to change me this five-pound
+note? It is one which I changed for one of the boys from the school the
+other day."
+
+Two youthful pairs of ears pricked up, two hands were arrested as they
+conveyed two cakes towards two mouths. A five-pound note changed for a
+boy from the school! This was exciting!
+
+"I can cash it for you myself," the man said; "I have just been paid my
+month's money."
+
+"I shall be obliged," said Brown. And then followed the ringing sound
+of money being counted out; the man picked up the note, glanced at it
+and put it into his pocket.
+
+"I will look in as I return," he said to Brown; and away he went.
+
+"I say! Think we can get out of Brown who changed that note?" said
+Tinkle to Green. "It's jolly funny, after what took place to-day!"
+
+"I don't know," answered Green thoughtfully. "Fact is, Tinkle, old man,
+I don't know that I am anxious to do it. It is awkward to know too
+much sometimes. There is the chance of having to split on some chap you
+are friendly with. If you don't know you can't say."
+
+"And if you don't say, some one may stay wrongly suspected," was the
+retort of Tinkle. And then, the shop-bell sounding again, necessitated
+another going to peep through the blind.
+
+"Oh, I say!" gasped Tinkle, as he looked through a hole; "if it isn't
+Elgert himself this time, and his crony Dobson is with him!"
+
+[Illustration: "'OH, I SAY,' GASPED TINKLE; 'IF IT ISN'T ELGERT
+HIMSELF THIS TIME.'" p. 172]
+
+"Well, they won't split," was the philosophic reply. "They will only
+want to go shares. I know 'em both."
+
+"Eat cakes while we pay; and Dobson is such a greedy beast!" And Tinkle
+groaned to himself.
+
+"Perhaps they are not going to stop," whispered Green. "They may only
+be going to take something back with them."
+
+It seemed like it; for the two boys outside made no attempt to enter
+the inner room. They both seemed rather flustered and out of breath,
+and as Brown came forward to attend to their wants Dobson panted out--
+
+"Oh--er--I say, Brown. That--that note I changed the other day. I
+should like--that is--I mean----"
+
+"We want it back!" put in Elgert impatiently, pushing his companion
+aside. "We cannot explain why, but we are very anxious to get hold of
+it!"
+
+"Fact is, we fancy that it is bad, and we don't want you to be the
+loser, you see," added Dobson. And Brown smiled slightly and nodded.
+
+"That's very good of you young gentlemen--very good and honourable. But
+you have no occasion to worry; the note was good enough. I saw to that."
+
+"Well, good or bad," Elgert said, "I want to get hold of it! And, as
+you know, I am always willing to pay for what I want. I will give you
+six pounds for that note, Brown!"
+
+The man glanced at him shrewdly. What did this mean? Why had they
+invented that lie about the note being bad; and why were they willing
+to give a pound extra to get it into their hands again?
+
+"I am very sorry, sir," he said slowly, "but the fact is, I have parted
+with that note. I changed it only a short time ago."
+
+"Changed it!" Elgert went rather white, and Dobson groaned dismally.
+"Whom did you give it to?" was Elgert's quick inquiry. "Perhaps he has
+it still!"
+
+"Well," responded Brown, "the fact is, I can hardly remember. You see,
+a lot of money passes through my hands, and I have passed on four or
+five notes to-day. I should have to inquire of the different people,
+and find who had the identical note that you require."
+
+"And will you do it?" cried Elgert quickly. "I will not grumble about
+the price. I want to get the note back, and I am willing to pay well
+for it. When can you let me know about it?"
+
+"If you came to-morrow, sir, about this time, I'd see what I could do
+meanwhiles. I may be able to get hold of it again, if it has not been
+paid into the bank."
+
+There was nothing more to be done. Elgert and Dobson came away with a
+horrible feeling of nervous apprehension filling their hearts. If that
+note was gone, what might not the consequences be for both of them?
+They were quarrelsome--each blamed the other--each tried to screen
+himself. But recriminations were of no avail; nothing was of avail,
+unless it was getting hold of the note once more.
+
+And when the two had gone, the feasters on unlawful pastries came forth
+from their hiding-place; and having settled their bill with lordly air,
+they also set out for the school, for there was no time to lose if they
+were to be back before calling over.
+
+But they had something to think about indeed! Why did Elgert want that
+note? And how came it that Dobson had possessed one to change at all?
+
+"What are we going to do about this, Jimmy?" inquired Tinkle, as they
+ran along, and Green answered without the slightest hesitation.
+
+"Nothing! That is my advice, Tinkle. We can't do anything without
+owning up to having been out of bounds; and I don't want my name down
+for punishment now. We don't know that the note is the one which Mr.
+Delermain lost. We only know that it is one Elgert and Dobson want to
+get hold of for some purpose of their own; they may be trying to trace
+something about it."
+
+And then Brown went to stand at his shop-door, impatiently watching for
+the return of his companion, and hailing him as he saw him appear round
+the bend of the road.
+
+"It's curious that they should be so anxious to get that note back" he
+said, when he told the other of Elgert's request. "Offered a pound, and
+said he was willing to go beyond that. Well, as you have changed the
+note, it is your property, and the profit will be yours. Of course, you
+will part with it?"
+
+The man drew the note from his pocket-book, and examined it carefully
+ere he answered.
+
+"It is quite genuine," he said, and Brown laughed.
+
+"Of course, it is! I knew that all along. That part of their story was
+all nonsense. There is something up, but you may as well make your
+little bit out of it. Say I give you six pounds for it, and chance
+making any more myself?"
+
+"Not to-day," was the quiet answer. "You shall have it in a day or two.
+You can say that you have been promised that it shall be returned."
+
+"But what do you want to do with it for a day or two?" asked Brown,
+with something of curiosity.
+
+And the man looked him in the face, and replied, with a quiet smile--
+
+"Do? Oh, nothing! I only think that it may be as well if I have this
+banknote photographed. You can have it after that, and we will share
+the profits."
+
+Then Brown laughed, and clapped him on the back.
+
+"You are a smart fellow!" he cried.
+
+And the man answered.
+
+"There are some people living who will find that out to their cost one
+of these fine days!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIX
+
+THE LAME HORSE ONCE MORE
+
+
+If Elgert and Dobson and the two juniors who had overheard that
+conversation in Brown's cake-shop were the four most excited concerning
+the five-pound note which had been stolen from Mr. Delermain, they were
+not the only ones in Marlthorpe College who were interested in the
+matter.
+
+From first to last the whole school could do nothing but discuss the
+mysterious business; and, whatever else it did, the attempt to put the
+guilt upon Ralph's shoulders resulted in his being all the more firmly
+established in the favour of most of the boys.
+
+Even those who had not liked him were more friendly now; for there was
+something so shameful and wicked in trying to get him accused of that
+which it had been proved he was innocent of, that they could not but
+feel sympathy for him. Then the story of his brave deed in rescuing
+Elgert was strongly in his favour. After all, boys at heart love
+bravery.
+
+But of all there, Warren and Ralph himself pondered most. Their
+friendship was quite restored, and together they talked and discussed,
+and wondered who it could possibly be who would want to harm Ralph.
+
+And poor Charlton! Ah, how miserable he was now! He had his own weight
+of sorrow, and it was very, very heavy to bear; and after what Ralph
+had said he could never hope that they would be friends again.
+
+"I suppose that I am to blame," he said. "Perhaps I took things too
+much to heart. I feel that I am never to have friends. I--I don't care!
+Rexworth might give me another chance; but if he won't--if he is so
+taken up with Warren--he can do as he likes. I don't care!"
+
+Poor Charlton! He did care, for all his talk--care very much. He was
+lonely and sad; but he did not stop to think that Ralph had already
+given him chances, and that it was his own fault that he had not taken
+them. When we are miserable we are also apt to be unjust, and to put
+the blame for our own actions upon other people's shoulders.
+
+And how interested and indignant, and yet withal delighted, were the
+St. Clives when they heard of what had happened.
+
+"A clean reputation is a good thing, you see, Ralph," Mr. St. Clive
+said. "It is surely worth something to feel that people have such a
+high estimate of you as to realize that you are utterly incapable of
+doing a mean thing, even though appearances are so strong against you."
+
+"It is just splendid to think how you have come out of it, Ralph!" was
+Irene's delighted comment when the two young people were alone. "It is
+like when wicked people tried to injure the brave knights of old, and
+when truth and valour and true chivalry triumphed over all opposition.
+There is something, even here and now, to be gained when people know
+that you are fighting under honour's flag!"
+
+And Ralph had to acknowledge that she spoke the truth, and to own that
+he was now very glad that he had resisted the temptation to yield and
+to run away from his troubles.
+
+That Saturday holiday--the one after the business of the note being
+found in his pocket-book--was one of the happiest that he had spent
+since coming to Stow Ormond--a day when the clouds seemed to have
+lifted, when the sun seemed brighter, and when faith grew more strong.
+It came from the feeling that he had fought a good fight, and that he
+had been helped to be more than conqueror.
+
+And yet he had forgotten nothing of his father. He was as anxious as
+ever to solve the mystery surrounding his disappearance; only now,
+instead of being impatient, he felt that he was preparing in the best
+way for seeking the truth by staying with Mr. St. Clive, and by working
+as hard as ever he could.
+
+And on that same afternoon he walked with Irene as far as the pretty
+old inn; and old Simon, the landlord, greeted him with a cheery smile;
+for, indeed, Simon felt a great interest in the lad, seeing that the
+first scene in his strange story was enacted beneath his roof.
+
+"And how are you, young gentleman?" he asked. "And you, too,
+missie?"--as the two entered the yard. "Come to pay a visit to old
+Simon--eh?"
+
+"I have come to talk to you, Simon," answered Ralph. No one ever called
+the landlord of the _Horse and Wheel_ anything but Simon. "I have come
+to ask you something."
+
+"That's right, sir! Ask away--though I don't promise to answer if it is
+a poser. I haven't had the education which you young people enjoy."
+
+"It is nothing to do with education, Simon," laughed Ralph. "I want
+to ask you whether, now that you have had plenty of time to think of
+it--as I feel sure you must have thought--do you think that you have
+any recollection of ever having seen my father before? I feel certain
+that he knew the place; and if he knew it, perhaps you may be able to
+think of some one whom he reminds you of."
+
+But Simon shook his head at that question.
+
+"I am afraid that I cannot answer that, sir. Your father certainly did
+know the place; for when I told him the number of his room he walked
+right up to it without waiting to be shown. And, in some way, I seem to
+have a faint recollection of having seen him before; but it is all dim
+and hazy like, and it wouldn't do to go upon."
+
+"Thank you, Simon. Now the other question--and I want you to keep this
+to yourself; I have a particular reason for that. Do you know any one
+in the neighbourhood who drives about in a light trap, and who has a
+horse lame in its left foreleg?"
+
+"Well," said the old man thoughtfully, "come to that, there are plenty
+of folk with light traps hereabout; and I know of two lame horses. Old
+Saxer, the carter, has one, and Hopkin, the butcher, has one, and--why,
+yes, Lord Elgert himself has a pretty little mare lame in her left
+foreleg. She hurt herself in a hole, and, though she goes all right
+now, she has a bit of a limp. And, why, come to think of it, now I
+remember who your father put me in mind of."
+
+"Who--oh, who?" cried Ralph eagerly; while Irene looked on not less
+interested.
+
+"Who?" said the innkeeper. "Why, of old Lord Stephen! He was Lord
+Elgert's uncle, and he died without leaving child of his own. He had
+one son, who died long, long ago. That is it, for certain! But what
+ails you, young sir?"
+
+For Ralph had gone quite white. He had never expected that answer. Lord
+Elgert had a lame horse! Lord Elgert was the nephew of some one whom
+his father had resembled! Lord Elgert had told that wicked story about
+his father; and Lord Elgert was so very anxious for him to go back to
+the plains, and leave England behind him for ever! Surely it could not
+be! And yet, as Ralph pondered, he seemed to call to mind a hundred
+things to strengthen his suspicions. It could not be that Lord Elgert
+knew anything about his father!
+
+A very grave Ralph walked home to lunch; and a very grave Mr. St. Clive
+listened to his story.
+
+"I could wish that this had not been brought up, Ralph," he said. "I
+fear that it will only unsettle you again; and, in spite of all that
+you advance, I cannot bring myself to believe that you are anything but
+mistaken. Lord Elgert may not be a pleasant man to deal with, but this
+is a very, very grave thing to even so much as hint at."
+
+But whatever Mr. St. Clive might say, Ralph could not get the thing
+out of his head. It is not to be wondered at that it should haunt him
+and make him feel excited. After waiting so long, this was like the
+first real tangible clue. And he had been thinking that it was poor
+Charlton's father who must be at the bottom of it! Poor Charlton!
+
+Walking by himself, Ralph pondered upon the fact that, after all, if
+any one had hinted to him what he had hinted to his chum he would have
+been just as hurt and indignant. And now that he was cleared it would
+be manly and nice to go and ask him to be friends again.
+
+"He can hardly do anything if I don't give him the chance," he told
+himself. "I will do it as soon as I get back to school on Monday."
+
+His head full of the tracks of lame horses and light traps, he had
+taken his way across towards Stow Wood, the scene of that tragedy--for
+tragedy he believed there had surely been--and as he walked over the
+common he reflected that those marks had led away in the direction of
+Great Stow; and in Great Stow or just beyond it, Lord Elgert lived.
+
+And then, as he walked along, his eyes thoughtfully fixed upon the
+ground, he stopped suddenly. Surely things were going strangely to-day;
+for, coming on top of old Simon's words, here was the track of the lame
+horse again!
+
+"I will follow it this time," said Ralph to himself.
+
+And he set forward rapidly. There was plenty of both light and time
+this afternoon, and if the tracks led to hard roads he would go on and
+search beyond them.
+
+But he did not have very far to go this time, though he gained but
+little for his trouble. The other side the common, and close to Stow
+Wood, he came upon the vehicle he had followed--a light trap, truly,
+and drawn by a pretty little mare; and with it were three men, one in
+the uniform of a constable and the others in ordinary dress.
+
+"Who does this trap belong to?"
+
+The question was absurd, perhaps, but he blurted it out without
+thinking; and the men turned and regarded him with mingled surprise
+and amusement.
+
+"And what has that to do with you, if you please?" said one--the one in
+uniform.
+
+And what could he say? Whatever the other two were, one was a
+constable; and surely a constable was sufficient evidence that he had
+followed a wrong trail!
+
+"You seem to have a liking for asking questions, young gentleman," said
+one of the other men. "Now, suppose that we ask you one? Have you seen
+any one out here--any one that seemed as if they were trying to hide?
+We are looking for a prisoner of ours, who escaped some time back,
+and who, we believe, is hiding in this locality. Have you seen any
+suspicious character about?"
+
+Detectives! A prisoner! It must be Charlton's father! How glad he was
+that he could answer truly that he had seen no one! And the man who had
+put the question replied to him, when he had finished:
+
+"Thank you. Now, as you have answered me, I will answer you; though
+I confess that I do not understand the reason for your question. The
+horse and trap belong to Lord Elgert. Doubtless you have heard of him.
+He kindly lent them to us that we might be saved a long walk."
+
+It was Lord Elgert's! And these men, in Lord Elgert's trap, were
+looking for poor Charlton's father! Ralph thanked the constables,
+letting them remain in ignorance as to the real reason for his
+question, and with slow and thoughtful steps turned into Stow Wood.
+
+He was bewildered, perplexed, stunned. It was Lord Elgert's trap! Could
+Lord Elgert be the one who had harmed his father?
+
+Pondering deeply, he walked on, hardly noticing where he went, until
+suddenly a slight exclamation recalled his wandering senses. He looked
+up. He had penetrated into a little glade, and there before him stood
+two people--his chum Charlton and a man! He had found the one for whom
+the police were searching so close at hand!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XX
+
+TO MR. ST. CLIVE'S
+
+
+The man started to his feet, with an exclamation of mingled rage and
+despair; while Charlton stood before his father, his arms outstretched,
+as if he feared that Ralph would rush forward and seize him.
+
+His face was very white, as he looked at the boy who had been his
+friend and champion, and cried, in tones of misery and reproach--
+
+"You! Oh, this is mean and cruel! I did not think that you would act
+the spy and hunt us down. Let him go--let him go quietly; and, if you
+want to harm any one, hurt me. I will not move, or cry out, no matter
+how much you beat me--only let my poor father go, and do not tell any
+one you have seen him."
+
+Now, Ralph had been standing in silence, too surprised to say anything.
+Despite what Mr. St. Clive had said, he had some sort of idea that this
+man must, in some way, know of his father's disappearance, even if he
+himself had no hand in it, just as he still thought that Charlton knew
+more about the missing note than any one else, though that suspicion
+was beginning to weaken considerably now.
+
+But as he looked from the boy to the man, and as he heard that pathetic
+appeal, every feeling, save that of pity, vanished. This man should not
+be captured, not if he could hinder it; and he said, advancing a step,
+and holding out one hand in friendship--
+
+"Why, Charlton, you don't think as meanly of me as that, do you? I
+neither want to harm you nor your father, though it is quite true that
+I came here to find you."
+
+"But--why? How did you know that we should be here?" questioned the
+boy, not yet reassured.
+
+And Ralph hurriedly explained how he had followed the trap and come
+upon the policemen.
+
+"I felt certain that it must be your father whom they were after," he
+said; "and so I determined to come through the wood to try to find you
+and give you warning. We must be quick, or there will be no chance of
+getting away."
+
+"Oh, father," wailed Charlton, "I wish that I had not persuaded you to
+come here again! You will be taken! What shall we do?"
+
+"My boy," answered the man calmly, "try and be brave. We owe our thanks
+to this young gentleman for the kindly warning he has brought. If I
+must be taken, I must; and I will try to bear it patiently, though it
+is very hard. It is strange that they should have Lord Elgert's trap,"
+he added bitterly. "Elgert has been at the bottom of all my troubles."
+
+"Look here!" expostulated Ralph bluntly. "It's no good stopping here
+talking and wasting time when every minute is precious. Those fellows
+are on the farther side of the wood, and they are beginning to search,
+and they won't leave off until they have hunted right through the
+place."
+
+"But where can we go?" asked Charlton, wringing his hands. "This place
+has nowhere to hide in; nowhere that could not be found if once people
+were really searching."
+
+"They will search; there is no doubt of that," answered Ralph. "But we
+may manage to elude them. We cannot stay here dodging round, that is
+quite certain. We must manage to get out of it and find somewhere else
+to hide."
+
+"Ah, my kind boy, but where shall that somewhere be?" said the man,
+shaking his head. "It might have been in my own home, but now that they
+think that I am here, and are on my track, they will keep their eyes on
+that spot, and I have not one single friend who will shelter me."
+
+"Hush! Hush!" cried Ralph suddenly. "Listen! There is no time to lose.
+They are in the wood on that side. Creep after me. Stop! Cover those
+leaves over or they will see where you have been standing."
+
+"You are thoughtful for one so young," murmured the man, as he obeyed
+Ralph's instructions. "Well, I will place myself under your guidance,
+and trust to you. Where shall we go? Through that undergrowth?"
+
+"No, no! You cannot move through that without making a noise and
+leaving traces. Keep to this path. I feel sure that is wisest. Bend
+low, and step lightly. Come! Now, Charlton, buck up, and we will save
+your father yet."
+
+His confidence inspired them with hope. Unhesitatingly they followed
+his lead. The path he chose led them into another clear little space,
+away to the right of that which they had left. They could hear the
+noise made by their pursuers in their rear, and they did not seem any
+better off here. It was only putting off the end for a little time,
+and so Charlton's father said, but Ralph would not listen to him. He
+had been in as tight a corner before, when he and his father, and two
+more, had been pursued by the Indians of the plains, and had dodged and
+doubled for three whole days ere they had thrown their foe off their
+track. Ralph was not going to give up yet.
+
+"Stop!" he said. "You must climb up this tree. No, not that one!" as
+Charlton ran to a big, old decaying oak.
+
+"But this is hollow. We can hide in it," objected the boy.
+
+But Ralph shook his head.
+
+"I can see it is hollow, and so can any one who has a pair of eyes.
+That is just why we must not go there, for they will be sure to look in
+it. Up this one!"
+
+"But we shall be seen."
+
+"Do as your friend bids you," said the man.
+
+And Charlton obeyed, his father following him.
+
+Then did Ralph show his cunning, for, directing them to stand with
+their backs against the trunk, he showed them how to draw the branches
+down until they made a thick canopy all around them. Ralph himself
+stood at the bottom, carefully examining their hiding-place.
+
+"Now, if you stand quite still, as you are, no one will be able to see
+you," he said. "But remember there must be no noise and no movement;
+everything may depend upon that. Keep still. Here is some one coming!"
+
+A man appeared at the end of the glade, and, catching a glimpse of the
+boy's form, gave a shout and ran forward; but he stopped, and looked
+very cross, as Ralph himself walked innocently to meet him, with the
+question--"Have not you found him yet?"
+
+"No," grumbled the man. "He is a slippery fellow, and is giving us a
+lot of trouble; but we will have him yet. We are working right through
+the wood, and we must be driving him before us, and when he gets to the
+other side----"
+
+"He will bolt," said Ralph.
+
+But the man smiled grimly.
+
+"Into our arms. We have four men stationed keeping watch there. No, we
+shall have him yet. You have not seen him?"
+
+"There was a man in that little hollow, the other end of this path. I
+saw him there," said Ralph, with perfect truthfulness.
+
+"Which hollow? The one to the right?" said the man quickly.
+
+And Ralph nodded.
+
+"Ah, we have looked there! He has bolted. Then we are right on his
+track. Stop a minute, though. That old tree looks a likely place. Here,
+give us a hand, boy! I will lift you, and you look in. Can you see
+anything?"
+
+And he lifted Ralph, and helped him to scramble up, and peer down into
+the hollow depths of the old oak.
+
+"Can't see much," said Ralph, his head in the hollow. "There is a gleam
+of light below, and something dark. Can't you clear away the leaves a
+bit, and then I can see whether it is a man or not?"
+
+The constable sprawled on the ground, and thrust his arm into the hole
+at the bottom of the trunk, dragging out leaves and dust, till Ralph
+cried--
+
+"It is all right; I can see now. There is no one there. What I was
+looking at was a lot of leaves. They have tumbled over now, and you are
+pulling them out."
+
+"That's no good, then; only it looked a likely place. Down you come,
+boy!"
+
+And, helping Ralph down, the man turned and ran off, satisfied that
+he had looked in the only place where the fugitive could have hidden
+himself.
+
+"I see that you are a clever lad," said Mr. Charlton when the fugitives
+again stood beside Ralph. "But what now? You heard what he said? There
+is no getting away on that side."
+
+"We are not going out that side, though," was Ralph's answer. "We are
+behind them now, and while they are hunting forward, we will go back."
+
+"They will have left watchers behind them."
+
+"I suppose so. They cannot have left many, though, for they had not
+enough men. Back is our only chance. We will try it. There is no time
+to stop talking now," he added, as he saw that the man was going to ask
+more questions. "Come, follow me!"
+
+Going cautiously, pausing to listen again and again, he led the way;
+and soon they were getting close to that side of the wood from which
+the search had commenced. Then he bade the other two remain hidden, and
+he went forward by himself, until, at last, he was able to peer from
+the hedges.
+
+He did not see a single man, though he looked carefully; but he did
+see--and the sight made his heart jump wildly--the horse and trap, the
+horse contentedly feeding on the rich grass. He would risk it! One
+chance, and one alone, offered, and he would take it!
+
+He beckoned to his companions to join him, and whispered his plans.
+
+"It is the only chance. No one is near the trap, and we can drive off
+before they will even know that it is gone. Will you dare it?"
+
+"Yes," said the man desperately.
+
+And Ralph, with a "Follow me, then!" was at the trap, had the rope,
+with which the horse had been tethered, cut; the other two were up
+after him, and, with a crack of the whip, away they went, clean across
+the open moor.
+
+Lame or not, that pony had to go, for once. They were right across,
+close on two miles away, and getting near to Great Stow, before a
+distant shout, and figures running from the wood, told them that the
+theft had been discovered.
+
+"Lie down, Charlton," he said, "and you sit directly behind me," he
+added to the man. "It will be far better if they can only see one
+person in the trap. We don't want them to know that I helped you if it
+can be avoided."
+
+They reached the road; then turned to the right, so that the view was
+shut off from those behind. No one had seen them with the trap, and now
+Ralph reined in, and jumped down.
+
+"Come on!" he said. "Lord Elgert's pony must look after itself now.
+Quick, we must hurry!"
+
+"Where are you going to, Rexworth?" cried Charlton in surprise. "There
+is nowhere about here where father can hide."
+
+But Ralph answered with a smile, never slackening his pace as he spoke--
+
+"Hurry up! There is one place--a safe place. I am going to Mr. St.
+Clive's."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXI
+
+A HOUSE OF REFUGE
+
+
+"To Mr. St. Clive's!"
+
+What wonder that the words filled Charlton with surprise. Ralph was
+surely risking a great deal in taking such a step. But Ralph knew
+Mr. St. Clive, and Charlton did not--and that made a great deal of
+difference. Besides, the case was desperate. Somewhere must be found in
+which to hide; and no other place offered, so to Mr. St. Clive's they
+went; and Ralph, leaving his two companions in the garden, went indoors
+by himself.
+
+But if the Charltons were surprised when Ralph announced his intention
+of going to Mr. St. Clive's, that gentleman was still more astonished
+when the lad told him of his adventures, and what he had done.
+
+"You know that you said, sir," Ralph concluded by saying--"that you
+always had a great idea that Mr. Charlton was innocent; and that if I
+were instrumental in getting him taken I might regret it all the rest
+of my life, and so I thought that you would be sure to sympathize with
+the poor man, and be ready to help him."
+
+"Well, Ralph," laughed Mr. St. Clive, "you have certainly taken me at
+my word. However, I do not know but what I am glad that you have done
+so; and Mr. Charlton being here, I may be able, after consultation with
+him, to devise some means of proving that he was innocent of the crime
+laid to his charge. Let us go and welcome him."
+
+It was very affecting, that meeting between the two men--the one so
+weary and dispirited, the other such a true Christian gentleman; but
+Mr. St. Clive soon put the other at his ease, and they all entered the
+house. Irene was out with her mother at the moment; and after Mr. St.
+Clive had seen that his new guest was provided with food, he spoke, and
+the other three sat listening attentively.
+
+"Now, Mr. Charlton," he said, "I have been thinking, and I can see one
+way for your remaining here in safety, and being able to communicate
+freely with your wife."
+
+"That is a blessing too great to be possible," sighed Mr. Charlton; but
+Mr. St. Clive smiled kindly.
+
+"I differ from you. It is not only possible, but easy. Listen to me.
+It is unlikely that any one will dream of looking for you here; but
+to make doubly sure, we can disguise you. Now, it so happens that I
+am in need of a gardener, and there is a cottage vacant. You must be
+gardener. If you know nothing of gardening, that does not much matter;
+I can post you up in it. Then, my wife can invite Mrs. Charlton to
+visit here, and there will be nothing to prevent her coming frequently,
+and staying all day. There is only one thing to remember. Of course,
+I shall tell my wife everything, but I do not think that my little
+daughter ought to be made a party to this; so to her you will be, say,
+Thomas Brown--that is an easy name--and before her our manner towards
+each other must be that of master and servant. You will not mind that?"
+
+"Mind!" cried Mr. Charlton, the tears rolling down his cheeks. "Mind!
+Can you think that I shall mind such a trifle as that, when you are so
+good, and ready to take the risk of helping me? But this morning I felt
+that, excepting wife and son, I had not a friend in the world. Now I
+find that God has not forsaken me utterly."
+
+"He never does forsake those who put their trust in Him," was the
+gentle answer. "Well, come with me at once, and we will see about
+making a gardener of you, before any of the servants can see you as you
+are. And you, boys, remember how you behave to my gardener," he added,
+looking at them. "You, Ralph, have been very thoughtful in the way you
+have managed--mind you do not make a slip."
+
+"I will try my best, sir," answered Ralph; and then he and Charlton
+were left alone. And then--then all of a sudden Charlton was kneeling
+at his feet, holding his hand and kissing it, and sobbing out his
+thanks; until Ralph cried out that if he didn't get up he would punch
+his head for him, to give him something to cry about, and to show that
+he was his friend; and that made poor Charlton laugh feebly.
+
+And, sitting there, Charlton explained what he was too proud to tell
+before--how he had wanted that ten shillings to help his father; and
+how his father, not using it, had given it back to him.
+
+"Indeed, I knew nothing about the note, Ralph," he said. "I know that
+you thought I had stolen it, and it made me miserable, but I am sorry
+that I spoke to you as I did."
+
+"All right, old fellow!" answered Ralph, wringing his hand. "Do not let
+us think of it any more. Besides, I have a pretty good idea of who took
+that note now--or, rather, who caused it to be taken. I don't know for
+certain, so I will accuse no one; but I don't think that it was you."
+
+"You mean Horace Elgert!" cried Charlton; but Ralph smiled and shook
+his head.
+
+"Won't do, old fellow. I said that I would not mention names. But look
+here, Charlton, I do want to ask your father one thing. Does he know
+anything about my father?"
+
+"Your father! How can he, Ralph?"
+
+"He might have been in Stow Wood that night, and have seen or heard
+something," the boy said.
+
+"I will answer that question for myself!" Mr. Charlton entered as
+Ralph was speaking, and the boys started, for even Charlton would
+not have known his father in the half-bald, grey-bearded old fellow
+who stood before him. "I will answer that question, Ralph Rexworth;
+and then, after that, I am only Brown, the gardener, remember. I can
+give you no information beyond this. On the night of your father's
+disappearance--my son has told me about that--I was in Stow Wood, and
+I heard a shot; and afterwards I saw a trap being driven rapidly away.
+There were two men in it, and one of those two leaned up against his
+companion as though he was helpless or badly hurt. Hiding myself, I
+could not follow them; but I thought at the time that it looked like
+foul play."
+
+"The second man was not dead?" cried Ralph anxiously; and the answer
+was very positive--
+
+"No, I am quite certain of that, for I heard him groan as they passed
+in the darkness. That is all I can tell you. It was natural that you
+should think that I knew something about it. I have also heard that I
+am supposed to be the one who entered the dormitory at the school one
+night; but I am innocent of that. A little thought ought to convince
+any one that to do such a thing would be the very last object of my
+wishes--the danger of being captured would be too great; and I do not
+quite see what any one can imagine that I should want to go there for."
+
+"It is all a mystery to me," said Ralph. And then Irene's voice was
+heard in the hall, and she and her mother entered.
+
+"Back again, Ladybird!" said her father, kissing her. Then, seeing her
+eyes fixed on the strangers, he went on: "Ah! you want an introduction?
+This is Fred Charlton, Ralph's friend; and this is a man who is to be
+our new gardener. His name is Thomas Brown. Run off with Ralph and
+Charlton for a little while; I want to talk to your mother."
+
+When the young people were gone, Mr. St. Clive told his wife of Ralph's
+adventures, and introduced Mr. Charlton in his proper character. And
+Mrs. St. Clive spoke so nicely and kindly, and promised to go and see
+Mrs. Charlton the very next day; and when she met Ralph she squeezed
+his hand, and gave him such a kiss as made him know that she was glad
+he had acted as he had done.
+
+And on the Sunday Mrs. St. Clive went for Mrs. Charlton, and brought
+her back with her. No one saw the meeting between the husband and wife
+save their own son; for Ralph had to take Irene right out of the way,
+lest she should wonder at their guest talking to the gardener, or going
+to his cottage.
+
+But afterwards, when Mrs. Charlton met the boy to whom she owed so
+much--oh, the look of gratitude which she gave him, and the way in
+which she spoke! It made Ralph very happy, but it made him very
+uncomfortable at the same time.
+
+And then, the day past and morning come, it was once more back to
+school; and some of the boys stared when they saw Ralph and Charlton
+appear arm-in-arm, for their quarrel had been noticed and discussed.
+
+But when Tom Warren saw them, he came running up, a real glad smile on
+his face.
+
+"Hallo, you two!" he said, as he met them. "I am awfully glad to see
+this. It's the right thing; and I do hope that you won't quarrel again."
+
+"I shall never quarrel with Rexworth any more," said Charlton, in low
+tones. "You have no need to fear that, Warren. I owe him more than I
+can ever repay, though I cannot tell you why!"
+
+"Perhaps I can tell you why," replied Warren, with a laugh. "For it is
+all over the place. Elgert set it going."
+
+"Set what going?" demanded the two chums, in one voice; and the monitor
+went on--
+
+"Oh, he says that--I don't want to pain you, Charlton, but it is better
+to hear it from a friend than from an enemy"--and Warren turned, half
+apologetically to Charlton as he said this--"he says that your father
+was in Stow Wood, and that the police were looking for him----"
+
+"And that Lord Elgert lent them his pony and trap to hunt him down,"
+put in Charlton bitterly.
+
+"No, he didn't say that. Did he, though? The mean sneak! Well, he says
+that your father was there, and that the police saw Ralph, here, go
+into the wood. Some one must have warned your father, for he managed to
+get out, and got off in the pony and trap they had left. They didn't
+say it was Lord Elgert's, though. Elgert at once jumped at it that
+it was you, Ralph, did the warning, because you are Charlton's chum.
+He says it is additional proof that you two had that note, and he is
+making a jolly lot about it; though half the fellows, and more than
+half, are strong on your side, and say that if it is true, they would
+have done the same thing. Elgert says that the police inspector is
+ready to knock your head off for the way in which you cheated him."
+
+"Is he, though!" laughed Ralph. "Well, Warren, as you know so much,
+we may as well tell you all about it, when we have time--with one
+exception, though. You must not ask us where we took Mr. Charlton, or
+where we hid him. That is our secret. The rest you may know. By the
+way, I wonder how Elgert will like it if he knows that it was I drove
+off in that trap?"
+
+"You! What a prime joke! I say, Ralph, what a chap you are! Come along,
+and let us get in!"
+
+That the story had got about was very clear, for curious glances were
+cast at the pair as they crossed the playground with the monitor; and
+then a group of juniors, led by Tinkle, suddenly piped up--
+
+
+     For he's a jolly good fellow,
+     For he's a jolly good fellow!
+
+
+Elgert, standing near them, turned with a frown.
+
+"Shut up that howling, you young cubs!" he growled fiercely; but from
+the other side of the playground, and from the Fifths, the same words
+came.
+
+Elgert turned and went into school. He was furious. He had come down
+thinking that he had a good chance of getting Ralph into disgrace, and
+here the fellows were actually praising him! It was gall to Horace
+Elgert; and, through the window, still came the sounds of the refrain
+being shouted below--
+
+
+     For he's a jolly good fellow,
+     And so say all of us!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXII
+
+AN AFTERNOON RAMBLE
+
+
+"I say, you two chaps, what are you going to do this afternoon?"
+
+The question was asked by Tom Warren, as Ralph and Charlton stood at
+the entrance to the playground.
+
+Another week had passed, and it had been a delightful one for both
+Ralph and his chum, now that they were friends again. For these two,
+so different in natures, liked each other very much; and now that the
+trouble was gone, they were drawn still closer together. Of course they
+were. Had not Ralph proved what a staunch good fellow he could be? and
+had not Charlton shown that he was not only innocent of stealing that
+note, but that he was a loyal, true son, doing what he could to help
+his unfortunate father?
+
+It was good to see how the boys had come round and how they regarded
+Ralph as a comrade to be proud of; though Elgert and Dobson and the set
+whom they led, glowered and sneered, and said unkind things that hurt
+no one, and were treated with contempt.
+
+And Saturday had come, and the boys were preparing to set out for their
+homes, and Ralph had a bundle of books under his arm, for he meant to
+have another quiet read that evening. The Newlet would want a lot of
+working for, and, since he had entered, he meant to do all he could to
+win success.
+
+"What are you going to do?" said Warren; and the pair confessed that
+they had made no particular plans.
+
+"I cannot spare very much time, anyway," said Ralph. "I want to put in
+a few hours' work to-night."
+
+"You will go and make yourself silly if you do too much," answered Tom
+Warren. "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, you know. Will you
+both meet me after you have had lunch--say about one o'clock--and we
+will go for a ramble?"
+
+"Where?" asked Charlton. "Anywhere in particular?"
+
+"I will tell you a nice walk. Let us go over the moor, and past Great
+Stow, out to Crab Tree Hill. It is jolly out there; and there are some
+lovely butterflies in the chalk there."
+
+"Butterflies in chalk?" said Ralph, raising his brows in wonder; and
+Warren laughed.
+
+"You kite! I mean that it is chalk country all round there, and the
+butterflies keep to it--fritillaries and skippers and browns; and we
+can find some grass snakes there."
+
+"Don't like snakes," said Ralph decisively, thinking of the terrible
+species which he had known in his younger days--snakes whose bite
+means certain death. "Well, I don't mind coming. Will you go, Fred?"
+And he turned to Charlton, who nodded his assent.
+
+"That is all right, then," answered Warren. "I will be over for you
+just after one, and we can pick up Charlton on our way and---- Hallo!
+what is the row?"
+
+The three lads turned. A scrimmage of some kind was evidently in
+progress at the other side of the playground, for there came some hoots
+and groans, and, mingling with the noise, a shrill cry of pain.
+
+"You great coward, let go my arm!"
+
+"Dobson and Co.," muttered Warren; and the three darted across to the
+scene of the trouble; and there they found Tinkle and Green, standing
+defiant and somewhat tearful, confronted by Dobson, Elgert and some of
+their cronies, while a scattered crowd of angry juniors kept in the
+safe background, hurling taunting jeers at the bigger boys.
+
+"I will half kill you, you cheeky little beggar!" they heard Dobson say
+to Tinkle. He had got hold of his arm, and, according to his favourite
+fashion, was twisting it painfully. "I will teach you to cheek me! I
+suppose it is that beggar Rexworth who has taught you to do it."
+
+But then Dobson stopped. He had thought that Ralph was gone; and even
+as he spoke, he caught sight of him. It certainly was very awkward for
+Dobson, and before he knew what to say next, Ralph had quietly but
+firmly removed Tinkle from his grasp.
+
+"You suppose wrong, Dobson," he said calmly. "I should not encourage
+any junior to cheek a senior; but I won't see a junior bullied, and you
+will please let that youngster go."
+
+"I didn't cheek him!" cried Tinkle--"leastways, not until he kicked me.
+I was standing here talking to Jimmy Green, when he and Elgert came up;
+and Elgert shied a stone at Green's head, and Dobson kicked me--the
+great coward! Let him stand up fair, and I will fight him myself."
+
+"Oh, no, you won't, sonny!" laughed Tom Warren. "You will clear off,
+and get home at once. No fight if you please."
+
+"It seems to me," sneered Elgert, "that this school is to be run by
+Rexworth and Co. You look here, Warren. It is out of school hours;
+and if you think that we are all going to stand being ruled by you
+especially when you are under the thumb of such a fellow as that--well,
+all I have to say is that you are jolly well mistaken."
+
+"I mean to say," was Warren's calm reply, "that there is not going to
+be any fighting here; and I mean to say that we have the Head's own
+orders to stop any more bullying of juniors. There has been a great
+deal too much of it in the past."
+
+"And if we don't obey, you will run sneaking to the Head?"
+
+"Oh, no, I won't," came the answer. "I will give you a jolly good
+licking myself. If it has got to come, let us get it over. Here are I
+and Rexworth--Charlton don't count. If you want to see which side is
+the best, just you----"
+
+"Just you all clear off; and you, Warren, don't make an ass of
+yourself," said a pleasant voice; and Kesterway, the head monitor of
+the school, appeared upon the scene. "Off you go, now! And you look
+here, Elgert. You may be an honourable, and a lord's son, but that is
+no reason why you should behave like a prig. You keep a civil tongue in
+your head, or you may get into trouble."
+
+Elgert and his companions turned away, for it did not do to defy the
+authority of Kesterway; but he muttered as he went--
+
+"Only wait a little while. I will get some of my own back. If I don't
+make Ralph Rexworth suffer for it, I will know the reason why."
+
+But two youthful individuals, as they also walked away--Tinkle and
+Green to wit--discussed darkly the chances of getting equal with Dobson
+and Elgert.
+
+"I vote we tell about that note," said Tinkle; but Green shook his head.
+
+"What is the good? Suppose they denied it, how could we prove it? You
+bet, there would be no chance of old Brown owning up. And besides,
+wouldn't it be telling that we had broken bounds? No; we had best wait
+a while, Tinkle, and presently the chance will come."
+
+"S'pose we sent 'em a what-you-call-it letter?"
+
+"What is that?" demanded Green; and Tinkle answered lucidly--
+
+"You know. One of them sort that don't come from nowhere, and is writ
+by nobody."
+
+"Annie nonimus," was Green's suggestion; and Tinkle nodded.
+
+"Yes, that's him. We might do that; and write on it, 'Who stole the
+five-pound note?' or 'What price Brown's cake shop?' or something."
+
+"We'd best do nothing of the kind," was Green's crushing answer. "That
+wouldn't do no good, and it would make 'em think that something was
+known. No, Tinkle; you leave 'em alone; and presently they will make a
+slip, and then we can have 'em."
+
+"I'd like to help Rexworth, though," murmured Tinkle.
+
+"But he don't want no help now. He's cleared about the note. No one
+thinks that he took it, not for a moment. It wouldn't help Rexworth.
+The thing is dropped, and we'd best leave it alone for the time."
+
+Meanwhile, Ralph and his friends took their way homeward, ignorant
+alike of the threats of their foes or the good wishes of the juniors;
+and after lunch was over, Warren in accordance with his promise, called
+for Ralph.
+
+"Hallo! got a new gardener here?" he remarked, as he caught sight of an
+old man who was sweeping the path; and Ralph thought how little Warren
+guessed who that man really was.
+
+They set off in high spirits, and after calling for Charlton, they
+started upon their long ramble. They rattled on at a good pace, and got
+away to the hills, and then--it was most provoking--great dark clouds
+had been rolling up, and suddenly, with a roar of thunder and a blaze
+of lightning, the storm burst, and it rained--gracious, how it did rain!
+
+It is not pleasant to be caught in a violent shower at the best of
+times, but to be caught when you are away from all shelter is decidedly
+unpleasant.
+
+"Wherever can we shelter?" cried Charlton in dismay, as the three
+bolted along, with heads bent down and collars turned up. "This is
+cheerful!"
+
+"I say," suddenly suggested Warren, "there is a thick preserve over
+by the road; I noticed it as we came along. Of course, it will be
+trespassing and we might get into trouble, but I suggest making for it.
+We can get some sort of shelter under the trees, and we may stumble
+upon a shooting hut or a keeper's cottage, and if we explain why we
+have come, they surely will not mind."
+
+"Cannot help it if they do," said Ralph desperately. "We cannot go on
+in this, and it's five miles into Stow, if it's a yard. Show us the way
+Warren, and be quick about it."
+
+With a whoop and a yell, off scudded Warren, the other two close in
+his rear, while the thunder growled and grumbled and the lightning
+flickered, and the sky grew so black that things promised to get worse
+instead of better.
+
+They struck the path for which Warren was making; and there, sure
+enough, a little farther along, divided from the road by a meadow and a
+stout gate, the tall trees of a dark covert waved to and fro. It might
+not mean much shelter, but it would mean some, and with a scramble they
+were over that gate.
+
+"This is better," panted Warren. "It is some sort of a screen. I am
+jolly well drenched!"
+
+"I wish that I could get a cup of warm cocoa or tea," shivered
+Charlton. "I got hot running, and now it strikes horribly cold."
+
+"Let's push on a bit," suggested Ralph. "We are trespassing, and we
+may as well be hanged for a sheep as for a lamb. Perhaps we shall find
+shelter somewhere. Come on, you two, and keep to these open paths. If
+you get right into that undergrowth, you may do some damage--disturb
+some nests, or something."
+
+"Right you are, Ralph. I don't think it is much good, though; there
+seems no sign of life here."
+
+"I will soon see if there is." Ralph paused as he spoke. He put his
+hand to his mouth and gave a ringing call--one he had learnt from the
+Indians on the plains. "If any one is about, they will hear that; and,
+at any rate, they cannot say that we are trying to hide from----"
+
+He stopped and started back, turning as white as death; for from
+somewhere, ringing through the silences of that preserve, there came a
+sound, muffled, but clear. It was Ralph's call repeated!
+
+What wonder that he trembled. What wonder that he looked so white.
+There was but one other person whom he knew who would answer that call
+in that way; and that one person was his own father!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIII
+
+THE RUIN AND THE LONELY HOUSE
+
+
+Just that one cry, ringing wild and plaintive through the wood; and
+then silence, broken by a loud, angry rumble of thunder.
+
+Ralph stood there trembling, too agitated to speak; and his two chums
+turned anxiously towards him, bewildered at the change which had come
+over him.
+
+"Ralph, old fellow, why, whatever is it? What has come to you?" they
+asked; and he replied in hoarse, trembling tones--
+
+"That call! Did you not hear it? There is only one person who would
+give that, and he is my own father."
+
+For a moment they were staggered by his answer; then Warren said
+gently--
+
+"But, Ralph, how can it be your father? It was only the echo, old
+fellow."
+
+"It was not the echo. It was his voice. Listen--try and hear where it
+comes from!" And once again, through the dripping wood, he sent the
+Indian cry.
+
+"Now, listen--listen!" he said; and they waited, but no sound came in
+answer--nothing but the shiver of the trees, the patter of the rain,
+and the distant growling of the storm.
+
+"There, you see. It must have been the echo!" said Warren; but Ralph
+shook his head.
+
+"Do not be silly, Warren. If it was the echo it would be heard again;
+but we heard nothing."
+
+Which direction did it come from? They forgot about the wet and the
+storm; they forgot everything in the excitement of the moment. Which
+direction had the cry come from?
+
+Warren declared that it sounded as if it was under ground; Charlton
+said he fancied that it came from high up, as if some one was in the
+air; and Ralph fancied that it was straight ahead.
+
+"What shall we do?" was the question of Warren and Ralph answered--
+
+"I am going forward. I mean to search this plantation from end to end,
+if I am trespassing twenty times over."
+
+So on the three went, and again and again did they pause while Ralph
+uttered his wild call, but no answer was heard.
+
+They pushed on, their hearts full of excitement, until they emerged
+from the trees with almost startling suddenness. The plantation was
+nothing like so thick as they had thought--it was a mere belt of wood,
+surrounding a neglected lawn; and in the centre of this, encircled by
+a wall, stood the very last thing they would have expected to find
+there--a house.
+
+A house; but so dreary, desolate looking. All the windows stared blank
+and empty, and were encrusted with dirt and grime. Not a trace of smoke
+curled up from the chimney-stack, not a sound of life was heard. It
+seemed empty, desolate, drear; and the masses of creeper, hanging down
+and swinging in the breath of the storm, only intensified the desolate
+picture it made.
+
+The three lads, standing there with every nerve thrilled by a strange,
+inexplicable excitement, surveyed the place, and looked at each other
+in questioning silence, until Warren said softly--
+
+"Well, I am blest! Who would have thought of finding a house here?"
+
+"Where are you going, Ralph?" cried Charlton, for Ralph was moving
+forward; and he replied firmly--
+
+"To that house. I mean to see if any one lives here."
+
+Right up to the wall walked Ralph. It was a high wall, and only the
+upper part of the house could be seen above it. But they found a gate
+on the other side; and, without a moment's hesitation, Ralph pushed
+it open, entered the garden, and, walking up to the door, lifted the
+knocker.
+
+With what a dull, hollow sound did it fall! A ghostly sound, that
+echoed through the house, with that peculiar vibration which is heard
+when a place is empty.
+
+"There is no one here," whispered Warren, after a pause--somehow they
+found themselves speaking in whispers. "The house is empty."
+
+Ralph, for answer, knocked again, a louder and longer summons.
+"Listen!" he said; and from somewhere they heard a faint sound, as of a
+door being shut.
+
+"It's only the wind, making a door slam," was Warren's comment. But,
+for the third time, Ralph sent his call resounding--there was no
+mistake about that knock--if any one was in the place they must hear
+it, for the door fairly creaked beneath the blows.
+
+Another pause, a shuffling noise from within, the sound of some one
+coming from distant passages, then the unfastening of bolts and chains,
+and the door was opened a little space, while a man, big, burly, and
+brutal looking, filled the doorway, and barred their entrance--an
+altogether evil-looking, cruel-faced man, who, scowling upon the three
+lads, demanded in gruff tones what they wanted, and how it was they
+were here.
+
+Just for the moment the three were taken aback; or, brave as they might
+be, still they were only lads, and that scowling presence was certainly
+very ominous. But Ralph plucked up his courage, and answered that
+they were three lads from the distant school, and that they had been
+overtaken by the storm and were seeking shelter.
+
+The man had stood glaring from one to the other as the explanation was
+given; and then he said, in the gruffest of accents--
+
+"Well, and what is all this to me? That is no reason why you should
+trespass on my land, and come knocking at my door. I don't want to know
+that you are getting wet. It's no interest of mine, is it?"
+
+"But we are seeking for shelter," persisted Ralph. "Surely you will not
+refuse to give that to us?" And he made a slight attempt to push his
+way in. The man gave him a shove that sent him almost off the step.
+
+"Here, none of that sort of thing," he said, "or you will be sorry for
+it, my young bantam. You don't think that you can shove your way into
+my premises. You three just take yourselves off. You are trespassing on
+my ground; and it's lucky for you that the dog is tied up, or he would
+tear you limb from limb. Hear him!" And he paused, as a deep, distant
+baying was heard from somewhere within. "He is a beauty big enough to
+eat you. You just get off as fast as you can. Clear! If you are here in
+five minutes time I will set the dog on you!" And he slammed the door,
+and left them standing there.
+
+"What a particularly unpleasant person!" said Warren. "His politeness
+is only exceeded by his good looks. Come on, Ralph, it won't do any
+good to stand here; and I don't fancy a meeting with that loud-voiced
+brute we heard. He had got a bark like a bloodhound."
+
+"We had better do as Warren says," added Charlton, a trifle timidly,
+for he could understand how badly Ralph must feel. "I know what you are
+thinking of. You want to see inside that house, but it is impossible
+now. If it is done at all, it would have to be some other time, when
+that man did not suspect us. Only I don't think that you are right. I
+don't see how you can be."
+
+"I shall never rest until I have contrived some way of doing as you
+say," was Ralph's reply, and his face looked very resolute again. "That
+cry was raised by my father. He may not be there--I do not say he
+is, but somehow I dislike that man and distrust him. Let us go right
+through the grounds. Don't you understand, Warren? I want to see if
+there are any other places hidden away here. Who would have said a
+house like that was here; and who can say what other house may be here?
+You go back if you like, you and Charlton; I am going on."
+
+"Then on we all go," was Warren's reply; and he and Charlton
+accompanied Ralph.
+
+They crossed the lawn and went out by the gate, and Ralph was conscious
+of the face of that man peering at them through one of the upper
+windows. He might be a recluse, a miser, a madman--that seemed the most
+probable thing; and yet, yet somehow Ralph must get inside that house.
+
+They pushed their way on into the wood again, making for the opposite
+side to that on which they had entered; and then Ralph's words that
+they did not know what else they might find were proved to be very
+true, for, upon its farther side, bordering upon a stretch of wild
+open land, they came upon a ruined building. It looked as if at one
+time it had been a chapel, or monastery, or something of that sort;
+the pillars, the pointed windows, and the arched doors gave them that
+impression. It was a fairly large building, larger than the house they
+had left, and its crumbling walls were thickly overgrown with ivy. A
+mournful, silent ruin it was, where only the shapes and shadows of
+those whose feet had once trodden its stone floors now seemed to lurk;
+but it was a shelter, and in Ralph went.
+
+"I don't care for twenty men and dogs," he said resolutely. "I am not
+going on in this rain, and I am going to have a look in this ruin."
+
+"But you do not think that you will find any trace of your father
+there, Ralph," protested Warren.
+
+"I don't, old man; I only hope for shelter. Come on. If the worst comes
+we will get on the stairs and drive off the dog with stones. Come on."
+
+It looked gloomy outside--it looked more gloomy within, as they passed
+in through the yawning space where once a stout oak door had been. How
+their footsteps echoed, and how great piles of damp, decaying leaves
+lay in the corners, and ugly lizards scuttled away as they went on.
+But, for all that, after the first disinclination was got over, there
+was something very exciting in wandering about the ruin, exploring
+this way and that, going down into dark, oozy places underground, or
+clambering up into the old, deserted turret above, at the no small risk
+of breaking one's neck. They wandered here and there, until at last a
+single ray of sunlight, falling through a broken casement, awoke them
+to the fact that the storm was over, and that they could get on their
+way again.
+
+"We had better go, Ralph," said Charlton. "I must, for think how mother
+will feel if I am not home when she expects me."
+
+"Well, I don't think it is much good staying," Warren added. "It seems
+impossible that your father should be about here, Ralph. That sound was
+an echo."
+
+"I suppose it must have been something of that sort," Ralph admitted
+reluctantly. "There seems to be no other explanation. You must forgive
+me for seeming stupid; but, you see, it--it is my father!" He stopped
+and Charlton pressed his hand sympathetically, while Warren said
+hastily--
+
+"Oh, of course, old fellow, I understand; and I only wish that we could
+have found something out. What a stunning place this ruin would be for
+hiding in! You could play hide-and-seek about it for a week!"
+
+They emerged from the place, and speedily were in the public road again
+and walking, with their faces in a homeward direction. But as they went
+Ralph turned, and once again he uttered that wild signal cry; and then,
+then--was it an echo, or was it indeed a human voice?--after a pause,
+faint and low the sound came back once more--whether from earth, or
+from air, they knew not; but the cry was taken up and repeated note for
+note.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIV
+
+FOR THE SAKE OF REVENGE
+
+
+Now, on that very afternoon when Ralph and his two friends, on their
+visit to Crab Tree Hill, were driven by the storm to seek shelter in
+that preserve, Horace Elgert and his companion Dobson, were standing in
+close consultation.
+
+And a very discontented, savage, and disconcerted pair they were, for
+things did not seem to be going right with them.
+
+In the first place, that miserable five-pound note was still missing,
+and though the man at the cake-shop had promised that he would get it
+for them if possible, he had not yet kept his word; and while it was
+still in other hands both boys trembled with apprehensive fears.
+
+They quarrelled over it, too, Elgert still declaring that, as Dobson
+had changed it, he would alone be to blame, and Dobson retorting by
+saying that he would confess that he received it from Elgert.
+
+Then, added to this source of annoyance, there was the fact that,
+in spite of all their efforts, Ralph Rexworth was rising in his
+schoolmates' esteem, and his influence, coupled with that of Warren
+and Charlton, was making itself steadily felt, to the diminution of
+their own powers.
+
+"It seems to me," grumbled Elgert moodily, "that the fellows look
+upon trying to give a criminal up to justice as a crime. Some of them
+actually hissed at me--and why? Just because my father lent the police
+his pony and trap! I can't make out what is coming to them."
+
+"They are just as down on me in the Fourth," answered Dobson. "There is
+no fun in the place now. All the kids have got to be coddled like a lot
+of babies; and if you catch one of them a smack on the head for being
+cheeky, there are a dozen fellows ready to take his part. Look how that
+little beggar Green cheeked me."
+
+"Well, why didn't you give him a hiding? You were afraid to, that is
+the fact."
+
+"Afraid yourself!" retorted Dobson angrily. "As if I should be afraid
+of him! You know that if I had done anything I should have had Rexworth
+and all his set about me, and a fellow can't take the lot of them. You
+don't care to meet Rexworth yourself, and you know it."
+
+A dark frown gathered upon Horace Elgert's handsome face. Ah, how that
+frown spoilt all his good looks!
+
+"Perhaps I don't, Dobson," he said grimly. "But there are better ways
+of getting even with Rexworth than fighting; and I mean to try them
+all. Have you seen Brown again?"
+
+"Yes," said Dobson.
+
+And Elgert went on--
+
+"Well, what did he say?"
+
+"Only just what he has said all along. He has not been able to get it
+yet, but he thinks that he will. I tell you, Elgert, that I believe he
+is playing with us----"
+
+"What do you mean?" cried Elgert sharply. "How playing with us?"
+
+"Well, he either knows more than he pretends to, or else he suspects
+something. I don't think that he means to let us have that note."
+
+Horace Elgert was silent for a few moments. Evidently he found that
+statement very disquieting.
+
+"It will be a nice mess if it is like that," he said at last. "But it
+is no good worrying over it unless it comes. I will go and see him
+myself. You are a bit of a messer when it comes to doing anything. You
+don't seem to use your wits----"
+
+"Can't use my wits to make him give me a thing which he has either not
+got or don't mean to part with," grumbled Dobson.
+
+"You might have used your wits to make sure that he never got it. I did
+all the dangerous part of the work, and only left you something which
+was safe and easy, and you went and bungled it!"
+
+"Oh, don't begin that all over again. I am sick and tired of hearing
+of it. Whenever you have nothing else to grumble about you bring that
+up. Just drop it, or don't talk at all!"
+
+Elgert saw that his companion was getting really cross; and though he
+despised Dobson at heart, he could not afford to quarrel with him, for
+the boy knew too much of his evil ways; so he affected to laugh at the
+angry words.
+
+"Don't lose your temper," he said. "I never came near such a surly
+chap! A fellow can't speak to you without your taking offence."
+
+"Well, then, drop it. I don't like having things thrown in my face like
+you throw that. It is done, and it can't be undone, so what is the good
+of talking of it?"
+
+"You will find there will be some talking about it if ever it comes to
+light," was the grim answer. And Dobson looked miserable. How he wished
+now that he had never had anything to do with the wretched business.
+
+"I wonder," mused Elgert, "what became of that fellow Charlton?"
+
+"We'd best let that alone," retorted Dobson. "We have got ourselves
+disliked quite enough over it."
+
+"What do I care for that? If only I knew where he was, do you think
+that I would hesitate to tell? I would do it, if it was only to spite
+Rexworth."
+
+"It would not hurt him," answered Dobson. "It is not his father."
+
+"No, but it is his chum's, and he would be sure to feel it. I only wish
+I knew where he was."
+
+"But you don't," remarked Dobson.
+
+"But I might find out. I only wish that I could!"
+
+"Talk of angels and see their wings," said Dobson; and at this
+apparently vague proverb Elgert turned excitedly.
+
+"Where? What do you mean? Not the man?"
+
+"No," answered Dobson, with a shake of the head.
+
+"I don't see Rexworth or Charlton." And Elgert stared round. "Bother
+it! Don't stand grinning there like a monkey. Tell me what you mean."
+
+"Only that there goes Charlton's mother," said Dobson, nodding in the
+direction of the common.
+
+"Well, what of that? We don't want his mother, do we? It is his father
+we are talking about."
+
+"I know that," came the calm answer. And Dobson looked very knowing. "I
+am a monkey and a silly, and I don't know what besides, but I may be
+able to think smarter than you can, Elgert. May not Charlton's mother
+lead us to Charlton's father? She is sure to know where he is, and do
+you know that since that affair she has been going to the St. Clives' a
+lot----"
+
+"How do you know?" demanded Elgert.
+
+"My sister told me that she has seen her go there frequently; and
+sometimes, instead of going right in at the front gate she has gone in
+at the side one. That looks strange, don't it? And she was not visiting
+there before--I know that."
+
+Elgert pondered a while in silence, then he suddenly turned, and Dobson
+inquired where he was going.
+
+"To follow her. There may be something in what you say. I should hardly
+think that they would hide a convict away, but they might--some people
+do such strange things--and St. Clive don't like my father, I know. Let
+us follow her."
+
+"Well, it will only be to St. Clive's place. And what are we to do
+then? We can't say that she goes to see her husband because she goes
+there."
+
+"What did you tell me about it for, then? You looked knowing enough.
+It is not much good talking of a thing if we cannot follow it up. I am
+going after her, at any rate. You need not come if you don't want to."
+
+"Oh, I will come, Disagreeable!" answered Dobson. And the two boys set
+out, following the lady, who was quite unconscious of their wicked
+desires.
+
+And they could follow her openly and without fear, for if she had seen
+them close by her side she would have thought nothing of it. The boys
+from the school were common enough objects in the place.
+
+And it chanced that Mrs. Charlton was indeed going to see her poor
+husband; to try and cheer him, and urge him to be hopeful and patient,
+and to tell him that presently the clouds would all vanish, and the sun
+shine out again.
+
+And after her the two boys went like spies, and neither Elgert nor
+Dobson thought what a wicked thing they were doing. There was with
+them the love of doing evil and causing sorrow--the delight of little,
+spiteful natures--but there was also the greater desire to cause Ralph
+Rexworth pain. That was before everything, and so on they went. And
+Mrs. Charlton, all unconscious of evil, entered the grounds of Mr. St.
+Clive's house, and as Dobson had said, she went in at the side gate.
+
+Mr. St. Clive had arranged that with her, so that she could go directly
+to her husband's cottage without any of the servants in the house
+knowing that she was there.
+
+And the boys stood at that gate undecided for a little while. The path
+was soon lost to view amidst the bushes. Elgert looked round, and then
+deliberately climbed over the gate.
+
+"You can stay or come," he whispered to Dobson; "I mean to go on and
+see this through." And Dobson, not without some inward fears, followed
+his example. It was delightful, this tracking a man down; it was like
+the stories of adventure, and he wanted to see the end of it.
+
+"Come quietly," directed Elgert in suppressed tones. "Don't make a
+noise with your feet, and stoop down; they might see your head over
+the bushes. That is it. Now follow me."
+
+Creeping along stealthily, Dobson in the rear, he followed the
+direction which Mrs. Charlton had taken, and presently the shrubberies
+ended, and there were flower beds and lawns. Clearly, it would be
+dangerous for them to go any farther if they wished to remain unseen.
+
+"We will stop here and watch," said he to Dobson. And the latter,
+crouching there, whispered--
+
+"Where has she gone? I don't see her anywhere."
+
+"She must have gone into that cottage. I would creep across and try to
+peep through the window, but I am afraid that I should be discovered;
+and if we gave them the alarm, he might be off."
+
+"You don't think that the man is hiding there, do you?" queried Dobson,
+trembling betwixt fear and excitement.
+
+Truth to tell, when he had made his suggestion, it had been merely from
+the love of talking; he had not thought really that there was anything
+in it; and now there seemed to be a very great deal.
+
+"I do think it," Elgert answered. "Hush! Let us watch. No one knows
+that we are here, and no one can see us. We can easily creep out the
+same way that we came. Keep still, she is coming out of the cottage!"
+
+Yes, Mrs. Charlton was coming out, and with her a poor, bent decrepit
+old gardener. But--but she held his arm, and once she pressed a kiss on
+his cheek! Horace Elgert felt his heart thrill with evil triumph. He
+saw it all now. Mr. St. Clive was keeping the man here, in the position
+of a gardener, and Mrs. Charlton came to see him!
+
+"We have got him now, Dobson," he whispered to his companion. "We have
+got him now, and he will not get away from the police a second time! It
+is the first step to paying Ralph Rexworth what we owe him!"
+
+[Illustration: "'WE HAVE GOT HIM NOW, DOBSON,' HE WHISPERED TO HIS
+COMPANION." p. 230.]
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXV
+
+JUST IN TIME
+
+
+"What shall we do next, Elgert?"
+
+Dobson whispered that question in his ear, as the two crouched in the
+shrubbery watching Mrs. Charlton and her husband.
+
+"Do! What a question! Get away from here, and then go straight to the
+police and give them information. They won't mention our names, and the
+fellows at the school need never know that we have had any part in it.
+We have seen enough, so come on, and mind you don't let them either see
+or hear you. I would not have them alarmed for anything."
+
+The two stole silently off, treading on tiptoe, walking with the
+greatest care, until once more they climbed over the gate, and stood
+safely in the roadway.
+
+"Thank goodness we are out of that without any trouble," said Dobson;
+and Elgert inquired, contemptuously, what danger he feared would come
+to them in the grounds.
+
+"Dogs," retorted Dobson tersely. "We weren't to know that there were no
+dogs loose. I thought that I heard a rustling in the bushes once, as
+though one was pushing his way towards us, and it made me turn cold.
+Well, now we are here, what next?"
+
+"The police, at once. How dark it is getting, and was not that thunder?"
+
+"Yes, I reckon they are getting a smart storm not far from here. The
+police-station, is it?"
+
+"Of course. The man is here, we do not know how long he may remain,
+so we cannot waste time; and I am not going to let the possibility
+of getting caught in a shower prevent me from having my revenge on
+Rexworth, and making things unpleasant for these stuck-up St. Clives.
+I hate them! St. Clive himself, because he backs this Rexworth up; his
+wife, because she is so very goody-goody; and the girl, because she is
+a proud little minx, who turns up her nose at me, and----"
+
+"Ha, ha!" laughed Dobson. "Jealous because Rexworth cut you out, that
+is it! Well, I don't mind. Come on, if you are coming. The police will
+be pleased enough to know; and if there is a reward, we may as well
+have it."
+
+"You can take it, if you like," retorted Elgert. "I don't want their
+money. All I want is to see the man taken again, and taken there to
+prove that the St. Clives are in it."
+
+They turned and hurried off; and then, very cautiously, from amidst
+the laurels, there arose a little scared and indignant face--a face
+surrounded by golden hair. Irene St. Clive had seen them and heard all
+that they had said!
+
+She had seen them go into the shrubbery, and had wondered what tricks
+they were about to play. Her first idea was that it was something to do
+with Ralph, something to vex him; for she knew both the boys, and was
+aware that they were his enemies. So she had followed them, that she
+might see, and then warn Ralph. And then it had flashed upon her! Mrs.
+Charlton was there with her husband; and the boys were spying upon her.
+Oh, what mean, miserable boys to call themselves gentlemen, and do such
+things!
+
+She heard what they said when they stood in the roadway, and then she
+turned and raced indoors to tell her father; even in her dismay, she
+was thoughtful enough not to go to her mother first, lest she should be
+needlessly alarmed. Her father would know best what was to be done.
+
+And her tidings filled Mr. St. Clive with concern. Where could poor Mr.
+Charlton go? Where else was there for him to hide?
+
+He reproached himself now that he had not sent him away sooner. But Mr.
+Charlton had seemed to derive such comfort from being able to see his
+son and wife frequently, that Mr. St. Clive had allowed things to go on
+as they were, and now it might be too late!
+
+Yes, even with Irene's warning, too late; for the man could not go out
+just as he was. Mr. St. Clive knew full well that every hiding-place
+would be searched--that escape would be almost impossible--and he
+shrank from being the bearer of such bad tidings to the husband and
+wife.
+
+But it had to be done, the warning must be given, and given at once,
+and he rose, Irene following him, and went into the grounds and towards
+the cottage. His own wife was there at the moment speaking with Mrs.
+Charlton.
+
+And the dismay, the sorrow, that they exhibited when the tidings were
+told! The poor man must fly from here and be a wanderer again--hunted
+hither and thither, not knowing from hour to hour if he should be
+captured, not able even to get a message to his wife, or to hear how it
+fared with her and his son. It was very hard indeed.
+
+"You have done all that one man could to help another, sir," he said to
+Mr. St. Clive, as he held his weeping wife in his arms. "I shall never,
+never forget your kindness, nor that of your good wife and dear little
+daughter. You will be a friend to my poor wife and my boy--I feel sure
+that you will be--and now I must change this disguise, and go. To go
+as the old gardener might be more dangerous than to go as the escaped
+prisoner."
+
+"But where can you go? Where can you hide for the time? If you could
+only find a place, the police might come to the conclusion that the
+boys had made a mistake, and abandon the search again, so giving you
+opportunity of getting out of England. So far as money can aid, you
+can count upon me, but money will be of no avail, if you cannot elude
+your pursuers, and----"
+
+A hurrying of feet! Oh, surely the police could not be there already!
+No; a well-known shrill whistle! Ralph and his chums were coming, and
+Ralph must be told.
+
+Now, Warren knew nothing about Charlton's father being there, and the
+two boys had allowed their chum to come in because there was no danger;
+he would only think that it was an old gardener at work.
+
+But when they saw Mr. St. Clive and all the others in that little
+cottage, they stopped, and Charlton faltered out--
+
+"What is it? Oh, what is it, father?" And so he gave away his secret to
+the monitor.
+
+And they told them, and Charlton stood very white, and clenched his
+fist.
+
+"Elgert again," he said. "Oh, I hate him! I should like to kill him."
+But his father put his hand on his arm and said, almost sternly--
+
+"My son, such words are not for the lips of a Christian boy."
+
+"Well, sir, at any rate you can't blame Fred for using them," broke in
+Warren. "I know I should feel like it. They are a pair of cads, and
+deserve kicking."
+
+"Be quiet, Tom," chimed in Ralph. "Never mind them. The thing is what
+can we do? Where can Mr. Charlton go so that he can hide in safety for
+the time?"
+
+"Nowhere," said the man sadly. "There is no spot about here where I can
+be safe. I am afraid that I am losing heart," he added, "but it seems
+hopeless."
+
+"Never say, die, sir," cried Warren. "I know a place, a jolly place,
+where you could hide for a month; yes, even if they knew you were there
+they would not be able to get you. You could dodge them, and dodge
+them, for ever so long----"
+
+"The ruin!" cried Ralph suddenly. "Warren, you're a brick! The ruin, of
+course----"
+
+"What ruin? Where?" asked Mr. St. Clive, while the rest listened
+anxiously. "Speak quickly, lads, for time is precious." And Ralph
+explained their adventure of that afternoon, adding--
+
+"Of course, there are the dogs, but even if they scented him down he
+could shut them out; they couldn't get at him, and the very fact that
+the dogs were loose would hinder people from imagining that any one was
+hiding there. Besides, I don't believe that any people know about it. I
+didn't until to-day, and I thought that I had pretty well explored the
+country round here."
+
+"How am I to get to this place, boys?"
+
+"By following us," said Ralph. "Yes, we will all three go, and skirmish
+out one ahead of the other, so that if danger is about we can give
+warning. Never you fear, we will get there safe enough, if we have a
+little start. But you will want things, even at once; light--you must
+be careful to hide that from being seen--and food, and some rugs."
+
+Away hurried Mrs. St. Clive and her husband and hastily procured what
+they thought would be immediate necessities, while Mr. Charlton took
+off the disguise. His rest there had done him good. He was strong and
+well, not a bit like the wearied man who had at first come there. The
+boys divided the burdens between them; and then, with last hand shakes,
+and with a parting embrace between husband and wife, Mr. Charlton
+followed the three boys from the place where he had been so kindly
+treated.
+
+"Won't Elgert and Dobson be precious mad!" said Warren. "It was
+fortunate for you, sir, that little Irene heard them talking."
+
+"It is fortunate for me that my boy has two such faithful friends
+as you and Ralph here," answered Mr. Charlton. "I feel that Heaven,
+knowing my innocence, has raised me up helpers all round."
+
+"That is the way, sir," said Ralph heartily. "Go on thinking that and
+you won't lose heart, and presently the truth will come to light----"
+
+"Now then, Ralph," cried Warren, interrupting him. "Send on ahead, and
+keep both your eyes open, get well on in front, and give the Fourth's
+whistle if you see any one about."
+
+They were now getting away from the road and on towards Stow Wood. They
+would have to go through that and then out across the common, leaving
+Great Stow on their right. It would have been shorter to have gone
+through Great Stow, but they did not dare that, there were too many
+people about.
+
+Away raced Charlton, pushing into the wood, and then Warren dived away
+to the right, and Ralph led Mr. Charlton directly on.
+
+But no warning whistle came. The storm was gathering up again, and no
+one who could avoid it was out of doors. They pushed through the wood
+and across the common, out to Crab Tree Hill; and then they circled
+the preserves, and came to the place they sought; and, as Ralph said,
+it looked as if they had been led to the spot that afternoon, in order
+that they might know where to bring Mr. Charlton.
+
+And into the ruin they led the way with a lighted candle, and showed
+the man all the windings and secret ways that they had found out.
+
+"I dare say that there are plenty more, for it is a strange old place,"
+Ralph said, "and you will be able to find them out for yourself."
+
+"The only thing that I see, is you cannot make a fire here. At least,
+if you did, the smoke might be seen," added Warren; and Mr. Charlton
+smiled.
+
+"We can do without the fire, my kind young friend," he said. "I shall
+manage here very well. But now do you all go, for you are nearly wet
+through, and I fear that you may suffer some ill effects, and you all
+look tired to death, too. Shake hands with me, and be off."
+
+"We shall manage to let you know soon, sir, how things go," said Ralph,
+"and we will bring more food and things. Good-bye, sir, and keep up a
+good heart."
+
+"Good-bye, and good-bye and God bless you, my own dear son." And the
+father and son embraced.
+
+Then the three lads dashed away, making for home as fast as they could;
+and though Warren wondered what his people would think of him for being
+so late, nothing could persuade him to refrain from going back to Mr.
+St. Clive's, just to see how things had gone.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVI
+
+TOM WARREN SPEAKS HIS MIND
+
+
+If ever three boys were tired and wet and cold, Ralph and his chums
+were when they once again arrived at Mr. St. Clive's; but for all
+that, they were three delighted boys, for they had succeeded in their
+mission, and Mr. Charlton was safe.
+
+They found that the police had been and gone, and were none the wiser
+for their visit. Mr. St. Clive had received them readily, and told them
+that he certainly had employed an old gardener, but that the man had
+left his employ only a short time before they came, and that he could
+give them no information about him.
+
+It was highly distasteful to an honourable gentleman like Mr. St.
+Clive even to say anything which, while strictly true, had yet the
+qualities of a lie, but in this case he was forced to do so. He could
+not give the poor man up to justice--a man whom he honestly believed to
+have been wrongly convicted--especially after having received him and
+sheltered him so long.
+
+But when Elgert and Dobson heard that the search was unsuccessful, oh,
+how angry they were! They had come back with the constables, and Mr.
+St. Clive turned to them and spoke very sternly.
+
+"So it appears that I am indebted to you two young gentlemen for this
+visit," he said. "First of all you trespass upon my grounds; then you
+take upon yourselves to give this information to the police; and now
+you have come back uninvited. Kindly oblige me by taking yourselves
+off; and understand that if I find you on my grounds again, I shall not
+have the slightest hesitation in horsewhipping the pair of you!"
+
+Oh, what a rage Elgert was in! To be spoken to like that! He, the
+Honourable Horace Elgert!
+
+He went home and told his father, and Lord Elgert rode over in a
+terrible passion to demand an explanation from Mr. St. Clive.
+
+But that gentleman took things very calmly, and his lordship got little
+satisfaction from him.
+
+"It is my belief, sir, that my son is correct, and that you have been
+harbouring a fugitive from justice!" shouted his lordship. "It is like
+you to do that. You have taken that young rascal, Rexworth, in spite of
+the knowledge that his father is a man who attempted to rob me."
+
+"Pardon me, Lord Elgert," answered Mr. St. Clive, "I have tried to
+repay a debt of gratitude I owe to a brave boy, who rescued my child
+from death, at the peril of his own life, because you would not take
+the trouble to have your bull properly secured. As to the knowledge
+that his father tried to rob you, I know nothing of the kind."
+
+"I have told you so. You have my word for it," replied Lord Elgert; and
+Mr. St. Clive answered drily--
+
+"That is a very different thing from knowing it."
+
+"You insult me, sir! You deliberately insult me! But be careful, or you
+shall answer for it. Make no mistake, you shall answer for it!" And
+with that, his lordship rode off in a towering rage.
+
+Mr. St. Clive did not trouble to tell Ralph all the unkind things which
+Lord Elgert had said, for there was nothing to be gained by causing the
+boy pain; and so, after giving them all hot cocoa, Warren and Charlton
+were sent off to their homes, and Ralph was glad to get to bed, for he
+was quite tired out.
+
+And then, after one of those quiet Sundays which he had got to value
+so much, he set off for school on the Monday morning, calling for
+Charlton, and meeting with Warren on the way.
+
+"Well, Rexworth, and how do you feel to-day?"
+
+Now, if Warren or Charlton had asked that question, there would have
+been nothing strange in it; but it was neither of the boys. It was Mr.
+Delermain, when the class was assembled; and Ralph, although he felt
+surprised, answered that he felt very well.
+
+"Ah!" said the master, and he smiled. "Well, I am glad of that, for
+to-day you have to uphold the honour of the Fourth. You will not take
+your place for lessons as usual. The examination for the Newlet is
+to-day. You are to go to the Head's class-room immediately after
+prayers."
+
+"Good luck to you, Rexworth," whispered Charlton, looking quite
+nervous; and Tom Warren patted him on the shoulder and added
+imploringly--
+
+"Now, mind you keep cool, Ralph--keep quite cool. Don't get flustered
+if you cannot answer every question, and don't spend too much time over
+the easy ones. Answer them first, as briefly as you can, and then go
+for the others. Keep cool, old fellow, for the honour of the Fourth."
+
+Certainly Ralph did feel just a trifle anxious and nervous; but he had
+worked hard, and felt pretty well grounded in his subjects, and he
+meant to do his best honestly.
+
+So when prayers were over, he rose and went out of the class-room,
+while the boys, thinking that the occasion admitted of it, cried out
+aloud: "Good luck to you, Rexworth! Hope that you will succeed!"
+
+"Jolly lot of fuss they make about that chap," sneered Dobson to the
+boy next him. "It is just a disgrace to let such a fellow as that sit
+for the Newlet."
+
+"Especially when a bright, intellectual fellow like Dobson does not
+go in for it!" was the answer he received; and Dobson glowered and
+muttered something about his "cheek."
+
+Somehow, Charlton could not get on as he ought to have done that
+morning. He was so anxious about Ralph, and he was so full of his
+father, and wondering whether he was all safe. Mr. Delermain had to
+rebuke him once or twice--he did not understand things like Warren
+did--and poor Charlton lost his place and got a bad mark; and somehow
+he could not help it, the tears would come into his eyes. Dobson saw
+it, and grinned. He sniffed, and drew his handkerchief out, pretending
+to wipe away tears and wring the water out on the floor. Mr. Delermain
+saw him, and Dobson got something to cry for. Six handers, and a bad
+mark. Dobson vowed to make Charlton suffer for it, as if it were his
+fault that he had been caned.
+
+And he had his chance when recess came.
+
+"Hallo, Elgert!" cried Dobson, as he saw his friend. "I say, I want to
+ask you a question. Who was the first gardener?"--and he winked towards
+Charlton, who was standing near.
+
+"Adam," was Elgert's reply; and Dobson nodded.
+
+"Quite right; and who was the very last one that we know anything
+about, eh?"
+
+"A fellow named Charlton, some relation to one of your Form, I think.
+Quite a public personage, and eagerly sought after by the police."
+
+Poor Charlton! His face went white, and his eyes sparkled with anger.
+Dobson saw it, and laughed mockingly. Charlton was a weakly boy, and
+the bully was by no means afraid of him.
+
+"Funny how some people have queer tastes," he went on. "I should have
+thought that breaking stones was no harder work than digging. By the
+way, it is breaking stones that they put convicts to, is it not?"
+
+"You say that to insult me?"
+
+Charlton spoke in low tones, and his face was very white; and Dobson
+laughed again.
+
+"Oh, I say, you chaps, is not this a rich joke? Here is Charlton asking
+if we mean to insult him! My dear fellow, your presence is such an
+insult----"
+
+Dobson stopped and ducked, for the maddened boy had struck so fierce a
+blow that had the bully received it, it would surely have knocked him
+down.
+
+"Go on, Dobson! Give him a hiding!" cried Elgert. But then Tom Warren
+pushed forward and cried out--
+
+"Drop that! Charlton, don't be stupid; and you, Dobson, if you want to
+fight, fight me."
+
+"I say, you fellows," said Elgert, "how much longer are we going to
+be dictated to by Tom Warren? Charlton struck the first blow. It is
+his fight, and he ought to go through with it. It is a condescension
+on Dobson's part to fight with such a fellow." And some of the boys
+murmured approval.
+
+"Hold hard a minute," said Warren. "Since Elgert puts it that way, we
+will see if the boot is not on the other foot. Let me see, Dobson asked
+who was the last gardener, didn't he?"
+
+"That is it, Warren!" cried some of the others. "And Charlton got mad."
+
+"Very well; now I will tell you why. It seems that Elgert and Dobson,
+wanting a little employment, and liking to play the part of spies and
+informers----" Elgert started. He had no idea that Warren knew about
+that, and it was the very last thing he wished the school to hear of.
+He attempted to turn away, but Warren noticed it, and went on.
+
+"You had better stop, Elgert, unless you are too ashamed to let
+gentlemen see your face." And Elgert stopped, white to the lips with
+passion.
+
+"That is better," said the monitor. "Well, you chaps, I was saying that
+our gentlemanly friends, Messrs. Elgert and Dobson, finding it to their
+taste to play the part of spies, must needs dog the steps of a lady,
+and that lady Mrs. Charlton, under the impression that she would guide
+them to the spot where her husband was hidden.
+
+"Now, having played this delightful part, these refined young gentlemen
+came upon an old gardener in Mr. St. Clive's grounds, and jumped to the
+conclusion that it was the lady's husband in disguise.
+
+"Then they came away and quietly enough, for they had no wish to
+disturb the parties concerned. But once away, they set off as hard as
+they could go, running all the way, to the police-station, to tell the
+constables that the man they wanted was hiding at Mr. St. Clive's.
+I would mention the fact that there is a reward offered for the
+apprehension of this man; perhaps that had something to do with their
+action. And this pair of spies and informers have the impudence to
+speak of it being a condescension for one of them to fight a boy in no
+way his equal."
+
+"I say, Warren, it can't be true!" cried one boy in disgust. "No fellow
+at our school would be such an awful cad!"
+
+"Look at Elgert's face. Does that look like innocence?" answered
+Warren. "You can ask Mr. St. Clive, if you like; but you ought not to
+want to after that!" And he pointed to Horace Elgert.
+
+Ay, there was no mistake; he looked guilty, and he knew it was no good
+trying to deny the charge. He strove to look careless and dignified,
+and he turned away on his heel; but then a storm of hisses broke out.
+Hisses! They were hissing him! And he had once been their leader! And
+above the clamour came the shrill voices of the juniors--
+
+"Sneak! Sneak! Sneak!"
+
+He felt as if he must press his fingers in his ears and run, but he
+managed to maintain his slow walk, and got into the class-room, Dobson
+at his heels; and the latter asked in consternation--
+
+"How ever did they find out?"
+
+"I don't know--I don't care!" was the fierce answer. "But I will pay
+them all out! And to think of Rexworth going in for the Newlet!"
+
+"Won't he crow if he manages to get through!" remarked Dobson; and
+Elgert jumped up.
+
+"He must not get through, Dobson; somehow we must stop him."
+
+"That is all very well. But how can we do it?" queried Dobson, with a
+shake of his head. And Elgert replied--
+
+"Wait until morning school is over, and I will tell you."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVII
+
+IN THE DEAD OF THE NIGHT
+
+
+"I tell you that it can be done. What danger is there, if we are only
+careful not to make a noise? What a miserable coward you are, Dobson!"
+
+So said Horace Elgert. He and Dobson were together, and morning school
+was over. They had met that Elgert might unfold his plan for preventing
+Ralph Rexworth having any chance of gaining the Newlet medal, and
+also for getting him into disgrace by making it appear that he had
+been cribbing; and apparently Dobson did not much like the plan, and
+had been making objections which had called forth Elgert's angry
+remonstrance.
+
+"What danger can there be?" The question came again, when Dobson did
+not reply. "Why, you have risked more than that when we have left the
+house at night! You have thought that a lark. And now we have only to
+go to the Head's desk, and then sit in the class-room for an hour or
+so."
+
+"It will be awfully cold there," shivered Dobson. "And just
+think--stopping for two hours, and the chance all the time that some
+one will come!"
+
+"Rubbish! If it is cold, put on your overcoat. You don't call it cold
+when you stand for longer than that keeping goal, with an east wind
+blowing. It is no use trying to make objections. I am determined to try
+it, and you have just got to help me."
+
+"I don't see how we can do it," grumbled Dobson. "I think we had better
+leave him alone. After all, it don't matter to us if he gets the medal."
+
+"Everything matters that advances him. Now, look here. After the exam.
+is over, all the papers are taken to the Head, and he puts them in his
+desk, and sends them to the examiners in the morning. We know that
+much."
+
+"Yes," assented Dobson.
+
+"Very well. Now, the catch of the Head's roller desk is broken. I heard
+him say yesterday that he had forgotten to send for a man to repair it.
+There the papers will be, with nothing to prevent us from getting hold
+of Rexworth's. That is easy enough. We wait till the place is quiet,
+and then go to the Head's class-room and take what we want. Then we go
+to our own class-room, and have our bicycle lamps to give us light. You
+know that I can write like Rexworth; and even if I did not, no one will
+know. The Head does not examine the papers himself, and the chap he
+sends them to would not know the difference, even if you scrawled the
+answers."
+
+"But what do you want me for?" objected Dobson. "We can't both write."
+
+"You sneak! You want me to do it all. Why, to keep me company, and
+to be in it as well as me. Besides, I shall want you to read me some
+answers from Grimwade. I have a copy; and I don't mean only to write
+wrong answers to some questions, but to put in extracts, so that it
+will look as if he had been using a crib----"
+
+"It will take an awful long time! He takes all day over the papers."
+
+"Yes; but he has got to think of the answers, and we shall not have to
+do anything of the kind. We can copy a lot of what he has written--you
+reading and I writing. Then we just take our set of papers back and put
+them with the others, and we destroy his, and who is to know a thing
+about it?"
+
+"I don't like it," protested Dobson. "I know that we shall get caught
+one of these days, and then we shall be expelled, and it will be all
+your fault."
+
+"Then you have just got to like it!" retorted Elgert; and Dobson burst
+out furiously--
+
+"Oh, have I? Think I am going to be ordered about by you, Horace
+Elgert! Why have I got to like it, pray?"
+
+"Because you changed that five-pound note!"
+
+"But you gave it to me," retorted Dobson, changing colour, and falling
+back upon his old plea; and Elgert laughed.
+
+"You prove that, if you can. You are the only one implicated in it."
+
+"You are a jolly mean sneak!" cried his companion; and again Elgert
+laughed, this time rather menacingly.
+
+"I wouldn't talk in that way if I were you, Dobson," he said. "It is a
+bit foolish to quarrel with me. Now, don't be silly, but say that you
+agree."
+
+"I suppose I must," was the sulky reply; "but I tell you I think it
+risky. Besides, all that we have yet done has not harmed Rexworth; but
+it has jolly well hurt us."
+
+"We will be more successful this time. But let us clear off, for that
+little sneak Charlton is watching us, and he may get suspicious if he
+sees us talking together."
+
+"Punch his head!" said Dobson. He was brave enough when it came to
+ill-treating boys weaker than himself. "He is alone; punch his head!"
+
+"No. You forget we should have Warren and all his gang down on us, and
+perhaps Kesterway taking the matter to the Head. Let him go for the
+time. We will have him over his father yet, and that will be better
+than giving him a licking."
+
+It was quite true that Charlton had seen the two together, and he was
+indeed wondering what mischief they were plotting. Ralph was still a
+prisoner over his examination papers, for until they were done he was
+not allowed to leave the class-room; and Warren was at the moment
+away, so that Charlton was alone.
+
+He was very anxious for Ralph's success, and perhaps that very anxiety
+made him suspicious of the two boys who were such bitter enemies of his
+chum. At any rate, Charlton determined to keep a very sharp eye upon
+the movements of Elgert and Dobson, though he was quite ignorant of any
+way in which they could harm Ralph.
+
+But, in spite of his watching, nothing occurred. The dinner-hour
+passed and afternoon school began, and all went smoothly; and Charlton
+managed to retrieve the loss which his anxiety had brought to him in
+the morning. And then, when the bell rang, and the boys filed out, free
+to do as they liked, until teatime, there Ralph joined them, a trifle
+tired, it is true, but very hopeful, for he felt confident that he had
+answered every question that had been given to him without making a
+huge number of mistakes.
+
+A general rush of Fourth Form boys occurred, and he was surrounded by a
+throng of eager questioners.
+
+"How did you get on, Rexworth? Was it very stiff? Could you manage it?
+How many questions did you get through?"
+
+These and a score of kindred questions were asked; and when Ralph
+answered that he thought he had managed all right, and that he had
+answered every question, a hearty cheer followed.
+
+"Hurrah for Rexworth and the Fourth!"
+
+Dobson and Elgert heard it, and the latter laughed quietly, and said,
+with a sneer upon his handsome face--
+
+"Go on; cheer away. You will have something to cheer for presently."
+
+The evening wore away--tea, and preparation, and recess, and finally
+bed; and after the usual chatter and skylarking when monitors' backs
+were turned, the boys of Marlthorpe College were all snugly in bed, the
+gas had been turned out in the dormitories, save for one faint glimmer
+at the end of each room, and silence reigned throughout the old school.
+
+Perhaps it was because he was so anxious for Ralph's success, perhaps
+it was that he was thinking of Dobson and Elgert, or of his poor
+father away there in that dreary ruin, but somehow Charlton could not
+get to sleep. He lay there thinking, thinking, long after the regular
+breathing from Ralph, and the occasional gurgle and snore from Warren,
+announced that his two chums were fast asleep.
+
+Would Ralph get the medal? Would his father ever get safely away? Or,
+better still, would he ever be proved to be innocent? Would----
+
+A stealthy movement caused him to open his eyes. A boy, higher up the
+dormitory, had got out of bed; and that boy was Dobson!
+
+Charlton held his breath and felt himself trembling with excitement.
+Elgert and the bully had plotted something, after all, then;
+and--and--why, Dobson was dressing! And now he crept out of the
+dormitory with careful, noiseless steps!
+
+Then Charlton, as soon as he was gone, slipped from his bed also. At
+first he thought of rousing Ralph and Warren; but he paused. A strange
+ambition filled his heart. How lovely it would be to do this all by
+himself--to follow and see what mischief they were doing, and, if it
+was anything to harm Ralph, to frustrate their plot, alone and unaided!
+
+Rapidly he slipped on his clothes. At any other time he would have
+trembled at the audacity of such a deed after hours; but now he was
+filled only with the one thought of serving Ralph, and he neither
+considered the risk of being discovered, nor the seriousness of
+matching himself against two such boys as Elgert and Dobson--for he
+felt absolutely certain that Elgert would also be in this business.
+
+Then, in his stockinged feet, he also slipped into the corridor
+and stood listening. Where had Dobson gone? How horribly dark it
+seemed--and how cold and desolate! He stood undecided for a moment;
+then he heard a stealthy sound--and from the entrance to the Fifth he
+saw Elgert come. Ah, he had not been mistaken, then! He stepped back
+and peeped round the dormitory door. Elgert was stealing down the
+stairs, and--yes, there Dobson was awaiting him. The two glided on,
+noiseless as mice; and Charlton, his heart thumping so that it seemed
+as if the two in front must hear it, creeping cautiously in the rear,
+determined to ascertain what they were going to do.
+
+Down, past the Fourth class-room, they groped their way, and then to
+the Head's room. The Head's room! The room in which the examination
+papers were kept!
+
+Charlton, crouching at the door, watched them as they lit their bicycle
+lamps and stole to the big desk at the top of the room. Then came a
+slight click and the top was rolled back, and he could see the two
+bending over the interior, searching for something.
+
+"Here we are!" whispered Elgert, as he took up a neat little roll of
+papers. "Mind your fingers, silly!"--and he let the top of the desk
+down with the greatest care. "You see how easy it is."
+
+"Best blow out the lamps until we get to the class-room," suggested
+Dobson. "Some one might see them. You never know." And Elgert, willing
+enough to take every precaution, complied.
+
+"We will precious soon spoil Rexworth's chances now!" he laughed
+softly; and Charlton understood--or thought that he did. They were
+going to destroy Ralph's answers, and they should not do it!
+
+Regardless of secrecy or of self, he sprang from the darkness; and,
+before either of the startled boys could realize what had happened, he
+had snatched that roll of paper from Elgert's grasp.
+
+"You sha'n't have them!" he said aloud. "You want to destroy them, and
+you shall not have them!"
+
+"Charlton!" cried Elgert, in furious rage; and forgetful of all
+precaution, he struck a savage blow at him, which sent him spinning
+backwards over a form with a crash.
+
+"Keep quiet! You will rouse the whole school!" cried Dobson in terror.
+"Hark! I hear some one coming. Run--run, I say, or we shall be found
+here!" And Elgert, awakening to the danger of the position, glided away
+with him, as voices were heard calling and asking what was the matter.
+
+"What shall we do now?" groaned Dobson; but his companion answered in a
+fierce whisper--
+
+"Quick--get back to your room and pull off your clothes, as if you had
+just slipped out of bed. Be quick! Then come out on to the landing, as
+if you were only half awake. They are certain to catch him, and we must
+declare that we know nothing of it. He has the papers in his hand, and
+it is our word against his, and appearances are upon our side."
+
+Dobson nodded, and hastily dragging off his clothes, he sat on the edge
+of his bed, and called aloud: "Who is there?" That roused the others;
+and he asserted that he had been scared by a noise downstairs. Up
+tumbled Warren and Ralph and some more, and Charlton's bed was seen to
+be empty.
+
+Then the Fifth Form boys, aroused by Elgert, came out on the landing,
+only to be met by one of the masters, who quietly said that nothing was
+wrong, and directed them all to go back to bed again.
+
+Nothing wrong! Go back to bed! But why was Charlton's bed empty? And
+what did that glimpse of the boy, in the custody of Kesterway, the head
+monitor, mean? Ralph looked at Warren in dismay. Whatever mischief had
+Fred Charlton been up to?
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVIII
+
+THE NEXT DAY
+
+
+"Believe it! Of course we don't believe it. And I do not think that
+the Head does, either. You cheer up, old fellow! I know you were only
+trying to serve me; but you were silly to go without waking Warren, or
+myself."
+
+The speaker was Ralph, and he addressed his chum Charlton, who was a
+prisoner. A prisoner, that is, inasmuch as the Head had forbidden him
+to go out into the playground until he had thoroughly gone into the
+incidents of the previous night.
+
+It was all very well for Ralph to say "cheer up," but Charlton did not
+feel very cheerful. His sensitive nature shrank from the position in
+which he found himself, and his heart revolted at the wicked falsehoods
+which were told so calmly by both Dobson and Elgert. Besides, he was
+kept in, and that afternoon he had hoped to get across to see how his
+father was getting on.
+
+And though we, who know the truth, may wonder how it was that the Head
+should do this, still, the doctor himself did not know the truth, and
+he could hardly think that two lads would tell such wicked deliberate
+lies; and, moreover, everything pointed to Charlton being guilty.
+
+Dr. Beverly had been sitting up late, deep in a learned work with
+which he was greatly interested, when he had heard the noise in his
+class-room, followed by the voice of the head monitor, calling from
+above, and asking what was the matter; and he had hurried out--to find
+Charlton lying half dazed on the floor, having apparently fallen over a
+form and struck his head; and in his hand was Ralph's examination paper.
+
+Charlton being a nervous boy, his very manner seemed guilty when the
+Head had questioned him; and his story seemed to be false, for upon
+Dr. Beverly hurrying upstairs, Elgert was found with only his trousers
+on, as if he had just slipped out of bed, and Dobson was the same.
+Moreover, the boys in the Fifth declared that Elgert was sitting up in
+bed when they were aroused; and even Ralph and Warren had to own that
+Dobson appeared as if he had only just woke up.
+
+And both Dobson and Elgert declared that they had never been
+downstairs, and that Charlton had invented the story.
+
+So, still under the suspicion, he was kept in, and Ralph and Warren
+seized the first opportunity of going to comfort him.
+
+"If the Head knew them as well as we do, he would not be in much doubt
+about things," was Warren's verdict. "Don't you worry, old chap! We
+know you would not do anything to harm Ralph."
+
+"I wanted to go and see my father this afternoon," sighed Charlton; and
+Ralph answered--
+
+"Never mind. I will go. Tom will come with me."
+
+"I am awfully sorry, but I cannot," the monitor put in. "I would in a
+minute, but I promised mother to go round for her to my aunt's, and I
+must not disappoint her."
+
+"Of course not," said Ralph immediately. "Well, I will go alone, and
+explain to your father, old chap; so don't you worry about that any
+more. I wish, though, that I could see some way of bringing this home
+to those two, but I confess that I don't."
+
+"Wait a bit. Give them a rope long enough and they will hang
+themselves!" growled Warren. "Now, buck up, Charlton, and don't let
+them think that you are beaten!" And with that the two had to leave
+their chum, and Charlton felt decidedly comforted.
+
+And, after school, Tom Warren went off to obey his mother's desire; and
+Ralph, true to his promise, started on his journey to the man hiding in
+the old ruin away by Crab Tree Hill; and the rest of the boys prepared
+to spend their time according to their own inclinations.
+
+Jimmy Green and his chum Tinkle had made their plans. They were going
+fishing. It is sometimes a matter for wonder why small boys will go
+fishing, seeing that they seldom catch any fish, and don't know what
+to do with them if by chance they manage to secure a few. Still, that
+matters nothing. Jimmy and Tinkle were going fishing, and were busily
+preparing a wonderful and fearful assortment of tackle and bait. Bait!
+They had worms several inches long, and what they called paste--a
+fearsome concoction of bread and clay kneaded together into little
+balls. And they had a landing-net. We mention this for two reasons.
+First, because of its size--it would have held a small salmon--and then
+because it was destined to aid in landing some queer fish. We may not
+say of what kind yet--but the point to remember is that they had the
+landing-net.
+
+And Jimmy Green and his chum were discussing the problem of Charlton's
+guilt, and their small minds appeared to be fully made up.
+
+"I just believe every word he says!" declared Green; and Tinkle nodded
+his fat little head.
+
+"So do I!" he said.
+
+"Those two chaps are awful cads--dreadful cads!" continued Green,
+with much warmth; and again Tinkle nodded. He did not believe in the
+exertion of talking, unless it was absolutely necessary.
+
+"I wonder," he said slowly, as he pushed back a particularly lively
+worm into the bait-tin--"I wonder, Jimmy, if we ought to tell what we
+know about that note? I often wonder that." But Jimmy was still firm
+upon that point.
+
+"What's the good? If we had the note now we might do it. But suppose
+they treat us as they have treated Charlton, and say they did not go
+there? How are we to prove it? And we let out that we have been there
+ourselves. It ain't no good, Tinkle. I would tell if I thought it was;
+but it isn't, and there is no getting away from it."
+
+"I suppose it ain't," was Tinkle's regretful answer. "Well, come on,
+Jimmy! I think we have got everything we want, and we may as well have
+all the time we can."
+
+"Where shall we go?" inquired Jimmy Green.
+
+"Oh, the pool below Becket Weir," answered Tinkle; "where Elgert nearly
+got drowned."
+
+"Very well; come on, and let us see if we have any luck." And the two
+young anglers set out, little dreaming what a very queer fish they were
+going to catch that day.
+
+And what of Elgert and Dobson? Mean lads that they were, they were
+delighted, and congratulated themselves upon their astuteness. True,
+they had not got possession of Ralph's papers, and had failed in so far
+as spoiling his chances for the medal went; but they had got Charlton
+into fine disgrace.
+
+It was wonderfully smart upon their parts, they thought; and, as if to
+add to their good fortune, Dobson had a little scrap of paper brought
+to him by a town urchin--a message from Brown of the cake-shop, to the
+effect that the latter had been successful in obtaining the "article"
+he had inquired about; but that the price would be seven pounds for it,
+cash down.
+
+Seven pounds! Elgert growled at that, but the note must be got again at
+any cost; and so Dobson was given the sum required, and dispatched upon
+his errand.
+
+He wanted Elgert to go with him, for company, but Elgert was too
+cunning for that. He had kept out of the business all along, and he did
+not mean to be seen in it now. To be sure, he had been with Dobson to
+inquire about it in the first place, but he had no fear that the man
+would betray him. Dobson had done the changing, and Dobson should do
+the buying, and bring the note back to him.
+
+"I cannot come," he said, in answer to the boy's remonstrance. "I
+expect our man over with a letter from my father, and I want to stay
+here to get it. You must go alone. It won't take you long. Hurry back,
+for I shall not go out until you return."
+
+"I always have to do the work," grumbled Dobson. "It is a horrid long
+way to go alone."
+
+"Get out! Have not I found the money? And as to a long way, you don't
+make much fuss about that if you think that you are going to be treated
+to tarts. You clear off, and look sharp; and thank your lucky stars
+that we have got out of the mess so nicely, for I confess that I did
+not think that we were going to manage it!"
+
+So Dobson set off, and Horace Elgert turned back to the playground,
+to await his return with what patience he could; and there the Head
+himself came upon him, and stopped, and placed one hand upon his
+shoulder, looking searchingly into his face.
+
+"I am glad that I have met you alone, Elgert," the doctor said. "For
+I want to speak to you very seriously. I want to speak to you about
+Charlton."
+
+"Yes, sir?" said the boy inquiringly. It was wonderful how calmly and
+innocently he spoke. "What about him, sir--has he owned that his story
+is false?"
+
+"Not so, Elgert. Nor am I satisfied that it is false, Elgert. Are you
+satisfied that it is?"
+
+"Why, sir, of course I am!" he answered, staring up as if unable to
+comprehend the Head's meaning, though he knew it well enough.
+
+"Elgert, there is an old Book with an old law, which says: 'Thou shalt
+not bear false witness against thy neighbour.' In face of such a solemn
+command, are you still sure that Charlton's story is false?"
+
+"You don't mean to say that I and Dobson were there taking those
+papers, do you, sir?" he queried indignantly. "Ah, I see how it is!
+You believe his word. I don't think that quite fair, sir. Consider the
+difference between his surroundings and mine. Which will most likely
+speak the truth--the son of a man wanted by the police, or the son of a
+nobleman like my father?"
+
+"You still adhere to your statement, Elgert?" said the Head, taking no
+notice of the latter part of his speech. And Elgert answered at once--
+
+"Of course I do, sir!"
+
+"Then," said the Head, "I have no option but to be guided by
+circumstances, and they all point to Charlton being guilty." And with
+that he turned away.
+
+Elgert felt anxious and angry. What right had the Head to suspect
+him of telling lies, or to doubt his honour? It is wonderful how
+dishonourable people will talk of their honour. And suppose the Head
+got Dobson, and began to question him. He must warn the fellow to be on
+guard against that.
+
+The man he expected did not come. Elgert was angry. He told himself
+that Dobson was taking double the time he need; and when at last his
+companion returned, he asked very shortly--
+
+"Well, have you got it?"
+
+"Yes; here it is, all safe. It is delightful to feel that danger is
+past!"
+
+"A danger of your own making," retorted Elgert. "A danger that I have
+had to pay for, and that has cost you nothing. And you look here! The
+Head has been questioning me. He is suspicious, and preaches about
+false witnessing. Mind what you are at if he begins on you; for if you
+let anything out I will pay you out for it. You had better clear off
+now, to be out of his way."
+
+Dobson complied readily enough. The last thing he wanted was for the
+Head to carpet him. And then Horace Elgert, the note safe in his
+pocket-book, put on his hat and went out. He was enraged that his man
+had not been, and was going home to give him a good rating; and he, to
+take a short cut, must go past Becket Weir, where Tinkle and Green had
+gone to fish.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIX
+
+WHAT TINKLE AND GREEN CAUGHT
+
+
+"There don't seem to be much sport," said Tinkle to Green, as they
+sat side by side on the river bank, casting longing glances at their
+floats. Tinkle's bobbed under, and he pulled up sharply--he had hooked
+a fine piece of weed, the tenth catch of the kind he had made.
+
+"Bother!" said Green, putting down the landing-net, which he had seized
+to be in readiness to help his friend. "I am jolly well sick of it. Let
+us drop it."
+
+Tinkle agreed; the rod was taken to pieces and the lines put away, and
+then the pair stood up.
+
+"Ugh--ah-r-r!" sighed Tinkle. "Don't it make you cramped, and---- I
+say, Green, there's a man coming, and by gum, I believe it's that
+Elgert's man--the chap we saw in the cake-shop!"
+
+"So it is," was Green's answer. "And look how he is sauntering. Perhaps
+he is going to meet some one."
+
+"Let us hide," suggested Tinkle eagerly, "in the old boathouse. We may
+hear some more secrets."
+
+Green made no objection on the score of eavesdropping; the two
+boys, bending low, darted across the towing-path, and into an old,
+dilapidated, wooden building, now fast falling to decay, that had once
+done duty as a boathouse.
+
+"Oh, I say, here comes Elgert himself!" said Green excitedly, peeping
+through a hole. "Don't make a sound. I believe----"
+
+"Oh," interrupted Tinkle, in consternation, "they are coming in here!
+Oh, what ever shall we do?"
+
+"Be quiet, you silly. Hide! Down you go flat under that old boat. Hold
+up the end while I creep under; and whatever you do, don't sneeze. Mind
+the net, and----"
+
+His words were cut short by the boat slipping from Tinkle's hands and
+extinguishing them both. They lay side by side. They were quite safe,
+for it was most unlikely that Elgert or the man would look beneath it.
+
+One of the planks had started, and they could hear plainly, and even
+see a good deal of the interior of the place. They did see--saw Elgert
+and the man enter; and Horace Elgert sat down on the top of that boat.
+
+"If I only had a pin!" muttered Green. And Tinkle dug him in the ribs
+and breathed in his ear--
+
+"Be quiet, or I will punch your head when I get you out!"
+
+"You are an impertinent rascal!" was Elgert's first polite remark.
+"But don't you forget the book I have, with the confession in it. It
+may get you into trouble yet."
+
+"And don't you forget, Mr. Horace, that it was your own father who
+put me up to it. He wanted Charlton got out of the way, and he showed
+me how to make a hundred pounds for myself, and make an innocent man
+get the blame. I haven't had a single day's peace of mind since. My
+conscience has accused me."
+
+"Your conscience! Where do you keep it?" laughed Elgert, while the ears
+of the two hidden boys were strained to their utmost. "A pretty sort of
+fellow you are. My father put you up to it! How can you prove that?"
+
+"I cannot," was the sulky answer. "He was too clever for that. I wrote
+the truth in my pocket-book----"
+
+"Like the ass you are! What good would that do to you, or to Charlton?"
+
+"It did no good. But it made me feel better, even to confess it like
+that. You stole the book--you, a fine gentleman! You stole it from my
+coat!"
+
+"Yes; it was safer in my keeping than in yours. Such things are
+dangerous if they are left lying about."
+
+"And you have used it as a threat to me ever since; and have ordered me
+about as if I were a dog!" was the angry retort. And Elgert laughed.
+
+"I have found it useful certainly. And, my man, do you see that scar on
+the back of your hand? It was a bad cut, I think. How did you manage
+it?"
+
+The man, with a swift motion, put his hand in his pocket.
+
+"I cut it," he said. And Elgert laughed again.
+
+"Yes. Do you know what housebreaking is? I suppose you know nothing of
+some one who broke into the school, the beginning of this term; and
+who was found near my bed, with a pillow; it looked very much as if he
+were going to try and kill me by smothering me. I wonder what that man
+wanted. He was frightened away by one of our boys, and he cut his hand
+getting over the wall. I wonder who that man was?"
+
+"You know it was me. I would have done it, too, if I had not been
+found. I was frightened then, but I am not now. I am not in your power
+any more."
+
+"Oh, and what has happened to change things?" inquired Horace Elgert
+mockingly.
+
+"This," said the man fiercely. "If I have done wrong, what about you?
+There was a five-pound note stolen at your school----"
+
+"What do you know about that?" cried Elgert quickly.
+
+"I know that it was changed in the town by your friend; and I know that
+you and he went to buy it back, and paid far more than it was worth for
+it, and----"
+
+"And having got it back, there the thing ends," laughed Horace; but the
+man laughed also.
+
+"Oh, yes, you got it back; but not before I had photographed it! I have
+the negative here, a beautiful negative that will enlarge."
+
+Elgert regarded him in silent fury.
+
+"Well," he said, altering his tone, "what do you want for it? I suppose
+you are trying to make money?"
+
+"My book--the one you stole. If it is just as it was when I had it,
+you shall have this; if it is torn or damaged, then I take this to the
+police."
+
+"You are smarter than I thought," answered Elgert blandly; but oh, in
+his heart, how he determined that in some way he would make this man
+suffer! "Well, here is the book. You can see it is not harmed."
+
+The man snatched the book which the boy took from his pocket, and ran
+to the door to get all the light he could, as he eagerly glanced inside.
+
+"It is all right," he said. "Here is the negative." And he handed it
+to Elgert. "And now you go!"--this to the book. "You have caused me
+trouble enough. Go where no one can get at you!" And, in a fit of rage,
+he threw it into the river; and then he turned back to the boy.
+
+"Get it again, if you can!" he laughed. "My word is as good as yours,
+now; and while you have the negative, you have not got the prints I
+took from it. You are in my power now, Mr. Horace, and you had best be
+civil, or there will be trouble." And with that he turned and hurried
+off, leaving Horace Elgert alone, white with passion and fear.
+
+"I need not fear him," he muttered. "It only means paying enough, and I
+shall get them. This can go, the water will soon wash the film off."
+
+He skimmed the negative away, but it slipped from his fingers and fell
+into shallow water. He did not trouble; in less than an hour it would
+be washed clean away. Then Horace Elgert produced a book from his
+pocket, and this he, having tied a stone to it, also threw into the
+river; then, finally, he took that dreadful banknote from his pocket,
+and, striking a match, he set it alight and watched it burn to ashes.
+Then, hands in pockets, he sauntered off, and Tinkle and Green crept
+from their refuge.
+
+"We must get back," said Green. "We shall be late."
+
+"Get back be bothered!" rejoined Tinkle eagerly. "We are going to fish
+again. Be careful. Here, hold open your book--I see one in your pocket!"
+
+Tinkle carefully picked up all the grey, fluffy ash of that burnt
+banknote, and placed it between the leaves.
+
+"My father says that banknotes have a queer ash, and we may want to
+show this. Now let us see if we can get those things out of the river.
+That negative seemed to fall close in."
+
+"I see it!" cried Green, pointing into the water.
+
+"Look, there it is, out on that patch of white sand--see, there!"
+
+A clever stroke or two with the landing-net, and then the little square
+of glass was in their hands. It was scratched somewhat, but unbroken.
+Tinkle laid it on the grass carefully.
+
+"That is one," he said. "Now let us try for the others."
+
+He weighted his line heavily, and started. He fished and fished, and at
+last he was rewarded--up came the pocket-book; and soon after, up came
+another book with a stone tied to it.
+
+"It is a crib," pronounced Tinkle. "Come on, Green; we are in an awful
+mess, and we are in for a caning, I suppose; but we have caught our
+fish, and I don't care a bit."
+
+The two boys raced back to the school, and they were accosted in the
+playground by Warren.
+
+"Hallo, you two kids! Where have you been, and how did you get into
+that state?" the monitor asked. "You are over an hour late. Have you
+seen anything of Rexworth?"
+
+"No, Warren. Isn't he in? We wanted him. Oh, we have got something to
+tell him!"
+
+"You will have something to tell the doctor," answered Warren grimly.
+"He is bound to want to know what you have been up to."
+
+"Don't go, Warren. Do listen to us. It concerns Rexworth and Charlton.
+We know about Elgert."
+
+"What is that?" cried Warren, turning. "What do you mean?" And the
+boys, with many "you sees" and "you knows," told their story, and
+exhibited their treasures.
+
+"Here, you come with me!" said Warren. "You are a pair of little
+bricks. Come with me!"
+
+"Where to, Warren?" they asked, as he hurried on--not in the direction
+of their room, but towards the Head's house. "Where are we going?"
+
+"To the Head himself. He must deal with this. Don't you be frightened.
+I don't think he will punish you for being late, after he knows what
+kept you. Come on and speak up like men!"
+
+"Why, Warren!" exclaimed Dr. Beverly, in mild surprise, when the
+monitor of the Fourth entered his presence, accompanied by the two
+little draggled objects. "What is this? Have these boys been in the
+river? Take them to the housekeeper at once. They are soaking wet!"
+
+"They won't hurt for a minute or two more. They have something to tell
+you, sir--something I thought that you ought to hear before any one
+else."
+
+"Indeed!" said the Head. "And what is it? Speak quickly, and let them
+go; they will catch bad colds."
+
+So Warren told the story for them, and placed their catch before the
+Head. And Dr. Beverly, great man as he was, shook these two happy
+juniors by the hand, and called them clever boys, and dismissed them
+to revel in special tea in the matron's room after he had strictly
+enjoined both them and the monitor not to say a word of this, even to
+Charlton or Ralph Rexworth.
+
+But Ralph had not come home, and it was getting late now. He had been
+long enough to get to Crab Tree Hill and back twice over. What could
+have happened to Ralph Rexworth?
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXX
+
+WHAT DETAINED RALPH REXWORTH
+
+
+Ralph Rexworth stood in the old ruin, looking very perplexed. He could
+not find Mr. Charlton anywhere. He had whistled, and called, and
+searched, but not a trace of the hiding man could he discover.
+
+He felt anxious. What could it mean? Had the hiding-place been
+discovered, and his chum's unfortunate parent again been taken
+prisoner? Unless that was the case, he was at a loss to account for the
+man's absence.
+
+"It is no use waiting any longer," he mused, after he had searched the
+ruin through for the third time. "He has not hurt himself and fallen
+anywhere in here. He must have been alarmed, and have fled, unless he
+is taken. Poor old Fred will be horribly worried when I go back and
+tell him; but there is nothing else for me to do, and I shall be late
+back, as it is."
+
+He sighed. His friend's anxiety for his parent would be something like
+what he felt for his missing father. It made Ralph think of that again,
+and of the strange cry which he had heard in that place. He could not
+understand that. As he stood there he felt an uncontrollable impulse to
+penetrate to that lonely house again, to risk meeting the dogs, and to
+try the effects of his call once more.
+
+"I am bound to be late, anyhow," he muttered, "so here goes." And he
+set off. Perhaps he might meet Charlton's father in the wood.
+
+But--he stopped suddenly--what did this mean? There, on the soft
+ground, were those tracks once more! Lord Elgert's lame mare had been
+here! Did that mean that Lord Elgert himself had been; or had he lent
+his trap to the police again, and had they managed to run their victim
+down?
+
+The tracks did not touch the ruin; they began some way from it, and
+swept round the spinny towards that lonely house. For Ralph to follow
+them was but child's play. He had hardly to slacken his pace a bit, so
+plainly the marks were to be seen on the soft, little-trodden earth.
+They guided him to the spinny--to a little path cut through it, of
+which he had been ignorant before--right up to the house itself; and
+there, standing before the open door, was Lord Elgert's trap and the
+lame mare. It was not to the ruin, but to that mysterious house that
+the trap had been driven. But why? Ah, how Ralph asked himself that
+question, and how impossible it was to find an answer to it!
+
+Lord Elgert seemed to have hated his father. Lord Elgert was here,
+and he had heard his father's signal in this place. Ralph, crouching
+behind the trees, uttered his old call, and then listened with almost
+breathless attention.
+
+Yes. There--there, muffled but indistinct, the answer came! It came
+from the house. His father was there, and his father was in Lord
+Elgert's power!
+
+Ralph's first impulse was to dash forward; but he paused. He must
+be cautious here. He remained hiding, waiting to see if any one had
+noticed his call, and his prudence was rewarded by seeing Lord Elgert
+himself come to the door, accompanied by the brutal-looking man whom he
+had seen before, and glance anxiously round.
+
+Then the two seemed to consult; and presently the man went away, to
+return with a couple of great tawny hounds, both of which he let loose.
+Ralph's heart stood still. What could he do against those fierce
+brutes? The man and Lord Elgert went in, and the dogs roamed round.
+They had not struck his scent yet; but presently they would do so, and
+then it would be a hard business for him.
+
+Ralph was preparing to cautiously creep away, when he heard a shout
+from the house--a cry for help, and in his father's voice! That put all
+else out of his head, and he dashed like a deer across the grass and
+into the open door of that house. His father was there; his father was
+crying for help, and he would stand by his side!
+
+The dogs saw, and raised a deep-voiced bay. He slammed the door and
+shut them out, then darted along in the direction of the sounds he had
+heard.
+
+They came from a room on the first floor and he rushed in, and
+there--there his father struggled in the grasp of Lord Elgert and
+his fierce companion. Mr. Rexworth had evidently been kept a captive
+by being bound to the wall by a stout chain; and one of his arms was
+swathed in dirty bandages, as though he was hurt.
+
+Whether his captors wished to bind him still more securely, or whether
+it was that they sought to convey him somewhere else, Ralph did not
+know. He saw his father with his back to the wall, brandishing a stool
+in one hand. He saw the man rush in, dodge the blow, and strike his
+father down; and then, with a cry of rage, he sprang forward, seizing a
+heavy stick that lay on the table, and struck wildly at the aggressor.
+Alas! what could one stripling like he do against two such men? They
+both turned, and Ralph received a heavy blow upon the temple; and then
+all was darkness, and he knew nothing more.
+
+But when he opened his eyes, where was he? What had happened? Why could
+he not move?
+
+He strove to rise. He felt giddy and sick, and his head ached and
+throbbed dreadfully. Why he was bound--bound hand and foot, and he was
+stretched upon the floor!
+
+He rolled on his side. His father lay back against the wall, but his
+chain was gone. He was only secured with a rope, in the same manner
+that Ralph was fastened. But his eyes were closed, and his face was
+very white. A dreadful fear filled the lad's mind--that he had come too
+late, that his father was really dead now.
+
+For a few minutes he lay still, quietly trying the strength of his
+bonds. He knew that knots hastily tied could frequently be worked
+loose; but, alas, it was a vain hope in his case! Those who had secured
+him had done their work well.
+
+And then suddenly he became aware of a hot, choky feeling in the air,
+and a sound of crackling. He struggled into a sitting posture, and--oh,
+horrible, horrible!--the room was full of smoke. The place was on fire,
+and he and his dear father were there, helpless and bound, left to
+perish in the flames!
+
+What wonder that terror claimed him for the moment? Who would not
+flinch then in such an awful position?
+
+"Father! Father!" he cried; but the prostrate man returned no answer.
+He lay silent, motionless. Ralph rolled over and over to his side.
+Alas, what good would that do? He managed to struggle to his feet by
+supporting himself in an angle of the room, and he gazed around. The
+smoke was growing worse--he could hardly breathe when he stood up--and
+hot puffs of air were forcing themselves through the flooring and
+whirling along the passage and through the door of the room--the door
+which was cracking and glowing red now, ready to burst into flame.
+
+Oh, was there no help, no succour? If only his faithful Warren or dear
+old Charlton knew of his peril, how they would come to his aid! Alas,
+they were far away, and they did not know.
+
+But what was that? A sound outside! A shout, and the dogs barking and
+raging more than ever, in a perfect fury of anger. Then a smashing of
+glass. Had the fire broken the windows? No. A form rising above the
+sill, a man who staggered as the hot smoke met him, and who bent down
+on all fours to creep across the room--a man who cried aloud--
+
+"Ralph Rexworth, are you here? Are you here?"
+
+It was Mr. Charlton; it was Mr. Charlton come to his aid. Oh, what a
+swift rush of thanksgiving filled Ralph's heart then!
+
+"Here, here!" he answered. "I am tied up; I cannot move. And father is
+here, too; he is senseless." And Mr. Charlton was by his side in a few
+moments.
+
+"Thank God you are unharmed," he said, as he drew his knife across
+the ropes that held Ralph prisoner. "I saw you enter, and I feared
+mischief; and when those two came out and drove off, I knew not what to
+think. There are two brutes of dogs there, and they prevented my trying
+to get in. Then I saw the smoke and flame, and I knew what they had
+done. I grew desperate, and made a dash for it. The dogs almost got
+me, but I managed to get into a tree that grew close to the house; and
+I passed along one branch to the top of the verandah, and so worked my
+way round. It was risky, for if I had slipped those two brutes would
+have been on me in a moment."
+
+Mr. Charlton was not idle while he was talking. He had set Ralph free,
+and had cut the ropes that held Mr. Rexworth, who now opened his eyes
+and stared around in bewilderment.
+
+"Oh father, father!" cried Ralph. "Thank God that you are alive! Try
+and rouse yourself, father dear. We are in great danger. The house is
+on fire, and if we do not get away quickly we must all perish."
+
+"Ralph, what is it! How did you come?" the father asked vacantly. And
+Mr. Charlton shook him.
+
+"Never mind that now, friend!" he cried. "The fire is upon us. Ah, see
+there!"--as the door fell with a crash and a burst of flame swept in
+upon them. "We have not a moment to lose. Out you go, Ralph, and hold
+on like a limpet! Be ready to aid your father, that is all"--as Ralph
+scrambled through the window and managed to find footing on a narrow
+ledge that ran round the house. "Now, Mr. Rexworth, prove yourself
+a man. If you fall, the dogs won't give you a chance. Now, sir, for
+Heaven's sake, try!"
+
+"I will manage it all right, my good friend," answered Mr. Rexworth.
+The flame and smoke had recalled him to the immediate peril. "Just a
+hand through, that is all." And, summoning all his reserve of strength
+and resolution, he managed to get from the window, aided by Mr.
+Charlton in the room, and somewhat supported by Ralph behind him.
+
+Cautiously holding on with grim energy, the three managed to creep back
+to that point from which the rescuer had first started--the top of the
+verandah. But this was a position of great peril now; for the flames
+were breaking through it, and darting from the windows above it, and
+the melted lead of roof and gutter hissed and spluttered. It seemed
+death to go on; it was death to go back. And the two hounds below had
+followed them round, and now stood barking up at them.
+
+"We must risk it," panted Mr. Charlton. "Let me go first, and show you
+how to do it. If you step on the wall you can reach the branch of the
+tree in three strides. It seems very dreadful, but the peril is more
+apparent than real. Look!"
+
+He boldly jumped to the brickwork around which the fire darted. He took
+three quick firm steps, and was able to swing himself into the limb of
+the tree, safe from the fire's reach.
+
+Mr. Rexworth followed by the same dangerous path. "Now, Ralph!" he
+cried. But almost as the words came the whole of the verandah, and the
+brickwork supporting it, fell in; and there Ralph was left clinging to
+that narrow protection of the wall.
+
+And the wall itself was cracking with the heat. He could not maintain
+his position for long. At any moment it might fall and cover him in its
+heated ruins.
+
+Mr. Rexworth groaned in horror; Mr. Charlton looked on in dismay; and
+Ralph clung there, with death behind, and death above, and death--the
+worst death of all, red-eyed and lolling-tongued death--beneath
+awaiting him!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXI
+
+THE TABLES ARE TURNED
+
+
+"Ralph! Oh, my son!" cried Mr. Rexworth, as he saw the peril in which
+the brave lad stood. And the boy turned and looked at his father.
+
+"I cannot hold on here much longer, father," he said. "I shall have to
+drop, and take my chance with the dogs."
+
+"Wait--wait a moment, Ralph!" answered the agonized man. "Let me get
+down and attract their attention, and then you will have a chance."
+
+"Don't, don't father," implored Ralph. "What chance will you have with
+them with your arm hurt? I may manage it."
+
+"I will do it," volunteered Mr. Charlton; "I am uninjured. You stay
+here, sir."
+
+"Don't either of you do it!" cried Ralph, shifting his position a
+little so as to avoid the smoke if he could. "I am going to try and
+creep back a bit. I may find a better place."
+
+"It is useless, Ralph," was his father's answer. "The wall is cracking
+behind you. I can see the smoke coming through. Oh, if we only had a
+rope!"
+
+"A rope!" cried Mr. Charlton. "If a rope can aid in such an extremity,
+I can supply that; for I have kept a long one on my person in case I
+might be in need of it to escape from my own enemies."
+
+As he spoke he threw off his coat and waistcoat, and there, wound round
+his body, was a long but fine line, one quite long enough to serve the
+purpose of reaching to where Ralph clung, though he could not see of
+what avail it would be.
+
+But Mr. Rexworth saw. And, shouting to Ralph to keep up his courage and
+to look out, he threw one end of the rope--not to the boy--but up over
+another branch of the tree that was some height above them. Then he
+caught this end as it fell, and gave the other to Mr. Charlton, bidding
+him give one turn round the trunk and hold on with all his might. The
+other end he whirled round his head, and, with practised aim, he sent
+it to Ralph, who gripped at it with one hand, having to risk falling to
+earth as he did so.
+
+[Illustration: "WITH PRACTISED AIM, HE SENT THE ROPE TO RALPH, WHO
+GRIPPED IT WITH ONE HAND." p. 287]
+
+But, having got it, the rest was easy. He was able to swing across that
+fiery gulf which separated him from safety, and the next moment was
+safely beside his father, while the dogs ran to the tree and leaped
+against its trunk in vain rage. And almost at that moment the wall to
+which he had been clinging collapsed and fell in fiery ruin. A few
+moments sooner, and it would have carried the brave boy with it to his
+death.
+
+Safe so far, but still held prisoners by those dogs; and still with
+the flame and smoke blowing upon them. If the walls fell in their
+direction death might claim them after all.
+
+"If we only had some weapon to beat these brutes off with," said Mr.
+Charlton, as he looked down. But Mr. Rexworth replied--
+
+"We had better remain here. The fire is sure to be seen, and help will
+arrive soon."
+
+Help! Yes, help for Ralph and his father. But what would that help mean
+to poor Mr. Charlton--what but being taken prisoner again? He sighed,
+but said nothing. He had done his best to help the boy who had helped
+him, and if that must be the price paid he would pay it.
+
+But Ralph had little idea of remaining perched in a tree. He saw that
+there was a weapon, and one which, in skilful hands, would prove very
+effective--one which he excelled in the use of.
+
+The rope was coiled in his hands, and a running noose was formed at
+one end. He crawled far out on the branch, and got a firm hold with
+his legs; then he gave his rope a whirl, and sent it flying downwards.
+And soon one of those great dogs was jerked into mid-air, and when it
+touched earth again it was dead--its neck was broken.
+
+They hauled it up and loosened the noose, letting the body fall heavily
+to the earth. And ere long the second animal had shared its fate, and
+there was nothing to hinder them from descending.
+
+Nothing! No, that was not quite right. There was a desperate man, who
+had remained hidden, to see the result of his wicked work--a man whose
+face was dark with wrath, and whose heart was maddened with fear. For
+if these escaped unscathed, it meant the ruin of everything for him.
+
+Mr. Charlton and Ralph had helped Mr. Rexworth to the ground, and
+either from weakness, or from the reaction of feeling, Mr. Rexworth
+staggered and sunk half swooning at the foot of the tree; while the
+other two bent over him anxiously.
+
+That was the chance. Lord Elgert and his brutal follower suddenly
+dashed from the shelter of the trees and rushed upon them. The man was
+armed with a rugged stick, and Lord Elgert had a heavily-loaded whip.
+It seemed as if the others were at their mercy; but Ralph's quick
+ear caught the sound of their approach, and with a cry of warning he
+started up. The others were almost upon them, and they were unarmed.
+The lad glanced around; at his feet one of the dead dogs lay; he seized
+it, he put out all his strength, and sent the heavy body direct at the
+pair, who, quite unprepared for such an unexpected assault, received it
+full in their faces.
+
+The man fell heavily, Lord Elgert turned and fled. And Ralph, with an
+eager cry, darted after him, rope in hand. The man who had treated his
+father thus should not escape him now.
+
+But now through the growth there came the crashing of heavy bodies,
+and loud shouts were raised. The fire had attracted attention, and
+people were rushing from Crab Tree village to see what was the cause.
+
+And not only villagers, but policemen--policemen who had patiently
+waited and watched, feeling sure that the man they wanted was still
+hiding in the locality. It was a constable who grabbed hold of Ralph's
+arm, and, pulling him up with a sudden jerk, demanded what he was doing
+and what had occasioned the fire.
+
+Ralph struggled. It was maddening to think that he was stopped while
+Lord Elgert was escaping. He did not stop to think that escape was next
+to impossible. He was accustomed to the ways of the wild plains, and
+there, if a man once got away, it was almost certain that no one would
+catch him again.
+
+"It was Lord Elgert who did it, and he is running away!" he cried. "My
+father is there. You know how he was missing, and we thought he had
+been murdered. Lord Elgert had him. He is here."
+
+"Whatever are you talking about, young man?" the constable demanded,
+perplexed at such a dramatic statement. But the sergeant, who had come
+up with a horse-constable interposed--
+
+"Don't stand there talking, man, see what is amiss!" The constable had
+let go of Ralph, and the mounted man had jumped from his horse. Ralph
+caught sight of a trap being driven at full speed over the moor. He
+had no need to ask who was in that. Lord Elgert was making good his
+escape. With a shout of anger and defiance, Ralph had sprung into the
+empty saddle and was off before a single man there could get over his
+surprise and hinder him.
+
+"There he goes, there he goes!" he shouted, pointing after the trap.
+"That is Lord Elgert, but I will ride him down!" And away he went,
+leaving the men open-mouthed.
+
+They found the two dead dogs, they found Mr. Rexworth, and alas! they
+found poor, patient Mr. Charlton. He might have attempted to escape,
+but he would not leave the injured man. Besides, it was no use now;
+there was nowhere else to hide, and he must be taken sooner or later.
+
+And after the galloping mare went Ralph, riding hard. It was
+like the old life once more--this wild gallop. He had ridden the
+half-wild broncho steeds of Texas, and he had no difficulty with this
+well-trained horse.
+
+On he went; on, on, near and nearer to the flying man in front. He
+saw Lord Elgert look back at him. A man against a boy! Surely the man
+need have no fear in such a contest! And yet Lord Elgert did fear. He
+had feared this boy from the very first time he had seen him in Stow
+Wood. He had feared him from the moment Ralph had cut that bullet
+from the tree, and from the time when he had heard him declare that
+he would never rest until he had solved the mystery of his father's
+disappearance. That mystery was solved, all his wicked devices were
+brought to naught, and now he was fleeing for life and for liberty,
+being hunted just as he had made the police hunt Mr. Charlton. The
+tables were being turned indeed!
+
+Nearer and nearer Ralph drew, and fiercer and more cruelly did the
+man lash the sides of his faithful little mare. Ralph stood up in his
+stirrups, and Lord Elgert looked at him over his shoulder. The boy had
+the rope in his hands. Ah, the very first thing he did when he had come
+to the place was to rope his black bull! Now he was going to serve him
+in the same way--to serve him as he had served the two dogs!
+
+Lord Elgert saw the arm of the boy sweep round his head, and he ducked.
+
+But Ralph had not aimed at him, he had a better plan than that. The
+noose settled over the little mare. Ralph pulled up, and braced himself
+for the shock which he knew would follow--a shock which nearly pulled
+him from his saddle. The mare went down, the trap was shattered,
+and Lord Elgert, totally unprepared--not even looking where he was
+going--was sent flying through the air to fall heavily, striking his
+temple against a rugged stump.
+
+Ralph was at the spot in a moment. The man was stunned and at his
+mercy. The rope had done its duty as a lasso, and was now used to bind
+Lord Elgert. Ralph felt no remorse or compunction about that. He must
+take this man to his father, and his father must declare what should
+next be done.
+
+"He isn't much hurt," he muttered; "nor are you, you poor thing," he
+added, turning to the plunging mare. "There you are"--as he cut her
+free from the ruin of the trap. "Now I reckon that you can find your
+own way home, and, in the meantime, I will wait here."
+
+He placed his hands to his mouth, and gave his old wild call, and from
+the distance it was answered by his father. They would soon be here
+now. Ralph tethered the horse, and seated himself on the grass. Lord
+Elgert opened his eyes, and looked at him with an expression of the
+deepest hate; but Ralph little heeded that. His father was safe, and
+that was all he thought of then. Ralph Rexworth felt happier at that
+moment than he had done for many a day, and, paying no attention to his
+fallen foe, save to take care that he did not get free, he waited until
+the police, people, and Mr. Rexworth arrived upon the scene. Yes, the
+tables were turned now; and had he but known it, they were turned at
+school also.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXII
+
+FLOGGED AND EXPELLED
+
+
+"The whole school to assemble in the hall!"
+
+The order was received in every class-room, and masters and boys looked
+surprised. It was generally known that Ralph Rexworth had been absent
+all night, and that a message had been sent over to Mr. St. Clive's
+asking whether the boy had been detained there. It was also known that
+Charlton was in disgrace--that he had been accused of stealing Ralph's
+examination papers, for the purpose of correcting them from a crib.
+
+The idea was that it must be on one of these accounts that the school
+was summoned--either Ralph had got into trouble, or Charlton was to be
+punished.
+
+But there was no time for speculation. Into the hall the boys trooped,
+class by class--juniors, middle division, and seniors--their masters
+following, and their monitors leading the way; and there upon the
+doctor's desk an ominous object was to be seen--the school birch,
+rarely taken from its resting-place in the cupboard, rarely used, and,
+if the truth must be told, rarely needing to be used. Woe betide the
+unlucky boy who so far disgraced the honour of Marlthorpe as to render
+its presence needful, for what he got from the Head was as nothing to
+what he would receive from the angry scholars later on.
+
+"Silence!"
+
+Kesterway's voice rang out as Dr. Beverly entered and an expectant hush
+fell upon the whole school.
+
+"Frederick Charlton, stand out!"
+
+Charlton obeyed. Boys who knew how nervous he was were surprised to
+see him quite calm now. He moved forward towards the Head's desk and
+saluted; and then the Headmaster of Marlthorpe spoke.
+
+"Charlton, you were found in my class-room the other night, with
+Rexworth's examination papers in your hand. Tell the school your reason
+for being there!"
+
+The Head spoke shortly, but kindly, as if inviting the boy to be at
+ease; and Charlton told his story, and explained how he had seen Dobson
+and Elgert break open the desk.
+
+"The desk was unlocked. There was no need to break it open," the Head
+said; and then he turned to the other two boys, and asked them what
+they had to say.
+
+What they had to say indeed! Such indignant denials, and such plain
+statements that it was all up between Rexworth and Charlton.
+
+"Rexworth is detained, and cannot be here yet," said the Head quietly.
+"But we can proceed with this inquiry in his absence. Elgert and
+Dobson, stand out!"
+
+And the two obeyed, ill at ease, wondering what was coming next, and
+casting suspicious looks at each other, as if each thought the other
+had turned informer.
+
+"Horace Elgert, did you ever see this before?" asked the Head.
+
+And Elgert turned white, for the doctor held out that wretched crib
+which he had thrown into the river.
+
+"No, sir," he answered, averting his eyes.
+
+And the same answer was asked of Dobson, who gave the same answer.
+
+"James Green! Henry Tinkle!" cried Kesterway.
+
+And the two small chums jumped up eagerly.
+
+"Explain how you became possessed of this crib," said the Head.
+
+Green spoke first, and Tinkle backed him up, and then a low angry hiss
+rang through the school, and Horace Elgert turned a pair of anxious,
+frightened eyes towards his companions.
+
+"Do you deny this story, Elgert?" asked the Head sternly.
+
+And the boy was silent. If those two juniors had picked up his book,
+had they picked up anything else?
+
+"There was a banknote missing some time ago," the Head went on. "You
+may remember that a note was found in Rexworth's pocket-book, and I
+showed how he had been the victim of a plot. The banknote that was
+stolen was never discovered; but I now know that it was changed by you,
+Dobson, at a low cake shop in the town, and that afterwards it was
+bought back by you and Elgert from that man for far more than it was
+worth. That note, Elgert, you destroyed yesterday by burning it, and
+here are the ashes." And the Head produced the filmy ash still lying
+in _Tom Brown's Schooldays_. "But that note had been photographed,
+and you purchased the negative by giving to the person who held it a
+pocket-book which you had previously taken from him. The negative you
+also threw into the river, and the person you were with threw in the
+book which you had just restored to him. Do you deny these statements?"
+
+Still Elgert did not answer. He felt hot and cold by turns. He did not
+know where to turn his eyes. It was no use denying in the face of such
+proof.
+
+"You cannot answer!" the Head went on. "You, Dobson, what do you know
+of this?"
+
+"Oh--oh--oh!" yelled Dobson, clasping his hands, and falling upon
+his knees. "Oh, forgive me, sir! Oh, I will own up, sir! It was all
+Elgert's fault. He made me do it, sir! I never wanted to do it, sir! It
+is all true, every bit of it, sir! Oh----"
+
+"Silence!" cried the Head, in ill-disguised contempt. "No one can force
+another to do evil. You two boys have conspired together to injure
+the good name of a companion, whose only offence has been that he has
+tried to act a noble manly part amidst very difficult and adverse
+circumstances. You would have branded him a thief; and to do it you
+did not hesitate to become thieves yourselves. You have told the
+vilest lies--and you, Elgert, have done worse. It will be for other
+authorities to deal with this; but I will mention it here. You have
+allowed one of these boys--Charlton I mean--to suffer much torture
+because of his father's unhappy position. You knew that his father was
+innocent, and you held the proof of that, and----"
+
+Then the Head stopped, for Charlton had turned very white. He had not
+known of the business of the pocket-book.
+
+"Oh, sir," he said, "my father innocent! And he knew it, and--and----"
+
+He put his hand to his head, and Kesterway sprang forward and caught
+him, or he would have fallen, for he fainted away; and the Head, with
+tears in his eyes, murmured--
+
+"Poor boy! Poor boy! Take him to the matron."
+
+They carried him out, and not one of those who had jeered at him but
+now felt sorry and ashamed, and full of anger against the two culprits,
+to whom the Head now turned again.
+
+"It is possible that others outside our school may have something to
+say to you about this business," he said. "That has nothing to do with
+me. I have only to deal with your offence as it touches the honour of
+the school and for that offence only the severest punishment can be
+inflicted----"
+
+Whereat Dobson uttered a howl, and Elgert clenched his hands and
+looked desperate. The severest punishment! That was why the birch was
+there.
+
+"You will both be publicly flogged," continued the Head, "and then you
+will be expelled!"
+
+And at this a shout of approval went up. Marlthorpe was going to be
+avenged for the slight put upon its honour.
+
+"Oh, mercy--mercy!" cried Dobson. "Oh, don't flog me, sir! I won't do
+it any more, and it was all Elgert's fault."
+
+Elgert looked at him in scorn. If he must be flogged, he would crave
+no mercy. He would show them that he did not care. But flogged! A gasp
+went round as the school porter and the man who kept the lodge came
+in. It was useless to resist, though Dobson kicked and struggled, and
+shouted in his anger and fear. The Head laid aside his gown, and took
+the rod; and then the sound of the hissing cuts came. Dobson was the
+first victim, and with the strokes came the yells--awful yells, for the
+Head did not spare him in the least, and Dobson plainly found himself
+in a very uncomfortable position.
+
+He was released at last, and then Elgert--the Honourable Horace
+Elgert--took his place. He bit his lips until the blood came, but he
+would not cry out. But oh, how he hated Ralph Rexworth then! If he
+could have hurt him--if he could have killed him, he would not have
+cared what they did to him afterwards.
+
+It was over at last. And he stood breathless, smarting, a mist before
+his eyes, until he caught sight of Tinkle's fat face; and he thought
+that Tinkle was grinning.
+
+Then, rage overcoming him, not thinking what he was doing, he rushed
+at the little fellow, and, had not Warren been near to prevent it, he
+would have knocked him down.
+
+And then, Head or no Head, Marlthorpe lost its calmness, and the boys
+sprang up, and surged forward at the two offenders--angry boys, with
+menacing eyes. Elgert's courage failed him then. He turned and ran, and
+Dobson went after him. In vain masters shouted, and the Head rang his
+bell. In vain Kesterway rushed after them. Not another monitor paid any
+attention. Out into the playground they streamed, and around it they
+chased the two boys.
+
+Around they went. They drove them to the small pond, and threw them in.
+They dragged them out, and hustled them, dripping and breathless, to
+the gates. The Head had no need to expel the pair.
+
+As Elgert and Dobson were thrown out a little party approached the
+gates; and from its number, one boy darted forward to throw himself
+between the two miserable victims and their pursuers, and that boy was
+Ralph Rexworth himself.
+
+"Here, I say, drop that! It is not fair!" giving Warren a shove
+backwards. "It isn't the right thing! Drop it, you fellows! And look
+out, here comes the Head!"
+
+Yes, the Head with his cane, and the masters with their canes, coming
+to insist upon order, and to show Marlthorpe that it could not be
+permitted to do just as it chose even with boys like Dobson and Elgert.
+It certainly looked as though some one was going to get caned just then.
+
+But Warren uttered a whoop.
+
+"Hallo, Ralph! Fellows, here is Rexworth turned up. Just too late to
+see the fun! You ought to have heard Dobby yell, my boy! It was lovely!"
+
+"Here is Rexworth!" echoed the boys.
+
+They pounced upon him. They grabbed arm or leg, whichever they could
+get hold of, and dragged him somehow upon their shoulders, and marched
+back triumphantly; while the Head and the masters did not know what to
+do.
+
+And behind Ralph came Mr. Rexworth, and Mr. St. Clive and Irene--a very
+radiant Irene--who whispered to Tom Warren that the gentleman with the
+injured arm was Ralph's father, and that he was Lord Rexworth, because
+he was the son of the old Lord Stephen, and his right name was Rexworth
+Stephen, and Ralph would be the Honourable Ralph Rexworth Stephen. She
+told it very excitedly, and Tom Warren whistled, and then yelled--
+
+"Three cheers for Ralph's father--Lord Rexworth Stephen! And three more
+cheers for the Honourable Ralph Rexworth Stephen! Come on, you fellows,
+out with it!"
+
+What shouting and cheering there was then! And how, while Mr. Rexworth,
+as we will still call him, was talking to the Doctor, Ralph got nearly
+pulled to pieces. Why, they even forgot the birching in the excitement
+of Ralph's return. They had to hear his story, and how he had found
+his father; and then Warren explained how they had found out that Mr.
+Charlton was innocent.
+
+That was good news for Ralph--the best news that could possibly be--and
+escaping with Warren and Irene, he hurried across to the matron's
+house, and begged that he might see his chum.
+
+Charlton was all right, only he was so excited, and just a little
+inclined to cry. And he wanted to know where his father was; and when
+Ralph explained how Mr. Charlton had given himself up, he exclaimed--
+
+"Oh, Ralph, let us go and explain! Let us go now!"
+
+"Come and tell my father. He will understand," said Ralph; but there
+was little need for telling.
+
+Already Mr. St. Clive had been informed, and he had hurried off at
+once. It would not be long before Mr. Charlton was a free man.
+
+And then Mr. Rexworth, seeing that there would be much to talk about,
+went back with Ralph and Irene and Charlton to Mr. St. Clive's house,
+there to tell his story, and explain how it was that he had become the
+prisoner of the man who had treated him so very cruelly.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXIII
+
+CONCLUSION
+
+
+Seated in the drawing-room at Mr. St. Clive's house, an interested
+party gathered around Mr. Rexworth to hear his story. And not only
+an interested party, but a happy one, for the trouble was gone, and
+the sun was shining for all there. It was no wonder that, even before
+stories were told, Mr. Rexworth should have said, "Let us all kneel
+and thank our Heavenly Father for His great mercy and goodness," nor
+that every heart should have been filled with devout gratitude as, with
+bent heads, they listened to the words of thanksgiving, for, like the
+psalmist of old, they could say, "God hath done great things for us,
+whereof we are glad."
+
+And so they sat, while Mr. Rexworth told his story, a story that had
+its moral, too, for it revealed how disobedience to a father might
+bring sore punishment afterwards.
+
+For, as we now know, Mr. Rexworth was the son of old Lord Stephen, and
+in his early days he had been wild and headstrong, and had frequently
+disobeyed his father's commands. And in that he had been aided by his
+cousin Elgert. For Elgert envied the young heir his position, and hoped
+to make a bad quarrel between the father and son.
+
+And he was successful. The quarrel came, and Mr. Rexworth had run away
+from home, dropping his name of Stephen, and going away to the wild
+plains of Texas, to indulge in the roving life for which he longed.
+But he soon found that it was not all pleasure--that hardship and
+disappointment followed, and that whether in England or away in wild
+lands, the best thing for a man was to be a follower of the Lord Jesus
+Christ.
+
+But he did not write to his father, for he believed that he would never
+be forgiven. And he met his wife, and married, and Ralph was born;
+and then he was content, and put all thoughts of the old home away,
+striving to bring his son up as a true Christian, even amidst their
+wild surroundings.
+
+But his wife, when she was dying, spoke seriously to her husband, for
+she knew the truth, and she said that their boy ought to come to his
+own; and so, because she wished it, for the first time Mr. Rexworth
+wrote home to his father.
+
+But Lord Stephen was dead, and his nephew reigned in his place; and
+Lord Elgert had sent a cold letter back, saying that he did not wish to
+have anything to do with a man who had broken a good father's heart,
+and that everything had been left to him.
+
+But with that letter there came another, one written by a faithful old
+servant, enclosing a will. Lord Stephen had made that will just before
+he died, and had entrusted it to his old retainer; so that if ever his
+son, whom he had forgiven, should come back, he should have his own
+again.
+
+Then Mr. Rexworth had started for England with Ralph, but he had not
+told his son anything of the business which took him there; and when at
+last they had reached Stow Ormond he had left the boy at the _Horse and
+Wheel_ with old Simon, and had started off for Castle Court.
+
+And an angry, disappointed man was Lord Elgert when he found that his
+cousin was to take from him everything which he had schemed to gain.
+
+"He had nothing to say," said Mr. Rexworth, "but he looked very strange
+as I left--as if he would have liked to kill me. I had told him that
+no one knew who I really was, and that my own son was ignorant of the
+truth. It was a foolish thing to have done, for it meant that if I were
+out of the way, no one would know anything about the business which had
+brought me home.
+
+"It was dark and cheerless, and I was anxious to get back to you,
+Ralph, so I took the short cut through Stow Wood past the black mere;
+and just as I reached the pond I was startled by some one firing at me
+from behind a tree. The first shot missed, but the second struck my arm
+and broke the bone. It has never been properly set, and has caused me
+much pain.
+
+"I must have fainted, for when I recovered my senses I was a prisoner
+in a strange place--the very house in which you found me. My cousin's
+first intention had been to kill me; but when he found that he had
+failed, his courage wavered, and he had me taken to that place and put
+that man to guard me. He promised to set me free if I would give him
+the will, but that I would not do. I had taken the precaution to leave
+that in London with a lawyer I had known in my younger days, and there
+it is now.
+
+"Lord Elgert's next offer was to set me free if I would sign away half
+the property to him; but that I also refused to do. The man used to
+urge him to kill me, but he seemed possessed with the fear that you,
+Ralph, would find it out if he did so.
+
+"Then one day when I felt very depressed and ill and on the point of
+yielding, I heard your old call, and I answered it, and I knew that you
+had in some way got on my track. And Lord Elgert found that out also,
+for yesterday he came to take me away to another hiding-place, and I
+refused to go. We struggled, and again your call came, and that made
+him desperate. The rest of the story you know, my dear boy. And now you
+must tell me how you managed to get on my track."
+
+So Ralph told his story, and then Mr. Charlton explained how he had,
+whilst hiding in the old ruin, become convinced that Lord Elgert held
+some one prisoner in that strange house, and on the very day when
+Ralph had gone to take his chum's message, he had stolen out to watch.
+Mr. Charlton had seen Ralph go in, and had watched until both Lord
+Elgert and his man came out; then, perplexed and fearing foul play,
+he had stood there until the flames burst out, and that sight had
+dispelled his fear of the dogs and sent him to the rescue.
+
+And then, when the police had arrived and had taken their prisoner
+again, Mr. St. Clive had come after him, not only with that diary,
+but with the man who had written it, and who confessed that he had
+committed the offence at the instigation of Lord Elgert, who had a
+spite against Mr. Charlton.
+
+The innocent man was soon set free after that, and was able to rejoin
+his wife and his son openly and without any fear.
+
+But Lord Elgert? Ah, that was the one thing that made Mr. Rexworth sad.
+He would have forgiven his cousin if he could, much as he had suffered
+at his hands, but the law would not allow that. Lord Elgert had been
+arrested, and the miserable Horace, together with his partner in
+disgrace, Dobson, had run away, and no one knew where they were.
+
+But they were found, for Mr. Dobson set a detective on their track,
+and they were brought back, a pair of sorry-looking objects, dirty and
+ragged.
+
+Mr. Dobson immediately apprenticed his son to a firm of shipowners,
+and sent him off to sea; and Mr. Rexworth, seeing that Horace had no
+friend, did the same for his nephew, hoping that in his new life
+he would become a true and good man. Ralph would have been friendly
+to Horace at their parting, but the proud boy would not accept his
+friendship. Later on they heard that he had deserted his ship when it
+got to Australia, and after that they heard no more of him.
+
+And so punishment overtook those who had done evil, and patience and
+truth reaped their reward at last, as they ever must in the end;
+and Ralph Rexworth was the Hon. Ralph Rexworth Stephen amongst his
+schoolfellows, for Mr. Rexworth thought that it would do him no harm to
+stay at the good doctor's school for a little while before he went to
+college.
+
+Yes, he was "the Honourable." Indeed, he had been the Honourable all
+the time in the true sense of the word. He did not put on any airs--our
+Ralph could not have done that if he had tried--and he and Charlton and
+honest old Tom Warren were three of the staunchest chums that ever you
+met with--always together, and all three working for the good of the
+Fourth; so that when they were promoted to the Fifth, Mr. Delermain
+said that it was one of the greatest losses he had received, and that
+the best influences in his class had all been taken away together.
+
+"But," some of my readers may ask, "did Ralph Rexworth win the Newlet?"
+I declare that I had nearly forgotten that. He did win it; and it will
+not be a bad idea to finish the story by having a peep at him when he
+received it.
+
+Of course, that was on breaking-up day. What a lovely day that always
+is, especially when you know that you have a good report to take home,
+and some prizes to carry away with you.
+
+The great hall at Marlthorpe was decorated with flags, and crowded with
+visitors; while on the platform, which had been constructed at one
+end, all the boys were gathered, class by class, and in the middle of
+them was the Head's chair, and the masters' seats, and a place for the
+speakers--and there was Mr. Rexworth among the speakers!
+
+Well, there they all were; and the Head read his report; and they all
+clapped and shouted at the part where it said that for the second year
+in succession, Marlthorpe had the honour of carrying off the Newlet.
+
+"Good old Rexworth!" shouted one boy. And the Head had to cry order
+sharply; whereat Jimmy Green nudged Tinkle and said "Shut up, you
+silly!" so it must have been Tinkle who shouted.
+
+And then there were the speeches, and then the recitations; and Tinkle
+and Green were most wonderfully impressive in the quarrel between
+Brutus and Cassius--only just at the part where Brutus had to say "Take
+this dagger," he found he had no dagger with him; and Cassius said very
+rudely, and quite out loud, so that every one could hear it--
+
+"You silly owl! I knew you would forget it; and I made such a lovely
+one, with silver foil for a blade."
+
+"Imagine the dagger," whispered Mr. Rexworth, his face red with
+laughter. And the dagger being imagined, the quarrel went on, and was
+made up in the most approved fashion.
+
+And then, recitations over, there came a short pause--an impressive
+pause, during which small juniors pushed back their hair, and arranged
+collars and ties, and tried to look irreproachable, for prizes were
+coming--prizes!
+
+They began with the juniors first. That is a wise plan, because, having
+got their share, they are more likely to sit still while the upper
+classes are being dealt with. The juniors! And every one laughed and
+clapped as the little fellows walked up to the Head, so stiff and
+awkward, and saluted for all the world like penny dolls worked by a
+string, and having clutched their prizes and bobbed to the audience,
+scuttled back to their seats to have their immediate neighbours bend
+enviously over that lovely book, and take hurried glances at the
+pictures.
+
+The middle classes--that is the Upper Third and Lower Fourth--next.
+With them we have nothing to do, beyond saying that both Tinkle and
+Green were amongst the prize-winners and that almost before they had
+got back to their seats, they had challenged each other to mortal
+combat, because each said his book was better than the other's.
+
+Then the seniors--the Upper Fourth--Warren and Charlton. And each of
+them got clapped and cheered, as they richly deserved to be.
+
+And then Ralph Rexworth Stephen--how strange it sounded to hear him
+called that!--and such a burst of cheering and "Brave old Ralph!" and
+"Buck up, Ralph!" Well, the Head smiled; and for once Ralph looked
+quite foolish and nervous, and as if he would have liked to cry--it was
+so good to feel that all his schoolmates respected him!
+
+But his prize given, the Head took up a little case by his side and
+took from it a gold medal with blue ribbon attached to it. The Newlet
+Gold Medal, won for Marlthorpe College by Ralph!
+
+Talk of cheering then! It almost deafened one. And--those boys had been
+plotting together--Warren nodded and winked; and Charlton dived down
+and got something from beneath the form; and Irene suddenly appeared at
+Ralph's side with a tiny little laurel wreath, such as they crowned the
+heroes with in the olden days, when men worked for honour and not for
+gold; and while the people laughed and clapped she put it on Ralph's
+head, and at that moment Tom Warren and Charlton held up a great
+flag--Old England's Union Jack. They had thought all this out, mind
+you--the sly fellows they were; and Kesterway, the senior monitor of
+the school, shouted at the top of his voice--
+
+"Now then, fellows! Three times three for the Honourable Ralph, while
+he stands under Honour's Flag!"
+
+"Hurrah! Hurrah! Hurrah!"
+
+"And a whole holiday to-morrow!"
+
+"Hurrah! Hurrah! Hurrah!"
+
+And when no one was looking--a kiss from Irene for her hero!
+
+
+THE END
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Under Honour's Flag, by Eric Lisle
+
+*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 60604 ***
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-<pre>

-

-The Project Gutenberg EBook of Under Honour's Flag, by Eric Lisle

-

-This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most

-other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions

-whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of

-the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at

-www.gutenberg.org.  If you are not located in the United States, you'll have

-to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook.

-

-Title: Under Honour's Flag

-

-Author: Eric Lisle

-

-Illustrator: G. H. Evison

-

-Release Date: October 31, 2019 [EBook #60604]

-

-Language: English

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-Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1

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-*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK UNDER HONOUR'S FLAG ***

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-</pre>

-

-

-<div class ="mynote"><p class="center">Transcriber's Note:<br /><br />

-Obvious typographic errors have been corrected.<br /></p></div>

-

-<hr />

-

-<div class="center"><a name="cover.jpg" id="cover.jpg"></a><img src="images/cover.jpg" alt="cover" /></div>

-

-<hr />

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_i" id="Page_i">[Pg i]</a></span></p>

-

-<div class="center"><img src="images/booklist.jpg" alt="NEW POPULAR BOOKS FOR BOYS" /></div>

-

-<hr />

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_ii" id="Page_ii">[Pg ii]</a></span></p>

-

-<h1>UNDER HONOUR'S FLAG</h1>

-

-<hr />

-

-<div class="center"><img src="images/frontispiece.jpg" alt=">Forgetful of all precaution" /></div>

-

-<p class="bold">"<span class="smcap">Forgetful of all precaution Elgert struck a savage

-blow at him.</span>"</p>

-

-<p class="bold"><i>Frontispiece.</i> <span class="s15">&nbsp;</span> [<i>see p. 257.</i></p>

-

-<hr />

-

-<div class="center"><img src="images/title.jpg" alt="title page" /></div>

-

-<hr />

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_iii" id="Page_iii">[Pg iii]</a></span></p>

-

-<p class="bold2">Under Honour's<br />Flag</p>

-

-<p class="bold space-above">By the</p>

-

-<p class="bold2">REV. ERIC LISLE</p>

-

-<p class="bold space-above">WITH ORIGINAL ILLUSTRATIONS BY<br />G. H. EVISON.</p>

-

-<div class="center space-above"><img src="images/logo.jpg" alt="logo" /></div>

-

-<p class="bold space-above">LONDON<br />FREDERICK WARNE &amp; CO<br />

-AND NEW YORK<br /><br />(<i>All rights reserved</i>)</p>

-

-<hr />

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_iv" id="Page_iv">[Pg iv]</a></span></p>

-

-<p class="center"><span class="smcap">Butler &amp; Tanner<br />The Selwood Printing Works<br />Frome and London</span></p>

-

-<hr />

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_v" id="Page_v">[Pg v]</a></span></p>

-

-<h2>CONTENTS</h2>

-

-<table summary="CONTENTS">

-  <tr>

-    <td colspan="2" class="left"><span class="smaller">CHAPTER</span></td>

-    <td><span class="smaller">PAGE</span></td>

-  </tr>

-  <tr>

-    <td>I&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>

-    <td class="left"><span class="smcap">A Strange Affair</span></td>

-    <td><a href="#Page_1">1</a></td>

-  </tr>

-  <tr>

-    <td>II&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>

-    <td class="left"><span class="smcap">A Cruel Implication</span></td>

-    <td><a href="#Page_15">15</a></td>

-  </tr>

-  <tr>

-    <td>III&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>

-    <td class="left"><span class="smcap">Mr. St. Clive proves himself a True Friend</span></td>

-    <td><a href="#Page_25">25</a></td>

-  </tr>

-  <tr>

-    <td>IV&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>

-    <td class="left"><span class="smcap">Ralph's First Day at School</span></td>

-    <td><a href="#Page_35">35</a></td>

-  </tr>

-  <tr>

-    <td>V&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>

-    <td class="left"><span class="smcap">Making Things Straight</span></td>

-    <td><a href="#Page_45">45</a></td>

-  </tr>

-  <tr>

-    <td>VI&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>

-    <td class="left"><span class="smcap">An Early Morning Spin</span></td>

-    <td><a href="#Page_55">55</a></td>

-  </tr>

-  <tr>

-    <td>VII&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>

-    <td class="left"><span class="smcap">Horace Elgert Goes a little Too Far</span></td>

-    <td><a href="#Page_65">65</a></td>

-  </tr>

-  <tr>

-    <td>VIII&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>

-    <td class="left"><span class="smcap">A Mysterious Midnight Visitor</span></td>

-    <td><a href="#Page_75">75</a></td>

-  </tr>

-  <tr>

-    <td>IX&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>

-    <td class="left"><span class="smcap">Altogether Beyond Explanation</span></td>

-    <td><a href="#Page_84">84</a></td>

-  </tr>

-  <tr>

-    <td>X&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>

-    <td class="left"><span class="smcap">Counsels and Promises</span></td>

-    <td><a href="#Page_94">94</a></td>

-  </tr>

-  <tr>

-    <td>XI&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>

-    <td class="left"><span class="smcap">Going in for Grinding</span></td>

-    <td><a href="#Page_103">103</a></td>

-  </tr>

-  <tr>

-    <td>XII&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>

-    <td class="left"><span class="smcap">The Stolen Banknote</span></td>

-    <td><a href="#Page_113">113</a></td>

-  </tr>

-  <tr>

-    <td>XIII&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>

-    <td class="left"><span class="smcap">Divided Opinions</span></td>

-    <td><a href="#Page_122">122</a></td>

-  </tr>

-  <tr>

-    <td>XIV&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>

-    <td class="left"><span class="smcap">By the River Side</span></td>

-    <td><a href="#Page_131">131</a></td>

-  </tr>

-  <tr>

-    <td>XV&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>

-    <td class="left"><span class="smcap">The Lost Pocket-Book</span></td>

-    <td><a href="#Page_140">140</a></td>

-  </tr>

-  <tr>

-    <td>XVI&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>

-    <td class="left"><span class="smcap">Things look Black for Ralph</span></td>

-    <td><a href="#Page_150">150</a></td>

-  </tr>

-  <tr>

-    <td><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_vi" id="Page_vi">[Pg vi]</a></span>XVII&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>

-    <td class="left"><span class="smcap">The Plot that Failed</span></td>

-    <td><a href="#Page_159">159</a></td>

-  </tr>

-  <tr>

-    <td>XVIII&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>

-    <td class="left"><span class="smcap">Where the Banknote Went</span></td>

-    <td><a href="#Page_168">168</a></td>

-  </tr>

-  <tr>

-    <td>XIX&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>

-    <td class="left"><span class="smcap">The Lame Horse once more</span></td>

-    <td><a href="#Page_177">177</a></td>

-  </tr>

-  <tr>

-    <td>XX&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>

-    <td class="left"><span class="smcap">To Mr. St. Clive's</span></td>

-    <td><a href="#Page_186">186</a></td>

-  </tr>

-  <tr>

-    <td>XXI&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>

-    <td class="left"><span class="smcap">A House of Refuge</span></td>

-    <td><a href="#Page_195">195</a></td>

-  </tr>

-  <tr>

-    <td>XXII&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>

-    <td class="left"><span class="smcap">An Afternoon Ramble</span></td>

-    <td><a href="#Page_204">204</a></td>

-  </tr>

-  <tr>

-    <td>XXIII&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>

-    <td class="left"><span class="smcap">The Ruin and the Lonely House</span></td>

-    <td><a href="#Page_213">213</a></td>

-  </tr>

-  <tr>

-    <td>XXIV&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>

-    <td class="left"><span class="smcap">For the Sake of Revenge</span></td>

-    <td><a href="#Page_222">222</a></td>

-  </tr>

-  <tr>

-    <td>XXV&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>

-    <td class="left"><span class="smcap">Just in Time</span></td>

-    <td><a href="#Page_231">231</a></td>

-  </tr>

-  <tr>

-    <td>XXVI&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>

-    <td class="left"><span class="smcap">Tom Warren Speaks His Mind</span></td>

-    <td><a href="#Page_240">240</a></td>

-  </tr>

-  <tr>

-    <td>XXVII&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>

-    <td class="left"><span class="smcap">In the Dead of the Night</span></td>

-    <td><a href="#Page_249">249</a></td>

-  </tr>

-  <tr>

-    <td>XXVIII&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>

-    <td class="left"><span class="smcap">The Next Day</span></td>

-    <td><a href="#Page_259">259</a></td>

-  </tr>

-  <tr>

-    <td>XXIX&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>

-    <td class="left"><span class="smcap">What Tinkle and Green Caught</span></td>

-    <td><a href="#Page_268">268</a></td>

-  </tr>

-  <tr>

-    <td>XXX&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>

-    <td class="left"><span class="smcap">What Detained Ralph Rexworth</span></td>

-    <td><a href="#Page_277">277</a></td>

-  </tr>

-  <tr>

-    <td>XXXI&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>

-    <td class="left"><span class="smcap">The Tables are Turned</span></td>

-    <td><a href="#Page_286">286</a></td>

-  </tr>

-  <tr>

-    <td>XXXII&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>

-    <td class="left"><span class="smcap">Flogged and Expelled</span></td>

-    <td><a href="#Page_294">294</a></td>

-  </tr>

-  <tr>

-    <td>XXXIII&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>

-    <td class="left"><span class="smcap">Conclusion</span></td>

-    <td><a href="#Page_303">303</a></td>

-  </tr>

-</table>

-

-<hr />

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_1" id="Page_1">[Pg 1]</a></span></p>

-

-<p class="bold2">UNDER HONOUR'S FLAG</p>

-

-<h2><span>CHAPTER I</span> <span class="smaller">A STRANGE AFFAIR</span></h2>

-

-<p>The late autumn afternoon was rapidly drawing in, closing ominously and

-sullenly, as if rebelling against the approach of the winter, and the

-nearer coming of the night.</p>

-

-<p>Great banks of purple vapour rose in the west; and sinking towards the

-earth, spread abroad in hazy wreaths, which seemed to possess, in a

-fainter degree, the hues of their parent clouds above.</p>

-

-<p>The air was heavy with moisture, which condensed and dripped from the

-red leaves of the sycamore, the brown of the beech, and the yellow of

-lime and poplar. It glistened on the rich green of the crimson-berried

-hollies; it begemmed the festooning webs of the weaving spiders; and

-brought with it a chilling breath which seemed to strike through one.</p>

-

-<p>In that gloaming hour a man and youth toiled wearily up the steep hill

-over which the main road runs before it descends into the quaint old

-town of Stow Ormond; yet as they reached the summit they hastened<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2" id="Page_2">[Pg 2]</a></span>

-their steps, with the air of those who were drawing near to a welcome

-resting-place.</p>

-

-<p>The man was tall and refined-looking; and though a crisp, curling beard

-and full moustache hid the greater part of his face, the features

-visible revealed determination and strong will, and their bronzed hue

-showed plainly that their owner had lived beneath warmer skies than

-those of England. And yet, despite health and good looks and strength

-of will, an expression of anxiety was there; and as he walked along he

-appeared to be more occupied with his own thoughts than in attending to

-the remarks of the lad by his side, whose questions he frequently left

-unanswered.</p>

-

-<p>The boy was so like the man that there could be little room for

-doubting that they were father and son; a well-built, handsome youth,

-with the same bronzed cheek, but with an expression on his face which

-indicated the utmost disgust with his surroundings. This was his first

-experience of a damp, chill autumn mist, and he did not like it in the

-least.</p>

-

-<p>Both the travellers were comfortably clad, though their clothes seemed

-cut more for comfort than with a regard to fashion; indicating that

-they certainly were not from the workshop of any fashionable tailor.</p>

-

-<p>Reaching the top of the hill, the two wayfarers paused; and the man,

-pointing down into the town which lay before them, said, with a sigh of

-relief:</p>

-

-<p>"There you are, Ralph! That is our destination for to-night; it may be

-our haven for many days."</p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_3" id="Page_3">[Pg 3]</a></span></p>

-

-<p>"Funny looking place," laughed the boy. "But all these English towns

-are funny, after the plains and the mountains. And it is funny," he

-added, "that I am an English boy, and yet am talking like that."</p>

-

-<p>"Not funny, lad, seeing that you have never set foot in your native

-land before. Ah me, it is not funny to me! It comes back like the

-faces of old familiar friends. The scenes of childhood's happiness,

-and youth's hopes and follies. All changed, and yet nothing changed;

-and I myself unchanged, and yet most changed of all! Come," he went

-on, "you are tired, for we have walked a long way, and have had a long

-railway journey into the bargain. Unless things are altered down there,

-we shall find a comfortable old inn where we can put up, Ralph&mdash;a real

-old English inn. Quite different from the hotels where we have stopped.

-Come on, lad!"</p>

-

-<p>Changing his handbag from one cramped hand to the other, the lad obeyed

-the call, and trudged forward briskly with the strong, elastic step of

-buoyant youth. At first he poured out a string of questions relative

-to life in English towns; but one or two being unanswered, he glanced

-towards his father, and perceiving him buried in thought again, he

-walked on in silence, yet keen-eyed, noting everything around.</p>

-

-<p>A few scattered cottages and outlying buildings<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_4" id="Page_4">[Pg 4]</a></span> passed, the pair

-were in the precincts of the town itself; and almost one of the first

-houses they came to was the one the father sought&mdash;a quaint, thatched,

-many-gabled old place, with commodious stabling and a great creaking

-sign-post near the horse trough, giving the information to all who

-cared to possess it that this was the <i>Horse and Wheel Inn</i>, wherein

-might be found accommodation for both man and beast.</p>

-

-<p>"Just the same! Nothing changed!" murmured the man as the two arrived

-at the spot. "Twenty years have brought no revolution here. Come, lad!"

-And he entered the old hostelry.</p>

-

-<p>A bonnie waiting-maid met them; and in response to the man's query if

-they could have a room she called the landlord, a portly old fellow,

-with bald head fringed with grey hair, a pair of twinkling merry

-eyes beneath overhanging brows, and a face wherein all the principal

-features seemed to be entered into a competition as to which could look

-the ruddiest.</p>

-

-<p>"Have a room, sir?" said this individual, in a voice which seemed to

-proceed from his boots. "Ay, that you can, sir, and all else that you

-require. Here, Mary girl, show the gentleman to Number Ten! Have the

-bags carried up, and serve their dinner in the private room."</p>

-

-<p>"Number Ten!" said the guest, as he heard the number given. "Come on,

-Ralph, I know the way!"<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_5" id="Page_5">[Pg 5]</a></span> And he led his son upstairs with the air of

-one who did indeed know, much to the worthy landlord's astonishment,

-who murmured to himself as he waddled off to attend to some waggoners&mdash;</p>

-

-<p>"He must ha' been here before; but I don't remember his face in the

-least."</p>

-

-<p>"He does not recognize me," mused his guest, in his turn. "How should

-he, after all those years? Poor old Simon, he has not changed much! A

-little stouter, a little huskier, and more shaky; that is all. Time has

-dealt gently with him!"</p>

-

-<p>The meal, which was ordered and duly served, proved that the <i>Horse

-and Wheel</i>, whatever it might do for beasts, claimed no more than its

-due when it came to accommodating the beast's master, man; and the

-appetites of the travellers enabled them to do ample justice to the

-food, served in a room rendered all the more cheerful by the roaring

-fire&mdash;a good, old-fashioned English fire&mdash;which blazed away in the

-capacious fireplace.</p>

-

-<p>But the meal over, the gentleman rose and donned hat and coat, turning

-to his son when he had done so.</p>

-

-<p>"Ralph," he said, "I am going out by myself. I have not brought you

-across the ocean and to this place for nothing. I have business to do

-here which may affect all your future life. What that business is, lad,

-I cannot tell you just now; but you shall know of it presently. I shall

-not be away long&mdash;not <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_6" id="Page_6">[Pg 6]</a></span>more than an hour or two&mdash;and you can spend the

-time as you like. I do not suppose that you will find much in the shape

-of literature here, beyond a copy or two of some local paper or an

-agricultural magazine. They won't interest you much, so you must occupy

-the time as best you can. Prospect around a bit, but don't miss your

-way, or you will find it harder to pick up trails again here than you

-would out yonder where we have come from."</p>

-

-<p>"I shall be all right, father," the boy answered, rather pleased than

-otherwise to be left alone for a little. Every lad of fourteen with any

-spirit in him rather likes that kind of thing.</p>

-

-<p>"Of course you will be. You cannot very well get into harm, and you are

-not the boy to get into mischief. Well, good-bye, my lad, and to-morrow

-if all is well, I will show you what English rural scenery is like, and

-you will find it is more beautiful than it has seemed to you yet." And

-with that the gentleman went out, leaving the boy alone.</p>

-

-<p>At first Ralph wandered round the rooms and examined all the funny,

-old-fashioned pictures, and frowned at some old-time Dresden ornaments

-of shepherds and shepherdesses in Court attire, as though he was not

-quite sure whether they were intended for pagan idols or not; and then,

-getting tired of this, he put on his hat and strolled down into the inn

-yard, where he found more to interest him in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_7" id="Page_7">[Pg 7]</a></span> an ostler who was busily

-grooming a couple of powerful waggon horses. Ralph had never seen a

-real cart-horse before, for the horses he had been accustomed to were

-little, thin, wiry creatures, all sinew and bone, and spirit&mdash;horses

-that could go, and would go, until they dropped, but pigmies compared

-to these mighty creatures&mdash;the largest of all the species.</p>

-

-<p>Then he picked up a long coil of rope lying near and examined it

-with critical eye, which yet seemed to disapprove of its texture and

-quality; and then, idly fashioning a running noose at one end, he

-coiled that rope up, and sent it with a flying jerk over a post thirty

-feet away.</p>

-

-<p>The man stared and paused in his work.</p>

-

-<p>"Ay, but ye couldn't do that again, sir," he ventured; and Ralph, with

-a little flush of something like conceit, immediately repeated his

-performance.</p>

-

-<p>"That be main clever," said the man, and he shambled off to get "Tom"

-and "Garge" and "Luke" to come and see the young gentleman's wonderful

-deed.</p>

-

-<p>Ralph was delighted, and he varied his work by sending the noose over

-one of the men as he ran at full speed across the yard. It was nothing

-to him; he had handled a rope as soon as he had handled anything, and

-he wondered at the surprise the thing caused to these men.</p>

-

-<div class="center"><img src="images/i007.jpg" alt="Sending the noose over one of the men" /></div>

-

-<p class="bold">"<span class="smcap">Sending the noose over one of the men as he ran at<br />

-full speed across the yard.</span>" p. 7</p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_8" id="Page_8">[Pg 8]</a></span></p>

-

-<p>A drove of cattle passed, and Ralph paused and regarded them with

-interest. They were good beasts, but nothing like the troublesome

-wild cattle which he had known. They seemed perfectly contented with

-everything in this life.</p>

-

-<p>"They are very quiet," he observed, and the man nodded.</p>

-

-<p>"They be quiet enough, sir, but there be a bull in yonder paddock; ye

-will see him in a minute, for they will be coming to drive him back to

-his shed; and he be very savage. He ha' killed two poor chaps now, and

-it be a risky job dealing with him. He be quiet enough as a rule; but

-when his temper is bad, then he is bad, too&mdash;and very bad."</p>

-

-<p>"I would like to see him," was the boy's answer; and almost before

-the words were out of his mouth he had his wish granted; for a fierce

-bellow of deep-voiced rage was heard, and rushing along, a broken

-halter streaming behind, there came a magnificent black bull, while

-in his rear, shouting and waving their arms in distress, ran two men,

-who had evidently been engaged in bringing the monster home when he

-had turned upon them, and sent them spinning this way and that ere he

-darted off.</p>

-

-<p>Every one in the way rushed to the nearest cover without ceremony; and

-then a wild scream of terror broke on the air, and Ralph saw, directly

-in the fierce creature's path, a pretty girl, seemingly but a year

-younger than himself; a girl transfixed with fright,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_9" id="Page_9">[Pg 9]</a></span> standing there,

-directly in the pathway of horrible injury, if not death!</p>

-

-<p>And what could he do? He who had been used to cattle was the only one

-who kept his courage. Had he been in the saddle and armed with a good

-stock whip the thing would have been touch and go; but he had nothing,

-and he could not tackle the bull empty-handed.</p>

-

-<p>Stay, there was one thing&mdash;the rope! A chance, but a slender one. Quick

-as a flash he put a couple of turns round the post he had been aiming

-at and gathered the noose for a cast. The bull came thundering along

-the road, head down, tail out, snorting with rage and defiance. If it

-kept on like that it would pass quite close to him. He put another turn

-round the post. The shorter the rope the better the chance; and then,

-hand and eye acting in unison, he sent the noose round his head and

-made his cast. If he succeeded the bull would be over, if he failed the

-girl must go down.</p>

-

-<p>And succeed he did. It was to him quite an easy throw. The noose

-settled fairly over those curving horns. There was a jerk, a roar of

-rage and fear, and the great struggling creature was hurled forward so

-violently, through the force of its flight, that it fell in a cloud of

-scattered mud and stones, and lay half stunned and wholly bewildered.</p>

-

-<p>Ralph, with a cry of thankfulness, ran forward,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_10" id="Page_10">[Pg 10]</a></span> and pulled the girl

-from her dangerous proximity to its mighty legs, just as a gentleman,

-pale with terror, rushed from a shop near by, where he had been giving

-some orders.</p>

-

-<p>"Irene!" he cried. "My little Irene! Thank Heaven that you are safe!"

-Then, as he saw the bull still noosed, and now in the hands of several

-men, he went on&mdash;</p>

-

-<p>"But who did that? Who stopped the bull in that way?" and a dozen hands

-pointed to Ralph, who stood there feeling rather confused and awkward,

-and wishing that he could run away. Young ladies were more terrible

-things in his eyes than were angry bulls; and this young lady was

-thanking him so prettily, while her father, for so the gentleman was,

-kept shaking his hand, hardly able to voice his gratitude. He seemed

-overcome with a sense of the good hand of Providence in the matter.</p>

-

-<p>"You are staying at the inn," he said. "I must return and express my

-thanks to your father. I will take my little daughter home first and

-then come back. Perhaps he will be in by then. What is your name, my

-dear young gentleman?"</p>

-

-<p>"Ralph Rexworth," the lad answered. And the gentleman answered&mdash;</p>

-

-<p>"And mine is Hubert St. Clive, and if ever I can be of service to you I

-shall think nothing too much to enable me to show some return for what

-you have done for me and mine this evening."</p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_11" id="Page_11">[Pg 11]</a></span></p>

-

-<p>It was really a relief to Ralph when Mr. St. Clive had gone, and he was

-glad to get back to his room and escape the curious and admiring crowd,

-though even then he could not shut the landlord out, nor prevent the

-admiration of the maid, who would come in on all sorts of pretexts just

-to have a peep at him; and so the evening wore on, and the time for his

-father's return drew near.</p>

-

-<p>But no father came, and at last Ralph began to grow anxious. He could

-not tell why, but he felt nervous. Had he been alone on the great Texan

-plains, where his boyhood had been passed, he would not have cared in

-the slightest; but here he was so lonely, everything was so different.

-His father had been gone nearly five hours, and Ralph did not know what

-to make of it.</p>

-

-<p>And ten came and went, and eleven; and the landlord looked in

-restlessly, for the old fellow was beginning to have uneasy suspicions

-that his guest had gone off and did not mean to return again, and there

-was the dinner unpaid for.</p>

-

-<p>Still, he could not turn this lonely boy out, so he suggested at last

-that Ralph should go to bed.</p>

-

-<p>"Most like your father has been detained, sir, and he won't be back

-till the morning," he suggested. "Even if he does he can ring us up. We

-likes to get to bed as soon as we can after closing time, for the days

-are long enough, and we do not get too much rest."</p>

-

-<p>So the landlord said, and Ralph took the hint and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_12" id="Page_12">[Pg 12]</a></span> went to his room.

-Throwing himself beside his bed, he prayed as he had never prayed

-before, asking his Heavenly Father to quickly send back to him his own

-dear parent.</p>

-

-<p>To bed, but not to sleep. What could have happened to his father? Had

-he met with any accident? A thousand fears and questions presented

-themselves to the boy's mind, until at last he fell into a restless

-sleep, to dream that his father was calling to him for aid; and when

-he awoke it was to the alarming knowledge that he was still alone&mdash;his

-father had not come back.</p>

-

-<p>His distress was now intensified, and old Simon, the landlord, was

-very perplexed; but he was a good-hearted old fellow, and he saw that

-the boy was provided with a good breakfast, reminding him that Mr. St.

-Clive would be certain to be round in the morning, as he had not come

-the evening before, and that then they could consult with him as to

-what was best to be done.</p>

-

-<p>"You have your breakfast, anyhow," he said. "No one is worth much

-without their food. Mr. St. Clive is a very good gentleman, and he owes

-you a lot for having saved his little daughter. I am quite sure that he

-will be ready to advise you."</p>

-

-<p>"But where can my father have got to?" asked Ralph, and the old man

-shook his head.</p>

-

-<p>"It is more than I can say, sir. Perhaps he will be back soon."</p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_13" id="Page_13">[Pg 13]</a></span></p>

-

-<p>But no father came; and when Mr. St. Clive arrived, which he did soon

-after breakfast was over, he was informed of Ralph's trouble, and he

-looked very grave indeed.</p>

-

-<p>"Run away! Nonsense, Simon?" he said to the landlord, after he had been

-told. "That is absurd! If this gentleman had desired to do anything so

-base as desert his son, he would never have brought him all the way to

-England in order to do so. I will see the young gentleman."</p>

-

-<p>"My dear lad," he greeted Ralph, when he was shown into the room where

-the boy was. "I was unable to return last evening, but I understand

-that it would have been no use had I done so. Your father has not come

-back, I hear."</p>

-

-<p>"No, sir," replied Ralph; "and I feel very troubled, for I cannot

-imagine what has kept him away. He said he would only be a short time."</p>

-

-<p>"You do not know where he was going, or whether he knew any one in the

-locality?"</p>

-

-<p>But Ralph shook his head.</p>

-

-<p>"I do not know, sir. Father did not tell me anything. We have lived all

-my life on the ranch in Texas, and when mother died last year father

-sold the ranch and brought me to England; but he did not tell me why."</p>

-

-<p>"It is strange; but still, it is foolish to make trouble. He may have

-found his business take longer than he anticipated, and&mdash;well, Simon?"</p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_14" id="Page_14">[Pg 14]</a></span></p>

-

-<p>"Beg pardon, Mr. St. Clive, but one of the men from Little Stow has

-just come in, and he has brought me this. He says that he found it in

-Stow Wood, just by the Black Mere."</p>

-

-<p>And what was it that he had found? What was it that should wring a cry

-of grief from Ralph Rexworth? Only a hat&mdash;broken, as from a blow, and

-with an ominous red smear upon it. Only a hat; but that hat was never

-bought in England. It was the hat which his father was wearing when he

-left the inn the previous evening; and there it lay now upon the table,

-a grim, silent explanation of why that father had not returned.</p>

-

-<hr />

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_15" id="Page_15">[Pg 15]</a></span></p>

-

-<h2><span>CHAPTER II</span> <span class="smaller">A CRUEL IMPLICATION</span></h2>

-

-<p>"My dear lad, it is foolish to give way to grief before you are sure

-that there is cause for it"&mdash;so said Mr. St. Clive to Ralph Rexworth,

-trying to comfort the boy and restore his confidence. "I admit that

-this, coupled with your father's absence, looks serious; but still,

-we do not know what explanation there may be to it. Come, try and be

-brave; trust in God, even though the very worst may have befallen; idle

-grief is useless. Let us go to Stow Wood and examine the place; perhaps

-we may discover something which this man may have overlooked. Pluck up

-your courage, and hope for the best; and Ralph, remember, that whatever

-happens you have a friend in myself, who counts it a privilege to be

-able to do anything to show how grateful he is to you for what you did

-yesterday."</p>

-

-<p>Ralph, with an effort, subdued his feelings, and replied gratefully&mdash;</p>

-

-<p>"You are very kind to me, sir. Let us do as you suggest. Will you

-take me to the place? I do not know anything of the country here, of

-course."</p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_16" id="Page_16">[Pg 16]</a></span></p>

-

-<p>"I will go with you, and we will have this man accompany us, and show

-us exactly where he found this hat. Come, we will start at once."</p>

-

-<p>Stow Wood was about a mile and a half from the inn, a rather

-dismal-looking place, where the grass grew long and dank, and where

-stoats and rats found a safe retreat from which to sally forth at night

-upon their marauding expeditions; and the grimmest, most lonely spot

-was around the deep pool, known locally as the Black Mere.</p>

-

-<p>A dark, motionless pool it was; in some parts covered with green weed,

-surrounded by coarse grass.</p>

-

-<p>Local superstition said that it was haunted, and though sensible people

-laughed at that, still the appearance of the spot was enough to give

-rise to such a legend.</p>

-

-<p>"I found the hat just here, sir," said the man, bending down and

-pointing to a clump of blind-nettle. "You can see where it was lying,

-sir."</p>

-

-<p>Mr. St. Clive and Ralph stopped and examined the place. It was clear

-that something resembling a struggle had taken place here, for the tall

-grass was trampled and beaten flat, and, in some places, the earth

-itself had been cut up, as though by the heels of boots. Mr. St. Clive

-felt very grave&mdash;if ever anything seemed to tell of a tragedy, this

-did&mdash;and he said to Ralph&mdash;</p>

-

-<p>"My poor boy, I must own that there seems every appearance of foul play

-here. We shall have to see<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_17" id="Page_17">[Pg 17]</a></span> the police. You are quite sure that your

-father told you nothing, however unimportant it may seem, which might

-give us an inkling of where he was going?"</p>

-

-<p>"He said nothing, sir," answered Ralph sadly. "It is all a mystery to

-me. But now we are here we may as well learn all that we can."</p>

-

-<p>"What more can we learn, Ralph?" asked Mr. St. Clive. "This silent spot

-will not speak and tell us what happened."</p>

-

-<p>"Not to you perhaps, but it will speak to me, sir. I have been brought

-up on the plains, remember, and grass and trees may tell me more than

-they can tell to you. First, sir, is this a direct road to anywhere? I

-mean, is it a general thoroughfare?"</p>

-

-<p>Mr. St. Clive shook his head.</p>

-

-<p>"No, Ralph. It is a rarely frequented spot. The village people are half

-afraid of it. It is a short cut from Stow Ormond to Great Stow, and it

-would argue that your father must have been familiar with the place for

-him to have taken it."</p>

-

-<p>"Where else besides Great Stow does it lead to, sir?"</p>

-

-<p>"Why, my lad, to nowhere in particular. It takes you out the other side

-of Stow Common, and, of course, from there you can go where you will."</p>

-

-<p>Ralph nodded.</p>

-

-<p>"So that we may suppose that any one crossing here would be going to

-Great Stow?"</p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_18" id="Page_18">[Pg 18]</a></span></p>

-

-<p>"Yes. It would save him going all round through Little Stow."</p>

-

-<p>"Very well, sir. Now we will go to the side of the wood nearest to the

-inn."</p>

-

-<p>"Why?" asked Mr. St. Clive in surprise.</p>

-

-<p>"Because I want to know whether my father crossed this place in going

-from the inn; and if so, I want to try and see where he went to. There

-is a lot to learn here, sir; but I must start at the beginning."</p>

-

-<p>Mr. St. Clive was impressed, though he could not understand what Ralph

-meant; and so together they went back to that part of the wood which

-bordered upon Stow Ormond, and here Ralph began to walk to and fro,

-carefully surveying the grass, until presently he stopped and said&mdash;</p>

-

-<p>"My father did cross here. He got over that stile."</p>

-

-<p>"How do you know, Ralph?" asked Mr. St. Clive. "I confess that I see

-nothing to indicate it."</p>

-

-<p>"Why, it is quite clear, sir," answered the boy. "See, the ground here

-is soft and muddy, and this is the imprint of my father's foot here

-in this soft red clay. That has taken the mark like wax. That is his

-square-toed boot."</p>

-

-<p>Mr. St. Clive had to admit that so far the boy was correct. Some one

-wearing a square-toed boot had stepped into a little heap of clay, and

-the footmark was quite clearly defined.</p>

-

-<p>"Now," Ralph went on, pointing to the stile, "here is a mark of clay on

-the stile, so he must have crossed<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_19" id="Page_19">[Pg 19]</a></span> here, and here the grass has been

-trodden down as he went on."</p>

-

-<p>This latter sign was nothing like so clear, but the boy, used to

-reading tracks in the far-off West, showed the man how the blades of

-grass were turned from the weight that had trodden on them; and as

-they walked forward the traces became even plainer, leading past the

-pool, and on towards the common; and Ralph gave a cry as he studied the

-ground.</p>

-

-<p>"Here are two people walking now," he said; "and one wears pointed

-boots!"</p>

-

-<p>"The man who brought the hat to us," suggested Mr. St. Clive.</p>

-

-<p>"No, sir. He wore big boots, with nails in them. You can see the marks

-of those quite plainly, and he came here last of all."</p>

-

-<p>"How do you know that?" demanded Mr. St. Clive, very interested.</p>

-

-<p>"Because the marks that he has made are over all the others," was the

-explanation. "Let us go on."</p>

-

-<p>They followed the traces, faint though they seemed, until they reached

-the common; and here, though Ralph studied the ground for nearly an

-hour, he could discover nothing. Several roads crossed the common,

-and the men must have traversed one of these, but which one there was

-nothing to show.</p>

-

-<p>Back to the pool they went, and here Ralph paused; and Mr. St. Clive,

-looking at him inquiringly, said&mdash;</p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_20" id="Page_20">[Pg 20]</a></span></p>

-

-<p>"Well, what now, my boy? Have you learnt anything?"</p>

-

-<p>"Yes&mdash;a lot, sir; but I do not understand it. Let me tell you what

-these signs tell me. My father crossed here alone, and went somewhere

-across the common, and I do not think that it could have been very far

-away. Then he came back alone&mdash;&mdash;"</p>

-

-<p>"But the second man?" queried Mr. St. Clive.</p>

-

-<p>"One moment, sir. He came alone, and he stopped to light another cigar

-just here. Look, here is the match half-burnt, and the stump of the one

-he threw away."</p>

-

-<p>"Yes; go on," said Mr. St. Clive, nodding his head. "You have reason

-for what you say."</p>

-

-<p>"Now, some one followed my father back, and he wore rather small boots

-with pointed toes&mdash;&mdash;"</p>

-

-<p>"Plenty of gentlemen do that. I wear such boots myself, you see."</p>

-

-<p>"I know, sir. This man was dodging my father, and when he stopped to

-light his cigar the man stopped too, just over there behind that hedge."</p>

-

-<p>"My dear lad, what makes you say that?"</p>

-

-<p>"The mark of his feet are there, and I think he fired at my father more

-than once. He fired once and missed, I know, because this tree has

-got a bullet in the bark, and I am going to have it out! Then he ran

-forward, and there must have been a fight, and father fell just here.

-Look, you can surely see where he lay? See the length where the grass

-is crushed;<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_21" id="Page_21">[Pg 21]</a></span> and see these two marks&mdash;a heel and a toe; that means,

-that some one knelt beside him, and&mdash;&mdash;. Look, look, sir!"</p>

-

-<p>A glimmer of something bright in the long grass caught Ralph's eye,

-and, stooping, he picked up a watch and chain, and a purse, which had

-evidently been thrown hastily aside.</p>

-

-<p>"Whoever killed my father searched him, and wanted something in

-particular. It was no robber, for then he would have taken these and

-not thrown them down."</p>

-

-<p>Mr. St. Clive could only look on in silence. There was something very

-strange in the boy thus unfolding the incidents of a strange mystery,

-reading them from almost invisible signs upon the grass. And Ralph

-continued&mdash;</p>

-

-<p>"Then the man ran away and came back with a cart&mdash;you can see the marks

-of the wheels. See, they come close up here! And here he drove off

-again. I suppose that father was in the cart&mdash;that is what he brought

-it for. The horse went a bit lame, too, in the off forefoot. That is

-all the place can tell me, sir."</p>

-

-<p>All! Mr. St. Clive was amazed that the boy was able to see so much, and

-he followed his reasoning, noting how one footmark partly obliterated

-another, proving that it had been made after it. That a strange meeting

-had taken place in that lonely wood seemed indeed all too likely, but

-beyond that all was<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_22" id="Page_22">[Pg 22]</a></span> mystery. Why had Mr. Rexworth entered this place,

-whither was he going, and who was the man who had come after him?</p>

-

-<p>Ralph had his knife out, and was busily cutting away the bark of one of

-the trees which stood close by. His action proved that he had not been

-wrong in his conjecture&mdash;a flattened piece of lead was embedded there,

-and Frank put it into his pocket.</p>

-

-<p>"Perhaps one day that may tell me some more," he said.</p>

-

-<p>But there was nothing more to do there, though Mr. St. Clive said that

-he would see that the wood was searched through, and that the mere

-was dragged; and then, trying to speak comforting words to Ralph, he

-returned with him to Stow Ormond. And as they entered the inn, a tall,

-handsome gentleman, with one hand in a sling, came out, and seeing Mr.

-St. Clive, greeted him with: "Hallo, St. Clive, I hear that your little

-girl had a narrow escape last night!"</p>

-

-<p>Mr. St. Clive frowned.</p>

-

-<p>"Yes, from your bull, Lord Elgert. You ought to have the brute properly

-guarded. If it had not been for this young gentleman, Irene might have

-been killed."</p>

-

-<p>Lord Elgert stared at Ralph, and his look was not pleasant.</p>

-

-<p>"Oh, is this the young man who noosed him? Well, he has broken the

-bull's knees; but, however, it is fortunate that he was at hand. By the

-way, what is<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_23" id="Page_23">[Pg 23]</a></span> this that Simon tells me. Something has happened in Stow

-Wood?"</p>

-

-<p>"I fear so," replied Mr. St. Clive; and he narrated briefly what they

-had discovered.</p>

-

-<p>Was it fancy, or did Ralph notice that handsome face turn a shade paler

-when mention was made of the bullet cut from the tree? Somehow the boy

-did not like this wealthy gentleman, though he knew not why he should

-regard him with enmity. When Mr. St. Clive had concluded, Lord Elgert

-said&mdash;</p>

-

-<p>"Dear, dear! How strange! But still, you do not know that anything

-has happened. You will tell the police, of course. Can you give a

-description of your father, my boy?"</p>

-

-<p>"I can show his likeness, sir," replied Ralph, taking out his

-pocket-book. "Here it is!"</p>

-

-<p>Lord Elgert took the photograph, but as he looked at it he gave a

-whistle of surprise.</p>

-

-<p>"So this is the missing man?" he said. "St. Clive, perhaps, I can tell

-you something of interest. Last night my place was broken into, and

-I woke up to hear a man in my study. I went down and switched on the

-electric light, so that I could see the rascal quite plainly. He turned

-and tried to bolt, but I closed with him, and in the rough-and-tumble

-he managed to cut my hand open and clear off. St. Clive, I am positive

-that the man was none other than the original of this likeness, and&mdash;&mdash;"</p>

-

-<p>He was interrupted by a passionate cry of pain and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_24" id="Page_24">[Pg 24]</a></span> anger, and Ralph,

-snatching the photograph from his hand, stood confronting him with

-blazing eyes.</p>

-

-<p>"It is false!" he cried. "You know it is false! I believe that you are

-responsible for my father's disappearance!"</p>

-

-<hr />

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_25" id="Page_25">[Pg 25]</a></span></p>

-

-<h2><span>CHAPTER III</span> <span class="smaller">MR. ST. CLIVE PROVES HIMSELF A TRUE FRIEND</span></h2>

-

-<p>"I believe that you are responsible for my father's disappearance."</p>

-

-<p>So did Ralph Rexworth cry in his anger; and Lord Elgert started, and

-his face grew dark with rage.</p>

-

-<p>"You impudent young dog!" he shouted, raising his stick; and the blow

-would have fallen, had not Mr. St. Clive stopped it with his arm.</p>

-

-<p>"Lord Elgert," he said sternly; for he was shocked at the callous way

-in which the charge had been made, "I cannot stand by and allow that.

-You have made a very serious charge&mdash;&mdash;"</p>

-

-<p>"Nothing so serious as that young rascal has made. I am surprised

-that you stand by and listen to it, St. Clive; but you always were

-antagonistic to me! I assert what is fact. My place was broken into&mdash;&mdash;"</p>

-

-<p>"Did any one but yourself see this man?"</p>

-

-<p>"An absurd question! Who was there to see him? By the time the alarm

-was given he was gone. I shall have to tell the police of that

-photograph; it will be wanted to help in tracing him. I expect this

-story is all nonsense; and upon inquiry it will<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_26" id="Page_26">[Pg 26]</a></span> be found that the

-farthest these two have travelled is from London. Most probably this

-boy, who makes such unfounded charges, knew well the business which

-brought his father here. The story of what happened in the woods is

-really too romantic. If two people were there, the second was most

-likely an accomplice; and they have gone off, leaving the boy here to

-see what he can learn, or pick up. You are easily deceived, St. Clive."

-And Lord Elgert turned upon his heel with a mocking laugh.</p>

-

-<p>But ere he could go, Ralph stood in his path, regarding him with a

-fixed stare.</p>

-

-<p>"I do not know you," he said. "I never saw you before; but I can tell

-friend from enemy, and you are an enemy. I am only a boy; but one day I

-will bring your words back to you, and make you prove them."</p>

-

-<p>"Out of my way, you young rascal!" came the answer, "or I will have you

-in prison before long. St. Clive, I wish you joy of your young friend.

-Take my advice, and keep a sharp eye on the silver, if you suffer him

-to enter your house."</p>

-

-<p>Ralph would have surely been provoked into some foolish action had not

-Mr. St. Clive laid a gentle hand upon his shoulder, and led him back

-into the inn; and then the boy quite broke down.</p>

-

-<p>"Oh, sir! Oh, sir!" he cried. "To say such things about my dear

-father&mdash;my dear, kind father! But he shall prove them," he added

-fiercely. "I<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_27" id="Page_27">[Pg 27]</a></span> will make him prove them. I believe that he knows

-something."</p>

-

-<p>"Ralph," answered Mr. St. Clive quietly, "because Lord Elgert has been

-both unkind and foolish, that is no reason why you should talk wildly.

-To say that Lord Elgert has had anything to do with your father's

-disappearance, seems to me to be the very height of folly. He is a rich

-man, and one of our justices&mdash;&mdash;"</p>

-

-<p>"Where does he live, sir?" queried Ralph suddenly.</p>

-

-<p>"At Castle Court, near Great Stow. Ah," he added, as he saw Ralph's

-look, "I know what you are thinking&mdash;that it is in the direction

-whither your father was going! But remember, that will be equally

-applicable to Lord Elgert's story that your father was going there.

-It is most likely that some one in a measure resembling your father,

-did break into Castle Court&mdash;we have not the slightest reason for

-discrediting Lord Elgert's statement&mdash;and in the confusion of the

-struggle, he did not clearly distinguish his opponent, and so says that

-he resembles this photograph. Mistaken identity is a common occurrence,

-and&mdash;&mdash;"</p>

-

-<p>"You do not believe his story, sir? I could not bear to think that."</p>

-

-<p>"I do not, Ralph. If I did so, I should still feel my debt of gratitude

-to you; but I do not believe it. I am not so foolish as to mistake

-between a gentleman and a thief; and though I have not seen your

-father, I think that I can see him in you and your<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_28" id="Page_28">[Pg 28]</a></span> manner. Now be

-brave, and do not trouble about what his lordship said. He was angry

-because you spoke as you did; and though it was natural, your language

-was not very polite." And Mr. St. Clive smiled slightly. "Now let us

-talk sensibly. First, you cannot stay here by yourself; therefore,

-disregarding the warning I have received, I invite you to be my guest

-for the time, until we can see what is best to be done. What money have

-you of your own?"</p>

-

-<p>"Only a few shillings, but there is the purse, sir." And Ralph opened

-the purse which they had picked up in Stow Wood. "Here are five

-sovereigns, and two five-pound notes, sir."</p>

-

-<p>"Then we had better pay the innkeeper and make a start. Simon"&mdash;as the

-old fellow came in answer to the bell&mdash;"I am going to take this young

-gentleman home with me. If his father should return, or if letters

-arrive, you will let us know. Make out your bill. And, Simon, I suppose

-that you did not recognize Mr. Rexworth at all?"</p>

-

-<p>"Why, no, sir; I cannot say that I did! But he knew the place, sir;

-and when I told the girl to show him up to No. 10, sir, he just went

-straight up to it. He knew the <i>Horse and Wheel</i>, sir."</p>

-

-<p>"Well, get your bill ready."</p>

-

-<p>The old man went out. It was something of a relief to know that he

-was going to be paid; for he had begun to have some doubts about the

-matter.</p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_29" id="Page_29">[Pg 29]</a></span></p>

-

-<p>So it came about that Ralph Rexworth was taken home by Mr. St. Clive;

-and there he was received with kindness and warmth by that gentleman's

-wife, while little Irene smiled shyly, and put out one dainty little

-hand for him to take in his brown palm.</p>

-

-<p>"I thank you very much," the little lass said. "I think that horrid

-bull would have killed me if it had not been for you." And Mrs. St.

-Clive shuddered as she listened; for her husband had told her how great

-was the peril from which Irene had been rescued.</p>

-

-<p>Leaving the two young people to make friends, Mr. St. Clive took his

-wife aside and told her of the strange position in which their young

-guest was placed.</p>

-

-<p>"The boy does not seem to have a friend in the world," he said. "And he

-is undoubtedly a gentleman, Kate. What is to be done? His father may

-return; but I confess that it looks as if a tragedy had taken place. It

-was wonderful how the lad pieced together traces which were invisible

-to me. I fear that something bad has occurred. As to Lord Elgert's

-idea, I do not put much faith in it. Elgert is too fond of thinking

-evil of people&mdash;he is one of the most merciless men on the bench. What

-shall we do, Kate?"</p>

-

-<p>"Do?" replied his wife, with a fond smile. "Why, Hubert, you have

-already determined what to do!"</p>

-

-<p>Her husband laughed pleasantly.</p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_30" id="Page_30">[Pg 30]</a></span></p>

-

-<p>"I confess that I have. Still, I like to have your desire run with my

-own. You want this lad to stay here?"</p>

-

-<p>"Yes, Hubert. If he is lonely and friendless, let us be his friends;

-for had he not rescued her, our dear little daughter would have been

-killed."</p>

-

-<p>So husband and wife agreed; but when they went to Ralph they found that

-he was not quite willing to accept the invitation.</p>

-

-<p>"I know how kind it is of you," the boy said. "And it is true that

-I have no friends, and nowhere to go; but I&mdash;I cannot live on your

-charity. I want to earn my living somehow."</p>

-

-<p>"That is good, Ralph," was the hearty reply of Mr. St. Clive; "but you

-must be reasonable. There is such a thing as unreasonable pride. You

-cannot earn your living in any calling as a gentleman, without you are

-fitted for it. Your life on the plains, and life here, or in London,

-would be very vastly different. If you had friends in Texas we might

-send you back again&mdash;&mdash;"</p>

-

-<p>"No, no, sir!" cried Ralph, interrupting him. "I could not go back.

-Here I must stay for two reasons. I must live to find out what has

-become of my father, and I must clear his name from the accusation that

-man made."</p>

-

-<p>"Your first reason is good; your second I do not think that you need

-worry over. Then you will stay? Well, then, you must certainly let the

-wish of my<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_31" id="Page_31">[Pg 31]</a></span> wife and of Irene conquer your pride. I want to help you

-all I can; and if presently it is better for you to go, I promise you

-that I will not seek to detain you."</p>

-

-<p>"Do stop, Ralph," added Irene, who, pet as she was, had stolen into

-her father's study, and heard what was said. "I want you to stay; and

-I want you to teach me how to throw a rope like that, though I should

-never dare to throw it at a bull. Please stay."</p>

-

-<p>And somehow Ralph looked down into that upturned little face, and he

-could not say "no."</p>

-

-<p>"It is very good of you, sir," he murmured, to Mr. St. Clive,

-"especially after what Lord Elgert said&mdash;&mdash;"</p>

-

-<p>"My lad, do not be so sensitive concerning that."</p>

-

-<p>"But I cannot help it, sir. He first called my father a thief; and

-he&mdash;he&mdash;you know what he said about your silver?"</p>

-

-<p>And Ralph turned very red.</p>

-

-<p>Mr. St. Clive understood, and sympathized. He liked Ralph all the

-better for being keenly sensitive about it.</p>

-

-<p>"There, let it go, my dear boy. Now, once more, business. Have you any

-luggage, save these two handbags?"</p>

-

-<p>"In London, sir. Two great trunks. Father left them at the station.

-Here are the papers for them." And the boy took a railway luggage

-receipt from his pocket-book.</p>

-

-<p>"This is important. We may find something to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_32" id="Page_32">[Pg 32]</a></span> help us in those trunks,"

-cried Mr. St. Clive. "Of course, I am not legally justified in touching

-them, Ralph; but, under the circumstances, I think that I might do

-so. We must have them here, and examine their contents. We may then

-discover what brought your father to Stow Ormond; and that, in its

-turn, might give us some clue as to what may have happened."</p>

-

-<p>"I do not think there is much doubt as to what has happened," sighed

-the boy. But Mr. St. Clive would not listen to that.</p>

-

-<p>"Never look at the darkest side, lad. There is a kind Providence over

-all, and we must never despair. Now, our very first task must be to

-obtain your travelling trunks without delay."</p>

-

-<p>Mr. St. Clive lost no time in putting this resolution into practice.

-The trunks were got down from London, and opened; but, to their

-disappointment, their contents revealed nothing which tended in any way

-to throw a light upon the mystery&mdash;clothing, a few mementoes of their

-Texan home, and&mdash;and in view of Ralph's future welfare this was most

-important&mdash;banknotes and gold to the amount of £3,000!</p>

-

-<p>"No need to feel yourself dependent upon any one now, Ralph," was the

-remark of Mr. St. Clive, as they counted this money; "and no need to

-give another thought to Lord Elgert's suspicions. People possessed of

-so much money do not go breaking into houses,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_33" id="Page_33">[Pg 33]</a></span> risking their liberty

-for the sake of what they may be able to steal."</p>

-

-<p>Now, though Irene St. Clive was delighted, and would have been quite

-content for Ralph to have stayed as her companion, her father did

-not look at matters in that way; and he had a serious talk with

-Ralph, having first quietly questioned him in order to ascertain his

-acquirements.</p>

-

-<p>"You see, Ralph," he said, "what a man needs in England is quite

-different from what he may need abroad. You can ride, shoot, and round

-up cattle; but that is no good here. Your father has given you a

-general education, so that you are not a dunce; but it is nothing like

-what you will need as a gentleman here. Knowledge is power and your

-desire to clear up the matter of your father's disappearance demands

-that you should acquire all the power obtainable. My advice&mdash;I have

-no right to insist, remember&mdash;but my advice is that you should spend

-a couple of years at a first-class school&mdash;we have a splendid one

-here&mdash;and if you work honestly during that time, with your intellect

-you ought to have made a good headway. What do you say?"</p>

-

-<p>The boy knit his brows. To one who had passed his days in a wild, free

-life, such a prospect did not hold out many charms; but then Ralph was

-fond of learning, and had sometimes sighed that he could not learn

-more. Besides, his one object in life was to solve the matter of his

-father's disappearance,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_34" id="Page_34">[Pg 34]</a></span> and clear his name from any foul charge. In

-his heart, Ralph had resolved ever to live under honour's flag. He

-looked up, and answered frankly&mdash;</p>

-

-<p>"I will be guided entirely by you, sir, unless my father comes back;

-then, of course, I should do whatever he directed."</p>

-

-<p>"My feeling is, that had your father elected to remain in England he

-would certainly have sent you to school. Now, Ralph, I am going to be

-frank with you. We have, as I have said, a splendid school near here;

-but amongst its pupils is Horace Elgert. I fear that he takes after

-his father somewhat; and if Lord Elgert has said anything, or does say

-anything to him when he knows you are there, young Horace may try to

-make it unpleasant for you. Do you understand?"</p>

-

-<p>"Perfectly, sir," replied Ralph.</p>

-

-<p>"And will you go there?"</p>

-

-<p>Ralph looked Mr. St. Clive in the face, and he answered firmly:</p>

-

-<p>"Yes, sir. The boy's being there is nothing to me. I will go."</p>

-

-<p>"Good!" replied Mr. St. Clive, with a nod of appreciation. "We will go

-over and see the Headmaster to-morrow."</p>

-

-<hr />

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_35" id="Page_35">[Pg 35]</a></span></p>

-

-<h2><span>CHAPTER IV</span> <span class="smaller">RALPH'S FIRST DAY AT SCHOOL</span></h2>

-

-<p>"He is a fine young fellow, but his past life has been spent amidst

-very different scenes, and he is far from having a fitting education.

-But he is very intellectual and will acquire knowledge quickly. His

-father must have been a gentleman, and he has taught his son to be one

-also."</p>

-

-<p>It was Mr. St. Clive who spoke, and his words were addressed to Dr.

-Beverly, the principal of Marlthorpe College&mdash;the best school in all

-the county.</p>

-

-<p>A fine-looking man was the doctor, tall, erect, dignified, with firm

-face and piercing eyes&mdash;eyes which could look terribly severe when

-their owner was angry, but which otherwise were gentle, and even

-mirthful.</p>

-

-<p>Dr. Beverly was proud of his school, but prouder still of his work. He

-did not labour to make scholars only, but also to build up men&mdash;good,

-noble men&mdash;who should be a credit to the old school, and a blessing to

-their country. Work or play, the doctor believed in everything being

-done as well as it could be, for his watchword was "Whatever you do, do

-it to the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_36" id="Page_36">[Pg 36]</a></span> glory of God," and nothing can be done to God's glory that

-is not done as well as it possibly can be.</p>

-

-<p>Mr. St. Clive had explained how Ralph came to be under his care,

-and had told the doctor how much he owed to him; and he finished by

-mentioning the cruel statement which Lord Elgert had made, and the

-angry way in which Ralph had answered it.</p>

-

-<p>"I tell you this," he said, "that you may know everything. I attach no

-weight to Elgert's statement myself&mdash;it is too absurd, but you must

-exercise your own discretion," and the doctor smiled slightly.</p>

-

-<p>"Lord Elgert is rather prone to make rash statements," he said. "I

-shall be quite willing to receive your young friend, and I will do my

-best to turn him into a good man."</p>

-

-<p>"That I am sure of," was the hearty reply, "and I am also sure that you

-will have good material to work upon. Then I will bring Ralph over."</p>

-

-<p>"And do you propose that he shall board here entirely, or return to you

-every Saturday, as most of the lads do?"</p>

-

-<p>"Oh, come home. That is how I did in my day&mdash;you know I want to watch

-the boy. Good-day, doctor," and Mr. St. Clive came away.</p>

-

-<p>Marlthorpe College was a splendid old building, with large playing

-fields at the back, and a great quadrangle in front, to which entrance

-was gained through a pair of great iron gates, against which the

-porter's lodge was built.</p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_37" id="Page_37">[Pg 37]</a></span></p>

-

-<p>The school itself was at the other side of the quadrangle, directly

-facing the gates&mdash;a two storey building, with the hall, in which the

-whole school assembled upon special occasions, below, and with the

-classrooms above. It had two wings; the one to the right being the

-doctor's own residence, and that on the left the undermaster's quarters.</p>

-

-<p>At the back there were again buildings on the right and left&mdash;on the

-left junior dormitories, the dining-hall, and matron's rooms; and on

-the right senior dormitories and studies.</p>

-

-<p>Mr. St. Clive drove home and told Ralph the result of his visit.</p>

-

-<p>"I am sure that you will like the doctor," he said, "and you will find

-your companions a nice lot of fellows. Of course there will be some

-unpleasant ones; and Ralph, if things are as they used to be, you

-will find that there are two sets of fellows&mdash;those who mean to work

-honestly, and those who never intend to take pains. I need not ask

-which set you will belong to," and Mr. St. Clive smiled. "But now,"

-he added, "I want you to try and be brave. You have a very terrible

-sorrow, I know; and it is hard to put it from my mind&mdash;&mdash;"</p>

-

-<p>"It is never from my mind, sir," interrupted Ralph sadly. "I am always

-thinking of it."</p>

-

-<p>"But you must not brood over it. To do that, will unfit you for all

-else. Leave it with God, Ralph, and do not let even so great a grief

-interfere with life's<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_38" id="Page_38">[Pg 38]</a></span> duties. Will you promise me to try and remember

-this?"</p>

-

-<p>"I will indeed, sir," answered Ralph. "If I have lost father, I mean to

-try and think that he knows, and just do that which would please him."</p>

-

-<p>"That is good; but still better is it to remember that we have to

-try and do that which shall please our Heavenly Father. Now, Ralph,

-I suppose that out where you made your home, blows often were the

-only way of settling troubles. I do not say that blows are never

-justifiable, for sometimes we are placed in such circumstances as

-warrant fighting, but do not be too ready to quarrel, or to avenge

-every fancied insult with your fist. But there, I am sure that I can

-leave that to you. Now come to lunch, and then we must see about

-starting."</p>

-

-<p>"I am so glad that you are coming home every week, Ralph," so said

-Irene St. Clive, when she heard of the arrangements which her father

-had made. "My own lessons are finished on Friday, and we can have all

-Saturday to ourselves. I shall count all the days until each Saturday

-comes."</p>

-

-<p>So with kindly words to cheer him on his way, Ralph started off with

-Mr. St. Clive, and was introduced to Dr. Beverly; and Ralph felt that

-he liked the doctor from the very first moment that he saw him; and he

-determined that he would do all that he could to get on and prove to

-Mr. St. Clive that he meant to keep his word.</p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_39" id="Page_39">[Pg 39]</a></span></p>

-

-<p>Then when his friend had gone, the doctor questioned Ralph to see just

-what he knew; and at the conclusion of the examination he laid his hand

-on his shoulder.</p>

-

-<p>"My boy," he said, "it is my desire always to have the fullest

-confidence in my scholars, and also to enjoy their confidence. I want

-you to remember that I desire to be your friend as well as your master,

-and that out of school hours I am always glad to see any of my boys who

-want to talk with me. I do not mean who want to come tale-bearing," he

-added, and Ralph smiled as he answered&mdash;</p>

-

-<p>"Thank you, sir. I think I understand."</p>

-

-<p>"You will have to be in the Fourth Form at first, that is the lowest

-Form in the Senior House," the doctor continued. "But if you work well,

-you will soon be in the Fifth. Now, if you will come with me I will

-introduce you to your master, Mr. Delermain, and I think you will find

-him ever ready to help you in any way he can."</p>

-

-<p>Ralph thanked the Head again, and followed him, with more of curiosity

-than of nervousness, to make the acquaintance of the boys with whom he

-was to study; and twenty pairs of eyes glanced up as the Head opened

-the door, and then dropped as quickly when they saw who had entered.</p>

-

-<p>But the master rose from his seat and came forward to meet the doctor,

-who said, patting Ralph on the shoulder&mdash;</p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_40" id="Page_40">[Pg 40]</a></span></p>

-

-<p>"I have brought you a new scholar, Mr. Delermain. This is Ralph

-Rexworth, and he is the young gentleman of whom you have heard&mdash;the one

-who saved Mr. St. Clive's daughter." Hereat the eyes were stealthily

-raised, and glances of something like respectful awe followed. Of

-course every one there had heard of the incident about the bull, and of

-the disappearance of Mr. Rexworth.</p>

-

-<p>"Rexworth is rather backward," the Head continued. "His life has been

-spent abroad, and he has not had the opportunities for study; but I

-believe that he will soon pick up." And with this Dr. Beverly went, and

-Mr. Delermain, having spoken a few words of welcome, beckoned to a boy

-to come forward.</p>

-

-<p>"Warren, let Rexworth sit beside you this afternoon, and give him a set

-of the sums we are doing. If you find them too difficult," he added to

-Ralph, "do not hesitate to come to me."</p>

-

-<p>But Ralph did not need to ask for aid, he could do the sums and the

-exercises that followed. Indeed, he did better than some who had been

-there longer, notably one big lad with a sickly flabby face, who was

-seated at the bottom of the class, and who received a reprimand from

-his master for his indolence.</p>

-

-<p>"It is shameful, Dobson! Here, a new boy has done better than you have.

-Your idleness is disgraceful."</p>

-

-<p>A writing exercise followed; and Ralph was bending over his book, when

-flop!&mdash;a wad of wet blotting-paper<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_41" id="Page_41">[Pg 41]</a></span> hit him in the cheek. He looked up,

-but every one seemed busy with their work, so wiping his cheek he put

-the wet mass on one side, and went on with his task. Flop! A second

-wad came. Ralph noted the direction, and saw that at the end of the

-form Dobson was seated, and Ralph had his suspicions. Pretending to

-be absorbed in his work, he kept a covert watch; and presently he was

-rewarded by seeing Dobson extract a third wad from his mouth, where he

-had been chewing it into a convenient pellet, and under cover of the

-boy in front of him prepare to fire it by a flick of his thumb. Ralph

-raised his eyes and looked him full in the face, and, somehow, Dobson

-seemed confused. He turned red, and bent over his work hastily; and no

-more pellets were fired at Ralph that afternoon.</p>

-

-<p>It seemed rather a wearisome afternoon to the boy, used as he was to

-his open-air life, but he worked away with all his might; and presently

-the bell rang and work was over; and then Warren, the boy beside whom

-he had sat, came to him and held out his hand.</p>

-

-<p>"I am first monitor of our form," he said, "and I hope that we shall be

-friends. If you come with me I will take you round the school."</p>

-

-<p>"Rexworth."</p>

-

-<p>Ralph turned as his name was called; his master stood there.</p>

-

-<p>"I want you a few minutes. Warren, you can take<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_42" id="Page_42">[Pg 42]</a></span> him round afterwards.

-I want to arrange about his study."</p>

-

-<p>"We have only got one vacant, sir," the monitor said. "Charlton has

-that."</p>

-

-<p>"I know," was the quiet answer; and then, when Warren ran off, the

-master turned to Ralph.</p>

-

-<p>"Rexworth," he said, "I must explain that in our form every two boys

-have one study between them, and as you heard Warren say, we have only

-one study that is not fully occupied. A lad named Charlton has it, and

-you must chum with him. It is about him I want to speak to you."</p>

-

-<p>"Yes, sir," said Ralph, wondering why his master spoke so gravely.</p>

-

-<p>"Rexworth, I am sorry to say that Charlton is not quite in favour

-with his schoolmates. His father got into some trouble and has

-disappeared&mdash;it is supposed that he is dead&mdash;and the boy managed to

-gain a scholarship at another and poorer school, and has come here.

-He is a real nice lad, but very weakly and timid, and the others put

-upon him, partly on that account, partly because of his father's

-disappearance, and partly because he is poor&mdash;a sad crime in the eyes

-of many. It would have been wiser, I think, if he had not come here,

-but Dr. Beverly wished him to do so. I wish, Rexworth, that you would

-try to be his friend, for he needs one; some of the lads are nice

-enough to him, but he seems so very much alone."</p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_43" id="Page_43">[Pg 43]</a></span></p>

-

-<p>"I would like to help him, sir," was the ready answer. And the master

-smiled.</p>

-

-<p>"I thought that I was not mistaken in you," he said. "Look, there the

-lad is. Charlton, come here."</p>

-

-<p>The lad came up. He was a pale boy, very delicate in appearance, and

-with a sad, wistful face.</p>

-

-<p>"Yes, sir," he said.</p>

-

-<p>"Charlton, there is only one vacancy in our studies, and that is with

-you. Rexworth will have to chum with you." The boy cast a startled

-glance at Ralph. "Take him and show him where it is, and try to make

-him feel at home."</p>

-

-<p>"Yes, sir." The boy beckoned to Ralph. "Please come with me," he said,

-in troubled tones, as if he doubted whether Ralph would care about

-sharing the study with him.</p>

-

-<p>"Have we got to be chums?" asked Ralph; and the other boy nodded.</p>

-

-<p>"Yes. That is what we call it. It means sharing studies; but you need

-not speak to me if you don't want to, and I will not be in the study

-much. I am not as it is, for they are always disturbing me and spoiling

-my things."</p>

-

-<p>"They! Who?" demanded Ralph; and the lad answered&mdash;</p>

-

-<p>"The other chaps and the Fifths. Dobson, in ours, and Elgert of the

-Fifth, are the worst. They go in and spoil my things."</p>

-

-<p>"They have no business to, of course?"</p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_44" id="Page_44">[Pg 44]</a></span></p>

-

-<p>"Go in? No, of course not&mdash;only the two who chum have any right in it.

-Here we are, and&mdash;there, they are in now!"&mdash;as a scuffling and burst

-of laughter came from the inside of the study before which the boy had

-halted. "Oh, what are they doing! Will you stop until they have gone?"</p>

-

-<p>"Not I," answered Ralph grimly. "That study is mine as well as yours,

-and I mean to see that we have it to ourselves, Charlton. Come on, and

-we will see what is up." And saying this, Ralph threw open the door and

-walked into the little room, followed by his companion.</p>

-

-<hr />

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_45" id="Page_45">[Pg 45]</a></span></p>

-

-<h2><span>CHAPTER V</span> <span class="smaller">MAKING THINGS STRAIGHT</span></h2>

-

-<p>A burst of laughter greeted Ralph's ears as he opened the study door,

-and some one said:</p>

-

-<p>"Look sharp. Here he comes! Hurry up there, Elgert!"</p>

-

-<p>But the laughter died away somewhat awkwardly when the boys saw that

-Charlton was not alone, and one or two of the boys came up to Ralph.</p>

-

-<p>"Hallo, you new fellow! They surely haven't put you to chum with

-Charlton, have they? What a shame! I should kick against it. Some one

-else must make room for you."</p>

-

-<p>Such were the remarks of those who had taken a fancy to Ralph, but he

-paid no heed to it all. He just calmly gazed round, as if counting the

-number of boys there and taking their measure; and then he quite as

-calmly shut the door, locked it, and put the key in his pocket. Those

-present looked in surprise for a moment&mdash;some laughed, and one, a tall,

-handsome boy, came haughtily up to him.</p>

-

-<p>"What do you mean by that?" he demanded. "How dare you lock that door?"</p>

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_46" id="Page_46">[Pg 46]</a></span></p>

-

-<p>Ralph regarded him with the utmost coolness. No one had told him who

-the boy was, and yet he seemed to know&mdash;he felt sure that this was none

-other than Horace Elgert himself.</p>

-

-<p>"Wait a bit," he said calmly. "So far as I understand, this study

-belongs to Charlton and myself. We have a perfect right to lock the

-door."</p>

-

-<p>"But not to lock us in," retorted Elgert. "Open it at once, and think

-yourself lucky that you don't get a licking for your impudence!"</p>

-

-<p>"Steady!" was Ralph's answer. "It seems to me that if you had not been

-where you have no right to be, you would not have got locked in; and

-now that you are here, you must wait my pleasure as to going out."</p>

-

-<p>This was beginning school life with a vengeance, but Ralph believed in

-settling things once and for all, and his indignation was hot as he saw

-what these half dozen lads had been doing.</p>

-

-<p>But Horace Elgert was not a boy to be spoken to like that, and he came

-striding up to Ralph to take the key by force.</p>

-

-<p>"I will soon settle you," he began, and he aimed a blow at this

-impertinent new boy's head, only somehow the blow did not get there.

-Ralph adroitly stepped aside, and the Honourable Horace Elgert stumbled

-to the ground violently.</p>

-

-<p>"A fight! A fight!" cried the rest; but Ralph smiled and shook his

-head.</p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_47" id="Page_47">[Pg 47]</a></span></p>

-

-<p>"Oh, no, my friends. I have something better to do, and this is not the

-place for fighting."</p>

-

-<p>They were staggered. They could not understand this coolness and,

-moreover, they had all heard about Ralph having tackled the bull, and

-the story had grown somewhat. They stood considerably in awe of this

-boy from the Western plains, and they began to wish that they were

-anywhere else than in his study.</p>

-

-<p>Horace Elgert got up, his face white with passion but he made no more

-attempts to take the key from Ralph.</p>

-

-<p>"You are right," he said, in suppressed tones; "this is not the place

-to fight. Open the door, and we will soon settle things."</p>

-

-<p>"Presently," was all the answer he got. "Now, then, let us see what you

-have been up to."</p>

-

-<p>He glanced round at the books tumbled on the floor, at a desk upset, at

-an ink-bottle on its side, and then turned to his chum.</p>

-

-<p>But Charlton was standing, looking very white, and staring at a picture

-on the wall&mdash;the picture of a lady, and beneath it some one had

-written&mdash;</p>

-

-<p>"This is Charlton's mammy. But where is his daddy? Puzzle&mdash;Find daddy,

-and tell the police."</p>

-

-<p>Ralph felt his nerves tingle. He felt sure that Elgert had done that,

-and he remembered the words of Lord Elgert respecting his own father.</p>

-

-<p>"Who did that?" he said, and no one answered. He went up to Elgert.

-"Did you do it?"</p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_48" id="Page_48">[Pg 48]</a></span></p>

-

-<p>"Well, if I did, what is it to do with you? Mind your own business!"</p>

-

-<p>"Take that scrawl down. Quick, or I shall lose my temper, and then I

-fancy some one will get hurt! Down with it! That is right"&mdash;as the

-other, considerably startled, pulled the writing down. "Give it to me."</p>

-

-<p>It was remarkable how the daring of the one lad held the half dozen in

-check. Elgert handed him the paper, and Ralph tore it up and threw the

-fragments into his face.</p>

-

-<p>"Now then, you have upset this room. Just put it straight again,

-and look sharp about it!" he said. "And please to understand that

-Charlton and I are chums, and mean to stick together. Oh, and I want a

-word with you"&mdash;and he walked up to Dobson, who turned a trifle more

-pasty-looking than before. "Do you know what these are?"</p>

-

-<p>Ralph produced two wads of chewed blotting-paper from his pocket as he

-spoke, and Dobson blustered&mdash;</p>

-

-<p>"You keep to your chum, since you are so thick with him. I don't want

-anything to do with you. I say, you chaps, are you going to let him

-crow over you like this? Rush him!"</p>

-

-<p>"Good advice; only, why don't you do the rushing first?" said Ralph.

-"I asked you if you recognized these. If you don't, I will tell you

-what they are&mdash;they are pieces of blotting-paper, which you chewed

-and then threw at me. They came out of your mouth,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_49" id="Page_49">[Pg 49]</a></span> and they are

-going back there again&mdash;when I have mopped up this ink which you have

-spilt." Ralph suited the action to the word, and presented the two

-unpalatable-looking objects to Dobson, who was at once a coward and a

-bully. "Now, then, open your mouth!"</p>

-

-<p>"I won't! Who do you think that you are? I&mdash;&mdash; Oh!"</p>

-

-<p>For Ralph did not argue. He grabbed hold of Dobson, and with a quick

-jerk sent him backwards across the little study table.</p>

-

-<p>"Oh, oh! You are breaking my back!" howled the bully.</p>

-

-<p>"Open your mouth!"</p>

-

-<p>"I won't! Oh, help me, you fellows&mdash;he will break my back! Oh! Ugh!

-Ow! I am choking!" For, just as he opened his mouth to yell, Ralph had

-pushed both those pieces of blotting-paper in.</p>

-

-<p>"Now, then, take them," he said. "Quick, or it will be the worse for

-you!"</p>

-

-<p>Dobson, with many queer grimaces, had to comply&mdash;it was the most

-unsavoury morsel which he had tasted for many a day.</p>

-

-<div class="center"><img src="images/i049.jpg" alt="Dobson had to comply" /></div>

-

-<p class="bold">"<span class="smcap">Dobson, with many queer grimaces, had to

-comply.</span>" p. 49</p>

-

-<p>"Now! Ah, I see that you have straightened things!" Ralph went on. "Now

-you chaps can go, and the next time you want to come into our study

-take my advice and ask leave, or there will be more trouble. Clear out!"</p>

-

-<p>And he unlocked the door and flung it open.</p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_50" id="Page_50">[Pg 50]</a></span></p>

-

-<p>And out those half dozen boys went, looking considerably crestfallen

-and stupid, and knowing also that they were cowards&mdash;they were all

-frightened by Ralph, so greatly does one of dauntless bearing affect a

-number.</p>

-

-<p>But one boy turned, and that one was Horace Elgert, and he came back

-and gave Ralph look for look.</p>

-

-<p>"Look here, you new fellow!" he said, "you have been very clever, but

-you have done a bad day's work for yourself. You have made one enemy at

-least. As for that insult which you offered me, you will have to fight

-me for it; and as for you, you miserable cub"&mdash;and he turned towards

-Charlton, who cowered back before his raised fist&mdash;"as for you, I

-will&mdash;&mdash;"</p>

-

-<p>"Hold hard&mdash;you will do nothing!" answered Ralph, with the utmost

-good humour. "You are talking tall, that is all about it. Now, take

-my advice, and go; and when you are calmer, you will see things

-differently. And then, as to fighting&mdash;well, I shall not run away in

-the meantime. Clear!"</p>

-

-<p>And with that he shut the door and locked it behind his discomfited

-foes. Then, seating himself, he looked at the bewildered Charlton, and

-laughed again as he saw the look of admiration in his face.</p>

-

-<p>"There, I think that has taught them a lesson! We shall not have them

-upset our study again," he said. "One must maintain one's rights, and

-we may<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_51" id="Page_51">[Pg 51]</a></span> as well begin as we mean to go on. So this is our study, is it?"</p>

-

-<p>"Yes, if you will share it with me," the other boy said. And Ralph

-answered&mdash;</p>

-

-<p>"Share it? Of course I shall share it with you! Did not you hear Mr.

-Delermain say that we were to share it?"</p>

-

-<p>"But most fellows don't like me, because&mdash;because&mdash;&mdash;"</p>

-

-<p>"Never mind why," interrupted Ralph, anxious to spare the boy's

-feelings. "I heard something about your father being gone; well, my

-father is gone, you know"&mdash;and Ralph's voice shook a little&mdash;"and so we

-two ought to be chums, and help each other. Then, I suppose that you

-know more than I do; for, except at roping a steer or rounding up a

-herd of cattle, I am afraid that I am not of much use. You will be able

-to help me on no end."</p>

-

-<p>"What! I help you?" gasped Charlton. "How can I do that?"</p>

-

-<p>"You know Greek and Latin, and goodness knows how much more, that I am

-only just at the beginning of, and you will be able to give me a hand

-with it. I want to get on and pick up things as quickly as I can."</p>

-

-<p>"I might help you that way, if you would let me," the boy said

-doubtfully. And Ralph laughed.</p>

-

-<p>"What a chap you are! Have I not told you that I shall be downright

-thankful: and there you keep<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_52" id="Page_52">[Pg 52]</a></span> on about if I will let you. Come, shake

-hands upon it! Charlton, we two are chums, and we are going to stick

-together and help each other. Is that so?"</p>

-

-<p>"Yes, if you will. I shall be so glad to have a chum, because it has

-been rather lonely sometimes; and then, you see, I am not very strong,

-and I am not brave like you, and the fellows know it, and they try to

-play all sorts of tricks upon me. Do you really mean to be my chum,

-Rexworth?"</p>

-

-<p>"Really and truly! Now, let us go down, and then you can show me what

-the place is like," was Ralph's answer. And the two, descending to the

-playground were met by Warren, who stopped and looked from Ralph to

-Charlton, and then asked&mdash;</p>

-

-<p>"I say, Rexworth, what have you been up to so soon? There is Dobson

-declaring that he will do all manner of things to you. You seem to have

-been having some fun already."</p>

-

-<p>So Ralph explained what had happened, and the monitor laughed until the

-tears ran down his cheeks.</p>

-

-<p>"Well, all I can say is that you are a cool hand," was his comment,

-"and I am not sorry that you have taught Dobson a lesson. You have not

-much to fear from him, but you will find that Elgert, for all he is an

-Honourable, has precious little honour about him. He will pay you back

-if he gets the chance, be sure of that. However," he went on, "I am

-glad that you<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_53" id="Page_53">[Pg 53]</a></span> two are chums, for I think you will like each other; but

-there is the bell for tea. Come on, or we shall be late."</p>

-

-<p>The rest of that day passed without further incident and at last the

-boys&mdash;evening preparation and supper over&mdash;went trooping to their

-dormitories, there to laugh and chat as they undressed; and many

-glances were bestowed upon Ralph. His exploit of that afternoon had

-been spoken of, and there was no attempt to play any jokes upon one who

-was prepared to take his own part so vigorously.</p>

-

-<p>But presently the laughing suddenly stopped, and something like a

-hush of surprise succeeded the noise. Warren seated on the edge of

-his bed, looked round to see what had happened&mdash;he thought that one

-of the masters had come in unexpectedly; but he saw his companions

-standing glancing across towards the spot where Ralph's bed was, and

-he, following their gaze, saw that the boy who was ready to face half a

-dozen of his companions, was down on his knees, his head bent upon his

-hands in prayer.</p>

-

-<p>Warren felt a thrill of shame. He was a real good lad at heart, but

-somehow he did not do that&mdash;none of them did&mdash;they thought that public

-prayers were enough; and yet he had promised his mother that each night

-he would kneel alone in prayer.</p>

-

-<p>Some of the boys were tittering, some looked grave. Warren suddenly

-found himself resolved. "If a thing should be done, do it at once," was

-his motto. He gave<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_54" id="Page_54">[Pg 54]</a></span> one hasty glance round, half ashamed, half defiant,

-and then, in the sight of all his companions, the Fourth Form monitor

-also knelt down by his bed, following the brave example set by Ralph

-Rexworth.</p>

-

-<hr />

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_55" id="Page_55">[Pg 55]</a></span></p>

-

-<h2><span>CHAPTER VI</span> <span class="smaller">AN EARLY MORNING SPIN</span></h2>

-

-<p>It was quite a common thing for new boys at Marlthorpe College to be

-made the victims of practical jokes during their first night in the

-school; but such was the impression which Ralph Rexworth had made, that

-no tricks were attempted with him. A boy who could take his own part so

-vigorously was not the sort that it was safe to take liberties with.</p>

-

-<p>Nor was that the only reason. With Dobson and his friends it was quite

-sufficient, but with the better boys, that quiet kneeling down to pray

-had not been without effect. Some of them recognized that to do that

-might require more courage than to deal as he had done with those who

-had invaded his study&mdash;a moral courage, far greater and better than a

-physical; and they realized that a boy who possessed that courage was

-not a fit subject for stupid jokes.</p>

-

-<p>So Ralph slept peacefully until the morning, when, used to early rising

-all his life, he opened his eyes before any of the other boys were

-awake.</p>

-

-<p>At first he felt puzzled with his surroundings, but he soon remembered;

-and propping himself upon his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_56" id="Page_56">[Pg 56]</a></span> elbow he lay watching the faces of the

-others, wondering what sort of lads they would prove to be, and how he

-should get on with them, and whether he would be able to master the

-lessons which they were engaged upon.</p>

-

-<p>Then he looked at Charlton, and thought how sad he looked, even in his

-sleep; and he noted how often he sighed. Perhaps he was dreaming of his

-father.</p>

-

-<p>That sent him thinking of his own father, and the mystery of his fate;

-and he pondered whether it would ever be possible for him&mdash;a lonely boy

-in this strange land&mdash;to find out the truth concerning his parent's

-disappearance. But he was not altogether alone; it was wrong to think

-of himself in that light. God had given him a friend in Mr. St. Clive,

-and another in Mrs. St. Clive, and yet a third&mdash;a very nice, lovable

-third&mdash;in Irene! Ralph, who had never had anything to do with girls,

-thought Irene the sweetest, dearest little friend that it would be

-possible to find.</p>

-

-<p>A bell rang, and his companions stretched and yawned and opened their

-eyes; and though some grunted and turned over again, determined to have

-every minute they could, several jumped up at once, and hastily pulling

-on their clothes began sluicing and splashing in good, honest, cold

-water.</p>

-

-<p>"Hallo! Awake? Slept well?" queried Warren seeing that Ralph was

-preparing to follow the example of these last boys. "Any one try any

-games with you in the night?" And he came and sat down on Ralph's<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_57" id="Page_57">[Pg 57]</a></span> bed,

-and grinned when the new boy answered that he had not been disturbed.</p>

-

-<p>"I suppose they thought better of it. That is your basin!" he added,

-pointing to one washstand. "Mind that they don't take all the water, or

-you will either have to sneak another fellow's, or go and get some more

-for yourself. Look sharp, and then we will go and have a turn with the

-bells, and a spin afterwards, I like to get all I can before breakfast;

-it seems to set a fellow up for the day."</p>

-

-<p>Ralph nodded, and began vigorously sluicing and polishing; and the

-boys, too busy about their own business, paid no attention to him. He

-was quite capable of looking after himself, in their opinion. At last,

-all ready to accompany the monitor, he quietly repeated his action of

-the previous night&mdash;he knelt down in prayer.</p>

-

-<p>That staggered even Warren. As a whole, the boys were good lads, but

-even those who had been accustomed to evening prayers in their homes

-did not seem to think that morning prayers were quite as important.

-They wanted to scramble off to play as quickly as possible. The Head

-always read prayers in school, and that was enough; and here was this

-new fellow wasting precious time in this way!</p>

-

-<p>A few sneered and giggled; some shrugged their shoulders, and ran off;

-some looked grave; and Warren sat nursing his foot, and pondering;

-while Charlton turned red.</p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_58" id="Page_58">[Pg 58]</a></span></p>

-

-<p>But they made no remarks; and when Ralph rose from his knees, the three

-went out together. Warren was turning over a decidedly new leaf. If he

-had not annoyed Charlton before, he had left him pretty much alone, and

-now he was admitting him to his company. Well, Charlton was Rexworth's

-chum, and if he wanted Rexworth he must have the chum as well.</p>

-

-<p>Charlton hardly expected the monitor to be friendly to him, but he

-waited for his chum, and Warren waited, too.</p>

-

-<p>"Let us get down and have a try at the bells," suggested the monitor,

-leading the way. And Ralph inquired innocently&mdash;</p>

-

-<p>"Ringing bells, do you mean?"</p>

-

-<p>Whereat Warren stared, and felt just a little less respect for the

-new boy. What sort of a fellow could he be if he didn't know what

-dumb-bells were?</p>

-

-<p>"Ringing bells?" he repeated. "No; dumb-bells&mdash;exercises, you know!

-Come on, I will show you."</p>

-

-<p>"I never saw bells like those," was Ralph's comment, when a pair was

-produced. "How do you use them?"</p>

-

-<p>Warren went through a set of exercises, and then handed them to Ralph,

-who laughed, and said&mdash;</p>

-

-<p>"Why, they don't weigh anything! I don't see much exercise in this!"</p>

-

-<p>"They are six-pounders," was the answer; "quite as heavy as you will

-want. Now try this exercise&mdash;do it a dozen times."</p>

-

-<p>Warren showed Ralph the right way, and off he went;<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_59" id="Page_59">[Pg 59]</a></span> Charlton, who had

-also got a pair of bells, doing the same. And, to Ralph Rexworth's

-surprise, he found that those weights at which he had laughed soon made

-him feel tired, and that Charlton could keep on longer than he could.

-He could not understand that.</p>

-

-<p>"I don't see why it should be," he said.</p>

-

-<p>And a voice replied&mdash;</p>

-

-<p>"Because you are exercising muscles which you have not tried much

-before, my lad." And he turned, to see Mr. Delermain watching him.</p>

-

-<p>"Try again," said the master. "Only once; this sort of thing must be

-done gradually. Go slow, and take time."</p>

-

-<p>Ralph obeyed: but dumb-bells certainly made his arms ache. And then

-Warren suggested Indian clubs.</p>

-

-<p>"Indian clubs," repeated Ralph, "and what are they? I never saw the

-Indians use clubs. They have knives and hatchets, and spears and bows,

-and some of them use guns, too, and shoot wonderfully well; but I never

-saw them use clubs."</p>

-

-<p>Now that speech caused a smile, but it was a very respectful smile; for

-here was a boy who had actually seen real Indians. That was something,

-even if he did not know what Indian clubs were!</p>

-

-<p>However, the clubs were produced, and Ralph was shown how to swing

-them. And, as a natural result of his first attempt, he hit his head a

-smart crack, evoking a burst of laughter thereby.</p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_60" id="Page_60">[Pg 60]</a></span></p>

-

-<p>"Slow and steady," he answered; "I shall get it in time. I don't

-understand these things; but if you get me a coil of rope, I will show

-you one or two little things that I do not think any of you can do."</p>

-

-<p>"A coil of rope&mdash;that is easily supplied," said Mr. Delermain; and

-when it was brought, he said: "Now, Rexworth, let us see what you can

-do." And all the boys stood round while Ralph took the rope and made a

-running noose at one end.</p>

-

-<p>"Give me plenty of room," he said, and he commenced to whirl the noose

-round and round his head, letting the rope run out as he did so; until

-at last he held the very end in his hand, and the rest was twirling

-round and round him in a perfect circle.</p>

-

-<p>"One of you try to do that," he said.</p>

-

-<p>And try they did, in vain. They could not even get it to go in a

-circle, and it made their arms ache dreadfully.</p>

-

-<p>Then he made the circle spin round him on its edge just as if that rope

-was a hoop; and afterwards he actually jumped through it as it was

-going, explaining that the cowboys on the ranches frequently indulged

-in such tricks as these, and were experts at it&mdash;far more so than the

-Indians themselves.</p>

-

-<p>Then nothing would do but that he must show them how a lasso was

-thrown. And though several, including the master, essayed to try, not

-one of them was able to send the noose over Ralph's shoulders, though<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_61" id="Page_61">[Pg 61]</a></span>

-he caught them, one after the other, without the slightest trouble.</p>

-

-<p>"It is what one is used to," he said laughing. "I have not had much to

-do with bells and clubs&mdash;nothing to do with them, indeed&mdash;but I have

-played with a rope all my life."</p>

-

-<p>Dobson had come in with his friends, and he stood and glared. Elgert

-came in, and looked angry. This new boy was evidently on the way

-to become a favourite in the school, and, unless something was

-done, he might rival them. Though just then they did not speak to

-each other about it, both Dobson and Elgert arrived at the same

-conclusion&mdash;namely, that something should be done, and that Ralph

-Rexworth should be humbled and disgraced.</p>

-

-<p>Then Warren suggested a spin, and of course Charlton went, and two or

-three other boys&mdash;who found Ralph very good company&mdash;had to come too;

-and since they did come, they could not ignore the boy they had all

-neglected in the past. Poor Charlton, he could hardly understand it, it

-almost frightened him!</p>

-

-<p>It was delightful out in the fields, in the fresh morning, with the dew

-still sparkling on the leaves, and with the air full of the songs of

-the wild birds. There is a charm and sweetness and delight about the

-early morning which they who are late risers have no idea of. It sets

-the nerves tingling and the blood dancing, and makes one feel as if he

-were walking on air, and not on solid earth.</p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_62" id="Page_62">[Pg 62]</a></span></p>

-

-<p>Away they went across the playing field, and out on the common, on

-towards Great Stow; arms well back, shoulders square, bodies gently

-sloped, going with good, long, swinging strides.</p>

-

-<p>Ralph was in his element now, for running, equally with rope work, was

-an accomplishment practised by all those amongst whom he had lived. A

-very necessary accomplishment, seeing that the ability to run swiftly,

-and to keep up without fagging, might mean all the difference between

-life and death in a land where the natives were quarrelsome and quite

-ready to go upon the warpath upon the least provocation.</p>

-

-<p>Some of the boys outstripped him at the first go off, but he kept on

-running low, swinging well from the hips, and those who had gone with

-a spurt at first soon found that he could, to use Warren's expression,

-"run circles round them, and then beat them hollow."</p>

-

-<p>But presently Ralph slackened his speed, for he had noticed that

-Charlton was fagged, and he&mdash;having pledged himself to be the boy's

-chum&mdash;was not going to desert him. The rest were by no means sorry to

-stop; for though their pride would not allow them to give in, they

-had all had nearly enough of it. And panting, laughing, happy in all

-their youthful strength and spirits, they pulled up and wiped the

-perspiration from their foreheads.</p>

-

-<p>"Let us go over to Tibb's Farm, and get a drink of milk; and then

-we must be getting back, or we<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_63" id="Page_63">[Pg 63]</a></span> shall get slated and be late for

-breakfast, and that won't do," directed Warren, and the others agreed.</p>

-

-<p>The farm was but a short distance away, and it was evident that this

-visit was nothing out of the ordinary; for the farmer's wife smiled,

-and produced tumblers of milk and wedges of cake, and charged the boys

-a penny each&mdash;which certainly was not exorbitant.</p>

-

-<p>And the way they got rid of that cake! And they were going home to

-breakfast!&mdash;ay, and would be able to eat it, too, cake notwithstanding!

-So much results from getting up early!</p>

-

-<p>Perhaps it was because of his exhibition with the rope&mdash;perhaps it was

-the run; but as Ralph sat there his thoughts went back to his trouble.</p>

-

-<p>How often had he been out in the early morning on the hot plains alone

-with his father! And how once when the grass caught fire, they had to

-run for dear life and take shelter in the creek until the fiery sea had

-swept by! And now, now, where&mdash;oh, where&mdash;was that father? It would

-come back, try to be as brave as he would. It would come back, and his

-heart would suddenly fill with pain, and cry out for that lost father.</p>

-

-<p>"Time's up!" sang out Warren, stuffing the last of his cake into his

-mouth. "Now, you fellows, come on!"</p>

-

-<p>Off they went with a whoop and hallo! Perhaps not quite so fast now,

-for cake and milk interfere somewhat with scudding. And Ralph, now with

-his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_64" id="Page_64">[Pg 64]</a></span> chum and Warren, suddenly stopped, staring hard on the ground.</p>

-

-<p>His companions could see nothing, and looked at him in surprise. Their

-eyes had never been trained to read the surface of the earth. But Ralph

-had suddenly lighted upon a freshly made trail. A trap had gone along

-here&mdash;a light trap, like that which had left those other traces in Stow

-Wood; and this trap, like that again, had been drawn by a horse lame in

-its left forefoot!</p>

-

-<hr />

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_65" id="Page_65">[Pg 65]</a></span></p>

-

-<h2><span>CHAPTER VII</span> <span class="smaller">HORACE ELGERT GOES A LITTLE TOO FAR</span></h2>

-

-<p>"What's the matter, Rexworth?"</p>

-

-<p>So queried Warren. Ralph was standing anxiously looking around. He was

-perplexed, and did not know what he ought to do. These marks might

-afford him a clue to the mystery of his father's disappearance; and yet

-the chance seemed but slight, there were more horses than one going

-lame in one leg. If he stopped he would be late for school, and he did

-not want to get into disgrace.</p>

-

-<p>He could not explain to his companions, for he saw that if he was

-ever to succeed he must keep his secrets to himself. A casual word,

-heedlessly dropped, that he was looking for a lame horse which drew a

-light trap might be enough to make the owner of horse and trap very

-careful that he should not be traced.</p>

-

-<p>"It was nothing," he said slowly. "I was thinking."</p>

-

-<p>"Then don't stop to think now," was the advice he received. "We have

-been a little too far. You scudded along so, and we tried to beat you.

-We cannot waste any more time. Come on."</p>

-

-<p>He went on with his friends. He felt that it was<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_66" id="Page_66">[Pg 66]</a></span> right to do so.

-Moreover, the man with the horse and trap must be in the locality

-still, and if he was not scared off, those tracks would be made again,

-perhaps even more clearly, and Ralph might then have better opportunity

-of following them. It was the right thing to go back to the school now.</p>

-

-<p>"I say," suddenly queried Warren, as they hurried on. "Has Elgert said

-anything more to you?"</p>

-

-<p>"No; I have not seen him, except just as we were coming out, when he

-came into the gymnasium."</p>

-

-<p>"Well, he is bound to do so, after what happened yesterday. I do not

-see how he can help it, or how you can avoid it. You will have to fight

-him, Rexworth."</p>

-

-<p>"I am sorry to hear you say that, for I don't want to be fighting if

-I can help it, and I would far rather be friends with&mdash;&mdash;" He paused.

-He was going to say "friends with him." But that was not true. He felt

-that, apart from anything which had happened yesterday, he could not be

-friends with the son of a man who had said that his father was a thief.</p>

-

-<p>"I don't want to fight him," he said slowly; and Warren nodded.</p>

-

-<p>"I know; but if he challenges you, what then?"</p>

-

-<p>Ralph looked grave. No boy likes to be thought a coward; but still he

-did not want to fight.</p>

-

-<p>"If I can get out of it I shall," he said: and the monitor looked just

-a trifle disappointed, while one or two of the boys laughed.</p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_67" id="Page_67">[Pg 67]</a></span></p>

-

-<p>"It is not that I am afraid of him," Ralph said hastily. "It is that I

-don't want to begin fighting, if I can avoid it."</p>

-

-<p>"For goodness' sake, then, keep out of his way, and don't let him

-get to know that, for if Elgert thinks that he can do it without the

-chance of a row following, he is bound to challenge you. He is bound

-to, anyhow, so far as I can see, and it won't be nice for a fellow in

-the Fourth to refuse a challenge from the Fifth. If it was one of the

-youngsters in the Third, it would be different. No one would say that

-we were frightened to fight them; but in the Fifth they are bound to

-say that it was fear, and&mdash;&mdash; Hurry up, you chaps, there is the bell

-going!"</p>

-

-<p>A scamper, fast as they could go, and they trooped in to breakfast, so

-hungry, spite of cake and milk, that not even the troubled question

-of the probable challenge could disturb their appetites. Only Warren

-looked across to where Horace Elgert sat, and he muttered to himself&mdash;</p>

-

-<p>"I wish that we hadn't talked of it before the others. If one of them

-lets out that Rexworth will not fight, Elgert is sure to make no end of

-it. I understand why Rexworth don't like it, and it is all right, but

-still&mdash;oh, he will have to fight, like it or not, and that is all about

-it."</p>

-

-<p>Morning lessons occupied their thoughts after breakfast, and Ralph

-found himself quite eager to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_68" id="Page_68">[Pg 68]</a></span> master the things which, while they were

-hard to him, seemed easy to his companions. He had already determined

-that he would excel with dumb-bells and Indian clubs, and now it was

-just the same with lessons. He hated to be beaten, and he was not going

-to be beaten.</p>

-

-<p>And already he reaped the reward of having put in a couple of hours'

-study the evening before, with Charlton to lend him a hand. He was

-praised by Mr. Delermain, and rose rapidly from the bottom of the class

-towards the top, and, thanks to his firmness the day before, he had no

-more of the unpleasantness with Dobson, who remained persistently at

-the very bottom of the class.</p>

-

-<p>Slow and steady, he found the best way, doing each thing thoroughly,

-and thinking only of one thing at a time; and that is always the best

-way, not only to learn, but to do everything in life.</p>

-

-<p>He was quite surprised when the bell rang&mdash;the morning seemed to have

-slipped away, and he put his books away and went, Charlton with him,

-into the playground.</p>

-

-<p>"I don't know how I should have got on if you had not helped me last

-night, and I am very much obliged to you," he said. And the other boy

-smiled. It was very nice to hear any one say that he had been of use to

-them.</p>

-

-<p>The pair sauntered across the playground, and presently they saw

-that Horace Elgert and some of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_69" id="Page_69">[Pg 69]</a></span> his chums were coming towards them,

-and Ralph stopped, a strange, firm look on his face, and awaited his

-approach.</p>

-

-<p>Up the others came, and Elgert, hands in pockets, addressed him&mdash;</p>

-

-<p>"I want a word with you. You know what we have got to do. You cheeked

-me last night, and you have got either to thrash me or be thrashed."</p>

-

-<p>Elgert spoke very confidently, for, as Warren had feared, he had heard

-that it was unlikely that Ralph would fight him.</p>

-

-<p>"It is this, then," replied Ralph quietly. "You mean that we have got

-to fight?"</p>

-

-<p>Elgert looked round and laughed. A whole lot of the boys had come up,

-seeing them standing there, and knowing what they would be talking

-about.</p>

-

-<p>"Hear him!" he said. "How innocent! He cheeks me last night, and then

-asks if I mean we have got to fight! Yes, I do mean it! After afternoon

-school, the other side of the playing-field; and make up your mind for

-a thrashing!"</p>

-

-<p>"I have not the slightest wish to fight you. I was going to say that I

-had not any intention of fighting you," said Ralph.</p>

-

-<p>And some of the boys groaned, and muttered "Coward!"</p>

-

-<p>"I don't care whether you have wish or intention," replied Elgert, in

-truculent tones. "I have both<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_70" id="Page_70">[Pg 70]</a></span> wish and intention of thrashing you, and

-so you have got to put up with it, and afterwards beg my pardon. Do you

-hear that?"</p>

-

-<p>"I hear," was the quiet reply.</p>

-

-<p>And Ralph's eyes sparkled slightly.</p>

-

-<p>"Very well. This afternoon, the other side of the playing-field; and

-you mind that you are there, for it will be worse for you if I have to

-come and find you! That is all."</p>

-

-<p>And round swung Elgert on his heel and walked off, leaving Ralph

-standing unmoved by his angry, insulting tones.</p>

-

-<p>But if Ralph was unmoved, his companions in the Fourth were not, and

-Warren said, almost entreatingly, as he caught hold of Ralph's arm&mdash;</p>

-

-<p>"Look here, Rexworth, you must fight him after that! It is no good

-talking, you must fight him!"</p>

-

-<p>A statement which was received with approval by all the others there.</p>

-

-<p>"Well," said Ralph, "if I must, I must. I don't want to, though."</p>

-

-<p>"But for the honour of the class you must, or we shall never hear the

-last of it from them. You will meet him where he said?"</p>

-

-<p>"Not I!" laughed Ralph. "If I must fight, I must; but I am not going to

-be ordered about by him; and I am not going to do anything which makes

-it look as though I were a party to the fight. If he wants me, he must

-come and find me, as he<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_71" id="Page_71">[Pg 71]</a></span> threatened to do. There, we will say no more

-about it now."</p>

-

-<p>"He will do it all right," reflected Warren. "Elgert will find that he

-has gone a trifle too far."</p>

-

-<p>The afternoon passed away in study, and whatever any of the others

-may have felt of anxiety or interest in the likelihood of the fight,

-certainly Ralph did not let it trouble him. He was engaged with some

-sums which worried him a trifle, and when once one of his neighbours

-whispered to him in reference to the combat, Ralph glared at him, and

-requested him to be quiet in a manner which there was no gainsaying.

-One thing at a time with Ralph.</p>

-

-<p>But when the work of the day was finally over, he strolled calmly

-into the playground, calling to Charlton to accompany him. Charlton,

-who looked so terribly anxious, realized that Ralph must fight, and

-yet dreaded the issue, for Elgert was no mean foe. Charlton, who, in

-self-reproach, thought that it was all his fault&mdash;that it was only

-because Ralph had stood up for him concerning the study.</p>

-

-<p>"I say, Charlton, I want you just to show me how to get on with

-cricket," Ralph said. "Every one seems to play; but I cannot make

-anything out of it, except that you have to hit the ball, and run if

-you can."</p>

-

-<p>Charlton beamed; this was a delightful experience for him, and he at

-once led the way to the playroom, and secured one of the school sets.</p>

-

-<p>"Come in!" he said. "I will soon explain the rules<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_72" id="Page_72">[Pg 72]</a></span> to you, and you can

-try batting. I will bowl for you as long as you like."</p>

-

-<p>Perhaps Ralph was conscious that he was being covertly observed by many

-anxious eyes; but he gave no sign, nor did he move a hairsbreadth when

-presently he saw Horace Elgert coming in his direction, a curious and

-somewhat eager crowd at his heels.</p>

-

-<p>"Go on, Charlton, don't stop," he said very quietly, for his chum had

-stopped, and was fingering the ball nervously. "Fire away!"</p>

-

-<p>The lad would have obeyed, but Elgert had arrived, and he gripped the

-weaker lad's arm and twisted the ball out of his hand.</p>

-

-<p>"You clear off!" he said. "We don't want one of your sort here."</p>

-

-<p>But Ralph remarked quietly&mdash;so very quietly: "Charlton, you stay where

-you are."</p>

-

-<p>"Be off!" again said Elgert; and raised his hand, to find that not

-Charlton but Ralph was before him, and to hear that quiet voice say

-again&mdash;</p>

-

-<p>"Charlton, if you budge an inch, I'll thrash you myself. Neither you

-nor I can be ordered about, unless the fellow who does the ordering is

-able to enforce his demands."</p>

-

-<p>Elgert paused then. He was not a coward, but there was something very

-disconcerting in this quiet bearing, especially when he called to mind

-the fact that Ralph had not been frightened the evening before.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_73" id="Page_73">[Pg 73]</a></span> He had

-determined to fight, and then he had heard that Ralph was afraid, and

-he had acted upon that information; and now Ralph was not afraid, not

-in the least. And indeed, instead of being afraid, he was asking, still

-quietly&mdash;</p>

-

-<p>"Now, Horace Elgert, I am tired of this rubbish. What do you mean by

-it?"</p>

-

-<p>"Didn't I tell you to come and meet me the other side of the

-playground?"</p>

-

-<p>"Yes. And I decline to do anything of the sort. When people want me,

-they generally come to me, not order me to go to them."</p>

-

-<p>"Well, I have come: and now I am going to thrash you!"</p>

-

-<p>"I see. Start right away; don't wait for me!"</p>

-

-<p>Some of the Fourths laughed. This was quite unexpected. Elgert was

-manifestly disappointed, but he turned red.</p>

-

-<p>"We don't generally fight here," he said. "Will you come over?"</p>

-

-<p>"No, I will not. I will not budge an inch. I don't want to fight; but

-if you start it, it must be here. And if you don't stand aside and let

-us go on with our game there will be trouble!"</p>

-

-<p>"You fellows can laugh!" suddenly blazed Elgert, turning towards the

-grinning Fourths. "A nice thing to laugh at! He has got the proper

-chum&mdash;that's one thing! We all know about Charlton,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_74" id="Page_74">[Pg 74]</a></span> and why no one

-will chum with him; and this chap is not much better. I saw my pater at

-dinner-time, and a fine way he was in when I told him of the new boy we

-had.</p>

-

-<p>"You know the yarn he told about his father disappearing? Where has he

-gone to? People don't disappear in England, unless they want to! My

-pater says that a burglar broke into our house, and that he fired at

-him and hit him; and he says, from the description, that the burglar

-must have been the man that came to Stow Ormond with this chap, and

-passed as his father, and&mdash;&mdash;"</p>

-

-<p>"Stop!" said Ralph, very quietly still, but with an ominous expression

-of face.</p>

-

-<p>But Elgert laughed contemptuously.</p>

-

-<p>"Why, I don't know that I would soil my hands fighting with the son, or

-the associate, of a thief!" he said.</p>

-

-<p>And then, suddenly forgetting everything in the feeling of hot

-indignation which overwhelmed him, Ralph Rexworth raised his hand, and

-in a moment his taunting enemy lay prostrate on the ground.</p>

-

-<hr />

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_75" id="Page_75">[Pg 75]</a></span></p>

-

-<h2><span>CHAPTER VIII</span> <span class="smaller">A MYSTERIOUS MIDNIGHT VISITOR</span></h2>

-

-<p>"Hurrah!"</p>

-

-<p>"Bravo, Rexworth!"</p>

-

-<p>"Now, you Fifths, does your man want to fight?"</p>

-

-<p>Such were the gleeful shouts of the Fourth when they beheld Horace

-Elgert on the ground. And the Fifths, alarmed for the honour of their

-class, rushed to pick up their fallen champion, saying&mdash;</p>

-

-<p>"Don't make such a row! Of course he will fight. Get over to the other

-side, where we shall not be seen, and we will come!"</p>

-

-<p>But Ralph would not listen to any such arguments. He stood there,

-looking down at his fallen foe, and he said shortly&mdash;</p>

-

-<p>"You fellows will please to mind your own business! I am going nowhere

-to fight until this chap has apologized, then, if a fight is wanted, we

-will move!"</p>

-

-<p>"But you cannot fight here! The Head will see us!" cried a score of

-voices.</p>

-

-<p>"I cannot help that! This fellow has told a lie about my father, and he

-has got to unsay it, or take the consequences! I suppose that he thinks

-I was<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_76" id="Page_76">[Pg 76]</a></span> afraid because I tried to avoid a fight the very first day of

-being at school. Well, I am not afraid! If he had only talked about me

-I might have taken no notice, but when he comes to speaking as he has

-done he is going too far, and he has got to take back his words now, or

-finish it here!"</p>

-

-<p>Meanwhile, Elgert had struggled to his feet, and he looked dazed from

-the effects of the blow, while his face was already growing swollen and

-discoloured.</p>

-

-<p>"Stand aside!" he said hoarsely. "I will fight him here! If the Head

-himself were looking on, I would fight him!"</p>

-

-<p>"You are a pair of fools!" muttered a Fifth-Form monitor. "We shall

-be spotted, for a certainty, and all of us get carpeted for this! Go

-calmly, you silly fellow, or he will smash you!" and he broke off in

-his complaint to give this last advice to Elgert, who had rushed at his

-opponent, mad with pain and anger, and had gone down for the second

-time!</p>

-

-<p>"Look out! I knew how it would be! Here comes the Head!" shouted one

-boy; and a hurried rush took place, leaving the two boys and Warren and

-Charlton alone when the master reached the spot.</p>

-

-<p>"Elgert! Rexworth!" he exclaimed in tones of displeasure. "What

-does this mean? You, too, Warren! You, a monitor of the Fourth, and

-encouraging a new boy in fighting! I am displeased, indeed!"</p>

-

-<p>"It is my fault, in one way, sir," replied Ralph,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_77" id="Page_77">[Pg 77]</a></span> without waiting

-for the others to speak. "Elgert said something concerning my father

-which angered me, and I struck him. He wanted me to come across the

-playground and fight where we would not be seen, but I was angry, and

-would not do so."</p>

-

-<p>Something like a smile played across the grave face for a moment as the

-Head heard this speech.</p>

-

-<p>"You boys seem to think that if I do not see you fight no offence is

-committed. You do not recognize the fact that fighting in itself is

-poor, and low, and degrading. I know that boys settle their quarrels

-in this manner, but I decry it. Now, the fact of fighting here is a

-double offence, for you are within sight of my study window. I am sorry

-that it has happened, but I will overlook it on condition that you and

-Elgert shake hands."</p>

-

-<p>"I cannot do that, sir," was Ralph's respectful answer; and Elgert on

-his part, said:</p>

-

-<p>"I will not do it!"</p>

-

-<p>"Boys, boys! 'Cannot,' and 'will not!' Neither expression is seemly!

-You will go to your respective studies and remain there until you are

-in better minds!"</p>

-

-<p>"It is not that I am angry, sir," Ralph said, very respectfully. "This

-boy has said that my father is a common thief!" Ralph's voice shook

-just a little as the words came. "He says that his disappearance is due

-to that! You must see, sir, that I cannot shake hands with him after

-that!"</p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_78" id="Page_78">[Pg 78]</a></span></p>

-

-<p>"Elgert, what have you to say to this?" demanded the Head sternly; and

-Elgert stammered&mdash;</p>

-

-<p>"I didn't exactly say that, sir."</p>

-

-<p>"Yes, you did!" blurted Warren. "He did say it, sir, and he has been

-trying to get up this fight! It is no use denying it. It began because

-Rexworth turned him and some more out of the study he shares with

-Charlton. They say enough unkind things about him," he added. "There

-was a bit of a bother, and Elgert got knocked over, and he challenged

-Rexworth to fight him after school to-day. Rexworth, would not do it,

-and he said that if a fight was forced upon him it should be wherever

-he chanced to be at that moment. Elgert came here and began sneering

-and saying unkind things, and then Rexworth struck him, and that is all

-the truth. I know that I ought to have tried to stop it, but we and the

-Fifth don't get on well, and so&mdash;and so&mdash;&mdash;"</p>

-

-<p>"Because of class rivalry you allowed your companion to fight. It is

-not right, Warren! Monitors should try to enforce the rules, not to

-break them. Elgert, you will do me two hundred lines, and be good

-enough to remember that if I consider any boy fit to become a scholar

-here it is not for you to make such statements as you appear to have

-done."</p>

-

-<p>"I only said what my father told me!" sulkily answered Elgert; and the

-Head frowned.</p>

-

-<p>"What you and your father may say in private is no concern of mine,

-Elgert," he replied coldly;<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_79" id="Page_79">[Pg 79]</a></span> "what you repeat in public here is another

-matter, with which I have to do! Do your imposition and bring it to

-me before class to-morrow, and mind that I have no more of this. You

-other lads, I will overlook this in your case this time, seeing that it

-appears that violent provocation was given; but, mind, there must be no

-more fighting in the playground boundaries! See that I am obeyed!" And

-the Head turned away.</p>

-

-<p>"Don't think that we have finished yet!" said Horace Elgert, looking

-darkly at Ralph. "I will have my revenge for this, as sure as you are

-standing there!" and, with that he went.</p>

-

-<p>And the three Fourth-Form boys went indoors; while the rest of the

-lads, who had scattered, came back eagerly discussing what punishment

-the offenders would receive.</p>

-

-<p>And the general verdict was, "It served Elgert right, and that he had

-no business to have spoken as he had done!"</p>

-

-<p>"But suppose it is right?" queried one lad. "You know, there is

-something queer about it!"</p>

-

-<p>"Something very queer," said another; "but that story is all nonsense!

-My dad knows Mr. St. Clive very well, and he told him all the story and

-how there was plenty of money in Mr. Rexworth's possession. Besides,

-any one with eyes can see that Rexworth is a gentleman, even if he has

-some strange ways through living abroad. Elgert is too fond of thinking

-he is<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_80" id="Page_80">[Pg 80]</a></span> all the world and every one else dirt beneath his feet. It

-serves him jolly well right!"</p>

-

-<p>"Well, there is one thing," admitted a third boy, "that fellow Rexworth

-may be queer in some ways, but he is no fool when it comes to a

-scrimmage, and he knows how to defend himself! I don't think any of us

-are likely to try for a row with him after what we have seen!"</p>

-

-<p>Meanwhile, Ralph, ignorant of the criticisms which were being made

-in his favour, had gone to his own study. He felt sorry for what had

-occurred, and the cruel words which had been spoken had gone like

-arrows to his heart and brought back all his trouble. He felt like

-running away to Mrs. St. Clive and getting her to comfort him.</p>

-

-<p>And then Charlton came in, very gently, as if half afraid to intrude

-his presence upon his chum. He came and bent over Ralph's chair,

-putting one hand on his shoulder, and whispered&mdash;</p>

-

-<p>"Ralph, I am so sorry! Don't you worry about it!"</p>

-

-<p>Ralph looked up, and a brave smile came to his lips.</p>

-

-<p>"Hallo! Is it you, Charlton?" he said. "No, I won't worry about it; but

-I am sorry that I have commenced my school life so badly. There, we

-won't think of it any more! If you are not busy, you might just lend

-me a hand with to-morrow's exercises. If it were speaking French or

-Spanish, I should be all<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_81" id="Page_81">[Pg 81]</a></span> right, but I don't seem to understand Latin

-in the slightest."</p>

-

-<p>"Let us go through it," replied Charlton eagerly. "I shall be glad to

-do it."</p>

-

-<p>So troubles were forgotten, and the chums bent over the table and soon

-became absorbed in their task. Learning lessons is not anything like so

-bad when you put your heart into it.</p>

-

-<p>So the evening passed, and bed-time came; and once more Ralph knelt

-down to offer up his evening prayers. And not only Warren and Charlton,

-but some other boys followed his example now, for his action had

-reproached them and made them think soberly of things which they had

-been careless about all too long.</p>

-

-<p>But Ralph was not easy in his mind. Somehow, he felt that he had no

-kindly thought for Elgert&mdash;and he had been praying to be forgiven, as

-he forgave his enemies! That was a very troublesome thought, and it was

-still in his mind when he fell asleep.</p>

-

-<p class="center">*&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;*&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;*&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;*&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;*</p>

-

-<p>What was that noise?</p>

-

-<p>Ralph Rexworth sat up in bed, and listened. Accustomed to wake at the

-slightest noise that might betoken danger, and to wake with all his

-senses about him, he had been disturbed by a strange, scraping sound,

-the cause of which he could not think of.</p>

-

-<p>Only one dim point of light burnt in the dormitory, and all was still

-there save for the breathing of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_82" id="Page_82">[Pg 82]</a></span> sleepers. It was no sound of that

-sort which had awakened him.</p>

-

-<p>There it was again&mdash;outside! He remembered having heard a sound like

-that once before&mdash;when the Indians had risen and come to attack the

-ranch. He had laid and listened to them as they crawled over the tops

-of the sheds, and the sound was like that! It was from outside! He

-rose, and creeping to the window, he lifted one corner of the blind,

-and peeped out.</p>

-

-<p>Nothing there&mdash;stay, that was wrong! Surely that was a ladder propped

-against the wall? What was a ladder doing there, for there was none

-there the evening before! And the window there was open! Some one must

-have got in at that window!</p>

-

-<p>Was it one of the boys who had been up to mischief, or, it seemed

-absurd, was some thief breaking in? Thieves did not, as a rule, break

-into schools!</p>

-

-<p>He was half inclined to raise an alarm. But the thought came, that if

-this was some midnight escapade on the part of some of the boys, to do

-that might be to get them into disgrace&mdash;to make more enemies, and to

-interfere in what did not concern him.</p>

-

-<p>That was a window just outside the Fifth-Form dormitory, too! Elgert

-might be in it, and he did not want to be the means of getting him into

-any more trouble.</p>

-

-<p>But suppose that it was a thief? Ralph crept to the door and opened it

-noiselessly. He peered down the corridor, but nothing was to be seen or

-heard.</p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_83" id="Page_83">[Pg 83]</a></span></p>

-

-<p>Stop! Surely he did hear a faint sound&mdash;a very faint sound! He felt

-that he must go and see; a strange, uneasy feeling had possessed him; a

-strange presentiment that all was not right.</p>

-

-<p>He crept down the passage, and turned towards the Fifth-Form dormitory,

-and a breath of cold air met him. The window was open, and the top of a

-ladder could be seen&mdash;and the door of the dormitory was open also!</p>

-

-<p>With cautious, stealthy steps he crept on, pausing once when the boards

-creaked beneath his weight. There was something eerie in being here

-alone at midnight; it was worse than being out alone on the plains.</p>

-

-<p>He reached the door, and peered into the dormitory with its long row

-of sleeping boys there. There was nothing here in the shape of a lark

-going on. All was still and silent.</p>

-

-<p>There was his enemy lying asleep, his handsome face just catching a

-glimmer of moonlight which found its way through the blind; and as

-Ralph looked he saw a strange apparition&mdash;a man slowly appeared, rising

-at the side of the bed! A man with pillow in his hands, which he was

-about to press down upon that sleeping boy! A man going to murder

-Horace Elgert!</p>

-

-<p>Like a flash the truth burst upon the watching boy, and, with a loud

-cry, he threw the door wide open and rushed into the dormitory.</p>

-

-<hr />

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_84" id="Page_84">[Pg 84]</a></span></p>

-

-<h2><span>CHAPTER IX</span> <span class="smaller">ALTOGETHER BEYOND EXPLANATION</span></h2>

-

-<p>"Thieves!"</p>

-

-<p>"Fire!"</p>

-

-<p>"Help! Help!"</p>

-

-<p>The whole house was aroused. The cries of confusion and alarm coming

-from the Fifth Form dormitory were repeated by others who, entirely

-ignorant as to what was the matter, and aroused from slumber by the

-noise, tumbled from their beds and rushed out wildly, under the

-impression that nothing less than the house being ablaze could account

-for the cry.</p>

-

-<p>The doctor and masters came hurrying to the spot; and while the

-Head ran to the Fifth Form room, the master got the other boys into

-something like order, ready to be marched quietly downstairs if the

-alarm of fire should prove to be well founded.</p>

-

-<p>The first thing that the doctor noted was the open window and the

-ladder, and the next, that a confused babel of sound was going on in

-the Fifth's room; and as he strode to the door he was met, full tilt,

-by a boy with torn clothes, apparently seeking to free himself from the

-grasp of half a dozen Fifth Form boys.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_85" id="Page_85">[Pg 85]</a></span> To his bewilderment, the Head

-saw that this boy was his new scholar, Ralph Rexworth.</p>

-

-<p>His strong hand gripped the boy's arm, and his voice thundered out a

-command for silence, which the boys obeyed all save Ralph, who cried&mdash;</p>

-

-<p>"If you do not follow him at once, he will be off, sir! These fellows

-stopped me, and he has got a good start!"</p>

-

-<p>"He! Who?" cried the Head. And the boy replied&mdash;</p>

-

-<p>"The man who was in the Fifth, sir. He knocked me down, and bolted; and

-then the boys woke, and got me, and would not let me go!"</p>

-

-<p>"You have been dreaming, boy. Silence, all! Kesterway, you are head

-monitor. Explain to me! All boys from other Forms back to their rooms;

-there is no cause for any alarm. At once, please! Now, Kesterway!"</p>

-

-<p>"I can tell you nothing, sir. I heard a noise, and woke; and there was

-Elgert, and one or two others holding a boy who kicked and struggled;

-and just as I jumped out of bed and ran round, he broke away and rushed

-for the door."</p>

-

-<p>"It was Rexworth, sir!" cried one boy. "He was in our room trying to

-play some trick upon Elgert. They have been having a row, sir."</p>

-

-<p>"Will you have the goodness to hold your tongue, sir!" exclaimed the

-master, a trifle irritably; and the boy subsided at once.</p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_86" id="Page_86">[Pg 86]</a></span></p>

-

-<p>"Elgert, what have you to say? Did this boy attempt to play any tricks

-on you?"</p>

-

-<p>"Yes, sir! I was asleep and I was aroused by a violent cry and a blow,

-and some one was struggling on my bed, as if he had jumped on and

-was trying to hold me down; I gripped hold of him, and found it was

-Rexworth. The other fellows woke, and began crying out; and then, when

-they found who it was that had made the row, they got angry and went

-for him!"</p>

-

-<p>"That will do. Now you, sir, what have you to say? Speak up, and

-tell the truth! Why have you disturbed the whole household in this

-disgraceful manner?"</p>

-

-<p>So the doctor asked, and terribly angry did he look; but very different

-was his expression when he had heard Ralph's story. It sounded

-incredible that any one should attempt to enter the school for the

-deliberate purpose of injuring any boy; and he would have put the story

-down as a fabrication, but there was the plain evidence in the shape of

-the open window and the ladder.</p>

-

-<p>If Ralph had invented it, he must have managed to leave the house, drag

-the ladder across the playground, raise it to the window, and then go

-back and open that window; and that also seemed absolutely impossible.</p>

-

-<p>"I saw the man, sir!" the lad said; "he was creeping on his hands and

-knees, and when he got to Elgert's<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_87" id="Page_87">[Pg 87]</a></span> bed he got up, and he had a pillow.

-He was going to smother Elgert. He dropped the pillow when I shouted

-and ran in. It is by the bed now. I tried to clutch him, sir, but he

-was too strong. He struck me, and knocked me over on top of Elgert, and

-then they held me and actually let him escape. He darted away like a

-flash, sir; and I expect that he is far enough away by now!"</p>

-

-<p>Bewilderment, incredulity, wonder, all were depicted upon the faces of

-those who listened; but Elgert actually laughed in the Head's presence,

-and asked how any one could be expected to believe such a story.</p>

-

-<p>"Who is there who would want to harm me, sir?" he said. "Why, it is

-really absurd to think of such a thing! I have had a row with this boy,

-as you know, and I suppose that he wanted to play a trick on me, and

-quite forgot the row that would be made."</p>

-

-<p>"Be good enough to keep your remarks to yourself, until I ask for your

-opinion, Elgert!" said the Head sternly. "Now, all you boys, back to

-bed! In the morning I will go into the matter properly. To bed at once!"</p>

-

-<p>It was all very well to say "to bed," but "to sleep" was quite another

-matter. Sleep seemed banished from most eyes; and in the Fourth, Ralph

-was plied with question after question, until at last he positively

-refused to talk any more.</p>

-

-<p>Truth to tell, Ralph was somewhat disgusted. He<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_88" id="Page_88">[Pg 88]</a></span> had done more than

-most boys would have risked; and had it not been for him, Elgert would

-have been murdered, and this was the best thanks he received!</p>

-

-<p>And yet, as he thought of it, it seemed quite natural to him. After

-all, it was a very mysterious business; and if people did not believe

-it, it was not to be wondered at. He would wait patiently until the

-morning; and then, if the doctor did not believe him, it would not be

-his fault.</p>

-

-<p>And when morning came, and breakfast was over, the Head sent for Ralph,

-and again listened to his story, and questioned him closely; and he

-felt convinced that the boy was indeed speaking the truth.</p>

-

-<p>That only perplexed him the more; a foolish joke would be

-understandable, but a deliberate attempt to harm one of the boys under

-his charge was a thing which he could not by any means comprehend.</p>

-

-<p>He went into the playground and surveyed the ladder; it had been left

-just where it was. He went to the boundary wall and examined that, and

-there was a stain of blood&mdash;some one, in hastily getting over, must

-have cut his hand upon the broken glass with which it was finished off.

-He felt, beyond question, that Ralph's tale was true. Some one had been

-there, but who that some one was, was a mystery indeed.</p>

-

-<p>But the doctor was a just man, and as he had thrown some doubt upon

-Ralph's story, he summoned the entire school, and told them he was

-quite satisfied<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_89" id="Page_89">[Pg 89]</a></span> that what Ralph had said happened was absolutely true.</p>

-

-<p>"Mysterious as it is, I feel satisfied that one of our number has been

-in dreadful peril, while he was innocently sleeping; and it is to the

-goodness of God that he owes his preservation. God, Who made Ralph

-Rexworth wake up and look from the window and then go to the help of

-Elgert! And I trust," he added gently, "that this circumstance may make

-the two chief actors in this incident better friends! I am sorry to

-know that they are not very friendly, but I hope that they will be so

-in the future!"</p>

-

-<p>So the affair ended&mdash;so far as public investigation went, though it was

-talked over again and again by the boys. The Head communicated with the

-police, and a detective came down; and however much he may have been

-bewildered and ready to put it down to the tricks of schoolboys, yet

-after he had seen the ladder and the bloodmark, and heard Ralph tell

-his story, he also had to admit that the boy was undoubtedly telling

-the truth, and that the school had been entered in the manner described.</p>

-

-<p>But Ralph worried over it. The very mystery surrounding it brought back

-the mystery of his father's disappearance. He pondered all day over it,

-until he felt weary and angry with himself; and he hailed the close of

-school with delight, suggesting to his chum and Warren that they should

-go for a good long walk, a proposal with which they immediately agreed.</p>

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_90" id="Page_90">[Pg 90]</a></span></p>

-

-<p>"Now, look here," said Ralph, when the trio had started, "there is only

-one thing; for mercy's sake don't talk about that business of last

-night! I am fairly tired of it, and I want to forget it if I can!"</p>

-

-<p>"All right, old chap," answered Warren, with a laugh; "let us go into

-the woods and see if we can find anything worth taking in the way of

-specimens. I got two lovely orange-tips there the other day, and some

-silly fellow went and knocked over my setting-board, and spoilt them

-both!"</p>

-

-<p>"The woods be it," answered Ralph readily.</p>

-

-<p>And so they sought the green, cool, shady glades, where the wild birds

-were so tame, and where such splendid butterflies and dragon flies were

-to be captured.</p>

-

-<p>They wandered hither and thither, enjoying the quiet sylvan beauty; and

-presently, stretched on the grass, they spoke of the difference of this

-scene to that which Ralph had known in his younger days; and Warren lay

-flat on his back, and asked question after question concerning the wild

-people of the great Texan plains.</p>

-

-<p>"I didn't know that there were any Indians left," the monitor

-confessed; and Ralph laughed.</p>

-

-<p>"Plenty of them; and then there are the Gauchos&mdash;they are of Spanish

-descent, and they are for ever fighting with the Indians. It is very

-different living out there; and, even in the towns, men seldom go about

-unarmed."</p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_91" id="Page_91">[Pg 91]</a></span></p>

-

-<p>"Pleasant," was Warren's remark. "I think that I will stop where I am;

-even if we do get midnight visitors now and again."</p>

-

-<p>"I say, that subject is forbidden," laughed Ralph.</p>

-

-<p>And then he was silent so long that, presently, Warren asked him what

-he was thinking of, and Ralph sighed.</p>

-

-<p>"Something that is hardly ever out of my thoughts," he answered

-gravely. "Speaking of my old home brought it back&mdash;&mdash;"</p>

-

-<p>"Your father?" queried Warren; and Ralph nodded.</p>

-

-<p>"It must be precious hard for you," the monitor said. "I think that if

-I were in your place I should go silly."</p>

-

-<p>"No, you would do what I do, old fellow; just pray to God to bring

-things right. I felt bad at first, and it was Mrs. St. Clive who taught

-me to be brave."</p>

-

-<p>"I like her," remarked Warren, with a nod. "She is awfully nice, Ralph.

-I wonder if ever you will hear anything about your father?"</p>

-

-<p>"Yes," came the confident answer. "I feel sure that I shall; and

-sometimes, Warren, it may seem strange, but it comes to me that he is

-not dead, and that he will come back!"</p>

-

-<p>"But if he were not dead he would not have gone off and left you all

-alone like this," objected Warren. "I should not think that."</p>

-

-<p>"He may not be able to help it. There, we won't<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_92" id="Page_92">[Pg 92]</a></span> talk of it; only I

-cannot help thinking like that sometimes. Where is Charlton?"</p>

-

-<p>The question brought the fact out that they were alone; their companion

-had gone off and left them there while they were talking.</p>

-

-<p>"Now, where has that silly chap got to?" queried Warren, sitting up.</p>

-

-<p>"Gone after a butterfly, perhaps. He will soon be back."</p>

-

-<p>"But it is time that we began to move. He is such a silly fellow that

-he is as like as not to go and lose himself. Hallo! Charlton! Charlton!

-Coo-ee! Charlton!"</p>

-

-<p>They paused and waited, but no reply came; and Warren got up, a trifle

-cross.</p>

-

-<p>"Of all the silly kites!" he said. "What trouble has he got into now?

-Charlton, I say, where are you?"</p>

-

-<p>"Better let us go and have a look for him," said Ralph; and the two

-started, Warren grumbling all the way, until in response to their

-shouts, they heard an answering call, and saw their companion appear.</p>

-

-<p>"Well, you stupid!" began Warren; but Ralph checked him, for the other

-boy looked scared and pale.</p>

-

-<p>"Why, what is the matter?" he asked. "You look as if you had been

-scared. Has any one frightened you?"</p>

-

-<p>"I! Any one frightened me? Oh, no!" answered Charlton quickly. "How

-silly! Who could be with<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_93" id="Page_93">[Pg 93]</a></span> me? I got lost&mdash;and lost my head! I felt a

-little afraid, until I heard you call."</p>

-

-<p>"We have been shouting for the last half hour!" grumbled Warren. "Come

-along! We shall be late for tea!"</p>

-

-<p>But Ralph said nothing. He was puzzled. The spot where they stood was

-damp and clayey; and on the soft ground were the imprints of two pairs

-of feet, going towards the bushes from which Charlton had emerged. Of

-those footprints, one set was a boy's, and evidently made by his chum;

-the other set was a man's.</p>

-

-<p>Charlton said that he had been alone, but Ralph knew better. A man had

-been with his chum, but who was that man? Was he the one who had broken

-into the school the previous night?</p>

-

-<hr />

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_94" id="Page_94">[Pg 94]</a></span></p>

-

-<h2><span>CHAPTER X</span> <span class="smaller">COUNSELS AND PROMISES</span></h2>

-

-<p>"My dear lad, it certainly is very strange. You seem, since your

-arrival in England, to be surrounded with mysteries."</p>

-

-<p>Ralph was sitting alone with Mr. St. Clive; and the latter, having

-questioned him as to how he had got on during his first week at school,

-Ralph had told him of his various experiences&mdash;of his quarrel with

-Horace Elgert, and of the strange midnight episode which had taken

-place&mdash;Mr. St. Clive listening with interest, and making the remark

-that it was very mysterious, as the lad concluded his story.</p>

-

-<p>"It is strange, sir," answered Ralph, "and at first Dr. Beverly seemed

-inclined to doubt my story; while Horace Elgert, instead of taking it

-seriously, actually said that it was not true, and that I had gone into

-the Fifth dormitory on purpose to play some trick with him. I think,

-though," he added, "that he only said that to anger me."</p>

-

-<p>"It is very strange," Mr. St. Clive repeated. "And then this other

-boy&mdash;&mdash;"</p>

-

-<p>"Charlton, do you mean, sir?"</p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_95" id="Page_95">[Pg 95]</a></span></p>

-

-<p>"Yes. You say that you are sure he was with some man, and that he

-denied it?"</p>

-

-<p>"Yes, sir. I asked him if he had been with any one, and he looked quite

-frightened."</p>

-

-<p>"That may easily be. I know something of his history, or rather, of the

-family's. His father was accused of some crime, and, strangely enough,

-Lord Elgert was the prosecutor. A cheque was forged, I believe. Mr.

-Charlton managed to escape, but he was never able to come back; and it

-was finally said that he was dead. It is quite possible that he has

-returned, and that he got into the school to see his son, and went into

-the wrong dormitory. That is possible, I say, though I do not think it

-likely. He would hardly run such a risk, in my opinion; and more so, as

-he could have gone to his wife, and then let her send for the lad."</p>

-

-<p>"I did not think of it being his father," acknowledged Ralph. "I was

-thinking of something else."</p>

-

-<p>"Yes?" inquired Mr. St. Clive.</p>

-

-<p>"Cannot you guess, sir? My father is gone, and I know nothing of his

-fate. What if this man was the one who met him in Stow Wood. He might

-be able to solve the matter."</p>

-

-<p>"He might," was the reply, "but it is not likely. Charlton, as I

-remember him, was a timid, shrinking man; that was proved by the way he

-took to flight. He would not be likely to do such a thing."</p>

-

-<p>"But he might, sir. Some one must have done it,"<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_96" id="Page_96">[Pg 96]</a></span> persisted Ralph. "I

-feel as if I ought to watch Charlton, and find out who it was that he

-met. I could do it, too! I may not be very clever with books, but I

-could do that kind of thing."</p>

-

-<p>"And then?" came the grave question.</p>

-

-<p>And Ralph cried, almost fiercely&mdash;</p>

-

-<p>"Can you ask me that, sir? If my father has come to harm, the one who

-harmed him must be punished."</p>

-

-<p>"Even though he is your chum's father. Ralph, this is quite natural;

-and even beyond that, I do not say that if you could discover the man

-who killed your father&mdash;supposing that he is killed&mdash;he should not be

-given up to justice. I only say, 'pause, and be careful.' Remember the

-man your chum saw may be his father, and yet may be entirely innocent

-of the crime which you naturally desire to have punished. You, in your

-eagerness, may deliver an unfortunate man up to justice, and then find

-out that he is not the man you seek. And if I can read anything of your

-nature, that would be a cause of bitter regret with you for many a long

-day."</p>

-

-<p>"It would, sir," acknowledged Ralph readily. "But unless I can find the

-man, how can I know the truth?"</p>

-

-<p>"Well, my lad, I feel that I can only advise you to be careful;

-and, above all, even in this desire to have your father's assailant

-punished, see to it that no motive of revenge actuates you. Remember

-that it is written: 'Vengeance is Mine. I will repay, saith<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_97" id="Page_97">[Pg 97]</a></span> the Lord.'

-Remember also that it is 'As we forgive them that trespass against us.'"</p>

-

-<p>"But you would not have me let the man go free, sir?" protested Ralph.

-"The only thing I seem to have before me is to find out what happened

-to my father."</p>

-

-<p>"But not of necessity to help hunt any man down. Besides, Ralph, there

-is another thing. You mention that you have again seen the tracks of

-that horse. Now, does it not strike you that, if this man is the father

-of your chum, and a fugitive from justice, he would be the last person

-in the world to be riding about in a trap? That is a very important

-thing to remember."</p>

-

-<p>"I never thought of that," the boy acknowledged. And Mr. St. Clive

-nodded.</p>

-

-<p>"Precisely; and yet such things, in so important a business, must be

-taken into consideration. Now, Ralph, my advice&mdash;my earnest advice&mdash;is

-that you proceed very carefully, and be quite certain that you have

-reason for each step before you take it. And one thing more, my

-dear boy. It is not well to say that even unravelling the mystery

-surrounding your father's disappearance is the chief object of your

-life. The chief object should be to become a noble, true man, alike

-a blessing to your fellows and an honour to God. Do you remember how

-it says in the Bible: 'There is a banner given to thee, that it may

-be displayed because of righteousness'? Now, that is a verse I<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_98" id="Page_98">[Pg 98]</a></span> like.

-God gives you His standard, and He says not only 'march under it, but

-bear it for Me.' Die for the colours of the King, if need be, and fight

-always under honour's flag. Ralph, that is my counsel, the best I can

-give you, as your true friend. Wait for God to bring the mystery to

-light. Do not let revenge be your life's object, for revenge is of the

-devil. Let love be your watchword, and honour your banner. Ralph, will

-you promise me this?"</p>

-

-<p>"I will, sir," answered the boy, deeply moved. "I will try and be a

-good standard-bearer."</p>

-

-<p>"I feel sure of it. Shake hands. I know that I shall have cause to be

-proud of your friendship. Now, I must not take up all your time. I know

-that Irene is waiting patiently for you, so run and join her, and make

-the most of your brief holiday."</p>

-

-<p>And what a delightful holiday it was, in spite of the trouble over

-him! It was a splendid thought to think of himself as being a

-standard-bearer. And he told Irene all about it; and she, in return,

-told him of the young hero who, being wounded, and fearing that the

-colours he bore would be taken from him, placed them beneath him, and

-lay in silent suffering until the enemy found him and, in pity, sought

-to help him. And then she told how he begged so hard that he might not

-be moved that they wondered; and when, even against his wish, they

-raised his dying form, there they found the colours which he loved, and

-which he had guarded so well; and they wrapped them round him and bore<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_99" id="Page_99">[Pg 99]</a></span>

-him away. And when he died they buried him with the flag which he had

-carried, and gave him all honour for being true man and hero.</p>

-

-<p>It was a fine story, and set Ralph's heart beating more quickly. And

-then Irene said that he must be as true, and be her champion, and win

-in the battle of right against wrong. And Ralph&mdash;well, I do not mind

-owning that he kissed her; and seeing that he had been brought up all

-his life on the plains, and had never been used to girls' society, that

-really was a daring thing to do.</p>

-

-<p>So the holiday was spent, and Sunday passed in quiet and worship. And

-then on Monday morning back he went to Marlthorpe College, and the

-fight of another week.</p>

-

-<p>And the battle began almost at once, for very soon after his arrival he

-was called into the doctor's study, where he found two stern-faced men,

-whom he was told were detectives; and they questioned him closely as to

-the events of that night when he had seen the man, and even went so far

-as to hint that he must have been dreaming and walking in his sleep,

-and that made Ralph feel very like losing his temper. Dreaming! As if

-he did not know that he had been very wide awake indeed!</p>

-

-<p>And they called Horace Elgert in also, and questioned him as to whether

-he had seen anything, or whether he could think of any one likely to

-harm him. And Elgert laughed in the most insulting manner.</p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_100" id="Page_100">[Pg 100]</a></span></p>

-

-<p>"I don't believe a word of it!" he said, with seeming frankness. "It is

-a silly business, and it had best be forgotten. There is a great deal

-too much being made out of it. I suppose that Rexworth wants to pose as

-a hero. I told my father of it, and he laughed about it; but he said

-that he would ride over this morning and question Rexworth himself."</p>

-

-<p>"I do not want him to question me!" cried Ralph, flushing angrily. And

-Elgert laughed again.</p>

-

-<p>"Very likely not; but he will do it, all the same," he replied. And

-then Dr. Beverly interrupted them sternly.</p>

-

-<p>"Silence, both of you! I did not tell you to come here to have this

-nonsense, but to answer any questions which these gentlemen might wish

-to ask you. Back to your classes, both of you, and mind that I have no

-trouble with either of you! If you cannot be friendly, keep apart!"</p>

-

-<p>"I am sure that I want to," muttered Elgert, as he went; but he only

-spoke loud enough for the words to reach Ralph's ears.</p>

-

-<p>It was very hard to keep cool and pay attention to his work; but Ralph

-remembered his promise to his good friends, and he set sternly to the

-tasks before him, only to be interrupted an hour afterwards by the

-doctor sending for him again; and this time&mdash;how hot and angry he came

-all in a moment!&mdash;it was to be questioned by Lord Elgert, who sat there

-as cold, as haughty, and overbearing as ever.</p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_101" id="Page_101">[Pg 101]</a></span></p>

-

-<p>"Now, young man," he said, when Ralph entered, "I want to hear, for

-myself, this remarkable story."</p>

-

-<p>Ralph paused a moment. With a strong effort he mastered himself. If

-he was a standard-bearer, he must remember to give soft and polite

-answers, so he said politely&mdash;</p>

-

-<p>"I am afraid that I have little to tell, sir, that I have not told

-already; and, unfortunately, it does not seem to be believed."</p>

-

-<p>"Never mind that. Begin at the beginning, and tell me all that

-occurred."</p>

-

-<p>So Ralph complied, and Lord Elgert sat listening with frowning face and

-watchful eyes; and Ralph could see that he, like his son, really did

-believe the story, even though he pretended not to.</p>

-

-<p>"Well, well, doctor," said his lordship, when the tale was told, "I am

-inclined to think that it is a case of sleepwalking&mdash;&mdash;"</p>

-

-<p>"But did I put the ladder against the window in my sleep, sir?" asked

-Ralph. "The detectives did not think that, nor do you. I have no

-interest in inventing such a story; and I have no wish to do anything

-to annoy your son, so long as he leaves me alone&mdash;&mdash;"</p>

-

-<p>"I do not think that the boy dreamed it," said the doctor. And Lord

-Elgert frowned.</p>

-

-<p>"Hum! Hark, boy! I suppose that it was not your own father, come to see

-you, eh?"</p>

-

-<p>Then up started Ralph indignantly, and cried&mdash;</p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_102" id="Page_102">[Pg 102]</a></span></p>

-

-<p>"You have no right to insult me like that! Why should you? I know

-nothing of you, and yet, upon the only two occasions when we have met,

-you have spoken in that way. My father! Why should he come like a thief

-at night? He has never done anything to be ashamed of. Never, I say, in

-spite of the tale you told. That tale is not true!"</p>

-

-<p>"Each to his own opinion, young man," retorted Lord Elgert drily. "You

-take my advice. Attend to your studies, learn all you can, and then go

-back to the land you came from; for you will get on best there!"</p>

-

-<p>"Lord Elgert," answered Ralph fearlessly, "you may mean that kindly

-or you may not. I neither know nor care. It is your advice, but it is

-advice which I shall not take. I have something to do here. I have

-to find out what has become of my father, and I have to prove that

-your accusation that he is a thief is not true. I am only a boy, Lord

-Elgert, and you may laugh at me, but I know that I shall succeed

-presently, and when I do perhaps I may also learn the reason for your

-disliking me so much."</p>

-

-<p>"What do you mean by that?" shouted Lord Elgert angrily. And Ralph

-replied&mdash;</p>

-

-<p>"Just what I say!"</p>

-

-<p>Then he turned and asked the doctor if he wanted him any more. And

-receiving permission to go, he went back to his class; while Lord

-Elgert rode homewards, with black looks and frowning brow.</p>

-

-<hr />

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_103" id="Page_103">[Pg 103]</a></span></p>

-

-<h2><span>CHAPTER XI</span> <span class="smaller">GOING IN FOR GRINDING</span></h2>

-

-<p>"Boys, I have an announcement to make."</p>

-

-<p>The whole school were gathered for the usual morning prayers, the

-masters each at the head of his class; and when the reading was over,

-the doctor, instead of dismissing them to their classes as usual, still

-stood at his desk, and the boys looked up eagerly. Was it a holiday, or

-a challenge from some neighbouring school to a football match?</p>

-

-<p>Alas, for such hopes! It was neither the one nor the other. It was

-something which only interested a very few of the most industrious

-there.</p>

-

-<p>"The Newlet gold medal examination for mathematics will be held in a

-month's time from now; and it will be needful for intending competitors

-to hand in their names to their masters at once. I trust that the

-school will be well represented at the examination. We lost the medal

-last year, though we had a very good average; but the year before that,

-Kesterway, who was then only in the Fourth, gained it. That debars

-him from again trying for it; but I hope that others will enter the

-field, and do as<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_104" id="Page_104">[Pg 104]</a></span> well as he did. The second and third boys gain silver

-medals. That is all. Dismiss to your classes."</p>

-

-<p>"I say, Dobby, there is a chance for you to distinguish yourself,"

-whispered one boy in the lazy one's ear, as the Fourth trooped away.

-And Dobson glared, for of all things, mathematics was his weak point.</p>

-

-<p>"Dobson cannot do it," laughed Warren, overhearing the words. "His

-system of mathematics is erratic. When it comes to eating tarts at

-some one else's expense, it is wonderful how many he can take without

-counting them up; but if he has to treat&mdash;well, one multiplies itself

-into twenty."</p>

-

-<p>"You shut up," growled Dobson. "I never had tarts at your expense."</p>

-

-<p>"No, my son, and you never will," laughed Warren. "Hurry up and take

-your place. You know where it is&mdash;top wrong end."</p>

-

-<p>Mr. Delermain entered, and the class settled down to work; but Ralph

-found himself pondering over that prize which was offered. True,

-figures were not his strongest point; but then he had a great belief

-that any one who sets his mind to a thing can manage to do it in time,

-and, somehow, he felt that it would be very nice to take that medal

-home and show it to Irene.</p>

-

-<p>So when recess was called, he managed to get hold of Warren and

-question him about it.</p>

-

-<p>"The Newlet," explained the monitor. "Well, it<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_105" id="Page_105">[Pg 105]</a></span> certainly is rather

-stiff. I suppose that I must go in for it, though I don't think I

-shall stand much chance. There will be Philmore and Standish of the

-Fifth; I don't know if Elgert will try for it. He thinks no end of his

-mathematics, but if you ask me, I think that a crib has a good deal to

-do with it."</p>

-

-<p>"A crib?"</p>

-

-<p>"Yes. You know. Don't know what a crib is!" as Ralph shook his head.

-"Oh, you sweet innocent, I thought I explained that to you before! It

-is a book with all the answers in it&mdash;&mdash;"</p>

-

-<p>"That is cheating," said Ralph. And Warren nodded.</p>

-

-<p>"Of course it is; but it is frequently done, not only for exams,

-but for class work. Suppose a fellow is late in&mdash;been at cricket or

-anything&mdash;and he hasn't got time for prep., and don't want to lose his

-place, a crib comes in very handy; only some fellows always use 'em,

-because they are so lazy&mdash;&mdash;"</p>

-

-<p>"Dobson, for instance," suggested Ralph. But Warren laughed, and shook

-his head.</p>

-

-<p>"Bless you, no. He is too lazy even to use a crib. He does not even

-pretend to do his lessons; and he is in pretty little danger of losing

-his place, seeing that it is always at the bottom of the class."</p>

-

-<p>"Well, I think it mean and dishonourable to use cribs," Ralph declared.

-"If I could not manage without that I would not manage at all."</p>

-

-<p>"It is pretty often done," Warren replied. He was<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_106" id="Page_106">[Pg 106]</a></span> not quite guiltless

-himself; and he felt a trifle ashamed of Ralph's honest wrath. "I

-suppose it is wrong; only a fellow does not think so at the time.

-But you were asking about the Newlet. It is stiff, but it is worth

-winning&mdash;&mdash;"</p>

-

-<p>"I should like to try for it," murmured Ralph. And the monitor stared.</p>

-

-<p>"You! Well, there is nothing to prevent you from doing so; only you

-will have to grind awfully, if you don't crib&mdash;&mdash;"</p>

-

-<p>"I shall not do that," interrupted Ralph firmly. "Once for all, let

-that be understood. If I cannot stand a chance without cheating, I will

-not go in for it."</p>

-

-<p>"Well, then, it is just grinding, that is all."</p>

-

-<p>"Grinding," repeated Ralph, raising his brows. And Warren laughed again.</p>

-

-<p>"Bless your heart! It is refreshing to find any one as innocent as you

-are. Grinding, my dear fellow, is working, swatting, putting in full

-time, giving up games and larks and story books, and working on every

-moment you have got to spare. It is living on mathematics all the time."</p>

-

-<p>"In plain words, it is working hard," laughed Ralph. "And if a thing is

-worth doing, it is worth working well for&mdash;&mdash;"</p>

-

-<p>"Right you are. Go ahead, and good luck. You are letting yourself in

-for a nice thing, though; but, I suppose, that if you enter you will

-stick it out. Best tell Mr. Delermain; it will please him to have<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_107" id="Page_107">[Pg 107]</a></span> you

-enter. He likes his Form well represented, even though we cannot all

-win."</p>

-

-<p>Warren was right in that; the master was very pleased when Ralph spoke

-to him about it.</p>

-

-<p>"I should like to go in for it, sir," the boy said. "I suppose it seems

-rather absurd; but I could try at least, and the study will not do me

-any harm."</p>

-

-<p>"Not if it is honest study, Rexworth," replied Mr. Delermain. And those

-truthful eyes were raised steadily to his own.</p>

-

-<p>"It will not be anything else, sir," Ralph said. "If I cannot do it

-honestly, I shall not do it at all."</p>

-

-<p>"That is the way, Rexworth." Mr. Delermain laid one hand on the boy's

-shoulder as he spoke. "And even if you do not win, the work itself is

-sure to prove of great use to you later on. By all means enter; and if

-you want any assistance or advice, do not hesitate to come to me. I

-shall always be very glad to do anything in my power to assist you."</p>

-

-<p>So Ralph put his name down, and some of the boys stared when they heard

-it. A new boy, only a week there, putting his name down for the Newlet!</p>

-

-<p>"Cheek!" said Elgert.</p>

-

-<p>"Rubbish!" said Dobson.</p>

-

-<p>"No use!" said a good many; but Ralph paid no heed to it all. One thing

-nerved him. Elgert was going in for it; and he felt that if he could

-not beat him, it would be strange.</p>

-

-<p>"You will have to work very hard, Ralph," was the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_108" id="Page_108">[Pg 108]</a></span> verdict of Mr. St.

-Clive, when he heard of it. "It is an honour to gain the medal, but it

-is an honour that has to be earned by hard work."</p>

-

-<p>"You will try your very best, won't you, Ralph?" pleaded Irene. "I

-should just love you to win it, the same as if you were my very own

-brother."</p>

-

-<p>Brother! Well, well; Irene and Ralph were but young; perhaps, later on,

-it would not be brother, perhaps&mdash;who can say?</p>

-

-<p>So Ralph began to undergo that process which Warren called swatting,

-or grinding, and it was not all easy. When the day's work was over,

-and the boys ran off to their games, or settled down to their story

-books&mdash;and Ralph loved story books&mdash;it was not easy to get out the

-dry figures and bend over them, studying tricky sums, or working out

-obscure equations; it was not easy, but it had to be done. Ralph was

-beginning to understand what work meant.</p>

-

-<p>And Charlton proved himself a good chum in the hour of need, for he was

-farther on than Ralph, and could help him in many points. Indeed, Ralph

-wondered why he had not entered himself; but Charlton sighed and shook

-his head.</p>

-

-<p>"He did not want the worry of it," he said.</p>

-

-<p>Ralph had said nothing more to him concerning his suspicions, but

-they were frequently in his mind. He never lost sight of his father's

-disappearance. He was for ever keeping his eyes open for anything<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_109" id="Page_109">[Pg 109]</a></span> that

-might put him on the right track. But Mr. St. Clive's remark that he

-might perhaps be the means of harming a man who had never harmed him or

-his, made him very careful about saying or doing anything. Something

-was worrying Charlton, that he could plainly see; but since the boy did

-not say anything to him, he hesitated to try and force his confidence

-in any way.</p>

-

-<p>So he worked with Charlton; and sometimes Warren would pop in and ask

-him how he got on, or compare notes with him. And Warren confessed

-that he had been influenced by Ralph's words, and that he was working

-on what he called "the square," which meant that he was doing without

-cribs and keys.</p>

-

-<p>And when particularly knotty points occurred, Ralph would carry his

-books away and consult Mr. Delermain; and the master helped, and

-advised, and praised him, and spoke very encouragingly of his progress

-and his chances.</p>

-

-<p>"There is nothing to beat honest, hard work, Rexworth," he said one

-evening, as the lad sat in his room. "What you gain unfairly, you soon

-lose; but what you learn honestly, that you hold, and it serves as a

-foundation to build other knowledge upon."</p>

-

-<p>"I do not know how to thank you enough, sir," the lad answered, and Mr.

-Delermain smiled.</p>

-

-<p>"The fact that I see you working honestly, is<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_110" id="Page_110">[Pg 110]</a></span> more than reward for

-me, Rexworth. Now if there is nothing more, run away, for I have some

-letters to write."</p>

-

-<p>Ralph rose, and as he did so, in gathering up his books he knocked a

-piece of thin paper on to the ground from off the table. He stooped

-with an apology and picked it up. He could not help seeing what it

-was&mdash;a five-pound note&mdash;and he handed it to his master, who took it and

-placed it on his desk.</p>

-

-<p>"Thank you, Rexworth. Do not forget to come to me at once, if you want

-any more help."</p>

-

-<p>Charlton awaited him in their study, and the lad seemed but ill at

-ease. He looked at Ralph doubtfully for a while; and, at last, said

-timidly&mdash;</p>

-

-<p>"Rexworth, I hope that you won't be angry, but could you&mdash;that is, I

-mean, will you&mdash;&mdash;"</p>

-

-<p>"Out with it, old fellow," laughed Ralph. "Will I what?"</p>

-

-<p>"Lend me some money. I am without any, and I want some&mdash;&mdash;"</p>

-

-<p>"I can lend you ten shillings, if that is any good," answered Ralph

-readily. And Charlton beamed.</p>

-

-<p>"Will you? Oh, I am obliged! I will pay you back soon. I shall have a

-little money in a few weeks."</p>

-

-<p>"That is all right. Here you are," and Ralph handed him the money, and

-turned back to his task again.</p>

-

-<div class="center"><img src="images/i110.jpg" alt="That is all right. Here you are" /></div>

-

-<p class="bold">"<span class="smcap">'That is all right. Here you are,' and Ralph handed

-him<br />the money.</span>" p. 110.</p>

-

-<p>But now he could not work. He wondered what<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_111" id="Page_111">[Pg 111]</a></span> Charlton wanted the money

-for, and where he was going to get any more to pay him again. Somehow

-the sums seemed to get muddled; and he jumped up at last, with an

-exclamation of annoyance&mdash;</p>

-

-<p>"Bother it! It won't come right! I quite forget how Mr. Delermain

-said I was to do it. I will run and ask him again; he won't mind my

-bothering him."</p>

-

-<p>He took his book and went out. The corridor leading to the masters'

-rooms was rather dark, for the gas had either not been lit, or had been

-turned out by some one. Just before the room was reached the corridor

-turned sharply to the right, and here it was quite dark. And, as Ralph

-turned this corner, he encountered some one, who ran against him with

-such force that he almost fell down; and before he could recover from

-his surprise, that unseen boy had disappeared round the corner, running

-swiftly and silently, as if anxious to escape notice.</p>

-

-<p>Ralph muttered something about clumsy fellows, and picked up his

-papers, which had been scattered in all directions. Then he went on to

-Mr. Delermain's room, and saw that the door was open, but the room in

-darkness. His master had evidently finished his letters and gone.</p>

-

-<p>"I shall have to let it wait until to-morrow," he said. "It's jolly

-vexing, just as I was getting on so nicely."</p>

-

-<p>He turned from the door, when a step sounded<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_112" id="Page_112">[Pg 112]</a></span> in the corridor, and a

-light glimmered round the corner. Some one was coming. And then a voice

-said&mdash;</p>

-

-<p>"Why, Rexworth, what are you doing here? You have no business in this

-corridor." And Ralph found himself face to face with Dr. Beverly.</p>

-

-<hr />

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_113" id="Page_113">[Pg 113]</a></span></p>

-

-<h2><span>CHAPTER XII</span> <span class="smaller">THE STOLEN BANKNOTE</span></h2>

-

-<p>Now, why Ralph should have felt in the slightest degree confused by the

-sudden appearance of Dr. Beverly, he could not have said; and yet he

-was conscious that he exhibited something of hesitation in his manner.

-It was perhaps due to the doctor finding him there in the dark, and

-looking rather suspicious and stern.</p>

-

-<p>The fact was that the doctor was so used to his pupils playing tricks

-and getting into scrapes, that it was but natural that he should scan

-the boy's face closely, and he noted that Ralph looked confused.</p>

-

-<p>He repeated his question sharply, and then the boy recovered himself

-and described how he had come to ask Mr. Delermain to again explain the

-point which had escaped his memory.</p>

-

-<p>"Mr. Delermain has gone out, I believe," Dr. Beverly said, when Ralph

-concluded. "But perhaps I may be able to make the point clear. Come to

-my study and let me see what you are doing."</p>

-

-<p>Ralph followed the doctor, not without some little nervousness; for,

-like all the boys, he stood somewhat in awe of the head master; but the

-doctor<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_114" id="Page_114">[Pg 114]</a></span> smiled, and was so kind that he soon put the boy at ease; and,

-after scanning the neat rows of figures in the exercise-book, he nodded

-approval.</p>

-

-<p>"I am glad to see that you work so neatly, Rexworth," the Head said.

-"Now, this point. Here is your error&mdash;it is very simple, though easily

-made."</p>

-

-<p>And taking a pencil, he worked out the sum himself, making Ralph go

-over it with him, and explaining each detail as it was done, so that

-Ralph was able to understand it quite easily; and, with words of

-thanks, took his books and went off, the doctor saying, as he departed&mdash;</p>

-

-<p>"But let me give you one word of advice, Rexworth. It is all very well

-to be industrious; but remember, the brain wants rest, and you cannot

-learn properly when you are jaded. Put the books away, and do something

-else until bedtime&mdash;draw, read, or whatever you like. It pays to have a

-little relaxation when one is working hard."</p>

-

-<p>Now Ralph valued the master's experience too much to neglect that

-advice; and, though he had intended to work for another hour, he put

-his books away when he reached his little study, and, picking up his

-long-neglected story, he settled down with a sigh of relief for a quiet

-read.</p>

-

-<p>But he could not read. He wondered who it was that had run up against

-him, and what he was doing in the master's quarters. He felt uneasy, he

-could not say why. Then he had behaved so foolishly<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_115" id="Page_115">[Pg 115]</a></span> when the doctor

-first met him! As if any one had any need to be afraid of such a kind

-man as Dr. Beverly!</p>

-

-<p>Then he fell to thinking of Lord Elgert; and he wondered why he should

-seem to be so bitter against him, and why he seemed to take a delight

-in saying that his father was a thief. Ralph could not understand Lord

-Elgert; he was as much a mystery as was his father's disappearance.</p>

-

-<p>Then, from thinking of the father, his thoughts went to the son; and he

-wondered whether Horace Elgert would stand any chance of winning the

-gold medal, and whether he was working with one of those cribs; and he

-caught himself thinking how nice it would be to defeat his rival and

-carry off the prize.</p>

-

-<p>But then he checked himself. He wanted to win, but that ought not to be

-the real motive for it. After all, to want to win only to make Elgert

-vexed, was a very poor sort of thing.</p>

-

-<p>"I seem to be for ever catching myself up," he reflected. "It is harder

-work being a standard-bearer than I supposed at first."</p>

-

-<p>The bell rang for supper, and there was no more time to think then.

-Boys were laughing, shouting, enjoying the freedom which was allowed at

-this last meal of the day; and after that was over, the classes went

-off to their dormitories, and silence soon reigned in the school. And

-Ralph slept calm and peaceful, little dreaming what trouble was coming

-for him in the morning.</p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_116" id="Page_116">[Pg 116]</a></span></p>

-

-<p>But that trouble came, sharp and swift, before the classes assembled

-for morning school&mdash;the heaviest trouble that Ralph had been ever

-called to face, with the exception of that all-supreme one&mdash;the loss of

-his dear father.</p>

-

-<p>Breakfast was over, and the boys crowding from the dining-hall to

-snatch a few minutes' play prior to entering classes, when Ralph felt a

-hand laid on his shoulder and, turning, saw Kesterway by his side.</p>

-

-<p>"Rexworth, the Head wants you in his study at once!" the monitor said;

-and Ralph, wondering what could be the matter, turned and went to the

-doctor's room forthwith.</p>

-

-<p>And when he entered, he found both Dr. Beverly and Mr. Delermain there;

-and both looked very grave he thought.</p>

-

-<p>"You sent for me, sir?" he asked, looking towards the doctor, and the

-master nodded.</p>

-

-<p>"I did, Rexworth. Come in and shut the door. Now sit down and listen

-to me. You know that neither I nor Mr. Delermain would willingly say

-anything to hurt your feelings&mdash;I am sure that you realize that?"</p>

-

-<p>"Of course I do, sir," replied Ralph, wondering greatly. "You have both

-always been kind to me."</p>

-

-<p>"Well, now, I am going to say something that may seem hurtful," the

-master went on. But then he stopped as he encountered those calm, brave

-eyes, and he motioned to Mr. Delermain. "Suppose you<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_117" id="Page_117">[Pg 117]</a></span> speak?" he said,

-and Ralph's own master complied.</p>

-

-<p>"Rexworth," he said quietly, "it is not pleasant to say anything that

-could be interpreted into the faintest suspicion of doubting your

-honesty&mdash;&mdash;"</p>

-

-<p>"I hope that you do not doubt it, sir," replied Ralph quickly. "It

-would be a very great trouble to me if you did! But I see that

-something is wrong; and if that is so, it is best to know it at once

-in plain language. If you have to say anything to hurt me, it must be

-something grave indeed!" he added.</p>

-

-<p>"It is grave," acknowledged the master. "You remember, last evening,

-knocking a banknote from my desk, and picking it up for me?"</p>

-

-<p>"Perfectly well, sir."</p>

-

-<p>"I replaced that note on my desk, and, having some letters to write, I

-forgot to take it up again; and when I went to post my correspondence,

-I left it there on the desk. When I returned, the note was gone, and

-the only person who was near my room, so far as we know, was yourself.

-Dr. Beverly saw you there."</p>

-

-<p>"And you think that I have stolen your banknote, sir?" cried Ralph,

-regretfully. But Mr. Delermain shook his head.</p>

-

-<p>"No, no, Ralph! You must not go so far as that. I only tell you the

-facts, as far as we know them. The note was there, the note has gone,

-you are the only one who was seen near the spot!"</p>

-

-<p>"There was some one else, sir!" cried Ralph; and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_118" id="Page_118">[Pg 118]</a></span> he narrated how some

-one had pushed against him and run down the dark corridor. Both masters

-listened gravely as he did so.</p>

-

-<p>"And you have no idea who this was? Did not recognize either voice or

-figure?"</p>

-

-<p>"No, sir. He did not speak, and it was so dark, and the thing so

-sudden, that I was taken quite by surprise!"</p>

-

-<p>"You can think of no one? Know of no lad you saw in that part of the

-house?"</p>

-

-<p>"No, sir," answered Ralph; but even as he spoke one thought flashed

-into his mind. "Charlton, his chum! Charlton was in need of money!

-Could it have been Charlton?"</p>

-

-<p>"I can think of no one, sir," he replied. "I can quite see how it looks

-against me; but Mr. Delermain has proved so good a friend to me, that

-it seems hard that I should be thought capable of robbing him."</p>

-

-<p>"Let me impress upon you, Rexworth," said the doctor, "that we do not

-look at the matter in that light. We sent for you because we knew that

-you were near the place&mdash;in the room, indeed. The matter must be made

-public, and questions must be asked; and it is natural that, since you

-are the only one who was near the place&mdash;&mdash;"</p>

-

-<p>"I was not the only one, sir," he answered quietly.</p>

-

-<p>"No, there is that other boy whom you say ran past you in the dark;

-but, my lad, unless something can be found out concerning that boy, we

-have only<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_119" id="Page_119">[Pg 119]</a></span> your bare word; and suspicion is bound to fall mostly upon

-yourself. That is why we both felt that you should be seen privately,

-before the circumstance was made known to the whole school. That is

-all. You can go!"</p>

-

-<p>"It is impossible that such a boy can be a thief, sir!" cried Mr.

-Delermain to the Head, when Ralph had gone. "I would stake my life upon

-his honesty!"</p>

-

-<p>"I feel somewhat the same, Delermain," answered the Head. "But the note

-is gone, and he is the only one known to have been near. The school

-will not view the thing in that light."</p>

-

-<p>"I should rather that the school did not know, sir," suggested the

-master; but at this Dr. Beverly shook his head.</p>

-

-<p>"No, no, Delermain, I will not have that. We will have no

-favouritism&mdash;no keeping things back. If it was my own son who was

-implicated, the thing should be gone on with. For the sake of every one

-concerned, it must be gone on with."</p>

-

-<p>But what a sensation it caused when the doctor made the announcement

-to the school! He had classes stopped, and all the school assembled in

-the hall; and there, standing at his great desk, he spoke to the lads,

-telling them that the banknote was lost.</p>

-

-<p>"It can hardly have been mislaid," he said, "for Mr. Delermain put it

-beneath a heavy paper-weight; and upon his return he found that weight

-had been moved. Now, there are two things I want to <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_120" id="Page_120">[Pg 120]</a></span>impress upon you

-all, very solemnly. Some one must have done this&mdash;some one acting,

-perhaps, under a sudden temptation; some one, perhaps, who did not

-understand the full gravity and magnitude of his offence. Let that some

-one come and own his fault to me, like a man and a Christian should do.

-Remember, also, that the number of that note is known. It cannot be

-parted with, or converted into money, without eventually being traced,

-even through successive stages, back to the one who originally parted

-with it.</p>

-

-<p>"Then, remember also, that there is one of your number who is

-particularly affected by this loss; there is one boy who knew this note

-was there, and who is known to have been near the study during Mr.

-Delermain's absence. A boy who frankly explains what took him there,

-and who declares that some one passed him hurriedly in the darkness of

-the corridor. That boy is Ralph Rexworth, and the boy who passed by him

-must undoubtedly be the thief!"</p>

-

-<p>It was kindly put by the Head, for it seemed as if it exonerated Ralph

-from all suspicion; but there were those in the classes who, as the

-Head had foreseen, did not look at it from that standpoint; and Dobson

-muttered to his nearest neighbour&mdash;</p>

-

-<p>"That is all very well, but why may not Rexworth have taken it himself?

-He is the only one who knew that it was there."</p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_121" id="Page_121">[Pg 121]</a></span></p>

-

-<p>And the boy to whom this was addressed nodded.</p>

-

-<p>"I again earnestly entreat the boy who has done this thing to confess

-his fault!" the Head went on. "Do not let us have the taint of a

-thief amongst us! Let the culprit act the better part, and remove the

-disgrace from the school! Now go to your classes, and think over what

-I have said, and I trust ere the morning has passed, the boy who is

-guilty will have taken the better course and have come to own his fault

-to me!"</p>

-

-<p>Away to their rooms they went; and now tongues were loosened,

-and comments made; and oh, how hard it was for Ralph to keep his

-temper! for Elgert was not slow to take all the advantages which the

-circumstance offered to him.</p>

-

-<p>"It is all right to talk about shame being on the school!" he said to

-his companions. "What else can you expect? There is Charlton&mdash;look

-at him! 'Like father, like son,' you know. Then there is his chum,

-Rexworth. 'Birds of a feather flock together.' It does not take very

-much to see who the thief is, Rexworth was caught almost in the act,

-by the Head himself; and it is very easy to make up a tale of some one

-running by him in the dark."</p>

-

-<p>"Of course," was the answer; and Ralph heard it all so plainly, as

-Elgert had intended that he should do. Poor Ralph, it was a hard task

-for him to keep his temper&mdash;to remember his promise, and act the

-standard-bearer's part!</p>

-

-<hr />

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_122" id="Page_122">[Pg 122]</a></span></p>

-

-<h2><span>CHAPTER XIII</span> <span class="smaller">DIVIDED OPINIONS</span></h2>

-

-<p>There was but one serious theme of conversation at Marlthorpe College

-during the remainder of that day, and it is not difficult to guess that

-the theft of the banknote formed its subject. From the highest class

-to the lowest&mdash;from the First Form youngsters right up to the Upper

-Fifth&mdash;the boys discussed the business eagerly, and, it must be owned,

-with divided opinions.</p>

-

-<p>For there were some there who, being quick to perceive true nobility of

-character, felt that it was impossible for such a boy as Ralph Rexworth

-to be a thief. They were like Dr. Beverly and Mr. Delermain, and felt

-that, dark as the circumstances made it appear for Ralph, he could not

-be guilty of such a mean action. And there were others who, with all

-the thoughtlessness of youth, and influenced, perhaps, by the words of

-Elgert and Dobson, were quite ready to declare Ralph guilty off-hand,

-without the slightest hesitation.</p>

-

-<p>And it was bitter for Ralph&mdash;far more bitter than any there could

-understand. He felt that they all looked with suspicion upon him. And

-he even did his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_123" id="Page_123">[Pg 123]</a></span> best friends some injustice, yet they, right down to

-their hearts, believed him to be guilty.</p>

-

-<p>He wanted at first to throw aside his books and go back to Mr. St.

-Clive and to Irene, but he pulled himself up sternly. He would not run

-away like a coward. It would appear as if he were really guilty. He

-would stay and fight it out and prove his innocence. He felt sure that

-it would aid him in getting at the truth concerning his father, and so

-he settled sternly down to his work, and even, in his battle, seemed a

-little cold and standoffish to his best friends.</p>

-

-<p>And Charlton&mdash;ah, Ralph could not help thinking that Charlton

-knew something about this. He seemed so strange, so different and

-hesitating. He felt like challenging him to tell the truth, but

-something, he was not quite clear what, made him hesitate. It was bad

-enough to be suspected himself, and he was a fairly strong boy, able to

-take his own part, but what would timid, weakly Charlton feel if the

-suspicion were thrown upon him?</p>

-

-<p>"I won't do anything to let him think that I suspect him, until I can

-be sure that I have good grounds for suspicion," Ralph reflected.</p>

-

-<p>And then he paused. And if he had those good grounds, what then?

-Suppose that he could even be certain that Charlton was the culprit,

-what then? The boy would have taken the money for his mother in all

-likelihood, and&mdash;&mdash;</p>

-

-<p>Ralph shrugged his shoulders and turned resolutely<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_124" id="Page_124">[Pg 124]</a></span> to his work, and,

-though plenty there believed that he was guilty, there was such a look

-upon that strong young face that they forbore to speak their opinions

-directly to him, but only revealed them by cutting him contemptuously

-whenever he chanced to be in their company.</p>

-

-<p>But he was not left without comforters. Mr. Delermain took the

-opportunity to speak with him quietly, and as he placed one hand gently

-upon the strong young shoulder, and looked gravely into the face, now

-somewhat clouded with its sorrow, the kindly master said&mdash;</p>

-

-<p>"Rexworth, my dear boy, I could find it in my heart to wish that I had

-never mentioned this loss."</p>

-

-<p>"I do not, sir," answered Ralph quickly. "If the thing has been done it

-ought to be mentioned, no matter upon whom the blame may fall. It is

-rather hard to feel that so many of the boys believe that I have done

-it, but then, you see, I was in your room, and things look black, and I

-have no means of proving that my story of some one having passed me is

-really true."</p>

-

-<p>"I would that we had any clue to that," observed the master. "If we

-could only find out who that was! You have no suspicion, Ralph?"</p>

-

-<p>And he glanced into the boy's eyes.</p>

-

-<p>"No sir." Then Ralph hesitated. That was not quite true. He had a

-suspicion. "I would rather not talk of it, sir," he answered, after a

-pause. "Perhaps it is not quite right to say that I have no suspicion,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_125" id="Page_125">[Pg 125]</a></span>

-but it is only a suspicion, and I have no right to talk about it,

-seeing that I have no solid grounds to go upon. I am accused solely

-upon suspicion, and I know how hard it is."</p>

-

-<p>"I applaud your sentiment," said Mr. Delermain. "Well, my dear lad, let

-me impress upon you that I do not believe you to be a thief. Let me

-give you my sympathy, and let me encourage you to bear this trial&mdash;I

-fully understand how hard it must be for one of your nature&mdash;bravely;

-and let me assure you that I shall look forward with just as much

-pleasure as formerly to your visits in the evening. Do not let this

-interfere with your studies for the Newlet medal, and rest sure that I

-should not again invite Ralph Rexworth into my study if I suspected him

-of being a thief."</p>

-

-<p>"The boy has some sort of suspicion," reflected the master, after Ralph

-had gone. "He suspects some one. Now whom can that be? Is he shielding

-that boy Charlton? He is a weakly dispositioned lad&mdash;one likely to fall

-into temptation, and to yield to it too. I must watch him quietly.

-Charlton is the most likely boy to have done this. He is poor too.

-Perhaps he took it to help his mother. Poor lad! if that is the case, I

-would be the last one to bring him to punishment." He paused and shook

-his head. "I ought to take a lesson from Rexworth," he went on, with a

-smile. "He will not speak upon mere suspicion, and here I am weaving a

-theory without the slightest ground for so doing, and actually arriving

-at the conclusion that a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_126" id="Page_126">[Pg 126]</a></span> certain boy is guilty, when I have not the

-least right to even connect him with the theft."</p>

-

-<p>Mr. Delermain went back to his duties, but still that thought was in

-his head&mdash;was it possible that Charlton had taken that five-pound

-note, and that Ralph Rexworth knew it, and was silent only for the

-sake of his chum? Ralph felt quite cheered by his master's words.

-He did not dream that Mr. Delermain thought anything about Charlton

-being the thief, and he soon found another comforter in the person

-of good-hearted Tom Warren; for the monitor came up to him with

-outstretched hand, crying heartily&mdash;</p>

-

-<p>"Look here, Rexworth, you are asking for a fight with me, that's what!"</p>

-

-<p>"Eh?" said Ralph, staring. "I don't understand."</p>

-

-<p>"Well then, why are you cutting me like this? Oh, think I don't notice

-it? You are sitting moping, just like an old magpie that is moulting.

-Look here, don't be so jolly silly as to worry about what these kites

-say or do. It's only Elgert and his gang, and Dobby and Co. They are

-always glad to be able to chuck stones at another fellow's glasshouse;

-but they will get their own windows smashed in time. Now, don't hide

-your head as though you had done something to be ashamed about. Come

-into the playground with me."</p>

-

-<p>"The other fellows don't want me, and I don't want to go where I am not

-wanted."</p>

-

-<p>"Rubbish! Downright silly rubbish!" retorted<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_127" id="Page_127">[Pg 127]</a></span> Warren. "I want you!

-I want you to show me how to throw one of those ropes like you do.

-I cannot manage it. I was trying the other day, and I caught Bert

-Standish an awful smack in the eye, and jolly nearly knocked it out for

-him; and if you had seen him scudding after me, one hand on his injured

-optic and the other shaking in very wrath! I didn't stop to argue until

-I got safe inside my study and had the bolt drawn; and then he stood

-outside kicking the panel, and calling me a chump, and a kite, and a

-cuckoo, and all manner of pretty and polite names, and inviting me to

-come out and let him wipe up the floor with me. I spoke soft words, and

-tried to pour oil on troubled waters, only the troubled waters were not

-taking any, and would not be assuaged until Kesterway came along and

-said that he would report him for damaging the paint if he didn't stop

-it. I have kept out of Bert's way since then, and he has got a lovely

-bruise under his eye. Come on, Ralph, and show me how you do it without

-knocking any one's head off."</p>

-

-<p>So Ralph suffered himself to be taken into the playground, and though

-some looked at him suspiciously and edged away from him, others of

-Warren's disposition resolved that, at any rate, they would wait for

-proof before condemning him, gathered round Ralph, and made him feel

-that they were his friends.</p>

-

-<p>So opinions were divided, and Marlthorpe College split into two

-parties, one for, and one against Ralph&mdash;one with Tom Warren at its

-head, and the other with<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_128" id="Page_128">[Pg 128]</a></span> Horace Elgert, the Honourable Horace Elgert,

-the nobleman's son!</p>

-

-<p>And Elgert was not quite satisfied, for he saw that Ralph was not sent

-to Coventry, as he had intended that he should be. He saw that some

-of the boys recognized that he was not the sort of lad to be a thief,

-and he determined that, if it could be done, their opinions should be

-changed.</p>

-

-<p>"If I can only prove that he did it," he mused, "I may be able to

-manage that, if I have any luck."</p>

-

-<p>So the days of the week slipped away, once more bringing the Saturday

-holiday near, and it had been one of the hardest weeks that Ralph

-Rexworth had ever known&mdash;a week that had called for all his strength of

-will and purpose to enable him to face and overcome its difficulties

-and temptations.</p>

-

-<p>It was Friday afternoon, and Ralph was in his study putting his books

-straight prior to leaving&mdash;he was always neat in his habits&mdash;when

-Charlton came in, hesitating, troubled-looking, as ever.</p>

-

-<p>"Glad the week is over, Ralph?" he asked, after he had stood in silence

-for a little while watching his chum.</p>

-

-<p>And Ralph nodded.</p>

-

-<p>"Yes. It has been a little hard. I shall be glad to have a rest from

-it," he answered.</p>

-

-<p>"They are wicked to try and make out that you took that note. They

-ought to know that you did not. I know you did not."</p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_129" id="Page_129">[Pg 129]</a></span></p>

-

-<p>"Do you? How?" was the quiet answer to this indignant outburst.</p>

-

-<p>And Charlton seemed confused.</p>

-

-<p>"Why, because&mdash;don't you see&mdash;because&mdash;you could not do it, of course."</p>

-

-<p>"Thanks!" said Ralph. "It is nice to hear you say that."</p>

-

-<p>But, alas! he wondered whether Charlton had any better grounds for his

-belief.</p>

-

-<p>And then the boy went on, taking ten shillings from his pocket.</p>

-

-<p>"Here are the ten shillings which I owe you. I am much obliged."</p>

-

-<p>Ralph looked hard at him, and made no attempt to pick up the money.</p>

-

-<p>"Charlton," he said quietly, "I thought you said that you would not be

-able to repay me for some time."</p>

-

-<p>And Charlton looked more confused than ever.</p>

-

-<p>"I know, but I&mdash;I can pay you now."</p>

-

-<p>"How did you get the money?" asked Ralph.</p>

-

-<p>And his chum grew more nervous.</p>

-

-<p>"I had it given&mdash;I mean that I&mdash;&mdash; Why do you ask that?"</p>

-

-<p>"I will tell you, Charlton," answered Ralph gravely. "I don't mean to

-tell any one else, though. You had no money at the beginning of this

-week, and now you can pay me ten shillings. Where did you get the money

-from? Did you take that five-pound note?"</p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_130" id="Page_130">[Pg 130]</a></span></p>

-

-<p>For a moment the lad stood silently staring at Ralph. Then his pale

-face went crimson, and he burst out indignantly&mdash;</p>

-

-<p>"What do you mean? Do you think that I stole it? Do you mean that I am

-a thief? You can't mean that, Rexworth! Did you ever catch me telling a

-lie?"</p>

-

-<p>"Yes," said Ralph quietly. "I did once."</p>

-

-<p>"When?" demanded Charlton.</p>

-

-<p>And Ralph answered&mdash;</p>

-

-<p>"Last week in the woods, when you said that you were alone. I know that

-there was a man with you."</p>

-

-<p>"That is a lie!" answered Charlton wildly. "There was no one. You have

-no right to say there was any one with me." He seemed quite beside

-himself with terror. "I know what it is, Ralph Rexworth! You have taken

-that note after all, and now you are trying to put the blame upon me.

-We are not chums any longer. I hate you!"</p>

-

-<p>And with that Charlton rushed off, choking with anger and bitter grief,

-and Ralph stood there looking after him, more in regret than in anger.</p>

-

-<p>"Poor chap!" he muttered. "I ought not to have spoken like that. It

-only shows how easy it is to make a slip, if you are not for ever

-watching. Perhaps I am wronging him, after all."</p>

-

-<p>He paused. His eyes fell upon the money which Charlton had placed upon

-the table. If he was wronging him, then where had Charlton managed to

-get that money from?</p>

-

-<hr />

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_131" id="Page_131">[Pg 131]</a></span></p>

-

-<h2><span>CHAPTER XIV</span> <span class="smaller">BY THE RIVER SIDE</span></h2>

-

-<p>"I wish that I had not spoken like that to him."</p>

-

-<p>So Ralph Rexworth mused as he left the study and went along the

-corridor&mdash;anger at the violent outburst and the accusation which

-Charlton had hurled at him, he felt none.</p>

-

-<p>A muffled sound broke upon his ears&mdash;the sound of some one sobbing

-violently, and he stopped, peering along the corridor until he made

-out the form of his former chum. Charlton had flung himself down full

-length, and was crying as if his heart would break.</p>

-

-<p>It was more than Ralph could stand&mdash;he went up to him and laid a hand

-upon the prostrate boy's shoulder.</p>

-

-<p>"Charlton," he said kindly, "don't cry. I am awfully sorry that I have

-offended you, and that we have quarrelled. I did not mean to do it.

-Won't you get up and shake hands with me?"</p>

-

-<p>"No!" came the broken answer. "Go away, I don't want you! You were the

-only chum that I had, and now you say that I am a thief! I never said a

-word against you. I told Dobson that he was telling lies when he said

-that you had stolen the note, and he<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_132" id="Page_132">[Pg 132]</a></span> beat me. I did not mind that,

-because I was trying to stick up for you; and now you say I stole it!"</p>

-

-<p>"Come, shake hands," pleaded Ralph, feeling somehow that he was on the

-wrong track. "I am sorry."</p>

-

-<p>"You ought to have known how it feels to be called a thief," the other

-lad continued. "You are not my chum&mdash;I don't care about you being

-strong and me being weak&mdash;I don't want to be your chum. I know that my

-father was called a thief, but it was not true&mdash;he never did anything

-wrong&mdash;and I know that people sneer at me. But I am not a thief&mdash;I

-never stole anything, and you, seeing what Elgert has said about your

-father, and that you have been accused, might have been a little more

-kind to me."</p>

-

-<p>"Well, I have said that I am sorry. Won't you shake hands?" said Ralph

-again. "And I had a note from Mr. St. Clive, and he told me to ask you

-and Warren to come over to-morrow. Won't you come?"</p>

-

-<p>"No," answered Charlton. "You don't want boys there who have convict

-fathers, and who you believe to be thieves. You go away, Ralph

-Rexworth. We shall never be friends any more until you have been proved

-wrong. When I can prove to you that I had no hand in taking that note,

-then we will be chums again.</p>

-

-<p>"And," he added, sitting up, "it is a wicked, wicked lie to say that I

-was with any man in those woods. It is not true, and you are making it

-up. There&mdash;go away, and make what chums you like. I suppose that we<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_133" id="Page_133">[Pg 133]</a></span>

-must still share the same study! I won't worry you with my presence

-very much, I can promise you; but I won't make friends, and I won't

-forgive you, and I won't take back one word of what I have said that I

-believe about you&mdash;not even if you beat me&mdash;and you are strong enough

-to do that, I know."</p>

-

-<p>"I am sorry. I don't want to beat you, Charlton," responded Ralph, "and

-I am very grieved that we are not to be chums. Perhaps after Sunday you

-will think differently."</p>

-

-<p>"I will never think differently&mdash;never&mdash;never!" cried Charlton. And

-jumping up he rushed off, leaving Ralph to continue his way alone, and

-somewhat heavy-hearted, for he had a genuine liking for the lonely,

-sad-faced boy, and was indeed truly sorry that he had said anything to

-cause him such pain and grief.</p>

-

-<p>"Hallo, Rexworth! What have you been doing with Charlton?" asked

-Warren, meeting him in the playground a little later. "He rushed across

-here a little while ago as though he were training for a race; and when

-I asked him if he had seen you, he said that he didn't know anything

-about you, and that he didn't want to know, either. Whatever have you

-done to upset him in that way?"</p>

-

-<p>"We have had a bit of a quarrel," answered Ralph. "Don't ask me about

-it, old fellow, for I don't want to talk of it. I hope that he will

-be all right again next week. By the way, Mr. St. Clive has asked me

-whether<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_134" id="Page_134">[Pg 134]</a></span> you would care to come over and spend the afternoon with me

-to-morrow."</p>

-

-<p>"Will a duck like to swim when it gets enough water to paddle its

-little tootsies in?" laughed Warren. "My dear chap, I will come on the

-wings of greased lightning. I must go home and tell the mater first

-though, or she will wonder what has become of me&mdash;fancy that I have met

-with an accident, or something. Fellows ought not to be careless about

-such things as that. Then I will come on, if that will do, and&mdash;great

-guns! there goes the bell, and it is my turn to see the school ready

-for calling over. I am off"&mdash;and away Warren sped as fast as he could

-run.</p>

-

-<p>The evening passed, the following morning came and went, and

-still Charlton gave Ralph no opportunity for renewing his offer

-of friendship. He looked pale, miserable, but determined&mdash;Ralph

-had wounded him to the very soul, and he would not&mdash;could not

-indeed&mdash;forget or forgive it.</p>

-

-<p>The hour of departure came, and still Charlton avoided Ralph. They left

-without wishing each other good-bye, and Ralph set out for Mr. St.

-Clive's, feeling disappointed and heavy-hearted.</p>

-

-<p>But disappointment and heavy-heartedness could not long find place in

-that bright home. The very first greeting, the warm handshake of Mr.

-St. Clive, the smile of his wife and the rush with which Irene came to

-greet him, altogether united to banish every melancholy thought, and to

-bring sunshine to his heart.</p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_135" id="Page_135">[Pg 135]</a></span></p>

-

-<p>And what a circle of sympathetic listeners he had when he told them

-about the theft, and how he had chanced to be upon the scene. And both

-Irene and Mrs. Clive laughed, and were at the same time very indignant

-that any one should dare to suppose, even for one moment, that Ralph

-could possibly be a thief.</p>

-

-<p>But Mr. St. Clive looked grave, for he could see how hard this was for

-the lad, and could understand what a big fight it must have been for

-Ralph.</p>

-

-<p>"Never fear, my boy," he said when the story was told. "It is hard, but

-the truth must come out at last&mdash;it always does in this world of ours.

-But now," he continued, "about your friends&mdash;I hope they are to be my

-guests to-day."</p>

-

-<p>"Warren will be here, sir," answered Ralph. And Mr. St. Clive asked,

-"And not Charlton?"</p>

-

-<p>"No, sir, he could not promise." Ralph did not go into the matter of

-his quarrel with his chum then; he wanted to talk to Mr. St. Clive

-alone about that; and the gentleman, seeing that something must have

-gone amiss, did not press his questions further.</p>

-

-<p>Then Ralph went off with Irene, and had to tell her everything over

-again, while she sat and listened with sparkling eyes, especially when

-he told her how Mr. Delermain had behaved.</p>

-

-<p>"I would like to kiss him," she said. "He is a nice man." And Ralph

-suggested that, as she could not do that, the next best thing would be

-to kiss him<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_136" id="Page_136">[Pg 136]</a></span> instead&mdash;a thing which proves very conclusively that Ralph

-was very quickly getting used to the ways of Western civilization.</p>

-

-<p>And then, with a merry call, Tom Warren came upon the scene, for he had

-arrived, had been welcomed by his host, and sent out into the garden

-to meet his friend. Irene was introduced&mdash;she had known him before, by

-the way, but that doesn't matter&mdash;and Warren was nice, and didn't think

-girls a bit of a nuisance&mdash;which shows that he was a wise boy&mdash;and the

-three just got on as well as could be, until the bell rang for lunch,

-and&mdash;</p>

-

-<p>Well, well, they did enjoy that lunch, that is all; and they

-demonstrated very clearly what exceedingly healthy appetites they all

-possessed; and then, that over, they set out for a stroll along the

-river's bank&mdash;for it was very pretty there, and Irene loved the spot.

-The trees were so stately, and, in some places, grew right to the

-water's edge, and the grass was so green and velvety, and the river

-ran so smoothly&mdash;perhaps too smoothly&mdash;for the current was strong

-and swift, and glided along, making the water look like a stream of

-glass as it turned the curve towards Becket Weir, and went roaring and

-foaming down twelve feet like a little Niagara.</p>

-

-<p>But to-day, when they reached the spot they were somewhat disappointed

-to find that they were not the only occupants. A party of boys were

-there&mdash;boys from the college&mdash;and, of all boys in the world, Elgert,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_137" id="Page_137">[Pg 137]</a></span>

-Dobson, and some of their chums who had been to Mr. St. Clive's.</p>

-

-<p>Some of the boys were fishing, for there were excellent perch and roach

-in the still pools; and Horace Elgert had his canoe, a pretty little

-boat&mdash;light, easy, and graceful, so long as it was kept away from the

-immediate neighbourhood of the weir.</p>

-

-<p>"Oh," growled Warren, as he saw the others. "How jolly annoying!" And

-at that Irene burst out laughing, and inquired how anything could

-possibly be "jolly annoying."</p>

-

-<p>"Well, very annoying, Miss St. Clive," was Warren's answer. "Just to

-think of that lot being here!"</p>

-

-<p>"I don't see that they need annoy us," she answered.</p>

-

-<p>"We will go a little farther along the bank, down by the weir."</p>

-

-<p>Some of the other boys greeted Warren, and raised their hats as they

-saw Irene&mdash;whom most of them knew by sight; but of Ralph they took no

-notice, and Elgert, coming by in his canoe, called out loud enough for

-all to hear&mdash;</p>

-

-<p>"Keep your eyes on your property, you fellows, you might lose something

-here."</p>

-

-<p>"The cad!" muttered Warren, while Irene gave Ralph's arm a little

-squeeze, as if to tell him never to mind.</p>

-

-<p>"The cad!" said Warren again. "He would not dare do that if you were in

-the playground; and just<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_138" id="Page_138">[Pg 138]</a></span> look at him showing off in that canoe&mdash;as if

-no one but he could use a paddle."</p>

-

-<p>"He cannot use one," laughed Ralph. "That is not the way to swing it.

-He takes it over and over like the sails of a windmill, describing

-circles with every stroke."</p>

-

-<p>"Well," asked Warren, "how would you use it? I confess that is the way

-I should handle it."</p>

-

-<p>"It is not the right way. It should be swung from side to side, and he

-will be over if he tries to play tricks like that"&mdash;as Elgert made a

-fancy stroke which brought the boat down on one side.&mdash;"There, he has

-dropped his paddle! Be careful"&mdash;and he raised his voice&mdash;"Be careful!

-He is over!"</p>

-

-<p>Yes; the warning came too late. Elgert reached over to regain his

-paddle, the canoe took one sudden lurch, turned bottom up, and sent the

-boy struggling into the water. Elgert could not swim&mdash;Ralph saw that

-at a glance; and, without waiting, off went coat and waistcoat, and

-into the river Ralph Rexworth went after his foe&mdash;the river that ran so

-swiftly on to the boiling, roaring weir.</p>

-

-<div class="center"><img src="images/i138.jpg" alt="Into the river Ralph Rexworth went" /></div>

-

-<p class="bold">"<span class="smcap">Into the river Ralph Rexworth went after his

-foe.</span>" p. 138</p>

-

-<p>It was a hard fight, but Ralph had the advantage of being carried by

-the current right down to the struggling boy, and, ere long, he had

-reached him, was gripping his arm, and had commenced the struggle back

-to the bank, only to find that Warren was by his side ready to give his

-help.</p>

-

-<p>And between them they managed to get Elgert<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_139" id="Page_139">[Pg 139]</a></span> back to the shore. Not

-without a big battle, for the water pulled like giant hands, seeking to

-sweep them all away. They had to swim in a slanting course, and even

-then, ere the bank was reached, they were perilously near to the spot

-over which the water took its leap, and where the notice-board with the

-big "Danger" was so prominently fixed.</p>

-

-<p>But they managed it; and Elgert was hurried off by his friends, while

-Warren and Ralph, soaked as they were, had to race back to Mr. St.

-Clive's, with Irene behind them urging them not to stop for her, but to

-get back as quickly as ever they could.</p>

-

-<p>Only to think of it! Ralph Rexworth had actually rescued, with the help

-of Warren, his enemy Horace Elgert from almost certain death!</p>

-

-<hr />

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_140" id="Page_140">[Pg 140]</a></span></p>

-

-<h2><span>CHAPTER XV</span> <span class="smaller">THE LOST POCKET-BOOK</span></h2>

-

-<p>Ralph Rexworth was inconsolable&mdash;he had lost his pocket-book. Now, a

-lost pocket-book may not seem a very big thing to grieve over, seeing

-that another one can be bought for a reasonable sum; and yet Ralph did

-grieve, and grieve greatly.</p>

-

-<p>For this pocket-book was not like other pocket-books that might be

-bought. It was one which his father had given to him&mdash;the very last

-present which he had ever received from him&mdash;and it contained, amongst

-other things, and the greatest treasure of them all, a portrait of

-his darling mother, and the letter which his father had written to

-him on the day he made the present. What wonder, then, that a boy who

-loved his parents as Ralph Rexworth had done should grieve, and grieve

-greatly, over such a loss?</p>

-

-<p>He found out the loss shortly after he reached Mr. St. Clive's, after

-rescuing Horace Elgert. He had been looking at some portraits of Irene,

-which had only just arrived from the photographers, and she had<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_141" id="Page_141">[Pg 141]</a></span> given

-him one to keep for himself. What should he do with such a gift but put

-it into his pocket-book&mdash;and his pocket-book was not there!</p>

-

-<p>Irene saw the change which came over his face when he had discovered

-the loss, and she asked him what was the matter. His face went quite

-white, so that Tom Warren, looking at him, wondered why such a manly,

-sensible chap should look so bad over such a little thing.</p>

-

-<p>But then Tom Warren had father and mother living, and plenty of friends

-around; so that made all the difference. He did not understand what it

-was to be all alone in the world, or how people like that treasured

-every relic of friends and happy days that had been.</p>

-

-<p>"Perhaps it tumbled from your pocket when you threw your coat off down

-by the river?" he suggested. "Let us go and have a look for it." And

-the two boys set off together.</p>

-

-<p>"He does seem cut up," the monitor reflected, as they ran on; for Ralph

-hardly had a word to say now, so anxious was he.</p>

-

-<p>But, no&mdash;no pocket-book was to be found. They searched every foot of

-the towing-path, and then went into the wood, to the very spot where

-they had rested that afternoon; but not a sign of the book could they

-see, and at last Warren declared that it was no use looking further.</p>

-

-<p>"You cannot have dropped it anywhere about here,"<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_142" id="Page_142">[Pg 142]</a></span> he said, "unless

-some one has seen it and picked it up. Had it got your name inside?"</p>

-

-<p>"Yes," answered Ralph; "but then they won't know where to bring it. How

-will they know who Ralph Rexworth is, or where he lives? I am afraid I

-shall never see it again; and&mdash;and&mdash;" And Ralph broke off, unable to

-finish his sentence.</p>

-

-<p>"Oh, come, don't be like that, Rexworth!" protested Warren. "At any

-rate, you can advertise for it and offer a reward; and any one who

-found it would be only too glad to bring it back and get the money. An

-old pocket-book is not so great a find that any one would want to keep

-it from you."</p>

-

-<p>"No; it is only of value to me," admitted Ralph, giving one last vain

-look round. "Well, it is no use staying here now; and it is beginning

-to grow dark. I suppose that we had better go back."</p>

-

-<p>The St. Clives were quite anxious to know whether the book had been

-recovered when the two boys once more reached the house, and they were

-full of sympathy when Ralph sadly shook his head.</p>

-

-<p>"I suppose you are quite sure that you brought it away from school

-with you, Ralph?" said Mr. St. Clive; and that brought just one little

-ray of hope. Ralph could not be quite sure. He thought that he had

-done so&mdash;he always took it from the pocket of the coat he took off and

-transferred it to that of the one he was going to wear. He had taken

-off his school-jacket when he left that afternoon, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_143" id="Page_143">[Pg 143]</a></span> though he felt

-nearly sure that he had done so, he could not be quite certain that he

-had taken his pocket-book from the pocket.</p>

-

-<p>But he felt so anxious and worried that all the pleasure of the evening

-was gone; and when Warren finally said good-night and ran off to his

-own home, it was still with the reflection that Ralph Rexworth must

-indeed be a queer sort of chap, or else there must be some extra

-special reason for his worrying over that pocket-book in the way he did.</p>

-

-<p>And when Warren had gone, Irene came and sat by her friend's side,

-being, indeed, a staunch little friend herself, and wanting to do

-something to comfort him; and she whispered again how she sympathized

-with him, and that perhaps the book was still at school, or, again, if

-it were really lost, it would be sure to be found by some one who would

-be likely to see the advertisement which Mr. St. Clive said should be

-printed, and then they would certainly bring it back to him.</p>

-

-<p>And then she talked of the deed which Ralph had done that day, and how

-glad she was that he had been the means of saving Horace Elgert; and

-how, in returning good for evil, he would be sure to conquer; and just

-for the moment Ralph forgot his loss, and was interested.</p>

-

-<p>"I could not do anything else, Irene," he said. "When it comes to

-saving a fellow's life, one cannot stop to consider whether they are

-friends or enemies.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_144" id="Page_144">[Pg 144]</a></span> It had to be done, though it has cost me enough,"

-he added sadly.</p>

-

-<p>"You think that you lost your pocket-book then?" she said; and he

-nodded.</p>

-

-<p>"Yes. I must have jerked it out of my pocket when I threw my coat off."</p>

-

-<p>"Well, then some of the other boys will most likely have found it, and

-they will bring it back to you on Monday."</p>

-

-<p>"I hope, if they do find it, they will not open it and get playing

-about with its contents," he said anxiously; and she laughed.</p>

-

-<p>"Why, how silly, Ralph! How can they possibly find out to whom it

-belongs unless they open it? Why should you mind that? You have nothing

-in it that you are afraid for people to see?"</p>

-

-<p>"Oh, no, no; of course not!" he answered quickly. It was not that.

-He could not explain it to Irene&mdash;he could hardly understand it

-himself&mdash;but the idea of other hands touching that, and other eyes

-prying at its treasured contents, was very repugnant to Ralph's

-feelings.</p>

-

-<p>The next morning Ralph was up early, almost as soon as it was light,

-and back in the neighbourhood of Becket Weir; and there, all alone in

-the freshness of the early day, he hunted this way and that, far more

-carefully than he had done the previous evening, but with as little

-success. There was not a trace of the pocket-book, but&mdash;he paused, his

-nerves tingling<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_145" id="Page_145">[Pg 145]</a></span>&mdash;some one had driven along the towing-path. The tracks

-were perfectly plain upon the dew-damp earth; and the tracks were

-those of a light cart which was drawn by a horse lame in its left fore

-foot&mdash;the same tracks which he connected with his father's fate, and

-which he had not seen for some time now!</p>

-

-<p>He stood looking round. It was Sunday&mdash;the day of peace and rest

-and gentle thoughts, and yet for the moment his heart filled with

-hard ones. He must follow these tracks! They might not lead to the

-recovery of his father&mdash;alas! he could not but believe now that father

-was dead&mdash;but they would lead to the man who had killed him; and

-then&mdash;then&mdash;&mdash;</p>

-

-<p>Sweet and low the bells came from the distant church, ringing for the

-first early morning service. They seemed to whisper messages to Ralph;

-but for once he turned a deaf ear to their voices. He must follow these

-tracks, Sunday or no Sunday.</p>

-

-<p>Along the path he went, his eyes fixed on the ground&mdash;past the roaring,

-tumbling weir, and the marks grew clearer. Hope rose in his excited

-heart. This was more in accordance with his tastes and desires. It was

-like being back on the long, rolling prairies. He would find out the

-truth now&mdash;at least, he would find out who this man was who drove a

-lame horse!</p>

-

-<p>Vain hopes, vain thoughts! Clear and unbroken, the marks ran until

-the towing-path turned out on the main road just by Becket Bridge,

-and there, on the hard, stony road, all tracks were lost. It was<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_146" id="Page_146">[Pg 146]</a></span>

-failure again; and a sudden rush of sorrow came to Ralph, a sudden

-sense of disappointment and loneliness; and sitting down there on

-the stone coping of the wall that separated the road from the river,

-Ralph Rexworth burst into tears. He could not help it&mdash;he felt so very

-depressed and weary; and not even the thoughts of Mr. St. Clive and

-Irene could drive that depression away.</p>

-

-<p>But still the bells rang, and their sweet voices thrust themselves upon

-him. I am not sure that a good cry is not a good thing sometimes, even

-for a boy. He felt all the better now, and he thrust back his weakness

-and squared his shoulders, turning once more for the house, lest his

-absence, being noticed, the family might wonder what had become of him.</p>

-

-<p>But his adventures were not quite over for the morning; for, as he

-went back, he became aware that far off to the right, just where the

-spinney came creeping down to the common, there were two persons

-walking&mdash;a man and a boy. He could see them quite plainly; and though

-they were so far off, his eyes, accustomed in the past to be used on

-the sweeping plains, where safety, and even life, may depend upon keen

-sight, distinguished the boy as his former chum, Charlton&mdash;Charlton and

-a man&mdash;who but his father? And again came the thought, in spite of all

-the reasoning which Mr. St. Clive had used&mdash;was there any connexion

-between that man, the tracks of the lame horse, and his own dear

-father's disappearance?</p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_147" id="Page_147">[Pg 147]</a></span></p>

-

-<p>Very slowly did Ralph return to his benefactor's house. He was

-restless, anxious; all the stormy feelings seemed to have returned. And

-all this had come through the loss of his pocket-book!</p>

-

-<p>That Sunday was a hard one for Ralph. Even the quiet church, with its

-solemn service, its sweet music, and its glorious coloured windows, did

-not seem quite the same to-day. It was as though Satan was combating

-with him, whispering that it was no use striving to go Christ's

-way&mdash;that the road was too hard and the service too ill-paid&mdash;that it

-was far better to give up trying to be noble and good and just be as

-other boys were&mdash;as Dobson and Elgert, and that sort.</p>

-

-<p>Indeed, the temptation came that it was just downright silly to go to

-school at all, when he could go back to his old life and live in all

-the wild freedom of the plains. So Ralph was tempted; and it seemed as

-if he could get no good from the day at all&mdash;as if all striving to do

-so were in vain&mdash;and as if he would have been just as well if he had

-stopped away from church altogether.</p>

-

-<p>Even Irene did not seem able to cheer him up. Despairing thoughts, dark

-thoughts, doubting thoughts&mdash;one after another they came; for Ralph was

-like Christian in <i>Pilgrim's Progress</i>&mdash;he was in the dark valley, and

-all manner of evil things seemed to assail him as he journeyed.</p>

-

-<p>Perhaps Mr. St. Clive understood&mdash;he seemed to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_148" id="Page_148">[Pg 148]</a></span> understand most

-things&mdash;for that night, when the family knelt at prayers together, he

-prayed especially for all who had special grief to bear and special

-temptations to endure; and somehow that prayer seemed to do Ralph more

-good than anything else had done. It seemed to pull him up, and to tell

-him that, let him be tempted as he might, conquest was possible if the

-temptation was met in the strength which comes through prayer.</p>

-

-<p>Monday morning came at last&mdash;the first Monday morning when he had

-really felt anxious to get back to school; and off he set, promising to

-write to his friends and let them know whether the pocket-book was safe

-at the school in the pocket of his other coat.</p>

-

-<p>He met Warren on the road, and the monitor asked him if the book was

-found; but Ralph shook his head in token that it was still missing.</p>

-

-<p>The school was reached at last, and Ralph hurried across the playground

-and darted up to the dormitory. His coat was in his box. He felt in the

-pocket; the book was there&mdash;safe! There had been no need to worry! He

-had left it behind him, and it had been safe all the time!</p>

-

-<p>Warren had followed him, and Charlton was there, and half-a-dozen of

-the others. Charlton had taken no notice of him when he ran in.</p>

-

-<p>"There you are, you kite!" laughed Warren. "You left it here all the

-time, and you have been worrying yourself to fiddle-strings, as if it

-contained the most<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_149" id="Page_149">[Pg 149]</a></span> important things in the world, and just trembling

-in your shoes for fear any one should find it and open it, and&mdash;&mdash;"</p>

-

-<p>Warren stopped short. A boy, running by, accidentally pushed against

-Ralph and sent the book flying from his hands. It fell at Warren's feet

-and burst open; and from it there fluttered on the floor, in plain view

-of every boy there&mdash;a five-pound note!</p>

-

-<hr />

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_150" id="Page_150">[Pg 150]</a></span></p>

-

-<h2><span>CHAPTER XVI</span> <span class="smaller">THINGS LOOK BLACK FOR RALPH</span></h2>

-

-<p>A five-pound note!</p>

-

-<p>There it lay, face upwards; and for a moment there was silence in the

-dormitory. Every eye was turned upon the boy, who stood staring at that

-accusing piece of paper, as if turned to stone. If ever any one looked

-guilty, Ralph Rexworth did at that moment. It was so unexpected, so

-inexplicable&mdash;and worst of all, though not a word was spoken, he seemed

-to feel what his companions thought, to know that they looked upon him

-as a liar and a thief.</p>

-

-<p>As for Warren, he stood with open mouth and staring eyes, as if he

-could not believe his senses. So this was why Ralph had been so anxious

-about finding his pocket-book! But when Elgert, who had also come

-into the room, took in the scene and muttered scornfully something

-about "Like father like son," Warren turned on him savagely, with a

-contemptuous&mdash;</p>

-

-<p>"Shut up, you cad! You, at any rate, should be the last one to speak,

-seeing that he saved your life on Saturday." And at that sharp reproof

-Elgert shrank away, abashed for once.</p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_151" id="Page_151">[Pg 151]</a></span></p>

-

-<p>Then Warren stooped and picked up the note, for it still lay there, and

-every one seemed too bewildered to move&mdash;and he held it out to Ralph.</p>

-

-<p>"Rexworth," he said, in low, grave tones, "this was in your

-pocket-book. It don't want much talking about, you can see what it

-looks like against you. But I want to say, and I feel that I must say

-it, I cannot believe that a chap like you can really be guilty of such

-a horribly mean thing. You and I have been good chums, and if any one

-had asked me my opinion, I should have said that there was no chap in

-the school I could more honour and trust. But this thing has got to be

-explained, and I must do my duty as a monitor, even if it gets my best

-chum into trouble. I must tell the Head of this. If I did not, some one

-else would, and it is my duty to do it."</p>

-

-<p>"You don't think that I stole it," faltered Ralph. It seemed so

-horrible that it unnerved him, and made him lose his firm resolution

-for the moment. It would be only for a little while: presently the old

-grit would come back, and he would be firm enough. But the greatest may

-flinch for the moment&mdash;recoiling from the horror of the accusation or

-suspicion&mdash;and others may put down their agitation to a wrong cause,

-think it the evidence of a guilty conscience, and condemn them untried.</p>

-

-<p>"You don't think that I stole it?" he faltered, as if pleading that

-Warren would not think so poorly as that of him. But the monitor

-replied gravely:</p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_152" id="Page_152">[Pg 152]</a></span></p>

-

-<p>"I don't think anything about it, Rexworth. I don't want to think, for

-if I did, I should think wrong, perhaps. I can only act on the thing as

-I know it. You lost your pocket-book, you said. You were in a terrible

-mess over the loss. You, yourself, said to me that you hoped no one

-would look inside it if they picked it up; and I, with my own eyes, saw

-this note fall out of it just now, the note I suppose Mr. Delermain

-lost, and which you declared that you had not seen. I must tell the

-Head. I only wish that it were not part of my work to have to do so."</p>

-

-<p>Then the old resolution came back. Ralph's self had not deserted him,

-and he spoke, quietly and calmly, so that all the dormitory could hear

-his troubled tones.</p>

-

-<p>"Thank you, Warren. I value your friendship, which makes doing your

-duty so hard a thing for you, and I quite understand that you cannot

-give me that friendship now, while this thing is over me. I know it

-looks very bad against me. I have some enemy here, and that enemy has

-been just a little too clever for me."</p>

-

-<p>Just as he spoke his eyes caught sight of Charlton, standing looking so

-white and scared, and the thought came: Had he done this? He seemed to

-avoid his gaze. Ralph paused only a moment, and then went on&mdash;</p>

-

-<p>"There is one thing, however, that I can do to prove that I value your

-friendship, and that is take the task of speaking from you. If you

-choose to wait until after prayers, I will tell the Head myself, in

-open school, and you can all hear me do it."</p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_153" id="Page_153">[Pg 153]</a></span></p>

-

-<p>Warren hesitated for a moment. He hated to have to do the task, and if

-Ralph would tell himself, it would do just as well.</p>

-

-<p>"Very well," he said, "if you will do that, I have no objection; and,

-look here, you fellows," he added, turning to the others, "do, for

-mercy's sake, keep this to yourselves, all of you; or it will be all

-over the school, and it is not a nice thing to have connected with our

-Form. We may have been a bit wild, but we have never had a thing like

-this before, and I would have done anything rather than have had it

-now."</p>

-

-<p>He turned away as he spoke, and the others followed slowly, leaving

-Ralph there alone&mdash;alone with his pocket-book, and the note which had

-come from it.</p>

-

-<p>No, not quite alone, for Charlton still stood there regarding him with

-the same half-frightened, half sorrowful look; and at last Ralph,

-becoming aware of his presence, turned and looked at him.</p>

-

-<p>"Well," he said, "what do you want? Why don't you clear off, like the

-rest have done?"</p>

-

-<p>The boy backed away from him, as if almost frightened.</p>

-

-<p>"And it was you, all the time," he said, in low tones. "You, whom I

-thought so noble and good! You took it, and then you dared to ask me if

-I had taken it, to hint that it was me. Oh, Ralph Rexworth, I did not

-think that there was any one as mean as you."</p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_154" id="Page_154">[Pg 154]</a></span></p>

-

-<p>Ralph regarded him gravely for a little while, and then he said&mdash;</p>

-

-<p>"And suppose that I still think that you took it, Charlton? Suppose

-that I ask you whether you put this note in my pocket-book?&mdash;for some

-one put it there, that is quite certain. Is this done in spite, because

-of what I said to you on Friday?"</p>

-

-<p>Then Charlton started forward, as if beside himself with anger.</p>

-

-<p>"How dare you, Ralph Rexworth&mdash;how dare you! Is that the way in which

-you are going to try and get out of it? Try and put it on to my

-shoulders! Ralph Rexworth, I stayed here when the others went because I

-was going to offer you something&mdash;going to offer to take the blame and

-seem to be the thing which you accuse me of being. The boys all look

-upon me as a thief's son, and it would not make much difference if I

-were turned out. I was going to offer to say that I had done this, and

-put it into your book. Going to do it because you were kind to me, and,

-even after what you said, you tried to make friends again. I would have

-done it, Rexworth, but I will not now. If you can be as mean as that, I

-will not do it."</p>

-

-<p>"Hold on a bit, Charlton," answered Ralph. "If you had any idea of that

-sort, I thank you for your kindness. But you don't suppose that I would

-be a party to a thing of that kind, do you? Let you tell a lie and get

-the blame, that I might escape trouble!<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_155" id="Page_155">[Pg 155]</a></span> Not me! If you have done it,

-own up or hold your tongue, as you like. But if you have not done it,

-you shan't say that you have, and that is all about it." And he added,

-as Charlton turned away&mdash;</p>

-

-<p>"If I have wronged you with my suspicions, I am sorry. I know how easy

-it is to be wrongly judged."</p>

-

-<p>"And you will find how hard it is to bear," the other boy said, and

-then he, too, turned away, leaving Ralph considerably perplexed. Had

-Charlton taken the note and placed it in his pocket-book? After all,

-Ralph hardly thought so, it was not like him to do that, and yet&mdash;yet

-some one must have done this wicked thing, some one who wanted to get

-him into trouble!</p>

-

-<p>But there was no more time to spare, the bell for prayers was ringing,

-and he went down to his place.</p>

-

-<p>In spite of Warren's pleading, it was evident that the story had leaked

-out; for, as Ralph appeared, there was a considerable amount of subdued

-hissing and groaning, which made the masters look up in surprise, and

-the monitors to call silence in angry tones.</p>

-

-<p>Then the Head appeared, and prayers were read. Poor Ralph! It was

-harder than ever to attend to worship now. He felt nervous at the

-ordeal before him, and yet he felt also that to seem nervous was to

-seem guilty&mdash;and he was innocent! That thought calmed him. The service

-was over, the Head was just going to dismiss the school when Ralph rose

-in his seat, and said in clear tones&mdash;</p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_156" id="Page_156">[Pg 156]</a></span></p>

-

-<p>"Please, sir, may I say something in open school? It is something of

-importance, something connected with the banknote which Mr. Delermain

-lost."</p>

-

-<p>The words created quite a sensation amongst those who were ignorant of

-what had transpired, and the doctor answered&mdash;</p>

-

-<p>"Would it not be better to speak with myself first, Rexworth? Then I

-can decide whether what you have to communicate should be made public."</p>

-

-<p>"I would rather speak here, sir. In fact, I have promised to do so. It

-only concerns myself, please, sir."</p>

-

-<p>"Then you may speak. Be brief and plain, and let us hear what you have

-to say."</p>

-

-<p>So Ralph spoke, turning half to the Head, half to the school; and

-describing how he had thought that he took his pocket-book with him and

-how he had found it in his other coat, when he got back that morning;

-and how, also, the five-pound note had been seen to tumble from it,

-when it fell on the floor.</p>

-

-<p>"I know, sir," he said, in conclusion, "that the thing looks as bad as

-bad can be, and that if every one here believes me to be a thief, it

-is only natural; but I can only say, sir, what I have said from the

-beginning. I am quite innocent. I never saw that banknote from the time

-when Mr. Delermain laid it on his desk until this morning, when it fell

-from my pocket-book and Warren picked it up."</p>

-

-<p>The doctor listened in silence, his keen eyes fixed<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_157" id="Page_157">[Pg 157]</a></span> upon the face of

-the lad before him; and Dr. Beverly felt perfectly certain that Ralph

-Rexworth was speaking the truth.</p>

-

-<p>And yet, if that were so, it meant not only that some other boy was a

-thief, but also that a boy must be deliberately trying to get Rexworth

-wrongly accused; and that seemed a very dreadful thing in the eyes of

-the noble, upright master of Marlthorpe.</p>

-

-<p>"You say you were under the impression that you took your pocket-book

-home with you, Rexworth?" he said, when the boy had concluded; and

-Ralph replied&mdash;</p>

-

-<p>"Yes, sir. I can say yes to that, though I suppose that I must be

-mistaken, seeing that I found it safely in my coat-pocket when I went

-to the dormitory the first thing this morning."</p>

-

-<p>A low murmur went round the school. Some of the boys were evidently

-convinced that Ralph was guilty, and that he was only striving to

-screen himself, and their youthful hearts rebelled against such

-behaviour.</p>

-

-<p>"Hiss, hiss!" "Thief, thief!" ran round, and Ralph started as though he

-had been struck by a whip.</p>

-

-<p>The doctor struck his bell sharply, and silence followed. The offenders

-looked somewhat dismayed at their own audacity.</p>

-

-<p>"Silence, there!" he cried. "Is it the custom to call a man guilty

-before even the whole evidence is heard? What Rexworth says is very

-true. The facts do seem<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_158" id="Page_158">[Pg 158]</a></span> to unite to condemn him, and yet it is

-possible that those facts are unworthy of credence."</p>

-

-<p>"Whatever does the Head favour that fellow for?" muttered Elgert,

-to one of his own friends. But he received a look of disgust and an

-impatient&mdash;</p>

-

-<p>"Oh, shut up! Didn't he pull you out of the river?" That was the second

-time that morning Horace Elgert had been so rebuked.</p>

-

-<p>"This," the Head continued, "demands the most careful, searching

-investigation. If Rexworth is guilty, I shall be the last to screen

-him; if he is innocent, it is but my duty to strive to establish that

-innocence. If any boy has been wicked enough to deliberately do this

-for the very purpose of getting this lad into trouble, I most earnestly

-entreat that boy to think of what he has done, and to confess his fault

-before this goes farther, and&mdash;&mdash;"</p>

-

-<p>The Head paused and looked round, the door was opened, and Lord Elgert

-had entered, just in time to overhear his last words.</p>

-

-<hr />

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_159" id="Page_159">[Pg 159]</a></span></p>

-

-<h2><span>CHAPTER XVII</span> <span class="smaller">THE PLOT THAT FAILED</span></h2>

-

-<p>The entrance of Lord Elgert interrupted the serious business being

-carried on; and somewhat impatient, even if curious, glances were

-directed towards him as he walked up to Dr. Beverly.</p>

-

-<p>"I evidently come at an inopportune moment," the nobleman said, as he

-surveyed the scene before him; "and yet, perhaps, it is a fortunate

-interruption, if this lad is in trouble, as he seems to be"&mdash;and

-he nodded towards Ralph, who met his gaze with some coldness. "If

-my interruption is untimely I will withdraw." And he looked round

-inquiringly.</p>

-

-<p>"We certainly are in the midst of a painful inquiry," replied the

-headmaster gravely. "I do not suppose that your visit is connected with

-it in any way."</p>

-

-<p>"My visit is wholly and solely to thank Ralph Rexworth and Tom Warren

-for their bravery in rescuing my son last Saturday," was the reply.</p>

-

-<p>And these words also caused something of a sensation, for, to the

-school at large the adventure at the river side was still unknown.</p>

-

-<p>The Head himself had evidently not heard of it,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_160" id="Page_160">[Pg 160]</a></span> for he looked

-surprised, and Lord Elgert continued&mdash;</p>

-

-<p>"The two boys risked their lives to save that of my son, and I cannot

-be slow in coming to express my thanks and admiration. If Rexworth is

-in any trouble, I sincerely trust that any influence which I may have

-will be allowed to weigh in his favour."</p>

-

-<p>"Perhaps we had better finish the business in hand first," suggested

-the Head. "It is connected with something of which I understand you

-have already been informed. A banknote which was missing some time ago

-has been recovered, and it was found in Ralph Rexworth's pocket-book."</p>

-

-<p>"Dear, dear," said Lord Elgert, in grieved tones; "I am truly

-sorry&mdash;very sorry. But the temptations to which youth are exposed are

-great. It may be possible to overlook this unhappy matter for once&mdash;&mdash;"</p>

-

-<p>"Sir&mdash;sir," broke in Ralph, indignantly appealing to Dr. Beverly, "I

-know that you have always been kind to me, and I ask you to protect

-me from Lord Elgert's insults, lest I may forget myself and say words

-which I ought not to say. I want no friendship nor influence of his. I

-am not guilty, and I will not accept anything which will make it appear

-that I am. As to saving his son, Warren did as much as I did, and we

-could do no less for any one who was in danger, but I can honestly say

-that I wish that it had been any one else than Horace Elgert."</p>

-

-<p>A very ugly look swept over the face of Lord Elgert, and he stepped

-back, remarking to Dr. Beverly&mdash;</p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_161" id="Page_161">[Pg 161]</a></span></p>

-

-<p>"In that case, there is no need for me to interrupt you any longer&mdash;at

-any rate, so far as this boy is concerned."</p>

-

-<p>"Now, attention!" said the Head; and the school straightened up again.

-"We have heard what Ralph Rexworth has to say, and some of you are

-evidently quite certain that he is guilty&mdash;that he is a thief, and,

-worse, a liar also&mdash;and that in face of what we have just heard. A

-boy who risks his life to save that of another is surely not so poor

-spirited as this. To believe that he is, is to believe that utter

-contradictions can be reconcilable."</p>

-

-<p>"Please, sir," said one lad, rising in his place, "there is one thing

-which I should like to say."</p>

-

-<p>"You may speak, sir," was the reply which he received; and the boy went

-on&mdash;</p>

-

-<p>"Rexworth says that he thought he took his pocket-book away with him on

-Saturday. Please, sir, so he did, for I saw him take it from his other

-coat. He laid it on his bed for a minute, and then looked at a likeness

-in it, and afterwards put it into his pocket. So that if it was found

-here this morning, some one must have picked it up and brought it back."</p>

-

-<p>"That is most important, if it is true," said the Head, while Ralph

-felt a rush of relief, and turned grateful eyes upon the speaker.</p>

-

-<p>"Are you sure that he did put it into his pocket, and not either

-replace it in the coat from which he took it, or leave it lying on the

-bed?"</p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_162" id="Page_162">[Pg 162]</a></span></p>

-

-<p>"Quite sure, sir," answered the lad confidently. "I saw him slip it

-into his pocket, and I wondered whose likeness it was that he carried

-about with him."</p>

-

-<p>"It is my mother's, sir," said Ralph in a low voice.</p>

-

-<p>And the Head nodded.</p>

-

-<p>"Then, if this be true, a most wicked and evil plot has indeed been

-attempted&mdash;one so bad that, when I discover those who invented it, they

-shall surely be expelled. I am glad to have this testimony, although it

-was almost needless, for I am already quite certain that Ralph Rexworth

-is innocent&mdash;or, I had better say, that the evidence against him is

-valueless.</p>

-

-<p>"In the first place, this pocket-book"&mdash;and he held it up&mdash;"has

-certainly been dropped, for its side is still stained with mud, and

-there is the mark of a boot, where some one has stepped upon it. In the

-next place&mdash;and this in itself is sufficient&mdash;a little mistake has been

-made. Is this note yours, Rexworth?"</p>

-

-<p>And he turned, holding the banknote to the astonished Ralph.</p>

-

-<p>"No, sir," the boy answered, not knowing what to make of this turn in

-affairs.</p>

-

-<p>"Have you not such a thing as a five-pound note?" he was next asked.</p>

-

-<p>And again he replied in the negative.</p>

-

-<p>"Well," the Head went on, "it certainly is not the one lost by Mr.

-Delermain. Every banknote, as I suppose you know, has its own number,

-and this number is not that of the note lost, so that either<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_163" id="Page_163">[Pg 163]</a></span> some one

-has been kind enough to make Rexworth a present of a five-pound note,

-or else they have, by oversight, or through ignorance, put a note into

-his pocket-book to make it appear that he is a thief, not considering

-that it is as easily distinguished from the one which is missing, as if

-it were for a different amount, and&mdash;&mdash;"</p>

-

-<p>The doctor paused once more, for Ralph broke down. He had kept stiff

-enough so far; but now, as he heard that by no means could he be

-accused, and that some one must certainly have done this out of spite,

-his courage gave way, and he cried out&mdash;</p>

-

-<p>"Why should any one want to harm me so? I have done nothing to make any

-one wish me evil. I am almost a stranger in England, and yet people try

-to do such things as that! I cannot stay, sir. I must ask Mr. St. Clive

-to send me back. England is a wicked place, and strangers are treated

-wickedly."</p>

-

-<p>"Perhaps all England is not as bad as you think it, my lad," replied

-the Head kindly, "though I confess that your experiences are enough

-to make you form such an opinion. But do not decide hastily. I think

-that out of all such trials you will emerge a conqueror, and I know

-that such wicked attempts as have been made against you must, sooner or

-later, recoil upon the heads of those who make them."</p>

-

-<p>"I sympathize with the lad," said Lord Elgert, "and I take no offence

-at the way in which he spoke. You remember, Rexworth, that if ever you

-want a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_164" id="Page_164">[Pg 164]</a></span> friend you can come to me. I think your decision a wise one.

-This land is no place for you, and if you wish to return to your old

-home, I will myself provide all the money which is required. I want you

-to let me give you a gold watch&mdash;I have one for Warren, also."</p>

-

-<p>"I will take nothing from you," cried the boy, so that all could hear.

-"I do not trust you. For some reason you seem to hate me, and I believe

-that you are at the bottom of all my troubles."</p>

-

-<p>"Rexworth," said the Head, in grave remonstrance; and the boy checked

-himself.</p>

-

-<p>"I am sorry, sir. I ought not to have spoken like that," he said

-penitently; "but Lord Elgert knows how impossible it is to take any

-favours from him, after what he has said about my father. All I desire

-of him is that he will leave me alone to fight my own battle."</p>

-

-<p>Lord Elgert shrugged his shoulders.</p>

-

-<p>"If that is so, I cannot help it," he said. "If you change your mind

-and need a friend, you can come to me. Now for Master Warren."</p>

-

-<p>"Please, sir," said Warren rising, "I don't want anything for just

-doing my duty; and, anyhow, I could not take any present or reward

-without first asking my father's leave."</p>

-

-<p>Lord Elgert bit his lip.</p>

-

-<p>"It seems that I am to be deprived of the pleasure of giving any

-reward at all," he said. "In that case, I will intrude no longer, Dr.

-Beverly."</p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_165" id="Page_165">[Pg 165]</a></span></p>

-

-<p>And with a sense of discomfiture Lord Elgert departed, and the Head

-again addressed the boys, enlarging upon the wickedness of what had

-been done, and once more pleading that the culprit, whoever he was,

-would act a man's part, own his wrong, and ask for mercy. Alas! there

-was no response to his pleading, and after a short pause the Head

-dismissed the school to its various classes.</p>

-

-<p>But surely never before had Marlthorpe had so much to talk of; and

-never before did the masters allow more talking. For the thing was so

-bad, and the lessons to be learned so grave, that each master felt as

-if it were almost his duty to bring the subject before the boys, even

-to encourage them to talk of it, if in so doing those lads could be

-taught that honesty and truth must prevail in the end, and that deceit

-and wrong-doing must fail.</p>

-

-<p>But oh, what a good thing it was for Ralph when Mr. Delermain shook

-hands with him.</p>

-

-<p>"My dear boy," the master said, "none can rejoice more than I do that

-the clumsy attempt to fasten this theft on your shoulders has failed.

-Had it not been shown to be such an attempt, I should still have felt

-confident that it was so, being sure that you would not have done

-this thing. Still, it is well to have it proved to be but an attempt.

-Now, take my advice, and banish it from your mind. Do not even worry

-as to who did it, nor as to their motive. These things will manifest

-themselves in time, and until they do<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_166" id="Page_166">[Pg 166]</a></span> they are not worth troubling

-about, nor allowing to interfere with your work, and particularly with

-your chances for the Newlet."</p>

-

-<p>And Warren came to him also, as frank and good-hearted as could be.</p>

-

-<p>"I suppose that you feel as if you wanted to punch my head," he said;

-"but I had to do my duty, old fellow, even if it were an unpleasant

-one."</p>

-

-<p>And to him Ralph had answered&mdash;</p>

-

-<p>"I should have thought precious little of you if you had not done it.

-Of course, you could not have done anything different from what you

-did."</p>

-

-<p>Charlton said nothing&mdash;only he looked at Ralph wistfully, and it seemed

-as if there was something of relief in his eyes. Charlton was a puzzle

-to Ralph. He could not understand the boy anyhow.</p>

-

-<p>Nor was Warren the only one who came and spoke to Ralph and expressed

-abhorrence for the attempt to brand him as a thief, and satisfaction

-that he was cleared from the accusation.</p>

-

-<p>But that same day, in a quiet corner of the playground, Horace Elgert

-came across Dobson, and, seizing him by the collar, he shook him

-savagely.</p>

-

-<p>"You great blundering donkey," he said. "How did you come to do it? You

-have made a pretty mess of things."</p>

-

-<p>"Well," growled Dobson, shaking himself free, "it is no good to kick up

-a row about it. No harm is done, only he has managed to get clear."</p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_167" id="Page_167">[Pg 167]</a></span></p>

-

-<p>"But how did you do it? I cannot think how it was."</p>

-

-<p>"Easy enough. I had five pounds that my aunt sent me. I am a favourite

-with her"&mdash;and Dobson smiled complacently. "Well, I had that in my

-pocket, and when you handed me over the other note, after I picked up

-his pocket-book, I must have put the wrong note in, that is all."</p>

-

-<p>"But what did you do with the one I gave you?" demanded Elgert quickly.</p>

-

-<p>"Changed it up in the town."</p>

-

-<p>"Changed it!" he gasped. "You idiot! Don't you know that it can be

-traced by its number? I suppose that you wrote your name on the back?"</p>

-

-<p>"Of course I did," said Dobson, looking very scared.</p>

-

-<p>"Yes, and that note will come back to you, perhaps brought by a

-constable. You have done a nice thing!"</p>

-

-<p>"But I didn't steal it&mdash;you stole it!" cried Dobson, in alarm. And

-Elgert struck him a savage blow.</p>

-

-<p>"So you would turn sneak, would you? Well, there is no proof that I

-stole it. There is plenty of proof that you had it, changed it, and put

-your note into the pocket-book. You will suffer, and not me."</p>

-

-<p>"What&mdash;what can we d-d-do?" gasped Dobson, his knees knocking together.

-And Elgert answered&mdash;</p>

-

-<p>"We must go up into town to the place where you changed it. We must get

-that note back if we can, even if we have to give double for it. There

-is no telling what will happen, unless we get hold of it."</p>

-

-<hr />

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_168" id="Page_168">[Pg 168]</a></span></p>

-

-<h2><span>CHAPTER XVIII</span> <span class="smaller">WHERE THE BANKNOTE WENT</span></h2>

-

-<p>Brown's cake-shop was out of bounds for the younger boys at

-Marlthorpe College. The boys in the upper classes might go there if

-they chose; but as it was over a mile from the school, the Head had

-wisely determined that it was too far away for the little lads to be

-continually running there to spend their pocket-money; especially as

-there was a very clean and nice shop in the village close by&mdash;a shop

-kept by a kindly old dame, where Dr. Beverly was certain the boys could

-not come to harm.</p>

-

-<p>It was quite as good a shop as Brown's; but, because it was within

-bounds, and because the lads were forbidden to go to the town, it was

-not patronized as it should have been; while Brown's received many a

-secret visit. It was a shame that the upper fellows might go there,

-when the juniors might not! It was the cause of heartburnings. There

-were no cakes in all the world like those which Brown's sold! The chief

-inducement to get promoted was that Brown's might be visited freely.</p>

-

-<p>Of course, it was wrong and foolish; but then,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_169" id="Page_169">[Pg 169]</a></span> boys are apt to think

-wrongly and do foolishly; and, therefore, the reason of two small

-mortals scuttling along the road, and dodging into Great Stow, with

-eyes ever on the alert for monitors and masters, was not hard to

-seek&mdash;their destination was, of course, Brown's.</p>

-

-<p>A nice pair of young rebels they were. One was small and freckled and

-sandy, with small eyes, and a decidedly pug nose; and the other was a

-remarkably fat youth&mdash;so fat that it really seemed wonderful that he

-could run as he did.</p>

-

-<p>They darted along, avoiding the main street, until the noted

-establishment was reached; then, after a careful and cautious peering

-in, to make sure that the coast was clear, they dived in, and the door

-closed behind them.</p>

-

-<p>Now, Brown knew about these unlawful visits. He was very glad that

-he was without bounds, for he was quite certain that being so would

-increase his trade. He encouraged his youthful customers. He called

-them noble-spirited boys, who refused to bow to harsh rules. He said

-they were young heroes; and he had a nice little room behind the

-shop, with the window screened by a thick curtain&mdash;rather holey and

-dirty, it is true&mdash;and there was a bell to ring for Brown; and little

-white-topped tables to sit at; and it seemed so grand and "grown-up" to

-call for the waiter&mdash;though it was Brown himself who came&mdash;and to order

-a penny bun, or a jam tart, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_170" id="Page_170">[Pg 170]</a></span> for Brown to say "Yes, sir; at once,

-sir." Oh, it was very, very delightful, and it had a spice of adventure

-about it.</p>

-

-<p>So into the private room dived the two youthful spendthrifts, and

-ordered tarts and ginger-beer and ices, and then seated themselves at

-their ease to enjoy this forbidden feast.</p>

-

-<p>"Ain't they prime, Jimmy?" gloated the fat boy, as he put himself

-outside a three-cornered puff; and Jimmy, with his mouth full of tart,

-was understood to reply that they were "ripping."</p>

-

-<p>The shop-bell tinkled, and Jimmy jumped up. He was not quite sure who

-might come in, and he squinted through one of those convenient holes in

-the blind, a fragment of tart still in his hand.</p>

-

-<p>"I say, it is Elgert's man!" he said, looking round. "I wonder what he

-wants here?"</p>

-

-<p>"Oh, he doesn't signify. Let us enjoy ourselves, for we cannot stay

-long, and we shall have to run all the way back."</p>

-

-<p>That eating cakes was a good preparation for running a mile is open

-to question, but the two boys evidently had no doubts concerning the

-matter; and so they sat there, while the man who had entered talked to

-Brown over the counter, and, seeing that the door was not quite closed,

-the boys could not help hearing a little of what passed.</p>

-

-<p>"I'll bide my time, Brown," Elgert's man said. "I will not be

-impatient, but I will humble that<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_171" id="Page_171">[Pg 171]</a></span> young cub yet! I hate him even more

-than I do his father. He treats a man like the dirt beneath his feet!"</p>

-

-<p>"So he does," muttered Jimmy Green to Tinkle; "that is quite right!"</p>

-

-<p>And Tinkle nodded. He was busy with an ice just at the moment.</p>

-

-<p>"I say," said Brown to the man, "if you are not in a hurry, I wish that

-you would run over to the inn and ask them to change me this five-pound

-note? It is one which I changed for one of the boys from the school the

-other day."</p>

-

-<p>Two youthful pairs of ears pricked up, two hands were arrested as they

-conveyed two cakes towards two mouths. A five-pound note changed for a

-boy from the school! This was exciting!</p>

-

-<p>"I can cash it for you myself," the man said; "I have just been paid my

-month's money."</p>

-

-<p>"I shall be obliged," said Brown. And then followed the ringing sound

-of money being counted out; the man picked up the note, glanced at it

-and put it into his pocket.</p>

-

-<p>"I will look in as I return," he said to Brown; and away he went.</p>

-

-<p>"I say! Think we can get out of Brown who changed that note?" said

-Tinkle to Green. "It's jolly funny, after what took place to-day!"</p>

-

-<p>"I don't know," answered Green thoughtfully. "Fact is, Tinkle, old man,

-I don't know that I am<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_172" id="Page_172">[Pg 172]</a></span> anxious to do it. It is awkward to know too

-much sometimes. There is the chance of having to split on some chap you

-are friendly with. If you don't know you can't say."</p>

-

-<p>"And if you don't say, some one may stay wrongly suspected," was the

-retort of Tinkle. And then, the shop-bell sounding again, necessitated

-another going to peep through the blind.</p>

-

-<p>"Oh, I say!" gasped Tinkle, as he looked through a hole; "if it isn't

-Elgert himself this time, and his crony Dobson is with him!"</p>

-

-<div class="center"><img src="images/i172.jpg" alt="Oh, I say, gasped Tinkle" /></div>

-

-<p class="bold">"<span class="smcap">'Oh, I say,' gasped Tinkle; 'if it isn't Elgert

-himself<br />this time.'</span>" p. 172</p>

-

-<p>"Well, they won't split," was the philosophic reply. "They will only

-want to go shares. I know 'em both."</p>

-

-<p>"Eat cakes while we pay; and Dobson is such a greedy beast!" And Tinkle

-groaned to himself.</p>

-

-<p>"Perhaps they are not going to stop," whispered Green. "They may only

-be going to take something back with them."</p>

-

-<p>It seemed like it; for the two boys outside made no attempt to enter

-the inner room. They both seemed rather flustered and out of breath,

-and as Brown came forward to attend to their wants Dobson panted out&mdash;</p>

-

-<p>"Oh&mdash;er&mdash;I say, Brown. That&mdash;that note I changed the other day. I

-should like&mdash;that is&mdash;I mean&mdash;&mdash;"</p>

-

-<p>"We want it back!" put in Elgert impatiently,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_173" id="Page_173">[Pg 173]</a></span> pushing his companion

-aside. "We cannot explain why, but we are very anxious to get hold of

-it!"</p>

-

-<p>"Fact is, we fancy that it is bad, and we don't want you to be the

-loser, you see," added Dobson. And Brown smiled slightly and nodded.</p>

-

-<p>"That's very good of you young gentlemen&mdash;very good and honourable. But

-you have no occasion to worry; the note was good enough. I saw to that."</p>

-

-<p>"Well, good or bad," Elgert said, "I want to get hold of it! And, as

-you know, I am always willing to pay for what I want. I will give you

-six pounds for that note, Brown!"</p>

-

-<p>The man glanced at him shrewdly. What did this mean? Why had they

-invented that lie about the note being bad; and why were they willing

-to give a pound extra to get it into their hands again?</p>

-

-<p>"I am very sorry, sir," he said slowly, "but the fact is, I have parted

-with that note. I changed it only a short time ago."</p>

-

-<p>"Changed it!" Elgert went rather white, and Dobson groaned dismally.

-"Whom did you give it to?" was Elgert's quick inquiry. "Perhaps he has

-it still!"</p>

-

-<p>"Well," responded Brown, "the fact is, I can hardly remember. You see,

-a lot of money passes through my hands, and I have passed on four or

-five notes to-day. I should have to inquire of the different people,

-and find who had the identical note that you require."</p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_174" id="Page_174">[Pg 174]</a></span></p>

-

-<p>"And will you do it?" cried Elgert quickly. "I will not grumble about

-the price. I want to get the note back, and I am willing to pay well

-for it. When can you let me know about it?"</p>

-

-<p>"If you came to-morrow, sir, about this time, I'd see what I could do

-meanwhiles. I may be able to get hold of it again, if it has not been

-paid into the bank."</p>

-

-<p>There was nothing more to be done. Elgert and Dobson came away with a

-horrible feeling of nervous apprehension filling their hearts. If that

-note was gone, what might not the consequences be for both of them?

-They were quarrelsome&mdash;each blamed the other&mdash;each tried to screen

-himself. But recriminations were of no avail; nothing was of avail,

-unless it was getting hold of the note once more.</p>

-

-<p>And when the two had gone, the feasters on unlawful pastries came forth

-from their hiding-place; and having settled their bill with lordly air,

-they also set out for the school, for there was no time to lose if they

-were to be back before calling over.</p>

-

-<p>But they had something to think about indeed! Why did Elgert want that

-note? And how came it that Dobson had possessed one to change at all?</p>

-

-<p>"What are we going to do about this, Jimmy?" inquired Tinkle, as they

-ran along, and Green answered without the slightest hesitation.</p>

-

-<p>"Nothing! That is my advice, Tinkle. We can't do anything without

-owning up to having been out<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_175" id="Page_175">[Pg 175]</a></span> of bounds; and I don't want my name down

-for punishment now. We don't know that the note is the one which Mr.

-Delermain lost. We only know that it is one Elgert and Dobson want to

-get hold of for some purpose of their own; they may be trying to trace

-something about it."</p>

-

-<p>And then Brown went to stand at his shop-door, impatiently watching for

-the return of his companion, and hailing him as he saw him appear round

-the bend of the road.</p>

-

-<p>"It's curious that they should be so anxious to get that note back" he

-said, when he told the other of Elgert's request. "Offered a pound, and

-said he was willing to go beyond that. Well, as you have changed the

-note, it is your property, and the profit will be yours. Of course, you

-will part with it?"</p>

-

-<p>The man drew the note from his pocket-book, and examined it carefully

-ere he answered.</p>

-

-<p>"It is quite genuine," he said, and Brown laughed.</p>

-

-<p>"Of course, it is! I knew that all along. That part of their story was

-all nonsense. There is something up, but you may as well make your

-little bit out of it. Say I give you six pounds for it, and chance

-making any more myself?"</p>

-

-<p>"Not to-day," was the quiet answer. "You shall have it in a day or two.

-You can say that you have been promised that it shall be returned."</p>

-

-<p>"But what do you want to do with it for a day or two?" asked Brown,

-with something of curiosity.</p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_176" id="Page_176">[Pg 176]</a></span></p>

-

-<p>And the man looked him in the face, and replied, with a quiet smile&mdash;</p>

-

-<p>"Do? Oh, nothing! I only think that it may be as well if I have this

-banknote photographed. You can have it after that, and we will share

-the profits."</p>

-

-<p>Then Brown laughed, and clapped him on the back.</p>

-

-<p>"You are a smart fellow!" he cried.</p>

-

-<p>And the man answered.</p>

-

-<p>"There are some people living who will find that out to their cost one

-of these fine days!"</p>

-

-<hr />

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_177" id="Page_177">[Pg 177]</a></span></p>

-

-<h2><span>CHAPTER XIX</span> <span class="smaller">THE LAME HORSE ONCE MORE</span></h2>

-

-<p>If Elgert and Dobson and the two juniors who had overheard that

-conversation in Brown's cake-shop were the four most excited concerning

-the five-pound note which had been stolen from Mr. Delermain, they were

-not the only ones in Marlthorpe College who were interested in the

-matter.</p>

-

-<p>From first to last the whole school could do nothing but discuss the

-mysterious business; and, whatever else it did, the attempt to put the

-guilt upon Ralph's shoulders resulted in his being all the more firmly

-established in the favour of most of the boys.</p>

-

-<p>Even those who had not liked him were more friendly now; for there was

-something so shameful and wicked in trying to get him accused of that

-which it had been proved he was innocent of, that they could not but

-feel sympathy for him. Then the story of his brave deed in rescuing

-Elgert was strongly in his favour. After all, boys at heart love

-bravery.</p>

-

-<p>But of all there, Warren and Ralph himself pondered most. Their

-friendship was quite restored, and together they talked and discussed,

-and wondered<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_178" id="Page_178">[Pg 178]</a></span> who it could possibly be who would want to harm Ralph.</p>

-

-<p>And poor Charlton! Ah, how miserable he was now! He had his own weight

-of sorrow, and it was very, very heavy to bear; and after what Ralph

-had said he could never hope that they would be friends again.</p>

-

-<p>"I suppose that I am to blame," he said. "Perhaps I took things too

-much to heart. I feel that I am never to have friends. I&mdash;I don't care!

-Rexworth might give me another chance; but if he won't&mdash;if he is so

-taken up with Warren&mdash;he can do as he likes. I don't care!"</p>

-

-<p>Poor Charlton! He did care, for all his talk&mdash;care very much. He was

-lonely and sad; but he did not stop to think that Ralph had already

-given him chances, and that it was his own fault that he had not taken

-them. When we are miserable we are also apt to be unjust, and to put

-the blame for our own actions upon other people's shoulders.</p>

-

-<p>And how interested and indignant, and yet withal delighted, were the

-St. Clives when they heard of what had happened.</p>

-

-<p>"A clean reputation is a good thing, you see, Ralph," Mr. St. Clive

-said. "It is surely worth something to feel that people have such a

-high estimate of you as to realize that you are utterly incapable of

-doing a mean thing, even though appearances are so strong against you."</p>

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_179" id="Page_179">[Pg 179]</a></span></p>

-

-<p>"It is just splendid to think how you have come out of it, Ralph!" was

-Irene's delighted comment when the two young people were alone. "It is

-like when wicked people tried to injure the brave knights of old, and

-when truth and valour and true chivalry triumphed over all opposition.

-There is something, even here and now, to be gained when people know

-that you are fighting under honour's flag!"</p>

-

-<p>And Ralph had to acknowledge that she spoke the truth, and to own that

-he was now very glad that he had resisted the temptation to yield and

-to run away from his troubles.</p>

-

-<p>That Saturday holiday&mdash;the one after the business of the note being

-found in his pocket-book&mdash;was one of the happiest that he had spent

-since coming to Stow Ormond&mdash;a day when the clouds seemed to have

-lifted, when the sun seemed brighter, and when faith grew more strong.

-It came from the feeling that he had fought a good fight, and that he

-had been helped to be more than conqueror.</p>

-

-<p>And yet he had forgotten nothing of his father. He was as anxious as

-ever to solve the mystery surrounding his disappearance; only now,

-instead of being impatient, he felt that he was preparing in the best

-way for seeking the truth by staying with Mr. St. Clive, and by working

-as hard as ever he could.</p>

-

-<p>And on that same afternoon he walked with Irene as far as the pretty

-old inn; and old Simon, the <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_180" id="Page_180">[Pg 180]</a></span>landlord, greeted him with a cheery smile;

-for, indeed, Simon felt a great interest in the lad, seeing that the

-first scene in his strange story was enacted beneath his roof.</p>

-

-<p>"And how are you, young gentleman?" he asked. "And you, too,

-missie?"&mdash;as the two entered the yard. "Come to pay a visit to old

-Simon&mdash;eh?"</p>

-

-<p>"I have come to talk to you, Simon," answered Ralph. No one ever called

-the landlord of the <i>Horse and Wheel</i> anything but Simon. "I have come

-to ask you something."</p>

-

-<p>"That's right, sir! Ask away&mdash;though I don't promise to answer if it is

-a poser. I haven't had the education which you young people enjoy."</p>

-

-<p>"It is nothing to do with education, Simon," laughed Ralph. "I want

-to ask you whether, now that you have had plenty of time to think of

-it&mdash;as I feel sure you must have thought&mdash;do you think that you have

-any recollection of ever having seen my father before? I feel certain

-that he knew the place; and if he knew it, perhaps you may be able to

-think of some one whom he reminds you of."</p>

-

-<p>But Simon shook his head at that question.</p>

-

-<p>"I am afraid that I cannot answer that, sir. Your father certainly did

-know the place; for when I told him the number of his room he walked

-right up to it without waiting to be shown. And, in some way, I seem to

-have a faint recollection of having<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_181" id="Page_181">[Pg 181]</a></span> seen him before; but it is all dim

-and hazy like, and it wouldn't do to go upon."</p>

-

-<p>"Thank you, Simon. Now the other question&mdash;and I want you to keep this

-to yourself; I have a particular reason for that. Do you know any one

-in the neighbourhood who drives about in a light trap, and who has a

-horse lame in its left foreleg?"</p>

-

-<p>"Well," said the old man thoughtfully, "come to that, there are plenty

-of folk with light traps hereabout; and I know of two lame horses. Old

-Saxer, the carter, has one, and Hopkin, the butcher, has one, and&mdash;why,

-yes, Lord Elgert himself has a pretty little mare lame in her left

-foreleg. She hurt herself in a hole, and, though she goes all right

-now, she has a bit of a limp. And, why, come to think of it, now I

-remember who your father put me in mind of."</p>

-

-<p>"Who&mdash;oh, who?" cried Ralph eagerly; while Irene looked on not less

-interested.</p>

-

-<p>"Who?" said the innkeeper. "Why, of old Lord Stephen! He was Lord

-Elgert's uncle, and he died without leaving child of his own. He had

-one son, who died long, long ago. That is it, for certain! But what

-ails you, young sir?"</p>

-

-<p>For Ralph had gone quite white. He had never expected that answer. Lord

-Elgert had a lame horse! Lord Elgert was the nephew of some one whom

-his father had resembled! Lord Elgert had told that wicked story about

-his father; and Lord Elgert<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_182" id="Page_182">[Pg 182]</a></span> was so very anxious for him to go back to

-the plains, and leave England behind him for ever! Surely it could not

-be! And yet, as Ralph pondered, he seemed to call to mind a hundred

-things to strengthen his suspicions. It could not be that Lord Elgert

-knew anything about his father!</p>

-

-<p>A very grave Ralph walked home to lunch; and a very grave Mr. St. Clive

-listened to his story.</p>

-

-<p>"I could wish that this had not been brought up, Ralph," he said. "I

-fear that it will only unsettle you again; and, in spite of all that

-you advance, I cannot bring myself to believe that you are anything but

-mistaken. Lord Elgert may not be a pleasant man to deal with, but this

-is a very, very grave thing to even so much as hint at."</p>

-

-<p>But whatever Mr. St. Clive might say, Ralph could not get the thing

-out of his head. It is not to be wondered at that it should haunt him

-and make him feel excited. After waiting so long, this was like the

-first real tangible clue. And he had been thinking that it was poor

-Charlton's father who must be at the bottom of it! Poor Charlton!</p>

-

-<p>Walking by himself, Ralph pondered upon the fact that, after all, if

-any one had hinted to him what he had hinted to his chum he would have

-been just as hurt and indignant. And now that he was cleared it would

-be manly and nice to go and ask him to be friends again.</p>

-

-<p>"He can hardly do anything if I don't give him<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_183" id="Page_183">[Pg 183]</a></span> the chance," he told

-himself. "I will do it as soon as I get back to school on Monday."</p>

-

-<p>His head full of the tracks of lame horses and light traps, he had

-taken his way across towards Stow Wood, the scene of that tragedy&mdash;for

-tragedy he believed there had surely been&mdash;and as he walked over the

-common he reflected that those marks had led away in the direction of

-Great Stow; and in Great Stow or just beyond it, Lord Elgert lived.</p>

-

-<p>And then, as he walked along, his eyes thoughtfully fixed upon the

-ground, he stopped suddenly. Surely things were going strangely to-day;

-for, coming on top of old Simon's words, here was the track of the lame

-horse again!</p>

-

-<p>"I will follow it this time," said Ralph to himself.</p>

-

-<p>And he set forward rapidly. There was plenty of both light and time

-this afternoon, and if the tracks led to hard roads he would go on and

-search beyond them.</p>

-

-<p>But he did not have very far to go this time, though he gained but

-little for his trouble. The other side the common, and close to Stow

-Wood, he came upon the vehicle he had followed&mdash;a light trap, truly,

-and drawn by a pretty little mare; and with it were three men, one in

-the uniform of a constable and the others in ordinary dress.</p>

-

-<p>"Who does this trap belong to?"</p>

-

-<p>The question was absurd, perhaps, but he blurted it out without

-thinking; and the men turned and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_184" id="Page_184">[Pg 184]</a></span> regarded him with mingled surprise

-and amusement.</p>

-

-<p>"And what has that to do with you, if you please?" said one&mdash;the one in

-uniform.</p>

-

-<p>And what could he say? Whatever the other two were, one was a

-constable; and surely a constable was sufficient evidence that he had

-followed a wrong trail!</p>

-

-<p>"You seem to have a liking for asking questions, young gentleman," said

-one of the other men. "Now, suppose that we ask you one? Have you seen

-any one out here&mdash;any one that seemed as if they were trying to hide?

-We are looking for a prisoner of ours, who escaped some time back,

-and who, we believe, is hiding in this locality. Have you seen any

-suspicious character about?"</p>

-

-<p>Detectives! A prisoner! It must be Charlton's father! How glad he was

-that he could answer truly that he had seen no one! And the man who had

-put the question replied to him, when he had finished:</p>

-

-<p>"Thank you. Now, as you have answered me, I will answer you; though

-I confess that I do not understand the reason for your question. The

-horse and trap belong to Lord Elgert. Doubtless you have heard of him.

-He kindly lent them to us that we might be saved a long walk."</p>

-

-<p>It was Lord Elgert's! And these men, in Lord Elgert's trap, were

-looking for poor Charlton's father! Ralph thanked the constables,

-letting them remain in ignorance as to the real reason for his

-question, and with slow and thoughtful steps turned into Stow Wood.</p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_185" id="Page_185">[Pg 185]</a></span></p>

-

-<p>He was bewildered, perplexed, stunned. It was Lord Elgert's trap! Could

-Lord Elgert be the one who had harmed his father?</p>

-

-<p>Pondering deeply, he walked on, hardly noticing where he went, until

-suddenly a slight exclamation recalled his wandering senses. He looked

-up. He had penetrated into a little glade, and there before him stood

-two people&mdash;his chum Charlton and a man! He had found the one for whom

-the police were searching so close at hand!</p>

-

-<hr />

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_186" id="Page_186">[Pg 186]</a></span></p>

-

-<h2><span>CHAPTER XX</span> <span class="smaller">TO MR. ST. CLIVE'S</span></h2>

-

-<p>The man started to his feet, with an exclamation of mingled rage and

-despair; while Charlton stood before his father, his arms outstretched,

-as if he feared that Ralph would rush forward and seize him.</p>

-

-<p>His face was very white, as he looked at the boy who had been his

-friend and champion, and cried, in tones of misery and reproach&mdash;</p>

-

-<p>"You! Oh, this is mean and cruel! I did not think that you would act

-the spy and hunt us down. Let him go&mdash;let him go quietly; and, if you

-want to harm any one, hurt me. I will not move, or cry out, no matter

-how much you beat me&mdash;only let my poor father go, and do not tell any

-one you have seen him."</p>

-

-<p>Now, Ralph had been standing in silence, too surprised to say anything.

-Despite what Mr. St. Clive had said, he had some sort of idea that this

-man must, in some way, know of his father's disappearance, even if he

-himself had no hand in it, just as he still thought that Charlton knew

-more about the missing note than any one else, though that suspicion

-was beginning to weaken considerably now.</p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_187" id="Page_187">[Pg 187]</a></span></p>

-

-<p>But as he looked from the boy to the man, and as he heard that pathetic

-appeal, every feeling, save that of pity, vanished. This man should not

-be captured, not if he could hinder it; and he said, advancing a step,

-and holding out one hand in friendship&mdash;</p>

-

-<p>"Why, Charlton, you don't think as meanly of me as that, do you? I

-neither want to harm you nor your father, though it is quite true that

-I came here to find you."</p>

-

-<p>"But&mdash;why? How did you know that we should be here?" questioned the

-boy, not yet reassured.</p>

-

-<p>And Ralph hurriedly explained how he had followed the trap and come

-upon the policemen.</p>

-

-<p>"I felt certain that it must be your father whom they were after," he

-said; "and so I determined to come through the wood to try to find you

-and give you warning. We must be quick, or there will be no chance of

-getting away."</p>

-

-<p>"Oh, father," wailed Charlton, "I wish that I had not persuaded you to

-come here again! You will be taken! What shall we do?"</p>

-

-<p>"My boy," answered the man calmly, "try and be brave. We owe our thanks

-to this young gentleman for the kindly warning he has brought. If I

-must be taken, I must; and I will try to bear it patiently, though it

-is very hard. It is strange that they should have Lord Elgert's trap,"

-he added bitterly. "Elgert has been at the bottom of all my troubles."</p>

-

-<p>"Look here!" expostulated Ralph bluntly. "It's<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_188" id="Page_188">[Pg 188]</a></span> no good stopping here

-talking and wasting time when every minute is precious. Those fellows

-are on the farther side of the wood, and they are beginning to search,

-and they won't leave off until they have hunted right through the

-place."</p>

-

-<p>"But where can we go?" asked Charlton, wringing his hands. "This place

-has nowhere to hide in; nowhere that could not be found if once people

-were really searching."</p>

-

-<p>"They will search; there is no doubt of that," answered Ralph. "But we

-may manage to elude them. We cannot stay here dodging round, that is

-quite certain. We must manage to get out of it and find somewhere else

-to hide."</p>

-

-<p>"Ah, my kind boy, but where shall that somewhere be?" said the man,

-shaking his head. "It might have been in my own home, but now that they

-think that I am here, and are on my track, they will keep their eyes on

-that spot, and I have not one single friend who will shelter me."</p>

-

-<p>"Hush! Hush!" cried Ralph suddenly. "Listen! There is no time to lose.

-They are in the wood on that side. Creep after me. Stop! Cover those

-leaves over or they will see where you have been standing."</p>

-

-<p>"You are thoughtful for one so young," murmured the man, as he obeyed

-Ralph's instructions. "Well, I will place myself under your guidance,

-and trust to you. Where shall we go? Through that undergrowth?"</p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_189" id="Page_189">[Pg 189]</a></span></p>

-

-<p>"No, no! You cannot move through that without making a noise and

-leaving traces. Keep to this path. I feel sure that is wisest. Bend

-low, and step lightly. Come! Now, Charlton, buck up, and we will save

-your father yet."</p>

-

-<p>His confidence inspired them with hope. Unhesitatingly they followed

-his lead. The path he chose led them into another clear little space,

-away to the right of that which they had left. They could hear the

-noise made by their pursuers in their rear, and they did not seem any

-better off here. It was only putting off the end for a little time,

-and so Charlton's father said, but Ralph would not listen to him. He

-had been in as tight a corner before, when he and his father, and two

-more, had been pursued by the Indians of the plains, and had dodged and

-doubled for three whole days ere they had thrown their foe off their

-track. Ralph was not going to give up yet.</p>

-

-<p>"Stop!" he said. "You must climb up this tree. No, not that one!" as

-Charlton ran to a big, old decaying oak.</p>

-

-<p>"But this is hollow. We can hide in it," objected the boy.</p>

-

-<p>But Ralph shook his head.</p>

-

-<p>"I can see it is hollow, and so can any one who has a pair of eyes.

-That is just why we must not go there, for they will be sure to look in

-it. Up this one!"</p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_190" id="Page_190">[Pg 190]</a></span></p>

-

-<p>"But we shall be seen."</p>

-

-<p>"Do as your friend bids you," said the man.</p>

-

-<p>And Charlton obeyed, his father following him.</p>

-

-<p>Then did Ralph show his cunning, for, directing them to stand with

-their backs against the trunk, he showed them how to draw the branches

-down until they made a thick canopy all around them. Ralph himself

-stood at the bottom, carefully examining their hiding-place.</p>

-

-<p>"Now, if you stand quite still, as you are, no one will be able to see

-you," he said. "But remember there must be no noise and no movement;

-everything may depend upon that. Keep still. Here is some one coming!"</p>

-

-<p>A man appeared at the end of the glade, and, catching a glimpse of the

-boy's form, gave a shout and ran forward; but he stopped, and looked

-very cross, as Ralph himself walked innocently to meet him, with the

-question&mdash;"Have not you found him yet?"</p>

-

-<p>"No," grumbled the man. "He is a slippery fellow, and is giving us a

-lot of trouble; but we will have him yet. We are working right through

-the wood, and we must be driving him before us, and when he gets to the

-other side&mdash;&mdash;"</p>

-

-<p>"He will bolt," said Ralph.</p>

-

-<p>But the man smiled grimly.</p>

-

-<p>"Into our arms. We have four men stationed keeping watch there. No, we

-shall have him yet. You have not seen him?"</p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_191" id="Page_191">[Pg 191]</a></span></p>

-

-<p>"There was a man in that little hollow, the other end of this path. I

-saw him there," said Ralph, with perfect truthfulness.</p>

-

-<p>"Which hollow? The one to the right?" said the man quickly.</p>

-

-<p>And Ralph nodded.</p>

-

-<p>"Ah, we have looked there! He has bolted. Then we are right on his

-track. Stop a minute, though. That old tree looks a likely place. Here,

-give us a hand, boy! I will lift you, and you look in. Can you see

-anything?"</p>

-

-<p>And he lifted Ralph, and helped him to scramble up, and peer down into

-the hollow depths of the old oak.</p>

-

-<p>"Can't see much," said Ralph, his head in the hollow. "There is a gleam

-of light below, and something dark. Can't you clear away the leaves a

-bit, and then I can see whether it is a man or not?"</p>

-

-<p>The constable sprawled on the ground, and thrust his arm into the hole

-at the bottom of the trunk, dragging out leaves and dust, till Ralph

-cried&mdash;</p>

-

-<p>"It is all right; I can see now. There is no one there. What I was

-looking at was a lot of leaves. They have tumbled over now, and you are

-pulling them out."</p>

-

-<p>"That's no good, then; only it looked a likely place. Down you come,

-boy!"</p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_192" id="Page_192">[Pg 192]</a></span></p>

-

-<p>And, helping Ralph down, the man turned and ran off, satisfied that

-he had looked in the only place where the fugitive could have hidden

-himself.</p>

-

-<p>"I see that you are a clever lad," said Mr. Charlton when the fugitives

-again stood beside Ralph. "But what now? You heard what he said? There

-is no getting away on that side."</p>

-

-<p>"We are not going out that side, though," was Ralph's answer. "We are

-behind them now, and while they are hunting forward, we will go back."</p>

-

-<p>"They will have left watchers behind them."</p>

-

-<p>"I suppose so. They cannot have left many, though, for they had not

-enough men. Back is our only chance. We will try it. There is no time

-to stop talking now," he added, as he saw that the man was going to ask

-more questions. "Come, follow me!"</p>

-

-<p>Going cautiously, pausing to listen again and again, he led the way;

-and soon they were getting close to that side of the wood from which

-the search had commenced. Then he bade the other two remain hidden, and

-he went forward by himself, until, at last, he was able to peer from

-the hedges.</p>

-

-<p>He did not see a single man, though he looked carefully; but he did

-see&mdash;and the sight made his heart jump wildly&mdash;the horse and trap, the

-horse contentedly feeding on the rich grass. He would risk it! One

-chance, and one alone, offered, and he would take it!</p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_193" id="Page_193">[Pg 193]</a></span></p>

-

-<p>He beckoned to his companions to join him, and whispered his plans.</p>

-

-<p>"It is the only chance. No one is near the trap, and we can drive off

-before they will even know that it is gone. Will you dare it?"</p>

-

-<p>"Yes," said the man desperately.</p>

-

-<p>And Ralph, with a "Follow me, then!" was at the trap, had the rope,

-with which the horse had been tethered, cut; the other two were up

-after him, and, with a crack of the whip, away they went, clean across

-the open moor.</p>

-

-<p>Lame or not, that pony had to go, for once. They were right across,

-close on two miles away, and getting near to Great Stow, before a

-distant shout, and figures running from the wood, told them that the

-theft had been discovered.</p>

-

-<p>"Lie down, Charlton," he said, "and you sit directly behind me," he

-added to the man. "It will be far better if they can only see one

-person in the trap. We don't want them to know that I helped you if it

-can be avoided."</p>

-

-<p>They reached the road; then turned to the right, so that the view was

-shut off from those behind. No one had seen them with the trap, and now

-Ralph reined in, and jumped down.</p>

-

-<p>"Come on!" he said. "Lord Elgert's pony must look after itself now.

-Quick, we must hurry!"</p>

-

-<p>"Where are you going to, Rexworth?" cried<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_194" id="Page_194">[Pg 194]</a></span> Charlton in surprise. "There

-is nowhere about here where father can hide."</p>

-

-<p>But Ralph answered with a smile, never slackening his pace as he spoke&mdash;</p>

-

-<p>"Hurry up! There is one place&mdash;a safe place. I am going to Mr. St.

-Clive's."</p>

-

-<hr />

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_195" id="Page_195">[Pg 195]</a></span></p>

-

-<h2><span>CHAPTER XXI</span> <span class="smaller">A HOUSE OF REFUGE</span></h2>

-

-<p>"To Mr. St. Clive's!"</p>

-

-<p>What wonder that the words filled Charlton with surprise. Ralph was

-surely risking a great deal in taking such a step. But Ralph knew

-Mr. St. Clive, and Charlton did not&mdash;and that made a great deal of

-difference. Besides, the case was desperate. Somewhere must be found in

-which to hide; and no other place offered, so to Mr. St. Clive's they

-went; and Ralph, leaving his two companions in the garden, went indoors

-by himself.</p>

-

-<p>But if the Charltons were surprised when Ralph announced his intention

-of going to Mr. St. Clive's, that gentleman was still more astonished

-when the lad told him of his adventures, and what he had done.</p>

-

-<p>"You know that you said, sir," Ralph concluded by saying&mdash;"that you

-always had a great idea that Mr. Charlton was innocent; and that if I

-were instrumental in getting him taken I might regret it all the rest

-of my life, and so I thought that you would be sure to sympathize with

-the poor man, and be ready to help him."</p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_196" id="Page_196">[Pg 196]</a></span></p>

-

-<p>"Well, Ralph," laughed Mr. St. Clive, "you have certainly taken me at

-my word. However, I do not know but what I am glad that you have done

-so; and Mr. Charlton being here, I may be able, after consultation with

-him, to devise some means of proving that he was innocent of the crime

-laid to his charge. Let us go and welcome him."</p>

-

-<p>It was very affecting, that meeting between the two men&mdash;the one so

-weary and dispirited, the other such a true Christian gentleman; but

-Mr. St. Clive soon put the other at his ease, and they all entered the

-house. Irene was out with her mother at the moment; and after Mr. St.

-Clive had seen that his new guest was provided with food, he spoke, and

-the other three sat listening attentively.</p>

-

-<p>"Now, Mr. Charlton," he said, "I have been thinking, and I can see one

-way for your remaining here in safety, and being able to communicate

-freely with your wife."</p>

-

-<p>"That is a blessing too great to be possible," sighed Mr. Charlton; but

-Mr. St. Clive smiled kindly.</p>

-

-<p>"I differ from you. It is not only possible, but easy. Listen to me.

-It is unlikely that any one will dream of looking for you here; but

-to make doubly sure, we can disguise you. Now, it so happens that I

-am in need of a gardener, and there is a cottage vacant. You must be

-gardener. If you know nothing of gardening, that does not much matter;

-I can post you up in it. Then, my wife can invite Mrs. Charlton<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_197" id="Page_197">[Pg 197]</a></span> to

-visit here, and there will be nothing to prevent her coming frequently,

-and staying all day. There is only one thing to remember. Of course,

-I shall tell my wife everything, but I do not think that my little

-daughter ought to be made a party to this; so to her you will be, say,

-Thomas Brown&mdash;that is an easy name&mdash;and before her our manner towards

-each other must be that of master and servant. You will not mind that?"</p>

-

-<p>"Mind!" cried Mr. Charlton, the tears rolling down his cheeks. "Mind!

-Can you think that I shall mind such a trifle as that, when you are so

-good, and ready to take the risk of helping me? But this morning I felt

-that, excepting wife and son, I had not a friend in the world. Now I

-find that God has not forsaken me utterly."</p>

-

-<p>"He never does forsake those who put their trust in Him," was the

-gentle answer. "Well, come with me at once, and we will see about

-making a gardener of you, before any of the servants can see you as you

-are. And you, boys, remember how you behave to my gardener," he added,

-looking at them. "You, Ralph, have been very thoughtful in the way you

-have managed&mdash;mind you do not make a slip."</p>

-

-<p>"I will try my best, sir," answered Ralph; and then he and Charlton

-were left alone. And then&mdash;then all of a sudden Charlton was kneeling

-at his feet, holding his hand and kissing it, and sobbing out his

-thanks; until Ralph cried out that if he didn't get<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_198" id="Page_198">[Pg 198]</a></span> up he would punch

-his head for him, to give him something to cry about, and to show that

-he was his friend; and that made poor Charlton laugh feebly.</p>

-

-<p>And, sitting there, Charlton explained what he was too proud to tell

-before&mdash;how he had wanted that ten shillings to help his father; and

-how his father, not using it, had given it back to him.</p>

-

-<p>"Indeed, I knew nothing about the note, Ralph," he said. "I know that

-you thought I had stolen it, and it made me miserable, but I am sorry

-that I spoke to you as I did."</p>

-

-<p>"All right, old fellow!" answered Ralph, wringing his hand. "Do not let

-us think of it any more. Besides, I have a pretty good idea of who took

-that note now&mdash;or, rather, who caused it to be taken. I don't know for

-certain, so I will accuse no one; but I don't think that it was you."</p>

-

-<p>"You mean Horace Elgert!" cried Charlton; but Ralph smiled and shook

-his head.</p>

-

-<p>"Won't do, old fellow. I said that I would not mention names. But look

-here, Charlton, I do want to ask your father one thing. Does he know

-anything about my father?"</p>

-

-<p>"Your father! How can he, Ralph?"</p>

-

-<p>"He might have been in Stow Wood that night, and have seen or heard

-something," the boy said.</p>

-

-<p>"I will answer that question for myself!" Mr. Charlton entered as

-Ralph was speaking, and the boys started, for even Charlton would

-not have known<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_199" id="Page_199">[Pg 199]</a></span> his father in the half-bald, grey-bearded old fellow

-who stood before him. "I will answer that question, Ralph Rexworth;

-and then, after that, I am only Brown, the gardener, remember. I can

-give you no information beyond this. On the night of your father's

-disappearance&mdash;my son has told me about that&mdash;I was in Stow Wood, and

-I heard a shot; and afterwards I saw a trap being driven rapidly away.

-There were two men in it, and one of those two leaned up against his

-companion as though he was helpless or badly hurt. Hiding myself, I

-could not follow them; but I thought at the time that it looked like

-foul play."</p>

-

-<p>"The second man was not dead?" cried Ralph anxiously; and the answer

-was very positive&mdash;</p>

-

-<p>"No, I am quite certain of that, for I heard him groan as they passed

-in the darkness. That is all I can tell you. It was natural that you

-should think that I knew something about it. I have also heard that I

-am supposed to be the one who entered the dormitory at the school one

-night; but I am innocent of that. A little thought ought to convince

-any one that to do such a thing would be the very last object of my

-wishes&mdash;the danger of being captured would be too great; and I do not

-quite see what any one can imagine that I should want to go there for."</p>

-

-<p>"It is all a mystery to me," said Ralph. And then Irene's voice was

-heard in the hall, and she and her mother entered.</p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_200" id="Page_200">[Pg 200]</a></span></p>

-

-<p>"Back again, Ladybird!" said her father, kissing her. Then, seeing her

-eyes fixed on the strangers, he went on: "Ah! you want an introduction?

-This is Fred Charlton, Ralph's friend; and this is a man who is to be

-our new gardener. His name is Thomas Brown. Run off with Ralph and

-Charlton for a little while; I want to talk to your mother."</p>

-

-<p>When the young people were gone, Mr. St. Clive told his wife of Ralph's

-adventures, and introduced Mr. Charlton in his proper character. And

-Mrs. St. Clive spoke so nicely and kindly, and promised to go and see

-Mrs. Charlton the very next day; and when she met Ralph she squeezed

-his hand, and gave him such a kiss as made him know that she was glad

-he had acted as he had done.</p>

-

-<p>And on the Sunday Mrs. St. Clive went for Mrs. Charlton, and brought

-her back with her. No one saw the meeting between the husband and wife

-save their own son; for Ralph had to take Irene right out of the way,

-lest she should wonder at their guest talking to the gardener, or going

-to his cottage.</p>

-

-<p>But afterwards, when Mrs. Charlton met the boy to whom she owed so

-much&mdash;oh, the look of gratitude which she gave him, and the way in

-which she spoke! It made Ralph very happy, but it made him very

-uncomfortable at the same time.</p>

-

-<p>And then, the day past and morning come, it was once more back to

-school; and some of the boys stared when they saw Ralph and Charlton

-appear<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_201" id="Page_201">[Pg 201]</a></span> arm-in-arm, for their quarrel had been noticed and discussed.</p>

-

-<p>But when Tom Warren saw them, he came running up, a real glad smile on

-his face.</p>

-

-<p>"Hallo, you two!" he said, as he met them. "I am awfully glad to see

-this. It's the right thing; and I do hope that you won't quarrel again."</p>

-

-<p>"I shall never quarrel with Rexworth any more," said Charlton, in low

-tones. "You have no need to fear that, Warren. I owe him more than I

-can ever repay, though I cannot tell you why!"</p>

-

-<p>"Perhaps I can tell you why," replied Warren, with a laugh. "For it is

-all over the place. Elgert set it going."</p>

-

-<p>"Set what going?" demanded the two chums, in one voice; and the monitor

-went on&mdash;</p>

-

-<p>"Oh, he says that&mdash;I don't want to pain you, Charlton, but it is better

-to hear it from a friend than from an enemy"&mdash;and Warren turned, half

-apologetically to Charlton as he said this&mdash;"he says that your father

-was in Stow Wood, and that the police were looking for him&mdash;&mdash;"</p>

-

-<p>"And that Lord Elgert lent them his pony and trap to hunt him down,"

-put in Charlton bitterly.</p>

-

-<p>"No, he didn't say that. Did he, though? The mean sneak! Well, he says

-that your father was there, and that the police saw Ralph, here, go

-into the wood. Some one must have warned your father, for he managed to

-get out, and got off in the pony and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_202" id="Page_202">[Pg 202]</a></span> trap they had left. They didn't

-say it was Lord Elgert's, though. Elgert at once jumped at it that

-it was you, Ralph, did the warning, because you are Charlton's chum.

-He says it is additional proof that you two had that note, and he is

-making a jolly lot about it; though half the fellows, and more than

-half, are strong on your side, and say that if it is true, they would

-have done the same thing. Elgert says that the police inspector is

-ready to knock your head off for the way in which you cheated him."</p>

-

-<p>"Is he, though!" laughed Ralph. "Well, Warren, as you know so much,

-we may as well tell you all about it, when we have time&mdash;with one

-exception, though. You must not ask us where we took Mr. Charlton, or

-where we hid him. That is our secret. The rest you may know. By the

-way, I wonder how Elgert will like it if he knows that it was I drove

-off in that trap?"</p>

-

-<p>"You! What a prime joke! I say, Ralph, what a chap you are! Come along,

-and let us get in!"</p>

-

-<p>That the story had got about was very clear, for curious glances were

-cast at the pair as they crossed the playground with the monitor; and

-then a group of juniors, led by Tinkle, suddenly piped up&mdash;</p>

-

-<div class="center"><div class="poem"><div class="stanza">

-<div>For he's a jolly good fellow,</div>

-<div>For he's a jolly good fellow!</div>

-</div></div></div>

-

-<p>Elgert, standing near them, turned with a frown.</p>

-

-<p>"Shut up that howling, you young cubs!" he<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_203" id="Page_203">[Pg 203]</a></span> growled fiercely; but from

-the other side of the playground, and from the Fifths, the same words

-came.</p>

-

-<p>Elgert turned and went into school. He was furious. He had come down

-thinking that he had a good chance of getting Ralph into disgrace, and

-here the fellows were actually praising him! It was gall to Horace

-Elgert; and, through the window, still came the sounds of the refrain

-being shouted below&mdash;</p>

-

-<div class="center"><div class="poem"><div class="stanza">

-<div>For he's a jolly good fellow,</div>

-<div>And so say all of us!</div>

-</div></div></div>

-

-<hr />

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_204" id="Page_204">[Pg 204]</a></span></p>

-

-<h2><span>CHAPTER XXII</span> <span class="smaller">AN AFTERNOON RAMBLE</span></h2>

-

-<p>"I say, you two chaps, what are you going to do this afternoon?"</p>

-

-<p>The question was asked by Tom Warren, as Ralph and Charlton stood at

-the entrance to the playground.</p>

-

-<p>Another week had passed, and it had been a delightful one for both

-Ralph and his chum, now that they were friends again. For these two,

-so different in natures, liked each other very much; and now that the

-trouble was gone, they were drawn still closer together. Of course they

-were. Had not Ralph proved what a staunch good fellow he could be? and

-had not Charlton shown that he was not only innocent of stealing that

-note, but that he was a loyal, true son, doing what he could to help

-his unfortunate father?</p>

-

-<p>It was good to see how the boys had come round and how they regarded

-Ralph as a comrade to be proud of; though Elgert and Dobson and the set

-whom they led, glowered and sneered, and said unkind things that hurt

-no one, and were treated with contempt.</p>

-

-<p>And Saturday had come, and the boys were preparing to set out for their

-homes, and Ralph had a bundle<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_205" id="Page_205">[Pg 205]</a></span> of books under his arm, for he meant to

-have another quiet read that evening. The Newlet would want a lot of

-working for, and, since he had entered, he meant to do all he could to

-win success.</p>

-

-<p>"What are you going to do?" said Warren; and the pair confessed that

-they had made no particular plans.</p>

-

-<p>"I cannot spare very much time, anyway," said Ralph. "I want to put in

-a few hours' work to-night."</p>

-

-<p>"You will go and make yourself silly if you do too much," answered Tom

-Warren. "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, you know. Will you

-both meet me after you have had lunch&mdash;say about one o'clock&mdash;and we

-will go for a ramble?"</p>

-

-<p>"Where?" asked Charlton. "Anywhere in particular?"</p>

-

-<p>"I will tell you a nice walk. Let us go over the moor, and past Great

-Stow, out to Crab Tree Hill. It is jolly out there; and there are some

-lovely butterflies in the chalk there."</p>

-

-<p>"Butterflies in chalk?" said Ralph, raising his brows in wonder; and

-Warren laughed.</p>

-

-<p>"You kite! I mean that it is chalk country all round there, and the

-butterflies keep to it&mdash;fritillaries and skippers and browns; and we

-can find some grass snakes there."</p>

-

-<p>"Don't like snakes," said Ralph decisively, thinking of the terrible

-species which he had known in his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_206" id="Page_206">[Pg 206]</a></span> younger days&mdash;snakes whose bite

-means certain death. "Well, I don't mind coming. Will you go, Fred?"

-And he turned to Charlton, who nodded his assent.</p>

-

-<p>"That is all right, then," answered Warren. "I will be over for you

-just after one, and we can pick up Charlton on our way and&mdash;&mdash; Hallo!

-what is the row?"</p>

-

-<p>The three lads turned. A scrimmage of some kind was evidently in

-progress at the other side of the playground, for there came some hoots

-and groans, and, mingling with the noise, a shrill cry of pain.</p>

-

-<p>"You great coward, let go my arm!"</p>

-

-<p>"Dobson and Co.," muttered Warren; and the three darted across to the

-scene of the trouble; and there they found Tinkle and Green, standing

-defiant and somewhat tearful, confronted by Dobson, Elgert and some of

-their cronies, while a scattered crowd of angry juniors kept in the

-safe background, hurling taunting jeers at the bigger boys.</p>

-

-<p>"I will half kill you, you cheeky little beggar!" they heard Dobson say

-to Tinkle. He had got hold of his arm, and, according to his favourite

-fashion, was twisting it painfully. "I will teach you to cheek me! I

-suppose it is that beggar Rexworth who has taught you to do it."</p>

-

-<p>But then Dobson stopped. He had thought that Ralph was gone; and even

-as he spoke, he caught sight of him. It certainly was very awkward for

-Dobson, and before he knew what to say next, Ralph<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_207" id="Page_207">[Pg 207]</a></span> had quietly but

-firmly removed Tinkle from his grasp.</p>

-

-<p>"You suppose wrong, Dobson," he said calmly. "I should not encourage

-any junior to cheek a senior; but I won't see a junior bullied, and you

-will please let that youngster go."</p>

-

-<p>"I didn't cheek him!" cried Tinkle&mdash;"leastways, not until he kicked me.

-I was standing here talking to Jimmy Green, when he and Elgert came up;

-and Elgert shied a stone at Green's head, and Dobson kicked me&mdash;the

-great coward! Let him stand up fair, and I will fight him myself."</p>

-

-<p>"Oh, no, you won't, sonny!" laughed Tom Warren. "You will clear off,

-and get home at once. No fight if you please."</p>

-

-<p>"It seems to me," sneered Elgert, "that this school is to be run by

-Rexworth and Co. You look here, Warren. It is out of school hours;

-and if you think that we are all going to stand being ruled by you

-especially when you are under the thumb of such a fellow as that&mdash;well,

-all I have to say is that you are jolly well mistaken."</p>

-

-<p>"I mean to say," was Warren's calm reply, "that there is not going to

-be any fighting here; and I mean to say that we have the Head's own

-orders to stop any more bullying of juniors. There has been a great

-deal too much of it in the past."</p>

-

-<p>"And if we don't obey, you will run sneaking to the Head?"</p>

-

-<p>"Oh, no, I won't," came the answer. "I will give<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_208" id="Page_208">[Pg 208]</a></span> you a jolly good

-licking myself. If it has got to come, let us get it over. Here are I

-and Rexworth&mdash;Charlton don't count. If you want to see which side is

-the best, just you&mdash;&mdash;"</p>

-

-<p>"Just you all clear off; and you, Warren, don't make an ass of

-yourself," said a pleasant voice; and Kesterway, the head monitor of

-the school, appeared upon the scene. "Off you go, now! And you look

-here, Elgert. You may be an honourable, and a lord's son, but that is

-no reason why you should behave like a prig. You keep a civil tongue in

-your head, or you may get into trouble."</p>

-

-<p>Elgert and his companions turned away, for it did not do to defy the

-authority of Kesterway; but he muttered as he went&mdash;</p>

-

-<p>"Only wait a little while. I will get some of my own back. If I don't

-make Ralph Rexworth suffer for it, I will know the reason why."</p>

-

-<p>But two youthful individuals, as they also walked away&mdash;Tinkle and

-Green to wit&mdash;discussed darkly the chances of getting equal with Dobson

-and Elgert.</p>

-

-<p>"I vote we tell about that note," said Tinkle; but Green shook his head.</p>

-

-<p>"What is the good? Suppose they denied it, how could we prove it? You

-bet, there would be no chance of old Brown owning up. And besides,

-wouldn't it be telling that we had broken bounds? No; we had best wait

-a while, Tinkle, and presently the chance will come."</p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_209" id="Page_209">[Pg 209]</a></span></p>

-

-<p>"S'pose we sent 'em a what-you-call-it letter?"</p>

-

-<p>"What is that?" demanded Green; and Tinkle answered lucidly&mdash;</p>

-

-<p>"You know. One of them sort that don't come from nowhere, and is writ

-by nobody."</p>

-

-<p>"Annie nonimus," was Green's suggestion; and Tinkle nodded.</p>

-

-<p>"Yes, that's him. We might do that; and write on it, 'Who stole the

-five-pound note?' or 'What price Brown's cake shop?' or something."</p>

-

-<p>"We'd best do nothing of the kind," was Green's crushing answer. "That

-wouldn't do no good, and it would make 'em think that something was

-known. No, Tinkle; you leave 'em alone; and presently they will make a

-slip, and then we can have 'em."</p>

-

-<p>"I'd like to help Rexworth, though," murmured Tinkle.</p>

-

-<p>"But he don't want no help now. He's cleared about the note. No one

-thinks that he took it, not for a moment. It wouldn't help Rexworth.

-The thing is dropped, and we'd best leave it alone for the time."</p>

-

-<p>Meanwhile, Ralph and his friends took their way homeward, ignorant

-alike of the threats of their foes or the good wishes of the juniors;

-and after lunch was over, Warren in accordance with his promise, called

-for Ralph.</p>

-

-<p>"Hallo! got a new gardener here?" he remarked, as he caught sight of an

-old man who was sweeping<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_210" id="Page_210">[Pg 210]</a></span> the path; and Ralph thought how little Warren

-guessed who that man really was.</p>

-

-<p>They set off in high spirits, and after calling for Charlton, they

-started upon their long ramble. They rattled on at a good pace, and got

-away to the hills, and then&mdash;it was most provoking&mdash;great dark clouds

-had been rolling up, and suddenly, with a roar of thunder and a blaze

-of lightning, the storm burst, and it rained&mdash;gracious, how it did rain!</p>

-

-<p>It is not pleasant to be caught in a violent shower at the best of

-times, but to be caught when you are away from all shelter is decidedly

-unpleasant.</p>

-

-<p>"Wherever can we shelter?" cried Charlton in dismay, as the three

-bolted along, with heads bent down and collars turned up. "This is

-cheerful!"</p>

-

-<p>"I say," suddenly suggested Warren, "there is a thick preserve over

-by the road; I noticed it as we came along. Of course, it will be

-trespassing and we might get into trouble, but I suggest making for it.

-We can get some sort of shelter under the trees, and we may stumble

-upon a shooting hut or a keeper's cottage, and if we explain why we

-have come, they surely will not mind."</p>

-

-<p>"Cannot help it if they do," said Ralph desperately. "We cannot go on

-in this, and it's five miles into Stow, if it's a yard. Show us the way

-Warren, and be quick about it."</p>

-

-<p>With a whoop and a yell, off scudded Warren, the other two close in

-his rear, while the thunder growled<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_211" id="Page_211">[Pg 211]</a></span> and grumbled and the lightning

-flickered, and the sky grew so black that things promised to get worse

-instead of better.</p>

-

-<p>They struck the path for which Warren was making; and there, sure

-enough, a little farther along, divided from the road by a meadow and a

-stout gate, the tall trees of a dark covert waved to and fro. It might

-not mean much shelter, but it would mean some, and with a scramble they

-were over that gate.</p>

-

-<p>"This is better," panted Warren. "It is some sort of a screen. I am

-jolly well drenched!"</p>

-

-<p>"I wish that I could get a cup of warm cocoa or tea," shivered

-Charlton. "I got hot running, and now it strikes horribly cold."</p>

-

-<p>"Let's push on a bit," suggested Ralph. "We are trespassing, and we

-may as well be hanged for a sheep as for a lamb. Perhaps we shall find

-shelter somewhere. Come on, you two, and keep to these open paths. If

-you get right into that undergrowth, you may do some damage&mdash;disturb

-some nests, or something."</p>

-

-<p>"Right you are, Ralph. I don't think it is much good, though; there

-seems no sign of life here."</p>

-

-<p>"I will soon see if there is." Ralph paused as he spoke. He put his

-hand to his mouth and gave a ringing call&mdash;one he had learnt from the

-Indians on the plains. "If any one is about, they will hear that; and,

-at any rate, they cannot say that we are trying to hide from&mdash;&mdash;"</p>

-

-<p>He stopped and started back, turning as white as<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_212" id="Page_212">[Pg 212]</a></span> death; for from

-somewhere, ringing through the silences of that preserve, there came a

-sound, muffled, but clear. It was Ralph's call repeated!</p>

-

-<p>What wonder that he trembled. What wonder that he looked so white.

-There was but one other person whom he knew who would answer that call

-in that way; and that one person was his own father!</p>

-

-<hr />

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_213" id="Page_213">[Pg 213]</a></span></p>

-

-<h2><span>CHAPTER XXIII</span> <span class="smaller">THE RUIN AND THE LONELY HOUSE</span></h2>

-

-<p>Just that one cry, ringing wild and plaintive through the wood; and

-then silence, broken by a loud, angry rumble of thunder.</p>

-

-<p>Ralph stood there trembling, too agitated to speak; and his two chums

-turned anxiously towards him, bewildered at the change which had come

-over him.</p>

-

-<p>"Ralph, old fellow, why, whatever is it? What has come to you?" they

-asked; and he replied in hoarse, trembling tones&mdash;</p>

-

-<p>"That call! Did you not hear it? There is only one person who would

-give that, and he is my own father."</p>

-

-<p>For a moment they were staggered by his answer; then Warren said

-gently&mdash;</p>

-

-<p>"But, Ralph, how can it be your father? It was only the echo, old

-fellow."</p>

-

-<p>"It was not the echo. It was his voice. Listen&mdash;try and hear where it

-comes from!" And once again, through the dripping wood, he sent the

-Indian cry.</p>

-

-<p>"Now, listen&mdash;listen!" he said; and they waited, but no sound came in

-answer&mdash;nothing but the shiver<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_214" id="Page_214">[Pg 214]</a></span> of the trees, the patter of the rain,

-and the distant growling of the storm.</p>

-

-<p>"There, you see. It must have been the echo!" said Warren; but Ralph

-shook his head.</p>

-

-<p>"Do not be silly, Warren. If it was the echo it would be heard again;

-but we heard nothing."</p>

-

-<p>Which direction did it come from? They forgot about the wet and the

-storm; they forgot everything in the excitement of the moment. Which

-direction had the cry come from?</p>

-

-<p>Warren declared that it sounded as if it was under ground; Charlton

-said he fancied that it came from high up, as if some one was in the

-air; and Ralph fancied that it was straight ahead.</p>

-

-<p>"What shall we do?" was the question of Warren and Ralph answered&mdash;</p>

-

-<p>"I am going forward. I mean to search this plantation from end to end,

-if I am trespassing twenty times over."</p>

-

-<p>So on the three went, and again and again did they pause while Ralph

-uttered his wild call, but no answer was heard.</p>

-

-<p>They pushed on, their hearts full of excitement, until they emerged

-from the trees with almost startling suddenness. The plantation was

-nothing like so thick as they had thought&mdash;it was a mere belt of wood,

-surrounding a neglected lawn; and in the centre of this, encircled by

-a wall, stood the very last thing they would have expected to find

-there&mdash;a house.</p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_215" id="Page_215">[Pg 215]</a></span></p>

-

-<p>A house; but so dreary, desolate looking. All the windows stared blank

-and empty, and were encrusted with dirt and grime. Not a trace of smoke

-curled up from the chimney-stack, not a sound of life was heard. It

-seemed empty, desolate, drear; and the masses of creeper, hanging down

-and swinging in the breath of the storm, only intensified the desolate

-picture it made.</p>

-

-<p>The three lads, standing there with every nerve thrilled by a strange,

-inexplicable excitement, surveyed the place, and looked at each other

-in questioning silence, until Warren said softly&mdash;</p>

-

-<p>"Well, I am blest! Who would have thought of finding a house here?"</p>

-

-<p>"Where are you going, Ralph?" cried Charlton, for Ralph was moving

-forward; and he replied firmly&mdash;</p>

-

-<p>"To that house. I mean to see if any one lives here."</p>

-

-<p>Right up to the wall walked Ralph. It was a high wall, and only the

-upper part of the house could be seen above it. But they found a gate

-on the other side; and, without a moment's hesitation, Ralph pushed

-it open, entered the garden, and, walking up to the door, lifted the

-knocker.</p>

-

-<p>With what a dull, hollow sound did it fall! A ghostly sound, that

-echoed through the house, with that peculiar vibration which is heard

-when a place is empty.</p>

-

-<p>"There is no one here," whispered Warren, after a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_216" id="Page_216">[Pg 216]</a></span> pause&mdash;somehow they

-found themselves speaking in whispers. "The house is empty."</p>

-

-<p>Ralph, for answer, knocked again, a louder and longer summons.

-"Listen!" he said; and from somewhere they heard a faint sound, as of a

-door being shut.</p>

-

-<p>"It's only the wind, making a door slam," was Warren's comment. But,

-for the third time, Ralph sent his call resounding&mdash;there was no

-mistake about that knock&mdash;if any one was in the place they must hear

-it, for the door fairly creaked beneath the blows.</p>

-

-<p>Another pause, a shuffling noise from within, the sound of some one

-coming from distant passages, then the unfastening of bolts and chains,

-and the door was opened a little space, while a man, big, burly, and

-brutal looking, filled the doorway, and barred their entrance&mdash;an

-altogether evil-looking, cruel-faced man, who, scowling upon the three

-lads, demanded in gruff tones what they wanted, and how it was they

-were here.</p>

-

-<p>Just for the moment the three were taken aback; or, brave as they might

-be, still they were only lads, and that scowling presence was certainly

-very ominous. But Ralph plucked up his courage, and answered that

-they were three lads from the distant school, and that they had been

-overtaken by the storm and were seeking shelter.</p>

-

-<p>The man had stood glaring from one to the other as<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_217" id="Page_217">[Pg 217]</a></span> the explanation was

-given; and then he said, in the gruffest of accents&mdash;</p>

-

-<p>"Well, and what is all this to me? That is no reason why you should

-trespass on my land, and come knocking at my door. I don't want to know

-that you are getting wet. It's no interest of mine, is it?"</p>

-

-<p>"But we are seeking for shelter," persisted Ralph. "Surely you will not

-refuse to give that to us?" And he made a slight attempt to push his

-way in. The man gave him a shove that sent him almost off the step.</p>

-

-<p>"Here, none of that sort of thing," he said, "or you will be sorry for

-it, my young bantam. You don't think that you can shove your way into

-my premises. You three just take yourselves off. You are trespassing on

-my ground; and it's lucky for you that the dog is tied up, or he would

-tear you limb from limb. Hear him!" And he paused, as a deep, distant

-baying was heard from somewhere within. "He is a beauty big enough to

-eat you. You just get off as fast as you can. Clear! If you are here in

-five minutes time I will set the dog on you!" And he slammed the door,

-and left them standing there.</p>

-

-<p>"What a particularly unpleasant person!" said Warren. "His politeness

-is only exceeded by his good looks. Come on, Ralph, it won't do any

-good to stand here; and I don't fancy a meeting with that loud-voiced

-brute we heard. He had got a bark like a bloodhound."</p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_218" id="Page_218">[Pg 218]</a></span></p>

-

-<p>"We had better do as Warren says," added Charlton, a trifle timidly,

-for he could understand how badly Ralph must feel. "I know what you are

-thinking of. You want to see inside that house, but it is impossible

-now. If it is done at all, it would have to be some other time, when

-that man did not suspect us. Only I don't think that you are right. I

-don't see how you can be."</p>

-

-<p>"I shall never rest until I have contrived some way of doing as you

-say," was Ralph's reply, and his face looked very resolute again. "That

-cry was raised by my father. He may not be there&mdash;I do not say he

-is, but somehow I dislike that man and distrust him. Let us go right

-through the grounds. Don't you understand, Warren? I want to see if

-there are any other places hidden away here. Who would have said a

-house like that was here; and who can say what other house may be here?

-You go back if you like, you and Charlton; I am going on."</p>

-

-<p>"Then on we all go," was Warren's reply; and he and Charlton

-accompanied Ralph.</p>

-

-<p>They crossed the lawn and went out by the gate, and Ralph was conscious

-of the face of that man peering at them through one of the upper

-windows. He might be a recluse, a miser, a madman&mdash;that seemed the most

-probable thing; and yet, yet somehow Ralph must get inside that house.</p>

-

-<p>They pushed their way on into the wood again, making for the opposite

-side to that on which they had<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_219" id="Page_219">[Pg 219]</a></span> entered; and then Ralph's words that

-they did not know what else they might find were proved to be very

-true, for, upon its farther side, bordering upon a stretch of wild

-open land, they came upon a ruined building. It looked as if at one

-time it had been a chapel, or monastery, or something of that sort;

-the pillars, the pointed windows, and the arched doors gave them that

-impression. It was a fairly large building, larger than the house they

-had left, and its crumbling walls were thickly overgrown with ivy. A

-mournful, silent ruin it was, where only the shapes and shadows of

-those whose feet had once trodden its stone floors now seemed to lurk;

-but it was a shelter, and in Ralph went.</p>

-

-<p>"I don't care for twenty men and dogs," he said resolutely. "I am not

-going on in this rain, and I am going to have a look in this ruin."</p>

-

-<p>"But you do not think that you will find any trace of your father

-there, Ralph," protested Warren.</p>

-

-<p>"I don't, old man; I only hope for shelter. Come on. If the worst comes

-we will get on the stairs and drive off the dog with stones. Come on."</p>

-

-<p>It looked gloomy outside&mdash;it looked more gloomy within, as they passed

-in through the yawning space where once a stout oak door had been. How

-their footsteps echoed, and how great piles of damp, decaying leaves

-lay in the corners, and ugly lizards scuttled away as they went on.

-But, for all that, after the first disinclination was got over, there

-was something<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_220" id="Page_220">[Pg 220]</a></span> very exciting in wandering about the ruin, exploring

-this way and that, going down into dark, oozy places underground, or

-clambering up into the old, deserted turret above, at the no small risk

-of breaking one's neck. They wandered here and there, until at last a

-single ray of sunlight, falling through a broken casement, awoke them

-to the fact that the storm was over, and that they could get on their

-way again.</p>

-

-<p>"We had better go, Ralph," said Charlton. "I must, for think how mother

-will feel if I am not home when she expects me."</p>

-

-<p>"Well, I don't think it is much good staying," Warren added. "It seems

-impossible that your father should be about here, Ralph. That sound was

-an echo."</p>

-

-<p>"I suppose it must have been something of that sort," Ralph admitted

-reluctantly. "There seems to be no other explanation. You must forgive

-me for seeming stupid; but, you see, it&mdash;it is my father!" He stopped

-and Charlton pressed his hand sympathetically, while Warren said

-hastily&mdash;</p>

-

-<p>"Oh, of course, old fellow, I understand; and I only wish that we could

-have found something out. What a stunning place this ruin would be for

-hiding in! You could play hide-and-seek about it for a week!"</p>

-

-<p>They emerged from the place, and speedily were in the public road again

-and walking, with their faces in a homeward direction. But as they went

-Ralph turned, and once again he uttered that wild signal cry; and then,

-then&mdash;was it an echo, or was it indeed a human<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_221" id="Page_221">[Pg 221]</a></span> voice?&mdash;after a pause,

-faint and low the sound came back once more&mdash;whether from earth, or

-from air, they knew not; but the cry was taken up and repeated note for note.</p>

-

-<hr />

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_222" id="Page_222">[Pg 222]</a></span></p>

-

-<h2><span>CHAPTER XXIV</span> <span class="smaller">FOR THE SAKE OF REVENGE</span></h2>

-

-<p>Now, on that very afternoon when Ralph and his two friends, on their

-visit to Crab Tree Hill, were driven by the storm to seek shelter in

-that preserve, Horace Elgert and his companion Dobson, were standing in

-close consultation.</p>

-

-<p>And a very discontented, savage, and disconcerted pair they were, for

-things did not seem to be going right with them.</p>

-

-<p>In the first place, that miserable five-pound note was still missing,

-and though the man at the cake-shop had promised that he would get it

-for them if possible, he had not yet kept his word; and while it was

-still in other hands both boys trembled with apprehensive fears.</p>

-

-<p>They quarrelled over it, too, Elgert still declaring that, as Dobson

-had changed it, he would alone be to blame, and Dobson retorting by

-saying that he would confess that he received it from Elgert.</p>

-

-<p>Then, added to this source of annoyance, there was the fact that,

-in spite of all their efforts, Ralph Rexworth was rising in his

-schoolmates' esteem, and his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_223" id="Page_223">[Pg 223]</a></span> influence, coupled with that of Warren

-and Charlton, was making itself steadily felt, to the diminution of

-their own powers.</p>

-

-<p>"It seems to me," grumbled Elgert moodily, "that the fellows look

-upon trying to give a criminal up to justice as a crime. Some of them

-actually hissed at me&mdash;and why? Just because my father lent the police

-his pony and trap! I can't make out what is coming to them."</p>

-

-<p>"They are just as down on me in the Fourth," answered Dobson. "There is

-no fun in the place now. All the kids have got to be coddled like a lot

-of babies; and if you catch one of them a smack on the head for being

-cheeky, there are a dozen fellows ready to take his part. Look how that

-little beggar Green cheeked me."</p>

-

-<p>"Well, why didn't you give him a hiding? You were afraid to, that is

-the fact."</p>

-

-<p>"Afraid yourself!" retorted Dobson angrily. "As if I should be afraid

-of him! You know that if I had done anything I should have had Rexworth

-and all his set about me, and a fellow can't take the lot of them. You

-don't care to meet Rexworth yourself, and you know it."</p>

-

-<p>A dark frown gathered upon Horace Elgert's handsome face. Ah, how that

-frown spoilt all his good looks!</p>

-

-<p>"Perhaps I don't, Dobson," he said grimly. "But there are better ways

-of getting even with Rexworth<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_224" id="Page_224">[Pg 224]</a></span> than fighting; and I mean to try them

-all. Have you seen Brown again?"</p>

-

-<p>"Yes," said Dobson.</p>

-

-<p>And Elgert went on&mdash;</p>

-

-<p>"Well, what did he say?"</p>

-

-<p>"Only just what he has said all along. He has not been able to get it

-yet, but he thinks that he will. I tell you, Elgert, that I believe he

-is playing with us&mdash;&mdash;"</p>

-

-<p>"What do you mean?" cried Elgert sharply. "How playing with us?"</p>

-

-<p>"Well, he either knows more than he pretends to, or else he suspects

-something. I don't think that he means to let us have that note."</p>

-

-<p>Horace Elgert was silent for a few moments. Evidently he found that

-statement very disquieting.</p>

-

-<p>"It will be a nice mess if it is like that," he said at last. "But it

-is no good worrying over it unless it comes. I will go and see him

-myself. You are a bit of a messer when it comes to doing anything. You

-don't seem to use your wits&mdash;&mdash;"</p>

-

-<p>"Can't use my wits to make him give me a thing which he has either not

-got or don't mean to part with," grumbled Dobson.</p>

-

-<p>"You might have used your wits to make sure that he never got it. I did

-all the dangerous part of the work, and only left you something which

-was safe and easy, and you went and bungled it!"</p>

-

-<p>"Oh, don't begin that all over again. I am sick<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_225" id="Page_225">[Pg 225]</a></span> and tired of hearing

-of it. Whenever you have nothing else to grumble about you bring that

-up. Just drop it, or don't talk at all!"</p>

-

-<p>Elgert saw that his companion was getting really cross; and though he

-despised Dobson at heart, he could not afford to quarrel with him, for

-the boy knew too much of his evil ways; so he affected to laugh at the

-angry words.</p>

-

-<p>"Don't lose your temper," he said. "I never came near such a surly

-chap! A fellow can't speak to you without your taking offence."</p>

-

-<p>"Well, then, drop it. I don't like having things thrown in my face like

-you throw that. It is done, and it can't be undone, so what is the good

-of talking of it?"</p>

-

-<p>"You will find there will be some talking about it if ever it comes to

-light," was the grim answer. And Dobson looked miserable. How he wished

-now that he had never had anything to do with the wretched business.</p>

-

-<p>"I wonder," mused Elgert, "what became of that fellow Charlton?"</p>

-

-<p>"We'd best let that alone," retorted Dobson. "We have got ourselves

-disliked quite enough over it."</p>

-

-<p>"What do I care for that? If only I knew where he was, do you think

-that I would hesitate to tell? I would do it, if it was only to spite

-Rexworth."</p>

-

-<p>"It would not hurt him," answered Dobson. "It is not his father."</p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_226" id="Page_226">[Pg 226]</a></span></p>

-

-<p>"No, but it is his chum's, and he would be sure to feel it. I only wish

-I knew where he was."</p>

-

-<p>"But you don't," remarked Dobson.</p>

-

-<p>"But I might find out. I only wish that I could!"</p>

-

-<p>"Talk of angels and see their wings," said Dobson; and at this

-apparently vague proverb Elgert turned excitedly.</p>

-

-<p>"Where? What do you mean? Not the man?"</p>

-

-<p>"No," answered Dobson, with a shake of the head.</p>

-

-<p>"I don't see Rexworth or Charlton." And Elgert stared round. "Bother

-it! Don't stand grinning there like a monkey. Tell me what you mean."</p>

-

-<p>"Only that there goes Charlton's mother," said Dobson, nodding in the

-direction of the common.</p>

-

-<p>"Well, what of that? We don't want his mother, do we? It is his father

-we are talking about."</p>

-

-<p>"I know that," came the calm answer. And Dobson looked very knowing. "I

-am a monkey and a silly, and I don't know what besides, but I may be

-able to think smarter than you can, Elgert. May not Charlton's mother

-lead us to Charlton's father? She is sure to know where he is, and do

-you know that since that affair she has been going to the St. Clives' a

-lot&mdash;&mdash;"</p>

-

-<p>"How do you know?" demanded Elgert.</p>

-

-<p>"My sister told me that she has seen her go there frequently; and

-sometimes, instead of going right in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_227" id="Page_227">[Pg 227]</a></span> at the front gate she has gone in

-at the side one. That looks strange, don't it? And she was not visiting

-there before&mdash;I know that."</p>

-

-<p>Elgert pondered a while in silence, then he suddenly turned, and Dobson

-inquired where he was going.</p>

-

-<p>"To follow her. There may be something in what you say. I should hardly

-think that they would hide a convict away, but they might&mdash;some people

-do such strange things&mdash;and St. Clive don't like my father, I know. Let

-us follow her."</p>

-

-<p>"Well, it will only be to St. Clive's place. And what are we to do

-then? We can't say that she goes to see her husband because she goes

-there."</p>

-

-<p>"What did you tell me about it for, then? You looked knowing enough.

-It is not much good talking of a thing if we cannot follow it up. I am

-going after her, at any rate. You need not come if you don't want to."</p>

-

-<p>"Oh, I will come, Disagreeable!" answered Dobson. And the two boys set

-out, following the lady, who was quite unconscious of their wicked

-desires.</p>

-

-<p>And they could follow her openly and without fear, for if she had seen

-them close by her side she would have thought nothing of it. The boys

-from the school were common enough objects in the place.</p>

-

-<p>And it chanced that Mrs. Charlton was indeed going to see her poor

-husband; to try and cheer him,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_228" id="Page_228">[Pg 228]</a></span> and urge him to be hopeful and patient,

-and to tell him that presently the clouds would all vanish, and the sun

-shine out again.</p>

-

-<p>And after her the two boys went like spies, and neither Elgert nor

-Dobson thought what a wicked thing they were doing. There was with

-them the love of doing evil and causing sorrow&mdash;the delight of little,

-spiteful natures&mdash;but there was also the greater desire to cause Ralph

-Rexworth pain. That was before everything, and so on they went. And

-Mrs. Charlton, all unconscious of evil, entered the grounds of Mr. St.

-Clive's house, and as Dobson had said, she went in at the side gate.</p>

-

-<p>Mr. St. Clive had arranged that with her, so that she could go directly

-to her husband's cottage without any of the servants in the house

-knowing that she was there.</p>

-

-<p>And the boys stood at that gate undecided for a little while. The path

-was soon lost to view amidst the bushes. Elgert looked round, and then

-deliberately climbed over the gate.</p>

-

-<p>"You can stay or come," he whispered to Dobson; "I mean to go on and

-see this through." And Dobson, not without some inward fears, followed

-his example. It was delightful, this tracking a man down; it was like

-the stories of adventure, and he wanted to see the end of it.</p>

-

-<p>"Come quietly," directed Elgert in suppressed tones. "Don't make a

-noise with your feet, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_229" id="Page_229">[Pg 229]</a></span> stoop down; they might see your head over

-the bushes. That is it. Now follow me."</p>

-

-<p>Creeping along stealthily, Dobson in the rear, he followed the

-direction which Mrs. Charlton had taken, and presently the shrubberies

-ended, and there were flower beds and lawns. Clearly, it would be

-dangerous for them to go any farther if they wished to remain unseen.</p>

-

-<p>"We will stop here and watch," said he to Dobson. And the latter,

-crouching there, whispered&mdash;</p>

-

-<p>"Where has she gone? I don't see her anywhere."</p>

-

-<p>"She must have gone into that cottage. I would creep across and try to

-peep through the window, but I am afraid that I should be discovered;

-and if we gave them the alarm, he might be off."</p>

-

-<p>"You don't think that the man is hiding there, do you?" queried Dobson,

-trembling betwixt fear and excitement.</p>

-

-<p>Truth to tell, when he had made his suggestion, it had been merely from

-the love of talking; he had not thought really that there was anything

-in it; and now there seemed to be a very great deal.</p>

-

-<p>"I do think it," Elgert answered. "Hush! Let us watch. No one knows

-that we are here, and no one can see us. We can easily creep out the

-same way that we came. Keep still, she is coming out of the cottage!"</p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_230" id="Page_230">[Pg 230]</a></span></p>

-

-<p>Yes, Mrs. Charlton was coming out, and with her a poor, bent decrepit

-old gardener. But&mdash;but she held his arm, and once she pressed a kiss on

-his cheek! Horace Elgert felt his heart thrill with evil triumph. He

-saw it all now. Mr. St. Clive was keeping the man here, in the position

-of a gardener, and Mrs. Charlton came to see him!</p>

-

-<p>"We have got him now, Dobson," he whispered to his companion. "We have

-got him now, and he will not get away from the police a second time! It

-is the first step to paying Ralph Rexworth what we owe him!"</p>

-

-<div class="center"><img src="images/i230.jpg" alt="We have got him now, Dobson" /></div>

-

-<p class="bold">"<span class="smcap">'We have got him now, Dobson,' he whispered to his<br />

-companion.</span>" p. 230.</p>

-

-<hr />

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_231" id="Page_231">[Pg 231]</a></span></p>

-

-<h2><span>CHAPTER XXV</span> <span class="smaller">JUST IN TIME</span></h2>

-

-<p>"What shall we do next, Elgert?"</p>

-

-<p>Dobson whispered that question in his ear, as the two crouched in the

-shrubbery watching Mrs. Charlton and her husband.</p>

-

-<p>"Do! What a question! Get away from here, and then go straight to the

-police and give them information. They won't mention our names, and the

-fellows at the school need never know that we have had any part in it.

-We have seen enough, so come on, and mind you don't let them either see

-or hear you. I would not have them alarmed for anything."</p>

-

-<p>The two stole silently off, treading on tiptoe, walking with the

-greatest care, until once more they climbed over the gate, and stood

-safely in the roadway.</p>

-

-<p>"Thank goodness we are out of that without any trouble," said Dobson;

-and Elgert inquired, contemptuously, what danger he feared would come

-to them in the grounds.</p>

-

-<p>"Dogs," retorted Dobson tersely. "We weren't to know that there were no

-dogs loose. I thought<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_232" id="Page_232">[Pg 232]</a></span> that I heard a rustling in the bushes once, as

-though one was pushing his way towards us, and it made me turn cold.

-Well, now we are here, what next?"</p>

-

-<p>"The police, at once. How dark it is getting, and was not that thunder?"</p>

-

-<p>"Yes, I reckon they are getting a smart storm not far from here. The

-police-station, is it?"</p>

-

-<p>"Of course. The man is here, we do not know how long he may remain,

-so we cannot waste time; and I am not going to let the possibility

-of getting caught in a shower prevent me from having my revenge on

-Rexworth, and making things unpleasant for these stuck-up St. Clives.

-I hate them! St. Clive himself, because he backs this Rexworth up; his

-wife, because she is so very goody-goody; and the girl, because she is

-a proud little minx, who turns up her nose at me, and&mdash;&mdash;"</p>

-

-<p>"Ha, ha!" laughed Dobson. "Jealous because Rexworth cut you out, that

-is it! Well, I don't mind. Come on, if you are coming. The police will

-be pleased enough to know; and if there is a reward, we may as well

-have it."</p>

-

-<p>"You can take it, if you like," retorted Elgert. "I don't want their

-money. All I want is to see the man taken again, and taken there to

-prove that the St. Clives are in it."</p>

-

-<p>They turned and hurried off; and then, very cautiously, from amidst

-the laurels, there arose a little scared and indignant face&mdash;a face

-surrounded<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_233" id="Page_233">[Pg 233]</a></span> by golden hair. Irene St. Clive had seen them and heard all

-that they had said!</p>

-

-<p>She had seen them go into the shrubbery, and had wondered what tricks

-they were about to play. Her first idea was that it was something to do

-with Ralph, something to vex him; for she knew both the boys, and was

-aware that they were his enemies. So she had followed them, that she

-might see, and then warn Ralph. And then it had flashed upon her! Mrs.

-Charlton was there with her husband; and the boys were spying upon her.

-Oh, what mean, miserable boys to call themselves gentlemen, and do such

-things!</p>

-

-<p>She heard what they said when they stood in the roadway, and then she

-turned and raced indoors to tell her father; even in her dismay, she

-was thoughtful enough not to go to her mother first, lest she should be

-needlessly alarmed. Her father would know best what was to be done.</p>

-

-<p>And her tidings filled Mr. St. Clive with concern. Where could poor Mr.

-Charlton go? Where else was there for him to hide?</p>

-

-<p>He reproached himself now that he had not sent him away sooner. But Mr.

-Charlton had seemed to derive such comfort from being able to see his

-son and wife frequently, that Mr. St. Clive had allowed things to go on

-as they were, and now it might be too late!</p>

-

-<p>Yes, even with Irene's warning, too late; for the man could not go out

-just as he was. Mr. St. Clive knew full well that every hiding-place

-would be<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_234" id="Page_234">[Pg 234]</a></span> searched&mdash;that escape would be almost impossible&mdash;and he

-shrank from being the bearer of such bad tidings to the husband and

-wife.</p>

-

-<p>But it had to be done, the warning must be given, and given at once,

-and he rose, Irene following him, and went into the grounds and towards

-the cottage. His own wife was there at the moment speaking with Mrs.

-Charlton.</p>

-

-<p>And the dismay, the sorrow, that they exhibited when the tidings were

-told! The poor man must fly from here and be a wanderer again&mdash;hunted

-hither and thither, not knowing from hour to hour if he should be

-captured, not able even to get a message to his wife, or to hear how it

-fared with her and his son. It was very hard indeed.</p>

-

-<p>"You have done all that one man could to help another, sir," he said to

-Mr. St. Clive, as he held his weeping wife in his arms. "I shall never,

-never forget your kindness, nor that of your good wife and dear little

-daughter. You will be a friend to my poor wife and my boy&mdash;I feel sure

-that you will be&mdash;and now I must change this disguise, and go. To go

-as the old gardener might be more dangerous than to go as the escaped

-prisoner."</p>

-

-<p>"But where can you go? Where can you hide for the time? If you could

-only find a place, the police might come to the conclusion that the

-boys had made a mistake, and abandon the search again, so giving you

-opportunity of getting out of England.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_235" id="Page_235">[Pg 235]</a></span> So far as money can aid, you

-can count upon me, but money will be of no avail, if you cannot elude

-your pursuers, and&mdash;&mdash;"</p>

-

-<p>A hurrying of feet! Oh, surely the police could not be there already!

-No; a well-known shrill whistle! Ralph and his chums were coming, and

-Ralph must be told.</p>

-

-<p>Now, Warren knew nothing about Charlton's father being there, and the

-two boys had allowed their chum to come in because there was no danger;

-he would only think that it was an old gardener at work.</p>

-

-<p>But when they saw Mr. St. Clive and all the others in that little

-cottage, they stopped, and Charlton faltered out&mdash;</p>

-

-<p>"What is it? Oh, what is it, father?" And so he gave away his secret to

-the monitor.</p>

-

-<p>And they told them, and Charlton stood very white, and clenched his

-fist.</p>

-

-<p>"Elgert again," he said. "Oh, I hate him! I should like to kill him."

-But his father put his hand on his arm and said, almost sternly&mdash;</p>

-

-<p>"My son, such words are not for the lips of a Christian boy."</p>

-

-<p>"Well, sir, at any rate you can't blame Fred for using them," broke in

-Warren. "I know I should feel like it. They are a pair of cads, and

-deserve kicking."</p>

-

-<p>"Be quiet, Tom," chimed in Ralph. "Never mind them. The thing is what

-can we do? Where can<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_236" id="Page_236">[Pg 236]</a></span> Mr. Charlton go so that he can hide in safety for

-the time?"</p>

-

-<p>"Nowhere," said the man sadly. "There is no spot about here where I can

-be safe. I am afraid that I am losing heart," he added, "but it seems

-hopeless."</p>

-

-<p>"Never say, die, sir," cried Warren. "I know a place, a jolly place,

-where you could hide for a month; yes, even if they knew you were there

-they would not be able to get you. You could dodge them, and dodge

-them, for ever so long&mdash;&mdash;"</p>

-

-<p>"The ruin!" cried Ralph suddenly. "Warren, you're a brick! The ruin, of

-course&mdash;&mdash;"</p>

-

-<p>"What ruin? Where?" asked Mr. St. Clive, while the rest listened

-anxiously. "Speak quickly, lads, for time is precious." And Ralph

-explained their adventure of that afternoon, adding&mdash;</p>

-

-<p>"Of course, there are the dogs, but even if they scented him down he

-could shut them out; they couldn't get at him, and the very fact that

-the dogs were loose would hinder people from imagining that any one was

-hiding there. Besides, I don't believe that any people know about it. I

-didn't until to-day, and I thought that I had pretty well explored the

-country round here."</p>

-

-<p>"How am I to get to this place, boys?"</p>

-

-<p>"By following us," said Ralph. "Yes, we will all three go, and skirmish

-out one ahead of the other, so that if danger is about we can give

-warning. Never you fear, we will get there safe enough, if we have a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_237" id="Page_237">[Pg 237]</a></span>

-little start. But you will want things, even at once; light&mdash;you must

-be careful to hide that from being seen&mdash;and food, and some rugs."</p>

-

-<p>Away hurried Mrs. St. Clive and her husband and hastily procured what

-they thought would be immediate necessities, while Mr. Charlton took

-off the disguise. His rest there had done him good. He was strong and

-well, not a bit like the wearied man who had at first come there. The

-boys divided the burdens between them; and then, with last hand shakes,

-and with a parting embrace between husband and wife, Mr. Charlton

-followed the three boys from the place where he had been so kindly

-treated.</p>

-

-<p>"Won't Elgert and Dobson be precious mad!" said Warren. "It was

-fortunate for you, sir, that little Irene heard them talking."</p>

-

-<p>"It is fortunate for me that my boy has two such faithful friends

-as you and Ralph here," answered Mr. Charlton. "I feel that Heaven,

-knowing my innocence, has raised me up helpers all round."</p>

-

-<p>"That is the way, sir," said Ralph heartily. "Go on thinking that and

-you won't lose heart, and presently the truth will come to light&mdash;&mdash;"</p>

-

-<p>"Now then, Ralph," cried Warren, interrupting him. "Send on ahead, and

-keep both your eyes open, get well on in front, and give the Fourth's

-whistle if you see any one about."</p>

-

-<p>They were now getting away from the road and on towards Stow Wood. They

-would have to go<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_238" id="Page_238">[Pg 238]</a></span> through that and then out across the common, leaving

-Great Stow on their right. It would have been shorter to have gone

-through Great Stow, but they did not dare that, there were too many

-people about.</p>

-

-<p>Away raced Charlton, pushing into the wood, and then Warren dived away

-to the right, and Ralph led Mr. Charlton directly on.</p>

-

-<p>But no warning whistle came. The storm was gathering up again, and no

-one who could avoid it was out of doors. They pushed through the wood

-and across the common, out to Crab Tree Hill; and then they circled

-the preserves, and came to the place they sought; and, as Ralph said,

-it looked as if they had been led to the spot that afternoon, in order

-that they might know where to bring Mr. Charlton.</p>

-

-<p>And into the ruin they led the way with a lighted candle, and showed

-the man all the windings and secret ways that they had found out.</p>

-

-<p>"I dare say that there are plenty more, for it is a strange old place,"

-Ralph said, "and you will be able to find them out for yourself."</p>

-

-<p>"The only thing that I see, is you cannot make a fire here. At least,

-if you did, the smoke might be seen," added Warren; and Mr. Charlton

-smiled.</p>

-

-<p>"We can do without the fire, my kind young friend," he said. "I shall

-manage here very well. But now do you all go, for you are nearly wet

-through, and I fear that you may suffer some ill effects, and you all<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_239" id="Page_239">[Pg 239]</a></span>

-look tired to death, too. Shake hands with me, and be off."</p>

-

-<p>"We shall manage to let you know soon, sir, how things go," said Ralph,

-"and we will bring more food and things. Good-bye, sir, and keep up a

-good heart."</p>

-

-<p>"Good-bye, and good-bye and God bless you, my own dear son." And the

-father and son embraced.</p>

-

-<p>Then the three lads dashed away, making for home as fast as they could;

-and though Warren wondered what his people would think of him for being

-so late, nothing could persuade him to refrain from going back to Mr.

-St. Clive's, just to see how things had gone.</p>

-

-<hr />

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_240" id="Page_240">[Pg 240]</a></span></p>

-

-<h2><span>CHAPTER XXVI</span> <span class="smaller">TOM WARREN SPEAKS HIS MIND</span></h2>

-

-<p>If ever three boys were tired and wet and cold, Ralph and his chums

-were when they once again arrived at Mr. St. Clive's; but for all

-that, they were three delighted boys, for they had succeeded in their

-mission, and Mr. Charlton was safe.</p>

-

-<p>They found that the police had been and gone, and were none the wiser

-for their visit. Mr. St. Clive had received them readily, and told them

-that he certainly had employed an old gardener, but that the man had

-left his employ only a short time before they came, and that he could

-give them no information about him.</p>

-

-<p>It was highly distasteful to an honourable gentleman like Mr. St.

-Clive even to say anything which, while strictly true, had yet the

-qualities of a lie, but in this case he was forced to do so. He could

-not give the poor man up to justice&mdash;a man whom he honestly believed to

-have been wrongly convicted&mdash;especially after having received him and

-sheltered him so long.</p>

-

-<p>But when Elgert and Dobson heard that the search was unsuccessful, oh,

-how angry they were! They<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_241" id="Page_241">[Pg 241]</a></span> had come back with the constables, and Mr.

-St. Clive turned to them and spoke very sternly.</p>

-

-<p>"So it appears that I am indebted to you two young gentlemen for this

-visit," he said. "First of all you trespass upon my grounds; then you

-take upon yourselves to give this information to the police; and now

-you have come back uninvited. Kindly oblige me by taking yourselves

-off; and understand that if I find you on my grounds again, I shall not

-have the slightest hesitation in horsewhipping the pair of you!"</p>

-

-<p>Oh, what a rage Elgert was in! To be spoken to like that! He, the

-Honourable Horace Elgert!</p>

-

-<p>He went home and told his father, and Lord Elgert rode over in a

-terrible passion to demand an explanation from Mr. St. Clive.</p>

-

-<p>But that gentleman took things very calmly, and his lordship got little

-satisfaction from him.</p>

-

-<p>"It is my belief, sir, that my son is correct, and that you have been

-harbouring a fugitive from justice!" shouted his lordship. "It is like

-you to do that. You have taken that young rascal, Rexworth, in spite of

-the knowledge that his father is a man who attempted to rob me."</p>

-

-<p>"Pardon me, Lord Elgert," answered Mr. St. Clive, "I have tried to

-repay a debt of gratitude I owe to a brave boy, who rescued my child

-from death, at the peril of his own life, because you would not take

-the trouble to have your bull properly secured. As to the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_242" id="Page_242">[Pg 242]</a></span> knowledge

-that his father tried to rob you, I know nothing of the kind."</p>

-

-<p>"I have told you so. You have my word for it," replied Lord Elgert; and

-Mr. St. Clive answered drily&mdash;</p>

-

-<p>"That is a very different thing from knowing it."</p>

-

-<p>"You insult me, sir! You deliberately insult me! But be careful, or you

-shall answer for it. Make no mistake, you shall answer for it!" And

-with that, his lordship rode off in a towering rage.</p>

-

-<p>Mr. St. Clive did not trouble to tell Ralph all the unkind things which

-Lord Elgert had said, for there was nothing to be gained by causing the

-boy pain; and so, after giving them all hot cocoa, Warren and Charlton

-were sent off to their homes, and Ralph was glad to get to bed, for he

-was quite tired out.</p>

-

-<p>And then, after one of those quiet Sundays which he had got to value

-so much, he set off for school on the Monday morning, calling for

-Charlton, and meeting with Warren on the way.</p>

-

-<p>"Well, Rexworth, and how do you feel to-day?"</p>

-

-<p>Now, if Warren or Charlton had asked that question, there would have

-been nothing strange in it; but it was neither of the boys. It was Mr.

-Delermain, when the class was assembled; and Ralph, although he felt

-surprised, answered that he felt very well.</p>

-

-<p>"Ah!" said the master, and he smiled. "Well, I am glad of that, for

-to-day you have to uphold the honour of the Fourth. You will not take

-your place<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_243" id="Page_243">[Pg 243]</a></span> for lessons as usual. The examination for the Newlet is

-to-day. You are to go to the Head's class-room immediately after

-prayers."</p>

-

-<p>"Good luck to you, Rexworth," whispered Charlton, looking quite

-nervous; and Tom Warren patted him on the shoulder and added

-imploringly&mdash;</p>

-

-<p>"Now, mind you keep cool, Ralph&mdash;keep quite cool. Don't get flustered

-if you cannot answer every question, and don't spend too much time over

-the easy ones. Answer them first, as briefly as you can, and then go

-for the others. Keep cool, old fellow, for the honour of the Fourth."</p>

-

-<p>Certainly Ralph did feel just a trifle anxious and nervous; but he had

-worked hard, and felt pretty well grounded in his subjects, and he

-meant to do his best honestly.</p>

-

-<p>So when prayers were over, he rose and went out of the class-room,

-while the boys, thinking that the occasion admitted of it, cried out

-aloud: "Good luck to you, Rexworth! Hope that you will succeed!"</p>

-

-<p>"Jolly lot of fuss they make about that chap," sneered Dobson to the

-boy next him. "It is just a disgrace to let such a fellow as that sit

-for the Newlet."</p>

-

-<p>"Especially when a bright, intellectual fellow like Dobson does not

-go in for it!" was the answer he received; and Dobson glowered and

-muttered something about his "cheek."</p>

-

-<p>Somehow, Charlton could not get on as he ought<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_244" id="Page_244">[Pg 244]</a></span> to have done that

-morning. He was so anxious about Ralph, and he was so full of his

-father, and wondering whether he was all safe. Mr. Delermain had to

-rebuke him once or twice&mdash;he did not understand things like Warren

-did&mdash;and poor Charlton lost his place and got a bad mark; and somehow

-he could not help it, the tears would come into his eyes. Dobson saw

-it, and grinned. He sniffed, and drew his handkerchief out, pretending

-to wipe away tears and wring the water out on the floor. Mr. Delermain

-saw him, and Dobson got something to cry for. Six handers, and a bad

-mark. Dobson vowed to make Charlton suffer for it, as if it were his

-fault that he had been caned.</p>

-

-<p>And he had his chance when recess came.</p>

-

-<p>"Hallo, Elgert!" cried Dobson, as he saw his friend. "I say, I want to

-ask you a question. Who was the first gardener?"&mdash;and he winked towards

-Charlton, who was standing near.</p>

-

-<p>"Adam," was Elgert's reply; and Dobson nodded.</p>

-

-<p>"Quite right; and who was the very last one that we know anything

-about, eh?"</p>

-

-<p>"A fellow named Charlton, some relation to one of your Form, I think.

-Quite a public personage, and eagerly sought after by the police."</p>

-

-<p>Poor Charlton! His face went white, and his eyes sparkled with anger.

-Dobson saw it, and laughed mockingly. Charlton was a weakly boy, and

-the bully was by no means afraid of him.</p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_245" id="Page_245">[Pg 245]</a></span></p>

-

-<p>"Funny how some people have queer tastes," he went on. "I should have

-thought that breaking stones was no harder work than digging. By the

-way, it is breaking stones that they put convicts to, is it not?"</p>

-

-<p>"You say that to insult me?"</p>

-

-<p>Charlton spoke in low tones, and his face was very white; and Dobson

-laughed again.</p>

-

-<p>"Oh, I say, you chaps, is not this a rich joke? Here is Charlton asking

-if we mean to insult him! My dear fellow, your presence is such an

-insult&mdash;&mdash;"</p>

-

-<p>Dobson stopped and ducked, for the maddened boy had struck so fierce a

-blow that had the bully received it, it would surely have knocked him

-down.</p>

-

-<p>"Go on, Dobson! Give him a hiding!" cried Elgert. But then Tom Warren

-pushed forward and cried out&mdash;</p>

-

-<p>"Drop that! Charlton, don't be stupid; and you, Dobson, if you want to

-fight, fight me."</p>

-

-<p>"I say, you fellows," said Elgert, "how much longer are we going to

-be dictated to by Tom Warren? Charlton struck the first blow. It is

-his fight, and he ought to go through with it. It is a condescension

-on Dobson's part to fight with such a fellow." And some of the boys

-murmured approval.</p>

-

-<p>"Hold hard a minute," said Warren. "Since Elgert puts it that way, we

-will see if the boot is not on the other foot. Let me see, Dobson asked

-who was the last gardener, didn't he?"</p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_246" id="Page_246">[Pg 246]</a></span></p>

-

-<p>"That is it, Warren!" cried some of the others. "And Charlton got mad."</p>

-

-<p>"Very well; now I will tell you why. It seems that Elgert and Dobson,

-wanting a little employment, and liking to play the part of spies and

-informers&mdash;&mdash;" Elgert started. He had no idea that Warren knew about

-that, and it was the very last thing he wished the school to hear of.

-He attempted to turn away, but Warren noticed it, and went on.</p>

-

-<p>"You had better stop, Elgert, unless you are too ashamed to let

-gentlemen see your face." And Elgert stopped, white to the lips with

-passion.</p>

-

-<p>"That is better," said the monitor. "Well, you chaps, I was saying that

-our gentlemanly friends, Messrs. Elgert and Dobson, finding it to their

-taste to play the part of spies, must needs dog the steps of a lady,

-and that lady Mrs. Charlton, under the impression that she would guide

-them to the spot where her husband was hidden.</p>

-

-<p>"Now, having played this delightful part, these refined young gentlemen

-came upon an old gardener in Mr. St. Clive's grounds, and jumped to the

-conclusion that it was the lady's husband in disguise.</p>

-

-<p>"Then they came away and quietly enough, for they had no wish to

-disturb the parties concerned. But once away, they set off as hard as

-they could go, running all the way, to the police-station, to tell the

-constables that the man they wanted was hiding at<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_247" id="Page_247">[Pg 247]</a></span> Mr. St. Clive's.

-I would mention the fact that there is a reward offered for the

-apprehension of this man; perhaps that had something to do with their

-action. And this pair of spies and informers have the impudence to

-speak of it being a condescension for one of them to fight a boy in no

-way his equal."</p>

-

-<p>"I say, Warren, it can't be true!" cried one boy in disgust. "No fellow

-at our school would be such an awful cad!"</p>

-

-<p>"Look at Elgert's face. Does that look like innocence?" answered

-Warren. "You can ask Mr. St. Clive, if you like; but you ought not to

-want to after that!" And he pointed to Horace Elgert.</p>

-

-<p>Ay, there was no mistake; he looked guilty, and he knew it was no good

-trying to deny the charge. He strove to look careless and dignified,

-and he turned away on his heel; but then a storm of hisses broke out.

-Hisses! They were hissing him! And he had once been their leader! And

-above the clamour came the shrill voices of the juniors&mdash;</p>

-

-<p>"Sneak! Sneak! Sneak!"</p>

-

-<p>He felt as if he must press his fingers in his ears and run, but he

-managed to maintain his slow walk, and got into the class-room, Dobson

-at his heels; and the latter asked in consternation&mdash;</p>

-

-<p>"How ever did they find out?"</p>

-

-<p>"I don't know&mdash;I don't care!" was the fierce answer. "But I will pay

-them all out! And to think of Rexworth going in for the Newlet!"</p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_248" id="Page_248">[Pg 248]</a></span></p>

-

-<p>"Won't he crow if he manages to get through!" remarked Dobson; and

-Elgert jumped up.</p>

-

-<p>"He must not get through, Dobson; somehow we must stop him."</p>

-

-<p>"That is all very well. But how can we do it?" queried Dobson, with a

-shake of his head. And Elgert replied&mdash;</p>

-

-<p>"Wait until morning school is over, and I will tell you."</p>

-

-<hr />

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_249" id="Page_249">[Pg 249]</a></span></p>

-

-<h2><span>CHAPTER XXVII</span> <span class="smaller">IN THE DEAD OF THE NIGHT</span></h2>

-

-<p>"I tell you that it can be done. What danger is there, if we are only

-careful not to make a noise? What a miserable coward you are, Dobson!"</p>

-

-<p>So said Horace Elgert. He and Dobson were together, and morning school

-was over. They had met that Elgert might unfold his plan for preventing

-Ralph Rexworth having any chance of gaining the Newlet medal, and

-also for getting him into disgrace by making it appear that he had

-been cribbing; and apparently Dobson did not much like the plan, and

-had been making objections which had called forth Elgert's angry

-remonstrance.</p>

-

-<p>"What danger can there be?" The question came again, when Dobson did

-not reply. "Why, you have risked more than that when we have left the

-house at night! You have thought that a lark. And now we have only to

-go to the Head's desk, and then sit in the class-room for an hour or

-so."</p>

-

-<p>"It will be awfully cold there," shivered Dobson.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_250" id="Page_250">[Pg 250]</a></span> "And just

-think&mdash;stopping for two hours, and the chance all the time that some

-one will come!"</p>

-

-<p>"Rubbish! If it is cold, put on your overcoat. You don't call it cold

-when you stand for longer than that keeping goal, with an east wind

-blowing. It is no use trying to make objections. I am determined to try

-it, and you have just got to help me."</p>

-

-<p>"I don't see how we can do it," grumbled Dobson. "I think we had better

-leave him alone. After all, it don't matter to us if he gets the medal."</p>

-

-<p>"Everything matters that advances him. Now, look here. After the exam.

-is over, all the papers are taken to the Head, and he puts them in his

-desk, and sends them to the examiners in the morning. We know that

-much."</p>

-

-<p>"Yes," assented Dobson.</p>

-

-<p>"Very well. Now, the catch of the Head's roller desk is broken. I heard

-him say yesterday that he had forgotten to send for a man to repair it.

-There the papers will be, with nothing to prevent us from getting hold

-of Rexworth's. That is easy enough. We wait till the place is quiet,

-and then go to the Head's class-room and take what we want. Then we go

-to our own class-room, and have our bicycle lamps to give us light. You

-know that I can write like Rexworth; and even if I did not, no one will

-know. The Head does not examine the papers himself, and the chap he

-sends them to would not know the difference, even if you scrawled the

-answers."</p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_251" id="Page_251">[Pg 251]</a></span></p>

-

-<p>"But what do you want me for?" objected Dobson. "We can't both write."</p>

-

-<p>"You sneak! You want me to do it all. Why, to keep me company, and

-to be in it as well as me. Besides, I shall want you to read me some

-answers from Grimwade. I have a copy; and I don't mean only to write

-wrong answers to some questions, but to put in extracts, so that it

-will look as if he had been using a crib&mdash;&mdash;"</p>

-

-<p>"It will take an awful long time! He takes all day over the papers."</p>

-

-<p>"Yes; but he has got to think of the answers, and we shall not have to

-do anything of the kind. We can copy a lot of what he has written&mdash;you

-reading and I writing. Then we just take our set of papers back and put

-them with the others, and we destroy his, and who is to know a thing

-about it?"</p>

-

-<p>"I don't like it," protested Dobson. "I know that we shall get caught

-one of these days, and then we shall be expelled, and it will be all

-your fault."</p>

-

-<p>"Then you have just got to like it!" retorted Elgert; and Dobson burst

-out furiously&mdash;</p>

-

-<p>"Oh, have I? Think I am going to be ordered about by you, Horace

-Elgert! Why have I got to like it, pray?"</p>

-

-<p>"Because you changed that five-pound note!"</p>

-

-<p>"But you gave it to me," retorted Dobson, changing colour, and falling

-back upon his old plea; and Elgert laughed.</p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_252" id="Page_252">[Pg 252]</a></span></p>

-

-<p>"You prove that, if you can. You are the only one implicated in it."</p>

-

-<p>"You are a jolly mean sneak!" cried his companion; and again Elgert

-laughed, this time rather menacingly.</p>

-

-<p>"I wouldn't talk in that way if I were you, Dobson," he said. "It is a

-bit foolish to quarrel with me. Now, don't be silly, but say that you

-agree."</p>

-

-<p>"I suppose I must," was the sulky reply; "but I tell you I think it

-risky. Besides, all that we have yet done has not harmed Rexworth; but

-it has jolly well hurt us."</p>

-

-<p>"We will be more successful this time. But let us clear off, for that

-little sneak Charlton is watching us, and he may get suspicious if he

-sees us talking together."</p>

-

-<p>"Punch his head!" said Dobson. He was brave enough when it came to

-ill-treating boys weaker than himself. "He is alone; punch his head!"</p>

-

-<p>"No. You forget we should have Warren and all his gang down on us, and

-perhaps Kesterway taking the matter to the Head. Let him go for the

-time. We will have him over his father yet, and that will be better

-than giving him a licking."</p>

-

-<p>It was quite true that Charlton had seen the two together, and he was

-indeed wondering what mischief they were plotting. Ralph was still a

-prisoner over his examination papers, for until they were done he was

-not allowed to leave the class-room; and Warren<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_253" id="Page_253">[Pg 253]</a></span> was at the moment

-away, so that Charlton was alone.</p>

-

-<p>He was very anxious for Ralph's success, and perhaps that very anxiety

-made him suspicious of the two boys who were such bitter enemies of his

-chum. At any rate, Charlton determined to keep a very sharp eye upon

-the movements of Elgert and Dobson, though he was quite ignorant of any

-way in which they could harm Ralph.</p>

-

-<p>But, in spite of his watching, nothing occurred. The dinner-hour

-passed and afternoon school began, and all went smoothly; and Charlton

-managed to retrieve the loss which his anxiety had brought to him in

-the morning. And then, when the bell rang, and the boys filed out, free

-to do as they liked, until teatime, there Ralph joined them, a trifle

-tired, it is true, but very hopeful, for he felt confident that he had

-answered every question that had been given to him without making a

-huge number of mistakes.</p>

-

-<p>A general rush of Fourth Form boys occurred, and he was surrounded by a

-throng of eager questioners.</p>

-

-<p>"How did you get on, Rexworth? Was it very stiff? Could you manage it?

-How many questions did you get through?"</p>

-

-<p>These and a score of kindred questions were asked; and when Ralph

-answered that he thought he had managed all right, and that he had

-answered every question, a hearty cheer followed.</p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_254" id="Page_254">[Pg 254]</a></span></p>

-

-<p>"Hurrah for Rexworth and the Fourth!"</p>

-

-<p>Dobson and Elgert heard it, and the latter laughed quietly, and said,

-with a sneer upon his handsome face&mdash;</p>

-

-<p>"Go on; cheer away. You will have something to cheer for presently."</p>

-

-<p>The evening wore away&mdash;tea, and preparation, and recess, and finally

-bed; and after the usual chatter and skylarking when monitors' backs

-were turned, the boys of Marlthorpe College were all snugly in bed, the

-gas had been turned out in the dormitories, save for one faint glimmer

-at the end of each room, and silence reigned throughout the old school.</p>

-

-<p>Perhaps it was because he was so anxious for Ralph's success, perhaps

-it was that he was thinking of Dobson and Elgert, or of his poor

-father away there in that dreary ruin, but somehow Charlton could not

-get to sleep. He lay there thinking, thinking, long after the regular

-breathing from Ralph, and the occasional gurgle and snore from Warren,

-announced that his two chums were fast asleep.</p>

-

-<p>Would Ralph get the medal? Would his father ever get safely away? Or,

-better still, would he ever be proved to be innocent? Would&mdash;&mdash;</p>

-

-<p>A stealthy movement caused him to open his eyes. A boy, higher up the

-dormitory, had got out of bed; and that boy was Dobson!</p>

-

-<p>Charlton held his breath and felt himself trembling with excitement.

-Elgert and the bully had plotted<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_255" id="Page_255">[Pg 255]</a></span> something, after all, then;

-and&mdash;and&mdash;why, Dobson was dressing! And now he crept out of the

-dormitory with careful, noiseless steps!</p>

-

-<p>Then Charlton, as soon as he was gone, slipped from his bed also. At

-first he thought of rousing Ralph and Warren; but he paused. A strange

-ambition filled his heart. How lovely it would be to do this all by

-himself&mdash;to follow and see what mischief they were doing, and, if it

-was anything to harm Ralph, to frustrate their plot, alone and unaided!</p>

-

-<p>Rapidly he slipped on his clothes. At any other time he would have

-trembled at the audacity of such a deed after hours; but now he was

-filled only with the one thought of serving Ralph, and he neither

-considered the risk of being discovered, nor the seriousness of

-matching himself against two such boys as Elgert and Dobson&mdash;for he

-felt absolutely certain that Elgert would also be in this business.</p>

-

-<p>Then, in his stockinged feet, he also slipped into the corridor

-and stood listening. Where had Dobson gone? How horribly dark it

-seemed&mdash;and how cold and desolate! He stood undecided for a moment;

-then he heard a stealthy sound&mdash;and from the entrance to the Fifth he

-saw Elgert come. Ah, he had not been mistaken, then! He stepped back

-and peeped round the dormitory door. Elgert was stealing down the

-stairs, and&mdash;yes, there Dobson was awaiting him. The two glided on,

-noiseless as mice; and Charlton, his heart thumping so that it seemed

-as if the two in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_256" id="Page_256">[Pg 256]</a></span> front must hear it, creeping cautiously in the rear,

-determined to ascertain what they were going to do.</p>

-

-<p>Down, past the Fourth class-room, they groped their way, and then to

-the Head's room. The Head's room! The room in which the examination

-papers were kept!</p>

-

-<p>Charlton, crouching at the door, watched them as they lit their bicycle

-lamps and stole to the big desk at the top of the room. Then came a

-slight click and the top was rolled back, and he could see the two

-bending over the interior, searching for something.</p>

-

-<p>"Here we are!" whispered Elgert, as he took up a neat little roll of

-papers. "Mind your fingers, silly!"&mdash;and he let the top of the desk

-down with the greatest care. "You see how easy it is."</p>

-

-<p>"Best blow out the lamps until we get to the class-room," suggested

-Dobson. "Some one might see them. You never know." And Elgert, willing

-enough to take every precaution, complied.</p>

-

-<p>"We will precious soon spoil Rexworth's chances now!" he laughed

-softly; and Charlton understood&mdash;or thought that he did. They were

-going to destroy Ralph's answers, and they should not do it!</p>

-

-<p>Regardless of secrecy or of self, he sprang from the darkness; and,

-before either of the startled boys could realize what had happened, he

-had snatched that roll of paper from Elgert's grasp.</p>

-

-<p>"You sha'n't have them!" he said aloud. "You want to destroy them, and

-you shall not have them!"</p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_257" id="Page_257">[Pg 257]</a></span></p>

-

-<p>"Charlton!" cried Elgert, in furious rage; and forgetful of all

-precaution, he struck a savage blow at him, which sent him spinning

-backwards over a form with a crash.</p>

-

-<p>"Keep quiet! You will rouse the whole school!" cried Dobson in terror.

-"Hark! I hear some one coming. Run&mdash;run, I say, or we shall be found

-here!" And Elgert, awakening to the danger of the position, glided away

-with him, as voices were heard calling and asking what was the matter.</p>

-

-<p>"What shall we do now?" groaned Dobson; but his companion answered in a

-fierce whisper&mdash;</p>

-

-<p>"Quick&mdash;get back to your room and pull off your clothes, as if you had

-just slipped out of bed. Be quick! Then come out on to the landing, as

-if you were only half awake. They are certain to catch him, and we must

-declare that we know nothing of it. He has the papers in his hand, and

-it is our word against his, and appearances are upon our side."</p>

-

-<p>Dobson nodded, and hastily dragging off his clothes, he sat on the edge

-of his bed, and called aloud: "Who is there?" That roused the others;

-and he asserted that he had been scared by a noise downstairs. Up

-tumbled Warren and Ralph and some more, and Charlton's bed was seen to

-be empty.</p>

-

-<p>Then the Fifth Form boys, aroused by Elgert, came out on the landing,

-only to be met by one of the masters, who quietly said that nothing was

-wrong, and directed them all to go back to bed again.</p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_258" id="Page_258">[Pg 258]</a></span></p>

-

-<p>Nothing wrong! Go back to bed! But why was Charlton's bed empty? And

-what did that glimpse of the boy, in the custody of Kesterway, the head

-monitor, mean? Ralph looked at Warren in dismay. Whatever mischief had

-Fred Charlton been up to?</p>

-

-<hr />

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_259" id="Page_259">[Pg 259]</a></span></p>

-

-<h2><span>CHAPTER XXVIII</span> <span class="smaller">THE NEXT DAY</span></h2>

-

-<p>"Believe it! Of course we don't believe it. And I do not think that

-the Head does, either. You cheer up, old fellow! I know you were only

-trying to serve me; but you were silly to go without waking Warren, or

-myself."</p>

-

-<p>The speaker was Ralph, and he addressed his chum Charlton, who was a

-prisoner. A prisoner, that is, inasmuch as the Head had forbidden him

-to go out into the playground until he had thoroughly gone into the

-incidents of the previous night.</p>

-

-<p>It was all very well for Ralph to say "cheer up," but Charlton did not

-feel very cheerful. His sensitive nature shrank from the position in

-which he found himself, and his heart revolted at the wicked falsehoods

-which were told so calmly by both Dobson and Elgert. Besides, he was

-kept in, and that afternoon he had hoped to get across to see how his

-father was getting on.</p>

-

-<p>And though we, who know the truth, may wonder how it was that the Head

-should do this, still, the doctor himself did not know the truth, and

-he could<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_260" id="Page_260">[Pg 260]</a></span> hardly think that two lads would tell such wicked deliberate

-lies; and, moreover, everything pointed to Charlton being guilty.</p>

-

-<p>Dr. Beverly had been sitting up late, deep in a learned work with

-which he was greatly interested, when he had heard the noise in his

-class-room, followed by the voice of the head monitor, calling from

-above, and asking what was the matter; and he had hurried out&mdash;to find

-Charlton lying half dazed on the floor, having apparently fallen over a

-form and struck his head; and in his hand was Ralph's examination paper.</p>

-

-<p>Charlton being a nervous boy, his very manner seemed guilty when the

-Head had questioned him; and his story seemed to be false, for upon

-Dr. Beverly hurrying upstairs, Elgert was found with only his trousers

-on, as if he had just slipped out of bed, and Dobson was the same.

-Moreover, the boys in the Fifth declared that Elgert was sitting up in

-bed when they were aroused; and even Ralph and Warren had to own that

-Dobson appeared as if he had only just woke up.</p>

-

-<p>And both Dobson and Elgert declared that they had never been

-downstairs, and that Charlton had invented the story.</p>

-

-<p>So, still under the suspicion, he was kept in, and Ralph and Warren

-seized the first opportunity of going to comfort him.</p>

-

-<p>"If the Head knew them as well as we do, he would not be in much doubt

-about things," was Warren's<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_261" id="Page_261">[Pg 261]</a></span> verdict. "Don't you worry, old chap! We

-know you would not do anything to harm Ralph."</p>

-

-<p>"I wanted to go and see my father this afternoon," sighed Charlton; and

-Ralph answered&mdash;</p>

-

-<p>"Never mind. I will go. Tom will come with me."</p>

-

-<p>"I am awfully sorry, but I cannot," the monitor put in. "I would in a

-minute, but I promised mother to go round for her to my aunt's, and I

-must not disappoint her."</p>

-

-<p>"Of course not," said Ralph immediately. "Well, I will go alone, and

-explain to your father, old chap; so don't you worry about that any

-more. I wish, though, that I could see some way of bringing this home

-to those two, but I confess that I don't."</p>

-

-<p>"Wait a bit. Give them a rope long enough and they will hang

-themselves!" growled Warren. "Now, buck up, Charlton, and don't let

-them think that you are beaten!" And with that the two had to leave

-their chum, and Charlton felt decidedly comforted.</p>

-

-<p>And, after school, Tom Warren went off to obey his mother's desire; and

-Ralph, true to his promise, started on his journey to the man hiding in

-the old ruin away by Crab Tree Hill; and the rest of the boys prepared

-to spend their time according to their own inclinations.</p>

-

-<p>Jimmy Green and his chum Tinkle had made their plans. They were going

-fishing. It is sometimes a matter for wonder why small boys will go

-fishing,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_262" id="Page_262">[Pg 262]</a></span> seeing that they seldom catch any fish, and don't know what

-to do with them if by chance they manage to secure a few. Still, that

-matters nothing. Jimmy and Tinkle were going fishing, and were busily

-preparing a wonderful and fearful assortment of tackle and bait. Bait!

-They had worms several inches long, and what they called paste&mdash;a

-fearsome concoction of bread and clay kneaded together into little

-balls. And they had a landing-net. We mention this for two reasons.

-First, because of its size&mdash;it would have held a small salmon&mdash;and then

-because it was destined to aid in landing some queer fish. We may not

-say of what kind yet&mdash;but the point to remember is that they had the

-landing-net.</p>

-

-<p>And Jimmy Green and his chum were discussing the problem of Charlton's

-guilt, and their small minds appeared to be fully made up.</p>

-

-<p>"I just believe every word he says!" declared Green; and Tinkle nodded

-his fat little head.</p>

-

-<p>"So do I!" he said.</p>

-

-<p>"Those two chaps are awful cads&mdash;dreadful cads!" continued Green,

-with much warmth; and again Tinkle nodded. He did not believe in the

-exertion of talking, unless it was absolutely necessary.</p>

-

-<p>"I wonder," he said slowly, as he pushed back a particularly lively

-worm into the bait-tin&mdash;"I wonder, Jimmy, if we ought to tell what we

-know about that note? I often wonder that." But Jimmy was still firm

-upon that point.</p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_263" id="Page_263">[Pg 263]</a></span></p>

-

-<p>"What's the good? If we had the note now we might do it. But suppose

-they treat us as they have treated Charlton, and say they did not go

-there? How are we to prove it? And we let out that we have been there

-ourselves. It ain't no good, Tinkle. I would tell if I thought it was;

-but it isn't, and there is no getting away from it."</p>

-

-<p>"I suppose it ain't," was Tinkle's regretful answer. "Well, come on,

-Jimmy! I think we have got everything we want, and we may as well have

-all the time we can."</p>

-

-<p>"Where shall we go?" inquired Jimmy Green.</p>

-

-<p>"Oh, the pool below Becket Weir," answered Tinkle; "where Elgert nearly

-got drowned."</p>

-

-<p>"Very well; come on, and let us see if we have any luck." And the two

-young anglers set out, little dreaming what a very queer fish they were

-going to catch that day.</p>

-

-<p>And what of Elgert and Dobson? Mean lads that they were, they were

-delighted, and congratulated themselves upon their astuteness. True,

-they had not got possession of Ralph's papers, and had failed in so far

-as spoiling his chances for the medal went; but they had got Charlton

-into fine disgrace.</p>

-

-<p>It was wonderfully smart upon their parts, they thought; and, as if to

-add to their good fortune, Dobson had a little scrap of paper brought

-to him by a town urchin&mdash;a message from Brown of the cake-shop, to the

-effect that the latter had been successful<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_264" id="Page_264">[Pg 264]</a></span> in obtaining the "article"

-he had inquired about; but that the price would be seven pounds for it,

-cash down.</p>

-

-<p>Seven pounds! Elgert growled at that, but the note must be got again at

-any cost; and so Dobson was given the sum required, and dispatched upon

-his errand.</p>

-

-<p>He wanted Elgert to go with him, for company, but Elgert was too

-cunning for that. He had kept out of the business all along, and he did

-not mean to be seen in it now. To be sure, he had been with Dobson to

-inquire about it in the first place, but he had no fear that the man

-would betray him. Dobson had done the changing, and Dobson should do

-the buying, and bring the note back to him.</p>

-

-<p>"I cannot come," he said, in answer to the boy's remonstrance. "I

-expect our man over with a letter from my father, and I want to stay

-here to get it. You must go alone. It won't take you long. Hurry back,

-for I shall not go out until you return."</p>

-

-<p>"I always have to do the work," grumbled Dobson. "It is a horrid long

-way to go alone."</p>

-

-<p>"Get out! Have not I found the money? And as to a long way, you don't

-make much fuss about that if you think that you are going to be treated

-to tarts. You clear off, and look sharp; and thank your lucky stars

-that we have got out of the mess so nicely, for I confess that I did

-not think that we were going to manage it!"</p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_265" id="Page_265">[Pg 265]</a></span></p>

-

-<p>So Dobson set off, and Horace Elgert turned back to the playground,

-to await his return with what patience he could; and there the Head

-himself came upon him, and stopped, and placed one hand upon his

-shoulder, looking searchingly into his face.</p>

-

-<p>"I am glad that I have met you alone, Elgert," the doctor said. "For

-I want to speak to you very seriously. I want to speak to you about

-Charlton."</p>

-

-<p>"Yes, sir?" said the boy inquiringly. It was wonderful how calmly and

-innocently he spoke. "What about him, sir&mdash;has he owned that his story

-is false?"</p>

-

-<p>"Not so, Elgert. Nor am I satisfied that it is false, Elgert. Are you

-satisfied that it is?"</p>

-

-<p>"Why, sir, of course I am!" he answered, staring up as if unable to

-comprehend the Head's meaning, though he knew it well enough.</p>

-

-<p>"Elgert, there is an old Book with an old law, which says: 'Thou shalt

-not bear false witness against thy neighbour.' In face of such a solemn

-command, are you still sure that Charlton's story is false?"</p>

-

-<p>"You don't mean to say that I and Dobson were there taking those

-papers, do you, sir?" he queried indignantly. "Ah, I see how it is!

-You believe his word. I don't think that quite fair, sir. Consider the

-difference between his surroundings and mine. Which will most likely

-speak the truth&mdash;the son of a man wanted by the police, or the son of a

-nobleman like my father?"</p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_266" id="Page_266">[Pg 266]</a></span></p>

-

-<p>"You still adhere to your statement, Elgert?" said the Head, taking no

-notice of the latter part of his speech. And Elgert answered at once&mdash;</p>

-

-<p>"Of course I do, sir!"</p>

-

-<p>"Then," said the Head, "I have no option but to be guided by

-circumstances, and they all point to Charlton being guilty." And with

-that he turned away.</p>

-

-<p>Elgert felt anxious and angry. What right had the Head to suspect

-him of telling lies, or to doubt his honour? It is wonderful how

-dishonourable people will talk of their honour. And suppose the Head

-got Dobson, and began to question him. He must warn the fellow to be on

-guard against that.</p>

-

-<p>The man he expected did not come. Elgert was angry. He told himself

-that Dobson was taking double the time he need; and when at last his

-companion returned, he asked very shortly&mdash;</p>

-

-<p>"Well, have you got it?"</p>

-

-<p>"Yes; here it is, all safe. It is delightful to feel that danger is

-past!"</p>

-

-<p>"A danger of your own making," retorted Elgert. "A danger that I have

-had to pay for, and that has cost you nothing. And you look here! The

-Head has been questioning me. He is suspicious, and preaches about

-false witnessing. Mind what you are at if he begins on you; for if you

-let anything out I will pay you out for it. You had better clear off

-now, to be out of his way."</p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_267" id="Page_267">[Pg 267]</a></span></p>

-

-<p>Dobson complied readily enough. The last thing he wanted was for the

-Head to carpet him. And then Horace Elgert, the note safe in his

-pocket-book, put on his hat and went out. He was enraged that his man

-had not been, and was going home to give him a good rating; and he, to

-take a short cut, must go past Becket Weir, where Tinkle and Green had

-gone to fish.</p>

-

-<hr />

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_268" id="Page_268">[Pg 268]</a></span></p>

-

-<h2><span>CHAPTER XXIX</span> <span class="smaller">WHAT TINKLE AND GREEN CAUGHT</span></h2>

-

-<p>"There don't seem to be much sport," said Tinkle to Green, as they

-sat side by side on the river bank, casting longing glances at their

-floats. Tinkle's bobbed under, and he pulled up sharply&mdash;he had hooked

-a fine piece of weed, the tenth catch of the kind he had made.</p>

-

-<p>"Bother!" said Green, putting down the landing-net, which he had seized

-to be in readiness to help his friend. "I am jolly well sick of it. Let

-us drop it."</p>

-

-<p>Tinkle agreed; the rod was taken to pieces and the lines put away, and

-then the pair stood up.</p>

-

-<p>"Ugh&mdash;ah-r-r!" sighed Tinkle. "Don't it make you cramped, and&mdash;&mdash; I

-say, Green, there's a man coming, and by gum, I believe it's that

-Elgert's man&mdash;the chap we saw in the cake-shop!"</p>

-

-<p>"So it is," was Green's answer. "And look how he is sauntering. Perhaps

-he is going to meet some one."</p>

-

-<p>"Let us hide," suggested Tinkle eagerly, "in the old boathouse. We may

-hear some more secrets."</p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_269" id="Page_269">[Pg 269]</a></span></p>

-

-<p>Green made no objection on the score of eavesdropping; the two

-boys, bending low, darted across the towing-path, and into an old,

-dilapidated, wooden building, now fast falling to decay, that had once

-done duty as a boathouse.</p>

-

-<p>"Oh, I say, here comes Elgert himself!" said Green excitedly, peeping

-through a hole. "Don't make a sound. I believe&mdash;&mdash;"</p>

-

-<p>"Oh," interrupted Tinkle, in consternation, "they are coming in here!

-Oh, what ever shall we do?"</p>

-

-<p>"Be quiet, you silly. Hide! Down you go flat under that old boat. Hold

-up the end while I creep under; and whatever you do, don't sneeze. Mind

-the net, and&mdash;&mdash;"</p>

-

-<p>His words were cut short by the boat slipping from Tinkle's hands and

-extinguishing them both. They lay side by side. They were quite safe,

-for it was most unlikely that Elgert or the man would look beneath it.</p>

-

-<p>One of the planks had started, and they could hear plainly, and even

-see a good deal of the interior of the place. They did see&mdash;saw Elgert

-and the man enter; and Horace Elgert sat down on the top of that boat.</p>

-

-<p>"If I only had a pin!" muttered Green. And Tinkle dug him in the ribs

-and breathed in his ear&mdash;</p>

-

-<p>"Be quiet, or I will punch your head when I get you out!"</p>

-

-<p>"You are an impertinent rascal!" was Elgert's<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_270" id="Page_270">[Pg 270]</a></span> first polite remark.

-"But don't you forget the book I have, with the confession in it. It

-may get you into trouble yet."</p>

-

-<p>"And don't you forget, Mr. Horace, that it was your own father who

-put me up to it. He wanted Charlton got out of the way, and he showed

-me how to make a hundred pounds for myself, and make an innocent man

-get the blame. I haven't had a single day's peace of mind since. My

-conscience has accused me."</p>

-

-<p>"Your conscience! Where do you keep it?" laughed Elgert, while the ears

-of the two hidden boys were strained to their utmost. "A pretty sort of

-fellow you are. My father put you up to it! How can you prove that?"</p>

-

-<p>"I cannot," was the sulky answer. "He was too clever for that. I wrote

-the truth in my pocket-book&mdash;&mdash;"</p>

-

-<p>"Like the ass you are! What good would that do to you, or to Charlton?"</p>

-

-<p>"It did no good. But it made me feel better, even to confess it like

-that. You stole the book&mdash;you, a fine gentleman! You stole it from my

-coat!"</p>

-

-<p>"Yes; it was safer in my keeping than in yours. Such things are

-dangerous if they are left lying about."</p>

-

-<p>"And you have used it as a threat to me ever since; and have ordered me

-about as if I were a dog!" was the angry retort. And Elgert laughed.</p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_271" id="Page_271">[Pg 271]</a></span></p>

-

-<p>"I have found it useful certainly. And, my man, do you see that scar on

-the back of your hand? It was a bad cut, I think. How did you manage

-it?"</p>

-

-<p>The man, with a swift motion, put his hand in his pocket.</p>

-

-<p>"I cut it," he said. And Elgert laughed again.</p>

-

-<p>"Yes. Do you know what housebreaking is? I suppose you know nothing of

-some one who broke into the school, the beginning of this term; and

-who was found near my bed, with a pillow; it looked very much as if he

-were going to try and kill me by smothering me. I wonder what that man

-wanted. He was frightened away by one of our boys, and he cut his hand

-getting over the wall. I wonder who that man was?"</p>

-

-<p>"You know it was me. I would have done it, too, if I had not been

-found. I was frightened then, but I am not now. I am not in your power

-any more."</p>

-

-<p>"Oh, and what has happened to change things?" inquired Horace Elgert

-mockingly.</p>

-

-<p>"This," said the man fiercely. "If I have done wrong, what about you?

-There was a five-pound note stolen at your school&mdash;&mdash;"</p>

-

-<p>"What do you know about that?" cried Elgert quickly.</p>

-

-<p>"I know that it was changed in the town by your friend; and I know that

-you and he went to buy it back, and paid far more than it was worth for

-it, and&mdash;&mdash;"</p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_272" id="Page_272">[Pg 272]</a></span></p>

-

-<p>"And having got it back, there the thing ends," laughed Horace; but the

-man laughed also.</p>

-

-<p>"Oh, yes, you got it back; but not before I had photographed it! I have

-the negative here, a beautiful negative that will enlarge."</p>

-

-<p>Elgert regarded him in silent fury.</p>

-

-<p>"Well," he said, altering his tone, "what do you want for it? I suppose

-you are trying to make money?"</p>

-

-<p>"My book&mdash;the one you stole. If it is just as it was when I had it,

-you shall have this; if it is torn or damaged, then I take this to the

-police."</p>

-

-<p>"You are smarter than I thought," answered Elgert blandly; but oh, in

-his heart, how he determined that in some way he would make this man

-suffer! "Well, here is the book. You can see it is not harmed."</p>

-

-<p>The man snatched the book which the boy took from his pocket, and ran

-to the door to get all the light he could, as he eagerly glanced inside.</p>

-

-<p>"It is all right," he said. "Here is the negative." And he handed it

-to Elgert. "And now you go!"&mdash;this to the book. "You have caused me

-trouble enough. Go where no one can get at you!" And, in a fit of rage,

-he threw it into the river; and then he turned back to the boy.</p>

-

-<p>"Get it again, if you can!" he laughed. "My word is as good as yours,

-now; and while you have the negative, you have not got the prints I

-took from<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_273" id="Page_273">[Pg 273]</a></span> it. You are in my power now, Mr. Horace, and you had best be

-civil, or there will be trouble." And with that he turned and hurried

-off, leaving Horace Elgert alone, white with passion and fear.</p>

-

-<p>"I need not fear him," he muttered. "It only means paying enough, and I

-shall get them. This can go, the water will soon wash the film off."</p>

-

-<p>He skimmed the negative away, but it slipped from his fingers and fell

-into shallow water. He did not trouble; in less than an hour it would

-be washed clean away. Then Horace Elgert produced a book from his

-pocket, and this he, having tied a stone to it, also threw into the

-river; then, finally, he took that dreadful banknote from his pocket,

-and, striking a match, he set it alight and watched it burn to ashes.

-Then, hands in pockets, he sauntered off, and Tinkle and Green crept

-from their refuge.</p>

-

-<p>"We must get back," said Green. "We shall be late."</p>

-

-<p>"Get back be bothered!" rejoined Tinkle eagerly. "We are going to fish

-again. Be careful. Here, hold open your book&mdash;I see one in your pocket!"</p>

-

-<p>Tinkle carefully picked up all the grey, fluffy ash of that burnt

-banknote, and placed it between the leaves.</p>

-

-<p>"My father says that banknotes have a queer ash, and we may want to

-show this. Now let us see if we can get those things out of the river.

-That negative seemed to fall close in."</p>

-

-<p>"I see it!" cried Green, pointing into the water.</p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_274" id="Page_274">[Pg 274]</a></span></p>

-

-<p>"Look, there it is, out on that patch of white sand&mdash;see, there!"</p>

-

-<p>A clever stroke or two with the landing-net, and then the little square

-of glass was in their hands. It was scratched somewhat, but unbroken.

-Tinkle laid it on the grass carefully.</p>

-

-<p>"That is one," he said. "Now let us try for the others."</p>

-

-<p>He weighted his line heavily, and started. He fished and fished, and at

-last he was rewarded&mdash;up came the pocket-book; and soon after, up came

-another book with a stone tied to it.</p>

-

-<p>"It is a crib," pronounced Tinkle. "Come on, Green; we are in an awful

-mess, and we are in for a caning, I suppose; but we have caught our

-fish, and I don't care a bit."</p>

-

-<p>The two boys raced back to the school, and they were accosted in the

-playground by Warren.</p>

-

-<p>"Hallo, you two kids! Where have you been, and how did you get into

-that state?" the monitor asked. "You are over an hour late. Have you

-seen anything of Rexworth?"</p>

-

-<p>"No, Warren. Isn't he in? We wanted him. Oh, we have got something to

-tell him!"</p>

-

-<p>"You will have something to tell the doctor," answered Warren grimly.

-"He is bound to want to know what you have been up to."</p>

-

-<p>"Don't go, Warren. Do listen to us. It concerns Rexworth and Charlton.

-We know about Elgert."</p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_275" id="Page_275">[Pg 275]</a></span></p>

-

-<p>"What is that?" cried Warren, turning. "What do you mean?" And the

-boys, with many "you sees" and "you knows," told their story, and

-exhibited their treasures.</p>

-

-<p>"Here, you come with me!" said Warren. "You are a pair of little

-bricks. Come with me!"</p>

-

-<p>"Where to, Warren?" they asked, as he hurried on&mdash;not in the direction

-of their room, but towards the Head's house. "Where are we going?"</p>

-

-<p>"To the Head himself. He must deal with this. Don't you be frightened.

-I don't think he will punish you for being late, after he knows what

-kept you. Come on and speak up like men!"</p>

-

-<p>"Why, Warren!" exclaimed Dr. Beverly, in mild surprise, when the

-monitor of the Fourth entered his presence, accompanied by the two

-little draggled objects. "What is this? Have these boys been in the

-river? Take them to the housekeeper at once. They are soaking wet!"</p>

-

-<p>"They won't hurt for a minute or two more. They have something to tell

-you, sir&mdash;something I thought that you ought to hear before any one

-else."</p>

-

-<p>"Indeed!" said the Head. "And what is it? Speak quickly, and let them

-go; they will catch bad colds."</p>

-

-<p>So Warren told the story for them, and placed their catch before the

-Head. And Dr. Beverly, great man as he was, shook these two happy

-juniors by the hand, and called them clever boys, and dismissed them

-to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_276" id="Page_276">[Pg 276]</a></span> revel in special tea in the matron's room after he had strictly

-enjoined both them and the monitor not to say a word of this, even to

-Charlton or Ralph Rexworth.</p>

-

-<p>But Ralph had not come home, and it was getting late now. He had been

-long enough to get to Crab Tree Hill and back twice over. What could

-have happened to Ralph Rexworth?</p>

-

-<hr />

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_277" id="Page_277">[Pg 277]</a></span></p>

-

-<h2><span>CHAPTER XXX</span> <span class="smaller">WHAT DETAINED RALPH REXWORTH</span></h2>

-

-<p>Ralph Rexworth stood in the old ruin, looking very perplexed. He could

-not find Mr. Charlton anywhere. He had whistled, and called, and

-searched, but not a trace of the hiding man could he discover.</p>

-

-<p>He felt anxious. What could it mean? Had the hiding-place been

-discovered, and his chum's unfortunate parent again been taken

-prisoner? Unless that was the case, he was at a loss to account for the

-man's absence.</p>

-

-<p>"It is no use waiting any longer," he mused, after he had searched the

-ruin through for the third time. "He has not hurt himself and fallen

-anywhere in here. He must have been alarmed, and have fled, unless he

-is taken. Poor old Fred will be horribly worried when I go back and

-tell him; but there is nothing else for me to do, and I shall be late

-back, as it is."</p>

-

-<p>He sighed. His friend's anxiety for his parent would be something like

-what he felt for his missing father. It made Ralph think of that again,

-and of the strange cry which he had heard in that place.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_278" id="Page_278">[Pg 278]</a></span> He could not

-understand that. As he stood there he felt an uncontrollable impulse to

-penetrate to that lonely house again, to risk meeting the dogs, and to

-try the effects of his call once more.</p>

-

-<p>"I am bound to be late, anyhow," he muttered, "so here goes." And he

-set off. Perhaps he might meet Charlton's father in the wood.</p>

-

-<p>But&mdash;he stopped suddenly&mdash;what did this mean? There, on the soft

-ground, were those tracks once more! Lord Elgert's lame mare had been

-here! Did that mean that Lord Elgert himself had been; or had he lent

-his trap to the police again, and had they managed to run their victim

-down?</p>

-

-<p>The tracks did not touch the ruin; they began some way from it, and

-swept round the spinny towards that lonely house. For Ralph to follow

-them was but child's play. He had hardly to slacken his pace a bit, so

-plainly the marks were to be seen on the soft, little-trodden earth.

-They guided him to the spinny&mdash;to a little path cut through it, of

-which he had been ignorant before&mdash;right up to the house itself; and

-there, standing before the open door, was Lord Elgert's trap and the

-lame mare. It was not to the ruin, but to that mysterious house that

-the trap had been driven. But why? Ah, how Ralph asked himself that

-question, and how impossible it was to find an answer to it!</p>

-

-<p>Lord Elgert seemed to have hated his father. Lord Elgert was here,

-and he had heard his father's signal<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_279" id="Page_279">[Pg 279]</a></span> in this place. Ralph, crouching

-behind the trees, uttered his old call, and then listened with almost

-breathless attention.</p>

-

-<p>Yes. There&mdash;there, muffled but indistinct, the answer came! It came

-from the house. His father was there, and his father was in Lord

-Elgert's power!</p>

-

-<p>Ralph's first impulse was to dash forward; but he paused. He must

-be cautious here. He remained hiding, waiting to see if any one had

-noticed his call, and his prudence was rewarded by seeing Lord Elgert

-himself come to the door, accompanied by the brutal-looking man whom he

-had seen before, and glance anxiously round.</p>

-

-<p>Then the two seemed to consult; and presently the man went away, to

-return with a couple of great tawny hounds, both of which he let loose.

-Ralph's heart stood still. What could he do against those fierce

-brutes? The man and Lord Elgert went in, and the dogs roamed round.

-They had not struck his scent yet; but presently they would do so, and

-then it would be a hard business for him.</p>

-

-<p>Ralph was preparing to cautiously creep away, when he heard a shout

-from the house&mdash;a cry for help, and in his father's voice! That put all

-else out of his head, and he dashed like a deer across the grass and

-into the open door of that house. His father was there; his father was

-crying for help, and he would stand by his side!</p>

-

-<p>The dogs saw, and raised a deep-voiced bay. He<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_280" id="Page_280">[Pg 280]</a></span> slammed the door and

-shut them out, then darted along in the direction of the sounds he had

-heard.</p>

-

-<p>They came from a room on the first floor and he rushed in, and

-there&mdash;there his father struggled in the grasp of Lord Elgert and

-his fierce companion. Mr. Rexworth had evidently been kept a captive

-by being bound to the wall by a stout chain; and one of his arms was

-swathed in dirty bandages, as though he was hurt.</p>

-

-<p>Whether his captors wished to bind him still more securely, or whether

-it was that they sought to convey him somewhere else, Ralph did not

-know. He saw his father with his back to the wall, brandishing a stool

-in one hand. He saw the man rush in, dodge the blow, and strike his

-father down; and then, with a cry of rage, he sprang forward, seizing a

-heavy stick that lay on the table, and struck wildly at the aggressor.

-Alas! what could one stripling like he do against two such men? They

-both turned, and Ralph received a heavy blow upon the temple; and then

-all was darkness, and he knew nothing more.</p>

-

-<p>But when he opened his eyes, where was he? What had happened? Why could

-he not move?</p>

-

-<p>He strove to rise. He felt giddy and sick, and his head ached and

-throbbed dreadfully. Why he was bound&mdash;bound hand and foot, and he was

-stretched upon the floor!</p>

-

-<p>He rolled on his side. His father lay back against<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_281" id="Page_281">[Pg 281]</a></span> the wall, but his

-chain was gone. He was only secured with a rope, in the same manner

-that Ralph was fastened. But his eyes were closed, and his face was

-very white. A dreadful fear filled the lad's mind&mdash;that he had come too

-late, that his father was really dead now.</p>

-

-<p>For a few minutes he lay still, quietly trying the strength of his

-bonds. He knew that knots hastily tied could frequently be worked

-loose; but, alas, it was a vain hope in his case! Those who had secured

-him had done their work well.</p>

-

-<p>And then suddenly he became aware of a hot, choky feeling in the air,

-and a sound of crackling. He struggled into a sitting posture, and&mdash;oh,

-horrible, horrible!&mdash;the room was full of smoke. The place was on fire,

-and he and his dear father were there, helpless and bound, left to

-perish in the flames!</p>

-

-<p>What wonder that terror claimed him for the moment? Who would not

-flinch then in such an awful position?</p>

-

-<p>"Father! Father!" he cried; but the prostrate man returned no answer.

-He lay silent, motionless. Ralph rolled over and over to his side.

-Alas, what good would that do? He managed to struggle to his feet by

-supporting himself in an angle of the room, and he gazed around. The

-smoke was growing worse&mdash;he could hardly breathe when he stood up&mdash;and

-hot puffs of air were forcing themselves through the flooring and

-whirling along the passage and through<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_282" id="Page_282">[Pg 282]</a></span> the door of the room&mdash;the door

-which was cracking and glowing red now, ready to burst into flame.</p>

-

-<p>Oh, was there no help, no succour? If only his faithful Warren or dear

-old Charlton knew of his peril, how they would come to his aid! Alas,

-they were far away, and they did not know.</p>

-

-<p>But what was that? A sound outside! A shout, and the dogs barking and

-raging more than ever, in a perfect fury of anger. Then a smashing of

-glass. Had the fire broken the windows? No. A form rising above the

-sill, a man who staggered as the hot smoke met him, and who bent down

-on all fours to creep across the room&mdash;a man who cried aloud&mdash;</p>

-

-<p>"Ralph Rexworth, are you here? Are you here?"</p>

-

-<p>It was Mr. Charlton; it was Mr. Charlton come to his aid. Oh, what a

-swift rush of thanksgiving filled Ralph's heart then!</p>

-

-<p>"Here, here!" he answered. "I am tied up; I cannot move. And father is

-here, too; he is senseless." And Mr. Charlton was by his side in a few

-moments.</p>

-

-<p>"Thank God you are unharmed," he said, as he drew his knife across

-the ropes that held Ralph prisoner. "I saw you enter, and I feared

-mischief; and when those two came out and drove off, I knew not what to

-think. There are two brutes of dogs there, and they prevented my trying

-to get in. Then I saw the smoke and flame, and I knew what they had

-done. I grew desperate, and made a dash for it.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_283" id="Page_283">[Pg 283]</a></span> The dogs almost got

-me, but I managed to get into a tree that grew close to the house; and

-I passed along one branch to the top of the verandah, and so worked my

-way round. It was risky, for if I had slipped those two brutes would

-have been on me in a moment."</p>

-

-<p>Mr. Charlton was not idle while he was talking. He had set Ralph free,

-and had cut the ropes that held Mr. Rexworth, who now opened his eyes

-and stared around in bewilderment.</p>

-

-<p>"Oh father, father!" cried Ralph. "Thank God that you are alive! Try

-and rouse yourself, father dear. We are in great danger. The house is

-on fire, and if we do not get away quickly we must all perish."</p>

-

-<p>"Ralph, what is it! How did you come?" the father asked vacantly. And

-Mr. Charlton shook him.</p>

-

-<p>"Never mind that now, friend!" he cried. "The fire is upon us. Ah, see

-there!"&mdash;as the door fell with a crash and a burst of flame swept in

-upon them. "We have not a moment to lose. Out you go, Ralph, and hold

-on like a limpet! Be ready to aid your father, that is all"&mdash;as Ralph

-scrambled through the window and managed to find footing on a narrow

-ledge that ran round the house. "Now, Mr. Rexworth, prove yourself

-a man. If you fall, the dogs won't give you a chance. Now, sir, for

-Heaven's sake, try!"</p>

-

-<p>"I will manage it all right, my good friend," answered Mr. Rexworth.

-The flame and smoke had<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_284" id="Page_284">[Pg 284]</a></span> recalled him to the immediate peril. "Just a

-hand through, that is all." And, summoning all his reserve of strength

-and resolution, he managed to get from the window, aided by Mr.

-Charlton in the room, and somewhat supported by Ralph behind him.</p>

-

-<p>Cautiously holding on with grim energy, the three managed to creep back

-to that point from which the rescuer had first started&mdash;the top of the

-verandah. But this was a position of great peril now; for the flames

-were breaking through it, and darting from the windows above it, and

-the melted lead of roof and gutter hissed and spluttered. It seemed

-death to go on; it was death to go back. And the two hounds below had

-followed them round, and now stood barking up at them.</p>

-

-<p>"We must risk it," panted Mr. Charlton. "Let me go first, and show you

-how to do it. If you step on the wall you can reach the branch of the

-tree in three strides. It seems very dreadful, but the peril is more

-apparent than real. Look!"</p>

-

-<p>He boldly jumped to the brickwork around which the fire darted. He took

-three quick firm steps, and was able to swing himself into the limb of

-the tree, safe from the fire's reach.</p>

-

-<p>Mr. Rexworth followed by the same dangerous path. "Now, Ralph!" he

-cried. But almost as the words came the whole of the verandah, and the

-brickwork supporting it, fell in; and there Ralph was left clinging to

-that narrow protection of the wall.</p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_285" id="Page_285">[Pg 285]</a></span></p>

-

-<p>And the wall itself was cracking with the heat. He could not maintain

-his position for long. At any moment it might fall and cover him in its

-heated ruins.</p>

-

-<p>Mr. Rexworth groaned in horror; Mr. Charlton looked on in dismay; and

-Ralph clung there, with death behind, and death above, and death&mdash;the

-worst death of all, red-eyed and lolling-tongued death&mdash;beneath

-awaiting him!</p>

-

-<hr />

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_286" id="Page_286">[Pg 286]</a></span></p>

-

-<h2><span>CHAPTER XXXI</span> <span class="smaller">THE TABLES ARE TURNED</span></h2>

-

-<p>"Ralph! Oh, my son!" cried Mr. Rexworth, as he saw the peril in which

-the brave lad stood. And the boy turned and looked at his father.</p>

-

-<p>"I cannot hold on here much longer, father," he said. "I shall have to

-drop, and take my chance with the dogs."</p>

-

-<p>"Wait&mdash;wait a moment, Ralph!" answered the agonized man. "Let me get

-down and attract their attention, and then you will have a chance."</p>

-

-<p>"Don't, don't father," implored Ralph. "What chance will you have with

-them with your arm hurt? I may manage it."</p>

-

-<p>"I will do it," volunteered Mr. Charlton; "I am uninjured. You stay

-here, sir."</p>

-

-<p>"Don't either of you do it!" cried Ralph, shifting his position a

-little so as to avoid the smoke if he could. "I am going to try and

-creep back a bit. I may find a better place."</p>

-

-<p>"It is useless, Ralph," was his father's answer. "The wall is cracking

-behind you. I can see the smoke coming through. Oh, if we only had a

-rope!"</p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_287" id="Page_287">[Pg 287]</a></span></p>

-

-<p>"A rope!" cried Mr. Charlton. "If a rope can aid in such an extremity,

-I can supply that; for I have kept a long one on my person in case I

-might be in need of it to escape from my own enemies."</p>

-

-<p>As he spoke he threw off his coat and waistcoat, and there, wound round

-his body, was a long but fine line, one quite long enough to serve the

-purpose of reaching to where Ralph clung, though he could not see of

-what avail it would be.</p>

-

-<p>But Mr. Rexworth saw. And, shouting to Ralph to keep up his courage and

-to look out, he threw one end of the rope&mdash;not to the boy&mdash;but up over

-another branch of the tree that was some height above them. Then he

-caught this end as it fell, and gave the other to Mr. Charlton, bidding

-him give one turn round the trunk and hold on with all his might. The

-other end he whirled round his head, and, with practised aim, he sent

-it to Ralph, who gripped at it with one hand, having to risk falling to

-earth as he did so.</p>

-

-<div class="center"><img src="images/i287.jpg" alt="With practised aim, he sent the rope to Ralph" /></div>

-

-<p class="bold">"<span class="smcap">With practised aim, he sent the rope to Ralph, who

-gripped it<br />with one hand.</span>" p. 287</p>

-

-<p>But, having got it, the rest was easy. He was able to swing across that

-fiery gulf which separated him from safety, and the next moment was

-safely beside his father, while the dogs ran to the tree and leaped

-against its trunk in vain rage. And almost at that moment the wall to

-which he had been clinging collapsed and fell in fiery ruin. A few

-moments sooner, and it would have carried the brave boy with it to his

-death.</p>

-

-<p>Safe so far, but still held prisoners by those dogs;<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_288" id="Page_288">[Pg 288]</a></span> and still with

-the flame and smoke blowing upon them. If the walls fell in their

-direction death might claim them after all.</p>

-

-<p>"If we only had some weapon to beat these brutes off with," said Mr.

-Charlton, as he looked down. But Mr. Rexworth replied&mdash;</p>

-

-<p>"We had better remain here. The fire is sure to be seen, and help will

-arrive soon."</p>

-

-<p>Help! Yes, help for Ralph and his father. But what would that help mean

-to poor Mr. Charlton&mdash;what but being taken prisoner again? He sighed,

-but said nothing. He had done his best to help the boy who had helped

-him, and if that must be the price paid he would pay it.</p>

-

-<p>But Ralph had little idea of remaining perched in a tree. He saw that

-there was a weapon, and one which, in skilful hands, would prove very

-effective&mdash;one which he excelled in the use of.</p>

-

-<p>The rope was coiled in his hands, and a running noose was formed at

-one end. He crawled far out on the branch, and got a firm hold with

-his legs; then he gave his rope a whirl, and sent it flying downwards.

-And soon one of those great dogs was jerked into mid-air, and when it

-touched earth again it was dead&mdash;its neck was broken.</p>

-

-<p>They hauled it up and loosened the noose, letting the body fall heavily

-to the earth. And ere long the second animal had shared its fate, and

-there was nothing to hinder them from descending.</p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_289" id="Page_289">[Pg 289]</a></span></p>

-

-<p>Nothing! No, that was not quite right. There was a desperate man, who

-had remained hidden, to see the result of his wicked work&mdash;a man whose

-face was dark with wrath, and whose heart was maddened with fear. For

-if these escaped unscathed, it meant the ruin of everything for him.</p>

-

-<p>Mr. Charlton and Ralph had helped Mr. Rexworth to the ground, and

-either from weakness, or from the reaction of feeling, Mr. Rexworth

-staggered and sunk half swooning at the foot of the tree; while the

-other two bent over him anxiously.</p>

-

-<p>That was the chance. Lord Elgert and his brutal follower suddenly

-dashed from the shelter of the trees and rushed upon them. The man was

-armed with a rugged stick, and Lord Elgert had a heavily-loaded whip.

-It seemed as if the others were at their mercy; but Ralph's quick

-ear caught the sound of their approach, and with a cry of warning he

-started up. The others were almost upon them, and they were unarmed.

-The lad glanced around; at his feet one of the dead dogs lay; he seized

-it, he put out all his strength, and sent the heavy body direct at the

-pair, who, quite unprepared for such an unexpected assault, received it

-full in their faces.</p>

-

-<p>The man fell heavily, Lord Elgert turned and fled. And Ralph, with an

-eager cry, darted after him, rope in hand. The man who had treated his

-father thus should not escape him now.</p>

-

-<p>But now through the growth there came the crashing<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_290" id="Page_290">[Pg 290]</a></span> of heavy bodies,

-and loud shouts were raised. The fire had attracted attention, and

-people were rushing from Crab Tree village to see what was the cause.</p>

-

-<p>And not only villagers, but policemen&mdash;policemen who had patiently

-waited and watched, feeling sure that the man they wanted was still

-hiding in the locality. It was a constable who grabbed hold of Ralph's

-arm, and, pulling him up with a sudden jerk, demanded what he was doing

-and what had occasioned the fire.</p>

-

-<p>Ralph struggled. It was maddening to think that he was stopped while

-Lord Elgert was escaping. He did not stop to think that escape was next

-to impossible. He was accustomed to the ways of the wild plains, and

-there, if a man once got away, it was almost certain that no one would

-catch him again.</p>

-

-<p>"It was Lord Elgert who did it, and he is running away!" he cried. "My

-father is there. You know how he was missing, and we thought he had

-been murdered. Lord Elgert had him. He is here."</p>

-

-<p>"Whatever are you talking about, young man?" the constable demanded,

-perplexed at such a dramatic statement. But the sergeant, who had come

-up with a horse-constable interposed&mdash;</p>

-

-<p>"Don't stand there talking, man, see what is amiss!" The constable had

-let go of Ralph, and the mounted man had jumped from his horse. Ralph

-caught sight of a trap being driven at full speed over the moor. He

-had no need to ask who was in that. Lord Elgert<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_291" id="Page_291">[Pg 291]</a></span> was making good his

-escape. With a shout of anger and defiance, Ralph had sprung into the

-empty saddle and was off before a single man there could get over his

-surprise and hinder him.</p>

-

-<p>"There he goes, there he goes!" he shouted, pointing after the trap.

-"That is Lord Elgert, but I will ride him down!" And away he went,

-leaving the men open-mouthed.</p>

-

-<p>They found the two dead dogs, they found Mr. Rexworth, and alas! they

-found poor, patient Mr. Charlton. He might have attempted to escape,

-but he would not leave the injured man. Besides, it was no use now;

-there was nowhere else to hide, and he must be taken sooner or later.</p>

-

-<p>And after the galloping mare went Ralph, riding hard. It was

-like the old life once more&mdash;this wild gallop. He had ridden the

-half-wild broncho steeds of Texas, and he had no difficulty with this

-well-trained horse.</p>

-

-<p>On he went; on, on, near and nearer to the flying man in front. He

-saw Lord Elgert look back at him. A man against a boy! Surely the man

-need have no fear in such a contest! And yet Lord Elgert did fear. He

-had feared this boy from the very first time he had seen him in Stow

-Wood. He had feared him from the moment Ralph had cut that bullet

-from the tree, and from the time when he had heard him declare that

-he would never rest until he had solved the mystery of his father's

-disappearance. That mystery<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_292" id="Page_292">[Pg 292]</a></span> was solved, all his wicked devices were

-brought to naught, and now he was fleeing for life and for liberty,

-being hunted just as he had made the police hunt Mr. Charlton. The

-tables were being turned indeed!</p>

-

-<p>Nearer and nearer Ralph drew, and fiercer and more cruelly did the

-man lash the sides of his faithful little mare. Ralph stood up in his

-stirrups, and Lord Elgert looked at him over his shoulder. The boy had

-the rope in his hands. Ah, the very first thing he did when he had come

-to the place was to rope his black bull! Now he was going to serve him

-in the same way&mdash;to serve him as he had served the two dogs!</p>

-

-<p>Lord Elgert saw the arm of the boy sweep round his head, and he ducked.</p>

-

-<p>But Ralph had not aimed at him, he had a better plan than that. The

-noose settled over the little mare. Ralph pulled up, and braced himself

-for the shock which he knew would follow&mdash;a shock which nearly pulled

-him from his saddle. The mare went down, the trap was shattered,

-and Lord Elgert, totally unprepared&mdash;not even looking where he was

-going&mdash;was sent flying through the air to fall heavily, striking his

-temple against a rugged stump.</p>

-

-<p>Ralph was at the spot in a moment. The man was stunned and at his

-mercy. The rope had done its duty as a lasso, and was now used to bind

-Lord Elgert. Ralph felt no remorse or compunction about that. He must

-take this man to his father, and his father must declare what should

-next be done.</p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_293" id="Page_293">[Pg 293]</a></span></p>

-

-<p>"He isn't much hurt," he muttered; "nor are you, you poor thing," he

-added, turning to the plunging mare. "There you are"&mdash;as he cut her

-free from the ruin of the trap. "Now I reckon that you can find your

-own way home, and, in the meantime, I will wait here."</p>

-

-<p>He placed his hands to his mouth, and gave his old wild call, and from

-the distance it was answered by his father. They would soon be here

-now. Ralph tethered the horse, and seated himself on the grass. Lord

-Elgert opened his eyes, and looked at him with an expression of the

-deepest hate; but Ralph little heeded that. His father was safe, and

-that was all he thought of then. Ralph Rexworth felt happier at that

-moment than he had done for many a day, and, paying no attention to his

-fallen foe, save to take care that he did not get free, he waited until

-the police, people, and Mr. Rexworth arrived upon the scene. Yes, the

-tables were turned now; and had he but known it, they were turned at

-school also.</p>

-

-<hr />

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_294" id="Page_294">[Pg 294]</a></span></p>

-

-<h2><span>CHAPTER XXXII</span> <span class="smaller">FLOGGED AND EXPELLED</span></h2>

-

-<p>"The whole school to assemble in the hall!"</p>

-

-<p>The order was received in every class-room, and masters and boys looked

-surprised. It was generally known that Ralph Rexworth had been absent

-all night, and that a message had been sent over to Mr. St. Clive's

-asking whether the boy had been detained there. It was also known that

-Charlton was in disgrace&mdash;that he had been accused of stealing Ralph's

-examination papers, for the purpose of correcting them from a crib.</p>

-

-<p>The idea was that it must be on one of these accounts that the school

-was summoned&mdash;either Ralph had got into trouble, or Charlton was to be

-punished.</p>

-

-<p>But there was no time for speculation. Into the hall the boys trooped,

-class by class&mdash;juniors, middle division, and seniors&mdash;their masters

-following, and their monitors leading the way; and there upon the

-doctor's desk an ominous object was to be seen&mdash;the school birch,

-rarely taken from its resting-place in the cupboard, rarely used, and,

-if the truth must be told, rarely needing to be used. Woe betide the

-unlucky boy who<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_295" id="Page_295">[Pg 295]</a></span> so far disgraced the honour of Marlthorpe as to render

-its presence needful, for what he got from the Head was as nothing to

-what he would receive from the angry scholars later on.</p>

-

-<p>"Silence!"</p>

-

-<p>Kesterway's voice rang out as Dr. Beverly entered and an expectant hush

-fell upon the whole school.</p>

-

-<p>"Frederick Charlton, stand out!"</p>

-

-<p>Charlton obeyed. Boys who knew how nervous he was were surprised to

-see him quite calm now. He moved forward towards the Head's desk and

-saluted; and then the Headmaster of Marlthorpe spoke.</p>

-

-<p>"Charlton, you were found in my class-room the other night, with

-Rexworth's examination papers in your hand. Tell the school your reason

-for being there!"</p>

-

-<p>The Head spoke shortly, but kindly, as if inviting the boy to be at

-ease; and Charlton told his story, and explained how he had seen Dobson

-and Elgert break open the desk.</p>

-

-<p>"The desk was unlocked. There was no need to break it open," the Head

-said; and then he turned to the other two boys, and asked them what

-they had to say.</p>

-

-<p>What they had to say indeed! Such indignant denials, and such plain

-statements that it was all up between Rexworth and Charlton.</p>

-

-<p>"Rexworth is detained, and cannot be here yet," said the Head quietly.

-"But we can proceed with this inquiry in his absence. Elgert and

-Dobson, stand out!"</p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_296" id="Page_296">[Pg 296]</a></span></p>

-

-<p>And the two obeyed, ill at ease, wondering what was coming next, and

-casting suspicious looks at each other, as if each thought the other

-had turned informer.</p>

-

-<p>"Horace Elgert, did you ever see this before?" asked the Head.</p>

-

-<p>And Elgert turned white, for the doctor held out that wretched crib

-which he had thrown into the river.</p>

-

-<p>"No, sir," he answered, averting his eyes.</p>

-

-<p>And the same answer was asked of Dobson, who gave the same answer.</p>

-

-<p>"James Green! Henry Tinkle!" cried Kesterway.</p>

-

-<p>And the two small chums jumped up eagerly.</p>

-

-<p>"Explain how you became possessed of this crib," said the Head.</p>

-

-<p>Green spoke first, and Tinkle backed him up, and then a low angry hiss

-rang through the school, and Horace Elgert turned a pair of anxious,

-frightened eyes towards his companions.</p>

-

-<p>"Do you deny this story, Elgert?" asked the Head sternly.</p>

-

-<p>And the boy was silent. If those two juniors had picked up his book,

-had they picked up anything else?</p>

-

-<p>"There was a banknote missing some time ago," the Head went on. "You

-may remember that a note was found in Rexworth's pocket-book, and I

-showed how he had been the victim of a plot. The banknote that was

-stolen was never discovered; but I now know that it was changed by you,

-Dobson, at a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_297" id="Page_297">[Pg 297]</a></span> low cake shop in the town, and that afterwards it was

-bought back by you and Elgert from that man for far more than it was

-worth. That note, Elgert, you destroyed yesterday by burning it, and

-here are the ashes." And the Head produced the filmy ash still lying

-in <i>Tom Brown's Schooldays</i>. "But that note had been photographed,

-and you purchased the negative by giving to the person who held it a

-pocket-book which you had previously taken from him. The negative you

-also threw into the river, and the person you were with threw in the

-book which you had just restored to him. Do you deny these statements?"</p>

-

-<p>Still Elgert did not answer. He felt hot and cold by turns. He did not

-know where to turn his eyes. It was no use denying in the face of such

-proof.</p>

-

-<p>"You cannot answer!" the Head went on. "You, Dobson, what do you know

-of this?"</p>

-

-<p>"Oh&mdash;oh&mdash;oh!" yelled Dobson, clasping his hands, and falling upon

-his knees. "Oh, forgive me, sir! Oh, I will own up, sir! It was all

-Elgert's fault. He made me do it, sir! I never wanted to do it, sir! It

-is all true, every bit of it, sir! Oh&mdash;&mdash;"</p>

-

-<p>"Silence!" cried the Head, in ill-disguised contempt. "No one can force

-another to do evil. You two boys have conspired together to injure

-the good name of a companion, whose only offence has been that he has

-tried to act a noble manly part amidst very difficult and adverse

-circumstances. You would have branded him a thief; and to do it you

-did not hesitate to <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_298" id="Page_298">[Pg 298]</a></span>become thieves yourselves. You have told the

-vilest lies&mdash;and you, Elgert, have done worse. It will be for other

-authorities to deal with this; but I will mention it here. You have

-allowed one of these boys&mdash;Charlton I mean&mdash;to suffer much torture

-because of his father's unhappy position. You knew that his father was

-innocent, and you held the proof of that, and&mdash;&mdash;"</p>

-

-<p>Then the Head stopped, for Charlton had turned very white. He had not

-known of the business of the pocket-book.</p>

-

-<p>"Oh, sir," he said, "my father innocent! And he knew it, and&mdash;and&mdash;&mdash;"</p>

-

-<p>He put his hand to his head, and Kesterway sprang forward and caught

-him, or he would have fallen, for he fainted away; and the Head, with

-tears in his eyes, murmured&mdash;</p>

-

-<p>"Poor boy! Poor boy! Take him to the matron."</p>

-

-<p>They carried him out, and not one of those who had jeered at him but

-now felt sorry and ashamed, and full of anger against the two culprits,

-to whom the Head now turned again.</p>

-

-<p>"It is possible that others outside our school may have something to

-say to you about this business," he said. "That has nothing to do with

-me. I have only to deal with your offence as it touches the honour of

-the school and for that offence only the severest punishment can be

-inflicted&mdash;&mdash;"</p>

-

-<p>Whereat Dobson uttered a howl, and Elgert clenched<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_299" id="Page_299">[Pg 299]</a></span> his hands and

-looked desperate. The severest punishment! That was why the birch was

-there.</p>

-

-<p>"You will both be publicly flogged," continued the Head, "and then you

-will be expelled!"</p>

-

-<p>And at this a shout of approval went up. Marlthorpe was going to be

-avenged for the slight put upon its honour.</p>

-

-<p>"Oh, mercy&mdash;mercy!" cried Dobson. "Oh, don't flog me, sir! I won't do

-it any more, and it was all Elgert's fault."</p>

-

-<p>Elgert looked at him in scorn. If he must be flogged, he would crave

-no mercy. He would show them that he did not care. But flogged! A gasp

-went round as the school porter and the man who kept the lodge came

-in. It was useless to resist, though Dobson kicked and struggled, and

-shouted in his anger and fear. The Head laid aside his gown, and took

-the rod; and then the sound of the hissing cuts came. Dobson was the

-first victim, and with the strokes came the yells&mdash;awful yells, for the

-Head did not spare him in the least, and Dobson plainly found himself

-in a very uncomfortable position.</p>

-

-<p>He was released at last, and then Elgert&mdash;the Honourable Horace

-Elgert&mdash;took his place. He bit his lips until the blood came, but he

-would not cry out. But oh, how he hated Ralph Rexworth then! If he

-could have hurt him&mdash;if he could have killed him, he would not have

-cared what they did to him afterwards.</p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_300" id="Page_300">[Pg 300]</a></span></p>

-

-<p>It was over at last. And he stood breathless, smarting, a mist before

-his eyes, until he caught sight of Tinkle's fat face; and he thought

-that Tinkle was grinning.</p>

-

-<p>Then, rage overcoming him, not thinking what he was doing, he rushed

-at the little fellow, and, had not Warren been near to prevent it, he

-would have knocked him down.</p>

-

-<p>And then, Head or no Head, Marlthorpe lost its calmness, and the boys

-sprang up, and surged forward at the two offenders&mdash;angry boys, with

-menacing eyes. Elgert's courage failed him then. He turned and ran, and

-Dobson went after him. In vain masters shouted, and the Head rang his

-bell. In vain Kesterway rushed after them. Not another monitor paid any

-attention. Out into the playground they streamed, and around it they

-chased the two boys.</p>

-

-<p>Around they went. They drove them to the small pond, and threw them in.

-They dragged them out, and hustled them, dripping and breathless, to

-the gates. The Head had no need to expel the pair.</p>

-

-<p>As Elgert and Dobson were thrown out a little party approached the

-gates; and from its number, one boy darted forward to throw himself

-between the two miserable victims and their pursuers, and that boy was

-Ralph Rexworth himself.</p>

-

-<p>"Here, I say, drop that! It is not fair!" giving Warren a shove

-backwards. "It isn't the right thing! Drop it, you fellows! And look

-out, here comes the Head!"</p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_301" id="Page_301">[Pg 301]</a></span></p>

-

-<p>Yes, the Head with his cane, and the masters with their canes, coming

-to insist upon order, and to show Marlthorpe that it could not be

-permitted to do just as it chose even with boys like Dobson and Elgert.

-It certainly looked as though some one was going to get caned just then.</p>

-

-<p>But Warren uttered a whoop.</p>

-

-<p>"Hallo, Ralph! Fellows, here is Rexworth turned up. Just too late to

-see the fun! You ought to have heard Dobby yell, my boy! It was lovely!"</p>

-

-<p>"Here is Rexworth!" echoed the boys.</p>

-

-<p>They pounced upon him. They grabbed arm or leg, whichever they could

-get hold of, and dragged him somehow upon their shoulders, and marched

-back triumphantly; while the Head and the masters did not know what to

-do.</p>

-

-<p>And behind Ralph came Mr. Rexworth, and Mr. St. Clive and Irene&mdash;a very

-radiant Irene&mdash;who whispered to Tom Warren that the gentleman with the

-injured arm was Ralph's father, and that he was Lord Rexworth, because

-he was the son of the old Lord Stephen, and his right name was Rexworth

-Stephen, and Ralph would be the Honourable Ralph Rexworth Stephen. She

-told it very excitedly, and Tom Warren whistled, and then yelled&mdash;</p>

-

-<p>"Three cheers for Ralph's father&mdash;Lord Rexworth Stephen! And three more

-cheers for the Honourable Ralph Rexworth Stephen! Come on, you fellows,

-out with it!"</p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_302" id="Page_302">[Pg 302]</a></span></p>

-

-<p>What shouting and cheering there was then! And how, while Mr. Rexworth,

-as we will still call him, was talking to the Doctor, Ralph got nearly

-pulled to pieces. Why, they even forgot the birching in the excitement

-of Ralph's return. They had to hear his story, and how he had found

-his father; and then Warren explained how they had found out that Mr.

-Charlton was innocent.</p>

-

-<p>That was good news for Ralph&mdash;the best news that could possibly be&mdash;and

-escaping with Warren and Irene, he hurried across to the matron's

-house, and begged that he might see his chum.</p>

-

-<p>Charlton was all right, only he was so excited, and just a little

-inclined to cry. And he wanted to know where his father was; and when

-Ralph explained how Mr. Charlton had given himself up, he exclaimed&mdash;</p>

-

-<p>"Oh, Ralph, let us go and explain! Let us go now!"</p>

-

-<p>"Come and tell my father. He will understand," said Ralph; but there

-was little need for telling.</p>

-

-<p>Already Mr. St. Clive had been informed, and he had hurried off at

-once. It would not be long before Mr. Charlton was a free man.</p>

-

-<p>And then Mr. Rexworth, seeing that there would be much to talk about,

-went back with Ralph and Irene and Charlton to Mr. St. Clive's house,

-there to tell his story, and explain how it was that he had become the

-prisoner of the man who had treated him so very cruelly.</p>

-

-<hr />

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_303" id="Page_303">[Pg 303]</a></span></p>

-

-<h2><span>CHAPTER XXXIII</span> <span class="smaller">CONCLUSION</span></h2>

-

-<p>Seated in the drawing-room at Mr. St. Clive's house, an interested

-party gathered around Mr. Rexworth to hear his story. And not only

-an interested party, but a happy one, for the trouble was gone, and

-the sun was shining for all there. It was no wonder that, even before

-stories were told, Mr. Rexworth should have said, "Let us all kneel

-and thank our Heavenly Father for His great mercy and goodness," nor

-that every heart should have been filled with devout gratitude as, with

-bent heads, they listened to the words of thanksgiving, for, like the

-psalmist of old, they could say, "God hath done great things for us,

-whereof we are glad."</p>

-

-<p>And so they sat, while Mr. Rexworth told his story, a story that had

-its moral, too, for it revealed how disobedience to a father might

-bring sore punishment afterwards.</p>

-

-<p>For, as we now know, Mr. Rexworth was the son of old Lord Stephen, and

-in his early days he had been wild and headstrong, and had frequently

-disobeyed his father's commands. And in that he had been aided<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_304" id="Page_304">[Pg 304]</a></span> by his

-cousin Elgert. For Elgert envied the young heir his position, and hoped

-to make a bad quarrel between the father and son.</p>

-

-<p>And he was successful. The quarrel came, and Mr. Rexworth had run away

-from home, dropping his name of Stephen, and going away to the wild

-plains of Texas, to indulge in the roving life for which he longed.

-But he soon found that it was not all pleasure&mdash;that hardship and

-disappointment followed, and that whether in England or away in wild

-lands, the best thing for a man was to be a follower of the Lord Jesus

-Christ.</p>

-

-<p>But he did not write to his father, for he believed that he would never

-be forgiven. And he met his wife, and married, and Ralph was born;

-and then he was content, and put all thoughts of the old home away,

-striving to bring his son up as a true Christian, even amidst their

-wild surroundings.</p>

-

-<p>But his wife, when she was dying, spoke seriously to her husband, for

-she knew the truth, and she said that their boy ought to come to his

-own; and so, because she wished it, for the first time Mr. Rexworth

-wrote home to his father.</p>

-

-<p>But Lord Stephen was dead, and his nephew reigned in his place; and

-Lord Elgert had sent a cold letter back, saying that he did not wish to

-have anything to do with a man who had broken a good father's heart,

-and that everything had been left to him.</p>

-

-<p>But with that letter there came another, one written<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_305" id="Page_305">[Pg 305]</a></span> by a faithful old

-servant, enclosing a will. Lord Stephen had made that will just before

-he died, and had entrusted it to his old retainer; so that if ever his

-son, whom he had forgiven, should come back, he should have his own

-again.</p>

-

-<p>Then Mr. Rexworth had started for England with Ralph, but he had not

-told his son anything of the business which took him there; and when at

-last they had reached Stow Ormond he had left the boy at the <i>Horse and

-Wheel</i> with old Simon, and had started off for Castle Court.</p>

-

-<p>And an angry, disappointed man was Lord Elgert when he found that his

-cousin was to take from him everything which he had schemed to gain.</p>

-

-<p>"He had nothing to say," said Mr. Rexworth, "but he looked very strange

-as I left&mdash;as if he would have liked to kill me. I had told him that

-no one knew who I really was, and that my own son was ignorant of the

-truth. It was a foolish thing to have done, for it meant that if I were

-out of the way, no one would know anything about the business which had

-brought me home.</p>

-

-<p>"It was dark and cheerless, and I was anxious to get back to you,

-Ralph, so I took the short cut through Stow Wood past the black mere;

-and just as I reached the pond I was startled by some one firing at me

-from behind a tree. The first shot missed, but the second struck my arm

-and broke the bone. It has never been properly set, and has caused me

-much pain.</p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_306" id="Page_306">[Pg 306]</a></span></p>

-

-<p>"I must have fainted, for when I recovered my senses I was a prisoner

-in a strange place&mdash;the very house in which you found me. My cousin's

-first intention had been to kill me; but when he found that he had

-failed, his courage wavered, and he had me taken to that place and put

-that man to guard me. He promised to set me free if I would give him

-the will, but that I would not do. I had taken the precaution to leave

-that in London with a lawyer I had known in my younger days, and there

-it is now.</p>

-

-<p>"Lord Elgert's next offer was to set me free if I would sign away half

-the property to him; but that I also refused to do. The man used to

-urge him to kill me, but he seemed possessed with the fear that you,

-Ralph, would find it out if he did so.</p>

-

-<p>"Then one day when I felt very depressed and ill and on the point of

-yielding, I heard your old call, and I answered it, and I knew that you

-had in some way got on my track. And Lord Elgert found that out also,

-for yesterday he came to take me away to another hiding-place, and I

-refused to go. We struggled, and again your call came, and that made

-him desperate. The rest of the story you know, my dear boy. And now you

-must tell me how you managed to get on my track."</p>

-

-<p>So Ralph told his story, and then Mr. Charlton explained how he had,

-whilst hiding in the old ruin, become convinced that Lord Elgert held

-some one prisoner in that strange house, and on the very day<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_307" id="Page_307">[Pg 307]</a></span> when

-Ralph had gone to take his chum's message, he had stolen out to watch.

-Mr. Charlton had seen Ralph go in, and had watched until both Lord

-Elgert and his man came out; then, perplexed and fearing foul play,

-he had stood there until the flames burst out, and that sight had

-dispelled his fear of the dogs and sent him to the rescue.</p>

-

-<p>And then, when the police had arrived and had taken their prisoner

-again, Mr. St. Clive had come after him, not only with that diary,

-but with the man who had written it, and who confessed that he had

-committed the offence at the instigation of Lord Elgert, who had a

-spite against Mr. Charlton.</p>

-

-<p>The innocent man was soon set free after that, and was able to rejoin

-his wife and his son openly and without any fear.</p>

-

-<p>But Lord Elgert? Ah, that was the one thing that made Mr. Rexworth sad.

-He would have forgiven his cousin if he could, much as he had suffered

-at his hands, but the law would not allow that. Lord Elgert had been

-arrested, and the miserable Horace, together with his partner in

-disgrace, Dobson, had run away, and no one knew where they were.</p>

-

-<p>But they were found, for Mr. Dobson set a detective on their track,

-and they were brought back, a pair of sorry-looking objects, dirty and

-ragged.</p>

-

-<p>Mr. Dobson immediately apprenticed his son to a firm of shipowners,

-and sent him off to sea; and Mr. Rexworth, seeing that Horace had no

-friend, did the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_308" id="Page_308">[Pg 308]</a></span> same for his nephew, hoping that in his new life

-he would become a true and good man. Ralph would have been friendly

-to Horace at their parting, but the proud boy would not accept his

-friendship. Later on they heard that he had deserted his ship when it

-got to Australia, and after that they heard no more of him.</p>

-

-<p>And so punishment overtook those who had done evil, and patience and

-truth reaped their reward at last, as they ever must in the end;

-and Ralph Rexworth was the Hon. Ralph Rexworth Stephen amongst his

-schoolfellows, for Mr. Rexworth thought that it would do him no harm to

-stay at the good doctor's school for a little while before he went to

-college.</p>

-

-<p>Yes, he was "the Honourable." Indeed, he had been the Honourable all

-the time in the true sense of the word. He did not put on any airs&mdash;our

-Ralph could not have done that if he had tried&mdash;and he and Charlton and

-honest old Tom Warren were three of the staunchest chums that ever you

-met with&mdash;always together, and all three working for the good of the

-Fourth; so that when they were promoted to the Fifth, Mr. Delermain

-said that it was one of the greatest losses he had received, and that

-the best influences in his class had all been taken away together.</p>

-

-<p>"But," some of my readers may ask, "did Ralph Rexworth win the Newlet?"

-I declare that I had nearly forgotten that. He did win it; and it will

-not be a bad idea to finish the story by having a peep at him when he

-received it.</p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_309" id="Page_309">[Pg 309]</a></span></p>

-

-<p>Of course, that was on breaking-up day. What a lovely day that always

-is, especially when you know that you have a good report to take home,

-and some prizes to carry away with you.</p>

-

-<p>The great hall at Marlthorpe was decorated with flags, and crowded with

-visitors; while on the platform, which had been constructed at one

-end, all the boys were gathered, class by class, and in the middle of

-them was the Head's chair, and the masters' seats, and a place for the

-speakers&mdash;and there was Mr. Rexworth among the speakers!</p>

-

-<p>Well, there they all were; and the Head read his report; and they all

-clapped and shouted at the part where it said that for the second year

-in succession, Marlthorpe had the honour of carrying off the Newlet.</p>

-

-<p>"Good old Rexworth!" shouted one boy. And the Head had to cry order

-sharply; whereat Jimmy Green nudged Tinkle and said "Shut up, you

-silly!" so it must have been Tinkle who shouted.</p>

-

-<p>And then there were the speeches, and then the recitations; and Tinkle

-and Green were most wonderfully impressive in the quarrel between

-Brutus and Cassius&mdash;only just at the part where Brutus had to say "Take

-this dagger," he found he had no dagger with him; and Cassius said very

-rudely, and quite out loud, so that every one could hear it&mdash;</p>

-

-<p>"You silly owl! I knew you would forget it; and I made such a lovely

-one, with silver foil for a blade."</p>

-

-<p>"Imagine the dagger," whispered Mr. Rexworth,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_310" id="Page_310">[Pg 310]</a></span> his face red with

-laughter. And the dagger being imagined, the quarrel went on, and was

-made up in the most approved fashion.</p>

-

-<p>And then, recitations over, there came a short pause&mdash;an impressive

-pause, during which small juniors pushed back their hair, and arranged

-collars and ties, and tried to look irreproachable, for prizes were

-coming&mdash;prizes!</p>

-

-<p>They began with the juniors first. That is a wise plan, because, having

-got their share, they are more likely to sit still while the upper

-classes are being dealt with. The juniors! And every one laughed and

-clapped as the little fellows walked up to the Head, so stiff and

-awkward, and saluted for all the world like penny dolls worked by a

-string, and having clutched their prizes and bobbed to the audience,

-scuttled back to their seats to have their immediate neighbours bend

-enviously over that lovely book, and take hurried glances at the

-pictures.</p>

-

-<p>The middle classes&mdash;that is the Upper Third and Lower Fourth&mdash;next.

-With them we have nothing to do, beyond saying that both Tinkle and

-Green were amongst the prize-winners and that almost before they had

-got back to their seats, they had challenged each other to mortal

-combat, because each said his book was better than the other's.</p>

-

-<p>Then the seniors&mdash;the Upper Fourth&mdash;Warren and Charlton. And each of

-them got clapped and cheered, as they richly deserved to be.</p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_311" id="Page_311">[Pg 311]</a></span></p>

-

-<p>And then Ralph Rexworth Stephen&mdash;how strange it sounded to hear him

-called that!&mdash;and such a burst of cheering and "Brave old Ralph!" and

-"Buck up, Ralph!" Well, the Head smiled; and for once Ralph looked

-quite foolish and nervous, and as if he would have liked to cry&mdash;it was

-so good to feel that all his schoolmates respected him!</p>

-

-<p>But his prize given, the Head took up a little case by his side and

-took from it a gold medal with blue ribbon attached to it. The Newlet

-Gold Medal, won for Marlthorpe College by Ralph!</p>

-

-<p>Talk of cheering then! It almost deafened one. And&mdash;those boys had been

-plotting together&mdash;Warren nodded and winked; and Charlton dived down

-and got something from beneath the form; and Irene suddenly appeared at

-Ralph's side with a tiny little laurel wreath, such as they crowned the

-heroes with in the olden days, when men worked for honour and not for

-gold; and while the people laughed and clapped she put it on Ralph's

-head, and at that moment Tom Warren and Charlton held up a great

-flag&mdash;Old England's Union Jack. They had thought all this out, mind

-you&mdash;the sly fellows they were; and Kesterway, the senior monitor of

-the school, shouted at the top of his voice&mdash;</p>

-

-<p>"Now then, fellows! Three times three for the Honourable Ralph, while

-he stands under Honour's Flag!"</p>

-

-<p>"Hurrah! Hurrah! Hurrah!"</p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_312" id="Page_312">[Pg 312]</a></span></p>

-

-<p>"And a whole holiday to-morrow!"</p>

-

-<p>"Hurrah! Hurrah! Hurrah!"</p>

-

-<p>And when no one was looking&mdash;a kiss from Irene for her hero!</p>

-

-<p class="center space-above">THE END</p>

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-<pre>

-

-

-

-

-

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-</pre>

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+      The Project Gutenberg eBook of Under Honour's Flag, by Eric Lisle.
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+
+    .pagenum  { /* uncomment the next line for invisible page numbers */
+            /*  visibility: hidden;  */
+                position: absolute;
+                left: 92%;
+                font-size: smaller;
+                text-align: right;
+                text-indent: 0px;
+              } /* page numbers */
+
+    .center   {text-align: center;}
+    .smaller  {font-size: smaller;}
+    .smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
+    .mynote { background-color: #DDE; color: black; padding: .5em; margin-left: 20%;
+              margin-right: 20%; } /* colored box for notes at beginning of file */
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+    .left             {text-align: left;}
+    .s15       {display: inline; margin-left: 15em;}
+
+    .poem             {display: inline-block; text-align: left;}
+    .poem br          {display: none;}
+    .poem .stanza     {margin: 1em 0em 1em 0em;}
+    .poem div        {margin: 0; padding-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;}
+
+    </style>
+  </head>
+<body>
+<div>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 60604 ***</div>
+
+<div class ="mynote"><p class="center">Transcriber's Note:<br /><br />
+Obvious typographic errors have been corrected.<br /></p></div>
+
+<hr />
+
+<div class="center"><a name="cover.jpg" id="cover.jpg"></a><img src="images/cover.jpg" alt="cover" /></div>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_i" id="Page_i">[Pg i]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="center"><img src="images/booklist.jpg" alt="NEW POPULAR BOOKS FOR BOYS" /></div>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_ii" id="Page_ii">[Pg ii]</a></span></p>
+
+<h1>UNDER HONOUR'S FLAG</h1>
+
+<hr />
+
+<div class="center"><img src="images/frontispiece.jpg" alt=">Forgetful of all precaution" /></div>
+
+<p class="bold">"<span class="smcap">Forgetful of all precaution Elgert struck a savage
+blow at him.</span>"</p>
+
+<p class="bold"><i>Frontispiece.</i> <span class="s15">&nbsp;</span> [<i>see p. 257.</i></p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<div class="center"><img src="images/title.jpg" alt="title page" /></div>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_iii" id="Page_iii">[Pg iii]</a></span></p>
+
+<p class="bold2">Under Honour's<br />Flag</p>
+
+<p class="bold space-above">By the</p>
+
+<p class="bold2">REV. ERIC LISLE</p>
+
+<p class="bold space-above">WITH ORIGINAL ILLUSTRATIONS BY<br />G. H. EVISON.</p>
+
+<div class="center space-above"><img src="images/logo.jpg" alt="logo" /></div>
+
+<p class="bold space-above">LONDON<br />FREDERICK WARNE &amp; CO<br />
+AND NEW YORK<br /><br />(<i>All rights reserved</i>)</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_iv" id="Page_iv">[Pg iv]</a></span></p>
+
+<p class="center"><span class="smcap">Butler &amp; Tanner<br />The Selwood Printing Works<br />Frome and London</span></p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_v" id="Page_v">[Pg v]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2>CONTENTS</h2>
+
+<table summary="CONTENTS">
+  <tr>
+    <td colspan="2" class="left"><span class="smaller">CHAPTER</span></td>
+    <td><span class="smaller">PAGE</span></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>I&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="left"><span class="smcap">A Strange Affair</span></td>
+    <td><a href="#Page_1">1</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>II&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="left"><span class="smcap">A Cruel Implication</span></td>
+    <td><a href="#Page_15">15</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>III&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="left"><span class="smcap">Mr. St. Clive proves himself a True Friend</span></td>
+    <td><a href="#Page_25">25</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>IV&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="left"><span class="smcap">Ralph's First Day at School</span></td>
+    <td><a href="#Page_35">35</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>V&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="left"><span class="smcap">Making Things Straight</span></td>
+    <td><a href="#Page_45">45</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>VI&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="left"><span class="smcap">An Early Morning Spin</span></td>
+    <td><a href="#Page_55">55</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>VII&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="left"><span class="smcap">Horace Elgert Goes a little Too Far</span></td>
+    <td><a href="#Page_65">65</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>VIII&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="left"><span class="smcap">A Mysterious Midnight Visitor</span></td>
+    <td><a href="#Page_75">75</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>IX&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="left"><span class="smcap">Altogether Beyond Explanation</span></td>
+    <td><a href="#Page_84">84</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>X&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="left"><span class="smcap">Counsels and Promises</span></td>
+    <td><a href="#Page_94">94</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>XI&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="left"><span class="smcap">Going in for Grinding</span></td>
+    <td><a href="#Page_103">103</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>XII&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="left"><span class="smcap">The Stolen Banknote</span></td>
+    <td><a href="#Page_113">113</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>XIII&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="left"><span class="smcap">Divided Opinions</span></td>
+    <td><a href="#Page_122">122</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>XIV&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="left"><span class="smcap">By the River Side</span></td>
+    <td><a href="#Page_131">131</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>XV&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="left"><span class="smcap">The Lost Pocket-Book</span></td>
+    <td><a href="#Page_140">140</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>XVI&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="left"><span class="smcap">Things look Black for Ralph</span></td>
+    <td><a href="#Page_150">150</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_vi" id="Page_vi">[Pg vi]</a></span>XVII&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="left"><span class="smcap">The Plot that Failed</span></td>
+    <td><a href="#Page_159">159</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>XVIII&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="left"><span class="smcap">Where the Banknote Went</span></td>
+    <td><a href="#Page_168">168</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>XIX&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="left"><span class="smcap">The Lame Horse once more</span></td>
+    <td><a href="#Page_177">177</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>XX&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="left"><span class="smcap">To Mr. St. Clive's</span></td>
+    <td><a href="#Page_186">186</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>XXI&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="left"><span class="smcap">A House of Refuge</span></td>
+    <td><a href="#Page_195">195</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>XXII&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="left"><span class="smcap">An Afternoon Ramble</span></td>
+    <td><a href="#Page_204">204</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>XXIII&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="left"><span class="smcap">The Ruin and the Lonely House</span></td>
+    <td><a href="#Page_213">213</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>XXIV&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="left"><span class="smcap">For the Sake of Revenge</span></td>
+    <td><a href="#Page_222">222</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>XXV&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="left"><span class="smcap">Just in Time</span></td>
+    <td><a href="#Page_231">231</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>XXVI&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="left"><span class="smcap">Tom Warren Speaks His Mind</span></td>
+    <td><a href="#Page_240">240</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>XXVII&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="left"><span class="smcap">In the Dead of the Night</span></td>
+    <td><a href="#Page_249">249</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>XXVIII&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="left"><span class="smcap">The Next Day</span></td>
+    <td><a href="#Page_259">259</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>XXIX&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="left"><span class="smcap">What Tinkle and Green Caught</span></td>
+    <td><a href="#Page_268">268</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>XXX&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="left"><span class="smcap">What Detained Ralph Rexworth</span></td>
+    <td><a href="#Page_277">277</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>XXXI&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="left"><span class="smcap">The Tables are Turned</span></td>
+    <td><a href="#Page_286">286</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>XXXII&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="left"><span class="smcap">Flogged and Expelled</span></td>
+    <td><a href="#Page_294">294</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>XXXIII&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="left"><span class="smcap">Conclusion</span></td>
+    <td><a href="#Page_303">303</a></td>
+  </tr>
+</table>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_1" id="Page_1">[Pg 1]</a></span></p>
+
+<p class="bold2">UNDER HONOUR'S FLAG</p>
+
+<h2><span>CHAPTER I</span> <span class="smaller">A STRANGE AFFAIR</span></h2>
+
+<p>The late autumn afternoon was rapidly drawing in, closing ominously and
+sullenly, as if rebelling against the approach of the winter, and the
+nearer coming of the night.</p>
+
+<p>Great banks of purple vapour rose in the west; and sinking towards the
+earth, spread abroad in hazy wreaths, which seemed to possess, in a
+fainter degree, the hues of their parent clouds above.</p>
+
+<p>The air was heavy with moisture, which condensed and dripped from the
+red leaves of the sycamore, the brown of the beech, and the yellow of
+lime and poplar. It glistened on the rich green of the crimson-berried
+hollies; it begemmed the festooning webs of the weaving spiders; and
+brought with it a chilling breath which seemed to strike through one.</p>
+
+<p>In that gloaming hour a man and youth toiled wearily up the steep hill
+over which the main road runs before it descends into the quaint old
+town of Stow Ormond; yet as they reached the summit they hastened<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2" id="Page_2">[Pg 2]</a></span>
+their steps, with the air of those who were drawing near to a welcome
+resting-place.</p>
+
+<p>The man was tall and refined-looking; and though a crisp, curling beard
+and full moustache hid the greater part of his face, the features
+visible revealed determination and strong will, and their bronzed hue
+showed plainly that their owner had lived beneath warmer skies than
+those of England. And yet, despite health and good looks and strength
+of will, an expression of anxiety was there; and as he walked along he
+appeared to be more occupied with his own thoughts than in attending to
+the remarks of the lad by his side, whose questions he frequently left
+unanswered.</p>
+
+<p>The boy was so like the man that there could be little room for
+doubting that they were father and son; a well-built, handsome youth,
+with the same bronzed cheek, but with an expression on his face which
+indicated the utmost disgust with his surroundings. This was his first
+experience of a damp, chill autumn mist, and he did not like it in the
+least.</p>
+
+<p>Both the travellers were comfortably clad, though their clothes seemed
+cut more for comfort than with a regard to fashion; indicating that
+they certainly were not from the workshop of any fashionable tailor.</p>
+
+<p>Reaching the top of the hill, the two wayfarers paused; and the man,
+pointing down into the town which lay before them, said, with a sigh of
+relief:</p>
+
+<p>"There you are, Ralph! That is our destination for to-night; it may be
+our haven for many days."</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_3" id="Page_3">[Pg 3]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Funny looking place," laughed the boy. "But all these English towns
+are funny, after the plains and the mountains. And it is funny," he
+added, "that I am an English boy, and yet am talking like that."</p>
+
+<p>"Not funny, lad, seeing that you have never set foot in your native
+land before. Ah me, it is not funny to me! It comes back like the
+faces of old familiar friends. The scenes of childhood's happiness,
+and youth's hopes and follies. All changed, and yet nothing changed;
+and I myself unchanged, and yet most changed of all! Come," he went
+on, "you are tired, for we have walked a long way, and have had a long
+railway journey into the bargain. Unless things are altered down there,
+we shall find a comfortable old inn where we can put up, Ralph&mdash;a real
+old English inn. Quite different from the hotels where we have stopped.
+Come on, lad!"</p>
+
+<p>Changing his handbag from one cramped hand to the other, the lad obeyed
+the call, and trudged forward briskly with the strong, elastic step of
+buoyant youth. At first he poured out a string of questions relative
+to life in English towns; but one or two being unanswered, he glanced
+towards his father, and perceiving him buried in thought again, he
+walked on in silence, yet keen-eyed, noting everything around.</p>
+
+<p>A few scattered cottages and outlying buildings<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_4" id="Page_4">[Pg 4]</a></span> passed, the pair
+were in the precincts of the town itself; and almost one of the first
+houses they came to was the one the father sought&mdash;a quaint, thatched,
+many-gabled old place, with commodious stabling and a great creaking
+sign-post near the horse trough, giving the information to all who
+cared to possess it that this was the <i>Horse and Wheel Inn</i>, wherein
+might be found accommodation for both man and beast.</p>
+
+<p>"Just the same! Nothing changed!" murmured the man as the two arrived
+at the spot. "Twenty years have brought no revolution here. Come, lad!"
+And he entered the old hostelry.</p>
+
+<p>A bonnie waiting-maid met them; and in response to the man's query if
+they could have a room she called the landlord, a portly old fellow,
+with bald head fringed with grey hair, a pair of twinkling merry
+eyes beneath overhanging brows, and a face wherein all the principal
+features seemed to be entered into a competition as to which could look
+the ruddiest.</p>
+
+<p>"Have a room, sir?" said this individual, in a voice which seemed to
+proceed from his boots. "Ay, that you can, sir, and all else that you
+require. Here, Mary girl, show the gentleman to Number Ten! Have the
+bags carried up, and serve their dinner in the private room."</p>
+
+<p>"Number Ten!" said the guest, as he heard the number given. "Come on,
+Ralph, I know the way!"<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_5" id="Page_5">[Pg 5]</a></span> And he led his son upstairs with the air of
+one who did indeed know, much to the worthy landlord's astonishment,
+who murmured to himself as he waddled off to attend to some waggoners&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"He must ha' been here before; but I don't remember his face in the
+least."</p>
+
+<p>"He does not recognize me," mused his guest, in his turn. "How should
+he, after all those years? Poor old Simon, he has not changed much! A
+little stouter, a little huskier, and more shaky; that is all. Time has
+dealt gently with him!"</p>
+
+<p>The meal, which was ordered and duly served, proved that the <i>Horse
+and Wheel</i>, whatever it might do for beasts, claimed no more than its
+due when it came to accommodating the beast's master, man; and the
+appetites of the travellers enabled them to do ample justice to the
+food, served in a room rendered all the more cheerful by the roaring
+fire&mdash;a good, old-fashioned English fire&mdash;which blazed away in the
+capacious fireplace.</p>
+
+<p>But the meal over, the gentleman rose and donned hat and coat, turning
+to his son when he had done so.</p>
+
+<p>"Ralph," he said, "I am going out by myself. I have not brought you
+across the ocean and to this place for nothing. I have business to do
+here which may affect all your future life. What that business is, lad,
+I cannot tell you just now; but you shall know of it presently. I shall
+not be away long&mdash;not <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_6" id="Page_6">[Pg 6]</a></span>more than an hour or two&mdash;and you can spend the
+time as you like. I do not suppose that you will find much in the shape
+of literature here, beyond a copy or two of some local paper or an
+agricultural magazine. They won't interest you much, so you must occupy
+the time as best you can. Prospect around a bit, but don't miss your
+way, or you will find it harder to pick up trails again here than you
+would out yonder where we have come from."</p>
+
+<p>"I shall be all right, father," the boy answered, rather pleased than
+otherwise to be left alone for a little. Every lad of fourteen with any
+spirit in him rather likes that kind of thing.</p>
+
+<p>"Of course you will be. You cannot very well get into harm, and you are
+not the boy to get into mischief. Well, good-bye, my lad, and to-morrow
+if all is well, I will show you what English rural scenery is like, and
+you will find it is more beautiful than it has seemed to you yet." And
+with that the gentleman went out, leaving the boy alone.</p>
+
+<p>At first Ralph wandered round the rooms and examined all the funny,
+old-fashioned pictures, and frowned at some old-time Dresden ornaments
+of shepherds and shepherdesses in Court attire, as though he was not
+quite sure whether they were intended for pagan idols or not; and then,
+getting tired of this, he put on his hat and strolled down into the inn
+yard, where he found more to interest him in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_7" id="Page_7">[Pg 7]</a></span> an ostler who was busily
+grooming a couple of powerful waggon horses. Ralph had never seen a
+real cart-horse before, for the horses he had been accustomed to were
+little, thin, wiry creatures, all sinew and bone, and spirit&mdash;horses
+that could go, and would go, until they dropped, but pigmies compared
+to these mighty creatures&mdash;the largest of all the species.</p>
+
+<p>Then he picked up a long coil of rope lying near and examined it
+with critical eye, which yet seemed to disapprove of its texture and
+quality; and then, idly fashioning a running noose at one end, he
+coiled that rope up, and sent it with a flying jerk over a post thirty
+feet away.</p>
+
+<p>The man stared and paused in his work.</p>
+
+<p>"Ay, but ye couldn't do that again, sir," he ventured; and Ralph, with
+a little flush of something like conceit, immediately repeated his
+performance.</p>
+
+<p>"That be main clever," said the man, and he shambled off to get "Tom"
+and "Garge" and "Luke" to come and see the young gentleman's wonderful
+deed.</p>
+
+<p>Ralph was delighted, and he varied his work by sending the noose over
+one of the men as he ran at full speed across the yard. It was nothing
+to him; he had handled a rope as soon as he had handled anything, and
+he wondered at the surprise the thing caused to these men.</p>
+
+<div class="center"><img src="images/i007.jpg" alt="Sending the noose over one of the men" /></div>
+
+<p class="bold">"<span class="smcap">Sending the noose over one of the men as he ran at<br />
+full speed across the yard.</span>" p. 7</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_8" id="Page_8">[Pg 8]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>A drove of cattle passed, and Ralph paused and regarded them with
+interest. They were good beasts, but nothing like the troublesome
+wild cattle which he had known. They seemed perfectly contented with
+everything in this life.</p>
+
+<p>"They are very quiet," he observed, and the man nodded.</p>
+
+<p>"They be quiet enough, sir, but there be a bull in yonder paddock; ye
+will see him in a minute, for they will be coming to drive him back to
+his shed; and he be very savage. He ha' killed two poor chaps now, and
+it be a risky job dealing with him. He be quiet enough as a rule; but
+when his temper is bad, then he is bad, too&mdash;and very bad."</p>
+
+<p>"I would like to see him," was the boy's answer; and almost before
+the words were out of his mouth he had his wish granted; for a fierce
+bellow of deep-voiced rage was heard, and rushing along, a broken
+halter streaming behind, there came a magnificent black bull, while
+in his rear, shouting and waving their arms in distress, ran two men,
+who had evidently been engaged in bringing the monster home when he
+had turned upon them, and sent them spinning this way and that ere he
+darted off.</p>
+
+<p>Every one in the way rushed to the nearest cover without ceremony; and
+then a wild scream of terror broke on the air, and Ralph saw, directly
+in the fierce creature's path, a pretty girl, seemingly but a year
+younger than himself; a girl transfixed with fright,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_9" id="Page_9">[Pg 9]</a></span> standing there,
+directly in the pathway of horrible injury, if not death!</p>
+
+<p>And what could he do? He who had been used to cattle was the only one
+who kept his courage. Had he been in the saddle and armed with a good
+stock whip the thing would have been touch and go; but he had nothing,
+and he could not tackle the bull empty-handed.</p>
+
+<p>Stay, there was one thing&mdash;the rope! A chance, but a slender one. Quick
+as a flash he put a couple of turns round the post he had been aiming
+at and gathered the noose for a cast. The bull came thundering along
+the road, head down, tail out, snorting with rage and defiance. If it
+kept on like that it would pass quite close to him. He put another turn
+round the post. The shorter the rope the better the chance; and then,
+hand and eye acting in unison, he sent the noose round his head and
+made his cast. If he succeeded the bull would be over, if he failed the
+girl must go down.</p>
+
+<p>And succeed he did. It was to him quite an easy throw. The noose
+settled fairly over those curving horns. There was a jerk, a roar of
+rage and fear, and the great struggling creature was hurled forward so
+violently, through the force of its flight, that it fell in a cloud of
+scattered mud and stones, and lay half stunned and wholly bewildered.</p>
+
+<p>Ralph, with a cry of thankfulness, ran forward,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_10" id="Page_10">[Pg 10]</a></span> and pulled the girl
+from her dangerous proximity to its mighty legs, just as a gentleman,
+pale with terror, rushed from a shop near by, where he had been giving
+some orders.</p>
+
+<p>"Irene!" he cried. "My little Irene! Thank Heaven that you are safe!"
+Then, as he saw the bull still noosed, and now in the hands of several
+men, he went on&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"But who did that? Who stopped the bull in that way?" and a dozen hands
+pointed to Ralph, who stood there feeling rather confused and awkward,
+and wishing that he could run away. Young ladies were more terrible
+things in his eyes than were angry bulls; and this young lady was
+thanking him so prettily, while her father, for so the gentleman was,
+kept shaking his hand, hardly able to voice his gratitude. He seemed
+overcome with a sense of the good hand of Providence in the matter.</p>
+
+<p>"You are staying at the inn," he said. "I must return and express my
+thanks to your father. I will take my little daughter home first and
+then come back. Perhaps he will be in by then. What is your name, my
+dear young gentleman?"</p>
+
+<p>"Ralph Rexworth," the lad answered. And the gentleman answered&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"And mine is Hubert St. Clive, and if ever I can be of service to you I
+shall think nothing too much to enable me to show some return for what
+you have done for me and mine this evening."</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_11" id="Page_11">[Pg 11]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>It was really a relief to Ralph when Mr. St. Clive had gone, and he was
+glad to get back to his room and escape the curious and admiring crowd,
+though even then he could not shut the landlord out, nor prevent the
+admiration of the maid, who would come in on all sorts of pretexts just
+to have a peep at him; and so the evening wore on, and the time for his
+father's return drew near.</p>
+
+<p>But no father came, and at last Ralph began to grow anxious. He could
+not tell why, but he felt nervous. Had he been alone on the great Texan
+plains, where his boyhood had been passed, he would not have cared in
+the slightest; but here he was so lonely, everything was so different.
+His father had been gone nearly five hours, and Ralph did not know what
+to make of it.</p>
+
+<p>And ten came and went, and eleven; and the landlord looked in
+restlessly, for the old fellow was beginning to have uneasy suspicions
+that his guest had gone off and did not mean to return again, and there
+was the dinner unpaid for.</p>
+
+<p>Still, he could not turn this lonely boy out, so he suggested at last
+that Ralph should go to bed.</p>
+
+<p>"Most like your father has been detained, sir, and he won't be back
+till the morning," he suggested. "Even if he does he can ring us up. We
+likes to get to bed as soon as we can after closing time, for the days
+are long enough, and we do not get too much rest."</p>
+
+<p>So the landlord said, and Ralph took the hint and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_12" id="Page_12">[Pg 12]</a></span> went to his room.
+Throwing himself beside his bed, he prayed as he had never prayed
+before, asking his Heavenly Father to quickly send back to him his own
+dear parent.</p>
+
+<p>To bed, but not to sleep. What could have happened to his father? Had
+he met with any accident? A thousand fears and questions presented
+themselves to the boy's mind, until at last he fell into a restless
+sleep, to dream that his father was calling to him for aid; and when
+he awoke it was to the alarming knowledge that he was still alone&mdash;his
+father had not come back.</p>
+
+<p>His distress was now intensified, and old Simon, the landlord, was
+very perplexed; but he was a good-hearted old fellow, and he saw that
+the boy was provided with a good breakfast, reminding him that Mr. St.
+Clive would be certain to be round in the morning, as he had not come
+the evening before, and that then they could consult with him as to
+what was best to be done.</p>
+
+<p>"You have your breakfast, anyhow," he said. "No one is worth much
+without their food. Mr. St. Clive is a very good gentleman, and he owes
+you a lot for having saved his little daughter. I am quite sure that he
+will be ready to advise you."</p>
+
+<p>"But where can my father have got to?" asked Ralph, and the old man
+shook his head.</p>
+
+<p>"It is more than I can say, sir. Perhaps he will be back soon."</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_13" id="Page_13">[Pg 13]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>But no father came; and when Mr. St. Clive arrived, which he did soon
+after breakfast was over, he was informed of Ralph's trouble, and he
+looked very grave indeed.</p>
+
+<p>"Run away! Nonsense, Simon?" he said to the landlord, after he had been
+told. "That is absurd! If this gentleman had desired to do anything so
+base as desert his son, he would never have brought him all the way to
+England in order to do so. I will see the young gentleman."</p>
+
+<p>"My dear lad," he greeted Ralph, when he was shown into the room where
+the boy was. "I was unable to return last evening, but I understand
+that it would have been no use had I done so. Your father has not come
+back, I hear."</p>
+
+<p>"No, sir," replied Ralph; "and I feel very troubled, for I cannot
+imagine what has kept him away. He said he would only be a short time."</p>
+
+<p>"You do not know where he was going, or whether he knew any one in the
+locality?"</p>
+
+<p>But Ralph shook his head.</p>
+
+<p>"I do not know, sir. Father did not tell me anything. We have lived all
+my life on the ranch in Texas, and when mother died last year father
+sold the ranch and brought me to England; but he did not tell me why."</p>
+
+<p>"It is strange; but still, it is foolish to make trouble. He may have
+found his business take longer than he anticipated, and&mdash;well, Simon?"</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_14" id="Page_14">[Pg 14]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Beg pardon, Mr. St. Clive, but one of the men from Little Stow has
+just come in, and he has brought me this. He says that he found it in
+Stow Wood, just by the Black Mere."</p>
+
+<p>And what was it that he had found? What was it that should wring a cry
+of grief from Ralph Rexworth? Only a hat&mdash;broken, as from a blow, and
+with an ominous red smear upon it. Only a hat; but that hat was never
+bought in England. It was the hat which his father was wearing when he
+left the inn the previous evening; and there it lay now upon the table,
+a grim, silent explanation of why that father had not returned.</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_15" id="Page_15">[Pg 15]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><span>CHAPTER II</span> <span class="smaller">A CRUEL IMPLICATION</span></h2>
+
+<p>"My dear lad, it is foolish to give way to grief before you are sure
+that there is cause for it"&mdash;so said Mr. St. Clive to Ralph Rexworth,
+trying to comfort the boy and restore his confidence. "I admit that
+this, coupled with your father's absence, looks serious; but still,
+we do not know what explanation there may be to it. Come, try and be
+brave; trust in God, even though the very worst may have befallen; idle
+grief is useless. Let us go to Stow Wood and examine the place; perhaps
+we may discover something which this man may have overlooked. Pluck up
+your courage, and hope for the best; and Ralph, remember, that whatever
+happens you have a friend in myself, who counts it a privilege to be
+able to do anything to show how grateful he is to you for what you did
+yesterday."</p>
+
+<p>Ralph, with an effort, subdued his feelings, and replied gratefully&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"You are very kind to me, sir. Let us do as you suggest. Will you
+take me to the place? I do not know anything of the country here, of
+course."</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_16" id="Page_16">[Pg 16]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"I will go with you, and we will have this man accompany us, and show
+us exactly where he found this hat. Come, we will start at once."</p>
+
+<p>Stow Wood was about a mile and a half from the inn, a rather
+dismal-looking place, where the grass grew long and dank, and where
+stoats and rats found a safe retreat from which to sally forth at night
+upon their marauding expeditions; and the grimmest, most lonely spot
+was around the deep pool, known locally as the Black Mere.</p>
+
+<p>A dark, motionless pool it was; in some parts covered with green weed,
+surrounded by coarse grass.</p>
+
+<p>Local superstition said that it was haunted, and though sensible people
+laughed at that, still the appearance of the spot was enough to give
+rise to such a legend.</p>
+
+<p>"I found the hat just here, sir," said the man, bending down and
+pointing to a clump of blind-nettle. "You can see where it was lying,
+sir."</p>
+
+<p>Mr. St. Clive and Ralph stopped and examined the place. It was clear
+that something resembling a struggle had taken place here, for the tall
+grass was trampled and beaten flat, and, in some places, the earth
+itself had been cut up, as though by the heels of boots. Mr. St. Clive
+felt very grave&mdash;if ever anything seemed to tell of a tragedy, this
+did&mdash;and he said to Ralph&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"My poor boy, I must own that there seems every appearance of foul play
+here. We shall have to see<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_17" id="Page_17">[Pg 17]</a></span> the police. You are quite sure that your
+father told you nothing, however unimportant it may seem, which might
+give us an inkling of where he was going?"</p>
+
+<p>"He said nothing, sir," answered Ralph sadly. "It is all a mystery to
+me. But now we are here we may as well learn all that we can."</p>
+
+<p>"What more can we learn, Ralph?" asked Mr. St. Clive. "This silent spot
+will not speak and tell us what happened."</p>
+
+<p>"Not to you perhaps, but it will speak to me, sir. I have been brought
+up on the plains, remember, and grass and trees may tell me more than
+they can tell to you. First, sir, is this a direct road to anywhere? I
+mean, is it a general thoroughfare?"</p>
+
+<p>Mr. St. Clive shook his head.</p>
+
+<p>"No, Ralph. It is a rarely frequented spot. The village people are half
+afraid of it. It is a short cut from Stow Ormond to Great Stow, and it
+would argue that your father must have been familiar with the place for
+him to have taken it."</p>
+
+<p>"Where else besides Great Stow does it lead to, sir?"</p>
+
+<p>"Why, my lad, to nowhere in particular. It takes you out the other side
+of Stow Common, and, of course, from there you can go where you will."</p>
+
+<p>Ralph nodded.</p>
+
+<p>"So that we may suppose that any one crossing here would be going to
+Great Stow?"</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_18" id="Page_18">[Pg 18]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Yes. It would save him going all round through Little Stow."</p>
+
+<p>"Very well, sir. Now we will go to the side of the wood nearest to the
+inn."</p>
+
+<p>"Why?" asked Mr. St. Clive in surprise.</p>
+
+<p>"Because I want to know whether my father crossed this place in going
+from the inn; and if so, I want to try and see where he went to. There
+is a lot to learn here, sir; but I must start at the beginning."</p>
+
+<p>Mr. St. Clive was impressed, though he could not understand what Ralph
+meant; and so together they went back to that part of the wood which
+bordered upon Stow Ormond, and here Ralph began to walk to and fro,
+carefully surveying the grass, until presently he stopped and said&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"My father did cross here. He got over that stile."</p>
+
+<p>"How do you know, Ralph?" asked Mr. St. Clive. "I confess that I see
+nothing to indicate it."</p>
+
+<p>"Why, it is quite clear, sir," answered the boy. "See, the ground here
+is soft and muddy, and this is the imprint of my father's foot here
+in this soft red clay. That has taken the mark like wax. That is his
+square-toed boot."</p>
+
+<p>Mr. St. Clive had to admit that so far the boy was correct. Some one
+wearing a square-toed boot had stepped into a little heap of clay, and
+the footmark was quite clearly defined.</p>
+
+<p>"Now," Ralph went on, pointing to the stile, "here is a mark of clay on
+the stile, so he must have crossed<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_19" id="Page_19">[Pg 19]</a></span> here, and here the grass has been
+trodden down as he went on."</p>
+
+<p>This latter sign was nothing like so clear, but the boy, used to
+reading tracks in the far-off West, showed the man how the blades of
+grass were turned from the weight that had trodden on them; and as
+they walked forward the traces became even plainer, leading past the
+pool, and on towards the common; and Ralph gave a cry as he studied the
+ground.</p>
+
+<p>"Here are two people walking now," he said; "and one wears pointed
+boots!"</p>
+
+<p>"The man who brought the hat to us," suggested Mr. St. Clive.</p>
+
+<p>"No, sir. He wore big boots, with nails in them. You can see the marks
+of those quite plainly, and he came here last of all."</p>
+
+<p>"How do you know that?" demanded Mr. St. Clive, very interested.</p>
+
+<p>"Because the marks that he has made are over all the others," was the
+explanation. "Let us go on."</p>
+
+<p>They followed the traces, faint though they seemed, until they reached
+the common; and here, though Ralph studied the ground for nearly an
+hour, he could discover nothing. Several roads crossed the common,
+and the men must have traversed one of these, but which one there was
+nothing to show.</p>
+
+<p>Back to the pool they went, and here Ralph paused; and Mr. St. Clive,
+looking at him inquiringly, said&mdash;</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_20" id="Page_20">[Pg 20]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Well, what now, my boy? Have you learnt anything?"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes&mdash;a lot, sir; but I do not understand it. Let me tell you what
+these signs tell me. My father crossed here alone, and went somewhere
+across the common, and I do not think that it could have been very far
+away. Then he came back alone&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"But the second man?" queried Mr. St. Clive.</p>
+
+<p>"One moment, sir. He came alone, and he stopped to light another cigar
+just here. Look, here is the match half-burnt, and the stump of the one
+he threw away."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes; go on," said Mr. St. Clive, nodding his head. "You have reason
+for what you say."</p>
+
+<p>"Now, some one followed my father back, and he wore rather small boots
+with pointed toes&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"Plenty of gentlemen do that. I wear such boots myself, you see."</p>
+
+<p>"I know, sir. This man was dodging my father, and when he stopped to
+light his cigar the man stopped too, just over there behind that hedge."</p>
+
+<p>"My dear lad, what makes you say that?"</p>
+
+<p>"The mark of his feet are there, and I think he fired at my father more
+than once. He fired once and missed, I know, because this tree has
+got a bullet in the bark, and I am going to have it out! Then he ran
+forward, and there must have been a fight, and father fell just here.
+Look, you can surely see where he lay? See the length where the grass
+is crushed;<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_21" id="Page_21">[Pg 21]</a></span> and see these two marks&mdash;a heel and a toe; that means,
+that some one knelt beside him, and&mdash;&mdash;. Look, look, sir!"</p>
+
+<p>A glimmer of something bright in the long grass caught Ralph's eye,
+and, stooping, he picked up a watch and chain, and a purse, which had
+evidently been thrown hastily aside.</p>
+
+<p>"Whoever killed my father searched him, and wanted something in
+particular. It was no robber, for then he would have taken these and
+not thrown them down."</p>
+
+<p>Mr. St. Clive could only look on in silence. There was something very
+strange in the boy thus unfolding the incidents of a strange mystery,
+reading them from almost invisible signs upon the grass. And Ralph
+continued&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Then the man ran away and came back with a cart&mdash;you can see the marks
+of the wheels. See, they come close up here! And here he drove off
+again. I suppose that father was in the cart&mdash;that is what he brought
+it for. The horse went a bit lame, too, in the off forefoot. That is
+all the place can tell me, sir."</p>
+
+<p>All! Mr. St. Clive was amazed that the boy was able to see so much, and
+he followed his reasoning, noting how one footmark partly obliterated
+another, proving that it had been made after it. That a strange meeting
+had taken place in that lonely wood seemed indeed all too likely, but
+beyond that all was<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_22" id="Page_22">[Pg 22]</a></span> mystery. Why had Mr. Rexworth entered this place,
+whither was he going, and who was the man who had come after him?</p>
+
+<p>Ralph had his knife out, and was busily cutting away the bark of one of
+the trees which stood close by. His action proved that he had not been
+wrong in his conjecture&mdash;a flattened piece of lead was embedded there,
+and Frank put it into his pocket.</p>
+
+<p>"Perhaps one day that may tell me some more," he said.</p>
+
+<p>But there was nothing more to do there, though Mr. St. Clive said that
+he would see that the wood was searched through, and that the mere
+was dragged; and then, trying to speak comforting words to Ralph, he
+returned with him to Stow Ormond. And as they entered the inn, a tall,
+handsome gentleman, with one hand in a sling, came out, and seeing Mr.
+St. Clive, greeted him with: "Hallo, St. Clive, I hear that your little
+girl had a narrow escape last night!"</p>
+
+<p>Mr. St. Clive frowned.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, from your bull, Lord Elgert. You ought to have the brute properly
+guarded. If it had not been for this young gentleman, Irene might have
+been killed."</p>
+
+<p>Lord Elgert stared at Ralph, and his look was not pleasant.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, is this the young man who noosed him? Well, he has broken the
+bull's knees; but, however, it is fortunate that he was at hand. By the
+way, what is<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_23" id="Page_23">[Pg 23]</a></span> this that Simon tells me. Something has happened in Stow
+Wood?"</p>
+
+<p>"I fear so," replied Mr. St. Clive; and he narrated briefly what they
+had discovered.</p>
+
+<p>Was it fancy, or did Ralph notice that handsome face turn a shade paler
+when mention was made of the bullet cut from the tree? Somehow the boy
+did not like this wealthy gentleman, though he knew not why he should
+regard him with enmity. When Mr. St. Clive had concluded, Lord Elgert
+said&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Dear, dear! How strange! But still, you do not know that anything
+has happened. You will tell the police, of course. Can you give a
+description of your father, my boy?"</p>
+
+<p>"I can show his likeness, sir," replied Ralph, taking out his
+pocket-book. "Here it is!"</p>
+
+<p>Lord Elgert took the photograph, but as he looked at it he gave a
+whistle of surprise.</p>
+
+<p>"So this is the missing man?" he said. "St. Clive, perhaps, I can tell
+you something of interest. Last night my place was broken into, and
+I woke up to hear a man in my study. I went down and switched on the
+electric light, so that I could see the rascal quite plainly. He turned
+and tried to bolt, but I closed with him, and in the rough-and-tumble
+he managed to cut my hand open and clear off. St. Clive, I am positive
+that the man was none other than the original of this likeness, and&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>He was interrupted by a passionate cry of pain and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_24" id="Page_24">[Pg 24]</a></span> anger, and Ralph,
+snatching the photograph from his hand, stood confronting him with
+blazing eyes.</p>
+
+<p>"It is false!" he cried. "You know it is false! I believe that you are
+responsible for my father's disappearance!"</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_25" id="Page_25">[Pg 25]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><span>CHAPTER III</span> <span class="smaller">MR. ST. CLIVE PROVES HIMSELF A TRUE FRIEND</span></h2>
+
+<p>"I believe that you are responsible for my father's disappearance."</p>
+
+<p>So did Ralph Rexworth cry in his anger; and Lord Elgert started, and
+his face grew dark with rage.</p>
+
+<p>"You impudent young dog!" he shouted, raising his stick; and the blow
+would have fallen, had not Mr. St. Clive stopped it with his arm.</p>
+
+<p>"Lord Elgert," he said sternly; for he was shocked at the callous way
+in which the charge had been made, "I cannot stand by and allow that.
+You have made a very serious charge&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"Nothing so serious as that young rascal has made. I am surprised
+that you stand by and listen to it, St. Clive; but you always were
+antagonistic to me! I assert what is fact. My place was broken into&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"Did any one but yourself see this man?"</p>
+
+<p>"An absurd question! Who was there to see him? By the time the alarm
+was given he was gone. I shall have to tell the police of that
+photograph; it will be wanted to help in tracing him. I expect this
+story is all nonsense; and upon inquiry it will<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_26" id="Page_26">[Pg 26]</a></span> be found that the
+farthest these two have travelled is from London. Most probably this
+boy, who makes such unfounded charges, knew well the business which
+brought his father here. The story of what happened in the woods is
+really too romantic. If two people were there, the second was most
+likely an accomplice; and they have gone off, leaving the boy here to
+see what he can learn, or pick up. You are easily deceived, St. Clive."
+And Lord Elgert turned upon his heel with a mocking laugh.</p>
+
+<p>But ere he could go, Ralph stood in his path, regarding him with a
+fixed stare.</p>
+
+<p>"I do not know you," he said. "I never saw you before; but I can tell
+friend from enemy, and you are an enemy. I am only a boy; but one day I
+will bring your words back to you, and make you prove them."</p>
+
+<p>"Out of my way, you young rascal!" came the answer, "or I will have you
+in prison before long. St. Clive, I wish you joy of your young friend.
+Take my advice, and keep a sharp eye on the silver, if you suffer him
+to enter your house."</p>
+
+<p>Ralph would have surely been provoked into some foolish action had not
+Mr. St. Clive laid a gentle hand upon his shoulder, and led him back
+into the inn; and then the boy quite broke down.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, sir! Oh, sir!" he cried. "To say such things about my dear
+father&mdash;my dear, kind father! But he shall prove them," he added
+fiercely. "I<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_27" id="Page_27">[Pg 27]</a></span> will make him prove them. I believe that he knows
+something."</p>
+
+<p>"Ralph," answered Mr. St. Clive quietly, "because Lord Elgert has been
+both unkind and foolish, that is no reason why you should talk wildly.
+To say that Lord Elgert has had anything to do with your father's
+disappearance, seems to me to be the very height of folly. He is a rich
+man, and one of our justices&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"Where does he live, sir?" queried Ralph suddenly.</p>
+
+<p>"At Castle Court, near Great Stow. Ah," he added, as he saw Ralph's
+look, "I know what you are thinking&mdash;that it is in the direction
+whither your father was going! But remember, that will be equally
+applicable to Lord Elgert's story that your father was going there.
+It is most likely that some one in a measure resembling your father,
+did break into Castle Court&mdash;we have not the slightest reason for
+discrediting Lord Elgert's statement&mdash;and in the confusion of the
+struggle, he did not clearly distinguish his opponent, and so says that
+he resembles this photograph. Mistaken identity is a common occurrence,
+and&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"You do not believe his story, sir? I could not bear to think that."</p>
+
+<p>"I do not, Ralph. If I did so, I should still feel my debt of gratitude
+to you; but I do not believe it. I am not so foolish as to mistake
+between a gentleman and a thief; and though I have not seen your
+father, I think that I can see him in you and your<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_28" id="Page_28">[Pg 28]</a></span> manner. Now be
+brave, and do not trouble about what his lordship said. He was angry
+because you spoke as you did; and though it was natural, your language
+was not very polite." And Mr. St. Clive smiled slightly. "Now let us
+talk sensibly. First, you cannot stay here by yourself; therefore,
+disregarding the warning I have received, I invite you to be my guest
+for the time, until we can see what is best to be done. What money have
+you of your own?"</p>
+
+<p>"Only a few shillings, but there is the purse, sir." And Ralph opened
+the purse which they had picked up in Stow Wood. "Here are five
+sovereigns, and two five-pound notes, sir."</p>
+
+<p>"Then we had better pay the innkeeper and make a start. Simon"&mdash;as the
+old fellow came in answer to the bell&mdash;"I am going to take this young
+gentleman home with me. If his father should return, or if letters
+arrive, you will let us know. Make out your bill. And, Simon, I suppose
+that you did not recognize Mr. Rexworth at all?"</p>
+
+<p>"Why, no, sir; I cannot say that I did! But he knew the place, sir;
+and when I told the girl to show him up to No. 10, sir, he just went
+straight up to it. He knew the <i>Horse and Wheel</i>, sir."</p>
+
+<p>"Well, get your bill ready."</p>
+
+<p>The old man went out. It was something of a relief to know that he
+was going to be paid; for he had begun to have some doubts about the
+matter.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_29" id="Page_29">[Pg 29]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>So it came about that Ralph Rexworth was taken home by Mr. St. Clive;
+and there he was received with kindness and warmth by that gentleman's
+wife, while little Irene smiled shyly, and put out one dainty little
+hand for him to take in his brown palm.</p>
+
+<p>"I thank you very much," the little lass said. "I think that horrid
+bull would have killed me if it had not been for you." And Mrs. St.
+Clive shuddered as she listened; for her husband had told her how great
+was the peril from which Irene had been rescued.</p>
+
+<p>Leaving the two young people to make friends, Mr. St. Clive took his
+wife aside and told her of the strange position in which their young
+guest was placed.</p>
+
+<p>"The boy does not seem to have a friend in the world," he said. "And he
+is undoubtedly a gentleman, Kate. What is to be done? His father may
+return; but I confess that it looks as if a tragedy had taken place. It
+was wonderful how the lad pieced together traces which were invisible
+to me. I fear that something bad has occurred. As to Lord Elgert's
+idea, I do not put much faith in it. Elgert is too fond of thinking
+evil of people&mdash;he is one of the most merciless men on the bench. What
+shall we do, Kate?"</p>
+
+<p>"Do?" replied his wife, with a fond smile. "Why, Hubert, you have
+already determined what to do!"</p>
+
+<p>Her husband laughed pleasantly.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_30" id="Page_30">[Pg 30]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"I confess that I have. Still, I like to have your desire run with my
+own. You want this lad to stay here?"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, Hubert. If he is lonely and friendless, let us be his friends;
+for had he not rescued her, our dear little daughter would have been
+killed."</p>
+
+<p>So husband and wife agreed; but when they went to Ralph they found that
+he was not quite willing to accept the invitation.</p>
+
+<p>"I know how kind it is of you," the boy said. "And it is true that
+I have no friends, and nowhere to go; but I&mdash;I cannot live on your
+charity. I want to earn my living somehow."</p>
+
+<p>"That is good, Ralph," was the hearty reply of Mr. St. Clive; "but you
+must be reasonable. There is such a thing as unreasonable pride. You
+cannot earn your living in any calling as a gentleman, without you are
+fitted for it. Your life on the plains, and life here, or in London,
+would be very vastly different. If you had friends in Texas we might
+send you back again&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"No, no, sir!" cried Ralph, interrupting him. "I could not go back.
+Here I must stay for two reasons. I must live to find out what has
+become of my father, and I must clear his name from the accusation that
+man made."</p>
+
+<p>"Your first reason is good; your second I do not think that you need
+worry over. Then you will stay? Well, then, you must certainly let the
+wish of my<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_31" id="Page_31">[Pg 31]</a></span> wife and of Irene conquer your pride. I want to help you
+all I can; and if presently it is better for you to go, I promise you
+that I will not seek to detain you."</p>
+
+<p>"Do stop, Ralph," added Irene, who, pet as she was, had stolen into
+her father's study, and heard what was said. "I want you to stay; and
+I want you to teach me how to throw a rope like that, though I should
+never dare to throw it at a bull. Please stay."</p>
+
+<p>And somehow Ralph looked down into that upturned little face, and he
+could not say "no."</p>
+
+<p>"It is very good of you, sir," he murmured, to Mr. St. Clive,
+"especially after what Lord Elgert said&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"My lad, do not be so sensitive concerning that."</p>
+
+<p>"But I cannot help it, sir. He first called my father a thief; and
+he&mdash;he&mdash;you know what he said about your silver?"</p>
+
+<p>And Ralph turned very red.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. St. Clive understood, and sympathized. He liked Ralph all the
+better for being keenly sensitive about it.</p>
+
+<p>"There, let it go, my dear boy. Now, once more, business. Have you any
+luggage, save these two handbags?"</p>
+
+<p>"In London, sir. Two great trunks. Father left them at the station.
+Here are the papers for them." And the boy took a railway luggage
+receipt from his pocket-book.</p>
+
+<p>"This is important. We may find something to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_32" id="Page_32">[Pg 32]</a></span> help us in those trunks,"
+cried Mr. St. Clive. "Of course, I am not legally justified in touching
+them, Ralph; but, under the circumstances, I think that I might do
+so. We must have them here, and examine their contents. We may then
+discover what brought your father to Stow Ormond; and that, in its
+turn, might give us some clue as to what may have happened."</p>
+
+<p>"I do not think there is much doubt as to what has happened," sighed
+the boy. But Mr. St. Clive would not listen to that.</p>
+
+<p>"Never look at the darkest side, lad. There is a kind Providence over
+all, and we must never despair. Now, our very first task must be to
+obtain your travelling trunks without delay."</p>
+
+<p>Mr. St. Clive lost no time in putting this resolution into practice.
+The trunks were got down from London, and opened; but, to their
+disappointment, their contents revealed nothing which tended in any way
+to throw a light upon the mystery&mdash;clothing, a few mementoes of their
+Texan home, and&mdash;and in view of Ralph's future welfare this was most
+important&mdash;banknotes and gold to the amount of £3,000!</p>
+
+<p>"No need to feel yourself dependent upon any one now, Ralph," was the
+remark of Mr. St. Clive, as they counted this money; "and no need to
+give another thought to Lord Elgert's suspicions. People possessed of
+so much money do not go breaking into houses,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_33" id="Page_33">[Pg 33]</a></span> risking their liberty
+for the sake of what they may be able to steal."</p>
+
+<p>Now, though Irene St. Clive was delighted, and would have been quite
+content for Ralph to have stayed as her companion, her father did
+not look at matters in that way; and he had a serious talk with
+Ralph, having first quietly questioned him in order to ascertain his
+acquirements.</p>
+
+<p>"You see, Ralph," he said, "what a man needs in England is quite
+different from what he may need abroad. You can ride, shoot, and round
+up cattle; but that is no good here. Your father has given you a
+general education, so that you are not a dunce; but it is nothing like
+what you will need as a gentleman here. Knowledge is power and your
+desire to clear up the matter of your father's disappearance demands
+that you should acquire all the power obtainable. My advice&mdash;I have
+no right to insist, remember&mdash;but my advice is that you should spend
+a couple of years at a first-class school&mdash;we have a splendid one
+here&mdash;and if you work honestly during that time, with your intellect
+you ought to have made a good headway. What do you say?"</p>
+
+<p>The boy knit his brows. To one who had passed his days in a wild, free
+life, such a prospect did not hold out many charms; but then Ralph was
+fond of learning, and had sometimes sighed that he could not learn
+more. Besides, his one object in life was to solve the matter of his
+father's disappearance,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_34" id="Page_34">[Pg 34]</a></span> and clear his name from any foul charge. In
+his heart, Ralph had resolved ever to live under honour's flag. He
+looked up, and answered frankly&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"I will be guided entirely by you, sir, unless my father comes back;
+then, of course, I should do whatever he directed."</p>
+
+<p>"My feeling is, that had your father elected to remain in England he
+would certainly have sent you to school. Now, Ralph, I am going to be
+frank with you. We have, as I have said, a splendid school near here;
+but amongst its pupils is Horace Elgert. I fear that he takes after
+his father somewhat; and if Lord Elgert has said anything, or does say
+anything to him when he knows you are there, young Horace may try to
+make it unpleasant for you. Do you understand?"</p>
+
+<p>"Perfectly, sir," replied Ralph.</p>
+
+<p>"And will you go there?"</p>
+
+<p>Ralph looked Mr. St. Clive in the face, and he answered firmly:</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, sir. The boy's being there is nothing to me. I will go."</p>
+
+<p>"Good!" replied Mr. St. Clive, with a nod of appreciation. "We will go
+over and see the Headmaster to-morrow."</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_35" id="Page_35">[Pg 35]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><span>CHAPTER IV</span> <span class="smaller">RALPH'S FIRST DAY AT SCHOOL</span></h2>
+
+<p>"He is a fine young fellow, but his past life has been spent amidst
+very different scenes, and he is far from having a fitting education.
+But he is very intellectual and will acquire knowledge quickly. His
+father must have been a gentleman, and he has taught his son to be one
+also."</p>
+
+<p>It was Mr. St. Clive who spoke, and his words were addressed to Dr.
+Beverly, the principal of Marlthorpe College&mdash;the best school in all
+the county.</p>
+
+<p>A fine-looking man was the doctor, tall, erect, dignified, with firm
+face and piercing eyes&mdash;eyes which could look terribly severe when
+their owner was angry, but which otherwise were gentle, and even
+mirthful.</p>
+
+<p>Dr. Beverly was proud of his school, but prouder still of his work. He
+did not labour to make scholars only, but also to build up men&mdash;good,
+noble men&mdash;who should be a credit to the old school, and a blessing to
+their country. Work or play, the doctor believed in everything being
+done as well as it could be, for his watchword was "Whatever you do, do
+it to the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_36" id="Page_36">[Pg 36]</a></span> glory of God," and nothing can be done to God's glory that
+is not done as well as it possibly can be.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. St. Clive had explained how Ralph came to be under his care,
+and had told the doctor how much he owed to him; and he finished by
+mentioning the cruel statement which Lord Elgert had made, and the
+angry way in which Ralph had answered it.</p>
+
+<p>"I tell you this," he said, "that you may know everything. I attach no
+weight to Elgert's statement myself&mdash;it is too absurd, but you must
+exercise your own discretion," and the doctor smiled slightly.</p>
+
+<p>"Lord Elgert is rather prone to make rash statements," he said. "I
+shall be quite willing to receive your young friend, and I will do my
+best to turn him into a good man."</p>
+
+<p>"That I am sure of," was the hearty reply, "and I am also sure that you
+will have good material to work upon. Then I will bring Ralph over."</p>
+
+<p>"And do you propose that he shall board here entirely, or return to you
+every Saturday, as most of the lads do?"</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, come home. That is how I did in my day&mdash;you know I want to watch
+the boy. Good-day, doctor," and Mr. St. Clive came away.</p>
+
+<p>Marlthorpe College was a splendid old building, with large playing
+fields at the back, and a great quadrangle in front, to which entrance
+was gained through a pair of great iron gates, against which the
+porter's lodge was built.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_37" id="Page_37">[Pg 37]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>The school itself was at the other side of the quadrangle, directly
+facing the gates&mdash;a two storey building, with the hall, in which the
+whole school assembled upon special occasions, below, and with the
+classrooms above. It had two wings; the one to the right being the
+doctor's own residence, and that on the left the undermaster's quarters.</p>
+
+<p>At the back there were again buildings on the right and left&mdash;on the
+left junior dormitories, the dining-hall, and matron's rooms; and on
+the right senior dormitories and studies.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. St. Clive drove home and told Ralph the result of his visit.</p>
+
+<p>"I am sure that you will like the doctor," he said, "and you will find
+your companions a nice lot of fellows. Of course there will be some
+unpleasant ones; and Ralph, if things are as they used to be, you
+will find that there are two sets of fellows&mdash;those who mean to work
+honestly, and those who never intend to take pains. I need not ask
+which set you will belong to," and Mr. St. Clive smiled. "But now,"
+he added, "I want you to try and be brave. You have a very terrible
+sorrow, I know; and it is hard to put it from my mind&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"It is never from my mind, sir," interrupted Ralph sadly. "I am always
+thinking of it."</p>
+
+<p>"But you must not brood over it. To do that, will unfit you for all
+else. Leave it with God, Ralph, and do not let even so great a grief
+interfere with life's<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_38" id="Page_38">[Pg 38]</a></span> duties. Will you promise me to try and remember
+this?"</p>
+
+<p>"I will indeed, sir," answered Ralph. "If I have lost father, I mean to
+try and think that he knows, and just do that which would please him."</p>
+
+<p>"That is good; but still better is it to remember that we have to
+try and do that which shall please our Heavenly Father. Now, Ralph,
+I suppose that out where you made your home, blows often were the
+only way of settling troubles. I do not say that blows are never
+justifiable, for sometimes we are placed in such circumstances as
+warrant fighting, but do not be too ready to quarrel, or to avenge
+every fancied insult with your fist. But there, I am sure that I can
+leave that to you. Now come to lunch, and then we must see about
+starting."</p>
+
+<p>"I am so glad that you are coming home every week, Ralph," so said
+Irene St. Clive, when she heard of the arrangements which her father
+had made. "My own lessons are finished on Friday, and we can have all
+Saturday to ourselves. I shall count all the days until each Saturday
+comes."</p>
+
+<p>So with kindly words to cheer him on his way, Ralph started off with
+Mr. St. Clive, and was introduced to Dr. Beverly; and Ralph felt that
+he liked the doctor from the very first moment that he saw him; and he
+determined that he would do all that he could to get on and prove to
+Mr. St. Clive that he meant to keep his word.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_39" id="Page_39">[Pg 39]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Then when his friend had gone, the doctor questioned Ralph to see just
+what he knew; and at the conclusion of the examination he laid his hand
+on his shoulder.</p>
+
+<p>"My boy," he said, "it is my desire always to have the fullest
+confidence in my scholars, and also to enjoy their confidence. I want
+you to remember that I desire to be your friend as well as your master,
+and that out of school hours I am always glad to see any of my boys who
+want to talk with me. I do not mean who want to come tale-bearing," he
+added, and Ralph smiled as he answered&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Thank you, sir. I think I understand."</p>
+
+<p>"You will have to be in the Fourth Form at first, that is the lowest
+Form in the Senior House," the doctor continued. "But if you work well,
+you will soon be in the Fifth. Now, if you will come with me I will
+introduce you to your master, Mr. Delermain, and I think you will find
+him ever ready to help you in any way he can."</p>
+
+<p>Ralph thanked the Head again, and followed him, with more of curiosity
+than of nervousness, to make the acquaintance of the boys with whom he
+was to study; and twenty pairs of eyes glanced up as the Head opened
+the door, and then dropped as quickly when they saw who had entered.</p>
+
+<p>But the master rose from his seat and came forward to meet the doctor,
+who said, patting Ralph on the shoulder&mdash;</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_40" id="Page_40">[Pg 40]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"I have brought you a new scholar, Mr. Delermain. This is Ralph
+Rexworth, and he is the young gentleman of whom you have heard&mdash;the one
+who saved Mr. St. Clive's daughter." Hereat the eyes were stealthily
+raised, and glances of something like respectful awe followed. Of
+course every one there had heard of the incident about the bull, and of
+the disappearance of Mr. Rexworth.</p>
+
+<p>"Rexworth is rather backward," the Head continued. "His life has been
+spent abroad, and he has not had the opportunities for study; but I
+believe that he will soon pick up." And with this Dr. Beverly went, and
+Mr. Delermain, having spoken a few words of welcome, beckoned to a boy
+to come forward.</p>
+
+<p>"Warren, let Rexworth sit beside you this afternoon, and give him a set
+of the sums we are doing. If you find them too difficult," he added to
+Ralph, "do not hesitate to come to me."</p>
+
+<p>But Ralph did not need to ask for aid, he could do the sums and the
+exercises that followed. Indeed, he did better than some who had been
+there longer, notably one big lad with a sickly flabby face, who was
+seated at the bottom of the class, and who received a reprimand from
+his master for his indolence.</p>
+
+<p>"It is shameful, Dobson! Here, a new boy has done better than you have.
+Your idleness is disgraceful."</p>
+
+<p>A writing exercise followed; and Ralph was bending over his book, when
+flop!&mdash;a wad of wet blotting-paper<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_41" id="Page_41">[Pg 41]</a></span> hit him in the cheek. He looked up,
+but every one seemed busy with their work, so wiping his cheek he put
+the wet mass on one side, and went on with his task. Flop! A second
+wad came. Ralph noted the direction, and saw that at the end of the
+form Dobson was seated, and Ralph had his suspicions. Pretending to
+be absorbed in his work, he kept a covert watch; and presently he was
+rewarded by seeing Dobson extract a third wad from his mouth, where he
+had been chewing it into a convenient pellet, and under cover of the
+boy in front of him prepare to fire it by a flick of his thumb. Ralph
+raised his eyes and looked him full in the face, and, somehow, Dobson
+seemed confused. He turned red, and bent over his work hastily; and no
+more pellets were fired at Ralph that afternoon.</p>
+
+<p>It seemed rather a wearisome afternoon to the boy, used as he was to
+his open-air life, but he worked away with all his might; and presently
+the bell rang and work was over; and then Warren, the boy beside whom
+he had sat, came to him and held out his hand.</p>
+
+<p>"I am first monitor of our form," he said, "and I hope that we shall be
+friends. If you come with me I will take you round the school."</p>
+
+<p>"Rexworth."</p>
+
+<p>Ralph turned as his name was called; his master stood there.</p>
+
+<p>"I want you a few minutes. Warren, you can take<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_42" id="Page_42">[Pg 42]</a></span> him round afterwards.
+I want to arrange about his study."</p>
+
+<p>"We have only got one vacant, sir," the monitor said. "Charlton has
+that."</p>
+
+<p>"I know," was the quiet answer; and then, when Warren ran off, the
+master turned to Ralph.</p>
+
+<p>"Rexworth," he said, "I must explain that in our form every two boys
+have one study between them, and as you heard Warren say, we have only
+one study that is not fully occupied. A lad named Charlton has it, and
+you must chum with him. It is about him I want to speak to you."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, sir," said Ralph, wondering why his master spoke so gravely.</p>
+
+<p>"Rexworth, I am sorry to say that Charlton is not quite in favour
+with his schoolmates. His father got into some trouble and has
+disappeared&mdash;it is supposed that he is dead&mdash;and the boy managed to
+gain a scholarship at another and poorer school, and has come here.
+He is a real nice lad, but very weakly and timid, and the others put
+upon him, partly on that account, partly because of his father's
+disappearance, and partly because he is poor&mdash;a sad crime in the eyes
+of many. It would have been wiser, I think, if he had not come here,
+but Dr. Beverly wished him to do so. I wish, Rexworth, that you would
+try to be his friend, for he needs one; some of the lads are nice
+enough to him, but he seems so very much alone."</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_43" id="Page_43">[Pg 43]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"I would like to help him, sir," was the ready answer. And the master
+smiled.</p>
+
+<p>"I thought that I was not mistaken in you," he said. "Look, there the
+lad is. Charlton, come here."</p>
+
+<p>The lad came up. He was a pale boy, very delicate in appearance, and
+with a sad, wistful face.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, sir," he said.</p>
+
+<p>"Charlton, there is only one vacancy in our studies, and that is with
+you. Rexworth will have to chum with you." The boy cast a startled
+glance at Ralph. "Take him and show him where it is, and try to make
+him feel at home."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, sir." The boy beckoned to Ralph. "Please come with me," he said,
+in troubled tones, as if he doubted whether Ralph would care about
+sharing the study with him.</p>
+
+<p>"Have we got to be chums?" asked Ralph; and the other boy nodded.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes. That is what we call it. It means sharing studies; but you need
+not speak to me if you don't want to, and I will not be in the study
+much. I am not as it is, for they are always disturbing me and spoiling
+my things."</p>
+
+<p>"They! Who?" demanded Ralph; and the lad answered&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"The other chaps and the Fifths. Dobson, in ours, and Elgert of the
+Fifth, are the worst. They go in and spoil my things."</p>
+
+<p>"They have no business to, of course?"</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_44" id="Page_44">[Pg 44]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Go in? No, of course not&mdash;only the two who chum have any right in it.
+Here we are, and&mdash;there, they are in now!"&mdash;as a scuffling and burst
+of laughter came from the inside of the study before which the boy had
+halted. "Oh, what are they doing! Will you stop until they have gone?"</p>
+
+<p>"Not I," answered Ralph grimly. "That study is mine as well as yours,
+and I mean to see that we have it to ourselves, Charlton. Come on, and
+we will see what is up." And saying this, Ralph threw open the door and
+walked into the little room, followed by his companion.</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_45" id="Page_45">[Pg 45]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><span>CHAPTER V</span> <span class="smaller">MAKING THINGS STRAIGHT</span></h2>
+
+<p>A burst of laughter greeted Ralph's ears as he opened the study door,
+and some one said:</p>
+
+<p>"Look sharp. Here he comes! Hurry up there, Elgert!"</p>
+
+<p>But the laughter died away somewhat awkwardly when the boys saw that
+Charlton was not alone, and one or two of the boys came up to Ralph.</p>
+
+<p>"Hallo, you new fellow! They surely haven't put you to chum with
+Charlton, have they? What a shame! I should kick against it. Some one
+else must make room for you."</p>
+
+<p>Such were the remarks of those who had taken a fancy to Ralph, but he
+paid no heed to it all. He just calmly gazed round, as if counting the
+number of boys there and taking their measure; and then he quite as
+calmly shut the door, locked it, and put the key in his pocket. Those
+present looked in surprise for a moment&mdash;some laughed, and one, a tall,
+handsome boy, came haughtily up to him.</p>
+
+<p>"What do you mean by that?" he demanded. "How dare you lock that door?"</p>
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_46" id="Page_46">[Pg 46]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Ralph regarded him with the utmost coolness. No one had told him who
+the boy was, and yet he seemed to know&mdash;he felt sure that this was none
+other than Horace Elgert himself.</p>
+
+<p>"Wait a bit," he said calmly. "So far as I understand, this study
+belongs to Charlton and myself. We have a perfect right to lock the
+door."</p>
+
+<p>"But not to lock us in," retorted Elgert. "Open it at once, and think
+yourself lucky that you don't get a licking for your impudence!"</p>
+
+<p>"Steady!" was Ralph's answer. "It seems to me that if you had not been
+where you have no right to be, you would not have got locked in; and
+now that you are here, you must wait my pleasure as to going out."</p>
+
+<p>This was beginning school life with a vengeance, but Ralph believed in
+settling things once and for all, and his indignation was hot as he saw
+what these half dozen lads had been doing.</p>
+
+<p>But Horace Elgert was not a boy to be spoken to like that, and he came
+striding up to Ralph to take the key by force.</p>
+
+<p>"I will soon settle you," he began, and he aimed a blow at this
+impertinent new boy's head, only somehow the blow did not get there.
+Ralph adroitly stepped aside, and the Honourable Horace Elgert stumbled
+to the ground violently.</p>
+
+<p>"A fight! A fight!" cried the rest; but Ralph smiled and shook his
+head.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_47" id="Page_47">[Pg 47]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Oh, no, my friends. I have something better to do, and this is not the
+place for fighting."</p>
+
+<p>They were staggered. They could not understand this coolness and,
+moreover, they had all heard about Ralph having tackled the bull, and
+the story had grown somewhat. They stood considerably in awe of this
+boy from the Western plains, and they began to wish that they were
+anywhere else than in his study.</p>
+
+<p>Horace Elgert got up, his face white with passion but he made no more
+attempts to take the key from Ralph.</p>
+
+<p>"You are right," he said, in suppressed tones; "this is not the place
+to fight. Open the door, and we will soon settle things."</p>
+
+<p>"Presently," was all the answer he got. "Now, then, let us see what you
+have been up to."</p>
+
+<p>He glanced round at the books tumbled on the floor, at a desk upset, at
+an ink-bottle on its side, and then turned to his chum.</p>
+
+<p>But Charlton was standing, looking very white, and staring at a picture
+on the wall&mdash;the picture of a lady, and beneath it some one had
+written&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"This is Charlton's mammy. But where is his daddy? Puzzle&mdash;Find daddy,
+and tell the police."</p>
+
+<p>Ralph felt his nerves tingle. He felt sure that Elgert had done that,
+and he remembered the words of Lord Elgert respecting his own father.</p>
+
+<p>"Who did that?" he said, and no one answered. He went up to Elgert.
+"Did you do it?"</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_48" id="Page_48">[Pg 48]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Well, if I did, what is it to do with you? Mind your own business!"</p>
+
+<p>"Take that scrawl down. Quick, or I shall lose my temper, and then I
+fancy some one will get hurt! Down with it! That is right"&mdash;as the
+other, considerably startled, pulled the writing down. "Give it to me."</p>
+
+<p>It was remarkable how the daring of the one lad held the half dozen in
+check. Elgert handed him the paper, and Ralph tore it up and threw the
+fragments into his face.</p>
+
+<p>"Now then, you have upset this room. Just put it straight again,
+and look sharp about it!" he said. "And please to understand that
+Charlton and I are chums, and mean to stick together. Oh, and I want a
+word with you"&mdash;and he walked up to Dobson, who turned a trifle more
+pasty-looking than before. "Do you know what these are?"</p>
+
+<p>Ralph produced two wads of chewed blotting-paper from his pocket as he
+spoke, and Dobson blustered&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"You keep to your chum, since you are so thick with him. I don't want
+anything to do with you. I say, you chaps, are you going to let him
+crow over you like this? Rush him!"</p>
+
+<p>"Good advice; only, why don't you do the rushing first?" said Ralph.
+"I asked you if you recognized these. If you don't, I will tell you
+what they are&mdash;they are pieces of blotting-paper, which you chewed
+and then threw at me. They came out of your mouth,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_49" id="Page_49">[Pg 49]</a></span> and they are
+going back there again&mdash;when I have mopped up this ink which you have
+spilt." Ralph suited the action to the word, and presented the two
+unpalatable-looking objects to Dobson, who was at once a coward and a
+bully. "Now, then, open your mouth!"</p>
+
+<p>"I won't! Who do you think that you are? I&mdash;&mdash; Oh!"</p>
+
+<p>For Ralph did not argue. He grabbed hold of Dobson, and with a quick
+jerk sent him backwards across the little study table.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, oh! You are breaking my back!" howled the bully.</p>
+
+<p>"Open your mouth!"</p>
+
+<p>"I won't! Oh, help me, you fellows&mdash;he will break my back! Oh! Ugh!
+Ow! I am choking!" For, just as he opened his mouth to yell, Ralph had
+pushed both those pieces of blotting-paper in.</p>
+
+<p>"Now, then, take them," he said. "Quick, or it will be the worse for
+you!"</p>
+
+<p>Dobson, with many queer grimaces, had to comply&mdash;it was the most
+unsavoury morsel which he had tasted for many a day.</p>
+
+<div class="center"><img src="images/i049.jpg" alt="Dobson had to comply" /></div>
+
+<p class="bold">"<span class="smcap">Dobson, with many queer grimaces, had to
+comply.</span>" p. 49</p>
+
+<p>"Now! Ah, I see that you have straightened things!" Ralph went on. "Now
+you chaps can go, and the next time you want to come into our study
+take my advice and ask leave, or there will be more trouble. Clear out!"</p>
+
+<p>And he unlocked the door and flung it open.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_50" id="Page_50">[Pg 50]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>And out those half dozen boys went, looking considerably crestfallen
+and stupid, and knowing also that they were cowards&mdash;they were all
+frightened by Ralph, so greatly does one of dauntless bearing affect a
+number.</p>
+
+<p>But one boy turned, and that one was Horace Elgert, and he came back
+and gave Ralph look for look.</p>
+
+<p>"Look here, you new fellow!" he said, "you have been very clever, but
+you have done a bad day's work for yourself. You have made one enemy at
+least. As for that insult which you offered me, you will have to fight
+me for it; and as for you, you miserable cub"&mdash;and he turned towards
+Charlton, who cowered back before his raised fist&mdash;"as for you, I
+will&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"Hold hard&mdash;you will do nothing!" answered Ralph, with the utmost
+good humour. "You are talking tall, that is all about it. Now, take
+my advice, and go; and when you are calmer, you will see things
+differently. And then, as to fighting&mdash;well, I shall not run away in
+the meantime. Clear!"</p>
+
+<p>And with that he shut the door and locked it behind his discomfited
+foes. Then, seating himself, he looked at the bewildered Charlton, and
+laughed again as he saw the look of admiration in his face.</p>
+
+<p>"There, I think that has taught them a lesson! We shall not have them
+upset our study again," he said. "One must maintain one's rights, and
+we may<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_51" id="Page_51">[Pg 51]</a></span> as well begin as we mean to go on. So this is our study, is it?"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, if you will share it with me," the other boy said. And Ralph
+answered&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Share it? Of course I shall share it with you! Did not you hear Mr.
+Delermain say that we were to share it?"</p>
+
+<p>"But most fellows don't like me, because&mdash;because&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"Never mind why," interrupted Ralph, anxious to spare the boy's
+feelings. "I heard something about your father being gone; well, my
+father is gone, you know"&mdash;and Ralph's voice shook a little&mdash;"and so we
+two ought to be chums, and help each other. Then, I suppose that you
+know more than I do; for, except at roping a steer or rounding up a
+herd of cattle, I am afraid that I am not of much use. You will be able
+to help me on no end."</p>
+
+<p>"What! I help you?" gasped Charlton. "How can I do that?"</p>
+
+<p>"You know Greek and Latin, and goodness knows how much more, that I am
+only just at the beginning of, and you will be able to give me a hand
+with it. I want to get on and pick up things as quickly as I can."</p>
+
+<p>"I might help you that way, if you would let me," the boy said
+doubtfully. And Ralph laughed.</p>
+
+<p>"What a chap you are! Have I not told you that I shall be downright
+thankful: and there you keep<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_52" id="Page_52">[Pg 52]</a></span> on about if I will let you. Come, shake
+hands upon it! Charlton, we two are chums, and we are going to stick
+together and help each other. Is that so?"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, if you will. I shall be so glad to have a chum, because it has
+been rather lonely sometimes; and then, you see, I am not very strong,
+and I am not brave like you, and the fellows know it, and they try to
+play all sorts of tricks upon me. Do you really mean to be my chum,
+Rexworth?"</p>
+
+<p>"Really and truly! Now, let us go down, and then you can show me what
+the place is like," was Ralph's answer. And the two, descending to the
+playground were met by Warren, who stopped and looked from Ralph to
+Charlton, and then asked&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"I say, Rexworth, what have you been up to so soon? There is Dobson
+declaring that he will do all manner of things to you. You seem to have
+been having some fun already."</p>
+
+<p>So Ralph explained what had happened, and the monitor laughed until the
+tears ran down his cheeks.</p>
+
+<p>"Well, all I can say is that you are a cool hand," was his comment,
+"and I am not sorry that you have taught Dobson a lesson. You have not
+much to fear from him, but you will find that Elgert, for all he is an
+Honourable, has precious little honour about him. He will pay you back
+if he gets the chance, be sure of that. However," he went on, "I am
+glad that you<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_53" id="Page_53">[Pg 53]</a></span> two are chums, for I think you will like each other; but
+there is the bell for tea. Come on, or we shall be late."</p>
+
+<p>The rest of that day passed without further incident and at last the
+boys&mdash;evening preparation and supper over&mdash;went trooping to their
+dormitories, there to laugh and chat as they undressed; and many
+glances were bestowed upon Ralph. His exploit of that afternoon had
+been spoken of, and there was no attempt to play any jokes upon one who
+was prepared to take his own part so vigorously.</p>
+
+<p>But presently the laughing suddenly stopped, and something like a
+hush of surprise succeeded the noise. Warren seated on the edge of
+his bed, looked round to see what had happened&mdash;he thought that one
+of the masters had come in unexpectedly; but he saw his companions
+standing glancing across towards the spot where Ralph's bed was, and
+he, following their gaze, saw that the boy who was ready to face half a
+dozen of his companions, was down on his knees, his head bent upon his
+hands in prayer.</p>
+
+<p>Warren felt a thrill of shame. He was a real good lad at heart, but
+somehow he did not do that&mdash;none of them did&mdash;they thought that public
+prayers were enough; and yet he had promised his mother that each night
+he would kneel alone in prayer.</p>
+
+<p>Some of the boys were tittering, some looked grave. Warren suddenly
+found himself resolved. "If a thing should be done, do it at once," was
+his motto. He gave<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_54" id="Page_54">[Pg 54]</a></span> one hasty glance round, half ashamed, half defiant,
+and then, in the sight of all his companions, the Fourth Form monitor
+also knelt down by his bed, following the brave example set by Ralph
+Rexworth.</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_55" id="Page_55">[Pg 55]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><span>CHAPTER VI</span> <span class="smaller">AN EARLY MORNING SPIN</span></h2>
+
+<p>It was quite a common thing for new boys at Marlthorpe College to be
+made the victims of practical jokes during their first night in the
+school; but such was the impression which Ralph Rexworth had made, that
+no tricks were attempted with him. A boy who could take his own part so
+vigorously was not the sort that it was safe to take liberties with.</p>
+
+<p>Nor was that the only reason. With Dobson and his friends it was quite
+sufficient, but with the better boys, that quiet kneeling down to pray
+had not been without effect. Some of them recognized that to do that
+might require more courage than to deal as he had done with those who
+had invaded his study&mdash;a moral courage, far greater and better than a
+physical; and they realized that a boy who possessed that courage was
+not a fit subject for stupid jokes.</p>
+
+<p>So Ralph slept peacefully until the morning, when, used to early rising
+all his life, he opened his eyes before any of the other boys were
+awake.</p>
+
+<p>At first he felt puzzled with his surroundings, but he soon remembered;
+and propping himself upon his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_56" id="Page_56">[Pg 56]</a></span> elbow he lay watching the faces of the
+others, wondering what sort of lads they would prove to be, and how he
+should get on with them, and whether he would be able to master the
+lessons which they were engaged upon.</p>
+
+<p>Then he looked at Charlton, and thought how sad he looked, even in his
+sleep; and he noted how often he sighed. Perhaps he was dreaming of his
+father.</p>
+
+<p>That sent him thinking of his own father, and the mystery of his fate;
+and he pondered whether it would ever be possible for him&mdash;a lonely boy
+in this strange land&mdash;to find out the truth concerning his parent's
+disappearance. But he was not altogether alone; it was wrong to think
+of himself in that light. God had given him a friend in Mr. St. Clive,
+and another in Mrs. St. Clive, and yet a third&mdash;a very nice, lovable
+third&mdash;in Irene! Ralph, who had never had anything to do with girls,
+thought Irene the sweetest, dearest little friend that it would be
+possible to find.</p>
+
+<p>A bell rang, and his companions stretched and yawned and opened their
+eyes; and though some grunted and turned over again, determined to have
+every minute they could, several jumped up at once, and hastily pulling
+on their clothes began sluicing and splashing in good, honest, cold
+water.</p>
+
+<p>"Hallo! Awake? Slept well?" queried Warren seeing that Ralph was
+preparing to follow the example of these last boys. "Any one try any
+games with you in the night?" And he came and sat down on Ralph's<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_57" id="Page_57">[Pg 57]</a></span> bed,
+and grinned when the new boy answered that he had not been disturbed.</p>
+
+<p>"I suppose they thought better of it. That is your basin!" he added,
+pointing to one washstand. "Mind that they don't take all the water, or
+you will either have to sneak another fellow's, or go and get some more
+for yourself. Look sharp, and then we will go and have a turn with the
+bells, and a spin afterwards, I like to get all I can before breakfast;
+it seems to set a fellow up for the day."</p>
+
+<p>Ralph nodded, and began vigorously sluicing and polishing; and the
+boys, too busy about their own business, paid no attention to him. He
+was quite capable of looking after himself, in their opinion. At last,
+all ready to accompany the monitor, he quietly repeated his action of
+the previous night&mdash;he knelt down in prayer.</p>
+
+<p>That staggered even Warren. As a whole, the boys were good lads, but
+even those who had been accustomed to evening prayers in their homes
+did not seem to think that morning prayers were quite as important.
+They wanted to scramble off to play as quickly as possible. The Head
+always read prayers in school, and that was enough; and here was this
+new fellow wasting precious time in this way!</p>
+
+<p>A few sneered and giggled; some shrugged their shoulders, and ran off;
+some looked grave; and Warren sat nursing his foot, and pondering;
+while Charlton turned red.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_58" id="Page_58">[Pg 58]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>But they made no remarks; and when Ralph rose from his knees, the three
+went out together. Warren was turning over a decidedly new leaf. If he
+had not annoyed Charlton before, he had left him pretty much alone, and
+now he was admitting him to his company. Well, Charlton was Rexworth's
+chum, and if he wanted Rexworth he must have the chum as well.</p>
+
+<p>Charlton hardly expected the monitor to be friendly to him, but he
+waited for his chum, and Warren waited, too.</p>
+
+<p>"Let us get down and have a try at the bells," suggested the monitor,
+leading the way. And Ralph inquired innocently&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Ringing bells, do you mean?"</p>
+
+<p>Whereat Warren stared, and felt just a little less respect for the
+new boy. What sort of a fellow could he be if he didn't know what
+dumb-bells were?</p>
+
+<p>"Ringing bells?" he repeated. "No; dumb-bells&mdash;exercises, you know!
+Come on, I will show you."</p>
+
+<p>"I never saw bells like those," was Ralph's comment, when a pair was
+produced. "How do you use them?"</p>
+
+<p>Warren went through a set of exercises, and then handed them to Ralph,
+who laughed, and said&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Why, they don't weigh anything! I don't see much exercise in this!"</p>
+
+<p>"They are six-pounders," was the answer; "quite as heavy as you will
+want. Now try this exercise&mdash;do it a dozen times."</p>
+
+<p>Warren showed Ralph the right way, and off he went;<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_59" id="Page_59">[Pg 59]</a></span> Charlton, who had
+also got a pair of bells, doing the same. And, to Ralph Rexworth's
+surprise, he found that those weights at which he had laughed soon made
+him feel tired, and that Charlton could keep on longer than he could.
+He could not understand that.</p>
+
+<p>"I don't see why it should be," he said.</p>
+
+<p>And a voice replied&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Because you are exercising muscles which you have not tried much
+before, my lad." And he turned, to see Mr. Delermain watching him.</p>
+
+<p>"Try again," said the master. "Only once; this sort of thing must be
+done gradually. Go slow, and take time."</p>
+
+<p>Ralph obeyed: but dumb-bells certainly made his arms ache. And then
+Warren suggested Indian clubs.</p>
+
+<p>"Indian clubs," repeated Ralph, "and what are they? I never saw the
+Indians use clubs. They have knives and hatchets, and spears and bows,
+and some of them use guns, too, and shoot wonderfully well; but I never
+saw them use clubs."</p>
+
+<p>Now that speech caused a smile, but it was a very respectful smile; for
+here was a boy who had actually seen real Indians. That was something,
+even if he did not know what Indian clubs were!</p>
+
+<p>However, the clubs were produced, and Ralph was shown how to swing
+them. And, as a natural result of his first attempt, he hit his head a
+smart crack, evoking a burst of laughter thereby.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_60" id="Page_60">[Pg 60]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Slow and steady," he answered; "I shall get it in time. I don't
+understand these things; but if you get me a coil of rope, I will show
+you one or two little things that I do not think any of you can do."</p>
+
+<p>"A coil of rope&mdash;that is easily supplied," said Mr. Delermain; and
+when it was brought, he said: "Now, Rexworth, let us see what you can
+do." And all the boys stood round while Ralph took the rope and made a
+running noose at one end.</p>
+
+<p>"Give me plenty of room," he said, and he commenced to whirl the noose
+round and round his head, letting the rope run out as he did so; until
+at last he held the very end in his hand, and the rest was twirling
+round and round him in a perfect circle.</p>
+
+<p>"One of you try to do that," he said.</p>
+
+<p>And try they did, in vain. They could not even get it to go in a
+circle, and it made their arms ache dreadfully.</p>
+
+<p>Then he made the circle spin round him on its edge just as if that rope
+was a hoop; and afterwards he actually jumped through it as it was
+going, explaining that the cowboys on the ranches frequently indulged
+in such tricks as these, and were experts at it&mdash;far more so than the
+Indians themselves.</p>
+
+<p>Then nothing would do but that he must show them how a lasso was
+thrown. And though several, including the master, essayed to try, not
+one of them was able to send the noose over Ralph's shoulders, though<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_61" id="Page_61">[Pg 61]</a></span>
+he caught them, one after the other, without the slightest trouble.</p>
+
+<p>"It is what one is used to," he said laughing. "I have not had much to
+do with bells and clubs&mdash;nothing to do with them, indeed&mdash;but I have
+played with a rope all my life."</p>
+
+<p>Dobson had come in with his friends, and he stood and glared. Elgert
+came in, and looked angry. This new boy was evidently on the way
+to become a favourite in the school, and, unless something was
+done, he might rival them. Though just then they did not speak to
+each other about it, both Dobson and Elgert arrived at the same
+conclusion&mdash;namely, that something should be done, and that Ralph
+Rexworth should be humbled and disgraced.</p>
+
+<p>Then Warren suggested a spin, and of course Charlton went, and two or
+three other boys&mdash;who found Ralph very good company&mdash;had to come too;
+and since they did come, they could not ignore the boy they had all
+neglected in the past. Poor Charlton, he could hardly understand it, it
+almost frightened him!</p>
+
+<p>It was delightful out in the fields, in the fresh morning, with the dew
+still sparkling on the leaves, and with the air full of the songs of
+the wild birds. There is a charm and sweetness and delight about the
+early morning which they who are late risers have no idea of. It sets
+the nerves tingling and the blood dancing, and makes one feel as if he
+were walking on air, and not on solid earth.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_62" id="Page_62">[Pg 62]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Away they went across the playing field, and out on the common, on
+towards Great Stow; arms well back, shoulders square, bodies gently
+sloped, going with good, long, swinging strides.</p>
+
+<p>Ralph was in his element now, for running, equally with rope work, was
+an accomplishment practised by all those amongst whom he had lived. A
+very necessary accomplishment, seeing that the ability to run swiftly,
+and to keep up without fagging, might mean all the difference between
+life and death in a land where the natives were quarrelsome and quite
+ready to go upon the warpath upon the least provocation.</p>
+
+<p>Some of the boys outstripped him at the first go off, but he kept on
+running low, swinging well from the hips, and those who had gone with
+a spurt at first soon found that he could, to use Warren's expression,
+"run circles round them, and then beat them hollow."</p>
+
+<p>But presently Ralph slackened his speed, for he had noticed that
+Charlton was fagged, and he&mdash;having pledged himself to be the boy's
+chum&mdash;was not going to desert him. The rest were by no means sorry to
+stop; for though their pride would not allow them to give in, they
+had all had nearly enough of it. And panting, laughing, happy in all
+their youthful strength and spirits, they pulled up and wiped the
+perspiration from their foreheads.</p>
+
+<p>"Let us go over to Tibb's Farm, and get a drink of milk; and then
+we must be getting back, or we<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_63" id="Page_63">[Pg 63]</a></span> shall get slated and be late for
+breakfast, and that won't do," directed Warren, and the others agreed.</p>
+
+<p>The farm was but a short distance away, and it was evident that this
+visit was nothing out of the ordinary; for the farmer's wife smiled,
+and produced tumblers of milk and wedges of cake, and charged the boys
+a penny each&mdash;which certainly was not exorbitant.</p>
+
+<p>And the way they got rid of that cake! And they were going home to
+breakfast!&mdash;ay, and would be able to eat it, too, cake notwithstanding!
+So much results from getting up early!</p>
+
+<p>Perhaps it was because of his exhibition with the rope&mdash;perhaps it was
+the run; but as Ralph sat there his thoughts went back to his trouble.</p>
+
+<p>How often had he been out in the early morning on the hot plains alone
+with his father! And how once when the grass caught fire, they had to
+run for dear life and take shelter in the creek until the fiery sea had
+swept by! And now, now, where&mdash;oh, where&mdash;was that father? It would
+come back, try to be as brave as he would. It would come back, and his
+heart would suddenly fill with pain, and cry out for that lost father.</p>
+
+<p>"Time's up!" sang out Warren, stuffing the last of his cake into his
+mouth. "Now, you fellows, come on!"</p>
+
+<p>Off they went with a whoop and hallo! Perhaps not quite so fast now,
+for cake and milk interfere somewhat with scudding. And Ralph, now with
+his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_64" id="Page_64">[Pg 64]</a></span> chum and Warren, suddenly stopped, staring hard on the ground.</p>
+
+<p>His companions could see nothing, and looked at him in surprise. Their
+eyes had never been trained to read the surface of the earth. But Ralph
+had suddenly lighted upon a freshly made trail. A trap had gone along
+here&mdash;a light trap, like that which had left those other traces in Stow
+Wood; and this trap, like that again, had been drawn by a horse lame in
+its left forefoot!</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_65" id="Page_65">[Pg 65]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><span>CHAPTER VII</span> <span class="smaller">HORACE ELGERT GOES A LITTLE TOO FAR</span></h2>
+
+<p>"What's the matter, Rexworth?"</p>
+
+<p>So queried Warren. Ralph was standing anxiously looking around. He was
+perplexed, and did not know what he ought to do. These marks might
+afford him a clue to the mystery of his father's disappearance; and yet
+the chance seemed but slight, there were more horses than one going
+lame in one leg. If he stopped he would be late for school, and he did
+not want to get into disgrace.</p>
+
+<p>He could not explain to his companions, for he saw that if he was
+ever to succeed he must keep his secrets to himself. A casual word,
+heedlessly dropped, that he was looking for a lame horse which drew a
+light trap might be enough to make the owner of horse and trap very
+careful that he should not be traced.</p>
+
+<p>"It was nothing," he said slowly. "I was thinking."</p>
+
+<p>"Then don't stop to think now," was the advice he received. "We have
+been a little too far. You scudded along so, and we tried to beat you.
+We cannot waste any more time. Come on."</p>
+
+<p>He went on with his friends. He felt that it was<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_66" id="Page_66">[Pg 66]</a></span> right to do so.
+Moreover, the man with the horse and trap must be in the locality
+still, and if he was not scared off, those tracks would be made again,
+perhaps even more clearly, and Ralph might then have better opportunity
+of following them. It was the right thing to go back to the school now.</p>
+
+<p>"I say," suddenly queried Warren, as they hurried on. "Has Elgert said
+anything more to you?"</p>
+
+<p>"No; I have not seen him, except just as we were coming out, when he
+came into the gymnasium."</p>
+
+<p>"Well, he is bound to do so, after what happened yesterday. I do not
+see how he can help it, or how you can avoid it. You will have to fight
+him, Rexworth."</p>
+
+<p>"I am sorry to hear you say that, for I don't want to be fighting if
+I can help it, and I would far rather be friends with&mdash;&mdash;" He paused.
+He was going to say "friends with him." But that was not true. He felt
+that, apart from anything which had happened yesterday, he could not be
+friends with the son of a man who had said that his father was a thief.</p>
+
+<p>"I don't want to fight him," he said slowly; and Warren nodded.</p>
+
+<p>"I know; but if he challenges you, what then?"</p>
+
+<p>Ralph looked grave. No boy likes to be thought a coward; but still he
+did not want to fight.</p>
+
+<p>"If I can get out of it I shall," he said: and the monitor looked just
+a trifle disappointed, while one or two of the boys laughed.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_67" id="Page_67">[Pg 67]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"It is not that I am afraid of him," Ralph said hastily. "It is that I
+don't want to begin fighting, if I can avoid it."</p>
+
+<p>"For goodness' sake, then, keep out of his way, and don't let him
+get to know that, for if Elgert thinks that he can do it without the
+chance of a row following, he is bound to challenge you. He is bound
+to, anyhow, so far as I can see, and it won't be nice for a fellow in
+the Fourth to refuse a challenge from the Fifth. If it was one of the
+youngsters in the Third, it would be different. No one would say that
+we were frightened to fight them; but in the Fifth they are bound to
+say that it was fear, and&mdash;&mdash; Hurry up, you chaps, there is the bell
+going!"</p>
+
+<p>A scamper, fast as they could go, and they trooped in to breakfast, so
+hungry, spite of cake and milk, that not even the troubled question
+of the probable challenge could disturb their appetites. Only Warren
+looked across to where Horace Elgert sat, and he muttered to himself&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"I wish that we hadn't talked of it before the others. If one of them
+lets out that Rexworth will not fight, Elgert is sure to make no end of
+it. I understand why Rexworth don't like it, and it is all right, but
+still&mdash;oh, he will have to fight, like it or not, and that is all about
+it."</p>
+
+<p>Morning lessons occupied their thoughts after breakfast, and Ralph
+found himself quite eager to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_68" id="Page_68">[Pg 68]</a></span> master the things which, while they were
+hard to him, seemed easy to his companions. He had already determined
+that he would excel with dumb-bells and Indian clubs, and now it was
+just the same with lessons. He hated to be beaten, and he was not going
+to be beaten.</p>
+
+<p>And already he reaped the reward of having put in a couple of hours'
+study the evening before, with Charlton to lend him a hand. He was
+praised by Mr. Delermain, and rose rapidly from the bottom of the class
+towards the top, and, thanks to his firmness the day before, he had no
+more of the unpleasantness with Dobson, who remained persistently at
+the very bottom of the class.</p>
+
+<p>Slow and steady, he found the best way, doing each thing thoroughly,
+and thinking only of one thing at a time; and that is always the best
+way, not only to learn, but to do everything in life.</p>
+
+<p>He was quite surprised when the bell rang&mdash;the morning seemed to have
+slipped away, and he put his books away and went, Charlton with him,
+into the playground.</p>
+
+<p>"I don't know how I should have got on if you had not helped me last
+night, and I am very much obliged to you," he said. And the other boy
+smiled. It was very nice to hear any one say that he had been of use to
+them.</p>
+
+<p>The pair sauntered across the playground, and presently they saw
+that Horace Elgert and some of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_69" id="Page_69">[Pg 69]</a></span> his chums were coming towards them,
+and Ralph stopped, a strange, firm look on his face, and awaited his
+approach.</p>
+
+<p>Up the others came, and Elgert, hands in pockets, addressed him&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"I want a word with you. You know what we have got to do. You cheeked
+me last night, and you have got either to thrash me or be thrashed."</p>
+
+<p>Elgert spoke very confidently, for, as Warren had feared, he had heard
+that it was unlikely that Ralph would fight him.</p>
+
+<p>"It is this, then," replied Ralph quietly. "You mean that we have got
+to fight?"</p>
+
+<p>Elgert looked round and laughed. A whole lot of the boys had come up,
+seeing them standing there, and knowing what they would be talking
+about.</p>
+
+<p>"Hear him!" he said. "How innocent! He cheeks me last night, and then
+asks if I mean we have got to fight! Yes, I do mean it! After afternoon
+school, the other side of the playing-field; and make up your mind for
+a thrashing!"</p>
+
+<p>"I have not the slightest wish to fight you. I was going to say that I
+had not any intention of fighting you," said Ralph.</p>
+
+<p>And some of the boys groaned, and muttered "Coward!"</p>
+
+<p>"I don't care whether you have wish or intention," replied Elgert, in
+truculent tones. "I have both<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_70" id="Page_70">[Pg 70]</a></span> wish and intention of thrashing you, and
+so you have got to put up with it, and afterwards beg my pardon. Do you
+hear that?"</p>
+
+<p>"I hear," was the quiet reply.</p>
+
+<p>And Ralph's eyes sparkled slightly.</p>
+
+<p>"Very well. This afternoon, the other side of the playing-field; and
+you mind that you are there, for it will be worse for you if I have to
+come and find you! That is all."</p>
+
+<p>And round swung Elgert on his heel and walked off, leaving Ralph
+standing unmoved by his angry, insulting tones.</p>
+
+<p>But if Ralph was unmoved, his companions in the Fourth were not, and
+Warren said, almost entreatingly, as he caught hold of Ralph's arm&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Look here, Rexworth, you must fight him after that! It is no good
+talking, you must fight him!"</p>
+
+<p>A statement which was received with approval by all the others there.</p>
+
+<p>"Well," said Ralph, "if I must, I must. I don't want to, though."</p>
+
+<p>"But for the honour of the class you must, or we shall never hear the
+last of it from them. You will meet him where he said?"</p>
+
+<p>"Not I!" laughed Ralph. "If I must fight, I must; but I am not going to
+be ordered about by him; and I am not going to do anything which makes
+it look as though I were a party to the fight. If he wants me, he must
+come and find me, as he<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_71" id="Page_71">[Pg 71]</a></span> threatened to do. There, we will say no more
+about it now."</p>
+
+<p>"He will do it all right," reflected Warren. "Elgert will find that he
+has gone a trifle too far."</p>
+
+<p>The afternoon passed away in study, and whatever any of the others
+may have felt of anxiety or interest in the likelihood of the fight,
+certainly Ralph did not let it trouble him. He was engaged with some
+sums which worried him a trifle, and when once one of his neighbours
+whispered to him in reference to the combat, Ralph glared at him, and
+requested him to be quiet in a manner which there was no gainsaying.
+One thing at a time with Ralph.</p>
+
+<p>But when the work of the day was finally over, he strolled calmly
+into the playground, calling to Charlton to accompany him. Charlton,
+who looked so terribly anxious, realized that Ralph must fight, and
+yet dreaded the issue, for Elgert was no mean foe. Charlton, who, in
+self-reproach, thought that it was all his fault&mdash;that it was only
+because Ralph had stood up for him concerning the study.</p>
+
+<p>"I say, Charlton, I want you just to show me how to get on with
+cricket," Ralph said. "Every one seems to play; but I cannot make
+anything out of it, except that you have to hit the ball, and run if
+you can."</p>
+
+<p>Charlton beamed; this was a delightful experience for him, and he at
+once led the way to the playroom, and secured one of the school sets.</p>
+
+<p>"Come in!" he said. "I will soon explain the rules<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_72" id="Page_72">[Pg 72]</a></span> to you, and you can
+try batting. I will bowl for you as long as you like."</p>
+
+<p>Perhaps Ralph was conscious that he was being covertly observed by many
+anxious eyes; but he gave no sign, nor did he move a hairsbreadth when
+presently he saw Horace Elgert coming in his direction, a curious and
+somewhat eager crowd at his heels.</p>
+
+<p>"Go on, Charlton, don't stop," he said very quietly, for his chum had
+stopped, and was fingering the ball nervously. "Fire away!"</p>
+
+<p>The lad would have obeyed, but Elgert had arrived, and he gripped the
+weaker lad's arm and twisted the ball out of his hand.</p>
+
+<p>"You clear off!" he said. "We don't want one of your sort here."</p>
+
+<p>But Ralph remarked quietly&mdash;so very quietly: "Charlton, you stay where
+you are."</p>
+
+<p>"Be off!" again said Elgert; and raised his hand, to find that not
+Charlton but Ralph was before him, and to hear that quiet voice say
+again&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Charlton, if you budge an inch, I'll thrash you myself. Neither you
+nor I can be ordered about, unless the fellow who does the ordering is
+able to enforce his demands."</p>
+
+<p>Elgert paused then. He was not a coward, but there was something very
+disconcerting in this quiet bearing, especially when he called to mind
+the fact that Ralph had not been frightened the evening before.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_73" id="Page_73">[Pg 73]</a></span> He had
+determined to fight, and then he had heard that Ralph was afraid, and
+he had acted upon that information; and now Ralph was not afraid, not
+in the least. And indeed, instead of being afraid, he was asking, still
+quietly&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Now, Horace Elgert, I am tired of this rubbish. What do you mean by
+it?"</p>
+
+<p>"Didn't I tell you to come and meet me the other side of the
+playground?"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes. And I decline to do anything of the sort. When people want me,
+they generally come to me, not order me to go to them."</p>
+
+<p>"Well, I have come: and now I am going to thrash you!"</p>
+
+<p>"I see. Start right away; don't wait for me!"</p>
+
+<p>Some of the Fourths laughed. This was quite unexpected. Elgert was
+manifestly disappointed, but he turned red.</p>
+
+<p>"We don't generally fight here," he said. "Will you come over?"</p>
+
+<p>"No, I will not. I will not budge an inch. I don't want to fight; but
+if you start it, it must be here. And if you don't stand aside and let
+us go on with our game there will be trouble!"</p>
+
+<p>"You fellows can laugh!" suddenly blazed Elgert, turning towards the
+grinning Fourths. "A nice thing to laugh at! He has got the proper
+chum&mdash;that's one thing! We all know about Charlton,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_74" id="Page_74">[Pg 74]</a></span> and why no one
+will chum with him; and this chap is not much better. I saw my pater at
+dinner-time, and a fine way he was in when I told him of the new boy we
+had.</p>
+
+<p>"You know the yarn he told about his father disappearing? Where has he
+gone to? People don't disappear in England, unless they want to! My
+pater says that a burglar broke into our house, and that he fired at
+him and hit him; and he says, from the description, that the burglar
+must have been the man that came to Stow Ormond with this chap, and
+passed as his father, and&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"Stop!" said Ralph, very quietly still, but with an ominous expression
+of face.</p>
+
+<p>But Elgert laughed contemptuously.</p>
+
+<p>"Why, I don't know that I would soil my hands fighting with the son, or
+the associate, of a thief!" he said.</p>
+
+<p>And then, suddenly forgetting everything in the feeling of hot
+indignation which overwhelmed him, Ralph Rexworth raised his hand, and
+in a moment his taunting enemy lay prostrate on the ground.</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_75" id="Page_75">[Pg 75]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><span>CHAPTER VIII</span> <span class="smaller">A MYSTERIOUS MIDNIGHT VISITOR</span></h2>
+
+<p>"Hurrah!"</p>
+
+<p>"Bravo, Rexworth!"</p>
+
+<p>"Now, you Fifths, does your man want to fight?"</p>
+
+<p>Such were the gleeful shouts of the Fourth when they beheld Horace
+Elgert on the ground. And the Fifths, alarmed for the honour of their
+class, rushed to pick up their fallen champion, saying&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Don't make such a row! Of course he will fight. Get over to the other
+side, where we shall not be seen, and we will come!"</p>
+
+<p>But Ralph would not listen to any such arguments. He stood there,
+looking down at his fallen foe, and he said shortly&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"You fellows will please to mind your own business! I am going nowhere
+to fight until this chap has apologized, then, if a fight is wanted, we
+will move!"</p>
+
+<p>"But you cannot fight here! The Head will see us!" cried a score of
+voices.</p>
+
+<p>"I cannot help that! This fellow has told a lie about my father, and he
+has got to unsay it, or take the consequences! I suppose that he thinks
+I was<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_76" id="Page_76">[Pg 76]</a></span> afraid because I tried to avoid a fight the very first day of
+being at school. Well, I am not afraid! If he had only talked about me
+I might have taken no notice, but when he comes to speaking as he has
+done he is going too far, and he has got to take back his words now, or
+finish it here!"</p>
+
+<p>Meanwhile, Elgert had struggled to his feet, and he looked dazed from
+the effects of the blow, while his face was already growing swollen and
+discoloured.</p>
+
+<p>"Stand aside!" he said hoarsely. "I will fight him here! If the Head
+himself were looking on, I would fight him!"</p>
+
+<p>"You are a pair of fools!" muttered a Fifth-Form monitor. "We shall
+be spotted, for a certainty, and all of us get carpeted for this! Go
+calmly, you silly fellow, or he will smash you!" and he broke off in
+his complaint to give this last advice to Elgert, who had rushed at his
+opponent, mad with pain and anger, and had gone down for the second
+time!</p>
+
+<p>"Look out! I knew how it would be! Here comes the Head!" shouted one
+boy; and a hurried rush took place, leaving the two boys and Warren and
+Charlton alone when the master reached the spot.</p>
+
+<p>"Elgert! Rexworth!" he exclaimed in tones of displeasure. "What
+does this mean? You, too, Warren! You, a monitor of the Fourth, and
+encouraging a new boy in fighting! I am displeased, indeed!"</p>
+
+<p>"It is my fault, in one way, sir," replied Ralph,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_77" id="Page_77">[Pg 77]</a></span> without waiting
+for the others to speak. "Elgert said something concerning my father
+which angered me, and I struck him. He wanted me to come across the
+playground and fight where we would not be seen, but I was angry, and
+would not do so."</p>
+
+<p>Something like a smile played across the grave face for a moment as the
+Head heard this speech.</p>
+
+<p>"You boys seem to think that if I do not see you fight no offence is
+committed. You do not recognize the fact that fighting in itself is
+poor, and low, and degrading. I know that boys settle their quarrels
+in this manner, but I decry it. Now, the fact of fighting here is a
+double offence, for you are within sight of my study window. I am sorry
+that it has happened, but I will overlook it on condition that you and
+Elgert shake hands."</p>
+
+<p>"I cannot do that, sir," was Ralph's respectful answer; and Elgert on
+his part, said:</p>
+
+<p>"I will not do it!"</p>
+
+<p>"Boys, boys! 'Cannot,' and 'will not!' Neither expression is seemly!
+You will go to your respective studies and remain there until you are
+in better minds!"</p>
+
+<p>"It is not that I am angry, sir," Ralph said, very respectfully. "This
+boy has said that my father is a common thief!" Ralph's voice shook
+just a little as the words came. "He says that his disappearance is due
+to that! You must see, sir, that I cannot shake hands with him after
+that!"</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_78" id="Page_78">[Pg 78]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Elgert, what have you to say to this?" demanded the Head sternly; and
+Elgert stammered&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"I didn't exactly say that, sir."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, you did!" blurted Warren. "He did say it, sir, and he has been
+trying to get up this fight! It is no use denying it. It began because
+Rexworth turned him and some more out of the study he shares with
+Charlton. They say enough unkind things about him," he added. "There
+was a bit of a bother, and Elgert got knocked over, and he challenged
+Rexworth to fight him after school to-day. Rexworth, would not do it,
+and he said that if a fight was forced upon him it should be wherever
+he chanced to be at that moment. Elgert came here and began sneering
+and saying unkind things, and then Rexworth struck him, and that is all
+the truth. I know that I ought to have tried to stop it, but we and the
+Fifth don't get on well, and so&mdash;and so&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"Because of class rivalry you allowed your companion to fight. It is
+not right, Warren! Monitors should try to enforce the rules, not to
+break them. Elgert, you will do me two hundred lines, and be good
+enough to remember that if I consider any boy fit to become a scholar
+here it is not for you to make such statements as you appear to have
+done."</p>
+
+<p>"I only said what my father told me!" sulkily answered Elgert; and the
+Head frowned.</p>
+
+<p>"What you and your father may say in private is no concern of mine,
+Elgert," he replied coldly;<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_79" id="Page_79">[Pg 79]</a></span> "what you repeat in public here is another
+matter, with which I have to do! Do your imposition and bring it to
+me before class to-morrow, and mind that I have no more of this. You
+other lads, I will overlook this in your case this time, seeing that it
+appears that violent provocation was given; but, mind, there must be no
+more fighting in the playground boundaries! See that I am obeyed!" And
+the Head turned away.</p>
+
+<p>"Don't think that we have finished yet!" said Horace Elgert, looking
+darkly at Ralph. "I will have my revenge for this, as sure as you are
+standing there!" and, with that he went.</p>
+
+<p>And the three Fourth-Form boys went indoors; while the rest of the
+lads, who had scattered, came back eagerly discussing what punishment
+the offenders would receive.</p>
+
+<p>And the general verdict was, "It served Elgert right, and that he had
+no business to have spoken as he had done!"</p>
+
+<p>"But suppose it is right?" queried one lad. "You know, there is
+something queer about it!"</p>
+
+<p>"Something very queer," said another; "but that story is all nonsense!
+My dad knows Mr. St. Clive very well, and he told him all the story and
+how there was plenty of money in Mr. Rexworth's possession. Besides,
+any one with eyes can see that Rexworth is a gentleman, even if he has
+some strange ways through living abroad. Elgert is too fond of thinking
+he is<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_80" id="Page_80">[Pg 80]</a></span> all the world and every one else dirt beneath his feet. It
+serves him jolly well right!"</p>
+
+<p>"Well, there is one thing," admitted a third boy, "that fellow Rexworth
+may be queer in some ways, but he is no fool when it comes to a
+scrimmage, and he knows how to defend himself! I don't think any of us
+are likely to try for a row with him after what we have seen!"</p>
+
+<p>Meanwhile, Ralph, ignorant of the criticisms which were being made
+in his favour, had gone to his own study. He felt sorry for what had
+occurred, and the cruel words which had been spoken had gone like
+arrows to his heart and brought back all his trouble. He felt like
+running away to Mrs. St. Clive and getting her to comfort him.</p>
+
+<p>And then Charlton came in, very gently, as if half afraid to intrude
+his presence upon his chum. He came and bent over Ralph's chair,
+putting one hand on his shoulder, and whispered&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Ralph, I am so sorry! Don't you worry about it!"</p>
+
+<p>Ralph looked up, and a brave smile came to his lips.</p>
+
+<p>"Hallo! Is it you, Charlton?" he said. "No, I won't worry about it; but
+I am sorry that I have commenced my school life so badly. There, we
+won't think of it any more! If you are not busy, you might just lend
+me a hand with to-morrow's exercises. If it were speaking French or
+Spanish, I should be all<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_81" id="Page_81">[Pg 81]</a></span> right, but I don't seem to understand Latin
+in the slightest."</p>
+
+<p>"Let us go through it," replied Charlton eagerly. "I shall be glad to
+do it."</p>
+
+<p>So troubles were forgotten, and the chums bent over the table and soon
+became absorbed in their task. Learning lessons is not anything like so
+bad when you put your heart into it.</p>
+
+<p>So the evening passed, and bed-time came; and once more Ralph knelt
+down to offer up his evening prayers. And not only Warren and Charlton,
+but some other boys followed his example now, for his action had
+reproached them and made them think soberly of things which they had
+been careless about all too long.</p>
+
+<p>But Ralph was not easy in his mind. Somehow, he felt that he had no
+kindly thought for Elgert&mdash;and he had been praying to be forgiven, as
+he forgave his enemies! That was a very troublesome thought, and it was
+still in his mind when he fell asleep.</p>
+
+<p class="center">*&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;*&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;*&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;*&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;*</p>
+
+<p>What was that noise?</p>
+
+<p>Ralph Rexworth sat up in bed, and listened. Accustomed to wake at the
+slightest noise that might betoken danger, and to wake with all his
+senses about him, he had been disturbed by a strange, scraping sound,
+the cause of which he could not think of.</p>
+
+<p>Only one dim point of light burnt in the dormitory, and all was still
+there save for the breathing of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_82" id="Page_82">[Pg 82]</a></span> sleepers. It was no sound of that
+sort which had awakened him.</p>
+
+<p>There it was again&mdash;outside! He remembered having heard a sound like
+that once before&mdash;when the Indians had risen and come to attack the
+ranch. He had laid and listened to them as they crawled over the tops
+of the sheds, and the sound was like that! It was from outside! He
+rose, and creeping to the window, he lifted one corner of the blind,
+and peeped out.</p>
+
+<p>Nothing there&mdash;stay, that was wrong! Surely that was a ladder propped
+against the wall? What was a ladder doing there, for there was none
+there the evening before! And the window there was open! Some one must
+have got in at that window!</p>
+
+<p>Was it one of the boys who had been up to mischief, or, it seemed
+absurd, was some thief breaking in? Thieves did not, as a rule, break
+into schools!</p>
+
+<p>He was half inclined to raise an alarm. But the thought came, that if
+this was some midnight escapade on the part of some of the boys, to do
+that might be to get them into disgrace&mdash;to make more enemies, and to
+interfere in what did not concern him.</p>
+
+<p>That was a window just outside the Fifth-Form dormitory, too! Elgert
+might be in it, and he did not want to be the means of getting him into
+any more trouble.</p>
+
+<p>But suppose that it was a thief? Ralph crept to the door and opened it
+noiselessly. He peered down the corridor, but nothing was to be seen or
+heard.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_83" id="Page_83">[Pg 83]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Stop! Surely he did hear a faint sound&mdash;a very faint sound! He felt
+that he must go and see; a strange, uneasy feeling had possessed him; a
+strange presentiment that all was not right.</p>
+
+<p>He crept down the passage, and turned towards the Fifth-Form dormitory,
+and a breath of cold air met him. The window was open, and the top of a
+ladder could be seen&mdash;and the door of the dormitory was open also!</p>
+
+<p>With cautious, stealthy steps he crept on, pausing once when the boards
+creaked beneath his weight. There was something eerie in being here
+alone at midnight; it was worse than being out alone on the plains.</p>
+
+<p>He reached the door, and peered into the dormitory with its long row
+of sleeping boys there. There was nothing here in the shape of a lark
+going on. All was still and silent.</p>
+
+<p>There was his enemy lying asleep, his handsome face just catching a
+glimmer of moonlight which found its way through the blind; and as
+Ralph looked he saw a strange apparition&mdash;a man slowly appeared, rising
+at the side of the bed! A man with pillow in his hands, which he was
+about to press down upon that sleeping boy! A man going to murder
+Horace Elgert!</p>
+
+<p>Like a flash the truth burst upon the watching boy, and, with a loud
+cry, he threw the door wide open and rushed into the dormitory.</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_84" id="Page_84">[Pg 84]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><span>CHAPTER IX</span> <span class="smaller">ALTOGETHER BEYOND EXPLANATION</span></h2>
+
+<p>"Thieves!"</p>
+
+<p>"Fire!"</p>
+
+<p>"Help! Help!"</p>
+
+<p>The whole house was aroused. The cries of confusion and alarm coming
+from the Fifth Form dormitory were repeated by others who, entirely
+ignorant as to what was the matter, and aroused from slumber by the
+noise, tumbled from their beds and rushed out wildly, under the
+impression that nothing less than the house being ablaze could account
+for the cry.</p>
+
+<p>The doctor and masters came hurrying to the spot; and while the
+Head ran to the Fifth Form room, the master got the other boys into
+something like order, ready to be marched quietly downstairs if the
+alarm of fire should prove to be well founded.</p>
+
+<p>The first thing that the doctor noted was the open window and the
+ladder, and the next, that a confused babel of sound was going on in
+the Fifth's room; and as he strode to the door he was met, full tilt,
+by a boy with torn clothes, apparently seeking to free himself from the
+grasp of half a dozen Fifth Form boys.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_85" id="Page_85">[Pg 85]</a></span> To his bewilderment, the Head
+saw that this boy was his new scholar, Ralph Rexworth.</p>
+
+<p>His strong hand gripped the boy's arm, and his voice thundered out a
+command for silence, which the boys obeyed all save Ralph, who cried&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"If you do not follow him at once, he will be off, sir! These fellows
+stopped me, and he has got a good start!"</p>
+
+<p>"He! Who?" cried the Head. And the boy replied&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"The man who was in the Fifth, sir. He knocked me down, and bolted; and
+then the boys woke, and got me, and would not let me go!"</p>
+
+<p>"You have been dreaming, boy. Silence, all! Kesterway, you are head
+monitor. Explain to me! All boys from other Forms back to their rooms;
+there is no cause for any alarm. At once, please! Now, Kesterway!"</p>
+
+<p>"I can tell you nothing, sir. I heard a noise, and woke; and there was
+Elgert, and one or two others holding a boy who kicked and struggled;
+and just as I jumped out of bed and ran round, he broke away and rushed
+for the door."</p>
+
+<p>"It was Rexworth, sir!" cried one boy. "He was in our room trying to
+play some trick upon Elgert. They have been having a row, sir."</p>
+
+<p>"Will you have the goodness to hold your tongue, sir!" exclaimed the
+master, a trifle irritably; and the boy subsided at once.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_86" id="Page_86">[Pg 86]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Elgert, what have you to say? Did this boy attempt to play any tricks
+on you?"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, sir! I was asleep and I was aroused by a violent cry and a blow,
+and some one was struggling on my bed, as if he had jumped on and
+was trying to hold me down; I gripped hold of him, and found it was
+Rexworth. The other fellows woke, and began crying out; and then, when
+they found who it was that had made the row, they got angry and went
+for him!"</p>
+
+<p>"That will do. Now you, sir, what have you to say? Speak up, and
+tell the truth! Why have you disturbed the whole household in this
+disgraceful manner?"</p>
+
+<p>So the doctor asked, and terribly angry did he look; but very different
+was his expression when he had heard Ralph's story. It sounded
+incredible that any one should attempt to enter the school for the
+deliberate purpose of injuring any boy; and he would have put the story
+down as a fabrication, but there was the plain evidence in the shape of
+the open window and the ladder.</p>
+
+<p>If Ralph had invented it, he must have managed to leave the house, drag
+the ladder across the playground, raise it to the window, and then go
+back and open that window; and that also seemed absolutely impossible.</p>
+
+<p>"I saw the man, sir!" the lad said; "he was creeping on his hands and
+knees, and when he got to Elgert's<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_87" id="Page_87">[Pg 87]</a></span> bed he got up, and he had a pillow.
+He was going to smother Elgert. He dropped the pillow when I shouted
+and ran in. It is by the bed now. I tried to clutch him, sir, but he
+was too strong. He struck me, and knocked me over on top of Elgert, and
+then they held me and actually let him escape. He darted away like a
+flash, sir; and I expect that he is far enough away by now!"</p>
+
+<p>Bewilderment, incredulity, wonder, all were depicted upon the faces of
+those who listened; but Elgert actually laughed in the Head's presence,
+and asked how any one could be expected to believe such a story.</p>
+
+<p>"Who is there who would want to harm me, sir?" he said. "Why, it is
+really absurd to think of such a thing! I have had a row with this boy,
+as you know, and I suppose that he wanted to play a trick on me, and
+quite forgot the row that would be made."</p>
+
+<p>"Be good enough to keep your remarks to yourself, until I ask for your
+opinion, Elgert!" said the Head sternly. "Now, all you boys, back to
+bed! In the morning I will go into the matter properly. To bed at once!"</p>
+
+<p>It was all very well to say "to bed," but "to sleep" was quite another
+matter. Sleep seemed banished from most eyes; and in the Fourth, Ralph
+was plied with question after question, until at last he positively
+refused to talk any more.</p>
+
+<p>Truth to tell, Ralph was somewhat disgusted. He<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_88" id="Page_88">[Pg 88]</a></span> had done more than
+most boys would have risked; and had it not been for him, Elgert would
+have been murdered, and this was the best thanks he received!</p>
+
+<p>And yet, as he thought of it, it seemed quite natural to him. After
+all, it was a very mysterious business; and if people did not believe
+it, it was not to be wondered at. He would wait patiently until the
+morning; and then, if the doctor did not believe him, it would not be
+his fault.</p>
+
+<p>And when morning came, and breakfast was over, the Head sent for Ralph,
+and again listened to his story, and questioned him closely; and he
+felt convinced that the boy was indeed speaking the truth.</p>
+
+<p>That only perplexed him the more; a foolish joke would be
+understandable, but a deliberate attempt to harm one of the boys under
+his charge was a thing which he could not by any means comprehend.</p>
+
+<p>He went into the playground and surveyed the ladder; it had been left
+just where it was. He went to the boundary wall and examined that, and
+there was a stain of blood&mdash;some one, in hastily getting over, must
+have cut his hand upon the broken glass with which it was finished off.
+He felt, beyond question, that Ralph's tale was true. Some one had been
+there, but who that some one was, was a mystery indeed.</p>
+
+<p>But the doctor was a just man, and as he had thrown some doubt upon
+Ralph's story, he summoned the entire school, and told them he was
+quite satisfied<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_89" id="Page_89">[Pg 89]</a></span> that what Ralph had said happened was absolutely true.</p>
+
+<p>"Mysterious as it is, I feel satisfied that one of our number has been
+in dreadful peril, while he was innocently sleeping; and it is to the
+goodness of God that he owes his preservation. God, Who made Ralph
+Rexworth wake up and look from the window and then go to the help of
+Elgert! And I trust," he added gently, "that this circumstance may make
+the two chief actors in this incident better friends! I am sorry to
+know that they are not very friendly, but I hope that they will be so
+in the future!"</p>
+
+<p>So the affair ended&mdash;so far as public investigation went, though it was
+talked over again and again by the boys. The Head communicated with the
+police, and a detective came down; and however much he may have been
+bewildered and ready to put it down to the tricks of schoolboys, yet
+after he had seen the ladder and the bloodmark, and heard Ralph tell
+his story, he also had to admit that the boy was undoubtedly telling
+the truth, and that the school had been entered in the manner described.</p>
+
+<p>But Ralph worried over it. The very mystery surrounding it brought back
+the mystery of his father's disappearance. He pondered all day over it,
+until he felt weary and angry with himself; and he hailed the close of
+school with delight, suggesting to his chum and Warren that they should
+go for a good long walk, a proposal with which they immediately agreed.</p>
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_90" id="Page_90">[Pg 90]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Now, look here," said Ralph, when the trio had started, "there is only
+one thing; for mercy's sake don't talk about that business of last
+night! I am fairly tired of it, and I want to forget it if I can!"</p>
+
+<p>"All right, old chap," answered Warren, with a laugh; "let us go into
+the woods and see if we can find anything worth taking in the way of
+specimens. I got two lovely orange-tips there the other day, and some
+silly fellow went and knocked over my setting-board, and spoilt them
+both!"</p>
+
+<p>"The woods be it," answered Ralph readily.</p>
+
+<p>And so they sought the green, cool, shady glades, where the wild birds
+were so tame, and where such splendid butterflies and dragon flies were
+to be captured.</p>
+
+<p>They wandered hither and thither, enjoying the quiet sylvan beauty; and
+presently, stretched on the grass, they spoke of the difference of this
+scene to that which Ralph had known in his younger days; and Warren lay
+flat on his back, and asked question after question concerning the wild
+people of the great Texan plains.</p>
+
+<p>"I didn't know that there were any Indians left," the monitor
+confessed; and Ralph laughed.</p>
+
+<p>"Plenty of them; and then there are the Gauchos&mdash;they are of Spanish
+descent, and they are for ever fighting with the Indians. It is very
+different living out there; and, even in the towns, men seldom go about
+unarmed."</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_91" id="Page_91">[Pg 91]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Pleasant," was Warren's remark. "I think that I will stop where I am;
+even if we do get midnight visitors now and again."</p>
+
+<p>"I say, that subject is forbidden," laughed Ralph.</p>
+
+<p>And then he was silent so long that, presently, Warren asked him what
+he was thinking of, and Ralph sighed.</p>
+
+<p>"Something that is hardly ever out of my thoughts," he answered
+gravely. "Speaking of my old home brought it back&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"Your father?" queried Warren; and Ralph nodded.</p>
+
+<p>"It must be precious hard for you," the monitor said. "I think that if
+I were in your place I should go silly."</p>
+
+<p>"No, you would do what I do, old fellow; just pray to God to bring
+things right. I felt bad at first, and it was Mrs. St. Clive who taught
+me to be brave."</p>
+
+<p>"I like her," remarked Warren, with a nod. "She is awfully nice, Ralph.
+I wonder if ever you will hear anything about your father?"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes," came the confident answer. "I feel sure that I shall; and
+sometimes, Warren, it may seem strange, but it comes to me that he is
+not dead, and that he will come back!"</p>
+
+<p>"But if he were not dead he would not have gone off and left you all
+alone like this," objected Warren. "I should not think that."</p>
+
+<p>"He may not be able to help it. There, we won't<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_92" id="Page_92">[Pg 92]</a></span> talk of it; only I
+cannot help thinking like that sometimes. Where is Charlton?"</p>
+
+<p>The question brought the fact out that they were alone; their companion
+had gone off and left them there while they were talking.</p>
+
+<p>"Now, where has that silly chap got to?" queried Warren, sitting up.</p>
+
+<p>"Gone after a butterfly, perhaps. He will soon be back."</p>
+
+<p>"But it is time that we began to move. He is such a silly fellow that
+he is as like as not to go and lose himself. Hallo! Charlton! Charlton!
+Coo-ee! Charlton!"</p>
+
+<p>They paused and waited, but no reply came; and Warren got up, a trifle
+cross.</p>
+
+<p>"Of all the silly kites!" he said. "What trouble has he got into now?
+Charlton, I say, where are you?"</p>
+
+<p>"Better let us go and have a look for him," said Ralph; and the two
+started, Warren grumbling all the way, until in response to their
+shouts, they heard an answering call, and saw their companion appear.</p>
+
+<p>"Well, you stupid!" began Warren; but Ralph checked him, for the other
+boy looked scared and pale.</p>
+
+<p>"Why, what is the matter?" he asked. "You look as if you had been
+scared. Has any one frightened you?"</p>
+
+<p>"I! Any one frightened me? Oh, no!" answered Charlton quickly. "How
+silly! Who could be with<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_93" id="Page_93">[Pg 93]</a></span> me? I got lost&mdash;and lost my head! I felt a
+little afraid, until I heard you call."</p>
+
+<p>"We have been shouting for the last half hour!" grumbled Warren. "Come
+along! We shall be late for tea!"</p>
+
+<p>But Ralph said nothing. He was puzzled. The spot where they stood was
+damp and clayey; and on the soft ground were the imprints of two pairs
+of feet, going towards the bushes from which Charlton had emerged. Of
+those footprints, one set was a boy's, and evidently made by his chum;
+the other set was a man's.</p>
+
+<p>Charlton said that he had been alone, but Ralph knew better. A man had
+been with his chum, but who was that man? Was he the one who had broken
+into the school the previous night?</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_94" id="Page_94">[Pg 94]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><span>CHAPTER X</span> <span class="smaller">COUNSELS AND PROMISES</span></h2>
+
+<p>"My dear lad, it certainly is very strange. You seem, since your
+arrival in England, to be surrounded with mysteries."</p>
+
+<p>Ralph was sitting alone with Mr. St. Clive; and the latter, having
+questioned him as to how he had got on during his first week at school,
+Ralph had told him of his various experiences&mdash;of his quarrel with
+Horace Elgert, and of the strange midnight episode which had taken
+place&mdash;Mr. St. Clive listening with interest, and making the remark
+that it was very mysterious, as the lad concluded his story.</p>
+
+<p>"It is strange, sir," answered Ralph, "and at first Dr. Beverly seemed
+inclined to doubt my story; while Horace Elgert, instead of taking it
+seriously, actually said that it was not true, and that I had gone into
+the Fifth dormitory on purpose to play some trick with him. I think,
+though," he added, "that he only said that to anger me."</p>
+
+<p>"It is very strange," Mr. St. Clive repeated. "And then this other
+boy&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"Charlton, do you mean, sir?"</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_95" id="Page_95">[Pg 95]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Yes. You say that you are sure he was with some man, and that he
+denied it?"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, sir. I asked him if he had been with any one, and he looked quite
+frightened."</p>
+
+<p>"That may easily be. I know something of his history, or rather, of the
+family's. His father was accused of some crime, and, strangely enough,
+Lord Elgert was the prosecutor. A cheque was forged, I believe. Mr.
+Charlton managed to escape, but he was never able to come back; and it
+was finally said that he was dead. It is quite possible that he has
+returned, and that he got into the school to see his son, and went into
+the wrong dormitory. That is possible, I say, though I do not think it
+likely. He would hardly run such a risk, in my opinion; and more so, as
+he could have gone to his wife, and then let her send for the lad."</p>
+
+<p>"I did not think of it being his father," acknowledged Ralph. "I was
+thinking of something else."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes?" inquired Mr. St. Clive.</p>
+
+<p>"Cannot you guess, sir? My father is gone, and I know nothing of his
+fate. What if this man was the one who met him in Stow Wood. He might
+be able to solve the matter."</p>
+
+<p>"He might," was the reply, "but it is not likely. Charlton, as I
+remember him, was a timid, shrinking man; that was proved by the way he
+took to flight. He would not be likely to do such a thing."</p>
+
+<p>"But he might, sir. Some one must have done it,"<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_96" id="Page_96">[Pg 96]</a></span> persisted Ralph. "I
+feel as if I ought to watch Charlton, and find out who it was that he
+met. I could do it, too! I may not be very clever with books, but I
+could do that kind of thing."</p>
+
+<p>"And then?" came the grave question.</p>
+
+<p>And Ralph cried, almost fiercely&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Can you ask me that, sir? If my father has come to harm, the one who
+harmed him must be punished."</p>
+
+<p>"Even though he is your chum's father. Ralph, this is quite natural;
+and even beyond that, I do not say that if you could discover the man
+who killed your father&mdash;supposing that he is killed&mdash;he should not be
+given up to justice. I only say, 'pause, and be careful.' Remember the
+man your chum saw may be his father, and yet may be entirely innocent
+of the crime which you naturally desire to have punished. You, in your
+eagerness, may deliver an unfortunate man up to justice, and then find
+out that he is not the man you seek. And if I can read anything of your
+nature, that would be a cause of bitter regret with you for many a long
+day."</p>
+
+<p>"It would, sir," acknowledged Ralph readily. "But unless I can find the
+man, how can I know the truth?"</p>
+
+<p>"Well, my lad, I feel that I can only advise you to be careful;
+and, above all, even in this desire to have your father's assailant
+punished, see to it that no motive of revenge actuates you. Remember
+that it is written: 'Vengeance is Mine. I will repay, saith<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_97" id="Page_97">[Pg 97]</a></span> the Lord.'
+Remember also that it is 'As we forgive them that trespass against us.'"</p>
+
+<p>"But you would not have me let the man go free, sir?" protested Ralph.
+"The only thing I seem to have before me is to find out what happened
+to my father."</p>
+
+<p>"But not of necessity to help hunt any man down. Besides, Ralph, there
+is another thing. You mention that you have again seen the tracks of
+that horse. Now, does it not strike you that, if this man is the father
+of your chum, and a fugitive from justice, he would be the last person
+in the world to be riding about in a trap? That is a very important
+thing to remember."</p>
+
+<p>"I never thought of that," the boy acknowledged. And Mr. St. Clive
+nodded.</p>
+
+<p>"Precisely; and yet such things, in so important a business, must be
+taken into consideration. Now, Ralph, my advice&mdash;my earnest advice&mdash;is
+that you proceed very carefully, and be quite certain that you have
+reason for each step before you take it. And one thing more, my
+dear boy. It is not well to say that even unravelling the mystery
+surrounding your father's disappearance is the chief object of your
+life. The chief object should be to become a noble, true man, alike
+a blessing to your fellows and an honour to God. Do you remember how
+it says in the Bible: 'There is a banner given to thee, that it may
+be displayed because of righteousness'? Now, that is a verse I<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_98" id="Page_98">[Pg 98]</a></span> like.
+God gives you His standard, and He says not only 'march under it, but
+bear it for Me.' Die for the colours of the King, if need be, and fight
+always under honour's flag. Ralph, that is my counsel, the best I can
+give you, as your true friend. Wait for God to bring the mystery to
+light. Do not let revenge be your life's object, for revenge is of the
+devil. Let love be your watchword, and honour your banner. Ralph, will
+you promise me this?"</p>
+
+<p>"I will, sir," answered the boy, deeply moved. "I will try and be a
+good standard-bearer."</p>
+
+<p>"I feel sure of it. Shake hands. I know that I shall have cause to be
+proud of your friendship. Now, I must not take up all your time. I know
+that Irene is waiting patiently for you, so run and join her, and make
+the most of your brief holiday."</p>
+
+<p>And what a delightful holiday it was, in spite of the trouble over
+him! It was a splendid thought to think of himself as being a
+standard-bearer. And he told Irene all about it; and she, in return,
+told him of the young hero who, being wounded, and fearing that the
+colours he bore would be taken from him, placed them beneath him, and
+lay in silent suffering until the enemy found him and, in pity, sought
+to help him. And then she told how he begged so hard that he might not
+be moved that they wondered; and when, even against his wish, they
+raised his dying form, there they found the colours which he loved, and
+which he had guarded so well; and they wrapped them round him and bore<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_99" id="Page_99">[Pg 99]</a></span>
+him away. And when he died they buried him with the flag which he had
+carried, and gave him all honour for being true man and hero.</p>
+
+<p>It was a fine story, and set Ralph's heart beating more quickly. And
+then Irene said that he must be as true, and be her champion, and win
+in the battle of right against wrong. And Ralph&mdash;well, I do not mind
+owning that he kissed her; and seeing that he had been brought up all
+his life on the plains, and had never been used to girls' society, that
+really was a daring thing to do.</p>
+
+<p>So the holiday was spent, and Sunday passed in quiet and worship. And
+then on Monday morning back he went to Marlthorpe College, and the
+fight of another week.</p>
+
+<p>And the battle began almost at once, for very soon after his arrival he
+was called into the doctor's study, where he found two stern-faced men,
+whom he was told were detectives; and they questioned him closely as to
+the events of that night when he had seen the man, and even went so far
+as to hint that he must have been dreaming and walking in his sleep,
+and that made Ralph feel very like losing his temper. Dreaming! As if
+he did not know that he had been very wide awake indeed!</p>
+
+<p>And they called Horace Elgert in also, and questioned him as to whether
+he had seen anything, or whether he could think of any one likely to
+harm him. And Elgert laughed in the most insulting manner.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_100" id="Page_100">[Pg 100]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"I don't believe a word of it!" he said, with seeming frankness. "It is
+a silly business, and it had best be forgotten. There is a great deal
+too much being made out of it. I suppose that Rexworth wants to pose as
+a hero. I told my father of it, and he laughed about it; but he said
+that he would ride over this morning and question Rexworth himself."</p>
+
+<p>"I do not want him to question me!" cried Ralph, flushing angrily. And
+Elgert laughed again.</p>
+
+<p>"Very likely not; but he will do it, all the same," he replied. And
+then Dr. Beverly interrupted them sternly.</p>
+
+<p>"Silence, both of you! I did not tell you to come here to have this
+nonsense, but to answer any questions which these gentlemen might wish
+to ask you. Back to your classes, both of you, and mind that I have no
+trouble with either of you! If you cannot be friendly, keep apart!"</p>
+
+<p>"I am sure that I want to," muttered Elgert, as he went; but he only
+spoke loud enough for the words to reach Ralph's ears.</p>
+
+<p>It was very hard to keep cool and pay attention to his work; but Ralph
+remembered his promise to his good friends, and he set sternly to the
+tasks before him, only to be interrupted an hour afterwards by the
+doctor sending for him again; and this time&mdash;how hot and angry he came
+all in a moment!&mdash;it was to be questioned by Lord Elgert, who sat there
+as cold, as haughty, and overbearing as ever.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_101" id="Page_101">[Pg 101]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Now, young man," he said, when Ralph entered, "I want to hear, for
+myself, this remarkable story."</p>
+
+<p>Ralph paused a moment. With a strong effort he mastered himself. If
+he was a standard-bearer, he must remember to give soft and polite
+answers, so he said politely&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"I am afraid that I have little to tell, sir, that I have not told
+already; and, unfortunately, it does not seem to be believed."</p>
+
+<p>"Never mind that. Begin at the beginning, and tell me all that
+occurred."</p>
+
+<p>So Ralph complied, and Lord Elgert sat listening with frowning face and
+watchful eyes; and Ralph could see that he, like his son, really did
+believe the story, even though he pretended not to.</p>
+
+<p>"Well, well, doctor," said his lordship, when the tale was told, "I am
+inclined to think that it is a case of sleepwalking&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"But did I put the ladder against the window in my sleep, sir?" asked
+Ralph. "The detectives did not think that, nor do you. I have no
+interest in inventing such a story; and I have no wish to do anything
+to annoy your son, so long as he leaves me alone&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"I do not think that the boy dreamed it," said the doctor. And Lord
+Elgert frowned.</p>
+
+<p>"Hum! Hark, boy! I suppose that it was not your own father, come to see
+you, eh?"</p>
+
+<p>Then up started Ralph indignantly, and cried&mdash;</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_102" id="Page_102">[Pg 102]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"You have no right to insult me like that! Why should you? I know
+nothing of you, and yet, upon the only two occasions when we have met,
+you have spoken in that way. My father! Why should he come like a thief
+at night? He has never done anything to be ashamed of. Never, I say, in
+spite of the tale you told. That tale is not true!"</p>
+
+<p>"Each to his own opinion, young man," retorted Lord Elgert drily. "You
+take my advice. Attend to your studies, learn all you can, and then go
+back to the land you came from; for you will get on best there!"</p>
+
+<p>"Lord Elgert," answered Ralph fearlessly, "you may mean that kindly
+or you may not. I neither know nor care. It is your advice, but it is
+advice which I shall not take. I have something to do here. I have
+to find out what has become of my father, and I have to prove that
+your accusation that he is a thief is not true. I am only a boy, Lord
+Elgert, and you may laugh at me, but I know that I shall succeed
+presently, and when I do perhaps I may also learn the reason for your
+disliking me so much."</p>
+
+<p>"What do you mean by that?" shouted Lord Elgert angrily. And Ralph
+replied&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Just what I say!"</p>
+
+<p>Then he turned and asked the doctor if he wanted him any more. And
+receiving permission to go, he went back to his class; while Lord
+Elgert rode homewards, with black looks and frowning brow.</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_103" id="Page_103">[Pg 103]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><span>CHAPTER XI</span> <span class="smaller">GOING IN FOR GRINDING</span></h2>
+
+<p>"Boys, I have an announcement to make."</p>
+
+<p>The whole school were gathered for the usual morning prayers, the
+masters each at the head of his class; and when the reading was over,
+the doctor, instead of dismissing them to their classes as usual, still
+stood at his desk, and the boys looked up eagerly. Was it a holiday, or
+a challenge from some neighbouring school to a football match?</p>
+
+<p>Alas, for such hopes! It was neither the one nor the other. It was
+something which only interested a very few of the most industrious
+there.</p>
+
+<p>"The Newlet gold medal examination for mathematics will be held in a
+month's time from now; and it will be needful for intending competitors
+to hand in their names to their masters at once. I trust that the
+school will be well represented at the examination. We lost the medal
+last year, though we had a very good average; but the year before that,
+Kesterway, who was then only in the Fourth, gained it. That debars
+him from again trying for it; but I hope that others will enter the
+field, and do as<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_104" id="Page_104">[Pg 104]</a></span> well as he did. The second and third boys gain silver
+medals. That is all. Dismiss to your classes."</p>
+
+<p>"I say, Dobby, there is a chance for you to distinguish yourself,"
+whispered one boy in the lazy one's ear, as the Fourth trooped away.
+And Dobson glared, for of all things, mathematics was his weak point.</p>
+
+<p>"Dobson cannot do it," laughed Warren, overhearing the words. "His
+system of mathematics is erratic. When it comes to eating tarts at
+some one else's expense, it is wonderful how many he can take without
+counting them up; but if he has to treat&mdash;well, one multiplies itself
+into twenty."</p>
+
+<p>"You shut up," growled Dobson. "I never had tarts at your expense."</p>
+
+<p>"No, my son, and you never will," laughed Warren. "Hurry up and take
+your place. You know where it is&mdash;top wrong end."</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Delermain entered, and the class settled down to work; but Ralph
+found himself pondering over that prize which was offered. True,
+figures were not his strongest point; but then he had a great belief
+that any one who sets his mind to a thing can manage to do it in time,
+and, somehow, he felt that it would be very nice to take that medal
+home and show it to Irene.</p>
+
+<p>So when recess was called, he managed to get hold of Warren and
+question him about it.</p>
+
+<p>"The Newlet," explained the monitor. "Well, it<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_105" id="Page_105">[Pg 105]</a></span> certainly is rather
+stiff. I suppose that I must go in for it, though I don't think I
+shall stand much chance. There will be Philmore and Standish of the
+Fifth; I don't know if Elgert will try for it. He thinks no end of his
+mathematics, but if you ask me, I think that a crib has a good deal to
+do with it."</p>
+
+<p>"A crib?"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes. You know. Don't know what a crib is!" as Ralph shook his head.
+"Oh, you sweet innocent, I thought I explained that to you before! It
+is a book with all the answers in it&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"That is cheating," said Ralph. And Warren nodded.</p>
+
+<p>"Of course it is; but it is frequently done, not only for exams,
+but for class work. Suppose a fellow is late in&mdash;been at cricket or
+anything&mdash;and he hasn't got time for prep., and don't want to lose his
+place, a crib comes in very handy; only some fellows always use 'em,
+because they are so lazy&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"Dobson, for instance," suggested Ralph. But Warren laughed, and shook
+his head.</p>
+
+<p>"Bless you, no. He is too lazy even to use a crib. He does not even
+pretend to do his lessons; and he is in pretty little danger of losing
+his place, seeing that it is always at the bottom of the class."</p>
+
+<p>"Well, I think it mean and dishonourable to use cribs," Ralph declared.
+"If I could not manage without that I would not manage at all."</p>
+
+<p>"It is pretty often done," Warren replied. He was<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_106" id="Page_106">[Pg 106]</a></span> not quite guiltless
+himself; and he felt a trifle ashamed of Ralph's honest wrath. "I
+suppose it is wrong; only a fellow does not think so at the time.
+But you were asking about the Newlet. It is stiff, but it is worth
+winning&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"I should like to try for it," murmured Ralph. And the monitor stared.</p>
+
+<p>"You! Well, there is nothing to prevent you from doing so; only you
+will have to grind awfully, if you don't crib&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"I shall not do that," interrupted Ralph firmly. "Once for all, let
+that be understood. If I cannot stand a chance without cheating, I will
+not go in for it."</p>
+
+<p>"Well, then, it is just grinding, that is all."</p>
+
+<p>"Grinding," repeated Ralph, raising his brows. And Warren laughed again.</p>
+
+<p>"Bless your heart! It is refreshing to find any one as innocent as you
+are. Grinding, my dear fellow, is working, swatting, putting in full
+time, giving up games and larks and story books, and working on every
+moment you have got to spare. It is living on mathematics all the time."</p>
+
+<p>"In plain words, it is working hard," laughed Ralph. "And if a thing is
+worth doing, it is worth working well for&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"Right you are. Go ahead, and good luck. You are letting yourself in
+for a nice thing, though; but, I suppose, that if you enter you will
+stick it out. Best tell Mr. Delermain; it will please him to have<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_107" id="Page_107">[Pg 107]</a></span> you
+enter. He likes his Form well represented, even though we cannot all
+win."</p>
+
+<p>Warren was right in that; the master was very pleased when Ralph spoke
+to him about it.</p>
+
+<p>"I should like to go in for it, sir," the boy said. "I suppose it seems
+rather absurd; but I could try at least, and the study will not do me
+any harm."</p>
+
+<p>"Not if it is honest study, Rexworth," replied Mr. Delermain. And those
+truthful eyes were raised steadily to his own.</p>
+
+<p>"It will not be anything else, sir," Ralph said. "If I cannot do it
+honestly, I shall not do it at all."</p>
+
+<p>"That is the way, Rexworth." Mr. Delermain laid one hand on the boy's
+shoulder as he spoke. "And even if you do not win, the work itself is
+sure to prove of great use to you later on. By all means enter; and if
+you want any assistance or advice, do not hesitate to come to me. I
+shall always be very glad to do anything in my power to assist you."</p>
+
+<p>So Ralph put his name down, and some of the boys stared when they heard
+it. A new boy, only a week there, putting his name down for the Newlet!</p>
+
+<p>"Cheek!" said Elgert.</p>
+
+<p>"Rubbish!" said Dobson.</p>
+
+<p>"No use!" said a good many; but Ralph paid no heed to it all. One thing
+nerved him. Elgert was going in for it; and he felt that if he could
+not beat him, it would be strange.</p>
+
+<p>"You will have to work very hard, Ralph," was the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_108" id="Page_108">[Pg 108]</a></span> verdict of Mr. St.
+Clive, when he heard of it. "It is an honour to gain the medal, but it
+is an honour that has to be earned by hard work."</p>
+
+<p>"You will try your very best, won't you, Ralph?" pleaded Irene. "I
+should just love you to win it, the same as if you were my very own
+brother."</p>
+
+<p>Brother! Well, well; Irene and Ralph were but young; perhaps, later on,
+it would not be brother, perhaps&mdash;who can say?</p>
+
+<p>So Ralph began to undergo that process which Warren called swatting,
+or grinding, and it was not all easy. When the day's work was over,
+and the boys ran off to their games, or settled down to their story
+books&mdash;and Ralph loved story books&mdash;it was not easy to get out the
+dry figures and bend over them, studying tricky sums, or working out
+obscure equations; it was not easy, but it had to be done. Ralph was
+beginning to understand what work meant.</p>
+
+<p>And Charlton proved himself a good chum in the hour of need, for he was
+farther on than Ralph, and could help him in many points. Indeed, Ralph
+wondered why he had not entered himself; but Charlton sighed and shook
+his head.</p>
+
+<p>"He did not want the worry of it," he said.</p>
+
+<p>Ralph had said nothing more to him concerning his suspicions, but
+they were frequently in his mind. He never lost sight of his father's
+disappearance. He was for ever keeping his eyes open for anything<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_109" id="Page_109">[Pg 109]</a></span> that
+might put him on the right track. But Mr. St. Clive's remark that he
+might perhaps be the means of harming a man who had never harmed him or
+his, made him very careful about saying or doing anything. Something
+was worrying Charlton, that he could plainly see; but since the boy did
+not say anything to him, he hesitated to try and force his confidence
+in any way.</p>
+
+<p>So he worked with Charlton; and sometimes Warren would pop in and ask
+him how he got on, or compare notes with him. And Warren confessed
+that he had been influenced by Ralph's words, and that he was working
+on what he called "the square," which meant that he was doing without
+cribs and keys.</p>
+
+<p>And when particularly knotty points occurred, Ralph would carry his
+books away and consult Mr. Delermain; and the master helped, and
+advised, and praised him, and spoke very encouragingly of his progress
+and his chances.</p>
+
+<p>"There is nothing to beat honest, hard work, Rexworth," he said one
+evening, as the lad sat in his room. "What you gain unfairly, you soon
+lose; but what you learn honestly, that you hold, and it serves as a
+foundation to build other knowledge upon."</p>
+
+<p>"I do not know how to thank you enough, sir," the lad answered, and Mr.
+Delermain smiled.</p>
+
+<p>"The fact that I see you working honestly, is<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_110" id="Page_110">[Pg 110]</a></span> more than reward for
+me, Rexworth. Now if there is nothing more, run away, for I have some
+letters to write."</p>
+
+<p>Ralph rose, and as he did so, in gathering up his books he knocked a
+piece of thin paper on to the ground from off the table. He stooped
+with an apology and picked it up. He could not help seeing what it
+was&mdash;a five-pound note&mdash;and he handed it to his master, who took it and
+placed it on his desk.</p>
+
+<p>"Thank you, Rexworth. Do not forget to come to me at once, if you want
+any more help."</p>
+
+<p>Charlton awaited him in their study, and the lad seemed but ill at
+ease. He looked at Ralph doubtfully for a while; and, at last, said
+timidly&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Rexworth, I hope that you won't be angry, but could you&mdash;that is, I
+mean, will you&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"Out with it, old fellow," laughed Ralph. "Will I what?"</p>
+
+<p>"Lend me some money. I am without any, and I want some&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"I can lend you ten shillings, if that is any good," answered Ralph
+readily. And Charlton beamed.</p>
+
+<p>"Will you? Oh, I am obliged! I will pay you back soon. I shall have a
+little money in a few weeks."</p>
+
+<p>"That is all right. Here you are," and Ralph handed him the money, and
+turned back to his task again.</p>
+
+<div class="center"><img src="images/i110.jpg" alt="That is all right. Here you are" /></div>
+
+<p class="bold">"<span class="smcap">'That is all right. Here you are,' and Ralph handed
+him<br />the money.</span>" p. 110.</p>
+
+<p>But now he could not work. He wondered what<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_111" id="Page_111">[Pg 111]</a></span> Charlton wanted the money
+for, and where he was going to get any more to pay him again. Somehow
+the sums seemed to get muddled; and he jumped up at last, with an
+exclamation of annoyance&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Bother it! It won't come right! I quite forget how Mr. Delermain
+said I was to do it. I will run and ask him again; he won't mind my
+bothering him."</p>
+
+<p>He took his book and went out. The corridor leading to the masters'
+rooms was rather dark, for the gas had either not been lit, or had been
+turned out by some one. Just before the room was reached the corridor
+turned sharply to the right, and here it was quite dark. And, as Ralph
+turned this corner, he encountered some one, who ran against him with
+such force that he almost fell down; and before he could recover from
+his surprise, that unseen boy had disappeared round the corner, running
+swiftly and silently, as if anxious to escape notice.</p>
+
+<p>Ralph muttered something about clumsy fellows, and picked up his
+papers, which had been scattered in all directions. Then he went on to
+Mr. Delermain's room, and saw that the door was open, but the room in
+darkness. His master had evidently finished his letters and gone.</p>
+
+<p>"I shall have to let it wait until to-morrow," he said. "It's jolly
+vexing, just as I was getting on so nicely."</p>
+
+<p>He turned from the door, when a step sounded<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_112" id="Page_112">[Pg 112]</a></span> in the corridor, and a
+light glimmered round the corner. Some one was coming. And then a voice
+said&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Why, Rexworth, what are you doing here? You have no business in this
+corridor." And Ralph found himself face to face with Dr. Beverly.</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_113" id="Page_113">[Pg 113]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><span>CHAPTER XII</span> <span class="smaller">THE STOLEN BANKNOTE</span></h2>
+
+<p>Now, why Ralph should have felt in the slightest degree confused by the
+sudden appearance of Dr. Beverly, he could not have said; and yet he
+was conscious that he exhibited something of hesitation in his manner.
+It was perhaps due to the doctor finding him there in the dark, and
+looking rather suspicious and stern.</p>
+
+<p>The fact was that the doctor was so used to his pupils playing tricks
+and getting into scrapes, that it was but natural that he should scan
+the boy's face closely, and he noted that Ralph looked confused.</p>
+
+<p>He repeated his question sharply, and then the boy recovered himself
+and described how he had come to ask Mr. Delermain to again explain the
+point which had escaped his memory.</p>
+
+<p>"Mr. Delermain has gone out, I believe," Dr. Beverly said, when Ralph
+concluded. "But perhaps I may be able to make the point clear. Come to
+my study and let me see what you are doing."</p>
+
+<p>Ralph followed the doctor, not without some little nervousness; for,
+like all the boys, he stood somewhat in awe of the head master; but the
+doctor<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_114" id="Page_114">[Pg 114]</a></span> smiled, and was so kind that he soon put the boy at ease; and,
+after scanning the neat rows of figures in the exercise-book, he nodded
+approval.</p>
+
+<p>"I am glad to see that you work so neatly, Rexworth," the Head said.
+"Now, this point. Here is your error&mdash;it is very simple, though easily
+made."</p>
+
+<p>And taking a pencil, he worked out the sum himself, making Ralph go
+over it with him, and explaining each detail as it was done, so that
+Ralph was able to understand it quite easily; and, with words of
+thanks, took his books and went off, the doctor saying, as he departed&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"But let me give you one word of advice, Rexworth. It is all very well
+to be industrious; but remember, the brain wants rest, and you cannot
+learn properly when you are jaded. Put the books away, and do something
+else until bedtime&mdash;draw, read, or whatever you like. It pays to have a
+little relaxation when one is working hard."</p>
+
+<p>Now Ralph valued the master's experience too much to neglect that
+advice; and, though he had intended to work for another hour, he put
+his books away when he reached his little study, and, picking up his
+long-neglected story, he settled down with a sigh of relief for a quiet
+read.</p>
+
+<p>But he could not read. He wondered who it was that had run up against
+him, and what he was doing in the master's quarters. He felt uneasy, he
+could not say why. Then he had behaved so foolishly<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_115" id="Page_115">[Pg 115]</a></span> when the doctor
+first met him! As if any one had any need to be afraid of such a kind
+man as Dr. Beverly!</p>
+
+<p>Then he fell to thinking of Lord Elgert; and he wondered why he should
+seem to be so bitter against him, and why he seemed to take a delight
+in saying that his father was a thief. Ralph could not understand Lord
+Elgert; he was as much a mystery as was his father's disappearance.</p>
+
+<p>Then, from thinking of the father, his thoughts went to the son; and he
+wondered whether Horace Elgert would stand any chance of winning the
+gold medal, and whether he was working with one of those cribs; and he
+caught himself thinking how nice it would be to defeat his rival and
+carry off the prize.</p>
+
+<p>But then he checked himself. He wanted to win, but that ought not to be
+the real motive for it. After all, to want to win only to make Elgert
+vexed, was a very poor sort of thing.</p>
+
+<p>"I seem to be for ever catching myself up," he reflected. "It is harder
+work being a standard-bearer than I supposed at first."</p>
+
+<p>The bell rang for supper, and there was no more time to think then.
+Boys were laughing, shouting, enjoying the freedom which was allowed at
+this last meal of the day; and after that was over, the classes went
+off to their dormitories, and silence soon reigned in the school. And
+Ralph slept calm and peaceful, little dreaming what trouble was coming
+for him in the morning.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_116" id="Page_116">[Pg 116]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>But that trouble came, sharp and swift, before the classes assembled
+for morning school&mdash;the heaviest trouble that Ralph had been ever
+called to face, with the exception of that all-supreme one&mdash;the loss of
+his dear father.</p>
+
+<p>Breakfast was over, and the boys crowding from the dining-hall to
+snatch a few minutes' play prior to entering classes, when Ralph felt a
+hand laid on his shoulder and, turning, saw Kesterway by his side.</p>
+
+<p>"Rexworth, the Head wants you in his study at once!" the monitor said;
+and Ralph, wondering what could be the matter, turned and went to the
+doctor's room forthwith.</p>
+
+<p>And when he entered, he found both Dr. Beverly and Mr. Delermain there;
+and both looked very grave he thought.</p>
+
+<p>"You sent for me, sir?" he asked, looking towards the doctor, and the
+master nodded.</p>
+
+<p>"I did, Rexworth. Come in and shut the door. Now sit down and listen
+to me. You know that neither I nor Mr. Delermain would willingly say
+anything to hurt your feelings&mdash;I am sure that you realize that?"</p>
+
+<p>"Of course I do, sir," replied Ralph, wondering greatly. "You have both
+always been kind to me."</p>
+
+<p>"Well, now, I am going to say something that may seem hurtful," the
+master went on. But then he stopped as he encountered those calm, brave
+eyes, and he motioned to Mr. Delermain. "Suppose you<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_117" id="Page_117">[Pg 117]</a></span> speak?" he said,
+and Ralph's own master complied.</p>
+
+<p>"Rexworth," he said quietly, "it is not pleasant to say anything that
+could be interpreted into the faintest suspicion of doubting your
+honesty&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"I hope that you do not doubt it, sir," replied Ralph quickly. "It
+would be a very great trouble to me if you did! But I see that
+something is wrong; and if that is so, it is best to know it at once
+in plain language. If you have to say anything to hurt me, it must be
+something grave indeed!" he added.</p>
+
+<p>"It is grave," acknowledged the master. "You remember, last evening,
+knocking a banknote from my desk, and picking it up for me?"</p>
+
+<p>"Perfectly well, sir."</p>
+
+<p>"I replaced that note on my desk, and, having some letters to write, I
+forgot to take it up again; and when I went to post my correspondence,
+I left it there on the desk. When I returned, the note was gone, and
+the only person who was near my room, so far as we know, was yourself.
+Dr. Beverly saw you there."</p>
+
+<p>"And you think that I have stolen your banknote, sir?" cried Ralph,
+regretfully. But Mr. Delermain shook his head.</p>
+
+<p>"No, no, Ralph! You must not go so far as that. I only tell you the
+facts, as far as we know them. The note was there, the note has gone,
+you are the only one who was seen near the spot!"</p>
+
+<p>"There was some one else, sir!" cried Ralph; and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_118" id="Page_118">[Pg 118]</a></span> he narrated how some
+one had pushed against him and run down the dark corridor. Both masters
+listened gravely as he did so.</p>
+
+<p>"And you have no idea who this was? Did not recognize either voice or
+figure?"</p>
+
+<p>"No, sir. He did not speak, and it was so dark, and the thing so
+sudden, that I was taken quite by surprise!"</p>
+
+<p>"You can think of no one? Know of no lad you saw in that part of the
+house?"</p>
+
+<p>"No, sir," answered Ralph; but even as he spoke one thought flashed
+into his mind. "Charlton, his chum! Charlton was in need of money!
+Could it have been Charlton?"</p>
+
+<p>"I can think of no one, sir," he replied. "I can quite see how it looks
+against me; but Mr. Delermain has proved so good a friend to me, that
+it seems hard that I should be thought capable of robbing him."</p>
+
+<p>"Let me impress upon you, Rexworth," said the doctor, "that we do not
+look at the matter in that light. We sent for you because we knew that
+you were near the place&mdash;in the room, indeed. The matter must be made
+public, and questions must be asked; and it is natural that, since you
+are the only one who was near the place&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"I was not the only one, sir," he answered quietly.</p>
+
+<p>"No, there is that other boy whom you say ran past you in the dark;
+but, my lad, unless something can be found out concerning that boy, we
+have only<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_119" id="Page_119">[Pg 119]</a></span> your bare word; and suspicion is bound to fall mostly upon
+yourself. That is why we both felt that you should be seen privately,
+before the circumstance was made known to the whole school. That is
+all. You can go!"</p>
+
+<p>"It is impossible that such a boy can be a thief, sir!" cried Mr.
+Delermain to the Head, when Ralph had gone. "I would stake my life upon
+his honesty!"</p>
+
+<p>"I feel somewhat the same, Delermain," answered the Head. "But the note
+is gone, and he is the only one known to have been near. The school
+will not view the thing in that light."</p>
+
+<p>"I should rather that the school did not know, sir," suggested the
+master; but at this Dr. Beverly shook his head.</p>
+
+<p>"No, no, Delermain, I will not have that. We will have no
+favouritism&mdash;no keeping things back. If it was my own son who was
+implicated, the thing should be gone on with. For the sake of every one
+concerned, it must be gone on with."</p>
+
+<p>But what a sensation it caused when the doctor made the announcement
+to the school! He had classes stopped, and all the school assembled in
+the hall; and there, standing at his great desk, he spoke to the lads,
+telling them that the banknote was lost.</p>
+
+<p>"It can hardly have been mislaid," he said, "for Mr. Delermain put it
+beneath a heavy paper-weight; and upon his return he found that weight
+had been moved. Now, there are two things I want to <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_120" id="Page_120">[Pg 120]</a></span>impress upon you
+all, very solemnly. Some one must have done this&mdash;some one acting,
+perhaps, under a sudden temptation; some one, perhaps, who did not
+understand the full gravity and magnitude of his offence. Let that some
+one come and own his fault to me, like a man and a Christian should do.
+Remember, also, that the number of that note is known. It cannot be
+parted with, or converted into money, without eventually being traced,
+even through successive stages, back to the one who originally parted
+with it.</p>
+
+<p>"Then, remember also, that there is one of your number who is
+particularly affected by this loss; there is one boy who knew this note
+was there, and who is known to have been near the study during Mr.
+Delermain's absence. A boy who frankly explains what took him there,
+and who declares that some one passed him hurriedly in the darkness of
+the corridor. That boy is Ralph Rexworth, and the boy who passed by him
+must undoubtedly be the thief!"</p>
+
+<p>It was kindly put by the Head, for it seemed as if it exonerated Ralph
+from all suspicion; but there were those in the classes who, as the
+Head had foreseen, did not look at it from that standpoint; and Dobson
+muttered to his nearest neighbour&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"That is all very well, but why may not Rexworth have taken it himself?
+He is the only one who knew that it was there."</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_121" id="Page_121">[Pg 121]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>And the boy to whom this was addressed nodded.</p>
+
+<p>"I again earnestly entreat the boy who has done this thing to confess
+his fault!" the Head went on. "Do not let us have the taint of a
+thief amongst us! Let the culprit act the better part, and remove the
+disgrace from the school! Now go to your classes, and think over what
+I have said, and I trust ere the morning has passed, the boy who is
+guilty will have taken the better course and have come to own his fault
+to me!"</p>
+
+<p>Away to their rooms they went; and now tongues were loosened,
+and comments made; and oh, how hard it was for Ralph to keep his
+temper! for Elgert was not slow to take all the advantages which the
+circumstance offered to him.</p>
+
+<p>"It is all right to talk about shame being on the school!" he said to
+his companions. "What else can you expect? There is Charlton&mdash;look
+at him! 'Like father, like son,' you know. Then there is his chum,
+Rexworth. 'Birds of a feather flock together.' It does not take very
+much to see who the thief is, Rexworth was caught almost in the act,
+by the Head himself; and it is very easy to make up a tale of some one
+running by him in the dark."</p>
+
+<p>"Of course," was the answer; and Ralph heard it all so plainly, as
+Elgert had intended that he should do. Poor Ralph, it was a hard task
+for him to keep his temper&mdash;to remember his promise, and act the
+standard-bearer's part!</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_122" id="Page_122">[Pg 122]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><span>CHAPTER XIII</span> <span class="smaller">DIVIDED OPINIONS</span></h2>
+
+<p>There was but one serious theme of conversation at Marlthorpe College
+during the remainder of that day, and it is not difficult to guess that
+the theft of the banknote formed its subject. From the highest class
+to the lowest&mdash;from the First Form youngsters right up to the Upper
+Fifth&mdash;the boys discussed the business eagerly, and, it must be owned,
+with divided opinions.</p>
+
+<p>For there were some there who, being quick to perceive true nobility of
+character, felt that it was impossible for such a boy as Ralph Rexworth
+to be a thief. They were like Dr. Beverly and Mr. Delermain, and felt
+that, dark as the circumstances made it appear for Ralph, he could not
+be guilty of such a mean action. And there were others who, with all
+the thoughtlessness of youth, and influenced, perhaps, by the words of
+Elgert and Dobson, were quite ready to declare Ralph guilty off-hand,
+without the slightest hesitation.</p>
+
+<p>And it was bitter for Ralph&mdash;far more bitter than any there could
+understand. He felt that they all looked with suspicion upon him. And
+he even did his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_123" id="Page_123">[Pg 123]</a></span> best friends some injustice, yet they, right down to
+their hearts, believed him to be guilty.</p>
+
+<p>He wanted at first to throw aside his books and go back to Mr. St.
+Clive and to Irene, but he pulled himself up sternly. He would not run
+away like a coward. It would appear as if he were really guilty. He
+would stay and fight it out and prove his innocence. He felt sure that
+it would aid him in getting at the truth concerning his father, and so
+he settled sternly down to his work, and even, in his battle, seemed a
+little cold and standoffish to his best friends.</p>
+
+<p>And Charlton&mdash;ah, Ralph could not help thinking that Charlton
+knew something about this. He seemed so strange, so different and
+hesitating. He felt like challenging him to tell the truth, but
+something, he was not quite clear what, made him hesitate. It was bad
+enough to be suspected himself, and he was a fairly strong boy, able to
+take his own part, but what would timid, weakly Charlton feel if the
+suspicion were thrown upon him?</p>
+
+<p>"I won't do anything to let him think that I suspect him, until I can
+be sure that I have good grounds for suspicion," Ralph reflected.</p>
+
+<p>And then he paused. And if he had those good grounds, what then?
+Suppose that he could even be certain that Charlton was the culprit,
+what then? The boy would have taken the money for his mother in all
+likelihood, and&mdash;&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>Ralph shrugged his shoulders and turned resolutely<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_124" id="Page_124">[Pg 124]</a></span> to his work, and,
+though plenty there believed that he was guilty, there was such a look
+upon that strong young face that they forbore to speak their opinions
+directly to him, but only revealed them by cutting him contemptuously
+whenever he chanced to be in their company.</p>
+
+<p>But he was not left without comforters. Mr. Delermain took the
+opportunity to speak with him quietly, and as he placed one hand gently
+upon the strong young shoulder, and looked gravely into the face, now
+somewhat clouded with its sorrow, the kindly master said&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Rexworth, my dear boy, I could find it in my heart to wish that I had
+never mentioned this loss."</p>
+
+<p>"I do not, sir," answered Ralph quickly. "If the thing has been done it
+ought to be mentioned, no matter upon whom the blame may fall. It is
+rather hard to feel that so many of the boys believe that I have done
+it, but then, you see, I was in your room, and things look black, and I
+have no means of proving that my story of some one having passed me is
+really true."</p>
+
+<p>"I would that we had any clue to that," observed the master. "If we
+could only find out who that was! You have no suspicion, Ralph?"</p>
+
+<p>And he glanced into the boy's eyes.</p>
+
+<p>"No sir." Then Ralph hesitated. That was not quite true. He had a
+suspicion. "I would rather not talk of it, sir," he answered, after a
+pause. "Perhaps it is not quite right to say that I have no suspicion,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_125" id="Page_125">[Pg 125]</a></span>
+but it is only a suspicion, and I have no right to talk about it,
+seeing that I have no solid grounds to go upon. I am accused solely
+upon suspicion, and I know how hard it is."</p>
+
+<p>"I applaud your sentiment," said Mr. Delermain. "Well, my dear lad, let
+me impress upon you that I do not believe you to be a thief. Let me
+give you my sympathy, and let me encourage you to bear this trial&mdash;I
+fully understand how hard it must be for one of your nature&mdash;bravely;
+and let me assure you that I shall look forward with just as much
+pleasure as formerly to your visits in the evening. Do not let this
+interfere with your studies for the Newlet medal, and rest sure that I
+should not again invite Ralph Rexworth into my study if I suspected him
+of being a thief."</p>
+
+<p>"The boy has some sort of suspicion," reflected the master, after Ralph
+had gone. "He suspects some one. Now whom can that be? Is he shielding
+that boy Charlton? He is a weakly dispositioned lad&mdash;one likely to fall
+into temptation, and to yield to it too. I must watch him quietly.
+Charlton is the most likely boy to have done this. He is poor too.
+Perhaps he took it to help his mother. Poor lad! if that is the case, I
+would be the last one to bring him to punishment." He paused and shook
+his head. "I ought to take a lesson from Rexworth," he went on, with a
+smile. "He will not speak upon mere suspicion, and here I am weaving a
+theory without the slightest ground for so doing, and actually arriving
+at the conclusion that a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_126" id="Page_126">[Pg 126]</a></span> certain boy is guilty, when I have not the
+least right to even connect him with the theft."</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Delermain went back to his duties, but still that thought was in
+his head&mdash;was it possible that Charlton had taken that five-pound
+note, and that Ralph Rexworth knew it, and was silent only for the
+sake of his chum? Ralph felt quite cheered by his master's words.
+He did not dream that Mr. Delermain thought anything about Charlton
+being the thief, and he soon found another comforter in the person
+of good-hearted Tom Warren; for the monitor came up to him with
+outstretched hand, crying heartily&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Look here, Rexworth, you are asking for a fight with me, that's what!"</p>
+
+<p>"Eh?" said Ralph, staring. "I don't understand."</p>
+
+<p>"Well then, why are you cutting me like this? Oh, think I don't notice
+it? You are sitting moping, just like an old magpie that is moulting.
+Look here, don't be so jolly silly as to worry about what these kites
+say or do. It's only Elgert and his gang, and Dobby and Co. They are
+always glad to be able to chuck stones at another fellow's glasshouse;
+but they will get their own windows smashed in time. Now, don't hide
+your head as though you had done something to be ashamed about. Come
+into the playground with me."</p>
+
+<p>"The other fellows don't want me, and I don't want to go where I am not
+wanted."</p>
+
+<p>"Rubbish! Downright silly rubbish!" retorted<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_127" id="Page_127">[Pg 127]</a></span> Warren. "I want you!
+I want you to show me how to throw one of those ropes like you do.
+I cannot manage it. I was trying the other day, and I caught Bert
+Standish an awful smack in the eye, and jolly nearly knocked it out for
+him; and if you had seen him scudding after me, one hand on his injured
+optic and the other shaking in very wrath! I didn't stop to argue until
+I got safe inside my study and had the bolt drawn; and then he stood
+outside kicking the panel, and calling me a chump, and a kite, and a
+cuckoo, and all manner of pretty and polite names, and inviting me to
+come out and let him wipe up the floor with me. I spoke soft words, and
+tried to pour oil on troubled waters, only the troubled waters were not
+taking any, and would not be assuaged until Kesterway came along and
+said that he would report him for damaging the paint if he didn't stop
+it. I have kept out of Bert's way since then, and he has got a lovely
+bruise under his eye. Come on, Ralph, and show me how you do it without
+knocking any one's head off."</p>
+
+<p>So Ralph suffered himself to be taken into the playground, and though
+some looked at him suspiciously and edged away from him, others of
+Warren's disposition resolved that, at any rate, they would wait for
+proof before condemning him, gathered round Ralph, and made him feel
+that they were his friends.</p>
+
+<p>So opinions were divided, and Marlthorpe College split into two
+parties, one for, and one against Ralph&mdash;one with Tom Warren at its
+head, and the other with<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_128" id="Page_128">[Pg 128]</a></span> Horace Elgert, the Honourable Horace Elgert,
+the nobleman's son!</p>
+
+<p>And Elgert was not quite satisfied, for he saw that Ralph was not sent
+to Coventry, as he had intended that he should be. He saw that some
+of the boys recognized that he was not the sort of lad to be a thief,
+and he determined that, if it could be done, their opinions should be
+changed.</p>
+
+<p>"If I can only prove that he did it," he mused, "I may be able to
+manage that, if I have any luck."</p>
+
+<p>So the days of the week slipped away, once more bringing the Saturday
+holiday near, and it had been one of the hardest weeks that Ralph
+Rexworth had ever known&mdash;a week that had called for all his strength of
+will and purpose to enable him to face and overcome its difficulties
+and temptations.</p>
+
+<p>It was Friday afternoon, and Ralph was in his study putting his books
+straight prior to leaving&mdash;he was always neat in his habits&mdash;when
+Charlton came in, hesitating, troubled-looking, as ever.</p>
+
+<p>"Glad the week is over, Ralph?" he asked, after he had stood in silence
+for a little while watching his chum.</p>
+
+<p>And Ralph nodded.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes. It has been a little hard. I shall be glad to have a rest from
+it," he answered.</p>
+
+<p>"They are wicked to try and make out that you took that note. They
+ought to know that you did not. I know you did not."</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_129" id="Page_129">[Pg 129]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Do you? How?" was the quiet answer to this indignant outburst.</p>
+
+<p>And Charlton seemed confused.</p>
+
+<p>"Why, because&mdash;don't you see&mdash;because&mdash;you could not do it, of course."</p>
+
+<p>"Thanks!" said Ralph. "It is nice to hear you say that."</p>
+
+<p>But, alas! he wondered whether Charlton had any better grounds for his
+belief.</p>
+
+<p>And then the boy went on, taking ten shillings from his pocket.</p>
+
+<p>"Here are the ten shillings which I owe you. I am much obliged."</p>
+
+<p>Ralph looked hard at him, and made no attempt to pick up the money.</p>
+
+<p>"Charlton," he said quietly, "I thought you said that you would not be
+able to repay me for some time."</p>
+
+<p>And Charlton looked more confused than ever.</p>
+
+<p>"I know, but I&mdash;I can pay you now."</p>
+
+<p>"How did you get the money?" asked Ralph.</p>
+
+<p>And his chum grew more nervous.</p>
+
+<p>"I had it given&mdash;I mean that I&mdash;&mdash; Why do you ask that?"</p>
+
+<p>"I will tell you, Charlton," answered Ralph gravely. "I don't mean to
+tell any one else, though. You had no money at the beginning of this
+week, and now you can pay me ten shillings. Where did you get the money
+from? Did you take that five-pound note?"</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_130" id="Page_130">[Pg 130]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>For a moment the lad stood silently staring at Ralph. Then his pale
+face went crimson, and he burst out indignantly&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"What do you mean? Do you think that I stole it? Do you mean that I am
+a thief? You can't mean that, Rexworth! Did you ever catch me telling a
+lie?"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes," said Ralph quietly. "I did once."</p>
+
+<p>"When?" demanded Charlton.</p>
+
+<p>And Ralph answered&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Last week in the woods, when you said that you were alone. I know that
+there was a man with you."</p>
+
+<p>"That is a lie!" answered Charlton wildly. "There was no one. You have
+no right to say there was any one with me." He seemed quite beside
+himself with terror. "I know what it is, Ralph Rexworth! You have taken
+that note after all, and now you are trying to put the blame upon me.
+We are not chums any longer. I hate you!"</p>
+
+<p>And with that Charlton rushed off, choking with anger and bitter grief,
+and Ralph stood there looking after him, more in regret than in anger.</p>
+
+<p>"Poor chap!" he muttered. "I ought not to have spoken like that. It
+only shows how easy it is to make a slip, if you are not for ever
+watching. Perhaps I am wronging him, after all."</p>
+
+<p>He paused. His eyes fell upon the money which Charlton had placed upon
+the table. If he was wronging him, then where had Charlton managed to
+get that money from?</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_131" id="Page_131">[Pg 131]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><span>CHAPTER XIV</span> <span class="smaller">BY THE RIVER SIDE</span></h2>
+
+<p>"I wish that I had not spoken like that to him."</p>
+
+<p>So Ralph Rexworth mused as he left the study and went along the
+corridor&mdash;anger at the violent outburst and the accusation which
+Charlton had hurled at him, he felt none.</p>
+
+<p>A muffled sound broke upon his ears&mdash;the sound of some one sobbing
+violently, and he stopped, peering along the corridor until he made
+out the form of his former chum. Charlton had flung himself down full
+length, and was crying as if his heart would break.</p>
+
+<p>It was more than Ralph could stand&mdash;he went up to him and laid a hand
+upon the prostrate boy's shoulder.</p>
+
+<p>"Charlton," he said kindly, "don't cry. I am awfully sorry that I have
+offended you, and that we have quarrelled. I did not mean to do it.
+Won't you get up and shake hands with me?"</p>
+
+<p>"No!" came the broken answer. "Go away, I don't want you! You were the
+only chum that I had, and now you say that I am a thief! I never said a
+word against you. I told Dobson that he was telling lies when he said
+that you had stolen the note, and he<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_132" id="Page_132">[Pg 132]</a></span> beat me. I did not mind that,
+because I was trying to stick up for you; and now you say I stole it!"</p>
+
+<p>"Come, shake hands," pleaded Ralph, feeling somehow that he was on the
+wrong track. "I am sorry."</p>
+
+<p>"You ought to have known how it feels to be called a thief," the other
+lad continued. "You are not my chum&mdash;I don't care about you being
+strong and me being weak&mdash;I don't want to be your chum. I know that my
+father was called a thief, but it was not true&mdash;he never did anything
+wrong&mdash;and I know that people sneer at me. But I am not a thief&mdash;I
+never stole anything, and you, seeing what Elgert has said about your
+father, and that you have been accused, might have been a little more
+kind to me."</p>
+
+<p>"Well, I have said that I am sorry. Won't you shake hands?" said Ralph
+again. "And I had a note from Mr. St. Clive, and he told me to ask you
+and Warren to come over to-morrow. Won't you come?"</p>
+
+<p>"No," answered Charlton. "You don't want boys there who have convict
+fathers, and who you believe to be thieves. You go away, Ralph
+Rexworth. We shall never be friends any more until you have been proved
+wrong. When I can prove to you that I had no hand in taking that note,
+then we will be chums again.</p>
+
+<p>"And," he added, sitting up, "it is a wicked, wicked lie to say that I
+was with any man in those woods. It is not true, and you are making it
+up. There&mdash;go away, and make what chums you like. I suppose that we<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_133" id="Page_133">[Pg 133]</a></span>
+must still share the same study! I won't worry you with my presence
+very much, I can promise you; but I won't make friends, and I won't
+forgive you, and I won't take back one word of what I have said that I
+believe about you&mdash;not even if you beat me&mdash;and you are strong enough
+to do that, I know."</p>
+
+<p>"I am sorry. I don't want to beat you, Charlton," responded Ralph, "and
+I am very grieved that we are not to be chums. Perhaps after Sunday you
+will think differently."</p>
+
+<p>"I will never think differently&mdash;never&mdash;never!" cried Charlton. And
+jumping up he rushed off, leaving Ralph to continue his way alone, and
+somewhat heavy-hearted, for he had a genuine liking for the lonely,
+sad-faced boy, and was indeed truly sorry that he had said anything to
+cause him such pain and grief.</p>
+
+<p>"Hallo, Rexworth! What have you been doing with Charlton?" asked
+Warren, meeting him in the playground a little later. "He rushed across
+here a little while ago as though he were training for a race; and when
+I asked him if he had seen you, he said that he didn't know anything
+about you, and that he didn't want to know, either. Whatever have you
+done to upset him in that way?"</p>
+
+<p>"We have had a bit of a quarrel," answered Ralph. "Don't ask me about
+it, old fellow, for I don't want to talk of it. I hope that he will
+be all right again next week. By the way, Mr. St. Clive has asked me
+whether<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_134" id="Page_134">[Pg 134]</a></span> you would care to come over and spend the afternoon with me
+to-morrow."</p>
+
+<p>"Will a duck like to swim when it gets enough water to paddle its
+little tootsies in?" laughed Warren. "My dear chap, I will come on the
+wings of greased lightning. I must go home and tell the mater first
+though, or she will wonder what has become of me&mdash;fancy that I have met
+with an accident, or something. Fellows ought not to be careless about
+such things as that. Then I will come on, if that will do, and&mdash;great
+guns! there goes the bell, and it is my turn to see the school ready
+for calling over. I am off"&mdash;and away Warren sped as fast as he could
+run.</p>
+
+<p>The evening passed, the following morning came and went, and
+still Charlton gave Ralph no opportunity for renewing his offer
+of friendship. He looked pale, miserable, but determined&mdash;Ralph
+had wounded him to the very soul, and he would not&mdash;could not
+indeed&mdash;forget or forgive it.</p>
+
+<p>The hour of departure came, and still Charlton avoided Ralph. They left
+without wishing each other good-bye, and Ralph set out for Mr. St.
+Clive's, feeling disappointed and heavy-hearted.</p>
+
+<p>But disappointment and heavy-heartedness could not long find place in
+that bright home. The very first greeting, the warm handshake of Mr.
+St. Clive, the smile of his wife and the rush with which Irene came to
+greet him, altogether united to banish every melancholy thought, and to
+bring sunshine to his heart.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_135" id="Page_135">[Pg 135]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>And what a circle of sympathetic listeners he had when he told them
+about the theft, and how he had chanced to be upon the scene. And both
+Irene and Mrs. Clive laughed, and were at the same time very indignant
+that any one should dare to suppose, even for one moment, that Ralph
+could possibly be a thief.</p>
+
+<p>But Mr. St. Clive looked grave, for he could see how hard this was for
+the lad, and could understand what a big fight it must have been for
+Ralph.</p>
+
+<p>"Never fear, my boy," he said when the story was told. "It is hard, but
+the truth must come out at last&mdash;it always does in this world of ours.
+But now," he continued, "about your friends&mdash;I hope they are to be my
+guests to-day."</p>
+
+<p>"Warren will be here, sir," answered Ralph. And Mr. St. Clive asked,
+"And not Charlton?"</p>
+
+<p>"No, sir, he could not promise." Ralph did not go into the matter of
+his quarrel with his chum then; he wanted to talk to Mr. St. Clive
+alone about that; and the gentleman, seeing that something must have
+gone amiss, did not press his questions further.</p>
+
+<p>Then Ralph went off with Irene, and had to tell her everything over
+again, while she sat and listened with sparkling eyes, especially when
+he told her how Mr. Delermain had behaved.</p>
+
+<p>"I would like to kiss him," she said. "He is a nice man." And Ralph
+suggested that, as she could not do that, the next best thing would be
+to kiss him<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_136" id="Page_136">[Pg 136]</a></span> instead&mdash;a thing which proves very conclusively that Ralph
+was very quickly getting used to the ways of Western civilization.</p>
+
+<p>And then, with a merry call, Tom Warren came upon the scene, for he had
+arrived, had been welcomed by his host, and sent out into the garden
+to meet his friend. Irene was introduced&mdash;she had known him before, by
+the way, but that doesn't matter&mdash;and Warren was nice, and didn't think
+girls a bit of a nuisance&mdash;which shows that he was a wise boy&mdash;and the
+three just got on as well as could be, until the bell rang for lunch,
+and&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>Well, well, they did enjoy that lunch, that is all; and they
+demonstrated very clearly what exceedingly healthy appetites they all
+possessed; and then, that over, they set out for a stroll along the
+river's bank&mdash;for it was very pretty there, and Irene loved the spot.
+The trees were so stately, and, in some places, grew right to the
+water's edge, and the grass was so green and velvety, and the river
+ran so smoothly&mdash;perhaps too smoothly&mdash;for the current was strong
+and swift, and glided along, making the water look like a stream of
+glass as it turned the curve towards Becket Weir, and went roaring and
+foaming down twelve feet like a little Niagara.</p>
+
+<p>But to-day, when they reached the spot they were somewhat disappointed
+to find that they were not the only occupants. A party of boys were
+there&mdash;boys from the college&mdash;and, of all boys in the world, Elgert,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_137" id="Page_137">[Pg 137]</a></span>
+Dobson, and some of their chums who had been to Mr. St. Clive's.</p>
+
+<p>Some of the boys were fishing, for there were excellent perch and roach
+in the still pools; and Horace Elgert had his canoe, a pretty little
+boat&mdash;light, easy, and graceful, so long as it was kept away from the
+immediate neighbourhood of the weir.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh," growled Warren, as he saw the others. "How jolly annoying!" And
+at that Irene burst out laughing, and inquired how anything could
+possibly be "jolly annoying."</p>
+
+<p>"Well, very annoying, Miss St. Clive," was Warren's answer. "Just to
+think of that lot being here!"</p>
+
+<p>"I don't see that they need annoy us," she answered.</p>
+
+<p>"We will go a little farther along the bank, down by the weir."</p>
+
+<p>Some of the other boys greeted Warren, and raised their hats as they
+saw Irene&mdash;whom most of them knew by sight; but of Ralph they took no
+notice, and Elgert, coming by in his canoe, called out loud enough for
+all to hear&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Keep your eyes on your property, you fellows, you might lose something
+here."</p>
+
+<p>"The cad!" muttered Warren, while Irene gave Ralph's arm a little
+squeeze, as if to tell him never to mind.</p>
+
+<p>"The cad!" said Warren again. "He would not dare do that if you were in
+the playground; and just<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_138" id="Page_138">[Pg 138]</a></span> look at him showing off in that canoe&mdash;as if
+no one but he could use a paddle."</p>
+
+<p>"He cannot use one," laughed Ralph. "That is not the way to swing it.
+He takes it over and over like the sails of a windmill, describing
+circles with every stroke."</p>
+
+<p>"Well," asked Warren, "how would you use it? I confess that is the way
+I should handle it."</p>
+
+<p>"It is not the right way. It should be swung from side to side, and he
+will be over if he tries to play tricks like that"&mdash;as Elgert made a
+fancy stroke which brought the boat down on one side.&mdash;"There, he has
+dropped his paddle! Be careful"&mdash;and he raised his voice&mdash;"Be careful!
+He is over!"</p>
+
+<p>Yes; the warning came too late. Elgert reached over to regain his
+paddle, the canoe took one sudden lurch, turned bottom up, and sent the
+boy struggling into the water. Elgert could not swim&mdash;Ralph saw that
+at a glance; and, without waiting, off went coat and waistcoat, and
+into the river Ralph Rexworth went after his foe&mdash;the river that ran so
+swiftly on to the boiling, roaring weir.</p>
+
+<div class="center"><img src="images/i138.jpg" alt="Into the river Ralph Rexworth went" /></div>
+
+<p class="bold">"<span class="smcap">Into the river Ralph Rexworth went after his
+foe.</span>" p. 138</p>
+
+<p>It was a hard fight, but Ralph had the advantage of being carried by
+the current right down to the struggling boy, and, ere long, he had
+reached him, was gripping his arm, and had commenced the struggle back
+to the bank, only to find that Warren was by his side ready to give his
+help.</p>
+
+<p>And between them they managed to get Elgert<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_139" id="Page_139">[Pg 139]</a></span> back to the shore. Not
+without a big battle, for the water pulled like giant hands, seeking to
+sweep them all away. They had to swim in a slanting course, and even
+then, ere the bank was reached, they were perilously near to the spot
+over which the water took its leap, and where the notice-board with the
+big "Danger" was so prominently fixed.</p>
+
+<p>But they managed it; and Elgert was hurried off by his friends, while
+Warren and Ralph, soaked as they were, had to race back to Mr. St.
+Clive's, with Irene behind them urging them not to stop for her, but to
+get back as quickly as ever they could.</p>
+
+<p>Only to think of it! Ralph Rexworth had actually rescued, with the help
+of Warren, his enemy Horace Elgert from almost certain death!</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_140" id="Page_140">[Pg 140]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><span>CHAPTER XV</span> <span class="smaller">THE LOST POCKET-BOOK</span></h2>
+
+<p>Ralph Rexworth was inconsolable&mdash;he had lost his pocket-book. Now, a
+lost pocket-book may not seem a very big thing to grieve over, seeing
+that another one can be bought for a reasonable sum; and yet Ralph did
+grieve, and grieve greatly.</p>
+
+<p>For this pocket-book was not like other pocket-books that might be
+bought. It was one which his father had given to him&mdash;the very last
+present which he had ever received from him&mdash;and it contained, amongst
+other things, and the greatest treasure of them all, a portrait of
+his darling mother, and the letter which his father had written to
+him on the day he made the present. What wonder, then, that a boy who
+loved his parents as Ralph Rexworth had done should grieve, and grieve
+greatly, over such a loss?</p>
+
+<p>He found out the loss shortly after he reached Mr. St. Clive's, after
+rescuing Horace Elgert. He had been looking at some portraits of Irene,
+which had only just arrived from the photographers, and she had<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_141" id="Page_141">[Pg 141]</a></span> given
+him one to keep for himself. What should he do with such a gift but put
+it into his pocket-book&mdash;and his pocket-book was not there!</p>
+
+<p>Irene saw the change which came over his face when he had discovered
+the loss, and she asked him what was the matter. His face went quite
+white, so that Tom Warren, looking at him, wondered why such a manly,
+sensible chap should look so bad over such a little thing.</p>
+
+<p>But then Tom Warren had father and mother living, and plenty of friends
+around; so that made all the difference. He did not understand what it
+was to be all alone in the world, or how people like that treasured
+every relic of friends and happy days that had been.</p>
+
+<p>"Perhaps it tumbled from your pocket when you threw your coat off down
+by the river?" he suggested. "Let us go and have a look for it." And
+the two boys set off together.</p>
+
+<p>"He does seem cut up," the monitor reflected, as they ran on; for Ralph
+hardly had a word to say now, so anxious was he.</p>
+
+<p>But, no&mdash;no pocket-book was to be found. They searched every foot of
+the towing-path, and then went into the wood, to the very spot where
+they had rested that afternoon; but not a sign of the book could they
+see, and at last Warren declared that it was no use looking further.</p>
+
+<p>"You cannot have dropped it anywhere about here,"<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_142" id="Page_142">[Pg 142]</a></span> he said, "unless
+some one has seen it and picked it up. Had it got your name inside?"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes," answered Ralph; "but then they won't know where to bring it. How
+will they know who Ralph Rexworth is, or where he lives? I am afraid I
+shall never see it again; and&mdash;and&mdash;" And Ralph broke off, unable to
+finish his sentence.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, come, don't be like that, Rexworth!" protested Warren. "At any
+rate, you can advertise for it and offer a reward; and any one who
+found it would be only too glad to bring it back and get the money. An
+old pocket-book is not so great a find that any one would want to keep
+it from you."</p>
+
+<p>"No; it is only of value to me," admitted Ralph, giving one last vain
+look round. "Well, it is no use staying here now; and it is beginning
+to grow dark. I suppose that we had better go back."</p>
+
+<p>The St. Clives were quite anxious to know whether the book had been
+recovered when the two boys once more reached the house, and they were
+full of sympathy when Ralph sadly shook his head.</p>
+
+<p>"I suppose you are quite sure that you brought it away from school
+with you, Ralph?" said Mr. St. Clive; and that brought just one little
+ray of hope. Ralph could not be quite sure. He thought that he had
+done so&mdash;he always took it from the pocket of the coat he took off and
+transferred it to that of the one he was going to wear. He had taken
+off his school-jacket when he left that afternoon, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_143" id="Page_143">[Pg 143]</a></span> though he felt
+nearly sure that he had done so, he could not be quite certain that he
+had taken his pocket-book from the pocket.</p>
+
+<p>But he felt so anxious and worried that all the pleasure of the evening
+was gone; and when Warren finally said good-night and ran off to his
+own home, it was still with the reflection that Ralph Rexworth must
+indeed be a queer sort of chap, or else there must be some extra
+special reason for his worrying over that pocket-book in the way he did.</p>
+
+<p>And when Warren had gone, Irene came and sat by her friend's side,
+being, indeed, a staunch little friend herself, and wanting to do
+something to comfort him; and she whispered again how she sympathized
+with him, and that perhaps the book was still at school, or, again, if
+it were really lost, it would be sure to be found by some one who would
+be likely to see the advertisement which Mr. St. Clive said should be
+printed, and then they would certainly bring it back to him.</p>
+
+<p>And then she talked of the deed which Ralph had done that day, and how
+glad she was that he had been the means of saving Horace Elgert; and
+how, in returning good for evil, he would be sure to conquer; and just
+for the moment Ralph forgot his loss, and was interested.</p>
+
+<p>"I could not do anything else, Irene," he said. "When it comes to
+saving a fellow's life, one cannot stop to consider whether they are
+friends or enemies.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_144" id="Page_144">[Pg 144]</a></span> It had to be done, though it has cost me enough,"
+he added sadly.</p>
+
+<p>"You think that you lost your pocket-book then?" she said; and he
+nodded.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes. I must have jerked it out of my pocket when I threw my coat off."</p>
+
+<p>"Well, then some of the other boys will most likely have found it, and
+they will bring it back to you on Monday."</p>
+
+<p>"I hope, if they do find it, they will not open it and get playing
+about with its contents," he said anxiously; and she laughed.</p>
+
+<p>"Why, how silly, Ralph! How can they possibly find out to whom it
+belongs unless they open it? Why should you mind that? You have nothing
+in it that you are afraid for people to see?"</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, no, no; of course not!" he answered quickly. It was not that.
+He could not explain it to Irene&mdash;he could hardly understand it
+himself&mdash;but the idea of other hands touching that, and other eyes
+prying at its treasured contents, was very repugnant to Ralph's
+feelings.</p>
+
+<p>The next morning Ralph was up early, almost as soon as it was light,
+and back in the neighbourhood of Becket Weir; and there, all alone in
+the freshness of the early day, he hunted this way and that, far more
+carefully than he had done the previous evening, but with as little
+success. There was not a trace of the pocket-book, but&mdash;he paused, his
+nerves tingling<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_145" id="Page_145">[Pg 145]</a></span>&mdash;some one had driven along the towing-path. The tracks
+were perfectly plain upon the dew-damp earth; and the tracks were
+those of a light cart which was drawn by a horse lame in its left fore
+foot&mdash;the same tracks which he connected with his father's fate, and
+which he had not seen for some time now!</p>
+
+<p>He stood looking round. It was Sunday&mdash;the day of peace and rest
+and gentle thoughts, and yet for the moment his heart filled with
+hard ones. He must follow these tracks! They might not lead to the
+recovery of his father&mdash;alas! he could not but believe now that father
+was dead&mdash;but they would lead to the man who had killed him; and
+then&mdash;then&mdash;&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>Sweet and low the bells came from the distant church, ringing for the
+first early morning service. They seemed to whisper messages to Ralph;
+but for once he turned a deaf ear to their voices. He must follow these
+tracks, Sunday or no Sunday.</p>
+
+<p>Along the path he went, his eyes fixed on the ground&mdash;past the roaring,
+tumbling weir, and the marks grew clearer. Hope rose in his excited
+heart. This was more in accordance with his tastes and desires. It was
+like being back on the long, rolling prairies. He would find out the
+truth now&mdash;at least, he would find out who this man was who drove a
+lame horse!</p>
+
+<p>Vain hopes, vain thoughts! Clear and unbroken, the marks ran until
+the towing-path turned out on the main road just by Becket Bridge,
+and there, on the hard, stony road, all tracks were lost. It was<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_146" id="Page_146">[Pg 146]</a></span>
+failure again; and a sudden rush of sorrow came to Ralph, a sudden
+sense of disappointment and loneliness; and sitting down there on
+the stone coping of the wall that separated the road from the river,
+Ralph Rexworth burst into tears. He could not help it&mdash;he felt so very
+depressed and weary; and not even the thoughts of Mr. St. Clive and
+Irene could drive that depression away.</p>
+
+<p>But still the bells rang, and their sweet voices thrust themselves upon
+him. I am not sure that a good cry is not a good thing sometimes, even
+for a boy. He felt all the better now, and he thrust back his weakness
+and squared his shoulders, turning once more for the house, lest his
+absence, being noticed, the family might wonder what had become of him.</p>
+
+<p>But his adventures were not quite over for the morning; for, as he
+went back, he became aware that far off to the right, just where the
+spinney came creeping down to the common, there were two persons
+walking&mdash;a man and a boy. He could see them quite plainly; and though
+they were so far off, his eyes, accustomed in the past to be used on
+the sweeping plains, where safety, and even life, may depend upon keen
+sight, distinguished the boy as his former chum, Charlton&mdash;Charlton and
+a man&mdash;who but his father? And again came the thought, in spite of all
+the reasoning which Mr. St. Clive had used&mdash;was there any connexion
+between that man, the tracks of the lame horse, and his own dear
+father's disappearance?</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_147" id="Page_147">[Pg 147]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Very slowly did Ralph return to his benefactor's house. He was
+restless, anxious; all the stormy feelings seemed to have returned. And
+all this had come through the loss of his pocket-book!</p>
+
+<p>That Sunday was a hard one for Ralph. Even the quiet church, with its
+solemn service, its sweet music, and its glorious coloured windows, did
+not seem quite the same to-day. It was as though Satan was combating
+with him, whispering that it was no use striving to go Christ's
+way&mdash;that the road was too hard and the service too ill-paid&mdash;that it
+was far better to give up trying to be noble and good and just be as
+other boys were&mdash;as Dobson and Elgert, and that sort.</p>
+
+<p>Indeed, the temptation came that it was just downright silly to go to
+school at all, when he could go back to his old life and live in all
+the wild freedom of the plains. So Ralph was tempted; and it seemed as
+if he could get no good from the day at all&mdash;as if all striving to do
+so were in vain&mdash;and as if he would have been just as well if he had
+stopped away from church altogether.</p>
+
+<p>Even Irene did not seem able to cheer him up. Despairing thoughts, dark
+thoughts, doubting thoughts&mdash;one after another they came; for Ralph was
+like Christian in <i>Pilgrim's Progress</i>&mdash;he was in the dark valley, and
+all manner of evil things seemed to assail him as he journeyed.</p>
+
+<p>Perhaps Mr. St. Clive understood&mdash;he seemed to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_148" id="Page_148">[Pg 148]</a></span> understand most
+things&mdash;for that night, when the family knelt at prayers together, he
+prayed especially for all who had special grief to bear and special
+temptations to endure; and somehow that prayer seemed to do Ralph more
+good than anything else had done. It seemed to pull him up, and to tell
+him that, let him be tempted as he might, conquest was possible if the
+temptation was met in the strength which comes through prayer.</p>
+
+<p>Monday morning came at last&mdash;the first Monday morning when he had
+really felt anxious to get back to school; and off he set, promising to
+write to his friends and let them know whether the pocket-book was safe
+at the school in the pocket of his other coat.</p>
+
+<p>He met Warren on the road, and the monitor asked him if the book was
+found; but Ralph shook his head in token that it was still missing.</p>
+
+<p>The school was reached at last, and Ralph hurried across the playground
+and darted up to the dormitory. His coat was in his box. He felt in the
+pocket; the book was there&mdash;safe! There had been no need to worry! He
+had left it behind him, and it had been safe all the time!</p>
+
+<p>Warren had followed him, and Charlton was there, and half-a-dozen of
+the others. Charlton had taken no notice of him when he ran in.</p>
+
+<p>"There you are, you kite!" laughed Warren. "You left it here all the
+time, and you have been worrying yourself to fiddle-strings, as if it
+contained the most<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_149" id="Page_149">[Pg 149]</a></span> important things in the world, and just trembling
+in your shoes for fear any one should find it and open it, and&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>Warren stopped short. A boy, running by, accidentally pushed against
+Ralph and sent the book flying from his hands. It fell at Warren's feet
+and burst open; and from it there fluttered on the floor, in plain view
+of every boy there&mdash;a five-pound note!</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_150" id="Page_150">[Pg 150]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><span>CHAPTER XVI</span> <span class="smaller">THINGS LOOK BLACK FOR RALPH</span></h2>
+
+<p>A five-pound note!</p>
+
+<p>There it lay, face upwards; and for a moment there was silence in the
+dormitory. Every eye was turned upon the boy, who stood staring at that
+accusing piece of paper, as if turned to stone. If ever any one looked
+guilty, Ralph Rexworth did at that moment. It was so unexpected, so
+inexplicable&mdash;and worst of all, though not a word was spoken, he seemed
+to feel what his companions thought, to know that they looked upon him
+as a liar and a thief.</p>
+
+<p>As for Warren, he stood with open mouth and staring eyes, as if he
+could not believe his senses. So this was why Ralph had been so anxious
+about finding his pocket-book! But when Elgert, who had also come
+into the room, took in the scene and muttered scornfully something
+about "Like father like son," Warren turned on him savagely, with a
+contemptuous&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Shut up, you cad! You, at any rate, should be the last one to speak,
+seeing that he saved your life on Saturday." And at that sharp reproof
+Elgert shrank away, abashed for once.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_151" id="Page_151">[Pg 151]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Then Warren stooped and picked up the note, for it still lay there, and
+every one seemed too bewildered to move&mdash;and he held it out to Ralph.</p>
+
+<p>"Rexworth," he said, in low, grave tones, "this was in your
+pocket-book. It don't want much talking about, you can see what it
+looks like against you. But I want to say, and I feel that I must say
+it, I cannot believe that a chap like you can really be guilty of such
+a horribly mean thing. You and I have been good chums, and if any one
+had asked me my opinion, I should have said that there was no chap in
+the school I could more honour and trust. But this thing has got to be
+explained, and I must do my duty as a monitor, even if it gets my best
+chum into trouble. I must tell the Head of this. If I did not, some one
+else would, and it is my duty to do it."</p>
+
+<p>"You don't think that I stole it," faltered Ralph. It seemed so
+horrible that it unnerved him, and made him lose his firm resolution
+for the moment. It would be only for a little while: presently the old
+grit would come back, and he would be firm enough. But the greatest may
+flinch for the moment&mdash;recoiling from the horror of the accusation or
+suspicion&mdash;and others may put down their agitation to a wrong cause,
+think it the evidence of a guilty conscience, and condemn them untried.</p>
+
+<p>"You don't think that I stole it?" he faltered, as if pleading that
+Warren would not think so poorly as that of him. But the monitor
+replied gravely:</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_152" id="Page_152">[Pg 152]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"I don't think anything about it, Rexworth. I don't want to think, for
+if I did, I should think wrong, perhaps. I can only act on the thing as
+I know it. You lost your pocket-book, you said. You were in a terrible
+mess over the loss. You, yourself, said to me that you hoped no one
+would look inside it if they picked it up; and I, with my own eyes, saw
+this note fall out of it just now, the note I suppose Mr. Delermain
+lost, and which you declared that you had not seen. I must tell the
+Head. I only wish that it were not part of my work to have to do so."</p>
+
+<p>Then the old resolution came back. Ralph's self had not deserted him,
+and he spoke, quietly and calmly, so that all the dormitory could hear
+his troubled tones.</p>
+
+<p>"Thank you, Warren. I value your friendship, which makes doing your
+duty so hard a thing for you, and I quite understand that you cannot
+give me that friendship now, while this thing is over me. I know it
+looks very bad against me. I have some enemy here, and that enemy has
+been just a little too clever for me."</p>
+
+<p>Just as he spoke his eyes caught sight of Charlton, standing looking so
+white and scared, and the thought came: Had he done this? He seemed to
+avoid his gaze. Ralph paused only a moment, and then went on&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"There is one thing, however, that I can do to prove that I value your
+friendship, and that is take the task of speaking from you. If you
+choose to wait until after prayers, I will tell the Head myself, in
+open school, and you can all hear me do it."</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_153" id="Page_153">[Pg 153]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Warren hesitated for a moment. He hated to have to do the task, and if
+Ralph would tell himself, it would do just as well.</p>
+
+<p>"Very well," he said, "if you will do that, I have no objection; and,
+look here, you fellows," he added, turning to the others, "do, for
+mercy's sake, keep this to yourselves, all of you; or it will be all
+over the school, and it is not a nice thing to have connected with our
+Form. We may have been a bit wild, but we have never had a thing like
+this before, and I would have done anything rather than have had it
+now."</p>
+
+<p>He turned away as he spoke, and the others followed slowly, leaving
+Ralph there alone&mdash;alone with his pocket-book, and the note which had
+come from it.</p>
+
+<p>No, not quite alone, for Charlton still stood there regarding him with
+the same half-frightened, half sorrowful look; and at last Ralph,
+becoming aware of his presence, turned and looked at him.</p>
+
+<p>"Well," he said, "what do you want? Why don't you clear off, like the
+rest have done?"</p>
+
+<p>The boy backed away from him, as if almost frightened.</p>
+
+<p>"And it was you, all the time," he said, in low tones. "You, whom I
+thought so noble and good! You took it, and then you dared to ask me if
+I had taken it, to hint that it was me. Oh, Ralph Rexworth, I did not
+think that there was any one as mean as you."</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_154" id="Page_154">[Pg 154]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Ralph regarded him gravely for a little while, and then he said&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"And suppose that I still think that you took it, Charlton? Suppose
+that I ask you whether you put this note in my pocket-book?&mdash;for some
+one put it there, that is quite certain. Is this done in spite, because
+of what I said to you on Friday?"</p>
+
+<p>Then Charlton started forward, as if beside himself with anger.</p>
+
+<p>"How dare you, Ralph Rexworth&mdash;how dare you! Is that the way in which
+you are going to try and get out of it? Try and put it on to my
+shoulders! Ralph Rexworth, I stayed here when the others went because I
+was going to offer you something&mdash;going to offer to take the blame and
+seem to be the thing which you accuse me of being. The boys all look
+upon me as a thief's son, and it would not make much difference if I
+were turned out. I was going to offer to say that I had done this, and
+put it into your book. Going to do it because you were kind to me, and,
+even after what you said, you tried to make friends again. I would have
+done it, Rexworth, but I will not now. If you can be as mean as that, I
+will not do it."</p>
+
+<p>"Hold on a bit, Charlton," answered Ralph. "If you had any idea of that
+sort, I thank you for your kindness. But you don't suppose that I would
+be a party to a thing of that kind, do you? Let you tell a lie and get
+the blame, that I might escape trouble!<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_155" id="Page_155">[Pg 155]</a></span> Not me! If you have done it,
+own up or hold your tongue, as you like. But if you have not done it,
+you shan't say that you have, and that is all about it." And he added,
+as Charlton turned away&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"If I have wronged you with my suspicions, I am sorry. I know how easy
+it is to be wrongly judged."</p>
+
+<p>"And you will find how hard it is to bear," the other boy said, and
+then he, too, turned away, leaving Ralph considerably perplexed. Had
+Charlton taken the note and placed it in his pocket-book? After all,
+Ralph hardly thought so, it was not like him to do that, and yet&mdash;yet
+some one must have done this wicked thing, some one who wanted to get
+him into trouble!</p>
+
+<p>But there was no more time to spare, the bell for prayers was ringing,
+and he went down to his place.</p>
+
+<p>In spite of Warren's pleading, it was evident that the story had leaked
+out; for, as Ralph appeared, there was a considerable amount of subdued
+hissing and groaning, which made the masters look up in surprise, and
+the monitors to call silence in angry tones.</p>
+
+<p>Then the Head appeared, and prayers were read. Poor Ralph! It was
+harder than ever to attend to worship now. He felt nervous at the
+ordeal before him, and yet he felt also that to seem nervous was to
+seem guilty&mdash;and he was innocent! That thought calmed him. The service
+was over, the Head was just going to dismiss the school when Ralph rose
+in his seat, and said in clear tones&mdash;</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_156" id="Page_156">[Pg 156]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Please, sir, may I say something in open school? It is something of
+importance, something connected with the banknote which Mr. Delermain
+lost."</p>
+
+<p>The words created quite a sensation amongst those who were ignorant of
+what had transpired, and the doctor answered&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Would it not be better to speak with myself first, Rexworth? Then I
+can decide whether what you have to communicate should be made public."</p>
+
+<p>"I would rather speak here, sir. In fact, I have promised to do so. It
+only concerns myself, please, sir."</p>
+
+<p>"Then you may speak. Be brief and plain, and let us hear what you have
+to say."</p>
+
+<p>So Ralph spoke, turning half to the Head, half to the school; and
+describing how he had thought that he took his pocket-book with him and
+how he had found it in his other coat, when he got back that morning;
+and how, also, the five-pound note had been seen to tumble from it,
+when it fell on the floor.</p>
+
+<p>"I know, sir," he said, in conclusion, "that the thing looks as bad as
+bad can be, and that if every one here believes me to be a thief, it
+is only natural; but I can only say, sir, what I have said from the
+beginning. I am quite innocent. I never saw that banknote from the time
+when Mr. Delermain laid it on his desk until this morning, when it fell
+from my pocket-book and Warren picked it up."</p>
+
+<p>The doctor listened in silence, his keen eyes fixed<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_157" id="Page_157">[Pg 157]</a></span> upon the face of
+the lad before him; and Dr. Beverly felt perfectly certain that Ralph
+Rexworth was speaking the truth.</p>
+
+<p>And yet, if that were so, it meant not only that some other boy was a
+thief, but also that a boy must be deliberately trying to get Rexworth
+wrongly accused; and that seemed a very dreadful thing in the eyes of
+the noble, upright master of Marlthorpe.</p>
+
+<p>"You say you were under the impression that you took your pocket-book
+home with you, Rexworth?" he said, when the boy had concluded; and
+Ralph replied&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, sir. I can say yes to that, though I suppose that I must be
+mistaken, seeing that I found it safely in my coat-pocket when I went
+to the dormitory the first thing this morning."</p>
+
+<p>A low murmur went round the school. Some of the boys were evidently
+convinced that Ralph was guilty, and that he was only striving to
+screen himself, and their youthful hearts rebelled against such
+behaviour.</p>
+
+<p>"Hiss, hiss!" "Thief, thief!" ran round, and Ralph started as though he
+had been struck by a whip.</p>
+
+<p>The doctor struck his bell sharply, and silence followed. The offenders
+looked somewhat dismayed at their own audacity.</p>
+
+<p>"Silence, there!" he cried. "Is it the custom to call a man guilty
+before even the whole evidence is heard? What Rexworth says is very
+true. The facts do seem<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_158" id="Page_158">[Pg 158]</a></span> to unite to condemn him, and yet it is
+possible that those facts are unworthy of credence."</p>
+
+<p>"Whatever does the Head favour that fellow for?" muttered Elgert,
+to one of his own friends. But he received a look of disgust and an
+impatient&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, shut up! Didn't he pull you out of the river?" That was the second
+time that morning Horace Elgert had been so rebuked.</p>
+
+<p>"This," the Head continued, "demands the most careful, searching
+investigation. If Rexworth is guilty, I shall be the last to screen
+him; if he is innocent, it is but my duty to strive to establish that
+innocence. If any boy has been wicked enough to deliberately do this
+for the very purpose of getting this lad into trouble, I most earnestly
+entreat that boy to think of what he has done, and to confess his fault
+before this goes farther, and&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>The Head paused and looked round, the door was opened, and Lord Elgert
+had entered, just in time to overhear his last words.</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_159" id="Page_159">[Pg 159]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><span>CHAPTER XVII</span> <span class="smaller">THE PLOT THAT FAILED</span></h2>
+
+<p>The entrance of Lord Elgert interrupted the serious business being
+carried on; and somewhat impatient, even if curious, glances were
+directed towards him as he walked up to Dr. Beverly.</p>
+
+<p>"I evidently come at an inopportune moment," the nobleman said, as he
+surveyed the scene before him; "and yet, perhaps, it is a fortunate
+interruption, if this lad is in trouble, as he seems to be"&mdash;and
+he nodded towards Ralph, who met his gaze with some coldness. "If
+my interruption is untimely I will withdraw." And he looked round
+inquiringly.</p>
+
+<p>"We certainly are in the midst of a painful inquiry," replied the
+headmaster gravely. "I do not suppose that your visit is connected with
+it in any way."</p>
+
+<p>"My visit is wholly and solely to thank Ralph Rexworth and Tom Warren
+for their bravery in rescuing my son last Saturday," was the reply.</p>
+
+<p>And these words also caused something of a sensation, for, to the
+school at large the adventure at the river side was still unknown.</p>
+
+<p>The Head himself had evidently not heard of it,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_160" id="Page_160">[Pg 160]</a></span> for he looked
+surprised, and Lord Elgert continued&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"The two boys risked their lives to save that of my son, and I cannot
+be slow in coming to express my thanks and admiration. If Rexworth is
+in any trouble, I sincerely trust that any influence which I may have
+will be allowed to weigh in his favour."</p>
+
+<p>"Perhaps we had better finish the business in hand first," suggested
+the Head. "It is connected with something of which I understand you
+have already been informed. A banknote which was missing some time ago
+has been recovered, and it was found in Ralph Rexworth's pocket-book."</p>
+
+<p>"Dear, dear," said Lord Elgert, in grieved tones; "I am truly
+sorry&mdash;very sorry. But the temptations to which youth are exposed are
+great. It may be possible to overlook this unhappy matter for once&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"Sir&mdash;sir," broke in Ralph, indignantly appealing to Dr. Beverly, "I
+know that you have always been kind to me, and I ask you to protect
+me from Lord Elgert's insults, lest I may forget myself and say words
+which I ought not to say. I want no friendship nor influence of his. I
+am not guilty, and I will not accept anything which will make it appear
+that I am. As to saving his son, Warren did as much as I did, and we
+could do no less for any one who was in danger, but I can honestly say
+that I wish that it had been any one else than Horace Elgert."</p>
+
+<p>A very ugly look swept over the face of Lord Elgert, and he stepped
+back, remarking to Dr. Beverly&mdash;</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_161" id="Page_161">[Pg 161]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"In that case, there is no need for me to interrupt you any longer&mdash;at
+any rate, so far as this boy is concerned."</p>
+
+<p>"Now, attention!" said the Head; and the school straightened up again.
+"We have heard what Ralph Rexworth has to say, and some of you are
+evidently quite certain that he is guilty&mdash;that he is a thief, and,
+worse, a liar also&mdash;and that in face of what we have just heard. A
+boy who risks his life to save that of another is surely not so poor
+spirited as this. To believe that he is, is to believe that utter
+contradictions can be reconcilable."</p>
+
+<p>"Please, sir," said one lad, rising in his place, "there is one thing
+which I should like to say."</p>
+
+<p>"You may speak, sir," was the reply which he received; and the boy went
+on&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Rexworth says that he thought he took his pocket-book away with him on
+Saturday. Please, sir, so he did, for I saw him take it from his other
+coat. He laid it on his bed for a minute, and then looked at a likeness
+in it, and afterwards put it into his pocket. So that if it was found
+here this morning, some one must have picked it up and brought it back."</p>
+
+<p>"That is most important, if it is true," said the Head, while Ralph
+felt a rush of relief, and turned grateful eyes upon the speaker.</p>
+
+<p>"Are you sure that he did put it into his pocket, and not either
+replace it in the coat from which he took it, or leave it lying on the
+bed?"</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_162" id="Page_162">[Pg 162]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Quite sure, sir," answered the lad confidently. "I saw him slip it
+into his pocket, and I wondered whose likeness it was that he carried
+about with him."</p>
+
+<p>"It is my mother's, sir," said Ralph in a low voice.</p>
+
+<p>And the Head nodded.</p>
+
+<p>"Then, if this be true, a most wicked and evil plot has indeed been
+attempted&mdash;one so bad that, when I discover those who invented it, they
+shall surely be expelled. I am glad to have this testimony, although it
+was almost needless, for I am already quite certain that Ralph Rexworth
+is innocent&mdash;or, I had better say, that the evidence against him is
+valueless.</p>
+
+<p>"In the first place, this pocket-book"&mdash;and he held it up&mdash;"has
+certainly been dropped, for its side is still stained with mud, and
+there is the mark of a boot, where some one has stepped upon it. In the
+next place&mdash;and this in itself is sufficient&mdash;a little mistake has been
+made. Is this note yours, Rexworth?"</p>
+
+<p>And he turned, holding the banknote to the astonished Ralph.</p>
+
+<p>"No, sir," the boy answered, not knowing what to make of this turn in
+affairs.</p>
+
+<p>"Have you not such a thing as a five-pound note?" he was next asked.</p>
+
+<p>And again he replied in the negative.</p>
+
+<p>"Well," the Head went on, "it certainly is not the one lost by Mr.
+Delermain. Every banknote, as I suppose you know, has its own number,
+and this number is not that of the note lost, so that either<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_163" id="Page_163">[Pg 163]</a></span> some one
+has been kind enough to make Rexworth a present of a five-pound note,
+or else they have, by oversight, or through ignorance, put a note into
+his pocket-book to make it appear that he is a thief, not considering
+that it is as easily distinguished from the one which is missing, as if
+it were for a different amount, and&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>The doctor paused once more, for Ralph broke down. He had kept stiff
+enough so far; but now, as he heard that by no means could he be
+accused, and that some one must certainly have done this out of spite,
+his courage gave way, and he cried out&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Why should any one want to harm me so? I have done nothing to make any
+one wish me evil. I am almost a stranger in England, and yet people try
+to do such things as that! I cannot stay, sir. I must ask Mr. St. Clive
+to send me back. England is a wicked place, and strangers are treated
+wickedly."</p>
+
+<p>"Perhaps all England is not as bad as you think it, my lad," replied
+the Head kindly, "though I confess that your experiences are enough
+to make you form such an opinion. But do not decide hastily. I think
+that out of all such trials you will emerge a conqueror, and I know
+that such wicked attempts as have been made against you must, sooner or
+later, recoil upon the heads of those who make them."</p>
+
+<p>"I sympathize with the lad," said Lord Elgert, "and I take no offence
+at the way in which he spoke. You remember, Rexworth, that if ever you
+want a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_164" id="Page_164">[Pg 164]</a></span> friend you can come to me. I think your decision a wise one.
+This land is no place for you, and if you wish to return to your old
+home, I will myself provide all the money which is required. I want you
+to let me give you a gold watch&mdash;I have one for Warren, also."</p>
+
+<p>"I will take nothing from you," cried the boy, so that all could hear.
+"I do not trust you. For some reason you seem to hate me, and I believe
+that you are at the bottom of all my troubles."</p>
+
+<p>"Rexworth," said the Head, in grave remonstrance; and the boy checked
+himself.</p>
+
+<p>"I am sorry, sir. I ought not to have spoken like that," he said
+penitently; "but Lord Elgert knows how impossible it is to take any
+favours from him, after what he has said about my father. All I desire
+of him is that he will leave me alone to fight my own battle."</p>
+
+<p>Lord Elgert shrugged his shoulders.</p>
+
+<p>"If that is so, I cannot help it," he said. "If you change your mind
+and need a friend, you can come to me. Now for Master Warren."</p>
+
+<p>"Please, sir," said Warren rising, "I don't want anything for just
+doing my duty; and, anyhow, I could not take any present or reward
+without first asking my father's leave."</p>
+
+<p>Lord Elgert bit his lip.</p>
+
+<p>"It seems that I am to be deprived of the pleasure of giving any
+reward at all," he said. "In that case, I will intrude no longer, Dr.
+Beverly."</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_165" id="Page_165">[Pg 165]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>And with a sense of discomfiture Lord Elgert departed, and the Head
+again addressed the boys, enlarging upon the wickedness of what had
+been done, and once more pleading that the culprit, whoever he was,
+would act a man's part, own his wrong, and ask for mercy. Alas! there
+was no response to his pleading, and after a short pause the Head
+dismissed the school to its various classes.</p>
+
+<p>But surely never before had Marlthorpe had so much to talk of; and
+never before did the masters allow more talking. For the thing was so
+bad, and the lessons to be learned so grave, that each master felt as
+if it were almost his duty to bring the subject before the boys, even
+to encourage them to talk of it, if in so doing those lads could be
+taught that honesty and truth must prevail in the end, and that deceit
+and wrong-doing must fail.</p>
+
+<p>But oh, what a good thing it was for Ralph when Mr. Delermain shook
+hands with him.</p>
+
+<p>"My dear boy," the master said, "none can rejoice more than I do that
+the clumsy attempt to fasten this theft on your shoulders has failed.
+Had it not been shown to be such an attempt, I should still have felt
+confident that it was so, being sure that you would not have done
+this thing. Still, it is well to have it proved to be but an attempt.
+Now, take my advice, and banish it from your mind. Do not even worry
+as to who did it, nor as to their motive. These things will manifest
+themselves in time, and until they do<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_166" id="Page_166">[Pg 166]</a></span> they are not worth troubling
+about, nor allowing to interfere with your work, and particularly with
+your chances for the Newlet."</p>
+
+<p>And Warren came to him also, as frank and good-hearted as could be.</p>
+
+<p>"I suppose that you feel as if you wanted to punch my head," he said;
+"but I had to do my duty, old fellow, even if it were an unpleasant
+one."</p>
+
+<p>And to him Ralph had answered&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"I should have thought precious little of you if you had not done it.
+Of course, you could not have done anything different from what you
+did."</p>
+
+<p>Charlton said nothing&mdash;only he looked at Ralph wistfully, and it seemed
+as if there was something of relief in his eyes. Charlton was a puzzle
+to Ralph. He could not understand the boy anyhow.</p>
+
+<p>Nor was Warren the only one who came and spoke to Ralph and expressed
+abhorrence for the attempt to brand him as a thief, and satisfaction
+that he was cleared from the accusation.</p>
+
+<p>But that same day, in a quiet corner of the playground, Horace Elgert
+came across Dobson, and, seizing him by the collar, he shook him
+savagely.</p>
+
+<p>"You great blundering donkey," he said. "How did you come to do it? You
+have made a pretty mess of things."</p>
+
+<p>"Well," growled Dobson, shaking himself free, "it is no good to kick up
+a row about it. No harm is done, only he has managed to get clear."</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_167" id="Page_167">[Pg 167]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"But how did you do it? I cannot think how it was."</p>
+
+<p>"Easy enough. I had five pounds that my aunt sent me. I am a favourite
+with her"&mdash;and Dobson smiled complacently. "Well, I had that in my
+pocket, and when you handed me over the other note, after I picked up
+his pocket-book, I must have put the wrong note in, that is all."</p>
+
+<p>"But what did you do with the one I gave you?" demanded Elgert quickly.</p>
+
+<p>"Changed it up in the town."</p>
+
+<p>"Changed it!" he gasped. "You idiot! Don't you know that it can be
+traced by its number? I suppose that you wrote your name on the back?"</p>
+
+<p>"Of course I did," said Dobson, looking very scared.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, and that note will come back to you, perhaps brought by a
+constable. You have done a nice thing!"</p>
+
+<p>"But I didn't steal it&mdash;you stole it!" cried Dobson, in alarm. And
+Elgert struck him a savage blow.</p>
+
+<p>"So you would turn sneak, would you? Well, there is no proof that I
+stole it. There is plenty of proof that you had it, changed it, and put
+your note into the pocket-book. You will suffer, and not me."</p>
+
+<p>"What&mdash;what can we d-d-do?" gasped Dobson, his knees knocking together.
+And Elgert answered&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"We must go up into town to the place where you changed it. We must get
+that note back if we can, even if we have to give double for it. There
+is no telling what will happen, unless we get hold of it."</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_168" id="Page_168">[Pg 168]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><span>CHAPTER XVIII</span> <span class="smaller">WHERE THE BANKNOTE WENT</span></h2>
+
+<p>Brown's cake-shop was out of bounds for the younger boys at
+Marlthorpe College. The boys in the upper classes might go there if
+they chose; but as it was over a mile from the school, the Head had
+wisely determined that it was too far away for the little lads to be
+continually running there to spend their pocket-money; especially as
+there was a very clean and nice shop in the village close by&mdash;a shop
+kept by a kindly old dame, where Dr. Beverly was certain the boys could
+not come to harm.</p>
+
+<p>It was quite as good a shop as Brown's; but, because it was within
+bounds, and because the lads were forbidden to go to the town, it was
+not patronized as it should have been; while Brown's received many a
+secret visit. It was a shame that the upper fellows might go there,
+when the juniors might not! It was the cause of heartburnings. There
+were no cakes in all the world like those which Brown's sold! The chief
+inducement to get promoted was that Brown's might be visited freely.</p>
+
+<p>Of course, it was wrong and foolish; but then,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_169" id="Page_169">[Pg 169]</a></span> boys are apt to think
+wrongly and do foolishly; and, therefore, the reason of two small
+mortals scuttling along the road, and dodging into Great Stow, with
+eyes ever on the alert for monitors and masters, was not hard to
+seek&mdash;their destination was, of course, Brown's.</p>
+
+<p>A nice pair of young rebels they were. One was small and freckled and
+sandy, with small eyes, and a decidedly pug nose; and the other was a
+remarkably fat youth&mdash;so fat that it really seemed wonderful that he
+could run as he did.</p>
+
+<p>They darted along, avoiding the main street, until the noted
+establishment was reached; then, after a careful and cautious peering
+in, to make sure that the coast was clear, they dived in, and the door
+closed behind them.</p>
+
+<p>Now, Brown knew about these unlawful visits. He was very glad that
+he was without bounds, for he was quite certain that being so would
+increase his trade. He encouraged his youthful customers. He called
+them noble-spirited boys, who refused to bow to harsh rules. He said
+they were young heroes; and he had a nice little room behind the
+shop, with the window screened by a thick curtain&mdash;rather holey and
+dirty, it is true&mdash;and there was a bell to ring for Brown; and little
+white-topped tables to sit at; and it seemed so grand and "grown-up" to
+call for the waiter&mdash;though it was Brown himself who came&mdash;and to order
+a penny bun, or a jam tart, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_170" id="Page_170">[Pg 170]</a></span> for Brown to say "Yes, sir; at once,
+sir." Oh, it was very, very delightful, and it had a spice of adventure
+about it.</p>
+
+<p>So into the private room dived the two youthful spendthrifts, and
+ordered tarts and ginger-beer and ices, and then seated themselves at
+their ease to enjoy this forbidden feast.</p>
+
+<p>"Ain't they prime, Jimmy?" gloated the fat boy, as he put himself
+outside a three-cornered puff; and Jimmy, with his mouth full of tart,
+was understood to reply that they were "ripping."</p>
+
+<p>The shop-bell tinkled, and Jimmy jumped up. He was not quite sure who
+might come in, and he squinted through one of those convenient holes in
+the blind, a fragment of tart still in his hand.</p>
+
+<p>"I say, it is Elgert's man!" he said, looking round. "I wonder what he
+wants here?"</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, he doesn't signify. Let us enjoy ourselves, for we cannot stay
+long, and we shall have to run all the way back."</p>
+
+<p>That eating cakes was a good preparation for running a mile is open
+to question, but the two boys evidently had no doubts concerning the
+matter; and so they sat there, while the man who had entered talked to
+Brown over the counter, and, seeing that the door was not quite closed,
+the boys could not help hearing a little of what passed.</p>
+
+<p>"I'll bide my time, Brown," Elgert's man said. "I will not be
+impatient, but I will humble that<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_171" id="Page_171">[Pg 171]</a></span> young cub yet! I hate him even more
+than I do his father. He treats a man like the dirt beneath his feet!"</p>
+
+<p>"So he does," muttered Jimmy Green to Tinkle; "that is quite right!"</p>
+
+<p>And Tinkle nodded. He was busy with an ice just at the moment.</p>
+
+<p>"I say," said Brown to the man, "if you are not in a hurry, I wish that
+you would run over to the inn and ask them to change me this five-pound
+note? It is one which I changed for one of the boys from the school the
+other day."</p>
+
+<p>Two youthful pairs of ears pricked up, two hands were arrested as they
+conveyed two cakes towards two mouths. A five-pound note changed for a
+boy from the school! This was exciting!</p>
+
+<p>"I can cash it for you myself," the man said; "I have just been paid my
+month's money."</p>
+
+<p>"I shall be obliged," said Brown. And then followed the ringing sound
+of money being counted out; the man picked up the note, glanced at it
+and put it into his pocket.</p>
+
+<p>"I will look in as I return," he said to Brown; and away he went.</p>
+
+<p>"I say! Think we can get out of Brown who changed that note?" said
+Tinkle to Green. "It's jolly funny, after what took place to-day!"</p>
+
+<p>"I don't know," answered Green thoughtfully. "Fact is, Tinkle, old man,
+I don't know that I am<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_172" id="Page_172">[Pg 172]</a></span> anxious to do it. It is awkward to know too
+much sometimes. There is the chance of having to split on some chap you
+are friendly with. If you don't know you can't say."</p>
+
+<p>"And if you don't say, some one may stay wrongly suspected," was the
+retort of Tinkle. And then, the shop-bell sounding again, necessitated
+another going to peep through the blind.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, I say!" gasped Tinkle, as he looked through a hole; "if it isn't
+Elgert himself this time, and his crony Dobson is with him!"</p>
+
+<div class="center"><img src="images/i172.jpg" alt="Oh, I say, gasped Tinkle" /></div>
+
+<p class="bold">"<span class="smcap">'Oh, I say,' gasped Tinkle; 'if it isn't Elgert
+himself<br />this time.'</span>" p. 172</p>
+
+<p>"Well, they won't split," was the philosophic reply. "They will only
+want to go shares. I know 'em both."</p>
+
+<p>"Eat cakes while we pay; and Dobson is such a greedy beast!" And Tinkle
+groaned to himself.</p>
+
+<p>"Perhaps they are not going to stop," whispered Green. "They may only
+be going to take something back with them."</p>
+
+<p>It seemed like it; for the two boys outside made no attempt to enter
+the inner room. They both seemed rather flustered and out of breath,
+and as Brown came forward to attend to their wants Dobson panted out&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Oh&mdash;er&mdash;I say, Brown. That&mdash;that note I changed the other day. I
+should like&mdash;that is&mdash;I mean&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"We want it back!" put in Elgert impatiently,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_173" id="Page_173">[Pg 173]</a></span> pushing his companion
+aside. "We cannot explain why, but we are very anxious to get hold of
+it!"</p>
+
+<p>"Fact is, we fancy that it is bad, and we don't want you to be the
+loser, you see," added Dobson. And Brown smiled slightly and nodded.</p>
+
+<p>"That's very good of you young gentlemen&mdash;very good and honourable. But
+you have no occasion to worry; the note was good enough. I saw to that."</p>
+
+<p>"Well, good or bad," Elgert said, "I want to get hold of it! And, as
+you know, I am always willing to pay for what I want. I will give you
+six pounds for that note, Brown!"</p>
+
+<p>The man glanced at him shrewdly. What did this mean? Why had they
+invented that lie about the note being bad; and why were they willing
+to give a pound extra to get it into their hands again?</p>
+
+<p>"I am very sorry, sir," he said slowly, "but the fact is, I have parted
+with that note. I changed it only a short time ago."</p>
+
+<p>"Changed it!" Elgert went rather white, and Dobson groaned dismally.
+"Whom did you give it to?" was Elgert's quick inquiry. "Perhaps he has
+it still!"</p>
+
+<p>"Well," responded Brown, "the fact is, I can hardly remember. You see,
+a lot of money passes through my hands, and I have passed on four or
+five notes to-day. I should have to inquire of the different people,
+and find who had the identical note that you require."</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_174" id="Page_174">[Pg 174]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"And will you do it?" cried Elgert quickly. "I will not grumble about
+the price. I want to get the note back, and I am willing to pay well
+for it. When can you let me know about it?"</p>
+
+<p>"If you came to-morrow, sir, about this time, I'd see what I could do
+meanwhiles. I may be able to get hold of it again, if it has not been
+paid into the bank."</p>
+
+<p>There was nothing more to be done. Elgert and Dobson came away with a
+horrible feeling of nervous apprehension filling their hearts. If that
+note was gone, what might not the consequences be for both of them?
+They were quarrelsome&mdash;each blamed the other&mdash;each tried to screen
+himself. But recriminations were of no avail; nothing was of avail,
+unless it was getting hold of the note once more.</p>
+
+<p>And when the two had gone, the feasters on unlawful pastries came forth
+from their hiding-place; and having settled their bill with lordly air,
+they also set out for the school, for there was no time to lose if they
+were to be back before calling over.</p>
+
+<p>But they had something to think about indeed! Why did Elgert want that
+note? And how came it that Dobson had possessed one to change at all?</p>
+
+<p>"What are we going to do about this, Jimmy?" inquired Tinkle, as they
+ran along, and Green answered without the slightest hesitation.</p>
+
+<p>"Nothing! That is my advice, Tinkle. We can't do anything without
+owning up to having been out<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_175" id="Page_175">[Pg 175]</a></span> of bounds; and I don't want my name down
+for punishment now. We don't know that the note is the one which Mr.
+Delermain lost. We only know that it is one Elgert and Dobson want to
+get hold of for some purpose of their own; they may be trying to trace
+something about it."</p>
+
+<p>And then Brown went to stand at his shop-door, impatiently watching for
+the return of his companion, and hailing him as he saw him appear round
+the bend of the road.</p>
+
+<p>"It's curious that they should be so anxious to get that note back" he
+said, when he told the other of Elgert's request. "Offered a pound, and
+said he was willing to go beyond that. Well, as you have changed the
+note, it is your property, and the profit will be yours. Of course, you
+will part with it?"</p>
+
+<p>The man drew the note from his pocket-book, and examined it carefully
+ere he answered.</p>
+
+<p>"It is quite genuine," he said, and Brown laughed.</p>
+
+<p>"Of course, it is! I knew that all along. That part of their story was
+all nonsense. There is something up, but you may as well make your
+little bit out of it. Say I give you six pounds for it, and chance
+making any more myself?"</p>
+
+<p>"Not to-day," was the quiet answer. "You shall have it in a day or two.
+You can say that you have been promised that it shall be returned."</p>
+
+<p>"But what do you want to do with it for a day or two?" asked Brown,
+with something of curiosity.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_176" id="Page_176">[Pg 176]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>And the man looked him in the face, and replied, with a quiet smile&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Do? Oh, nothing! I only think that it may be as well if I have this
+banknote photographed. You can have it after that, and we will share
+the profits."</p>
+
+<p>Then Brown laughed, and clapped him on the back.</p>
+
+<p>"You are a smart fellow!" he cried.</p>
+
+<p>And the man answered.</p>
+
+<p>"There are some people living who will find that out to their cost one
+of these fine days!"</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_177" id="Page_177">[Pg 177]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><span>CHAPTER XIX</span> <span class="smaller">THE LAME HORSE ONCE MORE</span></h2>
+
+<p>If Elgert and Dobson and the two juniors who had overheard that
+conversation in Brown's cake-shop were the four most excited concerning
+the five-pound note which had been stolen from Mr. Delermain, they were
+not the only ones in Marlthorpe College who were interested in the
+matter.</p>
+
+<p>From first to last the whole school could do nothing but discuss the
+mysterious business; and, whatever else it did, the attempt to put the
+guilt upon Ralph's shoulders resulted in his being all the more firmly
+established in the favour of most of the boys.</p>
+
+<p>Even those who had not liked him were more friendly now; for there was
+something so shameful and wicked in trying to get him accused of that
+which it had been proved he was innocent of, that they could not but
+feel sympathy for him. Then the story of his brave deed in rescuing
+Elgert was strongly in his favour. After all, boys at heart love
+bravery.</p>
+
+<p>But of all there, Warren and Ralph himself pondered most. Their
+friendship was quite restored, and together they talked and discussed,
+and wondered<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_178" id="Page_178">[Pg 178]</a></span> who it could possibly be who would want to harm Ralph.</p>
+
+<p>And poor Charlton! Ah, how miserable he was now! He had his own weight
+of sorrow, and it was very, very heavy to bear; and after what Ralph
+had said he could never hope that they would be friends again.</p>
+
+<p>"I suppose that I am to blame," he said. "Perhaps I took things too
+much to heart. I feel that I am never to have friends. I&mdash;I don't care!
+Rexworth might give me another chance; but if he won't&mdash;if he is so
+taken up with Warren&mdash;he can do as he likes. I don't care!"</p>
+
+<p>Poor Charlton! He did care, for all his talk&mdash;care very much. He was
+lonely and sad; but he did not stop to think that Ralph had already
+given him chances, and that it was his own fault that he had not taken
+them. When we are miserable we are also apt to be unjust, and to put
+the blame for our own actions upon other people's shoulders.</p>
+
+<p>And how interested and indignant, and yet withal delighted, were the
+St. Clives when they heard of what had happened.</p>
+
+<p>"A clean reputation is a good thing, you see, Ralph," Mr. St. Clive
+said. "It is surely worth something to feel that people have such a
+high estimate of you as to realize that you are utterly incapable of
+doing a mean thing, even though appearances are so strong against you."</p>
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_179" id="Page_179">[Pg 179]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"It is just splendid to think how you have come out of it, Ralph!" was
+Irene's delighted comment when the two young people were alone. "It is
+like when wicked people tried to injure the brave knights of old, and
+when truth and valour and true chivalry triumphed over all opposition.
+There is something, even here and now, to be gained when people know
+that you are fighting under honour's flag!"</p>
+
+<p>And Ralph had to acknowledge that she spoke the truth, and to own that
+he was now very glad that he had resisted the temptation to yield and
+to run away from his troubles.</p>
+
+<p>That Saturday holiday&mdash;the one after the business of the note being
+found in his pocket-book&mdash;was one of the happiest that he had spent
+since coming to Stow Ormond&mdash;a day when the clouds seemed to have
+lifted, when the sun seemed brighter, and when faith grew more strong.
+It came from the feeling that he had fought a good fight, and that he
+had been helped to be more than conqueror.</p>
+
+<p>And yet he had forgotten nothing of his father. He was as anxious as
+ever to solve the mystery surrounding his disappearance; only now,
+instead of being impatient, he felt that he was preparing in the best
+way for seeking the truth by staying with Mr. St. Clive, and by working
+as hard as ever he could.</p>
+
+<p>And on that same afternoon he walked with Irene as far as the pretty
+old inn; and old Simon, the <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_180" id="Page_180">[Pg 180]</a></span>landlord, greeted him with a cheery smile;
+for, indeed, Simon felt a great interest in the lad, seeing that the
+first scene in his strange story was enacted beneath his roof.</p>
+
+<p>"And how are you, young gentleman?" he asked. "And you, too,
+missie?"&mdash;as the two entered the yard. "Come to pay a visit to old
+Simon&mdash;eh?"</p>
+
+<p>"I have come to talk to you, Simon," answered Ralph. No one ever called
+the landlord of the <i>Horse and Wheel</i> anything but Simon. "I have come
+to ask you something."</p>
+
+<p>"That's right, sir! Ask away&mdash;though I don't promise to answer if it is
+a poser. I haven't had the education which you young people enjoy."</p>
+
+<p>"It is nothing to do with education, Simon," laughed Ralph. "I want
+to ask you whether, now that you have had plenty of time to think of
+it&mdash;as I feel sure you must have thought&mdash;do you think that you have
+any recollection of ever having seen my father before? I feel certain
+that he knew the place; and if he knew it, perhaps you may be able to
+think of some one whom he reminds you of."</p>
+
+<p>But Simon shook his head at that question.</p>
+
+<p>"I am afraid that I cannot answer that, sir. Your father certainly did
+know the place; for when I told him the number of his room he walked
+right up to it without waiting to be shown. And, in some way, I seem to
+have a faint recollection of having<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_181" id="Page_181">[Pg 181]</a></span> seen him before; but it is all dim
+and hazy like, and it wouldn't do to go upon."</p>
+
+<p>"Thank you, Simon. Now the other question&mdash;and I want you to keep this
+to yourself; I have a particular reason for that. Do you know any one
+in the neighbourhood who drives about in a light trap, and who has a
+horse lame in its left foreleg?"</p>
+
+<p>"Well," said the old man thoughtfully, "come to that, there are plenty
+of folk with light traps hereabout; and I know of two lame horses. Old
+Saxer, the carter, has one, and Hopkin, the butcher, has one, and&mdash;why,
+yes, Lord Elgert himself has a pretty little mare lame in her left
+foreleg. She hurt herself in a hole, and, though she goes all right
+now, she has a bit of a limp. And, why, come to think of it, now I
+remember who your father put me in mind of."</p>
+
+<p>"Who&mdash;oh, who?" cried Ralph eagerly; while Irene looked on not less
+interested.</p>
+
+<p>"Who?" said the innkeeper. "Why, of old Lord Stephen! He was Lord
+Elgert's uncle, and he died without leaving child of his own. He had
+one son, who died long, long ago. That is it, for certain! But what
+ails you, young sir?"</p>
+
+<p>For Ralph had gone quite white. He had never expected that answer. Lord
+Elgert had a lame horse! Lord Elgert was the nephew of some one whom
+his father had resembled! Lord Elgert had told that wicked story about
+his father; and Lord Elgert<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_182" id="Page_182">[Pg 182]</a></span> was so very anxious for him to go back to
+the plains, and leave England behind him for ever! Surely it could not
+be! And yet, as Ralph pondered, he seemed to call to mind a hundred
+things to strengthen his suspicions. It could not be that Lord Elgert
+knew anything about his father!</p>
+
+<p>A very grave Ralph walked home to lunch; and a very grave Mr. St. Clive
+listened to his story.</p>
+
+<p>"I could wish that this had not been brought up, Ralph," he said. "I
+fear that it will only unsettle you again; and, in spite of all that
+you advance, I cannot bring myself to believe that you are anything but
+mistaken. Lord Elgert may not be a pleasant man to deal with, but this
+is a very, very grave thing to even so much as hint at."</p>
+
+<p>But whatever Mr. St. Clive might say, Ralph could not get the thing
+out of his head. It is not to be wondered at that it should haunt him
+and make him feel excited. After waiting so long, this was like the
+first real tangible clue. And he had been thinking that it was poor
+Charlton's father who must be at the bottom of it! Poor Charlton!</p>
+
+<p>Walking by himself, Ralph pondered upon the fact that, after all, if
+any one had hinted to him what he had hinted to his chum he would have
+been just as hurt and indignant. And now that he was cleared it would
+be manly and nice to go and ask him to be friends again.</p>
+
+<p>"He can hardly do anything if I don't give him<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_183" id="Page_183">[Pg 183]</a></span> the chance," he told
+himself. "I will do it as soon as I get back to school on Monday."</p>
+
+<p>His head full of the tracks of lame horses and light traps, he had
+taken his way across towards Stow Wood, the scene of that tragedy&mdash;for
+tragedy he believed there had surely been&mdash;and as he walked over the
+common he reflected that those marks had led away in the direction of
+Great Stow; and in Great Stow or just beyond it, Lord Elgert lived.</p>
+
+<p>And then, as he walked along, his eyes thoughtfully fixed upon the
+ground, he stopped suddenly. Surely things were going strangely to-day;
+for, coming on top of old Simon's words, here was the track of the lame
+horse again!</p>
+
+<p>"I will follow it this time," said Ralph to himself.</p>
+
+<p>And he set forward rapidly. There was plenty of both light and time
+this afternoon, and if the tracks led to hard roads he would go on and
+search beyond them.</p>
+
+<p>But he did not have very far to go this time, though he gained but
+little for his trouble. The other side the common, and close to Stow
+Wood, he came upon the vehicle he had followed&mdash;a light trap, truly,
+and drawn by a pretty little mare; and with it were three men, one in
+the uniform of a constable and the others in ordinary dress.</p>
+
+<p>"Who does this trap belong to?"</p>
+
+<p>The question was absurd, perhaps, but he blurted it out without
+thinking; and the men turned and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_184" id="Page_184">[Pg 184]</a></span> regarded him with mingled surprise
+and amusement.</p>
+
+<p>"And what has that to do with you, if you please?" said one&mdash;the one in
+uniform.</p>
+
+<p>And what could he say? Whatever the other two were, one was a
+constable; and surely a constable was sufficient evidence that he had
+followed a wrong trail!</p>
+
+<p>"You seem to have a liking for asking questions, young gentleman," said
+one of the other men. "Now, suppose that we ask you one? Have you seen
+any one out here&mdash;any one that seemed as if they were trying to hide?
+We are looking for a prisoner of ours, who escaped some time back,
+and who, we believe, is hiding in this locality. Have you seen any
+suspicious character about?"</p>
+
+<p>Detectives! A prisoner! It must be Charlton's father! How glad he was
+that he could answer truly that he had seen no one! And the man who had
+put the question replied to him, when he had finished:</p>
+
+<p>"Thank you. Now, as you have answered me, I will answer you; though
+I confess that I do not understand the reason for your question. The
+horse and trap belong to Lord Elgert. Doubtless you have heard of him.
+He kindly lent them to us that we might be saved a long walk."</p>
+
+<p>It was Lord Elgert's! And these men, in Lord Elgert's trap, were
+looking for poor Charlton's father! Ralph thanked the constables,
+letting them remain in ignorance as to the real reason for his
+question, and with slow and thoughtful steps turned into Stow Wood.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_185" id="Page_185">[Pg 185]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>He was bewildered, perplexed, stunned. It was Lord Elgert's trap! Could
+Lord Elgert be the one who had harmed his father?</p>
+
+<p>Pondering deeply, he walked on, hardly noticing where he went, until
+suddenly a slight exclamation recalled his wandering senses. He looked
+up. He had penetrated into a little glade, and there before him stood
+two people&mdash;his chum Charlton and a man! He had found the one for whom
+the police were searching so close at hand!</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_186" id="Page_186">[Pg 186]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><span>CHAPTER XX</span> <span class="smaller">TO MR. ST. CLIVE'S</span></h2>
+
+<p>The man started to his feet, with an exclamation of mingled rage and
+despair; while Charlton stood before his father, his arms outstretched,
+as if he feared that Ralph would rush forward and seize him.</p>
+
+<p>His face was very white, as he looked at the boy who had been his
+friend and champion, and cried, in tones of misery and reproach&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"You! Oh, this is mean and cruel! I did not think that you would act
+the spy and hunt us down. Let him go&mdash;let him go quietly; and, if you
+want to harm any one, hurt me. I will not move, or cry out, no matter
+how much you beat me&mdash;only let my poor father go, and do not tell any
+one you have seen him."</p>
+
+<p>Now, Ralph had been standing in silence, too surprised to say anything.
+Despite what Mr. St. Clive had said, he had some sort of idea that this
+man must, in some way, know of his father's disappearance, even if he
+himself had no hand in it, just as he still thought that Charlton knew
+more about the missing note than any one else, though that suspicion
+was beginning to weaken considerably now.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_187" id="Page_187">[Pg 187]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>But as he looked from the boy to the man, and as he heard that pathetic
+appeal, every feeling, save that of pity, vanished. This man should not
+be captured, not if he could hinder it; and he said, advancing a step,
+and holding out one hand in friendship&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Why, Charlton, you don't think as meanly of me as that, do you? I
+neither want to harm you nor your father, though it is quite true that
+I came here to find you."</p>
+
+<p>"But&mdash;why? How did you know that we should be here?" questioned the
+boy, not yet reassured.</p>
+
+<p>And Ralph hurriedly explained how he had followed the trap and come
+upon the policemen.</p>
+
+<p>"I felt certain that it must be your father whom they were after," he
+said; "and so I determined to come through the wood to try to find you
+and give you warning. We must be quick, or there will be no chance of
+getting away."</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, father," wailed Charlton, "I wish that I had not persuaded you to
+come here again! You will be taken! What shall we do?"</p>
+
+<p>"My boy," answered the man calmly, "try and be brave. We owe our thanks
+to this young gentleman for the kindly warning he has brought. If I
+must be taken, I must; and I will try to bear it patiently, though it
+is very hard. It is strange that they should have Lord Elgert's trap,"
+he added bitterly. "Elgert has been at the bottom of all my troubles."</p>
+
+<p>"Look here!" expostulated Ralph bluntly. "It's<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_188" id="Page_188">[Pg 188]</a></span> no good stopping here
+talking and wasting time when every minute is precious. Those fellows
+are on the farther side of the wood, and they are beginning to search,
+and they won't leave off until they have hunted right through the
+place."</p>
+
+<p>"But where can we go?" asked Charlton, wringing his hands. "This place
+has nowhere to hide in; nowhere that could not be found if once people
+were really searching."</p>
+
+<p>"They will search; there is no doubt of that," answered Ralph. "But we
+may manage to elude them. We cannot stay here dodging round, that is
+quite certain. We must manage to get out of it and find somewhere else
+to hide."</p>
+
+<p>"Ah, my kind boy, but where shall that somewhere be?" said the man,
+shaking his head. "It might have been in my own home, but now that they
+think that I am here, and are on my track, they will keep their eyes on
+that spot, and I have not one single friend who will shelter me."</p>
+
+<p>"Hush! Hush!" cried Ralph suddenly. "Listen! There is no time to lose.
+They are in the wood on that side. Creep after me. Stop! Cover those
+leaves over or they will see where you have been standing."</p>
+
+<p>"You are thoughtful for one so young," murmured the man, as he obeyed
+Ralph's instructions. "Well, I will place myself under your guidance,
+and trust to you. Where shall we go? Through that undergrowth?"</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_189" id="Page_189">[Pg 189]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"No, no! You cannot move through that without making a noise and
+leaving traces. Keep to this path. I feel sure that is wisest. Bend
+low, and step lightly. Come! Now, Charlton, buck up, and we will save
+your father yet."</p>
+
+<p>His confidence inspired them with hope. Unhesitatingly they followed
+his lead. The path he chose led them into another clear little space,
+away to the right of that which they had left. They could hear the
+noise made by their pursuers in their rear, and they did not seem any
+better off here. It was only putting off the end for a little time,
+and so Charlton's father said, but Ralph would not listen to him. He
+had been in as tight a corner before, when he and his father, and two
+more, had been pursued by the Indians of the plains, and had dodged and
+doubled for three whole days ere they had thrown their foe off their
+track. Ralph was not going to give up yet.</p>
+
+<p>"Stop!" he said. "You must climb up this tree. No, not that one!" as
+Charlton ran to a big, old decaying oak.</p>
+
+<p>"But this is hollow. We can hide in it," objected the boy.</p>
+
+<p>But Ralph shook his head.</p>
+
+<p>"I can see it is hollow, and so can any one who has a pair of eyes.
+That is just why we must not go there, for they will be sure to look in
+it. Up this one!"</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_190" id="Page_190">[Pg 190]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"But we shall be seen."</p>
+
+<p>"Do as your friend bids you," said the man.</p>
+
+<p>And Charlton obeyed, his father following him.</p>
+
+<p>Then did Ralph show his cunning, for, directing them to stand with
+their backs against the trunk, he showed them how to draw the branches
+down until they made a thick canopy all around them. Ralph himself
+stood at the bottom, carefully examining their hiding-place.</p>
+
+<p>"Now, if you stand quite still, as you are, no one will be able to see
+you," he said. "But remember there must be no noise and no movement;
+everything may depend upon that. Keep still. Here is some one coming!"</p>
+
+<p>A man appeared at the end of the glade, and, catching a glimpse of the
+boy's form, gave a shout and ran forward; but he stopped, and looked
+very cross, as Ralph himself walked innocently to meet him, with the
+question&mdash;"Have not you found him yet?"</p>
+
+<p>"No," grumbled the man. "He is a slippery fellow, and is giving us a
+lot of trouble; but we will have him yet. We are working right through
+the wood, and we must be driving him before us, and when he gets to the
+other side&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"He will bolt," said Ralph.</p>
+
+<p>But the man smiled grimly.</p>
+
+<p>"Into our arms. We have four men stationed keeping watch there. No, we
+shall have him yet. You have not seen him?"</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_191" id="Page_191">[Pg 191]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"There was a man in that little hollow, the other end of this path. I
+saw him there," said Ralph, with perfect truthfulness.</p>
+
+<p>"Which hollow? The one to the right?" said the man quickly.</p>
+
+<p>And Ralph nodded.</p>
+
+<p>"Ah, we have looked there! He has bolted. Then we are right on his
+track. Stop a minute, though. That old tree looks a likely place. Here,
+give us a hand, boy! I will lift you, and you look in. Can you see
+anything?"</p>
+
+<p>And he lifted Ralph, and helped him to scramble up, and peer down into
+the hollow depths of the old oak.</p>
+
+<p>"Can't see much," said Ralph, his head in the hollow. "There is a gleam
+of light below, and something dark. Can't you clear away the leaves a
+bit, and then I can see whether it is a man or not?"</p>
+
+<p>The constable sprawled on the ground, and thrust his arm into the hole
+at the bottom of the trunk, dragging out leaves and dust, till Ralph
+cried&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"It is all right; I can see now. There is no one there. What I was
+looking at was a lot of leaves. They have tumbled over now, and you are
+pulling them out."</p>
+
+<p>"That's no good, then; only it looked a likely place. Down you come,
+boy!"</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_192" id="Page_192">[Pg 192]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>And, helping Ralph down, the man turned and ran off, satisfied that
+he had looked in the only place where the fugitive could have hidden
+himself.</p>
+
+<p>"I see that you are a clever lad," said Mr. Charlton when the fugitives
+again stood beside Ralph. "But what now? You heard what he said? There
+is no getting away on that side."</p>
+
+<p>"We are not going out that side, though," was Ralph's answer. "We are
+behind them now, and while they are hunting forward, we will go back."</p>
+
+<p>"They will have left watchers behind them."</p>
+
+<p>"I suppose so. They cannot have left many, though, for they had not
+enough men. Back is our only chance. We will try it. There is no time
+to stop talking now," he added, as he saw that the man was going to ask
+more questions. "Come, follow me!"</p>
+
+<p>Going cautiously, pausing to listen again and again, he led the way;
+and soon they were getting close to that side of the wood from which
+the search had commenced. Then he bade the other two remain hidden, and
+he went forward by himself, until, at last, he was able to peer from
+the hedges.</p>
+
+<p>He did not see a single man, though he looked carefully; but he did
+see&mdash;and the sight made his heart jump wildly&mdash;the horse and trap, the
+horse contentedly feeding on the rich grass. He would risk it! One
+chance, and one alone, offered, and he would take it!</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_193" id="Page_193">[Pg 193]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>He beckoned to his companions to join him, and whispered his plans.</p>
+
+<p>"It is the only chance. No one is near the trap, and we can drive off
+before they will even know that it is gone. Will you dare it?"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes," said the man desperately.</p>
+
+<p>And Ralph, with a "Follow me, then!" was at the trap, had the rope,
+with which the horse had been tethered, cut; the other two were up
+after him, and, with a crack of the whip, away they went, clean across
+the open moor.</p>
+
+<p>Lame or not, that pony had to go, for once. They were right across,
+close on two miles away, and getting near to Great Stow, before a
+distant shout, and figures running from the wood, told them that the
+theft had been discovered.</p>
+
+<p>"Lie down, Charlton," he said, "and you sit directly behind me," he
+added to the man. "It will be far better if they can only see one
+person in the trap. We don't want them to know that I helped you if it
+can be avoided."</p>
+
+<p>They reached the road; then turned to the right, so that the view was
+shut off from those behind. No one had seen them with the trap, and now
+Ralph reined in, and jumped down.</p>
+
+<p>"Come on!" he said. "Lord Elgert's pony must look after itself now.
+Quick, we must hurry!"</p>
+
+<p>"Where are you going to, Rexworth?" cried<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_194" id="Page_194">[Pg 194]</a></span> Charlton in surprise. "There
+is nowhere about here where father can hide."</p>
+
+<p>But Ralph answered with a smile, never slackening his pace as he spoke&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Hurry up! There is one place&mdash;a safe place. I am going to Mr. St.
+Clive's."</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_195" id="Page_195">[Pg 195]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><span>CHAPTER XXI</span> <span class="smaller">A HOUSE OF REFUGE</span></h2>
+
+<p>"To Mr. St. Clive's!"</p>
+
+<p>What wonder that the words filled Charlton with surprise. Ralph was
+surely risking a great deal in taking such a step. But Ralph knew
+Mr. St. Clive, and Charlton did not&mdash;and that made a great deal of
+difference. Besides, the case was desperate. Somewhere must be found in
+which to hide; and no other place offered, so to Mr. St. Clive's they
+went; and Ralph, leaving his two companions in the garden, went indoors
+by himself.</p>
+
+<p>But if the Charltons were surprised when Ralph announced his intention
+of going to Mr. St. Clive's, that gentleman was still more astonished
+when the lad told him of his adventures, and what he had done.</p>
+
+<p>"You know that you said, sir," Ralph concluded by saying&mdash;"that you
+always had a great idea that Mr. Charlton was innocent; and that if I
+were instrumental in getting him taken I might regret it all the rest
+of my life, and so I thought that you would be sure to sympathize with
+the poor man, and be ready to help him."</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_196" id="Page_196">[Pg 196]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Well, Ralph," laughed Mr. St. Clive, "you have certainly taken me at
+my word. However, I do not know but what I am glad that you have done
+so; and Mr. Charlton being here, I may be able, after consultation with
+him, to devise some means of proving that he was innocent of the crime
+laid to his charge. Let us go and welcome him."</p>
+
+<p>It was very affecting, that meeting between the two men&mdash;the one so
+weary and dispirited, the other such a true Christian gentleman; but
+Mr. St. Clive soon put the other at his ease, and they all entered the
+house. Irene was out with her mother at the moment; and after Mr. St.
+Clive had seen that his new guest was provided with food, he spoke, and
+the other three sat listening attentively.</p>
+
+<p>"Now, Mr. Charlton," he said, "I have been thinking, and I can see one
+way for your remaining here in safety, and being able to communicate
+freely with your wife."</p>
+
+<p>"That is a blessing too great to be possible," sighed Mr. Charlton; but
+Mr. St. Clive smiled kindly.</p>
+
+<p>"I differ from you. It is not only possible, but easy. Listen to me.
+It is unlikely that any one will dream of looking for you here; but
+to make doubly sure, we can disguise you. Now, it so happens that I
+am in need of a gardener, and there is a cottage vacant. You must be
+gardener. If you know nothing of gardening, that does not much matter;
+I can post you up in it. Then, my wife can invite Mrs. Charlton<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_197" id="Page_197">[Pg 197]</a></span> to
+visit here, and there will be nothing to prevent her coming frequently,
+and staying all day. There is only one thing to remember. Of course,
+I shall tell my wife everything, but I do not think that my little
+daughter ought to be made a party to this; so to her you will be, say,
+Thomas Brown&mdash;that is an easy name&mdash;and before her our manner towards
+each other must be that of master and servant. You will not mind that?"</p>
+
+<p>"Mind!" cried Mr. Charlton, the tears rolling down his cheeks. "Mind!
+Can you think that I shall mind such a trifle as that, when you are so
+good, and ready to take the risk of helping me? But this morning I felt
+that, excepting wife and son, I had not a friend in the world. Now I
+find that God has not forsaken me utterly."</p>
+
+<p>"He never does forsake those who put their trust in Him," was the
+gentle answer. "Well, come with me at once, and we will see about
+making a gardener of you, before any of the servants can see you as you
+are. And you, boys, remember how you behave to my gardener," he added,
+looking at them. "You, Ralph, have been very thoughtful in the way you
+have managed&mdash;mind you do not make a slip."</p>
+
+<p>"I will try my best, sir," answered Ralph; and then he and Charlton
+were left alone. And then&mdash;then all of a sudden Charlton was kneeling
+at his feet, holding his hand and kissing it, and sobbing out his
+thanks; until Ralph cried out that if he didn't get<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_198" id="Page_198">[Pg 198]</a></span> up he would punch
+his head for him, to give him something to cry about, and to show that
+he was his friend; and that made poor Charlton laugh feebly.</p>
+
+<p>And, sitting there, Charlton explained what he was too proud to tell
+before&mdash;how he had wanted that ten shillings to help his father; and
+how his father, not using it, had given it back to him.</p>
+
+<p>"Indeed, I knew nothing about the note, Ralph," he said. "I know that
+you thought I had stolen it, and it made me miserable, but I am sorry
+that I spoke to you as I did."</p>
+
+<p>"All right, old fellow!" answered Ralph, wringing his hand. "Do not let
+us think of it any more. Besides, I have a pretty good idea of who took
+that note now&mdash;or, rather, who caused it to be taken. I don't know for
+certain, so I will accuse no one; but I don't think that it was you."</p>
+
+<p>"You mean Horace Elgert!" cried Charlton; but Ralph smiled and shook
+his head.</p>
+
+<p>"Won't do, old fellow. I said that I would not mention names. But look
+here, Charlton, I do want to ask your father one thing. Does he know
+anything about my father?"</p>
+
+<p>"Your father! How can he, Ralph?"</p>
+
+<p>"He might have been in Stow Wood that night, and have seen or heard
+something," the boy said.</p>
+
+<p>"I will answer that question for myself!" Mr. Charlton entered as
+Ralph was speaking, and the boys started, for even Charlton would
+not have known<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_199" id="Page_199">[Pg 199]</a></span> his father in the half-bald, grey-bearded old fellow
+who stood before him. "I will answer that question, Ralph Rexworth;
+and then, after that, I am only Brown, the gardener, remember. I can
+give you no information beyond this. On the night of your father's
+disappearance&mdash;my son has told me about that&mdash;I was in Stow Wood, and
+I heard a shot; and afterwards I saw a trap being driven rapidly away.
+There were two men in it, and one of those two leaned up against his
+companion as though he was helpless or badly hurt. Hiding myself, I
+could not follow them; but I thought at the time that it looked like
+foul play."</p>
+
+<p>"The second man was not dead?" cried Ralph anxiously; and the answer
+was very positive&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"No, I am quite certain of that, for I heard him groan as they passed
+in the darkness. That is all I can tell you. It was natural that you
+should think that I knew something about it. I have also heard that I
+am supposed to be the one who entered the dormitory at the school one
+night; but I am innocent of that. A little thought ought to convince
+any one that to do such a thing would be the very last object of my
+wishes&mdash;the danger of being captured would be too great; and I do not
+quite see what any one can imagine that I should want to go there for."</p>
+
+<p>"It is all a mystery to me," said Ralph. And then Irene's voice was
+heard in the hall, and she and her mother entered.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_200" id="Page_200">[Pg 200]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Back again, Ladybird!" said her father, kissing her. Then, seeing her
+eyes fixed on the strangers, he went on: "Ah! you want an introduction?
+This is Fred Charlton, Ralph's friend; and this is a man who is to be
+our new gardener. His name is Thomas Brown. Run off with Ralph and
+Charlton for a little while; I want to talk to your mother."</p>
+
+<p>When the young people were gone, Mr. St. Clive told his wife of Ralph's
+adventures, and introduced Mr. Charlton in his proper character. And
+Mrs. St. Clive spoke so nicely and kindly, and promised to go and see
+Mrs. Charlton the very next day; and when she met Ralph she squeezed
+his hand, and gave him such a kiss as made him know that she was glad
+he had acted as he had done.</p>
+
+<p>And on the Sunday Mrs. St. Clive went for Mrs. Charlton, and brought
+her back with her. No one saw the meeting between the husband and wife
+save their own son; for Ralph had to take Irene right out of the way,
+lest she should wonder at their guest talking to the gardener, or going
+to his cottage.</p>
+
+<p>But afterwards, when Mrs. Charlton met the boy to whom she owed so
+much&mdash;oh, the look of gratitude which she gave him, and the way in
+which she spoke! It made Ralph very happy, but it made him very
+uncomfortable at the same time.</p>
+
+<p>And then, the day past and morning come, it was once more back to
+school; and some of the boys stared when they saw Ralph and Charlton
+appear<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_201" id="Page_201">[Pg 201]</a></span> arm-in-arm, for their quarrel had been noticed and discussed.</p>
+
+<p>But when Tom Warren saw them, he came running up, a real glad smile on
+his face.</p>
+
+<p>"Hallo, you two!" he said, as he met them. "I am awfully glad to see
+this. It's the right thing; and I do hope that you won't quarrel again."</p>
+
+<p>"I shall never quarrel with Rexworth any more," said Charlton, in low
+tones. "You have no need to fear that, Warren. I owe him more than I
+can ever repay, though I cannot tell you why!"</p>
+
+<p>"Perhaps I can tell you why," replied Warren, with a laugh. "For it is
+all over the place. Elgert set it going."</p>
+
+<p>"Set what going?" demanded the two chums, in one voice; and the monitor
+went on&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, he says that&mdash;I don't want to pain you, Charlton, but it is better
+to hear it from a friend than from an enemy"&mdash;and Warren turned, half
+apologetically to Charlton as he said this&mdash;"he says that your father
+was in Stow Wood, and that the police were looking for him&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"And that Lord Elgert lent them his pony and trap to hunt him down,"
+put in Charlton bitterly.</p>
+
+<p>"No, he didn't say that. Did he, though? The mean sneak! Well, he says
+that your father was there, and that the police saw Ralph, here, go
+into the wood. Some one must have warned your father, for he managed to
+get out, and got off in the pony and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_202" id="Page_202">[Pg 202]</a></span> trap they had left. They didn't
+say it was Lord Elgert's, though. Elgert at once jumped at it that
+it was you, Ralph, did the warning, because you are Charlton's chum.
+He says it is additional proof that you two had that note, and he is
+making a jolly lot about it; though half the fellows, and more than
+half, are strong on your side, and say that if it is true, they would
+have done the same thing. Elgert says that the police inspector is
+ready to knock your head off for the way in which you cheated him."</p>
+
+<p>"Is he, though!" laughed Ralph. "Well, Warren, as you know so much,
+we may as well tell you all about it, when we have time&mdash;with one
+exception, though. You must not ask us where we took Mr. Charlton, or
+where we hid him. That is our secret. The rest you may know. By the
+way, I wonder how Elgert will like it if he knows that it was I drove
+off in that trap?"</p>
+
+<p>"You! What a prime joke! I say, Ralph, what a chap you are! Come along,
+and let us get in!"</p>
+
+<p>That the story had got about was very clear, for curious glances were
+cast at the pair as they crossed the playground with the monitor; and
+then a group of juniors, led by Tinkle, suddenly piped up&mdash;</p>
+
+<div class="center"><div class="poem"><div class="stanza">
+<div>For he's a jolly good fellow,</div>
+<div>For he's a jolly good fellow!</div>
+</div></div></div>
+
+<p>Elgert, standing near them, turned with a frown.</p>
+
+<p>"Shut up that howling, you young cubs!" he<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_203" id="Page_203">[Pg 203]</a></span> growled fiercely; but from
+the other side of the playground, and from the Fifths, the same words
+came.</p>
+
+<p>Elgert turned and went into school. He was furious. He had come down
+thinking that he had a good chance of getting Ralph into disgrace, and
+here the fellows were actually praising him! It was gall to Horace
+Elgert; and, through the window, still came the sounds of the refrain
+being shouted below&mdash;</p>
+
+<div class="center"><div class="poem"><div class="stanza">
+<div>For he's a jolly good fellow,</div>
+<div>And so say all of us!</div>
+</div></div></div>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_204" id="Page_204">[Pg 204]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><span>CHAPTER XXII</span> <span class="smaller">AN AFTERNOON RAMBLE</span></h2>
+
+<p>"I say, you two chaps, what are you going to do this afternoon?"</p>
+
+<p>The question was asked by Tom Warren, as Ralph and Charlton stood at
+the entrance to the playground.</p>
+
+<p>Another week had passed, and it had been a delightful one for both
+Ralph and his chum, now that they were friends again. For these two,
+so different in natures, liked each other very much; and now that the
+trouble was gone, they were drawn still closer together. Of course they
+were. Had not Ralph proved what a staunch good fellow he could be? and
+had not Charlton shown that he was not only innocent of stealing that
+note, but that he was a loyal, true son, doing what he could to help
+his unfortunate father?</p>
+
+<p>It was good to see how the boys had come round and how they regarded
+Ralph as a comrade to be proud of; though Elgert and Dobson and the set
+whom they led, glowered and sneered, and said unkind things that hurt
+no one, and were treated with contempt.</p>
+
+<p>And Saturday had come, and the boys were preparing to set out for their
+homes, and Ralph had a bundle<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_205" id="Page_205">[Pg 205]</a></span> of books under his arm, for he meant to
+have another quiet read that evening. The Newlet would want a lot of
+working for, and, since he had entered, he meant to do all he could to
+win success.</p>
+
+<p>"What are you going to do?" said Warren; and the pair confessed that
+they had made no particular plans.</p>
+
+<p>"I cannot spare very much time, anyway," said Ralph. "I want to put in
+a few hours' work to-night."</p>
+
+<p>"You will go and make yourself silly if you do too much," answered Tom
+Warren. "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, you know. Will you
+both meet me after you have had lunch&mdash;say about one o'clock&mdash;and we
+will go for a ramble?"</p>
+
+<p>"Where?" asked Charlton. "Anywhere in particular?"</p>
+
+<p>"I will tell you a nice walk. Let us go over the moor, and past Great
+Stow, out to Crab Tree Hill. It is jolly out there; and there are some
+lovely butterflies in the chalk there."</p>
+
+<p>"Butterflies in chalk?" said Ralph, raising his brows in wonder; and
+Warren laughed.</p>
+
+<p>"You kite! I mean that it is chalk country all round there, and the
+butterflies keep to it&mdash;fritillaries and skippers and browns; and we
+can find some grass snakes there."</p>
+
+<p>"Don't like snakes," said Ralph decisively, thinking of the terrible
+species which he had known in his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_206" id="Page_206">[Pg 206]</a></span> younger days&mdash;snakes whose bite
+means certain death. "Well, I don't mind coming. Will you go, Fred?"
+And he turned to Charlton, who nodded his assent.</p>
+
+<p>"That is all right, then," answered Warren. "I will be over for you
+just after one, and we can pick up Charlton on our way and&mdash;&mdash; Hallo!
+what is the row?"</p>
+
+<p>The three lads turned. A scrimmage of some kind was evidently in
+progress at the other side of the playground, for there came some hoots
+and groans, and, mingling with the noise, a shrill cry of pain.</p>
+
+<p>"You great coward, let go my arm!"</p>
+
+<p>"Dobson and Co.," muttered Warren; and the three darted across to the
+scene of the trouble; and there they found Tinkle and Green, standing
+defiant and somewhat tearful, confronted by Dobson, Elgert and some of
+their cronies, while a scattered crowd of angry juniors kept in the
+safe background, hurling taunting jeers at the bigger boys.</p>
+
+<p>"I will half kill you, you cheeky little beggar!" they heard Dobson say
+to Tinkle. He had got hold of his arm, and, according to his favourite
+fashion, was twisting it painfully. "I will teach you to cheek me! I
+suppose it is that beggar Rexworth who has taught you to do it."</p>
+
+<p>But then Dobson stopped. He had thought that Ralph was gone; and even
+as he spoke, he caught sight of him. It certainly was very awkward for
+Dobson, and before he knew what to say next, Ralph<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_207" id="Page_207">[Pg 207]</a></span> had quietly but
+firmly removed Tinkle from his grasp.</p>
+
+<p>"You suppose wrong, Dobson," he said calmly. "I should not encourage
+any junior to cheek a senior; but I won't see a junior bullied, and you
+will please let that youngster go."</p>
+
+<p>"I didn't cheek him!" cried Tinkle&mdash;"leastways, not until he kicked me.
+I was standing here talking to Jimmy Green, when he and Elgert came up;
+and Elgert shied a stone at Green's head, and Dobson kicked me&mdash;the
+great coward! Let him stand up fair, and I will fight him myself."</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, no, you won't, sonny!" laughed Tom Warren. "You will clear off,
+and get home at once. No fight if you please."</p>
+
+<p>"It seems to me," sneered Elgert, "that this school is to be run by
+Rexworth and Co. You look here, Warren. It is out of school hours;
+and if you think that we are all going to stand being ruled by you
+especially when you are under the thumb of such a fellow as that&mdash;well,
+all I have to say is that you are jolly well mistaken."</p>
+
+<p>"I mean to say," was Warren's calm reply, "that there is not going to
+be any fighting here; and I mean to say that we have the Head's own
+orders to stop any more bullying of juniors. There has been a great
+deal too much of it in the past."</p>
+
+<p>"And if we don't obey, you will run sneaking to the Head?"</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, no, I won't," came the answer. "I will give<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_208" id="Page_208">[Pg 208]</a></span> you a jolly good
+licking myself. If it has got to come, let us get it over. Here are I
+and Rexworth&mdash;Charlton don't count. If you want to see which side is
+the best, just you&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"Just you all clear off; and you, Warren, don't make an ass of
+yourself," said a pleasant voice; and Kesterway, the head monitor of
+the school, appeared upon the scene. "Off you go, now! And you look
+here, Elgert. You may be an honourable, and a lord's son, but that is
+no reason why you should behave like a prig. You keep a civil tongue in
+your head, or you may get into trouble."</p>
+
+<p>Elgert and his companions turned away, for it did not do to defy the
+authority of Kesterway; but he muttered as he went&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Only wait a little while. I will get some of my own back. If I don't
+make Ralph Rexworth suffer for it, I will know the reason why."</p>
+
+<p>But two youthful individuals, as they also walked away&mdash;Tinkle and
+Green to wit&mdash;discussed darkly the chances of getting equal with Dobson
+and Elgert.</p>
+
+<p>"I vote we tell about that note," said Tinkle; but Green shook his head.</p>
+
+<p>"What is the good? Suppose they denied it, how could we prove it? You
+bet, there would be no chance of old Brown owning up. And besides,
+wouldn't it be telling that we had broken bounds? No; we had best wait
+a while, Tinkle, and presently the chance will come."</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_209" id="Page_209">[Pg 209]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"S'pose we sent 'em a what-you-call-it letter?"</p>
+
+<p>"What is that?" demanded Green; and Tinkle answered lucidly&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"You know. One of them sort that don't come from nowhere, and is writ
+by nobody."</p>
+
+<p>"Annie nonimus," was Green's suggestion; and Tinkle nodded.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, that's him. We might do that; and write on it, 'Who stole the
+five-pound note?' or 'What price Brown's cake shop?' or something."</p>
+
+<p>"We'd best do nothing of the kind," was Green's crushing answer. "That
+wouldn't do no good, and it would make 'em think that something was
+known. No, Tinkle; you leave 'em alone; and presently they will make a
+slip, and then we can have 'em."</p>
+
+<p>"I'd like to help Rexworth, though," murmured Tinkle.</p>
+
+<p>"But he don't want no help now. He's cleared about the note. No one
+thinks that he took it, not for a moment. It wouldn't help Rexworth.
+The thing is dropped, and we'd best leave it alone for the time."</p>
+
+<p>Meanwhile, Ralph and his friends took their way homeward, ignorant
+alike of the threats of their foes or the good wishes of the juniors;
+and after lunch was over, Warren in accordance with his promise, called
+for Ralph.</p>
+
+<p>"Hallo! got a new gardener here?" he remarked, as he caught sight of an
+old man who was sweeping<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_210" id="Page_210">[Pg 210]</a></span> the path; and Ralph thought how little Warren
+guessed who that man really was.</p>
+
+<p>They set off in high spirits, and after calling for Charlton, they
+started upon their long ramble. They rattled on at a good pace, and got
+away to the hills, and then&mdash;it was most provoking&mdash;great dark clouds
+had been rolling up, and suddenly, with a roar of thunder and a blaze
+of lightning, the storm burst, and it rained&mdash;gracious, how it did rain!</p>
+
+<p>It is not pleasant to be caught in a violent shower at the best of
+times, but to be caught when you are away from all shelter is decidedly
+unpleasant.</p>
+
+<p>"Wherever can we shelter?" cried Charlton in dismay, as the three
+bolted along, with heads bent down and collars turned up. "This is
+cheerful!"</p>
+
+<p>"I say," suddenly suggested Warren, "there is a thick preserve over
+by the road; I noticed it as we came along. Of course, it will be
+trespassing and we might get into trouble, but I suggest making for it.
+We can get some sort of shelter under the trees, and we may stumble
+upon a shooting hut or a keeper's cottage, and if we explain why we
+have come, they surely will not mind."</p>
+
+<p>"Cannot help it if they do," said Ralph desperately. "We cannot go on
+in this, and it's five miles into Stow, if it's a yard. Show us the way
+Warren, and be quick about it."</p>
+
+<p>With a whoop and a yell, off scudded Warren, the other two close in
+his rear, while the thunder growled<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_211" id="Page_211">[Pg 211]</a></span> and grumbled and the lightning
+flickered, and the sky grew so black that things promised to get worse
+instead of better.</p>
+
+<p>They struck the path for which Warren was making; and there, sure
+enough, a little farther along, divided from the road by a meadow and a
+stout gate, the tall trees of a dark covert waved to and fro. It might
+not mean much shelter, but it would mean some, and with a scramble they
+were over that gate.</p>
+
+<p>"This is better," panted Warren. "It is some sort of a screen. I am
+jolly well drenched!"</p>
+
+<p>"I wish that I could get a cup of warm cocoa or tea," shivered
+Charlton. "I got hot running, and now it strikes horribly cold."</p>
+
+<p>"Let's push on a bit," suggested Ralph. "We are trespassing, and we
+may as well be hanged for a sheep as for a lamb. Perhaps we shall find
+shelter somewhere. Come on, you two, and keep to these open paths. If
+you get right into that undergrowth, you may do some damage&mdash;disturb
+some nests, or something."</p>
+
+<p>"Right you are, Ralph. I don't think it is much good, though; there
+seems no sign of life here."</p>
+
+<p>"I will soon see if there is." Ralph paused as he spoke. He put his
+hand to his mouth and gave a ringing call&mdash;one he had learnt from the
+Indians on the plains. "If any one is about, they will hear that; and,
+at any rate, they cannot say that we are trying to hide from&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>He stopped and started back, turning as white as<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_212" id="Page_212">[Pg 212]</a></span> death; for from
+somewhere, ringing through the silences of that preserve, there came a
+sound, muffled, but clear. It was Ralph's call repeated!</p>
+
+<p>What wonder that he trembled. What wonder that he looked so white.
+There was but one other person whom he knew who would answer that call
+in that way; and that one person was his own father!</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_213" id="Page_213">[Pg 213]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><span>CHAPTER XXIII</span> <span class="smaller">THE RUIN AND THE LONELY HOUSE</span></h2>
+
+<p>Just that one cry, ringing wild and plaintive through the wood; and
+then silence, broken by a loud, angry rumble of thunder.</p>
+
+<p>Ralph stood there trembling, too agitated to speak; and his two chums
+turned anxiously towards him, bewildered at the change which had come
+over him.</p>
+
+<p>"Ralph, old fellow, why, whatever is it? What has come to you?" they
+asked; and he replied in hoarse, trembling tones&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"That call! Did you not hear it? There is only one person who would
+give that, and he is my own father."</p>
+
+<p>For a moment they were staggered by his answer; then Warren said
+gently&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"But, Ralph, how can it be your father? It was only the echo, old
+fellow."</p>
+
+<p>"It was not the echo. It was his voice. Listen&mdash;try and hear where it
+comes from!" And once again, through the dripping wood, he sent the
+Indian cry.</p>
+
+<p>"Now, listen&mdash;listen!" he said; and they waited, but no sound came in
+answer&mdash;nothing but the shiver<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_214" id="Page_214">[Pg 214]</a></span> of the trees, the patter of the rain,
+and the distant growling of the storm.</p>
+
+<p>"There, you see. It must have been the echo!" said Warren; but Ralph
+shook his head.</p>
+
+<p>"Do not be silly, Warren. If it was the echo it would be heard again;
+but we heard nothing."</p>
+
+<p>Which direction did it come from? They forgot about the wet and the
+storm; they forgot everything in the excitement of the moment. Which
+direction had the cry come from?</p>
+
+<p>Warren declared that it sounded as if it was under ground; Charlton
+said he fancied that it came from high up, as if some one was in the
+air; and Ralph fancied that it was straight ahead.</p>
+
+<p>"What shall we do?" was the question of Warren and Ralph answered&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"I am going forward. I mean to search this plantation from end to end,
+if I am trespassing twenty times over."</p>
+
+<p>So on the three went, and again and again did they pause while Ralph
+uttered his wild call, but no answer was heard.</p>
+
+<p>They pushed on, their hearts full of excitement, until they emerged
+from the trees with almost startling suddenness. The plantation was
+nothing like so thick as they had thought&mdash;it was a mere belt of wood,
+surrounding a neglected lawn; and in the centre of this, encircled by
+a wall, stood the very last thing they would have expected to find
+there&mdash;a house.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_215" id="Page_215">[Pg 215]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>A house; but so dreary, desolate looking. All the windows stared blank
+and empty, and were encrusted with dirt and grime. Not a trace of smoke
+curled up from the chimney-stack, not a sound of life was heard. It
+seemed empty, desolate, drear; and the masses of creeper, hanging down
+and swinging in the breath of the storm, only intensified the desolate
+picture it made.</p>
+
+<p>The three lads, standing there with every nerve thrilled by a strange,
+inexplicable excitement, surveyed the place, and looked at each other
+in questioning silence, until Warren said softly&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Well, I am blest! Who would have thought of finding a house here?"</p>
+
+<p>"Where are you going, Ralph?" cried Charlton, for Ralph was moving
+forward; and he replied firmly&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"To that house. I mean to see if any one lives here."</p>
+
+<p>Right up to the wall walked Ralph. It was a high wall, and only the
+upper part of the house could be seen above it. But they found a gate
+on the other side; and, without a moment's hesitation, Ralph pushed
+it open, entered the garden, and, walking up to the door, lifted the
+knocker.</p>
+
+<p>With what a dull, hollow sound did it fall! A ghostly sound, that
+echoed through the house, with that peculiar vibration which is heard
+when a place is empty.</p>
+
+<p>"There is no one here," whispered Warren, after a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_216" id="Page_216">[Pg 216]</a></span> pause&mdash;somehow they
+found themselves speaking in whispers. "The house is empty."</p>
+
+<p>Ralph, for answer, knocked again, a louder and longer summons.
+"Listen!" he said; and from somewhere they heard a faint sound, as of a
+door being shut.</p>
+
+<p>"It's only the wind, making a door slam," was Warren's comment. But,
+for the third time, Ralph sent his call resounding&mdash;there was no
+mistake about that knock&mdash;if any one was in the place they must hear
+it, for the door fairly creaked beneath the blows.</p>
+
+<p>Another pause, a shuffling noise from within, the sound of some one
+coming from distant passages, then the unfastening of bolts and chains,
+and the door was opened a little space, while a man, big, burly, and
+brutal looking, filled the doorway, and barred their entrance&mdash;an
+altogether evil-looking, cruel-faced man, who, scowling upon the three
+lads, demanded in gruff tones what they wanted, and how it was they
+were here.</p>
+
+<p>Just for the moment the three were taken aback; or, brave as they might
+be, still they were only lads, and that scowling presence was certainly
+very ominous. But Ralph plucked up his courage, and answered that
+they were three lads from the distant school, and that they had been
+overtaken by the storm and were seeking shelter.</p>
+
+<p>The man had stood glaring from one to the other as<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_217" id="Page_217">[Pg 217]</a></span> the explanation was
+given; and then he said, in the gruffest of accents&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Well, and what is all this to me? That is no reason why you should
+trespass on my land, and come knocking at my door. I don't want to know
+that you are getting wet. It's no interest of mine, is it?"</p>
+
+<p>"But we are seeking for shelter," persisted Ralph. "Surely you will not
+refuse to give that to us?" And he made a slight attempt to push his
+way in. The man gave him a shove that sent him almost off the step.</p>
+
+<p>"Here, none of that sort of thing," he said, "or you will be sorry for
+it, my young bantam. You don't think that you can shove your way into
+my premises. You three just take yourselves off. You are trespassing on
+my ground; and it's lucky for you that the dog is tied up, or he would
+tear you limb from limb. Hear him!" And he paused, as a deep, distant
+baying was heard from somewhere within. "He is a beauty big enough to
+eat you. You just get off as fast as you can. Clear! If you are here in
+five minutes time I will set the dog on you!" And he slammed the door,
+and left them standing there.</p>
+
+<p>"What a particularly unpleasant person!" said Warren. "His politeness
+is only exceeded by his good looks. Come on, Ralph, it won't do any
+good to stand here; and I don't fancy a meeting with that loud-voiced
+brute we heard. He had got a bark like a bloodhound."</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_218" id="Page_218">[Pg 218]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"We had better do as Warren says," added Charlton, a trifle timidly,
+for he could understand how badly Ralph must feel. "I know what you are
+thinking of. You want to see inside that house, but it is impossible
+now. If it is done at all, it would have to be some other time, when
+that man did not suspect us. Only I don't think that you are right. I
+don't see how you can be."</p>
+
+<p>"I shall never rest until I have contrived some way of doing as you
+say," was Ralph's reply, and his face looked very resolute again. "That
+cry was raised by my father. He may not be there&mdash;I do not say he
+is, but somehow I dislike that man and distrust him. Let us go right
+through the grounds. Don't you understand, Warren? I want to see if
+there are any other places hidden away here. Who would have said a
+house like that was here; and who can say what other house may be here?
+You go back if you like, you and Charlton; I am going on."</p>
+
+<p>"Then on we all go," was Warren's reply; and he and Charlton
+accompanied Ralph.</p>
+
+<p>They crossed the lawn and went out by the gate, and Ralph was conscious
+of the face of that man peering at them through one of the upper
+windows. He might be a recluse, a miser, a madman&mdash;that seemed the most
+probable thing; and yet, yet somehow Ralph must get inside that house.</p>
+
+<p>They pushed their way on into the wood again, making for the opposite
+side to that on which they had<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_219" id="Page_219">[Pg 219]</a></span> entered; and then Ralph's words that
+they did not know what else they might find were proved to be very
+true, for, upon its farther side, bordering upon a stretch of wild
+open land, they came upon a ruined building. It looked as if at one
+time it had been a chapel, or monastery, or something of that sort;
+the pillars, the pointed windows, and the arched doors gave them that
+impression. It was a fairly large building, larger than the house they
+had left, and its crumbling walls were thickly overgrown with ivy. A
+mournful, silent ruin it was, where only the shapes and shadows of
+those whose feet had once trodden its stone floors now seemed to lurk;
+but it was a shelter, and in Ralph went.</p>
+
+<p>"I don't care for twenty men and dogs," he said resolutely. "I am not
+going on in this rain, and I am going to have a look in this ruin."</p>
+
+<p>"But you do not think that you will find any trace of your father
+there, Ralph," protested Warren.</p>
+
+<p>"I don't, old man; I only hope for shelter. Come on. If the worst comes
+we will get on the stairs and drive off the dog with stones. Come on."</p>
+
+<p>It looked gloomy outside&mdash;it looked more gloomy within, as they passed
+in through the yawning space where once a stout oak door had been. How
+their footsteps echoed, and how great piles of damp, decaying leaves
+lay in the corners, and ugly lizards scuttled away as they went on.
+But, for all that, after the first disinclination was got over, there
+was something<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_220" id="Page_220">[Pg 220]</a></span> very exciting in wandering about the ruin, exploring
+this way and that, going down into dark, oozy places underground, or
+clambering up into the old, deserted turret above, at the no small risk
+of breaking one's neck. They wandered here and there, until at last a
+single ray of sunlight, falling through a broken casement, awoke them
+to the fact that the storm was over, and that they could get on their
+way again.</p>
+
+<p>"We had better go, Ralph," said Charlton. "I must, for think how mother
+will feel if I am not home when she expects me."</p>
+
+<p>"Well, I don't think it is much good staying," Warren added. "It seems
+impossible that your father should be about here, Ralph. That sound was
+an echo."</p>
+
+<p>"I suppose it must have been something of that sort," Ralph admitted
+reluctantly. "There seems to be no other explanation. You must forgive
+me for seeming stupid; but, you see, it&mdash;it is my father!" He stopped
+and Charlton pressed his hand sympathetically, while Warren said
+hastily&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, of course, old fellow, I understand; and I only wish that we could
+have found something out. What a stunning place this ruin would be for
+hiding in! You could play hide-and-seek about it for a week!"</p>
+
+<p>They emerged from the place, and speedily were in the public road again
+and walking, with their faces in a homeward direction. But as they went
+Ralph turned, and once again he uttered that wild signal cry; and then,
+then&mdash;was it an echo, or was it indeed a human<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_221" id="Page_221">[Pg 221]</a></span> voice?&mdash;after a pause,
+faint and low the sound came back once more&mdash;whether from earth, or
+from air, they knew not; but the cry was taken up and repeated note for note.</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_222" id="Page_222">[Pg 222]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><span>CHAPTER XXIV</span> <span class="smaller">FOR THE SAKE OF REVENGE</span></h2>
+
+<p>Now, on that very afternoon when Ralph and his two friends, on their
+visit to Crab Tree Hill, were driven by the storm to seek shelter in
+that preserve, Horace Elgert and his companion Dobson, were standing in
+close consultation.</p>
+
+<p>And a very discontented, savage, and disconcerted pair they were, for
+things did not seem to be going right with them.</p>
+
+<p>In the first place, that miserable five-pound note was still missing,
+and though the man at the cake-shop had promised that he would get it
+for them if possible, he had not yet kept his word; and while it was
+still in other hands both boys trembled with apprehensive fears.</p>
+
+<p>They quarrelled over it, too, Elgert still declaring that, as Dobson
+had changed it, he would alone be to blame, and Dobson retorting by
+saying that he would confess that he received it from Elgert.</p>
+
+<p>Then, added to this source of annoyance, there was the fact that,
+in spite of all their efforts, Ralph Rexworth was rising in his
+schoolmates' esteem, and his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_223" id="Page_223">[Pg 223]</a></span> influence, coupled with that of Warren
+and Charlton, was making itself steadily felt, to the diminution of
+their own powers.</p>
+
+<p>"It seems to me," grumbled Elgert moodily, "that the fellows look
+upon trying to give a criminal up to justice as a crime. Some of them
+actually hissed at me&mdash;and why? Just because my father lent the police
+his pony and trap! I can't make out what is coming to them."</p>
+
+<p>"They are just as down on me in the Fourth," answered Dobson. "There is
+no fun in the place now. All the kids have got to be coddled like a lot
+of babies; and if you catch one of them a smack on the head for being
+cheeky, there are a dozen fellows ready to take his part. Look how that
+little beggar Green cheeked me."</p>
+
+<p>"Well, why didn't you give him a hiding? You were afraid to, that is
+the fact."</p>
+
+<p>"Afraid yourself!" retorted Dobson angrily. "As if I should be afraid
+of him! You know that if I had done anything I should have had Rexworth
+and all his set about me, and a fellow can't take the lot of them. You
+don't care to meet Rexworth yourself, and you know it."</p>
+
+<p>A dark frown gathered upon Horace Elgert's handsome face. Ah, how that
+frown spoilt all his good looks!</p>
+
+<p>"Perhaps I don't, Dobson," he said grimly. "But there are better ways
+of getting even with Rexworth<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_224" id="Page_224">[Pg 224]</a></span> than fighting; and I mean to try them
+all. Have you seen Brown again?"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes," said Dobson.</p>
+
+<p>And Elgert went on&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Well, what did he say?"</p>
+
+<p>"Only just what he has said all along. He has not been able to get it
+yet, but he thinks that he will. I tell you, Elgert, that I believe he
+is playing with us&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"What do you mean?" cried Elgert sharply. "How playing with us?"</p>
+
+<p>"Well, he either knows more than he pretends to, or else he suspects
+something. I don't think that he means to let us have that note."</p>
+
+<p>Horace Elgert was silent for a few moments. Evidently he found that
+statement very disquieting.</p>
+
+<p>"It will be a nice mess if it is like that," he said at last. "But it
+is no good worrying over it unless it comes. I will go and see him
+myself. You are a bit of a messer when it comes to doing anything. You
+don't seem to use your wits&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"Can't use my wits to make him give me a thing which he has either not
+got or don't mean to part with," grumbled Dobson.</p>
+
+<p>"You might have used your wits to make sure that he never got it. I did
+all the dangerous part of the work, and only left you something which
+was safe and easy, and you went and bungled it!"</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, don't begin that all over again. I am sick<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_225" id="Page_225">[Pg 225]</a></span> and tired of hearing
+of it. Whenever you have nothing else to grumble about you bring that
+up. Just drop it, or don't talk at all!"</p>
+
+<p>Elgert saw that his companion was getting really cross; and though he
+despised Dobson at heart, he could not afford to quarrel with him, for
+the boy knew too much of his evil ways; so he affected to laugh at the
+angry words.</p>
+
+<p>"Don't lose your temper," he said. "I never came near such a surly
+chap! A fellow can't speak to you without your taking offence."</p>
+
+<p>"Well, then, drop it. I don't like having things thrown in my face like
+you throw that. It is done, and it can't be undone, so what is the good
+of talking of it?"</p>
+
+<p>"You will find there will be some talking about it if ever it comes to
+light," was the grim answer. And Dobson looked miserable. How he wished
+now that he had never had anything to do with the wretched business.</p>
+
+<p>"I wonder," mused Elgert, "what became of that fellow Charlton?"</p>
+
+<p>"We'd best let that alone," retorted Dobson. "We have got ourselves
+disliked quite enough over it."</p>
+
+<p>"What do I care for that? If only I knew where he was, do you think
+that I would hesitate to tell? I would do it, if it was only to spite
+Rexworth."</p>
+
+<p>"It would not hurt him," answered Dobson. "It is not his father."</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_226" id="Page_226">[Pg 226]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"No, but it is his chum's, and he would be sure to feel it. I only wish
+I knew where he was."</p>
+
+<p>"But you don't," remarked Dobson.</p>
+
+<p>"But I might find out. I only wish that I could!"</p>
+
+<p>"Talk of angels and see their wings," said Dobson; and at this
+apparently vague proverb Elgert turned excitedly.</p>
+
+<p>"Where? What do you mean? Not the man?"</p>
+
+<p>"No," answered Dobson, with a shake of the head.</p>
+
+<p>"I don't see Rexworth or Charlton." And Elgert stared round. "Bother
+it! Don't stand grinning there like a monkey. Tell me what you mean."</p>
+
+<p>"Only that there goes Charlton's mother," said Dobson, nodding in the
+direction of the common.</p>
+
+<p>"Well, what of that? We don't want his mother, do we? It is his father
+we are talking about."</p>
+
+<p>"I know that," came the calm answer. And Dobson looked very knowing. "I
+am a monkey and a silly, and I don't know what besides, but I may be
+able to think smarter than you can, Elgert. May not Charlton's mother
+lead us to Charlton's father? She is sure to know where he is, and do
+you know that since that affair she has been going to the St. Clives' a
+lot&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"How do you know?" demanded Elgert.</p>
+
+<p>"My sister told me that she has seen her go there frequently; and
+sometimes, instead of going right in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_227" id="Page_227">[Pg 227]</a></span> at the front gate she has gone in
+at the side one. That looks strange, don't it? And she was not visiting
+there before&mdash;I know that."</p>
+
+<p>Elgert pondered a while in silence, then he suddenly turned, and Dobson
+inquired where he was going.</p>
+
+<p>"To follow her. There may be something in what you say. I should hardly
+think that they would hide a convict away, but they might&mdash;some people
+do such strange things&mdash;and St. Clive don't like my father, I know. Let
+us follow her."</p>
+
+<p>"Well, it will only be to St. Clive's place. And what are we to do
+then? We can't say that she goes to see her husband because she goes
+there."</p>
+
+<p>"What did you tell me about it for, then? You looked knowing enough.
+It is not much good talking of a thing if we cannot follow it up. I am
+going after her, at any rate. You need not come if you don't want to."</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, I will come, Disagreeable!" answered Dobson. And the two boys set
+out, following the lady, who was quite unconscious of their wicked
+desires.</p>
+
+<p>And they could follow her openly and without fear, for if she had seen
+them close by her side she would have thought nothing of it. The boys
+from the school were common enough objects in the place.</p>
+
+<p>And it chanced that Mrs. Charlton was indeed going to see her poor
+husband; to try and cheer him,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_228" id="Page_228">[Pg 228]</a></span> and urge him to be hopeful and patient,
+and to tell him that presently the clouds would all vanish, and the sun
+shine out again.</p>
+
+<p>And after her the two boys went like spies, and neither Elgert nor
+Dobson thought what a wicked thing they were doing. There was with
+them the love of doing evil and causing sorrow&mdash;the delight of little,
+spiteful natures&mdash;but there was also the greater desire to cause Ralph
+Rexworth pain. That was before everything, and so on they went. And
+Mrs. Charlton, all unconscious of evil, entered the grounds of Mr. St.
+Clive's house, and as Dobson had said, she went in at the side gate.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. St. Clive had arranged that with her, so that she could go directly
+to her husband's cottage without any of the servants in the house
+knowing that she was there.</p>
+
+<p>And the boys stood at that gate undecided for a little while. The path
+was soon lost to view amidst the bushes. Elgert looked round, and then
+deliberately climbed over the gate.</p>
+
+<p>"You can stay or come," he whispered to Dobson; "I mean to go on and
+see this through." And Dobson, not without some inward fears, followed
+his example. It was delightful, this tracking a man down; it was like
+the stories of adventure, and he wanted to see the end of it.</p>
+
+<p>"Come quietly," directed Elgert in suppressed tones. "Don't make a
+noise with your feet, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_229" id="Page_229">[Pg 229]</a></span> stoop down; they might see your head over
+the bushes. That is it. Now follow me."</p>
+
+<p>Creeping along stealthily, Dobson in the rear, he followed the
+direction which Mrs. Charlton had taken, and presently the shrubberies
+ended, and there were flower beds and lawns. Clearly, it would be
+dangerous for them to go any farther if they wished to remain unseen.</p>
+
+<p>"We will stop here and watch," said he to Dobson. And the latter,
+crouching there, whispered&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Where has she gone? I don't see her anywhere."</p>
+
+<p>"She must have gone into that cottage. I would creep across and try to
+peep through the window, but I am afraid that I should be discovered;
+and if we gave them the alarm, he might be off."</p>
+
+<p>"You don't think that the man is hiding there, do you?" queried Dobson,
+trembling betwixt fear and excitement.</p>
+
+<p>Truth to tell, when he had made his suggestion, it had been merely from
+the love of talking; he had not thought really that there was anything
+in it; and now there seemed to be a very great deal.</p>
+
+<p>"I do think it," Elgert answered. "Hush! Let us watch. No one knows
+that we are here, and no one can see us. We can easily creep out the
+same way that we came. Keep still, she is coming out of the cottage!"</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_230" id="Page_230">[Pg 230]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Yes, Mrs. Charlton was coming out, and with her a poor, bent decrepit
+old gardener. But&mdash;but she held his arm, and once she pressed a kiss on
+his cheek! Horace Elgert felt his heart thrill with evil triumph. He
+saw it all now. Mr. St. Clive was keeping the man here, in the position
+of a gardener, and Mrs. Charlton came to see him!</p>
+
+<p>"We have got him now, Dobson," he whispered to his companion. "We have
+got him now, and he will not get away from the police a second time! It
+is the first step to paying Ralph Rexworth what we owe him!"</p>
+
+<div class="center"><img src="images/i230.jpg" alt="We have got him now, Dobson" /></div>
+
+<p class="bold">"<span class="smcap">'We have got him now, Dobson,' he whispered to his<br />
+companion.</span>" p. 230.</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_231" id="Page_231">[Pg 231]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><span>CHAPTER XXV</span> <span class="smaller">JUST IN TIME</span></h2>
+
+<p>"What shall we do next, Elgert?"</p>
+
+<p>Dobson whispered that question in his ear, as the two crouched in the
+shrubbery watching Mrs. Charlton and her husband.</p>
+
+<p>"Do! What a question! Get away from here, and then go straight to the
+police and give them information. They won't mention our names, and the
+fellows at the school need never know that we have had any part in it.
+We have seen enough, so come on, and mind you don't let them either see
+or hear you. I would not have them alarmed for anything."</p>
+
+<p>The two stole silently off, treading on tiptoe, walking with the
+greatest care, until once more they climbed over the gate, and stood
+safely in the roadway.</p>
+
+<p>"Thank goodness we are out of that without any trouble," said Dobson;
+and Elgert inquired, contemptuously, what danger he feared would come
+to them in the grounds.</p>
+
+<p>"Dogs," retorted Dobson tersely. "We weren't to know that there were no
+dogs loose. I thought<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_232" id="Page_232">[Pg 232]</a></span> that I heard a rustling in the bushes once, as
+though one was pushing his way towards us, and it made me turn cold.
+Well, now we are here, what next?"</p>
+
+<p>"The police, at once. How dark it is getting, and was not that thunder?"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, I reckon they are getting a smart storm not far from here. The
+police-station, is it?"</p>
+
+<p>"Of course. The man is here, we do not know how long he may remain,
+so we cannot waste time; and I am not going to let the possibility
+of getting caught in a shower prevent me from having my revenge on
+Rexworth, and making things unpleasant for these stuck-up St. Clives.
+I hate them! St. Clive himself, because he backs this Rexworth up; his
+wife, because she is so very goody-goody; and the girl, because she is
+a proud little minx, who turns up her nose at me, and&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"Ha, ha!" laughed Dobson. "Jealous because Rexworth cut you out, that
+is it! Well, I don't mind. Come on, if you are coming. The police will
+be pleased enough to know; and if there is a reward, we may as well
+have it."</p>
+
+<p>"You can take it, if you like," retorted Elgert. "I don't want their
+money. All I want is to see the man taken again, and taken there to
+prove that the St. Clives are in it."</p>
+
+<p>They turned and hurried off; and then, very cautiously, from amidst
+the laurels, there arose a little scared and indignant face&mdash;a face
+surrounded<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_233" id="Page_233">[Pg 233]</a></span> by golden hair. Irene St. Clive had seen them and heard all
+that they had said!</p>
+
+<p>She had seen them go into the shrubbery, and had wondered what tricks
+they were about to play. Her first idea was that it was something to do
+with Ralph, something to vex him; for she knew both the boys, and was
+aware that they were his enemies. So she had followed them, that she
+might see, and then warn Ralph. And then it had flashed upon her! Mrs.
+Charlton was there with her husband; and the boys were spying upon her.
+Oh, what mean, miserable boys to call themselves gentlemen, and do such
+things!</p>
+
+<p>She heard what they said when they stood in the roadway, and then she
+turned and raced indoors to tell her father; even in her dismay, she
+was thoughtful enough not to go to her mother first, lest she should be
+needlessly alarmed. Her father would know best what was to be done.</p>
+
+<p>And her tidings filled Mr. St. Clive with concern. Where could poor Mr.
+Charlton go? Where else was there for him to hide?</p>
+
+<p>He reproached himself now that he had not sent him away sooner. But Mr.
+Charlton had seemed to derive such comfort from being able to see his
+son and wife frequently, that Mr. St. Clive had allowed things to go on
+as they were, and now it might be too late!</p>
+
+<p>Yes, even with Irene's warning, too late; for the man could not go out
+just as he was. Mr. St. Clive knew full well that every hiding-place
+would be<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_234" id="Page_234">[Pg 234]</a></span> searched&mdash;that escape would be almost impossible&mdash;and he
+shrank from being the bearer of such bad tidings to the husband and
+wife.</p>
+
+<p>But it had to be done, the warning must be given, and given at once,
+and he rose, Irene following him, and went into the grounds and towards
+the cottage. His own wife was there at the moment speaking with Mrs.
+Charlton.</p>
+
+<p>And the dismay, the sorrow, that they exhibited when the tidings were
+told! The poor man must fly from here and be a wanderer again&mdash;hunted
+hither and thither, not knowing from hour to hour if he should be
+captured, not able even to get a message to his wife, or to hear how it
+fared with her and his son. It was very hard indeed.</p>
+
+<p>"You have done all that one man could to help another, sir," he said to
+Mr. St. Clive, as he held his weeping wife in his arms. "I shall never,
+never forget your kindness, nor that of your good wife and dear little
+daughter. You will be a friend to my poor wife and my boy&mdash;I feel sure
+that you will be&mdash;and now I must change this disguise, and go. To go
+as the old gardener might be more dangerous than to go as the escaped
+prisoner."</p>
+
+<p>"But where can you go? Where can you hide for the time? If you could
+only find a place, the police might come to the conclusion that the
+boys had made a mistake, and abandon the search again, so giving you
+opportunity of getting out of England.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_235" id="Page_235">[Pg 235]</a></span> So far as money can aid, you
+can count upon me, but money will be of no avail, if you cannot elude
+your pursuers, and&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>A hurrying of feet! Oh, surely the police could not be there already!
+No; a well-known shrill whistle! Ralph and his chums were coming, and
+Ralph must be told.</p>
+
+<p>Now, Warren knew nothing about Charlton's father being there, and the
+two boys had allowed their chum to come in because there was no danger;
+he would only think that it was an old gardener at work.</p>
+
+<p>But when they saw Mr. St. Clive and all the others in that little
+cottage, they stopped, and Charlton faltered out&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"What is it? Oh, what is it, father?" And so he gave away his secret to
+the monitor.</p>
+
+<p>And they told them, and Charlton stood very white, and clenched his
+fist.</p>
+
+<p>"Elgert again," he said. "Oh, I hate him! I should like to kill him."
+But his father put his hand on his arm and said, almost sternly&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"My son, such words are not for the lips of a Christian boy."</p>
+
+<p>"Well, sir, at any rate you can't blame Fred for using them," broke in
+Warren. "I know I should feel like it. They are a pair of cads, and
+deserve kicking."</p>
+
+<p>"Be quiet, Tom," chimed in Ralph. "Never mind them. The thing is what
+can we do? Where can<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_236" id="Page_236">[Pg 236]</a></span> Mr. Charlton go so that he can hide in safety for
+the time?"</p>
+
+<p>"Nowhere," said the man sadly. "There is no spot about here where I can
+be safe. I am afraid that I am losing heart," he added, "but it seems
+hopeless."</p>
+
+<p>"Never say, die, sir," cried Warren. "I know a place, a jolly place,
+where you could hide for a month; yes, even if they knew you were there
+they would not be able to get you. You could dodge them, and dodge
+them, for ever so long&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"The ruin!" cried Ralph suddenly. "Warren, you're a brick! The ruin, of
+course&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"What ruin? Where?" asked Mr. St. Clive, while the rest listened
+anxiously. "Speak quickly, lads, for time is precious." And Ralph
+explained their adventure of that afternoon, adding&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Of course, there are the dogs, but even if they scented him down he
+could shut them out; they couldn't get at him, and the very fact that
+the dogs were loose would hinder people from imagining that any one was
+hiding there. Besides, I don't believe that any people know about it. I
+didn't until to-day, and I thought that I had pretty well explored the
+country round here."</p>
+
+<p>"How am I to get to this place, boys?"</p>
+
+<p>"By following us," said Ralph. "Yes, we will all three go, and skirmish
+out one ahead of the other, so that if danger is about we can give
+warning. Never you fear, we will get there safe enough, if we have a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_237" id="Page_237">[Pg 237]</a></span>
+little start. But you will want things, even at once; light&mdash;you must
+be careful to hide that from being seen&mdash;and food, and some rugs."</p>
+
+<p>Away hurried Mrs. St. Clive and her husband and hastily procured what
+they thought would be immediate necessities, while Mr. Charlton took
+off the disguise. His rest there had done him good. He was strong and
+well, not a bit like the wearied man who had at first come there. The
+boys divided the burdens between them; and then, with last hand shakes,
+and with a parting embrace between husband and wife, Mr. Charlton
+followed the three boys from the place where he had been so kindly
+treated.</p>
+
+<p>"Won't Elgert and Dobson be precious mad!" said Warren. "It was
+fortunate for you, sir, that little Irene heard them talking."</p>
+
+<p>"It is fortunate for me that my boy has two such faithful friends
+as you and Ralph here," answered Mr. Charlton. "I feel that Heaven,
+knowing my innocence, has raised me up helpers all round."</p>
+
+<p>"That is the way, sir," said Ralph heartily. "Go on thinking that and
+you won't lose heart, and presently the truth will come to light&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"Now then, Ralph," cried Warren, interrupting him. "Send on ahead, and
+keep both your eyes open, get well on in front, and give the Fourth's
+whistle if you see any one about."</p>
+
+<p>They were now getting away from the road and on towards Stow Wood. They
+would have to go<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_238" id="Page_238">[Pg 238]</a></span> through that and then out across the common, leaving
+Great Stow on their right. It would have been shorter to have gone
+through Great Stow, but they did not dare that, there were too many
+people about.</p>
+
+<p>Away raced Charlton, pushing into the wood, and then Warren dived away
+to the right, and Ralph led Mr. Charlton directly on.</p>
+
+<p>But no warning whistle came. The storm was gathering up again, and no
+one who could avoid it was out of doors. They pushed through the wood
+and across the common, out to Crab Tree Hill; and then they circled
+the preserves, and came to the place they sought; and, as Ralph said,
+it looked as if they had been led to the spot that afternoon, in order
+that they might know where to bring Mr. Charlton.</p>
+
+<p>And into the ruin they led the way with a lighted candle, and showed
+the man all the windings and secret ways that they had found out.</p>
+
+<p>"I dare say that there are plenty more, for it is a strange old place,"
+Ralph said, "and you will be able to find them out for yourself."</p>
+
+<p>"The only thing that I see, is you cannot make a fire here. At least,
+if you did, the smoke might be seen," added Warren; and Mr. Charlton
+smiled.</p>
+
+<p>"We can do without the fire, my kind young friend," he said. "I shall
+manage here very well. But now do you all go, for you are nearly wet
+through, and I fear that you may suffer some ill effects, and you all<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_239" id="Page_239">[Pg 239]</a></span>
+look tired to death, too. Shake hands with me, and be off."</p>
+
+<p>"We shall manage to let you know soon, sir, how things go," said Ralph,
+"and we will bring more food and things. Good-bye, sir, and keep up a
+good heart."</p>
+
+<p>"Good-bye, and good-bye and God bless you, my own dear son." And the
+father and son embraced.</p>
+
+<p>Then the three lads dashed away, making for home as fast as they could;
+and though Warren wondered what his people would think of him for being
+so late, nothing could persuade him to refrain from going back to Mr.
+St. Clive's, just to see how things had gone.</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_240" id="Page_240">[Pg 240]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><span>CHAPTER XXVI</span> <span class="smaller">TOM WARREN SPEAKS HIS MIND</span></h2>
+
+<p>If ever three boys were tired and wet and cold, Ralph and his chums
+were when they once again arrived at Mr. St. Clive's; but for all
+that, they were three delighted boys, for they had succeeded in their
+mission, and Mr. Charlton was safe.</p>
+
+<p>They found that the police had been and gone, and were none the wiser
+for their visit. Mr. St. Clive had received them readily, and told them
+that he certainly had employed an old gardener, but that the man had
+left his employ only a short time before they came, and that he could
+give them no information about him.</p>
+
+<p>It was highly distasteful to an honourable gentleman like Mr. St.
+Clive even to say anything which, while strictly true, had yet the
+qualities of a lie, but in this case he was forced to do so. He could
+not give the poor man up to justice&mdash;a man whom he honestly believed to
+have been wrongly convicted&mdash;especially after having received him and
+sheltered him so long.</p>
+
+<p>But when Elgert and Dobson heard that the search was unsuccessful, oh,
+how angry they were! They<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_241" id="Page_241">[Pg 241]</a></span> had come back with the constables, and Mr.
+St. Clive turned to them and spoke very sternly.</p>
+
+<p>"So it appears that I am indebted to you two young gentlemen for this
+visit," he said. "First of all you trespass upon my grounds; then you
+take upon yourselves to give this information to the police; and now
+you have come back uninvited. Kindly oblige me by taking yourselves
+off; and understand that if I find you on my grounds again, I shall not
+have the slightest hesitation in horsewhipping the pair of you!"</p>
+
+<p>Oh, what a rage Elgert was in! To be spoken to like that! He, the
+Honourable Horace Elgert!</p>
+
+<p>He went home and told his father, and Lord Elgert rode over in a
+terrible passion to demand an explanation from Mr. St. Clive.</p>
+
+<p>But that gentleman took things very calmly, and his lordship got little
+satisfaction from him.</p>
+
+<p>"It is my belief, sir, that my son is correct, and that you have been
+harbouring a fugitive from justice!" shouted his lordship. "It is like
+you to do that. You have taken that young rascal, Rexworth, in spite of
+the knowledge that his father is a man who attempted to rob me."</p>
+
+<p>"Pardon me, Lord Elgert," answered Mr. St. Clive, "I have tried to
+repay a debt of gratitude I owe to a brave boy, who rescued my child
+from death, at the peril of his own life, because you would not take
+the trouble to have your bull properly secured. As to the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_242" id="Page_242">[Pg 242]</a></span> knowledge
+that his father tried to rob you, I know nothing of the kind."</p>
+
+<p>"I have told you so. You have my word for it," replied Lord Elgert; and
+Mr. St. Clive answered drily&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"That is a very different thing from knowing it."</p>
+
+<p>"You insult me, sir! You deliberately insult me! But be careful, or you
+shall answer for it. Make no mistake, you shall answer for it!" And
+with that, his lordship rode off in a towering rage.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. St. Clive did not trouble to tell Ralph all the unkind things which
+Lord Elgert had said, for there was nothing to be gained by causing the
+boy pain; and so, after giving them all hot cocoa, Warren and Charlton
+were sent off to their homes, and Ralph was glad to get to bed, for he
+was quite tired out.</p>
+
+<p>And then, after one of those quiet Sundays which he had got to value
+so much, he set off for school on the Monday morning, calling for
+Charlton, and meeting with Warren on the way.</p>
+
+<p>"Well, Rexworth, and how do you feel to-day?"</p>
+
+<p>Now, if Warren or Charlton had asked that question, there would have
+been nothing strange in it; but it was neither of the boys. It was Mr.
+Delermain, when the class was assembled; and Ralph, although he felt
+surprised, answered that he felt very well.</p>
+
+<p>"Ah!" said the master, and he smiled. "Well, I am glad of that, for
+to-day you have to uphold the honour of the Fourth. You will not take
+your place<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_243" id="Page_243">[Pg 243]</a></span> for lessons as usual. The examination for the Newlet is
+to-day. You are to go to the Head's class-room immediately after
+prayers."</p>
+
+<p>"Good luck to you, Rexworth," whispered Charlton, looking quite
+nervous; and Tom Warren patted him on the shoulder and added
+imploringly&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Now, mind you keep cool, Ralph&mdash;keep quite cool. Don't get flustered
+if you cannot answer every question, and don't spend too much time over
+the easy ones. Answer them first, as briefly as you can, and then go
+for the others. Keep cool, old fellow, for the honour of the Fourth."</p>
+
+<p>Certainly Ralph did feel just a trifle anxious and nervous; but he had
+worked hard, and felt pretty well grounded in his subjects, and he
+meant to do his best honestly.</p>
+
+<p>So when prayers were over, he rose and went out of the class-room,
+while the boys, thinking that the occasion admitted of it, cried out
+aloud: "Good luck to you, Rexworth! Hope that you will succeed!"</p>
+
+<p>"Jolly lot of fuss they make about that chap," sneered Dobson to the
+boy next him. "It is just a disgrace to let such a fellow as that sit
+for the Newlet."</p>
+
+<p>"Especially when a bright, intellectual fellow like Dobson does not
+go in for it!" was the answer he received; and Dobson glowered and
+muttered something about his "cheek."</p>
+
+<p>Somehow, Charlton could not get on as he ought<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_244" id="Page_244">[Pg 244]</a></span> to have done that
+morning. He was so anxious about Ralph, and he was so full of his
+father, and wondering whether he was all safe. Mr. Delermain had to
+rebuke him once or twice&mdash;he did not understand things like Warren
+did&mdash;and poor Charlton lost his place and got a bad mark; and somehow
+he could not help it, the tears would come into his eyes. Dobson saw
+it, and grinned. He sniffed, and drew his handkerchief out, pretending
+to wipe away tears and wring the water out on the floor. Mr. Delermain
+saw him, and Dobson got something to cry for. Six handers, and a bad
+mark. Dobson vowed to make Charlton suffer for it, as if it were his
+fault that he had been caned.</p>
+
+<p>And he had his chance when recess came.</p>
+
+<p>"Hallo, Elgert!" cried Dobson, as he saw his friend. "I say, I want to
+ask you a question. Who was the first gardener?"&mdash;and he winked towards
+Charlton, who was standing near.</p>
+
+<p>"Adam," was Elgert's reply; and Dobson nodded.</p>
+
+<p>"Quite right; and who was the very last one that we know anything
+about, eh?"</p>
+
+<p>"A fellow named Charlton, some relation to one of your Form, I think.
+Quite a public personage, and eagerly sought after by the police."</p>
+
+<p>Poor Charlton! His face went white, and his eyes sparkled with anger.
+Dobson saw it, and laughed mockingly. Charlton was a weakly boy, and
+the bully was by no means afraid of him.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_245" id="Page_245">[Pg 245]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Funny how some people have queer tastes," he went on. "I should have
+thought that breaking stones was no harder work than digging. By the
+way, it is breaking stones that they put convicts to, is it not?"</p>
+
+<p>"You say that to insult me?"</p>
+
+<p>Charlton spoke in low tones, and his face was very white; and Dobson
+laughed again.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, I say, you chaps, is not this a rich joke? Here is Charlton asking
+if we mean to insult him! My dear fellow, your presence is such an
+insult&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>Dobson stopped and ducked, for the maddened boy had struck so fierce a
+blow that had the bully received it, it would surely have knocked him
+down.</p>
+
+<p>"Go on, Dobson! Give him a hiding!" cried Elgert. But then Tom Warren
+pushed forward and cried out&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Drop that! Charlton, don't be stupid; and you, Dobson, if you want to
+fight, fight me."</p>
+
+<p>"I say, you fellows," said Elgert, "how much longer are we going to
+be dictated to by Tom Warren? Charlton struck the first blow. It is
+his fight, and he ought to go through with it. It is a condescension
+on Dobson's part to fight with such a fellow." And some of the boys
+murmured approval.</p>
+
+<p>"Hold hard a minute," said Warren. "Since Elgert puts it that way, we
+will see if the boot is not on the other foot. Let me see, Dobson asked
+who was the last gardener, didn't he?"</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_246" id="Page_246">[Pg 246]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"That is it, Warren!" cried some of the others. "And Charlton got mad."</p>
+
+<p>"Very well; now I will tell you why. It seems that Elgert and Dobson,
+wanting a little employment, and liking to play the part of spies and
+informers&mdash;&mdash;" Elgert started. He had no idea that Warren knew about
+that, and it was the very last thing he wished the school to hear of.
+He attempted to turn away, but Warren noticed it, and went on.</p>
+
+<p>"You had better stop, Elgert, unless you are too ashamed to let
+gentlemen see your face." And Elgert stopped, white to the lips with
+passion.</p>
+
+<p>"That is better," said the monitor. "Well, you chaps, I was saying that
+our gentlemanly friends, Messrs. Elgert and Dobson, finding it to their
+taste to play the part of spies, must needs dog the steps of a lady,
+and that lady Mrs. Charlton, under the impression that she would guide
+them to the spot where her husband was hidden.</p>
+
+<p>"Now, having played this delightful part, these refined young gentlemen
+came upon an old gardener in Mr. St. Clive's grounds, and jumped to the
+conclusion that it was the lady's husband in disguise.</p>
+
+<p>"Then they came away and quietly enough, for they had no wish to
+disturb the parties concerned. But once away, they set off as hard as
+they could go, running all the way, to the police-station, to tell the
+constables that the man they wanted was hiding at<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_247" id="Page_247">[Pg 247]</a></span> Mr. St. Clive's.
+I would mention the fact that there is a reward offered for the
+apprehension of this man; perhaps that had something to do with their
+action. And this pair of spies and informers have the impudence to
+speak of it being a condescension for one of them to fight a boy in no
+way his equal."</p>
+
+<p>"I say, Warren, it can't be true!" cried one boy in disgust. "No fellow
+at our school would be such an awful cad!"</p>
+
+<p>"Look at Elgert's face. Does that look like innocence?" answered
+Warren. "You can ask Mr. St. Clive, if you like; but you ought not to
+want to after that!" And he pointed to Horace Elgert.</p>
+
+<p>Ay, there was no mistake; he looked guilty, and he knew it was no good
+trying to deny the charge. He strove to look careless and dignified,
+and he turned away on his heel; but then a storm of hisses broke out.
+Hisses! They were hissing him! And he had once been their leader! And
+above the clamour came the shrill voices of the juniors&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Sneak! Sneak! Sneak!"</p>
+
+<p>He felt as if he must press his fingers in his ears and run, but he
+managed to maintain his slow walk, and got into the class-room, Dobson
+at his heels; and the latter asked in consternation&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"How ever did they find out?"</p>
+
+<p>"I don't know&mdash;I don't care!" was the fierce answer. "But I will pay
+them all out! And to think of Rexworth going in for the Newlet!"</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_248" id="Page_248">[Pg 248]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Won't he crow if he manages to get through!" remarked Dobson; and
+Elgert jumped up.</p>
+
+<p>"He must not get through, Dobson; somehow we must stop him."</p>
+
+<p>"That is all very well. But how can we do it?" queried Dobson, with a
+shake of his head. And Elgert replied&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Wait until morning school is over, and I will tell you."</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_249" id="Page_249">[Pg 249]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><span>CHAPTER XXVII</span> <span class="smaller">IN THE DEAD OF THE NIGHT</span></h2>
+
+<p>"I tell you that it can be done. What danger is there, if we are only
+careful not to make a noise? What a miserable coward you are, Dobson!"</p>
+
+<p>So said Horace Elgert. He and Dobson were together, and morning school
+was over. They had met that Elgert might unfold his plan for preventing
+Ralph Rexworth having any chance of gaining the Newlet medal, and
+also for getting him into disgrace by making it appear that he had
+been cribbing; and apparently Dobson did not much like the plan, and
+had been making objections which had called forth Elgert's angry
+remonstrance.</p>
+
+<p>"What danger can there be?" The question came again, when Dobson did
+not reply. "Why, you have risked more than that when we have left the
+house at night! You have thought that a lark. And now we have only to
+go to the Head's desk, and then sit in the class-room for an hour or
+so."</p>
+
+<p>"It will be awfully cold there," shivered Dobson.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_250" id="Page_250">[Pg 250]</a></span> "And just
+think&mdash;stopping for two hours, and the chance all the time that some
+one will come!"</p>
+
+<p>"Rubbish! If it is cold, put on your overcoat. You don't call it cold
+when you stand for longer than that keeping goal, with an east wind
+blowing. It is no use trying to make objections. I am determined to try
+it, and you have just got to help me."</p>
+
+<p>"I don't see how we can do it," grumbled Dobson. "I think we had better
+leave him alone. After all, it don't matter to us if he gets the medal."</p>
+
+<p>"Everything matters that advances him. Now, look here. After the exam.
+is over, all the papers are taken to the Head, and he puts them in his
+desk, and sends them to the examiners in the morning. We know that
+much."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes," assented Dobson.</p>
+
+<p>"Very well. Now, the catch of the Head's roller desk is broken. I heard
+him say yesterday that he had forgotten to send for a man to repair it.
+There the papers will be, with nothing to prevent us from getting hold
+of Rexworth's. That is easy enough. We wait till the place is quiet,
+and then go to the Head's class-room and take what we want. Then we go
+to our own class-room, and have our bicycle lamps to give us light. You
+know that I can write like Rexworth; and even if I did not, no one will
+know. The Head does not examine the papers himself, and the chap he
+sends them to would not know the difference, even if you scrawled the
+answers."</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_251" id="Page_251">[Pg 251]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"But what do you want me for?" objected Dobson. "We can't both write."</p>
+
+<p>"You sneak! You want me to do it all. Why, to keep me company, and
+to be in it as well as me. Besides, I shall want you to read me some
+answers from Grimwade. I have a copy; and I don't mean only to write
+wrong answers to some questions, but to put in extracts, so that it
+will look as if he had been using a crib&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"It will take an awful long time! He takes all day over the papers."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes; but he has got to think of the answers, and we shall not have to
+do anything of the kind. We can copy a lot of what he has written&mdash;you
+reading and I writing. Then we just take our set of papers back and put
+them with the others, and we destroy his, and who is to know a thing
+about it?"</p>
+
+<p>"I don't like it," protested Dobson. "I know that we shall get caught
+one of these days, and then we shall be expelled, and it will be all
+your fault."</p>
+
+<p>"Then you have just got to like it!" retorted Elgert; and Dobson burst
+out furiously&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, have I? Think I am going to be ordered about by you, Horace
+Elgert! Why have I got to like it, pray?"</p>
+
+<p>"Because you changed that five-pound note!"</p>
+
+<p>"But you gave it to me," retorted Dobson, changing colour, and falling
+back upon his old plea; and Elgert laughed.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_252" id="Page_252">[Pg 252]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"You prove that, if you can. You are the only one implicated in it."</p>
+
+<p>"You are a jolly mean sneak!" cried his companion; and again Elgert
+laughed, this time rather menacingly.</p>
+
+<p>"I wouldn't talk in that way if I were you, Dobson," he said. "It is a
+bit foolish to quarrel with me. Now, don't be silly, but say that you
+agree."</p>
+
+<p>"I suppose I must," was the sulky reply; "but I tell you I think it
+risky. Besides, all that we have yet done has not harmed Rexworth; but
+it has jolly well hurt us."</p>
+
+<p>"We will be more successful this time. But let us clear off, for that
+little sneak Charlton is watching us, and he may get suspicious if he
+sees us talking together."</p>
+
+<p>"Punch his head!" said Dobson. He was brave enough when it came to
+ill-treating boys weaker than himself. "He is alone; punch his head!"</p>
+
+<p>"No. You forget we should have Warren and all his gang down on us, and
+perhaps Kesterway taking the matter to the Head. Let him go for the
+time. We will have him over his father yet, and that will be better
+than giving him a licking."</p>
+
+<p>It was quite true that Charlton had seen the two together, and he was
+indeed wondering what mischief they were plotting. Ralph was still a
+prisoner over his examination papers, for until they were done he was
+not allowed to leave the class-room; and Warren<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_253" id="Page_253">[Pg 253]</a></span> was at the moment
+away, so that Charlton was alone.</p>
+
+<p>He was very anxious for Ralph's success, and perhaps that very anxiety
+made him suspicious of the two boys who were such bitter enemies of his
+chum. At any rate, Charlton determined to keep a very sharp eye upon
+the movements of Elgert and Dobson, though he was quite ignorant of any
+way in which they could harm Ralph.</p>
+
+<p>But, in spite of his watching, nothing occurred. The dinner-hour
+passed and afternoon school began, and all went smoothly; and Charlton
+managed to retrieve the loss which his anxiety had brought to him in
+the morning. And then, when the bell rang, and the boys filed out, free
+to do as they liked, until teatime, there Ralph joined them, a trifle
+tired, it is true, but very hopeful, for he felt confident that he had
+answered every question that had been given to him without making a
+huge number of mistakes.</p>
+
+<p>A general rush of Fourth Form boys occurred, and he was surrounded by a
+throng of eager questioners.</p>
+
+<p>"How did you get on, Rexworth? Was it very stiff? Could you manage it?
+How many questions did you get through?"</p>
+
+<p>These and a score of kindred questions were asked; and when Ralph
+answered that he thought he had managed all right, and that he had
+answered every question, a hearty cheer followed.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_254" id="Page_254">[Pg 254]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Hurrah for Rexworth and the Fourth!"</p>
+
+<p>Dobson and Elgert heard it, and the latter laughed quietly, and said,
+with a sneer upon his handsome face&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Go on; cheer away. You will have something to cheer for presently."</p>
+
+<p>The evening wore away&mdash;tea, and preparation, and recess, and finally
+bed; and after the usual chatter and skylarking when monitors' backs
+were turned, the boys of Marlthorpe College were all snugly in bed, the
+gas had been turned out in the dormitories, save for one faint glimmer
+at the end of each room, and silence reigned throughout the old school.</p>
+
+<p>Perhaps it was because he was so anxious for Ralph's success, perhaps
+it was that he was thinking of Dobson and Elgert, or of his poor
+father away there in that dreary ruin, but somehow Charlton could not
+get to sleep. He lay there thinking, thinking, long after the regular
+breathing from Ralph, and the occasional gurgle and snore from Warren,
+announced that his two chums were fast asleep.</p>
+
+<p>Would Ralph get the medal? Would his father ever get safely away? Or,
+better still, would he ever be proved to be innocent? Would&mdash;&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>A stealthy movement caused him to open his eyes. A boy, higher up the
+dormitory, had got out of bed; and that boy was Dobson!</p>
+
+<p>Charlton held his breath and felt himself trembling with excitement.
+Elgert and the bully had plotted<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_255" id="Page_255">[Pg 255]</a></span> something, after all, then;
+and&mdash;and&mdash;why, Dobson was dressing! And now he crept out of the
+dormitory with careful, noiseless steps!</p>
+
+<p>Then Charlton, as soon as he was gone, slipped from his bed also. At
+first he thought of rousing Ralph and Warren; but he paused. A strange
+ambition filled his heart. How lovely it would be to do this all by
+himself&mdash;to follow and see what mischief they were doing, and, if it
+was anything to harm Ralph, to frustrate their plot, alone and unaided!</p>
+
+<p>Rapidly he slipped on his clothes. At any other time he would have
+trembled at the audacity of such a deed after hours; but now he was
+filled only with the one thought of serving Ralph, and he neither
+considered the risk of being discovered, nor the seriousness of
+matching himself against two such boys as Elgert and Dobson&mdash;for he
+felt absolutely certain that Elgert would also be in this business.</p>
+
+<p>Then, in his stockinged feet, he also slipped into the corridor
+and stood listening. Where had Dobson gone? How horribly dark it
+seemed&mdash;and how cold and desolate! He stood undecided for a moment;
+then he heard a stealthy sound&mdash;and from the entrance to the Fifth he
+saw Elgert come. Ah, he had not been mistaken, then! He stepped back
+and peeped round the dormitory door. Elgert was stealing down the
+stairs, and&mdash;yes, there Dobson was awaiting him. The two glided on,
+noiseless as mice; and Charlton, his heart thumping so that it seemed
+as if the two in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_256" id="Page_256">[Pg 256]</a></span> front must hear it, creeping cautiously in the rear,
+determined to ascertain what they were going to do.</p>
+
+<p>Down, past the Fourth class-room, they groped their way, and then to
+the Head's room. The Head's room! The room in which the examination
+papers were kept!</p>
+
+<p>Charlton, crouching at the door, watched them as they lit their bicycle
+lamps and stole to the big desk at the top of the room. Then came a
+slight click and the top was rolled back, and he could see the two
+bending over the interior, searching for something.</p>
+
+<p>"Here we are!" whispered Elgert, as he took up a neat little roll of
+papers. "Mind your fingers, silly!"&mdash;and he let the top of the desk
+down with the greatest care. "You see how easy it is."</p>
+
+<p>"Best blow out the lamps until we get to the class-room," suggested
+Dobson. "Some one might see them. You never know." And Elgert, willing
+enough to take every precaution, complied.</p>
+
+<p>"We will precious soon spoil Rexworth's chances now!" he laughed
+softly; and Charlton understood&mdash;or thought that he did. They were
+going to destroy Ralph's answers, and they should not do it!</p>
+
+<p>Regardless of secrecy or of self, he sprang from the darkness; and,
+before either of the startled boys could realize what had happened, he
+had snatched that roll of paper from Elgert's grasp.</p>
+
+<p>"You sha'n't have them!" he said aloud. "You want to destroy them, and
+you shall not have them!"</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_257" id="Page_257">[Pg 257]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Charlton!" cried Elgert, in furious rage; and forgetful of all
+precaution, he struck a savage blow at him, which sent him spinning
+backwards over a form with a crash.</p>
+
+<p>"Keep quiet! You will rouse the whole school!" cried Dobson in terror.
+"Hark! I hear some one coming. Run&mdash;run, I say, or we shall be found
+here!" And Elgert, awakening to the danger of the position, glided away
+with him, as voices were heard calling and asking what was the matter.</p>
+
+<p>"What shall we do now?" groaned Dobson; but his companion answered in a
+fierce whisper&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Quick&mdash;get back to your room and pull off your clothes, as if you had
+just slipped out of bed. Be quick! Then come out on to the landing, as
+if you were only half awake. They are certain to catch him, and we must
+declare that we know nothing of it. He has the papers in his hand, and
+it is our word against his, and appearances are upon our side."</p>
+
+<p>Dobson nodded, and hastily dragging off his clothes, he sat on the edge
+of his bed, and called aloud: "Who is there?" That roused the others;
+and he asserted that he had been scared by a noise downstairs. Up
+tumbled Warren and Ralph and some more, and Charlton's bed was seen to
+be empty.</p>
+
+<p>Then the Fifth Form boys, aroused by Elgert, came out on the landing,
+only to be met by one of the masters, who quietly said that nothing was
+wrong, and directed them all to go back to bed again.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_258" id="Page_258">[Pg 258]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Nothing wrong! Go back to bed! But why was Charlton's bed empty? And
+what did that glimpse of the boy, in the custody of Kesterway, the head
+monitor, mean? Ralph looked at Warren in dismay. Whatever mischief had
+Fred Charlton been up to?</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_259" id="Page_259">[Pg 259]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><span>CHAPTER XXVIII</span> <span class="smaller">THE NEXT DAY</span></h2>
+
+<p>"Believe it! Of course we don't believe it. And I do not think that
+the Head does, either. You cheer up, old fellow! I know you were only
+trying to serve me; but you were silly to go without waking Warren, or
+myself."</p>
+
+<p>The speaker was Ralph, and he addressed his chum Charlton, who was a
+prisoner. A prisoner, that is, inasmuch as the Head had forbidden him
+to go out into the playground until he had thoroughly gone into the
+incidents of the previous night.</p>
+
+<p>It was all very well for Ralph to say "cheer up," but Charlton did not
+feel very cheerful. His sensitive nature shrank from the position in
+which he found himself, and his heart revolted at the wicked falsehoods
+which were told so calmly by both Dobson and Elgert. Besides, he was
+kept in, and that afternoon he had hoped to get across to see how his
+father was getting on.</p>
+
+<p>And though we, who know the truth, may wonder how it was that the Head
+should do this, still, the doctor himself did not know the truth, and
+he could<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_260" id="Page_260">[Pg 260]</a></span> hardly think that two lads would tell such wicked deliberate
+lies; and, moreover, everything pointed to Charlton being guilty.</p>
+
+<p>Dr. Beverly had been sitting up late, deep in a learned work with
+which he was greatly interested, when he had heard the noise in his
+class-room, followed by the voice of the head monitor, calling from
+above, and asking what was the matter; and he had hurried out&mdash;to find
+Charlton lying half dazed on the floor, having apparently fallen over a
+form and struck his head; and in his hand was Ralph's examination paper.</p>
+
+<p>Charlton being a nervous boy, his very manner seemed guilty when the
+Head had questioned him; and his story seemed to be false, for upon
+Dr. Beverly hurrying upstairs, Elgert was found with only his trousers
+on, as if he had just slipped out of bed, and Dobson was the same.
+Moreover, the boys in the Fifth declared that Elgert was sitting up in
+bed when they were aroused; and even Ralph and Warren had to own that
+Dobson appeared as if he had only just woke up.</p>
+
+<p>And both Dobson and Elgert declared that they had never been
+downstairs, and that Charlton had invented the story.</p>
+
+<p>So, still under the suspicion, he was kept in, and Ralph and Warren
+seized the first opportunity of going to comfort him.</p>
+
+<p>"If the Head knew them as well as we do, he would not be in much doubt
+about things," was Warren's<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_261" id="Page_261">[Pg 261]</a></span> verdict. "Don't you worry, old chap! We
+know you would not do anything to harm Ralph."</p>
+
+<p>"I wanted to go and see my father this afternoon," sighed Charlton; and
+Ralph answered&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Never mind. I will go. Tom will come with me."</p>
+
+<p>"I am awfully sorry, but I cannot," the monitor put in. "I would in a
+minute, but I promised mother to go round for her to my aunt's, and I
+must not disappoint her."</p>
+
+<p>"Of course not," said Ralph immediately. "Well, I will go alone, and
+explain to your father, old chap; so don't you worry about that any
+more. I wish, though, that I could see some way of bringing this home
+to those two, but I confess that I don't."</p>
+
+<p>"Wait a bit. Give them a rope long enough and they will hang
+themselves!" growled Warren. "Now, buck up, Charlton, and don't let
+them think that you are beaten!" And with that the two had to leave
+their chum, and Charlton felt decidedly comforted.</p>
+
+<p>And, after school, Tom Warren went off to obey his mother's desire; and
+Ralph, true to his promise, started on his journey to the man hiding in
+the old ruin away by Crab Tree Hill; and the rest of the boys prepared
+to spend their time according to their own inclinations.</p>
+
+<p>Jimmy Green and his chum Tinkle had made their plans. They were going
+fishing. It is sometimes a matter for wonder why small boys will go
+fishing,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_262" id="Page_262">[Pg 262]</a></span> seeing that they seldom catch any fish, and don't know what
+to do with them if by chance they manage to secure a few. Still, that
+matters nothing. Jimmy and Tinkle were going fishing, and were busily
+preparing a wonderful and fearful assortment of tackle and bait. Bait!
+They had worms several inches long, and what they called paste&mdash;a
+fearsome concoction of bread and clay kneaded together into little
+balls. And they had a landing-net. We mention this for two reasons.
+First, because of its size&mdash;it would have held a small salmon&mdash;and then
+because it was destined to aid in landing some queer fish. We may not
+say of what kind yet&mdash;but the point to remember is that they had the
+landing-net.</p>
+
+<p>And Jimmy Green and his chum were discussing the problem of Charlton's
+guilt, and their small minds appeared to be fully made up.</p>
+
+<p>"I just believe every word he says!" declared Green; and Tinkle nodded
+his fat little head.</p>
+
+<p>"So do I!" he said.</p>
+
+<p>"Those two chaps are awful cads&mdash;dreadful cads!" continued Green,
+with much warmth; and again Tinkle nodded. He did not believe in the
+exertion of talking, unless it was absolutely necessary.</p>
+
+<p>"I wonder," he said slowly, as he pushed back a particularly lively
+worm into the bait-tin&mdash;"I wonder, Jimmy, if we ought to tell what we
+know about that note? I often wonder that." But Jimmy was still firm
+upon that point.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_263" id="Page_263">[Pg 263]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"What's the good? If we had the note now we might do it. But suppose
+they treat us as they have treated Charlton, and say they did not go
+there? How are we to prove it? And we let out that we have been there
+ourselves. It ain't no good, Tinkle. I would tell if I thought it was;
+but it isn't, and there is no getting away from it."</p>
+
+<p>"I suppose it ain't," was Tinkle's regretful answer. "Well, come on,
+Jimmy! I think we have got everything we want, and we may as well have
+all the time we can."</p>
+
+<p>"Where shall we go?" inquired Jimmy Green.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, the pool below Becket Weir," answered Tinkle; "where Elgert nearly
+got drowned."</p>
+
+<p>"Very well; come on, and let us see if we have any luck." And the two
+young anglers set out, little dreaming what a very queer fish they were
+going to catch that day.</p>
+
+<p>And what of Elgert and Dobson? Mean lads that they were, they were
+delighted, and congratulated themselves upon their astuteness. True,
+they had not got possession of Ralph's papers, and had failed in so far
+as spoiling his chances for the medal went; but they had got Charlton
+into fine disgrace.</p>
+
+<p>It was wonderfully smart upon their parts, they thought; and, as if to
+add to their good fortune, Dobson had a little scrap of paper brought
+to him by a town urchin&mdash;a message from Brown of the cake-shop, to the
+effect that the latter had been successful<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_264" id="Page_264">[Pg 264]</a></span> in obtaining the "article"
+he had inquired about; but that the price would be seven pounds for it,
+cash down.</p>
+
+<p>Seven pounds! Elgert growled at that, but the note must be got again at
+any cost; and so Dobson was given the sum required, and dispatched upon
+his errand.</p>
+
+<p>He wanted Elgert to go with him, for company, but Elgert was too
+cunning for that. He had kept out of the business all along, and he did
+not mean to be seen in it now. To be sure, he had been with Dobson to
+inquire about it in the first place, but he had no fear that the man
+would betray him. Dobson had done the changing, and Dobson should do
+the buying, and bring the note back to him.</p>
+
+<p>"I cannot come," he said, in answer to the boy's remonstrance. "I
+expect our man over with a letter from my father, and I want to stay
+here to get it. You must go alone. It won't take you long. Hurry back,
+for I shall not go out until you return."</p>
+
+<p>"I always have to do the work," grumbled Dobson. "It is a horrid long
+way to go alone."</p>
+
+<p>"Get out! Have not I found the money? And as to a long way, you don't
+make much fuss about that if you think that you are going to be treated
+to tarts. You clear off, and look sharp; and thank your lucky stars
+that we have got out of the mess so nicely, for I confess that I did
+not think that we were going to manage it!"</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_265" id="Page_265">[Pg 265]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>So Dobson set off, and Horace Elgert turned back to the playground,
+to await his return with what patience he could; and there the Head
+himself came upon him, and stopped, and placed one hand upon his
+shoulder, looking searchingly into his face.</p>
+
+<p>"I am glad that I have met you alone, Elgert," the doctor said. "For
+I want to speak to you very seriously. I want to speak to you about
+Charlton."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, sir?" said the boy inquiringly. It was wonderful how calmly and
+innocently he spoke. "What about him, sir&mdash;has he owned that his story
+is false?"</p>
+
+<p>"Not so, Elgert. Nor am I satisfied that it is false, Elgert. Are you
+satisfied that it is?"</p>
+
+<p>"Why, sir, of course I am!" he answered, staring up as if unable to
+comprehend the Head's meaning, though he knew it well enough.</p>
+
+<p>"Elgert, there is an old Book with an old law, which says: 'Thou shalt
+not bear false witness against thy neighbour.' In face of such a solemn
+command, are you still sure that Charlton's story is false?"</p>
+
+<p>"You don't mean to say that I and Dobson were there taking those
+papers, do you, sir?" he queried indignantly. "Ah, I see how it is!
+You believe his word. I don't think that quite fair, sir. Consider the
+difference between his surroundings and mine. Which will most likely
+speak the truth&mdash;the son of a man wanted by the police, or the son of a
+nobleman like my father?"</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_266" id="Page_266">[Pg 266]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"You still adhere to your statement, Elgert?" said the Head, taking no
+notice of the latter part of his speech. And Elgert answered at once&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Of course I do, sir!"</p>
+
+<p>"Then," said the Head, "I have no option but to be guided by
+circumstances, and they all point to Charlton being guilty." And with
+that he turned away.</p>
+
+<p>Elgert felt anxious and angry. What right had the Head to suspect
+him of telling lies, or to doubt his honour? It is wonderful how
+dishonourable people will talk of their honour. And suppose the Head
+got Dobson, and began to question him. He must warn the fellow to be on
+guard against that.</p>
+
+<p>The man he expected did not come. Elgert was angry. He told himself
+that Dobson was taking double the time he need; and when at last his
+companion returned, he asked very shortly&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Well, have you got it?"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes; here it is, all safe. It is delightful to feel that danger is
+past!"</p>
+
+<p>"A danger of your own making," retorted Elgert. "A danger that I have
+had to pay for, and that has cost you nothing. And you look here! The
+Head has been questioning me. He is suspicious, and preaches about
+false witnessing. Mind what you are at if he begins on you; for if you
+let anything out I will pay you out for it. You had better clear off
+now, to be out of his way."</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_267" id="Page_267">[Pg 267]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Dobson complied readily enough. The last thing he wanted was for the
+Head to carpet him. And then Horace Elgert, the note safe in his
+pocket-book, put on his hat and went out. He was enraged that his man
+had not been, and was going home to give him a good rating; and he, to
+take a short cut, must go past Becket Weir, where Tinkle and Green had
+gone to fish.</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_268" id="Page_268">[Pg 268]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><span>CHAPTER XXIX</span> <span class="smaller">WHAT TINKLE AND GREEN CAUGHT</span></h2>
+
+<p>"There don't seem to be much sport," said Tinkle to Green, as they
+sat side by side on the river bank, casting longing glances at their
+floats. Tinkle's bobbed under, and he pulled up sharply&mdash;he had hooked
+a fine piece of weed, the tenth catch of the kind he had made.</p>
+
+<p>"Bother!" said Green, putting down the landing-net, which he had seized
+to be in readiness to help his friend. "I am jolly well sick of it. Let
+us drop it."</p>
+
+<p>Tinkle agreed; the rod was taken to pieces and the lines put away, and
+then the pair stood up.</p>
+
+<p>"Ugh&mdash;ah-r-r!" sighed Tinkle. "Don't it make you cramped, and&mdash;&mdash; I
+say, Green, there's a man coming, and by gum, I believe it's that
+Elgert's man&mdash;the chap we saw in the cake-shop!"</p>
+
+<p>"So it is," was Green's answer. "And look how he is sauntering. Perhaps
+he is going to meet some one."</p>
+
+<p>"Let us hide," suggested Tinkle eagerly, "in the old boathouse. We may
+hear some more secrets."</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_269" id="Page_269">[Pg 269]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Green made no objection on the score of eavesdropping; the two
+boys, bending low, darted across the towing-path, and into an old,
+dilapidated, wooden building, now fast falling to decay, that had once
+done duty as a boathouse.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, I say, here comes Elgert himself!" said Green excitedly, peeping
+through a hole. "Don't make a sound. I believe&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"Oh," interrupted Tinkle, in consternation, "they are coming in here!
+Oh, what ever shall we do?"</p>
+
+<p>"Be quiet, you silly. Hide! Down you go flat under that old boat. Hold
+up the end while I creep under; and whatever you do, don't sneeze. Mind
+the net, and&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>His words were cut short by the boat slipping from Tinkle's hands and
+extinguishing them both. They lay side by side. They were quite safe,
+for it was most unlikely that Elgert or the man would look beneath it.</p>
+
+<p>One of the planks had started, and they could hear plainly, and even
+see a good deal of the interior of the place. They did see&mdash;saw Elgert
+and the man enter; and Horace Elgert sat down on the top of that boat.</p>
+
+<p>"If I only had a pin!" muttered Green. And Tinkle dug him in the ribs
+and breathed in his ear&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Be quiet, or I will punch your head when I get you out!"</p>
+
+<p>"You are an impertinent rascal!" was Elgert's<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_270" id="Page_270">[Pg 270]</a></span> first polite remark.
+"But don't you forget the book I have, with the confession in it. It
+may get you into trouble yet."</p>
+
+<p>"And don't you forget, Mr. Horace, that it was your own father who
+put me up to it. He wanted Charlton got out of the way, and he showed
+me how to make a hundred pounds for myself, and make an innocent man
+get the blame. I haven't had a single day's peace of mind since. My
+conscience has accused me."</p>
+
+<p>"Your conscience! Where do you keep it?" laughed Elgert, while the ears
+of the two hidden boys were strained to their utmost. "A pretty sort of
+fellow you are. My father put you up to it! How can you prove that?"</p>
+
+<p>"I cannot," was the sulky answer. "He was too clever for that. I wrote
+the truth in my pocket-book&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"Like the ass you are! What good would that do to you, or to Charlton?"</p>
+
+<p>"It did no good. But it made me feel better, even to confess it like
+that. You stole the book&mdash;you, a fine gentleman! You stole it from my
+coat!"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes; it was safer in my keeping than in yours. Such things are
+dangerous if they are left lying about."</p>
+
+<p>"And you have used it as a threat to me ever since; and have ordered me
+about as if I were a dog!" was the angry retort. And Elgert laughed.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_271" id="Page_271">[Pg 271]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"I have found it useful certainly. And, my man, do you see that scar on
+the back of your hand? It was a bad cut, I think. How did you manage
+it?"</p>
+
+<p>The man, with a swift motion, put his hand in his pocket.</p>
+
+<p>"I cut it," he said. And Elgert laughed again.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes. Do you know what housebreaking is? I suppose you know nothing of
+some one who broke into the school, the beginning of this term; and
+who was found near my bed, with a pillow; it looked very much as if he
+were going to try and kill me by smothering me. I wonder what that man
+wanted. He was frightened away by one of our boys, and he cut his hand
+getting over the wall. I wonder who that man was?"</p>
+
+<p>"You know it was me. I would have done it, too, if I had not been
+found. I was frightened then, but I am not now. I am not in your power
+any more."</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, and what has happened to change things?" inquired Horace Elgert
+mockingly.</p>
+
+<p>"This," said the man fiercely. "If I have done wrong, what about you?
+There was a five-pound note stolen at your school&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"What do you know about that?" cried Elgert quickly.</p>
+
+<p>"I know that it was changed in the town by your friend; and I know that
+you and he went to buy it back, and paid far more than it was worth for
+it, and&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_272" id="Page_272">[Pg 272]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"And having got it back, there the thing ends," laughed Horace; but the
+man laughed also.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, yes, you got it back; but not before I had photographed it! I have
+the negative here, a beautiful negative that will enlarge."</p>
+
+<p>Elgert regarded him in silent fury.</p>
+
+<p>"Well," he said, altering his tone, "what do you want for it? I suppose
+you are trying to make money?"</p>
+
+<p>"My book&mdash;the one you stole. If it is just as it was when I had it,
+you shall have this; if it is torn or damaged, then I take this to the
+police."</p>
+
+<p>"You are smarter than I thought," answered Elgert blandly; but oh, in
+his heart, how he determined that in some way he would make this man
+suffer! "Well, here is the book. You can see it is not harmed."</p>
+
+<p>The man snatched the book which the boy took from his pocket, and ran
+to the door to get all the light he could, as he eagerly glanced inside.</p>
+
+<p>"It is all right," he said. "Here is the negative." And he handed it
+to Elgert. "And now you go!"&mdash;this to the book. "You have caused me
+trouble enough. Go where no one can get at you!" And, in a fit of rage,
+he threw it into the river; and then he turned back to the boy.</p>
+
+<p>"Get it again, if you can!" he laughed. "My word is as good as yours,
+now; and while you have the negative, you have not got the prints I
+took from<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_273" id="Page_273">[Pg 273]</a></span> it. You are in my power now, Mr. Horace, and you had best be
+civil, or there will be trouble." And with that he turned and hurried
+off, leaving Horace Elgert alone, white with passion and fear.</p>
+
+<p>"I need not fear him," he muttered. "It only means paying enough, and I
+shall get them. This can go, the water will soon wash the film off."</p>
+
+<p>He skimmed the negative away, but it slipped from his fingers and fell
+into shallow water. He did not trouble; in less than an hour it would
+be washed clean away. Then Horace Elgert produced a book from his
+pocket, and this he, having tied a stone to it, also threw into the
+river; then, finally, he took that dreadful banknote from his pocket,
+and, striking a match, he set it alight and watched it burn to ashes.
+Then, hands in pockets, he sauntered off, and Tinkle and Green crept
+from their refuge.</p>
+
+<p>"We must get back," said Green. "We shall be late."</p>
+
+<p>"Get back be bothered!" rejoined Tinkle eagerly. "We are going to fish
+again. Be careful. Here, hold open your book&mdash;I see one in your pocket!"</p>
+
+<p>Tinkle carefully picked up all the grey, fluffy ash of that burnt
+banknote, and placed it between the leaves.</p>
+
+<p>"My father says that banknotes have a queer ash, and we may want to
+show this. Now let us see if we can get those things out of the river.
+That negative seemed to fall close in."</p>
+
+<p>"I see it!" cried Green, pointing into the water.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_274" id="Page_274">[Pg 274]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Look, there it is, out on that patch of white sand&mdash;see, there!"</p>
+
+<p>A clever stroke or two with the landing-net, and then the little square
+of glass was in their hands. It was scratched somewhat, but unbroken.
+Tinkle laid it on the grass carefully.</p>
+
+<p>"That is one," he said. "Now let us try for the others."</p>
+
+<p>He weighted his line heavily, and started. He fished and fished, and at
+last he was rewarded&mdash;up came the pocket-book; and soon after, up came
+another book with a stone tied to it.</p>
+
+<p>"It is a crib," pronounced Tinkle. "Come on, Green; we are in an awful
+mess, and we are in for a caning, I suppose; but we have caught our
+fish, and I don't care a bit."</p>
+
+<p>The two boys raced back to the school, and they were accosted in the
+playground by Warren.</p>
+
+<p>"Hallo, you two kids! Where have you been, and how did you get into
+that state?" the monitor asked. "You are over an hour late. Have you
+seen anything of Rexworth?"</p>
+
+<p>"No, Warren. Isn't he in? We wanted him. Oh, we have got something to
+tell him!"</p>
+
+<p>"You will have something to tell the doctor," answered Warren grimly.
+"He is bound to want to know what you have been up to."</p>
+
+<p>"Don't go, Warren. Do listen to us. It concerns Rexworth and Charlton.
+We know about Elgert."</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_275" id="Page_275">[Pg 275]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"What is that?" cried Warren, turning. "What do you mean?" And the
+boys, with many "you sees" and "you knows," told their story, and
+exhibited their treasures.</p>
+
+<p>"Here, you come with me!" said Warren. "You are a pair of little
+bricks. Come with me!"</p>
+
+<p>"Where to, Warren?" they asked, as he hurried on&mdash;not in the direction
+of their room, but towards the Head's house. "Where are we going?"</p>
+
+<p>"To the Head himself. He must deal with this. Don't you be frightened.
+I don't think he will punish you for being late, after he knows what
+kept you. Come on and speak up like men!"</p>
+
+<p>"Why, Warren!" exclaimed Dr. Beverly, in mild surprise, when the
+monitor of the Fourth entered his presence, accompanied by the two
+little draggled objects. "What is this? Have these boys been in the
+river? Take them to the housekeeper at once. They are soaking wet!"</p>
+
+<p>"They won't hurt for a minute or two more. They have something to tell
+you, sir&mdash;something I thought that you ought to hear before any one
+else."</p>
+
+<p>"Indeed!" said the Head. "And what is it? Speak quickly, and let them
+go; they will catch bad colds."</p>
+
+<p>So Warren told the story for them, and placed their catch before the
+Head. And Dr. Beverly, great man as he was, shook these two happy
+juniors by the hand, and called them clever boys, and dismissed them
+to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_276" id="Page_276">[Pg 276]</a></span> revel in special tea in the matron's room after he had strictly
+enjoined both them and the monitor not to say a word of this, even to
+Charlton or Ralph Rexworth.</p>
+
+<p>But Ralph had not come home, and it was getting late now. He had been
+long enough to get to Crab Tree Hill and back twice over. What could
+have happened to Ralph Rexworth?</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_277" id="Page_277">[Pg 277]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><span>CHAPTER XXX</span> <span class="smaller">WHAT DETAINED RALPH REXWORTH</span></h2>
+
+<p>Ralph Rexworth stood in the old ruin, looking very perplexed. He could
+not find Mr. Charlton anywhere. He had whistled, and called, and
+searched, but not a trace of the hiding man could he discover.</p>
+
+<p>He felt anxious. What could it mean? Had the hiding-place been
+discovered, and his chum's unfortunate parent again been taken
+prisoner? Unless that was the case, he was at a loss to account for the
+man's absence.</p>
+
+<p>"It is no use waiting any longer," he mused, after he had searched the
+ruin through for the third time. "He has not hurt himself and fallen
+anywhere in here. He must have been alarmed, and have fled, unless he
+is taken. Poor old Fred will be horribly worried when I go back and
+tell him; but there is nothing else for me to do, and I shall be late
+back, as it is."</p>
+
+<p>He sighed. His friend's anxiety for his parent would be something like
+what he felt for his missing father. It made Ralph think of that again,
+and of the strange cry which he had heard in that place.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_278" id="Page_278">[Pg 278]</a></span> He could not
+understand that. As he stood there he felt an uncontrollable impulse to
+penetrate to that lonely house again, to risk meeting the dogs, and to
+try the effects of his call once more.</p>
+
+<p>"I am bound to be late, anyhow," he muttered, "so here goes." And he
+set off. Perhaps he might meet Charlton's father in the wood.</p>
+
+<p>But&mdash;he stopped suddenly&mdash;what did this mean? There, on the soft
+ground, were those tracks once more! Lord Elgert's lame mare had been
+here! Did that mean that Lord Elgert himself had been; or had he lent
+his trap to the police again, and had they managed to run their victim
+down?</p>
+
+<p>The tracks did not touch the ruin; they began some way from it, and
+swept round the spinny towards that lonely house. For Ralph to follow
+them was but child's play. He had hardly to slacken his pace a bit, so
+plainly the marks were to be seen on the soft, little-trodden earth.
+They guided him to the spinny&mdash;to a little path cut through it, of
+which he had been ignorant before&mdash;right up to the house itself; and
+there, standing before the open door, was Lord Elgert's trap and the
+lame mare. It was not to the ruin, but to that mysterious house that
+the trap had been driven. But why? Ah, how Ralph asked himself that
+question, and how impossible it was to find an answer to it!</p>
+
+<p>Lord Elgert seemed to have hated his father. Lord Elgert was here,
+and he had heard his father's signal<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_279" id="Page_279">[Pg 279]</a></span> in this place. Ralph, crouching
+behind the trees, uttered his old call, and then listened with almost
+breathless attention.</p>
+
+<p>Yes. There&mdash;there, muffled but indistinct, the answer came! It came
+from the house. His father was there, and his father was in Lord
+Elgert's power!</p>
+
+<p>Ralph's first impulse was to dash forward; but he paused. He must
+be cautious here. He remained hiding, waiting to see if any one had
+noticed his call, and his prudence was rewarded by seeing Lord Elgert
+himself come to the door, accompanied by the brutal-looking man whom he
+had seen before, and glance anxiously round.</p>
+
+<p>Then the two seemed to consult; and presently the man went away, to
+return with a couple of great tawny hounds, both of which he let loose.
+Ralph's heart stood still. What could he do against those fierce
+brutes? The man and Lord Elgert went in, and the dogs roamed round.
+They had not struck his scent yet; but presently they would do so, and
+then it would be a hard business for him.</p>
+
+<p>Ralph was preparing to cautiously creep away, when he heard a shout
+from the house&mdash;a cry for help, and in his father's voice! That put all
+else out of his head, and he dashed like a deer across the grass and
+into the open door of that house. His father was there; his father was
+crying for help, and he would stand by his side!</p>
+
+<p>The dogs saw, and raised a deep-voiced bay. He<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_280" id="Page_280">[Pg 280]</a></span> slammed the door and
+shut them out, then darted along in the direction of the sounds he had
+heard.</p>
+
+<p>They came from a room on the first floor and he rushed in, and
+there&mdash;there his father struggled in the grasp of Lord Elgert and
+his fierce companion. Mr. Rexworth had evidently been kept a captive
+by being bound to the wall by a stout chain; and one of his arms was
+swathed in dirty bandages, as though he was hurt.</p>
+
+<p>Whether his captors wished to bind him still more securely, or whether
+it was that they sought to convey him somewhere else, Ralph did not
+know. He saw his father with his back to the wall, brandishing a stool
+in one hand. He saw the man rush in, dodge the blow, and strike his
+father down; and then, with a cry of rage, he sprang forward, seizing a
+heavy stick that lay on the table, and struck wildly at the aggressor.
+Alas! what could one stripling like he do against two such men? They
+both turned, and Ralph received a heavy blow upon the temple; and then
+all was darkness, and he knew nothing more.</p>
+
+<p>But when he opened his eyes, where was he? What had happened? Why could
+he not move?</p>
+
+<p>He strove to rise. He felt giddy and sick, and his head ached and
+throbbed dreadfully. Why he was bound&mdash;bound hand and foot, and he was
+stretched upon the floor!</p>
+
+<p>He rolled on his side. His father lay back against<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_281" id="Page_281">[Pg 281]</a></span> the wall, but his
+chain was gone. He was only secured with a rope, in the same manner
+that Ralph was fastened. But his eyes were closed, and his face was
+very white. A dreadful fear filled the lad's mind&mdash;that he had come too
+late, that his father was really dead now.</p>
+
+<p>For a few minutes he lay still, quietly trying the strength of his
+bonds. He knew that knots hastily tied could frequently be worked
+loose; but, alas, it was a vain hope in his case! Those who had secured
+him had done their work well.</p>
+
+<p>And then suddenly he became aware of a hot, choky feeling in the air,
+and a sound of crackling. He struggled into a sitting posture, and&mdash;oh,
+horrible, horrible!&mdash;the room was full of smoke. The place was on fire,
+and he and his dear father were there, helpless and bound, left to
+perish in the flames!</p>
+
+<p>What wonder that terror claimed him for the moment? Who would not
+flinch then in such an awful position?</p>
+
+<p>"Father! Father!" he cried; but the prostrate man returned no answer.
+He lay silent, motionless. Ralph rolled over and over to his side.
+Alas, what good would that do? He managed to struggle to his feet by
+supporting himself in an angle of the room, and he gazed around. The
+smoke was growing worse&mdash;he could hardly breathe when he stood up&mdash;and
+hot puffs of air were forcing themselves through the flooring and
+whirling along the passage and through<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_282" id="Page_282">[Pg 282]</a></span> the door of the room&mdash;the door
+which was cracking and glowing red now, ready to burst into flame.</p>
+
+<p>Oh, was there no help, no succour? If only his faithful Warren or dear
+old Charlton knew of his peril, how they would come to his aid! Alas,
+they were far away, and they did not know.</p>
+
+<p>But what was that? A sound outside! A shout, and the dogs barking and
+raging more than ever, in a perfect fury of anger. Then a smashing of
+glass. Had the fire broken the windows? No. A form rising above the
+sill, a man who staggered as the hot smoke met him, and who bent down
+on all fours to creep across the room&mdash;a man who cried aloud&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Ralph Rexworth, are you here? Are you here?"</p>
+
+<p>It was Mr. Charlton; it was Mr. Charlton come to his aid. Oh, what a
+swift rush of thanksgiving filled Ralph's heart then!</p>
+
+<p>"Here, here!" he answered. "I am tied up; I cannot move. And father is
+here, too; he is senseless." And Mr. Charlton was by his side in a few
+moments.</p>
+
+<p>"Thank God you are unharmed," he said, as he drew his knife across
+the ropes that held Ralph prisoner. "I saw you enter, and I feared
+mischief; and when those two came out and drove off, I knew not what to
+think. There are two brutes of dogs there, and they prevented my trying
+to get in. Then I saw the smoke and flame, and I knew what they had
+done. I grew desperate, and made a dash for it.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_283" id="Page_283">[Pg 283]</a></span> The dogs almost got
+me, but I managed to get into a tree that grew close to the house; and
+I passed along one branch to the top of the verandah, and so worked my
+way round. It was risky, for if I had slipped those two brutes would
+have been on me in a moment."</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Charlton was not idle while he was talking. He had set Ralph free,
+and had cut the ropes that held Mr. Rexworth, who now opened his eyes
+and stared around in bewilderment.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh father, father!" cried Ralph. "Thank God that you are alive! Try
+and rouse yourself, father dear. We are in great danger. The house is
+on fire, and if we do not get away quickly we must all perish."</p>
+
+<p>"Ralph, what is it! How did you come?" the father asked vacantly. And
+Mr. Charlton shook him.</p>
+
+<p>"Never mind that now, friend!" he cried. "The fire is upon us. Ah, see
+there!"&mdash;as the door fell with a crash and a burst of flame swept in
+upon them. "We have not a moment to lose. Out you go, Ralph, and hold
+on like a limpet! Be ready to aid your father, that is all"&mdash;as Ralph
+scrambled through the window and managed to find footing on a narrow
+ledge that ran round the house. "Now, Mr. Rexworth, prove yourself
+a man. If you fall, the dogs won't give you a chance. Now, sir, for
+Heaven's sake, try!"</p>
+
+<p>"I will manage it all right, my good friend," answered Mr. Rexworth.
+The flame and smoke had<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_284" id="Page_284">[Pg 284]</a></span> recalled him to the immediate peril. "Just a
+hand through, that is all." And, summoning all his reserve of strength
+and resolution, he managed to get from the window, aided by Mr.
+Charlton in the room, and somewhat supported by Ralph behind him.</p>
+
+<p>Cautiously holding on with grim energy, the three managed to creep back
+to that point from which the rescuer had first started&mdash;the top of the
+verandah. But this was a position of great peril now; for the flames
+were breaking through it, and darting from the windows above it, and
+the melted lead of roof and gutter hissed and spluttered. It seemed
+death to go on; it was death to go back. And the two hounds below had
+followed them round, and now stood barking up at them.</p>
+
+<p>"We must risk it," panted Mr. Charlton. "Let me go first, and show you
+how to do it. If you step on the wall you can reach the branch of the
+tree in three strides. It seems very dreadful, but the peril is more
+apparent than real. Look!"</p>
+
+<p>He boldly jumped to the brickwork around which the fire darted. He took
+three quick firm steps, and was able to swing himself into the limb of
+the tree, safe from the fire's reach.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Rexworth followed by the same dangerous path. "Now, Ralph!" he
+cried. But almost as the words came the whole of the verandah, and the
+brickwork supporting it, fell in; and there Ralph was left clinging to
+that narrow protection of the wall.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_285" id="Page_285">[Pg 285]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>And the wall itself was cracking with the heat. He could not maintain
+his position for long. At any moment it might fall and cover him in its
+heated ruins.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Rexworth groaned in horror; Mr. Charlton looked on in dismay; and
+Ralph clung there, with death behind, and death above, and death&mdash;the
+worst death of all, red-eyed and lolling-tongued death&mdash;beneath
+awaiting him!</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_286" id="Page_286">[Pg 286]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><span>CHAPTER XXXI</span> <span class="smaller">THE TABLES ARE TURNED</span></h2>
+
+<p>"Ralph! Oh, my son!" cried Mr. Rexworth, as he saw the peril in which
+the brave lad stood. And the boy turned and looked at his father.</p>
+
+<p>"I cannot hold on here much longer, father," he said. "I shall have to
+drop, and take my chance with the dogs."</p>
+
+<p>"Wait&mdash;wait a moment, Ralph!" answered the agonized man. "Let me get
+down and attract their attention, and then you will have a chance."</p>
+
+<p>"Don't, don't father," implored Ralph. "What chance will you have with
+them with your arm hurt? I may manage it."</p>
+
+<p>"I will do it," volunteered Mr. Charlton; "I am uninjured. You stay
+here, sir."</p>
+
+<p>"Don't either of you do it!" cried Ralph, shifting his position a
+little so as to avoid the smoke if he could. "I am going to try and
+creep back a bit. I may find a better place."</p>
+
+<p>"It is useless, Ralph," was his father's answer. "The wall is cracking
+behind you. I can see the smoke coming through. Oh, if we only had a
+rope!"</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_287" id="Page_287">[Pg 287]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"A rope!" cried Mr. Charlton. "If a rope can aid in such an extremity,
+I can supply that; for I have kept a long one on my person in case I
+might be in need of it to escape from my own enemies."</p>
+
+<p>As he spoke he threw off his coat and waistcoat, and there, wound round
+his body, was a long but fine line, one quite long enough to serve the
+purpose of reaching to where Ralph clung, though he could not see of
+what avail it would be.</p>
+
+<p>But Mr. Rexworth saw. And, shouting to Ralph to keep up his courage and
+to look out, he threw one end of the rope&mdash;not to the boy&mdash;but up over
+another branch of the tree that was some height above them. Then he
+caught this end as it fell, and gave the other to Mr. Charlton, bidding
+him give one turn round the trunk and hold on with all his might. The
+other end he whirled round his head, and, with practised aim, he sent
+it to Ralph, who gripped at it with one hand, having to risk falling to
+earth as he did so.</p>
+
+<div class="center"><img src="images/i287.jpg" alt="With practised aim, he sent the rope to Ralph" /></div>
+
+<p class="bold">"<span class="smcap">With practised aim, he sent the rope to Ralph, who
+gripped it<br />with one hand.</span>" p. 287</p>
+
+<p>But, having got it, the rest was easy. He was able to swing across that
+fiery gulf which separated him from safety, and the next moment was
+safely beside his father, while the dogs ran to the tree and leaped
+against its trunk in vain rage. And almost at that moment the wall to
+which he had been clinging collapsed and fell in fiery ruin. A few
+moments sooner, and it would have carried the brave boy with it to his
+death.</p>
+
+<p>Safe so far, but still held prisoners by those dogs;<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_288" id="Page_288">[Pg 288]</a></span> and still with
+the flame and smoke blowing upon them. If the walls fell in their
+direction death might claim them after all.</p>
+
+<p>"If we only had some weapon to beat these brutes off with," said Mr.
+Charlton, as he looked down. But Mr. Rexworth replied&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"We had better remain here. The fire is sure to be seen, and help will
+arrive soon."</p>
+
+<p>Help! Yes, help for Ralph and his father. But what would that help mean
+to poor Mr. Charlton&mdash;what but being taken prisoner again? He sighed,
+but said nothing. He had done his best to help the boy who had helped
+him, and if that must be the price paid he would pay it.</p>
+
+<p>But Ralph had little idea of remaining perched in a tree. He saw that
+there was a weapon, and one which, in skilful hands, would prove very
+effective&mdash;one which he excelled in the use of.</p>
+
+<p>The rope was coiled in his hands, and a running noose was formed at
+one end. He crawled far out on the branch, and got a firm hold with
+his legs; then he gave his rope a whirl, and sent it flying downwards.
+And soon one of those great dogs was jerked into mid-air, and when it
+touched earth again it was dead&mdash;its neck was broken.</p>
+
+<p>They hauled it up and loosened the noose, letting the body fall heavily
+to the earth. And ere long the second animal had shared its fate, and
+there was nothing to hinder them from descending.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_289" id="Page_289">[Pg 289]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Nothing! No, that was not quite right. There was a desperate man, who
+had remained hidden, to see the result of his wicked work&mdash;a man whose
+face was dark with wrath, and whose heart was maddened with fear. For
+if these escaped unscathed, it meant the ruin of everything for him.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Charlton and Ralph had helped Mr. Rexworth to the ground, and
+either from weakness, or from the reaction of feeling, Mr. Rexworth
+staggered and sunk half swooning at the foot of the tree; while the
+other two bent over him anxiously.</p>
+
+<p>That was the chance. Lord Elgert and his brutal follower suddenly
+dashed from the shelter of the trees and rushed upon them. The man was
+armed with a rugged stick, and Lord Elgert had a heavily-loaded whip.
+It seemed as if the others were at their mercy; but Ralph's quick
+ear caught the sound of their approach, and with a cry of warning he
+started up. The others were almost upon them, and they were unarmed.
+The lad glanced around; at his feet one of the dead dogs lay; he seized
+it, he put out all his strength, and sent the heavy body direct at the
+pair, who, quite unprepared for such an unexpected assault, received it
+full in their faces.</p>
+
+<p>The man fell heavily, Lord Elgert turned and fled. And Ralph, with an
+eager cry, darted after him, rope in hand. The man who had treated his
+father thus should not escape him now.</p>
+
+<p>But now through the growth there came the crashing<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_290" id="Page_290">[Pg 290]</a></span> of heavy bodies,
+and loud shouts were raised. The fire had attracted attention, and
+people were rushing from Crab Tree village to see what was the cause.</p>
+
+<p>And not only villagers, but policemen&mdash;policemen who had patiently
+waited and watched, feeling sure that the man they wanted was still
+hiding in the locality. It was a constable who grabbed hold of Ralph's
+arm, and, pulling him up with a sudden jerk, demanded what he was doing
+and what had occasioned the fire.</p>
+
+<p>Ralph struggled. It was maddening to think that he was stopped while
+Lord Elgert was escaping. He did not stop to think that escape was next
+to impossible. He was accustomed to the ways of the wild plains, and
+there, if a man once got away, it was almost certain that no one would
+catch him again.</p>
+
+<p>"It was Lord Elgert who did it, and he is running away!" he cried. "My
+father is there. You know how he was missing, and we thought he had
+been murdered. Lord Elgert had him. He is here."</p>
+
+<p>"Whatever are you talking about, young man?" the constable demanded,
+perplexed at such a dramatic statement. But the sergeant, who had come
+up with a horse-constable interposed&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Don't stand there talking, man, see what is amiss!" The constable had
+let go of Ralph, and the mounted man had jumped from his horse. Ralph
+caught sight of a trap being driven at full speed over the moor. He
+had no need to ask who was in that. Lord Elgert<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_291" id="Page_291">[Pg 291]</a></span> was making good his
+escape. With a shout of anger and defiance, Ralph had sprung into the
+empty saddle and was off before a single man there could get over his
+surprise and hinder him.</p>
+
+<p>"There he goes, there he goes!" he shouted, pointing after the trap.
+"That is Lord Elgert, but I will ride him down!" And away he went,
+leaving the men open-mouthed.</p>
+
+<p>They found the two dead dogs, they found Mr. Rexworth, and alas! they
+found poor, patient Mr. Charlton. He might have attempted to escape,
+but he would not leave the injured man. Besides, it was no use now;
+there was nowhere else to hide, and he must be taken sooner or later.</p>
+
+<p>And after the galloping mare went Ralph, riding hard. It was
+like the old life once more&mdash;this wild gallop. He had ridden the
+half-wild broncho steeds of Texas, and he had no difficulty with this
+well-trained horse.</p>
+
+<p>On he went; on, on, near and nearer to the flying man in front. He
+saw Lord Elgert look back at him. A man against a boy! Surely the man
+need have no fear in such a contest! And yet Lord Elgert did fear. He
+had feared this boy from the very first time he had seen him in Stow
+Wood. He had feared him from the moment Ralph had cut that bullet
+from the tree, and from the time when he had heard him declare that
+he would never rest until he had solved the mystery of his father's
+disappearance. That mystery<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_292" id="Page_292">[Pg 292]</a></span> was solved, all his wicked devices were
+brought to naught, and now he was fleeing for life and for liberty,
+being hunted just as he had made the police hunt Mr. Charlton. The
+tables were being turned indeed!</p>
+
+<p>Nearer and nearer Ralph drew, and fiercer and more cruelly did the
+man lash the sides of his faithful little mare. Ralph stood up in his
+stirrups, and Lord Elgert looked at him over his shoulder. The boy had
+the rope in his hands. Ah, the very first thing he did when he had come
+to the place was to rope his black bull! Now he was going to serve him
+in the same way&mdash;to serve him as he had served the two dogs!</p>
+
+<p>Lord Elgert saw the arm of the boy sweep round his head, and he ducked.</p>
+
+<p>But Ralph had not aimed at him, he had a better plan than that. The
+noose settled over the little mare. Ralph pulled up, and braced himself
+for the shock which he knew would follow&mdash;a shock which nearly pulled
+him from his saddle. The mare went down, the trap was shattered,
+and Lord Elgert, totally unprepared&mdash;not even looking where he was
+going&mdash;was sent flying through the air to fall heavily, striking his
+temple against a rugged stump.</p>
+
+<p>Ralph was at the spot in a moment. The man was stunned and at his
+mercy. The rope had done its duty as a lasso, and was now used to bind
+Lord Elgert. Ralph felt no remorse or compunction about that. He must
+take this man to his father, and his father must declare what should
+next be done.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_293" id="Page_293">[Pg 293]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"He isn't much hurt," he muttered; "nor are you, you poor thing," he
+added, turning to the plunging mare. "There you are"&mdash;as he cut her
+free from the ruin of the trap. "Now I reckon that you can find your
+own way home, and, in the meantime, I will wait here."</p>
+
+<p>He placed his hands to his mouth, and gave his old wild call, and from
+the distance it was answered by his father. They would soon be here
+now. Ralph tethered the horse, and seated himself on the grass. Lord
+Elgert opened his eyes, and looked at him with an expression of the
+deepest hate; but Ralph little heeded that. His father was safe, and
+that was all he thought of then. Ralph Rexworth felt happier at that
+moment than he had done for many a day, and, paying no attention to his
+fallen foe, save to take care that he did not get free, he waited until
+the police, people, and Mr. Rexworth arrived upon the scene. Yes, the
+tables were turned now; and had he but known it, they were turned at
+school also.</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_294" id="Page_294">[Pg 294]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><span>CHAPTER XXXII</span> <span class="smaller">FLOGGED AND EXPELLED</span></h2>
+
+<p>"The whole school to assemble in the hall!"</p>
+
+<p>The order was received in every class-room, and masters and boys looked
+surprised. It was generally known that Ralph Rexworth had been absent
+all night, and that a message had been sent over to Mr. St. Clive's
+asking whether the boy had been detained there. It was also known that
+Charlton was in disgrace&mdash;that he had been accused of stealing Ralph's
+examination papers, for the purpose of correcting them from a crib.</p>
+
+<p>The idea was that it must be on one of these accounts that the school
+was summoned&mdash;either Ralph had got into trouble, or Charlton was to be
+punished.</p>
+
+<p>But there was no time for speculation. Into the hall the boys trooped,
+class by class&mdash;juniors, middle division, and seniors&mdash;their masters
+following, and their monitors leading the way; and there upon the
+doctor's desk an ominous object was to be seen&mdash;the school birch,
+rarely taken from its resting-place in the cupboard, rarely used, and,
+if the truth must be told, rarely needing to be used. Woe betide the
+unlucky boy who<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_295" id="Page_295">[Pg 295]</a></span> so far disgraced the honour of Marlthorpe as to render
+its presence needful, for what he got from the Head was as nothing to
+what he would receive from the angry scholars later on.</p>
+
+<p>"Silence!"</p>
+
+<p>Kesterway's voice rang out as Dr. Beverly entered and an expectant hush
+fell upon the whole school.</p>
+
+<p>"Frederick Charlton, stand out!"</p>
+
+<p>Charlton obeyed. Boys who knew how nervous he was were surprised to
+see him quite calm now. He moved forward towards the Head's desk and
+saluted; and then the Headmaster of Marlthorpe spoke.</p>
+
+<p>"Charlton, you were found in my class-room the other night, with
+Rexworth's examination papers in your hand. Tell the school your reason
+for being there!"</p>
+
+<p>The Head spoke shortly, but kindly, as if inviting the boy to be at
+ease; and Charlton told his story, and explained how he had seen Dobson
+and Elgert break open the desk.</p>
+
+<p>"The desk was unlocked. There was no need to break it open," the Head
+said; and then he turned to the other two boys, and asked them what
+they had to say.</p>
+
+<p>What they had to say indeed! Such indignant denials, and such plain
+statements that it was all up between Rexworth and Charlton.</p>
+
+<p>"Rexworth is detained, and cannot be here yet," said the Head quietly.
+"But we can proceed with this inquiry in his absence. Elgert and
+Dobson, stand out!"</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_296" id="Page_296">[Pg 296]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>And the two obeyed, ill at ease, wondering what was coming next, and
+casting suspicious looks at each other, as if each thought the other
+had turned informer.</p>
+
+<p>"Horace Elgert, did you ever see this before?" asked the Head.</p>
+
+<p>And Elgert turned white, for the doctor held out that wretched crib
+which he had thrown into the river.</p>
+
+<p>"No, sir," he answered, averting his eyes.</p>
+
+<p>And the same answer was asked of Dobson, who gave the same answer.</p>
+
+<p>"James Green! Henry Tinkle!" cried Kesterway.</p>
+
+<p>And the two small chums jumped up eagerly.</p>
+
+<p>"Explain how you became possessed of this crib," said the Head.</p>
+
+<p>Green spoke first, and Tinkle backed him up, and then a low angry hiss
+rang through the school, and Horace Elgert turned a pair of anxious,
+frightened eyes towards his companions.</p>
+
+<p>"Do you deny this story, Elgert?" asked the Head sternly.</p>
+
+<p>And the boy was silent. If those two juniors had picked up his book,
+had they picked up anything else?</p>
+
+<p>"There was a banknote missing some time ago," the Head went on. "You
+may remember that a note was found in Rexworth's pocket-book, and I
+showed how he had been the victim of a plot. The banknote that was
+stolen was never discovered; but I now know that it was changed by you,
+Dobson, at a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_297" id="Page_297">[Pg 297]</a></span> low cake shop in the town, and that afterwards it was
+bought back by you and Elgert from that man for far more than it was
+worth. That note, Elgert, you destroyed yesterday by burning it, and
+here are the ashes." And the Head produced the filmy ash still lying
+in <i>Tom Brown's Schooldays</i>. "But that note had been photographed,
+and you purchased the negative by giving to the person who held it a
+pocket-book which you had previously taken from him. The negative you
+also threw into the river, and the person you were with threw in the
+book which you had just restored to him. Do you deny these statements?"</p>
+
+<p>Still Elgert did not answer. He felt hot and cold by turns. He did not
+know where to turn his eyes. It was no use denying in the face of such
+proof.</p>
+
+<p>"You cannot answer!" the Head went on. "You, Dobson, what do you know
+of this?"</p>
+
+<p>"Oh&mdash;oh&mdash;oh!" yelled Dobson, clasping his hands, and falling upon
+his knees. "Oh, forgive me, sir! Oh, I will own up, sir! It was all
+Elgert's fault. He made me do it, sir! I never wanted to do it, sir! It
+is all true, every bit of it, sir! Oh&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"Silence!" cried the Head, in ill-disguised contempt. "No one can force
+another to do evil. You two boys have conspired together to injure
+the good name of a companion, whose only offence has been that he has
+tried to act a noble manly part amidst very difficult and adverse
+circumstances. You would have branded him a thief; and to do it you
+did not hesitate to <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_298" id="Page_298">[Pg 298]</a></span>become thieves yourselves. You have told the
+vilest lies&mdash;and you, Elgert, have done worse. It will be for other
+authorities to deal with this; but I will mention it here. You have
+allowed one of these boys&mdash;Charlton I mean&mdash;to suffer much torture
+because of his father's unhappy position. You knew that his father was
+innocent, and you held the proof of that, and&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>Then the Head stopped, for Charlton had turned very white. He had not
+known of the business of the pocket-book.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, sir," he said, "my father innocent! And he knew it, and&mdash;and&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>He put his hand to his head, and Kesterway sprang forward and caught
+him, or he would have fallen, for he fainted away; and the Head, with
+tears in his eyes, murmured&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Poor boy! Poor boy! Take him to the matron."</p>
+
+<p>They carried him out, and not one of those who had jeered at him but
+now felt sorry and ashamed, and full of anger against the two culprits,
+to whom the Head now turned again.</p>
+
+<p>"It is possible that others outside our school may have something to
+say to you about this business," he said. "That has nothing to do with
+me. I have only to deal with your offence as it touches the honour of
+the school and for that offence only the severest punishment can be
+inflicted&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>Whereat Dobson uttered a howl, and Elgert clenched<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_299" id="Page_299">[Pg 299]</a></span> his hands and
+looked desperate. The severest punishment! That was why the birch was
+there.</p>
+
+<p>"You will both be publicly flogged," continued the Head, "and then you
+will be expelled!"</p>
+
+<p>And at this a shout of approval went up. Marlthorpe was going to be
+avenged for the slight put upon its honour.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, mercy&mdash;mercy!" cried Dobson. "Oh, don't flog me, sir! I won't do
+it any more, and it was all Elgert's fault."</p>
+
+<p>Elgert looked at him in scorn. If he must be flogged, he would crave
+no mercy. He would show them that he did not care. But flogged! A gasp
+went round as the school porter and the man who kept the lodge came
+in. It was useless to resist, though Dobson kicked and struggled, and
+shouted in his anger and fear. The Head laid aside his gown, and took
+the rod; and then the sound of the hissing cuts came. Dobson was the
+first victim, and with the strokes came the yells&mdash;awful yells, for the
+Head did not spare him in the least, and Dobson plainly found himself
+in a very uncomfortable position.</p>
+
+<p>He was released at last, and then Elgert&mdash;the Honourable Horace
+Elgert&mdash;took his place. He bit his lips until the blood came, but he
+would not cry out. But oh, how he hated Ralph Rexworth then! If he
+could have hurt him&mdash;if he could have killed him, he would not have
+cared what they did to him afterwards.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_300" id="Page_300">[Pg 300]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>It was over at last. And he stood breathless, smarting, a mist before
+his eyes, until he caught sight of Tinkle's fat face; and he thought
+that Tinkle was grinning.</p>
+
+<p>Then, rage overcoming him, not thinking what he was doing, he rushed
+at the little fellow, and, had not Warren been near to prevent it, he
+would have knocked him down.</p>
+
+<p>And then, Head or no Head, Marlthorpe lost its calmness, and the boys
+sprang up, and surged forward at the two offenders&mdash;angry boys, with
+menacing eyes. Elgert's courage failed him then. He turned and ran, and
+Dobson went after him. In vain masters shouted, and the Head rang his
+bell. In vain Kesterway rushed after them. Not another monitor paid any
+attention. Out into the playground they streamed, and around it they
+chased the two boys.</p>
+
+<p>Around they went. They drove them to the small pond, and threw them in.
+They dragged them out, and hustled them, dripping and breathless, to
+the gates. The Head had no need to expel the pair.</p>
+
+<p>As Elgert and Dobson were thrown out a little party approached the
+gates; and from its number, one boy darted forward to throw himself
+between the two miserable victims and their pursuers, and that boy was
+Ralph Rexworth himself.</p>
+
+<p>"Here, I say, drop that! It is not fair!" giving Warren a shove
+backwards. "It isn't the right thing! Drop it, you fellows! And look
+out, here comes the Head!"</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_301" id="Page_301">[Pg 301]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Yes, the Head with his cane, and the masters with their canes, coming
+to insist upon order, and to show Marlthorpe that it could not be
+permitted to do just as it chose even with boys like Dobson and Elgert.
+It certainly looked as though some one was going to get caned just then.</p>
+
+<p>But Warren uttered a whoop.</p>
+
+<p>"Hallo, Ralph! Fellows, here is Rexworth turned up. Just too late to
+see the fun! You ought to have heard Dobby yell, my boy! It was lovely!"</p>
+
+<p>"Here is Rexworth!" echoed the boys.</p>
+
+<p>They pounced upon him. They grabbed arm or leg, whichever they could
+get hold of, and dragged him somehow upon their shoulders, and marched
+back triumphantly; while the Head and the masters did not know what to
+do.</p>
+
+<p>And behind Ralph came Mr. Rexworth, and Mr. St. Clive and Irene&mdash;a very
+radiant Irene&mdash;who whispered to Tom Warren that the gentleman with the
+injured arm was Ralph's father, and that he was Lord Rexworth, because
+he was the son of the old Lord Stephen, and his right name was Rexworth
+Stephen, and Ralph would be the Honourable Ralph Rexworth Stephen. She
+told it very excitedly, and Tom Warren whistled, and then yelled&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Three cheers for Ralph's father&mdash;Lord Rexworth Stephen! And three more
+cheers for the Honourable Ralph Rexworth Stephen! Come on, you fellows,
+out with it!"</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_302" id="Page_302">[Pg 302]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>What shouting and cheering there was then! And how, while Mr. Rexworth,
+as we will still call him, was talking to the Doctor, Ralph got nearly
+pulled to pieces. Why, they even forgot the birching in the excitement
+of Ralph's return. They had to hear his story, and how he had found
+his father; and then Warren explained how they had found out that Mr.
+Charlton was innocent.</p>
+
+<p>That was good news for Ralph&mdash;the best news that could possibly be&mdash;and
+escaping with Warren and Irene, he hurried across to the matron's
+house, and begged that he might see his chum.</p>
+
+<p>Charlton was all right, only he was so excited, and just a little
+inclined to cry. And he wanted to know where his father was; and when
+Ralph explained how Mr. Charlton had given himself up, he exclaimed&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, Ralph, let us go and explain! Let us go now!"</p>
+
+<p>"Come and tell my father. He will understand," said Ralph; but there
+was little need for telling.</p>
+
+<p>Already Mr. St. Clive had been informed, and he had hurried off at
+once. It would not be long before Mr. Charlton was a free man.</p>
+
+<p>And then Mr. Rexworth, seeing that there would be much to talk about,
+went back with Ralph and Irene and Charlton to Mr. St. Clive's house,
+there to tell his story, and explain how it was that he had become the
+prisoner of the man who had treated him so very cruelly.</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_303" id="Page_303">[Pg 303]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><span>CHAPTER XXXIII</span> <span class="smaller">CONCLUSION</span></h2>
+
+<p>Seated in the drawing-room at Mr. St. Clive's house, an interested
+party gathered around Mr. Rexworth to hear his story. And not only
+an interested party, but a happy one, for the trouble was gone, and
+the sun was shining for all there. It was no wonder that, even before
+stories were told, Mr. Rexworth should have said, "Let us all kneel
+and thank our Heavenly Father for His great mercy and goodness," nor
+that every heart should have been filled with devout gratitude as, with
+bent heads, they listened to the words of thanksgiving, for, like the
+psalmist of old, they could say, "God hath done great things for us,
+whereof we are glad."</p>
+
+<p>And so they sat, while Mr. Rexworth told his story, a story that had
+its moral, too, for it revealed how disobedience to a father might
+bring sore punishment afterwards.</p>
+
+<p>For, as we now know, Mr. Rexworth was the son of old Lord Stephen, and
+in his early days he had been wild and headstrong, and had frequently
+disobeyed his father's commands. And in that he had been aided<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_304" id="Page_304">[Pg 304]</a></span> by his
+cousin Elgert. For Elgert envied the young heir his position, and hoped
+to make a bad quarrel between the father and son.</p>
+
+<p>And he was successful. The quarrel came, and Mr. Rexworth had run away
+from home, dropping his name of Stephen, and going away to the wild
+plains of Texas, to indulge in the roving life for which he longed.
+But he soon found that it was not all pleasure&mdash;that hardship and
+disappointment followed, and that whether in England or away in wild
+lands, the best thing for a man was to be a follower of the Lord Jesus
+Christ.</p>
+
+<p>But he did not write to his father, for he believed that he would never
+be forgiven. And he met his wife, and married, and Ralph was born;
+and then he was content, and put all thoughts of the old home away,
+striving to bring his son up as a true Christian, even amidst their
+wild surroundings.</p>
+
+<p>But his wife, when she was dying, spoke seriously to her husband, for
+she knew the truth, and she said that their boy ought to come to his
+own; and so, because she wished it, for the first time Mr. Rexworth
+wrote home to his father.</p>
+
+<p>But Lord Stephen was dead, and his nephew reigned in his place; and
+Lord Elgert had sent a cold letter back, saying that he did not wish to
+have anything to do with a man who had broken a good father's heart,
+and that everything had been left to him.</p>
+
+<p>But with that letter there came another, one written<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_305" id="Page_305">[Pg 305]</a></span> by a faithful old
+servant, enclosing a will. Lord Stephen had made that will just before
+he died, and had entrusted it to his old retainer; so that if ever his
+son, whom he had forgiven, should come back, he should have his own
+again.</p>
+
+<p>Then Mr. Rexworth had started for England with Ralph, but he had not
+told his son anything of the business which took him there; and when at
+last they had reached Stow Ormond he had left the boy at the <i>Horse and
+Wheel</i> with old Simon, and had started off for Castle Court.</p>
+
+<p>And an angry, disappointed man was Lord Elgert when he found that his
+cousin was to take from him everything which he had schemed to gain.</p>
+
+<p>"He had nothing to say," said Mr. Rexworth, "but he looked very strange
+as I left&mdash;as if he would have liked to kill me. I had told him that
+no one knew who I really was, and that my own son was ignorant of the
+truth. It was a foolish thing to have done, for it meant that if I were
+out of the way, no one would know anything about the business which had
+brought me home.</p>
+
+<p>"It was dark and cheerless, and I was anxious to get back to you,
+Ralph, so I took the short cut through Stow Wood past the black mere;
+and just as I reached the pond I was startled by some one firing at me
+from behind a tree. The first shot missed, but the second struck my arm
+and broke the bone. It has never been properly set, and has caused me
+much pain.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_306" id="Page_306">[Pg 306]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"I must have fainted, for when I recovered my senses I was a prisoner
+in a strange place&mdash;the very house in which you found me. My cousin's
+first intention had been to kill me; but when he found that he had
+failed, his courage wavered, and he had me taken to that place and put
+that man to guard me. He promised to set me free if I would give him
+the will, but that I would not do. I had taken the precaution to leave
+that in London with a lawyer I had known in my younger days, and there
+it is now.</p>
+
+<p>"Lord Elgert's next offer was to set me free if I would sign away half
+the property to him; but that I also refused to do. The man used to
+urge him to kill me, but he seemed possessed with the fear that you,
+Ralph, would find it out if he did so.</p>
+
+<p>"Then one day when I felt very depressed and ill and on the point of
+yielding, I heard your old call, and I answered it, and I knew that you
+had in some way got on my track. And Lord Elgert found that out also,
+for yesterday he came to take me away to another hiding-place, and I
+refused to go. We struggled, and again your call came, and that made
+him desperate. The rest of the story you know, my dear boy. And now you
+must tell me how you managed to get on my track."</p>
+
+<p>So Ralph told his story, and then Mr. Charlton explained how he had,
+whilst hiding in the old ruin, become convinced that Lord Elgert held
+some one prisoner in that strange house, and on the very day<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_307" id="Page_307">[Pg 307]</a></span> when
+Ralph had gone to take his chum's message, he had stolen out to watch.
+Mr. Charlton had seen Ralph go in, and had watched until both Lord
+Elgert and his man came out; then, perplexed and fearing foul play,
+he had stood there until the flames burst out, and that sight had
+dispelled his fear of the dogs and sent him to the rescue.</p>
+
+<p>And then, when the police had arrived and had taken their prisoner
+again, Mr. St. Clive had come after him, not only with that diary,
+but with the man who had written it, and who confessed that he had
+committed the offence at the instigation of Lord Elgert, who had a
+spite against Mr. Charlton.</p>
+
+<p>The innocent man was soon set free after that, and was able to rejoin
+his wife and his son openly and without any fear.</p>
+
+<p>But Lord Elgert? Ah, that was the one thing that made Mr. Rexworth sad.
+He would have forgiven his cousin if he could, much as he had suffered
+at his hands, but the law would not allow that. Lord Elgert had been
+arrested, and the miserable Horace, together with his partner in
+disgrace, Dobson, had run away, and no one knew where they were.</p>
+
+<p>But they were found, for Mr. Dobson set a detective on their track,
+and they were brought back, a pair of sorry-looking objects, dirty and
+ragged.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Dobson immediately apprenticed his son to a firm of shipowners,
+and sent him off to sea; and Mr. Rexworth, seeing that Horace had no
+friend, did the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_308" id="Page_308">[Pg 308]</a></span> same for his nephew, hoping that in his new life
+he would become a true and good man. Ralph would have been friendly
+to Horace at their parting, but the proud boy would not accept his
+friendship. Later on they heard that he had deserted his ship when it
+got to Australia, and after that they heard no more of him.</p>
+
+<p>And so punishment overtook those who had done evil, and patience and
+truth reaped their reward at last, as they ever must in the end;
+and Ralph Rexworth was the Hon. Ralph Rexworth Stephen amongst his
+schoolfellows, for Mr. Rexworth thought that it would do him no harm to
+stay at the good doctor's school for a little while before he went to
+college.</p>
+
+<p>Yes, he was "the Honourable." Indeed, he had been the Honourable all
+the time in the true sense of the word. He did not put on any airs&mdash;our
+Ralph could not have done that if he had tried&mdash;and he and Charlton and
+honest old Tom Warren were three of the staunchest chums that ever you
+met with&mdash;always together, and all three working for the good of the
+Fourth; so that when they were promoted to the Fifth, Mr. Delermain
+said that it was one of the greatest losses he had received, and that
+the best influences in his class had all been taken away together.</p>
+
+<p>"But," some of my readers may ask, "did Ralph Rexworth win the Newlet?"
+I declare that I had nearly forgotten that. He did win it; and it will
+not be a bad idea to finish the story by having a peep at him when he
+received it.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_309" id="Page_309">[Pg 309]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Of course, that was on breaking-up day. What a lovely day that always
+is, especially when you know that you have a good report to take home,
+and some prizes to carry away with you.</p>
+
+<p>The great hall at Marlthorpe was decorated with flags, and crowded with
+visitors; while on the platform, which had been constructed at one
+end, all the boys were gathered, class by class, and in the middle of
+them was the Head's chair, and the masters' seats, and a place for the
+speakers&mdash;and there was Mr. Rexworth among the speakers!</p>
+
+<p>Well, there they all were; and the Head read his report; and they all
+clapped and shouted at the part where it said that for the second year
+in succession, Marlthorpe had the honour of carrying off the Newlet.</p>
+
+<p>"Good old Rexworth!" shouted one boy. And the Head had to cry order
+sharply; whereat Jimmy Green nudged Tinkle and said "Shut up, you
+silly!" so it must have been Tinkle who shouted.</p>
+
+<p>And then there were the speeches, and then the recitations; and Tinkle
+and Green were most wonderfully impressive in the quarrel between
+Brutus and Cassius&mdash;only just at the part where Brutus had to say "Take
+this dagger," he found he had no dagger with him; and Cassius said very
+rudely, and quite out loud, so that every one could hear it&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"You silly owl! I knew you would forget it; and I made such a lovely
+one, with silver foil for a blade."</p>
+
+<p>"Imagine the dagger," whispered Mr. Rexworth,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_310" id="Page_310">[Pg 310]</a></span> his face red with
+laughter. And the dagger being imagined, the quarrel went on, and was
+made up in the most approved fashion.</p>
+
+<p>And then, recitations over, there came a short pause&mdash;an impressive
+pause, during which small juniors pushed back their hair, and arranged
+collars and ties, and tried to look irreproachable, for prizes were
+coming&mdash;prizes!</p>
+
+<p>They began with the juniors first. That is a wise plan, because, having
+got their share, they are more likely to sit still while the upper
+classes are being dealt with. The juniors! And every one laughed and
+clapped as the little fellows walked up to the Head, so stiff and
+awkward, and saluted for all the world like penny dolls worked by a
+string, and having clutched their prizes and bobbed to the audience,
+scuttled back to their seats to have their immediate neighbours bend
+enviously over that lovely book, and take hurried glances at the
+pictures.</p>
+
+<p>The middle classes&mdash;that is the Upper Third and Lower Fourth&mdash;next.
+With them we have nothing to do, beyond saying that both Tinkle and
+Green were amongst the prize-winners and that almost before they had
+got back to their seats, they had challenged each other to mortal
+combat, because each said his book was better than the other's.</p>
+
+<p>Then the seniors&mdash;the Upper Fourth&mdash;Warren and Charlton. And each of
+them got clapped and cheered, as they richly deserved to be.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_311" id="Page_311">[Pg 311]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>And then Ralph Rexworth Stephen&mdash;how strange it sounded to hear him
+called that!&mdash;and such a burst of cheering and "Brave old Ralph!" and
+"Buck up, Ralph!" Well, the Head smiled; and for once Ralph looked
+quite foolish and nervous, and as if he would have liked to cry&mdash;it was
+so good to feel that all his schoolmates respected him!</p>
+
+<p>But his prize given, the Head took up a little case by his side and
+took from it a gold medal with blue ribbon attached to it. The Newlet
+Gold Medal, won for Marlthorpe College by Ralph!</p>
+
+<p>Talk of cheering then! It almost deafened one. And&mdash;those boys had been
+plotting together&mdash;Warren nodded and winked; and Charlton dived down
+and got something from beneath the form; and Irene suddenly appeared at
+Ralph's side with a tiny little laurel wreath, such as they crowned the
+heroes with in the olden days, when men worked for honour and not for
+gold; and while the people laughed and clapped she put it on Ralph's
+head, and at that moment Tom Warren and Charlton held up a great
+flag&mdash;Old England's Union Jack. They had thought all this out, mind
+you&mdash;the sly fellows they were; and Kesterway, the senior monitor of
+the school, shouted at the top of his voice&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Now then, fellows! Three times three for the Honourable Ralph, while
+he stands under Honour's Flag!"</p>
+
+<p>"Hurrah! Hurrah! Hurrah!"</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_312" id="Page_312">[Pg 312]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"And a whole holiday to-morrow!"</p>
+
+<p>"Hurrah! Hurrah! Hurrah!"</p>
+
+<p>And when no one was looking&mdash;a kiss from Irene for her hero!</p>
+
+<p class="center space-above">THE END</p>
+
+<div>*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 60604 ***</div>
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-The Project Gutenberg EBook of Under Honour's Flag, by Eric Lisle

-

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-Title: Under Honour's Flag

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-Author: Eric Lisle

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-Illustrator: G. H. Evison

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-Release Date: October 31, 2019 [EBook #60604]

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-Language: English

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-*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK UNDER HONOUR'S FLAG ***

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-|Transcriber's note:                              |

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-|Obvious typographic errors have been corrected.  |

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-_By H. ESCOTT INMAN._

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-AND NEW YORK.

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-UNDER HONOUR'S FLAG

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-[Illustration: "FORGETFUL OF ALL PRECAUTION ELGERT STRUCK A SAVAGE

-BLOW AT HIM." _Frontispiece._ [_see p. 257._]

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-Under Honour's Flag

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-REV. ERIC LISLE

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-BUTLER & TANNER

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-

-

-CONTENTS

-

-CHAPTER                                            PAGE

-     I A STRANGE AFFAIR                               1

-

-    II A CRUEL IMPLICATION                           15

-

-   III MR. ST. CLIVE PROVES HIMSELF A TRUE FRIEND    25

-

-    IV RALPH'S FIRST DAY AT SCHOOL                   35

-

-     V MAKING THINGS STRAIGHT                        45

-

-    VI AN EARLY MORNING SPIN                         55

-

-   VII HORACE ELGERT GOES A LITTLE TOO FAR           65

-

-  VIII A MYSTERIOUS MIDNIGHT VISITOR                 75

-

-    IX ALTOGETHER BEYOND EXPLANATION                 84

-

-     X COUNSELS AND PROMISES                         94

-

-    XI GOING IN FOR GRINDING                        103

-

-   XII THE STOLEN BANKNOTE                          113

-

-  XIII DIVIDED OPINIONS                             122

-

-   XIV BY THE RIVER SIDE                            131

-

-    XV THE LOST POCKET-BOOK                         140

-

-   XVI THINGS LOOK BLACK FOR RALPH                  150

-

-  XVII THE PLOT THAT FAILED                         159

-

- XVIII WHERE THE BANKNOTE WENT                      168

-

-   XIX THE LAME HORSE ONCE MORE                     177

-

-    XX TO MR. ST. CLIVE'S                           186

-

-   XXI A HOUSE OF REFUGE                            195

-

-  XXII AN AFTERNOON RAMBLE                          204

-

- XXIII THE RUIN AND THE LONELY HOUSE                213

-

-  XXIV FOR THE SAKE OF REVENGE                      222

-

-   XXV JUST IN TIME                                 231

-

-  XXVI TOM WARREN SPEAKS HIS MIND                   240

-

- XXVII IN THE DEAD OF THE NIGHT                     249

-

-XXVIII THE NEXT DAY                                 259

-

-  XXIX WHAT TINKLE AND GREEN CAUGHT                 268

-

-   XXX WHAT DETAINED RALPH REXWORTH                 277

-

-  XXXI THE TABLES ARE TURNED                        286

-

- XXXII FLOGGED AND EXPELLED                         294

-

-XXXIII CONCLUSION                                   303

-

-

-

-

-UNDER HONOUR'S FLAG

-

-

-

-

-CHAPTER I

-

-A STRANGE AFFAIR

-

-

-The late autumn afternoon was rapidly drawing in, closing ominously and

-sullenly, as if rebelling against the approach of the winter, and the

-nearer coming of the night.

-

-Great banks of purple vapour rose in the west; and sinking towards the

-earth, spread abroad in hazy wreaths, which seemed to possess, in a

-fainter degree, the hues of their parent clouds above.

-

-The air was heavy with moisture, which condensed and dripped from the

-red leaves of the sycamore, the brown of the beech, and the yellow of

-lime and poplar. It glistened on the rich green of the crimson-berried

-hollies; it begemmed the festooning webs of the weaving spiders; and

-brought with it a chilling breath which seemed to strike through one.

-

-In that gloaming hour a man and youth toiled wearily up the steep hill

-over which the main road runs before it descends into the quaint old

-town of Stow Ormond; yet as they reached the summit they hastened

-their steps, with the air of those who were drawing near to a welcome

-resting-place.

-

-The man was tall and refined-looking; and though a crisp, curling beard

-and full moustache hid the greater part of his face, the features

-visible revealed determination and strong will, and their bronzed hue

-showed plainly that their owner had lived beneath warmer skies than

-those of England. And yet, despite health and good looks and strength

-of will, an expression of anxiety was there; and as he walked along he

-appeared to be more occupied with his own thoughts than in attending to

-the remarks of the lad by his side, whose questions he frequently left

-unanswered.

-

-The boy was so like the man that there could be little room for

-doubting that they were father and son; a well-built, handsome youth,

-with the same bronzed cheek, but with an expression on his face which

-indicated the utmost disgust with his surroundings. This was his first

-experience of a damp, chill autumn mist, and he did not like it in the

-least.

-

-Both the travellers were comfortably clad, though their clothes seemed

-cut more for comfort than with a regard to fashion; indicating that

-they certainly were not from the workshop of any fashionable tailor.

-

-Reaching the top of the hill, the two wayfarers paused; and the man,

-pointing down into the town which lay before them, said, with a sigh of

-relief:

-

-"There you are, Ralph! That is our destination for to-night; it may be

-our haven for many days."

-

-"Funny looking place," laughed the boy. "But all these English towns

-are funny, after the plains and the mountains. And it is funny," he

-added, "that I am an English boy, and yet am talking like that."

-

-"Not funny, lad, seeing that you have never set foot in your native

-land before. Ah me, it is not funny to me! It comes back like the

-faces of old familiar friends. The scenes of childhood's happiness,

-and youth's hopes and follies. All changed, and yet nothing changed;

-and I myself unchanged, and yet most changed of all! Come," he went

-on, "you are tired, for we have walked a long way, and have had a long

-railway journey into the bargain. Unless things are altered down there,

-we shall find a comfortable old inn where we can put up, Ralph--a real

-old English inn. Quite different from the hotels where we have stopped.

-Come on, lad!"

-

-Changing his handbag from one cramped hand to the other, the lad obeyed

-the call, and trudged forward briskly with the strong, elastic step of

-buoyant youth. At first he poured out a string of questions relative

-to life in English towns; but one or two being unanswered, he glanced

-towards his father, and perceiving him buried in thought again, he

-walked on in silence, yet keen-eyed, noting everything around.

-

-A few scattered cottages and outlying buildings passed, the pair

-were in the precincts of the town itself; and almost one of the first

-houses they came to was the one the father sought--a quaint, thatched,

-many-gabled old place, with commodious stabling and a great creaking

-sign-post near the horse trough, giving the information to all who

-cared to possess it that this was the _Horse and Wheel Inn_, wherein

-might be found accommodation for both man and beast.

-

-"Just the same! Nothing changed!" murmured the man as the two arrived

-at the spot. "Twenty years have brought no revolution here. Come, lad!"

-And he entered the old hostelry.

-

-A bonnie waiting-maid met them; and in response to the man's query if

-they could have a room she called the landlord, a portly old fellow,

-with bald head fringed with grey hair, a pair of twinkling merry

-eyes beneath overhanging brows, and a face wherein all the principal

-features seemed to be entered into a competition as to which could look

-the ruddiest.

-

-"Have a room, sir?" said this individual, in a voice which seemed to

-proceed from his boots. "Ay, that you can, sir, and all else that you

-require. Here, Mary girl, show the gentleman to Number Ten! Have the

-bags carried up, and serve their dinner in the private room."

-

-"Number Ten!" said the guest, as he heard the number given. "Come on,

-Ralph, I know the way!" And he led his son upstairs with the air of

-one who did indeed know, much to the worthy landlord's astonishment,

-who murmured to himself as he waddled off to attend to some waggoners--

-

-"He must ha' been here before; but I don't remember his face in the

-least."

-

-"He does not recognize me," mused his guest, in his turn. "How should

-he, after all those years? Poor old Simon, he has not changed much! A

-little stouter, a little huskier, and more shaky; that is all. Time has

-dealt gently with him!"

-

-The meal, which was ordered and duly served, proved that the _Horse

-and Wheel_, whatever it might do for beasts, claimed no more than its

-due when it came to accommodating the beast's master, man; and the

-appetites of the travellers enabled them to do ample justice to the

-food, served in a room rendered all the more cheerful by the roaring

-fire--a good, old-fashioned English fire--which blazed away in the

-capacious fireplace.

-

-But the meal over, the gentleman rose and donned hat and coat, turning

-to his son when he had done so.

-

-"Ralph," he said, "I am going out by myself. I have not brought you

-across the ocean and to this place for nothing. I have business to do

-here which may affect all your future life. What that business is, lad,

-I cannot tell you just now; but you shall know of it presently. I shall

-not be away long--not more than an hour or two--and you can spend the

-time as you like. I do not suppose that you will find much in the shape

-of literature here, beyond a copy or two of some local paper or an

-agricultural magazine. They won't interest you much, so you must occupy

-the time as best you can. Prospect around a bit, but don't miss your

-way, or you will find it harder to pick up trails again here than you

-would out yonder where we have come from."

-

-"I shall be all right, father," the boy answered, rather pleased than

-otherwise to be left alone for a little. Every lad of fourteen with any

-spirit in him rather likes that kind of thing.

-

-"Of course you will be. You cannot very well get into harm, and you are

-not the boy to get into mischief. Well, good-bye, my lad, and to-morrow

-if all is well, I will show you what English rural scenery is like, and

-you will find it is more beautiful than it has seemed to you yet." And

-with that the gentleman went out, leaving the boy alone.

-

-At first Ralph wandered round the rooms and examined all the funny,

-old-fashioned pictures, and frowned at some old-time Dresden ornaments

-of shepherds and shepherdesses in Court attire, as though he was not

-quite sure whether they were intended for pagan idols or not; and then,

-getting tired of this, he put on his hat and strolled down into the inn

-yard, where he found more to interest him in an ostler who was busily

-grooming a couple of powerful waggon horses. Ralph had never seen a

-real cart-horse before, for the horses he had been accustomed to were

-little, thin, wiry creatures, all sinew and bone, and spirit--horses

-that could go, and would go, until they dropped, but pigmies compared

-to these mighty creatures--the largest of all the species.

-

-Then he picked up a long coil of rope lying near and examined it

-with critical eye, which yet seemed to disapprove of its texture and

-quality; and then, idly fashioning a running noose at one end, he

-coiled that rope up, and sent it with a flying jerk over a post thirty

-feet away.

-

-The man stared and paused in his work.

-

-"Ay, but ye couldn't do that again, sir," he ventured; and Ralph, with

-a little flush of something like conceit, immediately repeated his

-performance.

-

-"That be main clever," said the man, and he shambled off to get "Tom"

-and "Garge" and "Luke" to come and see the young gentleman's wonderful

-deed.

-

-Ralph was delighted, and he varied his work by sending the noose over

-one of the men as he ran at full speed across the yard. It was nothing

-to him; he had handled a rope as soon as he had handled anything, and

-he wondered at the surprise the thing caused to these men.

-

-[Illustration: "SENDING THE NOOSE OVER ONE OF THE MEN AS HE RAN AT

-FULL SPEED ACROSS THE YARD." p. 7]

-

-A drove of cattle passed, and Ralph paused and regarded them with

-interest. They were good beasts, but nothing like the troublesome

-wild cattle which he had known. They seemed perfectly contented with

-everything in this life.

-

-"They are very quiet," he observed, and the man nodded.

-

-"They be quiet enough, sir, but there be a bull in yonder paddock; ye

-will see him in a minute, for they will be coming to drive him back to

-his shed; and he be very savage. He ha' killed two poor chaps now, and

-it be a risky job dealing with him. He be quiet enough as a rule; but

-when his temper is bad, then he is bad, too--and very bad."

-

-"I would like to see him," was the boy's answer; and almost before

-the words were out of his mouth he had his wish granted; for a fierce

-bellow of deep-voiced rage was heard, and rushing along, a broken

-halter streaming behind, there came a magnificent black bull, while

-in his rear, shouting and waving their arms in distress, ran two men,

-who had evidently been engaged in bringing the monster home when he

-had turned upon them, and sent them spinning this way and that ere he

-darted off.

-

-Every one in the way rushed to the nearest cover without ceremony; and

-then a wild scream of terror broke on the air, and Ralph saw, directly

-in the fierce creature's path, a pretty girl, seemingly but a year

-younger than himself; a girl transfixed with fright, standing there,

-directly in the pathway of horrible injury, if not death!

-

-And what could he do? He who had been used to cattle was the only one

-who kept his courage. Had he been in the saddle and armed with a good

-stock whip the thing would have been touch and go; but he had nothing,

-and he could not tackle the bull empty-handed.

-

-Stay, there was one thing--the rope! A chance, but a slender one. Quick

-as a flash he put a couple of turns round the post he had been aiming

-at and gathered the noose for a cast. The bull came thundering along

-the road, head down, tail out, snorting with rage and defiance. If it

-kept on like that it would pass quite close to him. He put another turn

-round the post. The shorter the rope the better the chance; and then,

-hand and eye acting in unison, he sent the noose round his head and

-made his cast. If he succeeded the bull would be over, if he failed the

-girl must go down.

-

-And succeed he did. It was to him quite an easy throw. The noose

-settled fairly over those curving horns. There was a jerk, a roar of

-rage and fear, and the great struggling creature was hurled forward so

-violently, through the force of its flight, that it fell in a cloud of

-scattered mud and stones, and lay half stunned and wholly bewildered.

-

-Ralph, with a cry of thankfulness, ran forward, and pulled the girl

-from her dangerous proximity to its mighty legs, just as a gentleman,

-pale with terror, rushed from a shop near by, where he had been giving

-some orders.

-

-"Irene!" he cried. "My little Irene! Thank Heaven that you are safe!"

-Then, as he saw the bull still noosed, and now in the hands of several

-men, he went on--

-

-"But who did that? Who stopped the bull in that way?" and a dozen hands

-pointed to Ralph, who stood there feeling rather confused and awkward,

-and wishing that he could run away. Young ladies were more terrible

-things in his eyes than were angry bulls; and this young lady was

-thanking him so prettily, while her father, for so the gentleman was,

-kept shaking his hand, hardly able to voice his gratitude. He seemed

-overcome with a sense of the good hand of Providence in the matter.

-

-"You are staying at the inn," he said. "I must return and express my

-thanks to your father. I will take my little daughter home first and

-then come back. Perhaps he will be in by then. What is your name, my

-dear young gentleman?"

-

-"Ralph Rexworth," the lad answered. And the gentleman answered--

-

-"And mine is Hubert St. Clive, and if ever I can be of service to you I

-shall think nothing too much to enable me to show some return for what

-you have done for me and mine this evening."

-

-It was really a relief to Ralph when Mr. St. Clive had gone, and he was

-glad to get back to his room and escape the curious and admiring crowd,

-though even then he could not shut the landlord out, nor prevent the

-admiration of the maid, who would come in on all sorts of pretexts just

-to have a peep at him; and so the evening wore on, and the time for his

-father's return drew near.

-

-But no father came, and at last Ralph began to grow anxious. He could

-not tell why, but he felt nervous. Had he been alone on the great Texan

-plains, where his boyhood had been passed, he would not have cared in

-the slightest; but here he was so lonely, everything was so different.

-His father had been gone nearly five hours, and Ralph did not know what

-to make of it.

-

-And ten came and went, and eleven; and the landlord looked in

-restlessly, for the old fellow was beginning to have uneasy suspicions

-that his guest had gone off and did not mean to return again, and there

-was the dinner unpaid for.

-

-Still, he could not turn this lonely boy out, so he suggested at last

-that Ralph should go to bed.

-

-"Most like your father has been detained, sir, and he won't be back

-till the morning," he suggested. "Even if he does he can ring us up. We

-likes to get to bed as soon as we can after closing time, for the days

-are long enough, and we do not get too much rest."

-

-So the landlord said, and Ralph took the hint and went to his room.

-Throwing himself beside his bed, he prayed as he had never prayed

-before, asking his Heavenly Father to quickly send back to him his own

-dear parent.

-

-To bed, but not to sleep. What could have happened to his father? Had

-he met with any accident? A thousand fears and questions presented

-themselves to the boy's mind, until at last he fell into a restless

-sleep, to dream that his father was calling to him for aid; and when

-he awoke it was to the alarming knowledge that he was still alone--his

-father had not come back.

-

-His distress was now intensified, and old Simon, the landlord, was

-very perplexed; but he was a good-hearted old fellow, and he saw that

-the boy was provided with a good breakfast, reminding him that Mr. St.

-Clive would be certain to be round in the morning, as he had not come

-the evening before, and that then they could consult with him as to

-what was best to be done.

-

-"You have your breakfast, anyhow," he said. "No one is worth much

-without their food. Mr. St. Clive is a very good gentleman, and he owes

-you a lot for having saved his little daughter. I am quite sure that he

-will be ready to advise you."

-

-"But where can my father have got to?" asked Ralph, and the old man

-shook his head.

-

-"It is more than I can say, sir. Perhaps he will be back soon."

-

-But no father came; and when Mr. St. Clive arrived, which he did soon

-after breakfast was over, he was informed of Ralph's trouble, and he

-looked very grave indeed.

-

-"Run away! Nonsense, Simon?" he said to the landlord, after he had been

-told. "That is absurd! If this gentleman had desired to do anything so

-base as desert his son, he would never have brought him all the way to

-England in order to do so. I will see the young gentleman."

-

-"My dear lad," he greeted Ralph, when he was shown into the room where

-the boy was. "I was unable to return last evening, but I understand

-that it would have been no use had I done so. Your father has not come

-back, I hear."

-

-"No, sir," replied Ralph; "and I feel very troubled, for I cannot

-imagine what has kept him away. He said he would only be a short time."

-

-"You do not know where he was going, or whether he knew any one in the

-locality?"

-

-But Ralph shook his head.

-

-"I do not know, sir. Father did not tell me anything. We have lived all

-my life on the ranch in Texas, and when mother died last year father

-sold the ranch and brought me to England; but he did not tell me why."

-

-"It is strange; but still, it is foolish to make trouble. He may have

-found his business take longer than he anticipated, and--well, Simon?"

-

-"Beg pardon, Mr. St. Clive, but one of the men from Little Stow has

-just come in, and he has brought me this. He says that he found it in

-Stow Wood, just by the Black Mere."

-

-And what was it that he had found? What was it that should wring a cry

-of grief from Ralph Rexworth? Only a hat--broken, as from a blow, and

-with an ominous red smear upon it. Only a hat; but that hat was never

-bought in England. It was the hat which his father was wearing when he

-left the inn the previous evening; and there it lay now upon the table,

-a grim, silent explanation of why that father had not returned.

-

-

-

-

-CHAPTER II

-

-A CRUEL IMPLICATION

-

-

-"My dear lad, it is foolish to give way to grief before you are sure

-that there is cause for it"--so said Mr. St. Clive to Ralph Rexworth,

-trying to comfort the boy and restore his confidence. "I admit that

-this, coupled with your father's absence, looks serious; but still,

-we do not know what explanation there may be to it. Come, try and be

-brave; trust in God, even though the very worst may have befallen; idle

-grief is useless. Let us go to Stow Wood and examine the place; perhaps

-we may discover something which this man may have overlooked. Pluck up

-your courage, and hope for the best; and Ralph, remember, that whatever

-happens you have a friend in myself, who counts it a privilege to be

-able to do anything to show how grateful he is to you for what you did

-yesterday."

-

-Ralph, with an effort, subdued his feelings, and replied gratefully--

-

-"You are very kind to me, sir. Let us do as you suggest. Will you

-take me to the place? I do not know anything of the country here, of

-course."

-

-"I will go with you, and we will have this man accompany us, and show

-us exactly where he found this hat. Come, we will start at once."

-

-Stow Wood was about a mile and a half from the inn, a rather

-dismal-looking place, where the grass grew long and dank, and where

-stoats and rats found a safe retreat from which to sally forth at night

-upon their marauding expeditions; and the grimmest, most lonely spot

-was around the deep pool, known locally as the Black Mere.

-

-A dark, motionless pool it was; in some parts covered with green weed,

-surrounded by coarse grass.

-

-Local superstition said that it was haunted, and though sensible people

-laughed at that, still the appearance of the spot was enough to give

-rise to such a legend.

-

-"I found the hat just here, sir," said the man, bending down and

-pointing to a clump of blind-nettle. "You can see where it was lying,

-sir."

-

-Mr. St. Clive and Ralph stopped and examined the place. It was clear

-that something resembling a struggle had taken place here, for the tall

-grass was trampled and beaten flat, and, in some places, the earth

-itself had been cut up, as though by the heels of boots. Mr. St. Clive

-felt very grave--if ever anything seemed to tell of a tragedy, this

-did--and he said to Ralph--

-

-"My poor boy, I must own that there seems every appearance of foul play

-here. We shall have to see the police. You are quite sure that your

-father told you nothing, however unimportant it may seem, which might

-give us an inkling of where he was going?"

-

-"He said nothing, sir," answered Ralph sadly. "It is all a mystery to

-me. But now we are here we may as well learn all that we can."

-

-"What more can we learn, Ralph?" asked Mr. St. Clive. "This silent spot

-will not speak and tell us what happened."

-

-"Not to you perhaps, but it will speak to me, sir. I have been brought

-up on the plains, remember, and grass and trees may tell me more than

-they can tell to you. First, sir, is this a direct road to anywhere? I

-mean, is it a general thoroughfare?"

-

-Mr. St. Clive shook his head.

-

-"No, Ralph. It is a rarely frequented spot. The village people are half

-afraid of it. It is a short cut from Stow Ormond to Great Stow, and it

-would argue that your father must have been familiar with the place for

-him to have taken it."

-

-"Where else besides Great Stow does it lead to, sir?"

-

-"Why, my lad, to nowhere in particular. It takes you out the other side

-of Stow Common, and, of course, from there you can go where you will."

-

-Ralph nodded.

-

-"So that we may suppose that any one crossing here would be going to

-Great Stow?"

-

-"Yes. It would save him going all round through Little Stow."

-

-"Very well, sir. Now we will go to the side of the wood nearest to the

-inn."

-

-"Why?" asked Mr. St. Clive in surprise.

-

-"Because I want to know whether my father crossed this place in going

-from the inn; and if so, I want to try and see where he went to. There

-is a lot to learn here, sir; but I must start at the beginning."

-

-Mr. St. Clive was impressed, though he could not understand what Ralph

-meant; and so together they went back to that part of the wood which

-bordered upon Stow Ormond, and here Ralph began to walk to and fro,

-carefully surveying the grass, until presently he stopped and said--

-

-"My father did cross here. He got over that stile."

-

-"How do you know, Ralph?" asked Mr. St. Clive. "I confess that I see

-nothing to indicate it."

-

-"Why, it is quite clear, sir," answered the boy. "See, the ground here

-is soft and muddy, and this is the imprint of my father's foot here

-in this soft red clay. That has taken the mark like wax. That is his

-square-toed boot."

-

-Mr. St. Clive had to admit that so far the boy was correct. Some one

-wearing a square-toed boot had stepped into a little heap of clay, and

-the footmark was quite clearly defined.

-

-"Now," Ralph went on, pointing to the stile, "here is a mark of clay on

-the stile, so he must have crossed here, and here the grass has been

-trodden down as he went on."

-

-This latter sign was nothing like so clear, but the boy, used to

-reading tracks in the far-off West, showed the man how the blades of

-grass were turned from the weight that had trodden on them; and as

-they walked forward the traces became even plainer, leading past the

-pool, and on towards the common; and Ralph gave a cry as he studied the

-ground.

-

-"Here are two people walking now," he said; "and one wears pointed

-boots!"

-

-"The man who brought the hat to us," suggested Mr. St. Clive.

-

-"No, sir. He wore big boots, with nails in them. You can see the marks

-of those quite plainly, and he came here last of all."

-

-"How do you know that?" demanded Mr. St. Clive, very interested.

-

-"Because the marks that he has made are over all the others," was the

-explanation. "Let us go on."

-

-They followed the traces, faint though they seemed, until they reached

-the common; and here, though Ralph studied the ground for nearly an

-hour, he could discover nothing. Several roads crossed the common,

-and the men must have traversed one of these, but which one there was

-nothing to show.

-

-Back to the pool they went, and here Ralph paused; and Mr. St. Clive,

-looking at him inquiringly, said--

-

-"Well, what now, my boy? Have you learnt anything?"

-

-"Yes--a lot, sir; but I do not understand it. Let me tell you what

-these signs tell me. My father crossed here alone, and went somewhere

-across the common, and I do not think that it could have been very far

-away. Then he came back alone----"

-

-"But the second man?" queried Mr. St. Clive.

-

-"One moment, sir. He came alone, and he stopped to light another cigar

-just here. Look, here is the match half-burnt, and the stump of the one

-he threw away."

-

-"Yes; go on," said Mr. St. Clive, nodding his head. "You have reason

-for what you say."

-

-"Now, some one followed my father back, and he wore rather small boots

-with pointed toes----"

-

-"Plenty of gentlemen do that. I wear such boots myself, you see."

-

-"I know, sir. This man was dodging my father, and when he stopped to

-light his cigar the man stopped too, just over there behind that hedge."

-

-"My dear lad, what makes you say that?"

-

-"The mark of his feet are there, and I think he fired at my father more

-than once. He fired once and missed, I know, because this tree has

-got a bullet in the bark, and I am going to have it out! Then he ran

-forward, and there must have been a fight, and father fell just here.

-Look, you can surely see where he lay? See the length where the grass

-is crushed; and see these two marks--a heel and a toe; that means,

-that some one knelt beside him, and----. Look, look, sir!"

-

-A glimmer of something bright in the long grass caught Ralph's eye,

-and, stooping, he picked up a watch and chain, and a purse, which had

-evidently been thrown hastily aside.

-

-"Whoever killed my father searched him, and wanted something in

-particular. It was no robber, for then he would have taken these and

-not thrown them down."

-

-Mr. St. Clive could only look on in silence. There was something very

-strange in the boy thus unfolding the incidents of a strange mystery,

-reading them from almost invisible signs upon the grass. And Ralph

-continued--

-

-"Then the man ran away and came back with a cart--you can see the marks

-of the wheels. See, they come close up here! And here he drove off

-again. I suppose that father was in the cart--that is what he brought

-it for. The horse went a bit lame, too, in the off forefoot. That is

-all the place can tell me, sir."

-

-All! Mr. St. Clive was amazed that the boy was able to see so much, and

-he followed his reasoning, noting how one footmark partly obliterated

-another, proving that it had been made after it. That a strange meeting

-had taken place in that lonely wood seemed indeed all too likely, but

-beyond that all was mystery. Why had Mr. Rexworth entered this place,

-whither was he going, and who was the man who had come after him?

-

-Ralph had his knife out, and was busily cutting away the bark of one of

-the trees which stood close by. His action proved that he had not been

-wrong in his conjecture--a flattened piece of lead was embedded there,

-and Frank put it into his pocket.

-

-"Perhaps one day that may tell me some more," he said.

-

-But there was nothing more to do there, though Mr. St. Clive said that

-he would see that the wood was searched through, and that the mere

-was dragged; and then, trying to speak comforting words to Ralph, he

-returned with him to Stow Ormond. And as they entered the inn, a tall,

-handsome gentleman, with one hand in a sling, came out, and seeing Mr.

-St. Clive, greeted him with: "Hallo, St. Clive, I hear that your little

-girl had a narrow escape last night!"

-

-Mr. St. Clive frowned.

-

-"Yes, from your bull, Lord Elgert. You ought to have the brute properly

-guarded. If it had not been for this young gentleman, Irene might have

-been killed."

-

-Lord Elgert stared at Ralph, and his look was not pleasant.

-

-"Oh, is this the young man who noosed him? Well, he has broken the

-bull's knees; but, however, it is fortunate that he was at hand. By the

-way, what is this that Simon tells me. Something has happened in Stow

-Wood?"

-

-"I fear so," replied Mr. St. Clive; and he narrated briefly what they

-had discovered.

-

-Was it fancy, or did Ralph notice that handsome face turn a shade paler

-when mention was made of the bullet cut from the tree? Somehow the boy

-did not like this wealthy gentleman, though he knew not why he should

-regard him with enmity. When Mr. St. Clive had concluded, Lord Elgert

-said--

-

-"Dear, dear! How strange! But still, you do not know that anything

-has happened. You will tell the police, of course. Can you give a

-description of your father, my boy?"

-

-"I can show his likeness, sir," replied Ralph, taking out his

-pocket-book. "Here it is!"

-

-Lord Elgert took the photograph, but as he looked at it he gave a

-whistle of surprise.

-

-"So this is the missing man?" he said. "St. Clive, perhaps, I can tell

-you something of interest. Last night my place was broken into, and

-I woke up to hear a man in my study. I went down and switched on the

-electric light, so that I could see the rascal quite plainly. He turned

-and tried to bolt, but I closed with him, and in the rough-and-tumble

-he managed to cut my hand open and clear off. St. Clive, I am positive

-that the man was none other than the original of this likeness, and----"

-

-He was interrupted by a passionate cry of pain and anger, and Ralph,

-snatching the photograph from his hand, stood confronting him with

-blazing eyes.

-

-"It is false!" he cried. "You know it is false! I believe that you are

-responsible for my father's disappearance!"

-

-

-

-

-CHAPTER III

-

-MR. ST. CLIVE PROVES HIMSELF A TRUE FRIEND

-

-

-"I believe that you are responsible for my father's disappearance."

-

-So did Ralph Rexworth cry in his anger; and Lord Elgert started, and

-his face grew dark with rage.

-

-"You impudent young dog!" he shouted, raising his stick; and the blow

-would have fallen, had not Mr. St. Clive stopped it with his arm.

-

-"Lord Elgert," he said sternly; for he was shocked at the callous way

-in which the charge had been made, "I cannot stand by and allow that.

-You have made a very serious charge----"

-

-"Nothing so serious as that young rascal has made. I am surprised

-that you stand by and listen to it, St. Clive; but you always were

-antagonistic to me! I assert what is fact. My place was broken into----"

-

-"Did any one but yourself see this man?"

-

-"An absurd question! Who was there to see him? By the time the alarm

-was given he was gone. I shall have to tell the police of that

-photograph; it will be wanted to help in tracing him. I expect this

-story is all nonsense; and upon inquiry it will be found that the

-farthest these two have travelled is from London. Most probably this

-boy, who makes such unfounded charges, knew well the business which

-brought his father here. The story of what happened in the woods is

-really too romantic. If two people were there, the second was most

-likely an accomplice; and they have gone off, leaving the boy here to

-see what he can learn, or pick up. You are easily deceived, St. Clive."

-And Lord Elgert turned upon his heel with a mocking laugh.

-

-But ere he could go, Ralph stood in his path, regarding him with a

-fixed stare.

-

-"I do not know you," he said. "I never saw you before; but I can tell

-friend from enemy, and you are an enemy. I am only a boy; but one day I

-will bring your words back to you, and make you prove them."

-

-"Out of my way, you young rascal!" came the answer, "or I will have you

-in prison before long. St. Clive, I wish you joy of your young friend.

-Take my advice, and keep a sharp eye on the silver, if you suffer him

-to enter your house."

-

-Ralph would have surely been provoked into some foolish action had not

-Mr. St. Clive laid a gentle hand upon his shoulder, and led him back

-into the inn; and then the boy quite broke down.

-

-"Oh, sir! Oh, sir!" he cried. "To say such things about my dear

-father--my dear, kind father! But he shall prove them," he added

-fiercely. "I will make him prove them. I believe that he knows

-something."

-

-"Ralph," answered Mr. St. Clive quietly, "because Lord Elgert has been

-both unkind and foolish, that is no reason why you should talk wildly.

-To say that Lord Elgert has had anything to do with your father's

-disappearance, seems to me to be the very height of folly. He is a rich

-man, and one of our justices----"

-

-"Where does he live, sir?" queried Ralph suddenly.

-

-"At Castle Court, near Great Stow. Ah," he added, as he saw Ralph's

-look, "I know what you are thinking--that it is in the direction

-whither your father was going! But remember, that will be equally

-applicable to Lord Elgert's story that your father was going there.

-It is most likely that some one in a measure resembling your father,

-did break into Castle Court--we have not the slightest reason for

-discrediting Lord Elgert's statement--and in the confusion of the

-struggle, he did not clearly distinguish his opponent, and so says that

-he resembles this photograph. Mistaken identity is a common occurrence,

-and----"

-

-"You do not believe his story, sir? I could not bear to think that."

-

-"I do not, Ralph. If I did so, I should still feel my debt of gratitude

-to you; but I do not believe it. I am not so foolish as to mistake

-between a gentleman and a thief; and though I have not seen your

-father, I think that I can see him in you and your manner. Now be

-brave, and do not trouble about what his lordship said. He was angry

-because you spoke as you did; and though it was natural, your language

-was not very polite." And Mr. St. Clive smiled slightly. "Now let us

-talk sensibly. First, you cannot stay here by yourself; therefore,

-disregarding the warning I have received, I invite you to be my guest

-for the time, until we can see what is best to be done. What money have

-you of your own?"

-

-"Only a few shillings, but there is the purse, sir." And Ralph opened

-the purse which they had picked up in Stow Wood. "Here are five

-sovereigns, and two five-pound notes, sir."

-

-"Then we had better pay the innkeeper and make a start. Simon"--as the

-old fellow came in answer to the bell--"I am going to take this young

-gentleman home with me. If his father should return, or if letters

-arrive, you will let us know. Make out your bill. And, Simon, I suppose

-that you did not recognize Mr. Rexworth at all?"

-

-"Why, no, sir; I cannot say that I did! But he knew the place, sir;

-and when I told the girl to show him up to No. 10, sir, he just went

-straight up to it. He knew the _Horse and Wheel_, sir."

-

-"Well, get your bill ready."

-

-The old man went out. It was something of a relief to know that he

-was going to be paid; for he had begun to have some doubts about the

-matter.

-

-So it came about that Ralph Rexworth was taken home by Mr. St. Clive;

-and there he was received with kindness and warmth by that gentleman's

-wife, while little Irene smiled shyly, and put out one dainty little

-hand for him to take in his brown palm.

-

-"I thank you very much," the little lass said. "I think that horrid

-bull would have killed me if it had not been for you." And Mrs. St.

-Clive shuddered as she listened; for her husband had told her how great

-was the peril from which Irene had been rescued.

-

-Leaving the two young people to make friends, Mr. St. Clive took his

-wife aside and told her of the strange position in which their young

-guest was placed.

-

-"The boy does not seem to have a friend in the world," he said. "And he

-is undoubtedly a gentleman, Kate. What is to be done? His father may

-return; but I confess that it looks as if a tragedy had taken place. It

-was wonderful how the lad pieced together traces which were invisible

-to me. I fear that something bad has occurred. As to Lord Elgert's

-idea, I do not put much faith in it. Elgert is too fond of thinking

-evil of people--he is one of the most merciless men on the bench. What

-shall we do, Kate?"

-

-"Do?" replied his wife, with a fond smile. "Why, Hubert, you have

-already determined what to do!"

-

-Her husband laughed pleasantly.

-

-"I confess that I have. Still, I like to have your desire run with my

-own. You want this lad to stay here?"

-

-"Yes, Hubert. If he is lonely and friendless, let us be his friends;

-for had he not rescued her, our dear little daughter would have been

-killed."

-

-So husband and wife agreed; but when they went to Ralph they found that

-he was not quite willing to accept the invitation.

-

-"I know how kind it is of you," the boy said. "And it is true that

-I have no friends, and nowhere to go; but I--I cannot live on your

-charity. I want to earn my living somehow."

-

-"That is good, Ralph," was the hearty reply of Mr. St. Clive; "but you

-must be reasonable. There is such a thing as unreasonable pride. You

-cannot earn your living in any calling as a gentleman, without you are

-fitted for it. Your life on the plains, and life here, or in London,

-would be very vastly different. If you had friends in Texas we might

-send you back again----"

-

-"No, no, sir!" cried Ralph, interrupting him. "I could not go back.

-Here I must stay for two reasons. I must live to find out what has

-become of my father, and I must clear his name from the accusation that

-man made."

-

-"Your first reason is good; your second I do not think that you need

-worry over. Then you will stay? Well, then, you must certainly let the

-wish of my wife and of Irene conquer your pride. I want to help you

-all I can; and if presently it is better for you to go, I promise you

-that I will not seek to detain you."

-

-"Do stop, Ralph," added Irene, who, pet as she was, had stolen into

-her father's study, and heard what was said. "I want you to stay; and

-I want you to teach me how to throw a rope like that, though I should

-never dare to throw it at a bull. Please stay."

-

-And somehow Ralph looked down into that upturned little face, and he

-could not say "no."

-

-"It is very good of you, sir," he murmured, to Mr. St. Clive,

-"especially after what Lord Elgert said----"

-

-"My lad, do not be so sensitive concerning that."

-

-"But I cannot help it, sir. He first called my father a thief; and

-he--he--you know what he said about your silver?"

-

-And Ralph turned very red.

-

-Mr. St. Clive understood, and sympathized. He liked Ralph all the

-better for being keenly sensitive about it.

-

-"There, let it go, my dear boy. Now, once more, business. Have you any

-luggage, save these two handbags?"

-

-"In London, sir. Two great trunks. Father left them at the station.

-Here are the papers for them." And the boy took a railway luggage

-receipt from his pocket-book.

-

-"This is important. We may find something to help us in those trunks,"

-cried Mr. St. Clive. "Of course, I am not legally justified in touching

-them, Ralph; but, under the circumstances, I think that I might do

-so. We must have them here, and examine their contents. We may then

-discover what brought your father to Stow Ormond; and that, in its

-turn, might give us some clue as to what may have happened."

-

-"I do not think there is much doubt as to what has happened," sighed

-the boy. But Mr. St. Clive would not listen to that.

-

-"Never look at the darkest side, lad. There is a kind Providence over

-all, and we must never despair. Now, our very first task must be to

-obtain your travelling trunks without delay."

-

-Mr. St. Clive lost no time in putting this resolution into practice.

-The trunks were got down from London, and opened; but, to their

-disappointment, their contents revealed nothing which tended in any way

-to throw a light upon the mystery--clothing, a few mementoes of their

-Texan home, and--and in view of Ralph's future welfare this was most

-important--banknotes and gold to the amount of £3,000!

-

-"No need to feel yourself dependent upon any one now, Ralph," was the

-remark of Mr. St. Clive, as they counted this money; "and no need to

-give another thought to Lord Elgert's suspicions. People possessed of

-so much money do not go breaking into houses, risking their liberty

-for the sake of what they may be able to steal."

-

-Now, though Irene St. Clive was delighted, and would have been quite

-content for Ralph to have stayed as her companion, her father did

-not look at matters in that way; and he had a serious talk with

-Ralph, having first quietly questioned him in order to ascertain his

-acquirements.

-

-"You see, Ralph," he said, "what a man needs in England is quite

-different from what he may need abroad. You can ride, shoot, and round

-up cattle; but that is no good here. Your father has given you a

-general education, so that you are not a dunce; but it is nothing like

-what you will need as a gentleman here. Knowledge is power and your

-desire to clear up the matter of your father's disappearance demands

-that you should acquire all the power obtainable. My advice--I have

-no right to insist, remember--but my advice is that you should spend

-a couple of years at a first-class school--we have a splendid one

-here--and if you work honestly during that time, with your intellect

-you ought to have made a good headway. What do you say?"

-

-The boy knit his brows. To one who had passed his days in a wild, free

-life, such a prospect did not hold out many charms; but then Ralph was

-fond of learning, and had sometimes sighed that he could not learn

-more. Besides, his one object in life was to solve the matter of his

-father's disappearance, and clear his name from any foul charge. In

-his heart, Ralph had resolved ever to live under honour's flag. He

-looked up, and answered frankly--

-

-"I will be guided entirely by you, sir, unless my father comes back;

-then, of course, I should do whatever he directed."

-

-"My feeling is, that had your father elected to remain in England he

-would certainly have sent you to school. Now, Ralph, I am going to be

-frank with you. We have, as I have said, a splendid school near here;

-but amongst its pupils is Horace Elgert. I fear that he takes after

-his father somewhat; and if Lord Elgert has said anything, or does say

-anything to him when he knows you are there, young Horace may try to

-make it unpleasant for you. Do you understand?"

-

-"Perfectly, sir," replied Ralph.

-

-"And will you go there?"

-

-Ralph looked Mr. St. Clive in the face, and he answered firmly:

-

-"Yes, sir. The boy's being there is nothing to me. I will go."

-

-"Good!" replied Mr. St. Clive, with a nod of appreciation. "We will go

-over and see the Headmaster to-morrow."

-

-

-

-

-CHAPTER IV

-

-RALPH'S FIRST DAY AT SCHOOL

-

-

-"He is a fine young fellow, but his past life has been spent amidst

-very different scenes, and he is far from having a fitting education.

-But he is very intellectual and will acquire knowledge quickly. His

-father must have been a gentleman, and he has taught his son to be one

-also."

-

-It was Mr. St. Clive who spoke, and his words were addressed to Dr.

-Beverly, the principal of Marlthorpe College--the best school in all

-the county.

-

-A fine-looking man was the doctor, tall, erect, dignified, with firm

-face and piercing eyes--eyes which could look terribly severe when

-their owner was angry, but which otherwise were gentle, and even

-mirthful.

-

-Dr. Beverly was proud of his school, but prouder still of his work. He

-did not labour to make scholars only, but also to build up men--good,

-noble men--who should be a credit to the old school, and a blessing to

-their country. Work or play, the doctor believed in everything being

-done as well as it could be, for his watchword was "Whatever you do, do

-it to the glory of God," and nothing can be done to God's glory that

-is not done as well as it possibly can be.

-

-Mr. St. Clive had explained how Ralph came to be under his care,

-and had told the doctor how much he owed to him; and he finished by

-mentioning the cruel statement which Lord Elgert had made, and the

-angry way in which Ralph had answered it.

-

-"I tell you this," he said, "that you may know everything. I attach no

-weight to Elgert's statement myself--it is too absurd, but you must

-exercise your own discretion," and the doctor smiled slightly.

-

-"Lord Elgert is rather prone to make rash statements," he said. "I

-shall be quite willing to receive your young friend, and I will do my

-best to turn him into a good man."

-

-"That I am sure of," was the hearty reply, "and I am also sure that you

-will have good material to work upon. Then I will bring Ralph over."

-

-"And do you propose that he shall board here entirely, or return to you

-every Saturday, as most of the lads do?"

-

-"Oh, come home. That is how I did in my day--you know I want to watch

-the boy. Good-day, doctor," and Mr. St. Clive came away.

-

-Marlthorpe College was a splendid old building, with large playing

-fields at the back, and a great quadrangle in front, to which entrance

-was gained through a pair of great iron gates, against which the

-porter's lodge was built.

-

-The school itself was at the other side of the quadrangle, directly

-facing the gates--a two storey building, with the hall, in which the

-whole school assembled upon special occasions, below, and with the

-classrooms above. It had two wings; the one to the right being the

-doctor's own residence, and that on the left the undermaster's quarters.

-

-At the back there were again buildings on the right and left--on the

-left junior dormitories, the dining-hall, and matron's rooms; and on

-the right senior dormitories and studies.

-

-Mr. St. Clive drove home and told Ralph the result of his visit.

-

-"I am sure that you will like the doctor," he said, "and you will find

-your companions a nice lot of fellows. Of course there will be some

-unpleasant ones; and Ralph, if things are as they used to be, you

-will find that there are two sets of fellows--those who mean to work

-honestly, and those who never intend to take pains. I need not ask

-which set you will belong to," and Mr. St. Clive smiled. "But now,"

-he added, "I want you to try and be brave. You have a very terrible

-sorrow, I know; and it is hard to put it from my mind----"

-

-"It is never from my mind, sir," interrupted Ralph sadly. "I am always

-thinking of it."

-

-"But you must not brood over it. To do that, will unfit you for all

-else. Leave it with God, Ralph, and do not let even so great a grief

-interfere with life's duties. Will you promise me to try and remember

-this?"

-

-"I will indeed, sir," answered Ralph. "If I have lost father, I mean to

-try and think that he knows, and just do that which would please him."

-

-"That is good; but still better is it to remember that we have to

-try and do that which shall please our Heavenly Father. Now, Ralph,

-I suppose that out where you made your home, blows often were the

-only way of settling troubles. I do not say that blows are never

-justifiable, for sometimes we are placed in such circumstances as

-warrant fighting, but do not be too ready to quarrel, or to avenge

-every fancied insult with your fist. But there, I am sure that I can

-leave that to you. Now come to lunch, and then we must see about

-starting."

-

-"I am so glad that you are coming home every week, Ralph," so said

-Irene St. Clive, when she heard of the arrangements which her father

-had made. "My own lessons are finished on Friday, and we can have all

-Saturday to ourselves. I shall count all the days until each Saturday

-comes."

-

-So with kindly words to cheer him on his way, Ralph started off with

-Mr. St. Clive, and was introduced to Dr. Beverly; and Ralph felt that

-he liked the doctor from the very first moment that he saw him; and he

-determined that he would do all that he could to get on and prove to

-Mr. St. Clive that he meant to keep his word.

-

-Then when his friend had gone, the doctor questioned Ralph to see just

-what he knew; and at the conclusion of the examination he laid his hand

-on his shoulder.

-

-"My boy," he said, "it is my desire always to have the fullest

-confidence in my scholars, and also to enjoy their confidence. I want

-you to remember that I desire to be your friend as well as your master,

-and that out of school hours I am always glad to see any of my boys who

-want to talk with me. I do not mean who want to come tale-bearing," he

-added, and Ralph smiled as he answered--

-

-"Thank you, sir. I think I understand."

-

-"You will have to be in the Fourth Form at first, that is the lowest

-Form in the Senior House," the doctor continued. "But if you work well,

-you will soon be in the Fifth. Now, if you will come with me I will

-introduce you to your master, Mr. Delermain, and I think you will find

-him ever ready to help you in any way he can."

-

-Ralph thanked the Head again, and followed him, with more of curiosity

-than of nervousness, to make the acquaintance of the boys with whom he

-was to study; and twenty pairs of eyes glanced up as the Head opened

-the door, and then dropped as quickly when they saw who had entered.

-

-But the master rose from his seat and came forward to meet the doctor,

-who said, patting Ralph on the shoulder--

-

-"I have brought you a new scholar, Mr. Delermain. This is Ralph

-Rexworth, and he is the young gentleman of whom you have heard--the one

-who saved Mr. St. Clive's daughter." Hereat the eyes were stealthily

-raised, and glances of something like respectful awe followed. Of

-course every one there had heard of the incident about the bull, and of

-the disappearance of Mr. Rexworth.

-

-"Rexworth is rather backward," the Head continued. "His life has been

-spent abroad, and he has not had the opportunities for study; but I

-believe that he will soon pick up." And with this Dr. Beverly went, and

-Mr. Delermain, having spoken a few words of welcome, beckoned to a boy

-to come forward.

-

-"Warren, let Rexworth sit beside you this afternoon, and give him a set

-of the sums we are doing. If you find them too difficult," he added to

-Ralph, "do not hesitate to come to me."

-

-But Ralph did not need to ask for aid, he could do the sums and the

-exercises that followed. Indeed, he did better than some who had been

-there longer, notably one big lad with a sickly flabby face, who was

-seated at the bottom of the class, and who received a reprimand from

-his master for his indolence.

-

-"It is shameful, Dobson! Here, a new boy has done better than you have.

-Your idleness is disgraceful."

-

-A writing exercise followed; and Ralph was bending over his book, when

-flop!--a wad of wet blotting-paper hit him in the cheek. He looked up,

-but every one seemed busy with their work, so wiping his cheek he put

-the wet mass on one side, and went on with his task. Flop! A second

-wad came. Ralph noted the direction, and saw that at the end of the

-form Dobson was seated, and Ralph had his suspicions. Pretending to

-be absorbed in his work, he kept a covert watch; and presently he was

-rewarded by seeing Dobson extract a third wad from his mouth, where he

-had been chewing it into a convenient pellet, and under cover of the

-boy in front of him prepare to fire it by a flick of his thumb. Ralph

-raised his eyes and looked him full in the face, and, somehow, Dobson

-seemed confused. He turned red, and bent over his work hastily; and no

-more pellets were fired at Ralph that afternoon.

-

-It seemed rather a wearisome afternoon to the boy, used as he was to

-his open-air life, but he worked away with all his might; and presently

-the bell rang and work was over; and then Warren, the boy beside whom

-he had sat, came to him and held out his hand.

-

-"I am first monitor of our form," he said, "and I hope that we shall be

-friends. If you come with me I will take you round the school."

-

-"Rexworth."

-

-Ralph turned as his name was called; his master stood there.

-

-"I want you a few minutes. Warren, you can take him round afterwards.

-I want to arrange about his study."

-

-"We have only got one vacant, sir," the monitor said. "Charlton has

-that."

-

-"I know," was the quiet answer; and then, when Warren ran off, the

-master turned to Ralph.

-

-"Rexworth," he said, "I must explain that in our form every two boys

-have one study between them, and as you heard Warren say, we have only

-one study that is not fully occupied. A lad named Charlton has it, and

-you must chum with him. It is about him I want to speak to you."

-

-"Yes, sir," said Ralph, wondering why his master spoke so gravely.

-

-"Rexworth, I am sorry to say that Charlton is not quite in favour

-with his schoolmates. His father got into some trouble and has

-disappeared--it is supposed that he is dead--and the boy managed to

-gain a scholarship at another and poorer school, and has come here.

-He is a real nice lad, but very weakly and timid, and the others put

-upon him, partly on that account, partly because of his father's

-disappearance, and partly because he is poor--a sad crime in the eyes

-of many. It would have been wiser, I think, if he had not come here,

-but Dr. Beverly wished him to do so. I wish, Rexworth, that you would

-try to be his friend, for he needs one; some of the lads are nice

-enough to him, but he seems so very much alone."

-

-"I would like to help him, sir," was the ready answer. And the master

-smiled.

-

-"I thought that I was not mistaken in you," he said. "Look, there the

-lad is. Charlton, come here."

-

-The lad came up. He was a pale boy, very delicate in appearance, and

-with a sad, wistful face.

-

-"Yes, sir," he said.

-

-"Charlton, there is only one vacancy in our studies, and that is with

-you. Rexworth will have to chum with you." The boy cast a startled

-glance at Ralph. "Take him and show him where it is, and try to make

-him feel at home."

-

-"Yes, sir." The boy beckoned to Ralph. "Please come with me," he said,

-in troubled tones, as if he doubted whether Ralph would care about

-sharing the study with him.

-

-"Have we got to be chums?" asked Ralph; and the other boy nodded.

-

-"Yes. That is what we call it. It means sharing studies; but you need

-not speak to me if you don't want to, and I will not be in the study

-much. I am not as it is, for they are always disturbing me and spoiling

-my things."

-

-"They! Who?" demanded Ralph; and the lad answered--

-

-"The other chaps and the Fifths. Dobson, in ours, and Elgert of the

-Fifth, are the worst. They go in and spoil my things."

-

-"They have no business to, of course?"

-

-"Go in? No, of course not--only the two who chum have any right in it.

-Here we are, and--there, they are in now!"--as a scuffling and burst

-of laughter came from the inside of the study before which the boy had

-halted. "Oh, what are they doing! Will you stop until they have gone?"

-

-"Not I," answered Ralph grimly. "That study is mine as well as yours,

-and I mean to see that we have it to ourselves, Charlton. Come on, and

-we will see what is up." And saying this, Ralph threw open the door and

-walked into the little room, followed by his companion.

-

-

-

-

-CHAPTER V

-

-MAKING THINGS STRAIGHT

-

-

-A burst of laughter greeted Ralph's ears as he opened the study door,

-and some one said:

-

-"Look sharp. Here he comes! Hurry up there, Elgert!"

-

-But the laughter died away somewhat awkwardly when the boys saw that

-Charlton was not alone, and one or two of the boys came up to Ralph.

-

-"Hallo, you new fellow! They surely haven't put you to chum with

-Charlton, have they? What a shame! I should kick against it. Some one

-else must make room for you."

-

-Such were the remarks of those who had taken a fancy to Ralph, but he

-paid no heed to it all. He just calmly gazed round, as if counting the

-number of boys there and taking their measure; and then he quite as

-calmly shut the door, locked it, and put the key in his pocket. Those

-present looked in surprise for a moment--some laughed, and one, a tall,

-handsome boy, came haughtily up to him.

-

-"What do you mean by that?" he demanded. "How dare you lock that door?"

-

-Ralph regarded him with the utmost coolness. No one had told him who

-the boy was, and yet he seemed to know--he felt sure that this was none

-other than Horace Elgert himself.

-

-"Wait a bit," he said calmly. "So far as I understand, this study

-belongs to Charlton and myself. We have a perfect right to lock the

-door."

-

-"But not to lock us in," retorted Elgert. "Open it at once, and think

-yourself lucky that you don't get a licking for your impudence!"

-

-"Steady!" was Ralph's answer. "It seems to me that if you had not been

-where you have no right to be, you would not have got locked in; and

-now that you are here, you must wait my pleasure as to going out."

-

-This was beginning school life with a vengeance, but Ralph believed in

-settling things once and for all, and his indignation was hot as he saw

-what these half dozen lads had been doing.

-

-But Horace Elgert was not a boy to be spoken to like that, and he came

-striding up to Ralph to take the key by force.

-

-"I will soon settle you," he began, and he aimed a blow at this

-impertinent new boy's head, only somehow the blow did not get there.

-Ralph adroitly stepped aside, and the Honourable Horace Elgert stumbled

-to the ground violently.

-

-"A fight! A fight!" cried the rest; but Ralph smiled and shook his

-head.

-

-"Oh, no, my friends. I have something better to do, and this is not the

-place for fighting."

-

-They were staggered. They could not understand this coolness and,

-moreover, they had all heard about Ralph having tackled the bull, and

-the story had grown somewhat. They stood considerably in awe of this

-boy from the Western plains, and they began to wish that they were

-anywhere else than in his study.

-

-Horace Elgert got up, his face white with passion but he made no more

-attempts to take the key from Ralph.

-

-"You are right," he said, in suppressed tones; "this is not the place

-to fight. Open the door, and we will soon settle things."

-

-"Presently," was all the answer he got. "Now, then, let us see what you

-have been up to."

-

-He glanced round at the books tumbled on the floor, at a desk upset, at

-an ink-bottle on its side, and then turned to his chum.

-

-But Charlton was standing, looking very white, and staring at a picture

-on the wall--the picture of a lady, and beneath it some one had

-written--

-

-"This is Charlton's mammy. But where is his daddy? Puzzle--Find daddy,

-and tell the police."

-

-Ralph felt his nerves tingle. He felt sure that Elgert had done that,

-and he remembered the words of Lord Elgert respecting his own father.

-

-"Who did that?" he said, and no one answered. He went up to Elgert.

-"Did you do it?"

-

-"Well, if I did, what is it to do with you? Mind your own business!"

-

-"Take that scrawl down. Quick, or I shall lose my temper, and then I

-fancy some one will get hurt! Down with it! That is right"--as the

-other, considerably startled, pulled the writing down. "Give it to me."

-

-It was remarkable how the daring of the one lad held the half dozen in

-check. Elgert handed him the paper, and Ralph tore it up and threw the

-fragments into his face.

-

-"Now then, you have upset this room. Just put it straight again,

-and look sharp about it!" he said. "And please to understand that

-Charlton and I are chums, and mean to stick together. Oh, and I want a

-word with you"--and he walked up to Dobson, who turned a trifle more

-pasty-looking than before. "Do you know what these are?"

-

-Ralph produced two wads of chewed blotting-paper from his pocket as he

-spoke, and Dobson blustered--

-

-"You keep to your chum, since you are so thick with him. I don't want

-anything to do with you. I say, you chaps, are you going to let him

-crow over you like this? Rush him!"

-

-"Good advice; only, why don't you do the rushing first?" said Ralph.

-"I asked you if you recognized these. If you don't, I will tell you

-what they are--they are pieces of blotting-paper, which you chewed

-and then threw at me. They came out of your mouth, and they are

-going back there again--when I have mopped up this ink which you have

-spilt." Ralph suited the action to the word, and presented the two

-unpalatable-looking objects to Dobson, who was at once a coward and a

-bully. "Now, then, open your mouth!"

-

-"I won't! Who do you think that you are? I---- Oh!"

-

-For Ralph did not argue. He grabbed hold of Dobson, and with a quick

-jerk sent him backwards across the little study table.

-

-"Oh, oh! You are breaking my back!" howled the bully.

-

-"Open your mouth!"

-

-"I won't! Oh, help me, you fellows--he will break my back! Oh! Ugh!

-Ow! I am choking!" For, just as he opened his mouth to yell, Ralph had

-pushed both those pieces of blotting-paper in.

-

-"Now, then, take them," he said. "Quick, or it will be the worse for

-you!"

-

-Dobson, with many queer grimaces, had to comply--it was the most

-unsavoury morsel which he had tasted for many a day.

-

-[Illustration: "DOBSON, WITH MANY QUEER GRIMACES, HAD TO COMPLY." p. 49]

-

-"Now! Ah, I see that you have straightened things!" Ralph went on. "Now

-you chaps can go, and the next time you want to come into our study

-take my advice and ask leave, or there will be more trouble. Clear out!"

-

-And he unlocked the door and flung it open.

-

-And out those half dozen boys went, looking considerably crestfallen

-and stupid, and knowing also that they were cowards--they were all

-frightened by Ralph, so greatly does one of dauntless bearing affect a

-number.

-

-But one boy turned, and that one was Horace Elgert, and he came back

-and gave Ralph look for look.

-

-"Look here, you new fellow!" he said, "you have been very clever, but

-you have done a bad day's work for yourself. You have made one enemy at

-least. As for that insult which you offered me, you will have to fight

-me for it; and as for you, you miserable cub"--and he turned towards

-Charlton, who cowered back before his raised fist--"as for you, I

-will----"

-

-"Hold hard--you will do nothing!" answered Ralph, with the utmost

-good humour. "You are talking tall, that is all about it. Now, take

-my advice, and go; and when you are calmer, you will see things

-differently. And then, as to fighting--well, I shall not run away in

-the meantime. Clear!"

-

-And with that he shut the door and locked it behind his discomfited

-foes. Then, seating himself, he looked at the bewildered Charlton, and

-laughed again as he saw the look of admiration in his face.

-

-"There, I think that has taught them a lesson! We shall not have them

-upset our study again," he said. "One must maintain one's rights, and

-we may as well begin as we mean to go on. So this is our study, is it?"

-

-"Yes, if you will share it with me," the other boy said. And Ralph

-answered--

-

-"Share it? Of course I shall share it with you! Did not you hear Mr.

-Delermain say that we were to share it?"

-

-"But most fellows don't like me, because--because----"

-

-"Never mind why," interrupted Ralph, anxious to spare the boy's

-feelings. "I heard something about your father being gone; well, my

-father is gone, you know"--and Ralph's voice shook a little--"and so we

-two ought to be chums, and help each other. Then, I suppose that you

-know more than I do; for, except at roping a steer or rounding up a

-herd of cattle, I am afraid that I am not of much use. You will be able

-to help me on no end."

-

-"What! I help you?" gasped Charlton. "How can I do that?"

-

-"You know Greek and Latin, and goodness knows how much more, that I am

-only just at the beginning of, and you will be able to give me a hand

-with it. I want to get on and pick up things as quickly as I can."

-

-"I might help you that way, if you would let me," the boy said

-doubtfully. And Ralph laughed.

-

-"What a chap you are! Have I not told you that I shall be downright

-thankful: and there you keep on about if I will let you. Come, shake

-hands upon it! Charlton, we two are chums, and we are going to stick

-together and help each other. Is that so?"

-

-"Yes, if you will. I shall be so glad to have a chum, because it has

-been rather lonely sometimes; and then, you see, I am not very strong,

-and I am not brave like you, and the fellows know it, and they try to

-play all sorts of tricks upon me. Do you really mean to be my chum,

-Rexworth?"

-

-"Really and truly! Now, let us go down, and then you can show me what

-the place is like," was Ralph's answer. And the two, descending to the

-playground were met by Warren, who stopped and looked from Ralph to

-Charlton, and then asked--

-

-"I say, Rexworth, what have you been up to so soon? There is Dobson

-declaring that he will do all manner of things to you. You seem to have

-been having some fun already."

-

-So Ralph explained what had happened, and the monitor laughed until the

-tears ran down his cheeks.

-

-"Well, all I can say is that you are a cool hand," was his comment,

-"and I am not sorry that you have taught Dobson a lesson. You have not

-much to fear from him, but you will find that Elgert, for all he is an

-Honourable, has precious little honour about him. He will pay you back

-if he gets the chance, be sure of that. However," he went on, "I am

-glad that you two are chums, for I think you will like each other; but

-there is the bell for tea. Come on, or we shall be late."

-

-The rest of that day passed without further incident and at last the

-boys--evening preparation and supper over--went trooping to their

-dormitories, there to laugh and chat as they undressed; and many

-glances were bestowed upon Ralph. His exploit of that afternoon had

-been spoken of, and there was no attempt to play any jokes upon one who

-was prepared to take his own part so vigorously.

-

-But presently the laughing suddenly stopped, and something like a

-hush of surprise succeeded the noise. Warren seated on the edge of

-his bed, looked round to see what had happened--he thought that one

-of the masters had come in unexpectedly; but he saw his companions

-standing glancing across towards the spot where Ralph's bed was, and

-he, following their gaze, saw that the boy who was ready to face half a

-dozen of his companions, was down on his knees, his head bent upon his

-hands in prayer.

-

-Warren felt a thrill of shame. He was a real good lad at heart, but

-somehow he did not do that--none of them did--they thought that public

-prayers were enough; and yet he had promised his mother that each night

-he would kneel alone in prayer.

-

-Some of the boys were tittering, some looked grave. Warren suddenly

-found himself resolved. "If a thing should be done, do it at once," was

-his motto. He gave one hasty glance round, half ashamed, half defiant,

-and then, in the sight of all his companions, the Fourth Form monitor

-also knelt down by his bed, following the brave example set by Ralph

-Rexworth.

-

-

-

-

-CHAPTER VI

-

-AN EARLY MORNING SPIN

-

-

-It was quite a common thing for new boys at Marlthorpe College to be

-made the victims of practical jokes during their first night in the

-school; but such was the impression which Ralph Rexworth had made, that

-no tricks were attempted with him. A boy who could take his own part so

-vigorously was not the sort that it was safe to take liberties with.

-

-Nor was that the only reason. With Dobson and his friends it was quite

-sufficient, but with the better boys, that quiet kneeling down to pray

-had not been without effect. Some of them recognized that to do that

-might require more courage than to deal as he had done with those who

-had invaded his study--a moral courage, far greater and better than a

-physical; and they realized that a boy who possessed that courage was

-not a fit subject for stupid jokes.

-

-So Ralph slept peacefully until the morning, when, used to early rising

-all his life, he opened his eyes before any of the other boys were

-awake.

-

-At first he felt puzzled with his surroundings, but he soon remembered;

-and propping himself upon his elbow he lay watching the faces of the

-others, wondering what sort of lads they would prove to be, and how he

-should get on with them, and whether he would be able to master the

-lessons which they were engaged upon.

-

-Then he looked at Charlton, and thought how sad he looked, even in his

-sleep; and he noted how often he sighed. Perhaps he was dreaming of his

-father.

-

-That sent him thinking of his own father, and the mystery of his fate;

-and he pondered whether it would ever be possible for him--a lonely boy

-in this strange land--to find out the truth concerning his parent's

-disappearance. But he was not altogether alone; it was wrong to think

-of himself in that light. God had given him a friend in Mr. St. Clive,

-and another in Mrs. St. Clive, and yet a third--a very nice, lovable

-third--in Irene! Ralph, who had never had anything to do with girls,

-thought Irene the sweetest, dearest little friend that it would be

-possible to find.

-

-A bell rang, and his companions stretched and yawned and opened their

-eyes; and though some grunted and turned over again, determined to have

-every minute they could, several jumped up at once, and hastily pulling

-on their clothes began sluicing and splashing in good, honest, cold

-water.

-

-"Hallo! Awake? Slept well?" queried Warren seeing that Ralph was

-preparing to follow the example of these last boys. "Any one try any

-games with you in the night?" And he came and sat down on Ralph's bed,

-and grinned when the new boy answered that he had not been disturbed.

-

-"I suppose they thought better of it. That is your basin!" he added,

-pointing to one washstand. "Mind that they don't take all the water, or

-you will either have to sneak another fellow's, or go and get some more

-for yourself. Look sharp, and then we will go and have a turn with the

-bells, and a spin afterwards, I like to get all I can before breakfast;

-it seems to set a fellow up for the day."

-

-Ralph nodded, and began vigorously sluicing and polishing; and the

-boys, too busy about their own business, paid no attention to him. He

-was quite capable of looking after himself, in their opinion. At last,

-all ready to accompany the monitor, he quietly repeated his action of

-the previous night--he knelt down in prayer.

-

-That staggered even Warren. As a whole, the boys were good lads, but

-even those who had been accustomed to evening prayers in their homes

-did not seem to think that morning prayers were quite as important.

-They wanted to scramble off to play as quickly as possible. The Head

-always read prayers in school, and that was enough; and here was this

-new fellow wasting precious time in this way!

-

-A few sneered and giggled; some shrugged their shoulders, and ran off;

-some looked grave; and Warren sat nursing his foot, and pondering;

-while Charlton turned red.

-

-But they made no remarks; and when Ralph rose from his knees, the three

-went out together. Warren was turning over a decidedly new leaf. If he

-had not annoyed Charlton before, he had left him pretty much alone, and

-now he was admitting him to his company. Well, Charlton was Rexworth's

-chum, and if he wanted Rexworth he must have the chum as well.

-

-Charlton hardly expected the monitor to be friendly to him, but he

-waited for his chum, and Warren waited, too.

-

-"Let us get down and have a try at the bells," suggested the monitor,

-leading the way. And Ralph inquired innocently--

-

-"Ringing bells, do you mean?"

-

-Whereat Warren stared, and felt just a little less respect for the

-new boy. What sort of a fellow could he be if he didn't know what

-dumb-bells were?

-

-"Ringing bells?" he repeated. "No; dumb-bells--exercises, you know!

-Come on, I will show you."

-

-"I never saw bells like those," was Ralph's comment, when a pair was

-produced. "How do you use them?"

-

-Warren went through a set of exercises, and then handed them to Ralph,

-who laughed, and said--

-

-"Why, they don't weigh anything! I don't see much exercise in this!"

-

-"They are six-pounders," was the answer; "quite as heavy as you will

-want. Now try this exercise--do it a dozen times."

-

-Warren showed Ralph the right way, and off he went; Charlton, who had

-also got a pair of bells, doing the same. And, to Ralph Rexworth's

-surprise, he found that those weights at which he had laughed soon made

-him feel tired, and that Charlton could keep on longer than he could.

-He could not understand that.

-

-"I don't see why it should be," he said.

-

-And a voice replied--

-

-"Because you are exercising muscles which you have not tried much

-before, my lad." And he turned, to see Mr. Delermain watching him.

-

-"Try again," said the master. "Only once; this sort of thing must be

-done gradually. Go slow, and take time."

-

-Ralph obeyed: but dumb-bells certainly made his arms ache. And then

-Warren suggested Indian clubs.

-

-"Indian clubs," repeated Ralph, "and what are they? I never saw the

-Indians use clubs. They have knives and hatchets, and spears and bows,

-and some of them use guns, too, and shoot wonderfully well; but I never

-saw them use clubs."

-

-Now that speech caused a smile, but it was a very respectful smile; for

-here was a boy who had actually seen real Indians. That was something,

-even if he did not know what Indian clubs were!

-

-However, the clubs were produced, and Ralph was shown how to swing

-them. And, as a natural result of his first attempt, he hit his head a

-smart crack, evoking a burst of laughter thereby.

-

-"Slow and steady," he answered; "I shall get it in time. I don't

-understand these things; but if you get me a coil of rope, I will show

-you one or two little things that I do not think any of you can do."

-

-"A coil of rope--that is easily supplied," said Mr. Delermain; and

-when it was brought, he said: "Now, Rexworth, let us see what you can

-do." And all the boys stood round while Ralph took the rope and made a

-running noose at one end.

-

-"Give me plenty of room," he said, and he commenced to whirl the noose

-round and round his head, letting the rope run out as he did so; until

-at last he held the very end in his hand, and the rest was twirling

-round and round him in a perfect circle.

-

-"One of you try to do that," he said.

-

-And try they did, in vain. They could not even get it to go in a

-circle, and it made their arms ache dreadfully.

-

-Then he made the circle spin round him on its edge just as if that rope

-was a hoop; and afterwards he actually jumped through it as it was

-going, explaining that the cowboys on the ranches frequently indulged

-in such tricks as these, and were experts at it--far more so than the

-Indians themselves.

-

-Then nothing would do but that he must show them how a lasso was

-thrown. And though several, including the master, essayed to try, not

-one of them was able to send the noose over Ralph's shoulders, though

-he caught them, one after the other, without the slightest trouble.

-

-"It is what one is used to," he said laughing. "I have not had much to

-do with bells and clubs--nothing to do with them, indeed--but I have

-played with a rope all my life."

-

-Dobson had come in with his friends, and he stood and glared. Elgert

-came in, and looked angry. This new boy was evidently on the way

-to become a favourite in the school, and, unless something was

-done, he might rival them. Though just then they did not speak to

-each other about it, both Dobson and Elgert arrived at the same

-conclusion--namely, that something should be done, and that Ralph

-Rexworth should be humbled and disgraced.

-

-Then Warren suggested a spin, and of course Charlton went, and two or

-three other boys--who found Ralph very good company--had to come too;

-and since they did come, they could not ignore the boy they had all

-neglected in the past. Poor Charlton, he could hardly understand it, it

-almost frightened him!

-

-It was delightful out in the fields, in the fresh morning, with the dew

-still sparkling on the leaves, and with the air full of the songs of

-the wild birds. There is a charm and sweetness and delight about the

-early morning which they who are late risers have no idea of. It sets

-the nerves tingling and the blood dancing, and makes one feel as if he

-were walking on air, and not on solid earth.

-

-Away they went across the playing field, and out on the common, on

-towards Great Stow; arms well back, shoulders square, bodies gently

-sloped, going with good, long, swinging strides.

-

-Ralph was in his element now, for running, equally with rope work, was

-an accomplishment practised by all those amongst whom he had lived. A

-very necessary accomplishment, seeing that the ability to run swiftly,

-and to keep up without fagging, might mean all the difference between

-life and death in a land where the natives were quarrelsome and quite

-ready to go upon the warpath upon the least provocation.

-

-Some of the boys outstripped him at the first go off, but he kept on

-running low, swinging well from the hips, and those who had gone with

-a spurt at first soon found that he could, to use Warren's expression,

-"run circles round them, and then beat them hollow."

-

-But presently Ralph slackened his speed, for he had noticed that

-Charlton was fagged, and he--having pledged himself to be the boy's

-chum--was not going to desert him. The rest were by no means sorry to

-stop; for though their pride would not allow them to give in, they

-had all had nearly enough of it. And panting, laughing, happy in all

-their youthful strength and spirits, they pulled up and wiped the

-perspiration from their foreheads.

-

-"Let us go over to Tibb's Farm, and get a drink of milk; and then

-we must be getting back, or we shall get slated and be late for

-breakfast, and that won't do," directed Warren, and the others agreed.

-

-The farm was but a short distance away, and it was evident that this

-visit was nothing out of the ordinary; for the farmer's wife smiled,

-and produced tumblers of milk and wedges of cake, and charged the boys

-a penny each--which certainly was not exorbitant.

-

-And the way they got rid of that cake! And they were going home to

-breakfast!--ay, and would be able to eat it, too, cake notwithstanding!

-So much results from getting up early!

-

-Perhaps it was because of his exhibition with the rope--perhaps it was

-the run; but as Ralph sat there his thoughts went back to his trouble.

-

-How often had he been out in the early morning on the hot plains alone

-with his father! And how once when the grass caught fire, they had to

-run for dear life and take shelter in the creek until the fiery sea had

-swept by! And now, now, where--oh, where--was that father? It would

-come back, try to be as brave as he would. It would come back, and his

-heart would suddenly fill with pain, and cry out for that lost father.

-

-"Time's up!" sang out Warren, stuffing the last of his cake into his

-mouth. "Now, you fellows, come on!"

-

-Off they went with a whoop and hallo! Perhaps not quite so fast now,

-for cake and milk interfere somewhat with scudding. And Ralph, now with

-his chum and Warren, suddenly stopped, staring hard on the ground.

-

-His companions could see nothing, and looked at him in surprise. Their

-eyes had never been trained to read the surface of the earth. But Ralph

-had suddenly lighted upon a freshly made trail. A trap had gone along

-here--a light trap, like that which had left those other traces in Stow

-Wood; and this trap, like that again, had been drawn by a horse lame in

-its left forefoot!

-

-

-

-

-CHAPTER VII

-

-HORACE ELGERT GOES A LITTLE TOO FAR

-

-

-"What's the matter, Rexworth?"

-

-So queried Warren. Ralph was standing anxiously looking around. He was

-perplexed, and did not know what he ought to do. These marks might

-afford him a clue to the mystery of his father's disappearance; and yet

-the chance seemed but slight, there were more horses than one going

-lame in one leg. If he stopped he would be late for school, and he did

-not want to get into disgrace.

-

-He could not explain to his companions, for he saw that if he was

-ever to succeed he must keep his secrets to himself. A casual word,

-heedlessly dropped, that he was looking for a lame horse which drew a

-light trap might be enough to make the owner of horse and trap very

-careful that he should not be traced.

-

-"It was nothing," he said slowly. "I was thinking."

-

-"Then don't stop to think now," was the advice he received. "We have

-been a little too far. You scudded along so, and we tried to beat you.

-We cannot waste any more time. Come on."

-

-He went on with his friends. He felt that it was right to do so.

-Moreover, the man with the horse and trap must be in the locality

-still, and if he was not scared off, those tracks would be made again,

-perhaps even more clearly, and Ralph might then have better opportunity

-of following them. It was the right thing to go back to the school now.

-

-"I say," suddenly queried Warren, as they hurried on. "Has Elgert said

-anything more to you?"

-

-"No; I have not seen him, except just as we were coming out, when he

-came into the gymnasium."

-

-"Well, he is bound to do so, after what happened yesterday. I do not

-see how he can help it, or how you can avoid it. You will have to fight

-him, Rexworth."

-

-"I am sorry to hear you say that, for I don't want to be fighting if

-I can help it, and I would far rather be friends with----" He paused.

-He was going to say "friends with him." But that was not true. He felt

-that, apart from anything which had happened yesterday, he could not be

-friends with the son of a man who had said that his father was a thief.

-

-"I don't want to fight him," he said slowly; and Warren nodded.

-

-"I know; but if he challenges you, what then?"

-

-Ralph looked grave. No boy likes to be thought a coward; but still he

-did not want to fight.

-

-"If I can get out of it I shall," he said: and the monitor looked just

-a trifle disappointed, while one or two of the boys laughed.

-

-"It is not that I am afraid of him," Ralph said hastily. "It is that I

-don't want to begin fighting, if I can avoid it."

-

-"For goodness' sake, then, keep out of his way, and don't let him

-get to know that, for if Elgert thinks that he can do it without the

-chance of a row following, he is bound to challenge you. He is bound

-to, anyhow, so far as I can see, and it won't be nice for a fellow in

-the Fourth to refuse a challenge from the Fifth. If it was one of the

-youngsters in the Third, it would be different. No one would say that

-we were frightened to fight them; but in the Fifth they are bound to

-say that it was fear, and---- Hurry up, you chaps, there is the bell

-going!"

-

-A scamper, fast as they could go, and they trooped in to breakfast, so

-hungry, spite of cake and milk, that not even the troubled question

-of the probable challenge could disturb their appetites. Only Warren

-looked across to where Horace Elgert sat, and he muttered to himself--

-

-"I wish that we hadn't talked of it before the others. If one of them

-lets out that Rexworth will not fight, Elgert is sure to make no end of

-it. I understand why Rexworth don't like it, and it is all right, but

-still--oh, he will have to fight, like it or not, and that is all about

-it."

-

-Morning lessons occupied their thoughts after breakfast, and Ralph

-found himself quite eager to master the things which, while they were

-hard to him, seemed easy to his companions. He had already determined

-that he would excel with dumb-bells and Indian clubs, and now it was

-just the same with lessons. He hated to be beaten, and he was not going

-to be beaten.

-

-And already he reaped the reward of having put in a couple of hours'

-study the evening before, with Charlton to lend him a hand. He was

-praised by Mr. Delermain, and rose rapidly from the bottom of the class

-towards the top, and, thanks to his firmness the day before, he had no

-more of the unpleasantness with Dobson, who remained persistently at

-the very bottom of the class.

-

-Slow and steady, he found the best way, doing each thing thoroughly,

-and thinking only of one thing at a time; and that is always the best

-way, not only to learn, but to do everything in life.

-

-He was quite surprised when the bell rang--the morning seemed to have

-slipped away, and he put his books away and went, Charlton with him,

-into the playground.

-

-"I don't know how I should have got on if you had not helped me last

-night, and I am very much obliged to you," he said. And the other boy

-smiled. It was very nice to hear any one say that he had been of use to

-them.

-

-The pair sauntered across the playground, and presently they saw

-that Horace Elgert and some of his chums were coming towards them,

-and Ralph stopped, a strange, firm look on his face, and awaited his

-approach.

-

-Up the others came, and Elgert, hands in pockets, addressed him--

-

-"I want a word with you. You know what we have got to do. You cheeked

-me last night, and you have got either to thrash me or be thrashed."

-

-Elgert spoke very confidently, for, as Warren had feared, he had heard

-that it was unlikely that Ralph would fight him.

-

-"It is this, then," replied Ralph quietly. "You mean that we have got

-to fight?"

-

-Elgert looked round and laughed. A whole lot of the boys had come up,

-seeing them standing there, and knowing what they would be talking

-about.

-

-"Hear him!" he said. "How innocent! He cheeks me last night, and then

-asks if I mean we have got to fight! Yes, I do mean it! After afternoon

-school, the other side of the playing-field; and make up your mind for

-a thrashing!"

-

-"I have not the slightest wish to fight you. I was going to say that I

-had not any intention of fighting you," said Ralph.

-

-And some of the boys groaned, and muttered "Coward!"

-

-"I don't care whether you have wish or intention," replied Elgert, in

-truculent tones. "I have both wish and intention of thrashing you, and

-so you have got to put up with it, and afterwards beg my pardon. Do you

-hear that?"

-

-"I hear," was the quiet reply.

-

-And Ralph's eyes sparkled slightly.

-

-"Very well. This afternoon, the other side of the playing-field; and

-you mind that you are there, for it will be worse for you if I have to

-come and find you! That is all."

-

-And round swung Elgert on his heel and walked off, leaving Ralph

-standing unmoved by his angry, insulting tones.

-

-But if Ralph was unmoved, his companions in the Fourth were not, and

-Warren said, almost entreatingly, as he caught hold of Ralph's arm--

-

-"Look here, Rexworth, you must fight him after that! It is no good

-talking, you must fight him!"

-

-A statement which was received with approval by all the others there.

-

-"Well," said Ralph, "if I must, I must. I don't want to, though."

-

-"But for the honour of the class you must, or we shall never hear the

-last of it from them. You will meet him where he said?"

-

-"Not I!" laughed Ralph. "If I must fight, I must; but I am not going to

-be ordered about by him; and I am not going to do anything which makes

-it look as though I were a party to the fight. If he wants me, he must

-come and find me, as he threatened to do. There, we will say no more

-about it now."

-

-"He will do it all right," reflected Warren. "Elgert will find that he

-has gone a trifle too far."

-

-The afternoon passed away in study, and whatever any of the others

-may have felt of anxiety or interest in the likelihood of the fight,

-certainly Ralph did not let it trouble him. He was engaged with some

-sums which worried him a trifle, and when once one of his neighbours

-whispered to him in reference to the combat, Ralph glared at him, and

-requested him to be quiet in a manner which there was no gainsaying.

-One thing at a time with Ralph.

-

-But when the work of the day was finally over, he strolled calmly

-into the playground, calling to Charlton to accompany him. Charlton,

-who looked so terribly anxious, realized that Ralph must fight, and

-yet dreaded the issue, for Elgert was no mean foe. Charlton, who, in

-self-reproach, thought that it was all his fault--that it was only

-because Ralph had stood up for him concerning the study.

-

-"I say, Charlton, I want you just to show me how to get on with

-cricket," Ralph said. "Every one seems to play; but I cannot make

-anything out of it, except that you have to hit the ball, and run if

-you can."

-

-Charlton beamed; this was a delightful experience for him, and he at

-once led the way to the playroom, and secured one of the school sets.

-

-"Come in!" he said. "I will soon explain the rules to you, and you can

-try batting. I will bowl for you as long as you like."

-

-Perhaps Ralph was conscious that he was being covertly observed by many

-anxious eyes; but he gave no sign, nor did he move a hairsbreadth when

-presently he saw Horace Elgert coming in his direction, a curious and

-somewhat eager crowd at his heels.

-

-"Go on, Charlton, don't stop," he said very quietly, for his chum had

-stopped, and was fingering the ball nervously. "Fire away!"

-

-The lad would have obeyed, but Elgert had arrived, and he gripped the

-weaker lad's arm and twisted the ball out of his hand.

-

-"You clear off!" he said. "We don't want one of your sort here."

-

-But Ralph remarked quietly--so very quietly: "Charlton, you stay where

-you are."

-

-"Be off!" again said Elgert; and raised his hand, to find that not

-Charlton but Ralph was before him, and to hear that quiet voice say

-again--

-

-"Charlton, if you budge an inch, I'll thrash you myself. Neither you

-nor I can be ordered about, unless the fellow who does the ordering is

-able to enforce his demands."

-

-Elgert paused then. He was not a coward, but there was something very

-disconcerting in this quiet bearing, especially when he called to mind

-the fact that Ralph had not been frightened the evening before. He had

-determined to fight, and then he had heard that Ralph was afraid, and

-he had acted upon that information; and now Ralph was not afraid, not

-in the least. And indeed, instead of being afraid, he was asking, still

-quietly--

-

-"Now, Horace Elgert, I am tired of this rubbish. What do you mean by

-it?"

-

-"Didn't I tell you to come and meet me the other side of the

-playground?"

-

-"Yes. And I decline to do anything of the sort. When people want me,

-they generally come to me, not order me to go to them."

-

-"Well, I have come: and now I am going to thrash you!"

-

-"I see. Start right away; don't wait for me!"

-

-Some of the Fourths laughed. This was quite unexpected. Elgert was

-manifestly disappointed, but he turned red.

-

-"We don't generally fight here," he said. "Will you come over?"

-

-"No, I will not. I will not budge an inch. I don't want to fight; but

-if you start it, it must be here. And if you don't stand aside and let

-us go on with our game there will be trouble!"

-

-"You fellows can laugh!" suddenly blazed Elgert, turning towards the

-grinning Fourths. "A nice thing to laugh at! He has got the proper

-chum--that's one thing! We all know about Charlton, and why no one

-will chum with him; and this chap is not much better. I saw my pater at

-dinner-time, and a fine way he was in when I told him of the new boy we

-had.

-

-"You know the yarn he told about his father disappearing? Where has he

-gone to? People don't disappear in England, unless they want to! My

-pater says that a burglar broke into our house, and that he fired at

-him and hit him; and he says, from the description, that the burglar

-must have been the man that came to Stow Ormond with this chap, and

-passed as his father, and----"

-

-"Stop!" said Ralph, very quietly still, but with an ominous expression

-of face.

-

-But Elgert laughed contemptuously.

-

-"Why, I don't know that I would soil my hands fighting with the son, or

-the associate, of a thief!" he said.

-

-And then, suddenly forgetting everything in the feeling of hot

-indignation which overwhelmed him, Ralph Rexworth raised his hand, and

-in a moment his taunting enemy lay prostrate on the ground.

-

-

-

-

-CHAPTER VIII

-

-A MYSTERIOUS MIDNIGHT VISITOR

-

-

-"Hurrah!"

-

-"Bravo, Rexworth!"

-

-"Now, you Fifths, does your man want to fight?"

-

-Such were the gleeful shouts of the Fourth when they beheld Horace

-Elgert on the ground. And the Fifths, alarmed for the honour of their

-class, rushed to pick up their fallen champion, saying--

-

-"Don't make such a row! Of course he will fight. Get over to the other

-side, where we shall not be seen, and we will come!"

-

-But Ralph would not listen to any such arguments. He stood there,

-looking down at his fallen foe, and he said shortly--

-

-"You fellows will please to mind your own business! I am going nowhere

-to fight until this chap has apologized, then, if a fight is wanted, we

-will move!"

-

-"But you cannot fight here! The Head will see us!" cried a score of

-voices.

-

-"I cannot help that! This fellow has told a lie about my father, and he

-has got to unsay it, or take the consequences! I suppose that he thinks

-I was afraid because I tried to avoid a fight the very first day of

-being at school. Well, I am not afraid! If he had only talked about me

-I might have taken no notice, but when he comes to speaking as he has

-done he is going too far, and he has got to take back his words now, or

-finish it here!"

-

-Meanwhile, Elgert had struggled to his feet, and he looked dazed from

-the effects of the blow, while his face was already growing swollen and

-discoloured.

-

-"Stand aside!" he said hoarsely. "I will fight him here! If the Head

-himself were looking on, I would fight him!"

-

-"You are a pair of fools!" muttered a Fifth-Form monitor. "We shall

-be spotted, for a certainty, and all of us get carpeted for this! Go

-calmly, you silly fellow, or he will smash you!" and he broke off in

-his complaint to give this last advice to Elgert, who had rushed at his

-opponent, mad with pain and anger, and had gone down for the second

-time!

-

-"Look out! I knew how it would be! Here comes the Head!" shouted one

-boy; and a hurried rush took place, leaving the two boys and Warren and

-Charlton alone when the master reached the spot.

-

-"Elgert! Rexworth!" he exclaimed in tones of displeasure. "What

-does this mean? You, too, Warren! You, a monitor of the Fourth, and

-encouraging a new boy in fighting! I am displeased, indeed!"

-

-"It is my fault, in one way, sir," replied Ralph, without waiting

-for the others to speak. "Elgert said something concerning my father

-which angered me, and I struck him. He wanted me to come across the

-playground and fight where we would not be seen, but I was angry, and

-would not do so."

-

-Something like a smile played across the grave face for a moment as the

-Head heard this speech.

-

-"You boys seem to think that if I do not see you fight no offence is

-committed. You do not recognize the fact that fighting in itself is

-poor, and low, and degrading. I know that boys settle their quarrels

-in this manner, but I decry it. Now, the fact of fighting here is a

-double offence, for you are within sight of my study window. I am sorry

-that it has happened, but I will overlook it on condition that you and

-Elgert shake hands."

-

-"I cannot do that, sir," was Ralph's respectful answer; and Elgert on

-his part, said:

-

-"I will not do it!"

-

-"Boys, boys! 'Cannot,' and 'will not!' Neither expression is seemly!

-You will go to your respective studies and remain there until you are

-in better minds!"

-

-"It is not that I am angry, sir," Ralph said, very respectfully. "This

-boy has said that my father is a common thief!" Ralph's voice shook

-just a little as the words came. "He says that his disappearance is due

-to that! You must see, sir, that I cannot shake hands with him after

-that!"

-

-"Elgert, what have you to say to this?" demanded the Head sternly; and

-Elgert stammered--

-

-"I didn't exactly say that, sir."

-

-"Yes, you did!" blurted Warren. "He did say it, sir, and he has been

-trying to get up this fight! It is no use denying it. It began because

-Rexworth turned him and some more out of the study he shares with

-Charlton. They say enough unkind things about him," he added. "There

-was a bit of a bother, and Elgert got knocked over, and he challenged

-Rexworth to fight him after school to-day. Rexworth, would not do it,

-and he said that if a fight was forced upon him it should be wherever

-he chanced to be at that moment. Elgert came here and began sneering

-and saying unkind things, and then Rexworth struck him, and that is all

-the truth. I know that I ought to have tried to stop it, but we and the

-Fifth don't get on well, and so--and so----"

-

-"Because of class rivalry you allowed your companion to fight. It is

-not right, Warren! Monitors should try to enforce the rules, not to

-break them. Elgert, you will do me two hundred lines, and be good

-enough to remember that if I consider any boy fit to become a scholar

-here it is not for you to make such statements as you appear to have

-done."

-

-"I only said what my father told me!" sulkily answered Elgert; and the

-Head frowned.

-

-"What you and your father may say in private is no concern of mine,

-Elgert," he replied coldly; "what you repeat in public here is another

-matter, with which I have to do! Do your imposition and bring it to

-me before class to-morrow, and mind that I have no more of this. You

-other lads, I will overlook this in your case this time, seeing that it

-appears that violent provocation was given; but, mind, there must be no

-more fighting in the playground boundaries! See that I am obeyed!" And

-the Head turned away.

-

-"Don't think that we have finished yet!" said Horace Elgert, looking

-darkly at Ralph. "I will have my revenge for this, as sure as you are

-standing there!" and, with that he went.

-

-And the three Fourth-Form boys went indoors; while the rest of the

-lads, who had scattered, came back eagerly discussing what punishment

-the offenders would receive.

-

-And the general verdict was, "It served Elgert right, and that he had

-no business to have spoken as he had done!"

-

-"But suppose it is right?" queried one lad. "You know, there is

-something queer about it!"

-

-"Something very queer," said another; "but that story is all nonsense!

-My dad knows Mr. St. Clive very well, and he told him all the story and

-how there was plenty of money in Mr. Rexworth's possession. Besides,

-any one with eyes can see that Rexworth is a gentleman, even if he has

-some strange ways through living abroad. Elgert is too fond of thinking

-he is all the world and every one else dirt beneath his feet. It

-serves him jolly well right!"

-

-"Well, there is one thing," admitted a third boy, "that fellow Rexworth

-may be queer in some ways, but he is no fool when it comes to a

-scrimmage, and he knows how to defend himself! I don't think any of us

-are likely to try for a row with him after what we have seen!"

-

-Meanwhile, Ralph, ignorant of the criticisms which were being made

-in his favour, had gone to his own study. He felt sorry for what had

-occurred, and the cruel words which had been spoken had gone like

-arrows to his heart and brought back all his trouble. He felt like

-running away to Mrs. St. Clive and getting her to comfort him.

-

-And then Charlton came in, very gently, as if half afraid to intrude

-his presence upon his chum. He came and bent over Ralph's chair,

-putting one hand on his shoulder, and whispered--

-

-"Ralph, I am so sorry! Don't you worry about it!"

-

-Ralph looked up, and a brave smile came to his lips.

-

-"Hallo! Is it you, Charlton?" he said. "No, I won't worry about it; but

-I am sorry that I have commenced my school life so badly. There, we

-won't think of it any more! If you are not busy, you might just lend

-me a hand with to-morrow's exercises. If it were speaking French or

-Spanish, I should be all right, but I don't seem to understand Latin

-in the slightest."

-

-"Let us go through it," replied Charlton eagerly. "I shall be glad to

-do it."

-

-So troubles were forgotten, and the chums bent over the table and soon

-became absorbed in their task. Learning lessons is not anything like so

-bad when you put your heart into it.

-

-So the evening passed, and bed-time came; and once more Ralph knelt

-down to offer up his evening prayers. And not only Warren and Charlton,

-but some other boys followed his example now, for his action had

-reproached them and made them think soberly of things which they had

-been careless about all too long.

-

-But Ralph was not easy in his mind. Somehow, he felt that he had no

-kindly thought for Elgert--and he had been praying to be forgiven, as

-he forgave his enemies! That was a very troublesome thought, and it was

-still in his mind when he fell asleep.

-

-       *       *       *       *       *

-

-What was that noise?

-

-Ralph Rexworth sat up in bed, and listened. Accustomed to wake at the

-slightest noise that might betoken danger, and to wake with all his

-senses about him, he had been disturbed by a strange, scraping sound,

-the cause of which he could not think of.

-

-Only one dim point of light burnt in the dormitory, and all was still

-there save for the breathing of the sleepers. It was no sound of that

-sort which had awakened him.

-

-There it was again--outside! He remembered having heard a sound like

-that once before--when the Indians had risen and come to attack the

-ranch. He had laid and listened to them as they crawled over the tops

-of the sheds, and the sound was like that! It was from outside! He

-rose, and creeping to the window, he lifted one corner of the blind,

-and peeped out.

-

-Nothing there--stay, that was wrong! Surely that was a ladder propped

-against the wall? What was a ladder doing there, for there was none

-there the evening before! And the window there was open! Some one must

-have got in at that window!

-

-Was it one of the boys who had been up to mischief, or, it seemed

-absurd, was some thief breaking in? Thieves did not, as a rule, break

-into schools!

-

-He was half inclined to raise an alarm. But the thought came, that if

-this was some midnight escapade on the part of some of the boys, to do

-that might be to get them into disgrace--to make more enemies, and to

-interfere in what did not concern him.

-

-That was a window just outside the Fifth-Form dormitory, too! Elgert

-might be in it, and he did not want to be the means of getting him into

-any more trouble.

-

-But suppose that it was a thief? Ralph crept to the door and opened it

-noiselessly. He peered down the corridor, but nothing was to be seen or

-heard.

-

-Stop! Surely he did hear a faint sound--a very faint sound! He felt

-that he must go and see; a strange, uneasy feeling had possessed him; a

-strange presentiment that all was not right.

-

-He crept down the passage, and turned towards the Fifth-Form dormitory,

-and a breath of cold air met him. The window was open, and the top of a

-ladder could be seen--and the door of the dormitory was open also!

-

-With cautious, stealthy steps he crept on, pausing once when the boards

-creaked beneath his weight. There was something eerie in being here

-alone at midnight; it was worse than being out alone on the plains.

-

-He reached the door, and peered into the dormitory with its long row

-of sleeping boys there. There was nothing here in the shape of a lark

-going on. All was still and silent.

-

-There was his enemy lying asleep, his handsome face just catching a

-glimmer of moonlight which found its way through the blind; and as

-Ralph looked he saw a strange apparition--a man slowly appeared, rising

-at the side of the bed! A man with pillow in his hands, which he was

-about to press down upon that sleeping boy! A man going to murder

-Horace Elgert!

-

-Like a flash the truth burst upon the watching boy, and, with a loud

-cry, he threw the door wide open and rushed into the dormitory.

-

-

-

-

-CHAPTER IX

-

-ALTOGETHER BEYOND EXPLANATION

-

-

-"Thieves!"

-

-"Fire!"

-

-"Help! Help!"

-

-The whole house was aroused. The cries of confusion and alarm coming

-from the Fifth Form dormitory were repeated by others who, entirely

-ignorant as to what was the matter, and aroused from slumber by the

-noise, tumbled from their beds and rushed out wildly, under the

-impression that nothing less than the house being ablaze could account

-for the cry.

-

-The doctor and masters came hurrying to the spot; and while the

-Head ran to the Fifth Form room, the master got the other boys into

-something like order, ready to be marched quietly downstairs if the

-alarm of fire should prove to be well founded.

-

-The first thing that the doctor noted was the open window and the

-ladder, and the next, that a confused babel of sound was going on in

-the Fifth's room; and as he strode to the door he was met, full tilt,

-by a boy with torn clothes, apparently seeking to free himself from the

-grasp of half a dozen Fifth Form boys. To his bewilderment, the Head

-saw that this boy was his new scholar, Ralph Rexworth.

-

-His strong hand gripped the boy's arm, and his voice thundered out a

-command for silence, which the boys obeyed all save Ralph, who cried--

-

-"If you do not follow him at once, he will be off, sir! These fellows

-stopped me, and he has got a good start!"

-

-"He! Who?" cried the Head. And the boy replied--

-

-"The man who was in the Fifth, sir. He knocked me down, and bolted; and

-then the boys woke, and got me, and would not let me go!"

-

-"You have been dreaming, boy. Silence, all! Kesterway, you are head

-monitor. Explain to me! All boys from other Forms back to their rooms;

-there is no cause for any alarm. At once, please! Now, Kesterway!"

-

-"I can tell you nothing, sir. I heard a noise, and woke; and there was

-Elgert, and one or two others holding a boy who kicked and struggled;

-and just as I jumped out of bed and ran round, he broke away and rushed

-for the door."

-

-"It was Rexworth, sir!" cried one boy. "He was in our room trying to

-play some trick upon Elgert. They have been having a row, sir."

-

-"Will you have the goodness to hold your tongue, sir!" exclaimed the

-master, a trifle irritably; and the boy subsided at once.

-

-"Elgert, what have you to say? Did this boy attempt to play any tricks

-on you?"

-

-"Yes, sir! I was asleep and I was aroused by a violent cry and a blow,

-and some one was struggling on my bed, as if he had jumped on and

-was trying to hold me down; I gripped hold of him, and found it was

-Rexworth. The other fellows woke, and began crying out; and then, when

-they found who it was that had made the row, they got angry and went

-for him!"

-

-"That will do. Now you, sir, what have you to say? Speak up, and

-tell the truth! Why have you disturbed the whole household in this

-disgraceful manner?"

-

-So the doctor asked, and terribly angry did he look; but very different

-was his expression when he had heard Ralph's story. It sounded

-incredible that any one should attempt to enter the school for the

-deliberate purpose of injuring any boy; and he would have put the story

-down as a fabrication, but there was the plain evidence in the shape of

-the open window and the ladder.

-

-If Ralph had invented it, he must have managed to leave the house, drag

-the ladder across the playground, raise it to the window, and then go

-back and open that window; and that also seemed absolutely impossible.

-

-"I saw the man, sir!" the lad said; "he was creeping on his hands and

-knees, and when he got to Elgert's bed he got up, and he had a pillow.

-He was going to smother Elgert. He dropped the pillow when I shouted

-and ran in. It is by the bed now. I tried to clutch him, sir, but he

-was too strong. He struck me, and knocked me over on top of Elgert, and

-then they held me and actually let him escape. He darted away like a

-flash, sir; and I expect that he is far enough away by now!"

-

-Bewilderment, incredulity, wonder, all were depicted upon the faces of

-those who listened; but Elgert actually laughed in the Head's presence,

-and asked how any one could be expected to believe such a story.

-

-"Who is there who would want to harm me, sir?" he said. "Why, it is

-really absurd to think of such a thing! I have had a row with this boy,

-as you know, and I suppose that he wanted to play a trick on me, and

-quite forgot the row that would be made."

-

-"Be good enough to keep your remarks to yourself, until I ask for your

-opinion, Elgert!" said the Head sternly. "Now, all you boys, back to

-bed! In the morning I will go into the matter properly. To bed at once!"

-

-It was all very well to say "to bed," but "to sleep" was quite another

-matter. Sleep seemed banished from most eyes; and in the Fourth, Ralph

-was plied with question after question, until at last he positively

-refused to talk any more.

-

-Truth to tell, Ralph was somewhat disgusted. He had done more than

-most boys would have risked; and had it not been for him, Elgert would

-have been murdered, and this was the best thanks he received!

-

-And yet, as he thought of it, it seemed quite natural to him. After

-all, it was a very mysterious business; and if people did not believe

-it, it was not to be wondered at. He would wait patiently until the

-morning; and then, if the doctor did not believe him, it would not be

-his fault.

-

-And when morning came, and breakfast was over, the Head sent for Ralph,

-and again listened to his story, and questioned him closely; and he

-felt convinced that the boy was indeed speaking the truth.

-

-That only perplexed him the more; a foolish joke would be

-understandable, but a deliberate attempt to harm one of the boys under

-his charge was a thing which he could not by any means comprehend.

-

-He went into the playground and surveyed the ladder; it had been left

-just where it was. He went to the boundary wall and examined that, and

-there was a stain of blood--some one, in hastily getting over, must

-have cut his hand upon the broken glass with which it was finished off.

-He felt, beyond question, that Ralph's tale was true. Some one had been

-there, but who that some one was, was a mystery indeed.

-

-But the doctor was a just man, and as he had thrown some doubt upon

-Ralph's story, he summoned the entire school, and told them he was

-quite satisfied that what Ralph had said happened was absolutely true.

-

-"Mysterious as it is, I feel satisfied that one of our number has been

-in dreadful peril, while he was innocently sleeping; and it is to the

-goodness of God that he owes his preservation. God, Who made Ralph

-Rexworth wake up and look from the window and then go to the help of

-Elgert! And I trust," he added gently, "that this circumstance may make

-the two chief actors in this incident better friends! I am sorry to

-know that they are not very friendly, but I hope that they will be so

-in the future!"

-

-So the affair ended--so far as public investigation went, though it was

-talked over again and again by the boys. The Head communicated with the

-police, and a detective came down; and however much he may have been

-bewildered and ready to put it down to the tricks of schoolboys, yet

-after he had seen the ladder and the bloodmark, and heard Ralph tell

-his story, he also had to admit that the boy was undoubtedly telling

-the truth, and that the school had been entered in the manner described.

-

-But Ralph worried over it. The very mystery surrounding it brought back

-the mystery of his father's disappearance. He pondered all day over it,

-until he felt weary and angry with himself; and he hailed the close of

-school with delight, suggesting to his chum and Warren that they should

-go for a good long walk, a proposal with which they immediately agreed.

-

-"Now, look here," said Ralph, when the trio had started, "there is only

-one thing; for mercy's sake don't talk about that business of last

-night! I am fairly tired of it, and I want to forget it if I can!"

-

-"All right, old chap," answered Warren, with a laugh; "let us go into

-the woods and see if we can find anything worth taking in the way of

-specimens. I got two lovely orange-tips there the other day, and some

-silly fellow went and knocked over my setting-board, and spoilt them

-both!"

-

-"The woods be it," answered Ralph readily.

-

-And so they sought the green, cool, shady glades, where the wild birds

-were so tame, and where such splendid butterflies and dragon flies were

-to be captured.

-

-They wandered hither and thither, enjoying the quiet sylvan beauty; and

-presently, stretched on the grass, they spoke of the difference of this

-scene to that which Ralph had known in his younger days; and Warren lay

-flat on his back, and asked question after question concerning the wild

-people of the great Texan plains.

-

-"I didn't know that there were any Indians left," the monitor

-confessed; and Ralph laughed.

-

-"Plenty of them; and then there are the Gauchos--they are of Spanish

-descent, and they are for ever fighting with the Indians. It is very

-different living out there; and, even in the towns, men seldom go about

-unarmed."

-

-"Pleasant," was Warren's remark. "I think that I will stop where I am;

-even if we do get midnight visitors now and again."

-

-"I say, that subject is forbidden," laughed Ralph.

-

-And then he was silent so long that, presently, Warren asked him what

-he was thinking of, and Ralph sighed.

-

-"Something that is hardly ever out of my thoughts," he answered

-gravely. "Speaking of my old home brought it back----"

-

-"Your father?" queried Warren; and Ralph nodded.

-

-"It must be precious hard for you," the monitor said. "I think that if

-I were in your place I should go silly."

-

-"No, you would do what I do, old fellow; just pray to God to bring

-things right. I felt bad at first, and it was Mrs. St. Clive who taught

-me to be brave."

-

-"I like her," remarked Warren, with a nod. "She is awfully nice, Ralph.

-I wonder if ever you will hear anything about your father?"

-

-"Yes," came the confident answer. "I feel sure that I shall; and

-sometimes, Warren, it may seem strange, but it comes to me that he is

-not dead, and that he will come back!"

-

-"But if he were not dead he would not have gone off and left you all

-alone like this," objected Warren. "I should not think that."

-

-"He may not be able to help it. There, we won't talk of it; only I

-cannot help thinking like that sometimes. Where is Charlton?"

-

-The question brought the fact out that they were alone; their companion

-had gone off and left them there while they were talking.

-

-"Now, where has that silly chap got to?" queried Warren, sitting up.

-

-"Gone after a butterfly, perhaps. He will soon be back."

-

-"But it is time that we began to move. He is such a silly fellow that

-he is as like as not to go and lose himself. Hallo! Charlton! Charlton!

-Coo-ee! Charlton!"

-

-They paused and waited, but no reply came; and Warren got up, a trifle

-cross.

-

-"Of all the silly kites!" he said. "What trouble has he got into now?

-Charlton, I say, where are you?"

-

-"Better let us go and have a look for him," said Ralph; and the two

-started, Warren grumbling all the way, until in response to their

-shouts, they heard an answering call, and saw their companion appear.

-

-"Well, you stupid!" began Warren; but Ralph checked him, for the other

-boy looked scared and pale.

-

-"Why, what is the matter?" he asked. "You look as if you had been

-scared. Has any one frightened you?"

-

-"I! Any one frightened me? Oh, no!" answered Charlton quickly. "How

-silly! Who could be with me? I got lost--and lost my head! I felt a

-little afraid, until I heard you call."

-

-"We have been shouting for the last half hour!" grumbled Warren. "Come

-along! We shall be late for tea!"

-

-But Ralph said nothing. He was puzzled. The spot where they stood was

-damp and clayey; and on the soft ground were the imprints of two pairs

-of feet, going towards the bushes from which Charlton had emerged. Of

-those footprints, one set was a boy's, and evidently made by his chum;

-the other set was a man's.

-

-Charlton said that he had been alone, but Ralph knew better. A man had

-been with his chum, but who was that man? Was he the one who had broken

-into the school the previous night?

-

-

-

-

-CHAPTER X

-

-COUNSELS AND PROMISES

-

-

-"My dear lad, it certainly is very strange. You seem, since your

-arrival in England, to be surrounded with mysteries."

-

-Ralph was sitting alone with Mr. St. Clive; and the latter, having

-questioned him as to how he had got on during his first week at school,

-Ralph had told him of his various experiences--of his quarrel with

-Horace Elgert, and of the strange midnight episode which had taken

-place--Mr. St. Clive listening with interest, and making the remark

-that it was very mysterious, as the lad concluded his story.

-

-"It is strange, sir," answered Ralph, "and at first Dr. Beverly seemed

-inclined to doubt my story; while Horace Elgert, instead of taking it

-seriously, actually said that it was not true, and that I had gone into

-the Fifth dormitory on purpose to play some trick with him. I think,

-though," he added, "that he only said that to anger me."

-

-"It is very strange," Mr. St. Clive repeated. "And then this other

-boy----"

-

-"Charlton, do you mean, sir?"

-

-"Yes. You say that you are sure he was with some man, and that he

-denied it?"

-

-"Yes, sir. I asked him if he had been with any one, and he looked quite

-frightened."

-

-"That may easily be. I know something of his history, or rather, of the

-family's. His father was accused of some crime, and, strangely enough,

-Lord Elgert was the prosecutor. A cheque was forged, I believe. Mr.

-Charlton managed to escape, but he was never able to come back; and it

-was finally said that he was dead. It is quite possible that he has

-returned, and that he got into the school to see his son, and went into

-the wrong dormitory. That is possible, I say, though I do not think it

-likely. He would hardly run such a risk, in my opinion; and more so, as

-he could have gone to his wife, and then let her send for the lad."

-

-"I did not think of it being his father," acknowledged Ralph. "I was

-thinking of something else."

-

-"Yes?" inquired Mr. St. Clive.

-

-"Cannot you guess, sir? My father is gone, and I know nothing of his

-fate. What if this man was the one who met him in Stow Wood. He might

-be able to solve the matter."

-

-"He might," was the reply, "but it is not likely. Charlton, as I

-remember him, was a timid, shrinking man; that was proved by the way he

-took to flight. He would not be likely to do such a thing."

-

-"But he might, sir. Some one must have done it," persisted Ralph. "I

-feel as if I ought to watch Charlton, and find out who it was that he

-met. I could do it, too! I may not be very clever with books, but I

-could do that kind of thing."

-

-"And then?" came the grave question.

-

-And Ralph cried, almost fiercely--

-

-"Can you ask me that, sir? If my father has come to harm, the one who

-harmed him must be punished."

-

-"Even though he is your chum's father. Ralph, this is quite natural;

-and even beyond that, I do not say that if you could discover the man

-who killed your father--supposing that he is killed--he should not be

-given up to justice. I only say, 'pause, and be careful.' Remember the

-man your chum saw may be his father, and yet may be entirely innocent

-of the crime which you naturally desire to have punished. You, in your

-eagerness, may deliver an unfortunate man up to justice, and then find

-out that he is not the man you seek. And if I can read anything of your

-nature, that would be a cause of bitter regret with you for many a long

-day."

-

-"It would, sir," acknowledged Ralph readily. "But unless I can find the

-man, how can I know the truth?"

-

-"Well, my lad, I feel that I can only advise you to be careful;

-and, above all, even in this desire to have your father's assailant

-punished, see to it that no motive of revenge actuates you. Remember

-that it is written: 'Vengeance is Mine. I will repay, saith the Lord.'

-Remember also that it is 'As we forgive them that trespass against us.'"

-

-"But you would not have me let the man go free, sir?" protested Ralph.

-"The only thing I seem to have before me is to find out what happened

-to my father."

-

-"But not of necessity to help hunt any man down. Besides, Ralph, there

-is another thing. You mention that you have again seen the tracks of

-that horse. Now, does it not strike you that, if this man is the father

-of your chum, and a fugitive from justice, he would be the last person

-in the world to be riding about in a trap? That is a very important

-thing to remember."

-

-"I never thought of that," the boy acknowledged. And Mr. St. Clive

-nodded.

-

-"Precisely; and yet such things, in so important a business, must be

-taken into consideration. Now, Ralph, my advice--my earnest advice--is

-that you proceed very carefully, and be quite certain that you have

-reason for each step before you take it. And one thing more, my

-dear boy. It is not well to say that even unravelling the mystery

-surrounding your father's disappearance is the chief object of your

-life. The chief object should be to become a noble, true man, alike

-a blessing to your fellows and an honour to God. Do you remember how

-it says in the Bible: 'There is a banner given to thee, that it may

-be displayed because of righteousness'? Now, that is a verse I like.

-God gives you His standard, and He says not only 'march under it, but

-bear it for Me.' Die for the colours of the King, if need be, and fight

-always under honour's flag. Ralph, that is my counsel, the best I can

-give you, as your true friend. Wait for God to bring the mystery to

-light. Do not let revenge be your life's object, for revenge is of the

-devil. Let love be your watchword, and honour your banner. Ralph, will

-you promise me this?"

-

-"I will, sir," answered the boy, deeply moved. "I will try and be a

-good standard-bearer."

-

-"I feel sure of it. Shake hands. I know that I shall have cause to be

-proud of your friendship. Now, I must not take up all your time. I know

-that Irene is waiting patiently for you, so run and join her, and make

-the most of your brief holiday."

-

-And what a delightful holiday it was, in spite of the trouble over

-him! It was a splendid thought to think of himself as being a

-standard-bearer. And he told Irene all about it; and she, in return,

-told him of the young hero who, being wounded, and fearing that the

-colours he bore would be taken from him, placed them beneath him, and

-lay in silent suffering until the enemy found him and, in pity, sought

-to help him. And then she told how he begged so hard that he might not

-be moved that they wondered; and when, even against his wish, they

-raised his dying form, there they found the colours which he loved, and

-which he had guarded so well; and they wrapped them round him and bore

-him away. And when he died they buried him with the flag which he had

-carried, and gave him all honour for being true man and hero.

-

-It was a fine story, and set Ralph's heart beating more quickly. And

-then Irene said that he must be as true, and be her champion, and win

-in the battle of right against wrong. And Ralph--well, I do not mind

-owning that he kissed her; and seeing that he had been brought up all

-his life on the plains, and had never been used to girls' society, that

-really was a daring thing to do.

-

-So the holiday was spent, and Sunday passed in quiet and worship. And

-then on Monday morning back he went to Marlthorpe College, and the

-fight of another week.

-

-And the battle began almost at once, for very soon after his arrival he

-was called into the doctor's study, where he found two stern-faced men,

-whom he was told were detectives; and they questioned him closely as to

-the events of that night when he had seen the man, and even went so far

-as to hint that he must have been dreaming and walking in his sleep,

-and that made Ralph feel very like losing his temper. Dreaming! As if

-he did not know that he had been very wide awake indeed!

-

-And they called Horace Elgert in also, and questioned him as to whether

-he had seen anything, or whether he could think of any one likely to

-harm him. And Elgert laughed in the most insulting manner.

-

-"I don't believe a word of it!" he said, with seeming frankness. "It is

-a silly business, and it had best be forgotten. There is a great deal

-too much being made out of it. I suppose that Rexworth wants to pose as

-a hero. I told my father of it, and he laughed about it; but he said

-that he would ride over this morning and question Rexworth himself."

-

-"I do not want him to question me!" cried Ralph, flushing angrily. And

-Elgert laughed again.

-

-"Very likely not; but he will do it, all the same," he replied. And

-then Dr. Beverly interrupted them sternly.

-

-"Silence, both of you! I did not tell you to come here to have this

-nonsense, but to answer any questions which these gentlemen might wish

-to ask you. Back to your classes, both of you, and mind that I have no

-trouble with either of you! If you cannot be friendly, keep apart!"

-

-"I am sure that I want to," muttered Elgert, as he went; but he only

-spoke loud enough for the words to reach Ralph's ears.

-

-It was very hard to keep cool and pay attention to his work; but Ralph

-remembered his promise to his good friends, and he set sternly to the

-tasks before him, only to be interrupted an hour afterwards by the

-doctor sending for him again; and this time--how hot and angry he came

-all in a moment!--it was to be questioned by Lord Elgert, who sat there

-as cold, as haughty, and overbearing as ever.

-

-"Now, young man," he said, when Ralph entered, "I want to hear, for

-myself, this remarkable story."

-

-Ralph paused a moment. With a strong effort he mastered himself. If

-he was a standard-bearer, he must remember to give soft and polite

-answers, so he said politely--

-

-"I am afraid that I have little to tell, sir, that I have not told

-already; and, unfortunately, it does not seem to be believed."

-

-"Never mind that. Begin at the beginning, and tell me all that

-occurred."

-

-So Ralph complied, and Lord Elgert sat listening with frowning face and

-watchful eyes; and Ralph could see that he, like his son, really did

-believe the story, even though he pretended not to.

-

-"Well, well, doctor," said his lordship, when the tale was told, "I am

-inclined to think that it is a case of sleepwalking----"

-

-"But did I put the ladder against the window in my sleep, sir?" asked

-Ralph. "The detectives did not think that, nor do you. I have no

-interest in inventing such a story; and I have no wish to do anything

-to annoy your son, so long as he leaves me alone----"

-

-"I do not think that the boy dreamed it," said the doctor. And Lord

-Elgert frowned.

-

-"Hum! Hark, boy! I suppose that it was not your own father, come to see

-you, eh?"

-

-Then up started Ralph indignantly, and cried--

-

-"You have no right to insult me like that! Why should you? I know

-nothing of you, and yet, upon the only two occasions when we have met,

-you have spoken in that way. My father! Why should he come like a thief

-at night? He has never done anything to be ashamed of. Never, I say, in

-spite of the tale you told. That tale is not true!"

-

-"Each to his own opinion, young man," retorted Lord Elgert drily. "You

-take my advice. Attend to your studies, learn all you can, and then go

-back to the land you came from; for you will get on best there!"

-

-"Lord Elgert," answered Ralph fearlessly, "you may mean that kindly

-or you may not. I neither know nor care. It is your advice, but it is

-advice which I shall not take. I have something to do here. I have

-to find out what has become of my father, and I have to prove that

-your accusation that he is a thief is not true. I am only a boy, Lord

-Elgert, and you may laugh at me, but I know that I shall succeed

-presently, and when I do perhaps I may also learn the reason for your

-disliking me so much."

-

-"What do you mean by that?" shouted Lord Elgert angrily. And Ralph

-replied--

-

-"Just what I say!"

-

-Then he turned and asked the doctor if he wanted him any more. And

-receiving permission to go, he went back to his class; while Lord

-Elgert rode homewards, with black looks and frowning brow.

-

-

-

-

-CHAPTER XI

-

-GOING IN FOR GRINDING

-

-

-"Boys, I have an announcement to make."

-

-The whole school were gathered for the usual morning prayers, the

-masters each at the head of his class; and when the reading was over,

-the doctor, instead of dismissing them to their classes as usual, still

-stood at his desk, and the boys looked up eagerly. Was it a holiday, or

-a challenge from some neighbouring school to a football match?

-

-Alas, for such hopes! It was neither the one nor the other. It was

-something which only interested a very few of the most industrious

-there.

-

-"The Newlet gold medal examination for mathematics will be held in a

-month's time from now; and it will be needful for intending competitors

-to hand in their names to their masters at once. I trust that the

-school will be well represented at the examination. We lost the medal

-last year, though we had a very good average; but the year before that,

-Kesterway, who was then only in the Fourth, gained it. That debars

-him from again trying for it; but I hope that others will enter the

-field, and do as well as he did. The second and third boys gain silver

-medals. That is all. Dismiss to your classes."

-

-"I say, Dobby, there is a chance for you to distinguish yourself,"

-whispered one boy in the lazy one's ear, as the Fourth trooped away.

-And Dobson glared, for of all things, mathematics was his weak point.

-

-"Dobson cannot do it," laughed Warren, overhearing the words. "His

-system of mathematics is erratic. When it comes to eating tarts at

-some one else's expense, it is wonderful how many he can take without

-counting them up; but if he has to treat--well, one multiplies itself

-into twenty."

-

-"You shut up," growled Dobson. "I never had tarts at your expense."

-

-"No, my son, and you never will," laughed Warren. "Hurry up and take

-your place. You know where it is--top wrong end."

-

-Mr. Delermain entered, and the class settled down to work; but Ralph

-found himself pondering over that prize which was offered. True,

-figures were not his strongest point; but then he had a great belief

-that any one who sets his mind to a thing can manage to do it in time,

-and, somehow, he felt that it would be very nice to take that medal

-home and show it to Irene.

-

-So when recess was called, he managed to get hold of Warren and

-question him about it.

-

-"The Newlet," explained the monitor. "Well, it certainly is rather

-stiff. I suppose that I must go in for it, though I don't think I

-shall stand much chance. There will be Philmore and Standish of the

-Fifth; I don't know if Elgert will try for it. He thinks no end of his

-mathematics, but if you ask me, I think that a crib has a good deal to

-do with it."

-

-"A crib?"

-

-"Yes. You know. Don't know what a crib is!" as Ralph shook his head.

-"Oh, you sweet innocent, I thought I explained that to you before! It

-is a book with all the answers in it----"

-

-"That is cheating," said Ralph. And Warren nodded.

-

-"Of course it is; but it is frequently done, not only for exams,

-but for class work. Suppose a fellow is late in--been at cricket or

-anything--and he hasn't got time for prep., and don't want to lose his

-place, a crib comes in very handy; only some fellows always use 'em,

-because they are so lazy----"

-

-"Dobson, for instance," suggested Ralph. But Warren laughed, and shook

-his head.

-

-"Bless you, no. He is too lazy even to use a crib. He does not even

-pretend to do his lessons; and he is in pretty little danger of losing

-his place, seeing that it is always at the bottom of the class."

-

-"Well, I think it mean and dishonourable to use cribs," Ralph declared.

-"If I could not manage without that I would not manage at all."

-

-"It is pretty often done," Warren replied. He was not quite guiltless

-himself; and he felt a trifle ashamed of Ralph's honest wrath. "I

-suppose it is wrong; only a fellow does not think so at the time.

-But you were asking about the Newlet. It is stiff, but it is worth

-winning----"

-

-"I should like to try for it," murmured Ralph. And the monitor stared.

-

-"You! Well, there is nothing to prevent you from doing so; only you

-will have to grind awfully, if you don't crib----"

-

-"I shall not do that," interrupted Ralph firmly. "Once for all, let

-that be understood. If I cannot stand a chance without cheating, I will

-not go in for it."

-

-"Well, then, it is just grinding, that is all."

-

-"Grinding," repeated Ralph, raising his brows. And Warren laughed again.

-

-"Bless your heart! It is refreshing to find any one as innocent as you

-are. Grinding, my dear fellow, is working, swatting, putting in full

-time, giving up games and larks and story books, and working on every

-moment you have got to spare. It is living on mathematics all the time."

-

-"In plain words, it is working hard," laughed Ralph. "And if a thing is

-worth doing, it is worth working well for----"

-

-"Right you are. Go ahead, and good luck. You are letting yourself in

-for a nice thing, though; but, I suppose, that if you enter you will

-stick it out. Best tell Mr. Delermain; it will please him to have you

-enter. He likes his Form well represented, even though we cannot all

-win."

-

-Warren was right in that; the master was very pleased when Ralph spoke

-to him about it.

-

-"I should like to go in for it, sir," the boy said. "I suppose it seems

-rather absurd; but I could try at least, and the study will not do me

-any harm."

-

-"Not if it is honest study, Rexworth," replied Mr. Delermain. And those

-truthful eyes were raised steadily to his own.

-

-"It will not be anything else, sir," Ralph said. "If I cannot do it

-honestly, I shall not do it at all."

-

-"That is the way, Rexworth." Mr. Delermain laid one hand on the boy's

-shoulder as he spoke. "And even if you do not win, the work itself is

-sure to prove of great use to you later on. By all means enter; and if

-you want any assistance or advice, do not hesitate to come to me. I

-shall always be very glad to do anything in my power to assist you."

-

-So Ralph put his name down, and some of the boys stared when they heard

-it. A new boy, only a week there, putting his name down for the Newlet!

-

-"Cheek!" said Elgert.

-

-"Rubbish!" said Dobson.

-

-"No use!" said a good many; but Ralph paid no heed to it all. One thing

-nerved him. Elgert was going in for it; and he felt that if he could

-not beat him, it would be strange.

-

-"You will have to work very hard, Ralph," was the verdict of Mr. St.

-Clive, when he heard of it. "It is an honour to gain the medal, but it

-is an honour that has to be earned by hard work."

-

-"You will try your very best, won't you, Ralph?" pleaded Irene. "I

-should just love you to win it, the same as if you were my very own

-brother."

-

-Brother! Well, well; Irene and Ralph were but young; perhaps, later on,

-it would not be brother, perhaps--who can say?

-

-So Ralph began to undergo that process which Warren called swatting,

-or grinding, and it was not all easy. When the day's work was over,

-and the boys ran off to their games, or settled down to their story

-books--and Ralph loved story books--it was not easy to get out the

-dry figures and bend over them, studying tricky sums, or working out

-obscure equations; it was not easy, but it had to be done. Ralph was

-beginning to understand what work meant.

-

-And Charlton proved himself a good chum in the hour of need, for he was

-farther on than Ralph, and could help him in many points. Indeed, Ralph

-wondered why he had not entered himself; but Charlton sighed and shook

-his head.

-

-"He did not want the worry of it," he said.

-

-Ralph had said nothing more to him concerning his suspicions, but

-they were frequently in his mind. He never lost sight of his father's

-disappearance. He was for ever keeping his eyes open for anything that

-might put him on the right track. But Mr. St. Clive's remark that he

-might perhaps be the means of harming a man who had never harmed him or

-his, made him very careful about saying or doing anything. Something

-was worrying Charlton, that he could plainly see; but since the boy did

-not say anything to him, he hesitated to try and force his confidence

-in any way.

-

-So he worked with Charlton; and sometimes Warren would pop in and ask

-him how he got on, or compare notes with him. And Warren confessed

-that he had been influenced by Ralph's words, and that he was working

-on what he called "the square," which meant that he was doing without

-cribs and keys.

-

-And when particularly knotty points occurred, Ralph would carry his

-books away and consult Mr. Delermain; and the master helped, and

-advised, and praised him, and spoke very encouragingly of his progress

-and his chances.

-

-"There is nothing to beat honest, hard work, Rexworth," he said one

-evening, as the lad sat in his room. "What you gain unfairly, you soon

-lose; but what you learn honestly, that you hold, and it serves as a

-foundation to build other knowledge upon."

-

-"I do not know how to thank you enough, sir," the lad answered, and Mr.

-Delermain smiled.

-

-"The fact that I see you working honestly, is more than reward for

-me, Rexworth. Now if there is nothing more, run away, for I have some

-letters to write."

-

-Ralph rose, and as he did so, in gathering up his books he knocked a

-piece of thin paper on to the ground from off the table. He stooped

-with an apology and picked it up. He could not help seeing what it

-was--a five-pound note--and he handed it to his master, who took it and

-placed it on his desk.

-

-"Thank you, Rexworth. Do not forget to come to me at once, if you want

-any more help."

-

-Charlton awaited him in their study, and the lad seemed but ill at

-ease. He looked at Ralph doubtfully for a while; and, at last, said

-timidly--

-

-"Rexworth, I hope that you won't be angry, but could you--that is, I

-mean, will you----"

-

-"Out with it, old fellow," laughed Ralph. "Will I what?"

-

-"Lend me some money. I am without any, and I want some----"

-

-"I can lend you ten shillings, if that is any good," answered Ralph

-readily. And Charlton beamed.

-

-"Will you? Oh, I am obliged! I will pay you back soon. I shall have a

-little money in a few weeks."

-

-"That is all right. Here you are," and Ralph handed him the money, and

-turned back to his task again.

-

-[Illustration: "'THAT IS ALL RIGHT. HERE YOU ARE,' AND RALPH HANDED

-HIM THE MONEY." p 110.]

-

-But now he could not work. He wondered what Charlton wanted the money

-for, and where he was going to get any more to pay him again. Somehow

-the sums seemed to get muddled; and he jumped up at last, with an

-exclamation of annoyance--

-

-"Bother it! It won't come right! I quite forget how Mr. Delermain

-said I was to do it. I will run and ask him again; he won't mind my

-bothering him."

-

-He took his book and went out. The corridor leading to the masters'

-rooms was rather dark, for the gas had either not been lit, or had been

-turned out by some one. Just before the room was reached the corridor

-turned sharply to the right, and here it was quite dark. And, as Ralph

-turned this corner, he encountered some one, who ran against him with

-such force that he almost fell down; and before he could recover from

-his surprise, that unseen boy had disappeared round the corner, running

-swiftly and silently, as if anxious to escape notice.

-

-Ralph muttered something about clumsy fellows, and picked up his

-papers, which had been scattered in all directions. Then he went on to

-Mr. Delermain's room, and saw that the door was open, but the room in

-darkness. His master had evidently finished his letters and gone.

-

-"I shall have to let it wait until to-morrow," he said. "It's jolly

-vexing, just as I was getting on so nicely."

-

-He turned from the door, when a step sounded in the corridor, and a

-light glimmered round the corner. Some one was coming. And then a voice

-said--

-

-"Why, Rexworth, what are you doing here? You have no business in this

-corridor." And Ralph found himself face to face with Dr. Beverly.

-

-

-

-

-CHAPTER XII

-

-THE STOLEN BANKNOTE

-

-

-Now, why Ralph should have felt in the slightest degree confused by the

-sudden appearance of Dr. Beverly, he could not have said; and yet he

-was conscious that he exhibited something of hesitation in his manner.

-It was perhaps due to the doctor finding him there in the dark, and

-looking rather suspicious and stern.

-

-The fact was that the doctor was so used to his pupils playing tricks

-and getting into scrapes, that it was but natural that he should scan

-the boy's face closely, and he noted that Ralph looked confused.

-

-He repeated his question sharply, and then the boy recovered himself

-and described how he had come to ask Mr. Delermain to again explain the

-point which had escaped his memory.

-

-"Mr. Delermain has gone out, I believe," Dr. Beverly said, when Ralph

-concluded. "But perhaps I may be able to make the point clear. Come to

-my study and let me see what you are doing."

-

-Ralph followed the doctor, not without some little nervousness; for,

-like all the boys, he stood somewhat in awe of the head master; but the

-doctor smiled, and was so kind that he soon put the boy at ease; and,

-after scanning the neat rows of figures in the exercise-book, he nodded

-approval.

-

-"I am glad to see that you work so neatly, Rexworth," the Head said.

-"Now, this point. Here is your error--it is very simple, though easily

-made."

-

-And taking a pencil, he worked out the sum himself, making Ralph go

-over it with him, and explaining each detail as it was done, so that

-Ralph was able to understand it quite easily; and, with words of

-thanks, took his books and went off, the doctor saying, as he departed--

-

-"But let me give you one word of advice, Rexworth. It is all very well

-to be industrious; but remember, the brain wants rest, and you cannot

-learn properly when you are jaded. Put the books away, and do something

-else until bedtime--draw, read, or whatever you like. It pays to have a

-little relaxation when one is working hard."

-

-Now Ralph valued the master's experience too much to neglect that

-advice; and, though he had intended to work for another hour, he put

-his books away when he reached his little study, and, picking up his

-long-neglected story, he settled down with a sigh of relief for a quiet

-read.

-

-But he could not read. He wondered who it was that had run up against

-him, and what he was doing in the master's quarters. He felt uneasy, he

-could not say why. Then he had behaved so foolishly when the doctor

-first met him! As if any one had any need to be afraid of such a kind

-man as Dr. Beverly!

-

-Then he fell to thinking of Lord Elgert; and he wondered why he should

-seem to be so bitter against him, and why he seemed to take a delight

-in saying that his father was a thief. Ralph could not understand Lord

-Elgert; he was as much a mystery as was his father's disappearance.

-

-Then, from thinking of the father, his thoughts went to the son; and he

-wondered whether Horace Elgert would stand any chance of winning the

-gold medal, and whether he was working with one of those cribs; and he

-caught himself thinking how nice it would be to defeat his rival and

-carry off the prize.

-

-But then he checked himself. He wanted to win, but that ought not to be

-the real motive for it. After all, to want to win only to make Elgert

-vexed, was a very poor sort of thing.

-

-"I seem to be for ever catching myself up," he reflected. "It is harder

-work being a standard-bearer than I supposed at first."

-

-The bell rang for supper, and there was no more time to think then.

-Boys were laughing, shouting, enjoying the freedom which was allowed at

-this last meal of the day; and after that was over, the classes went

-off to their dormitories, and silence soon reigned in the school. And

-Ralph slept calm and peaceful, little dreaming what trouble was coming

-for him in the morning.

-

-But that trouble came, sharp and swift, before the classes assembled

-for morning school--the heaviest trouble that Ralph had been ever

-called to face, with the exception of that all-supreme one--the loss of

-his dear father.

-

-Breakfast was over, and the boys crowding from the dining-hall to

-snatch a few minutes' play prior to entering classes, when Ralph felt a

-hand laid on his shoulder and, turning, saw Kesterway by his side.

-

-"Rexworth, the Head wants you in his study at once!" the monitor said;

-and Ralph, wondering what could be the matter, turned and went to the

-doctor's room forthwith.

-

-And when he entered, he found both Dr. Beverly and Mr. Delermain there;

-and both looked very grave he thought.

-

-"You sent for me, sir?" he asked, looking towards the doctor, and the

-master nodded.

-

-"I did, Rexworth. Come in and shut the door. Now sit down and listen

-to me. You know that neither I nor Mr. Delermain would willingly say

-anything to hurt your feelings--I am sure that you realize that?"

-

-"Of course I do, sir," replied Ralph, wondering greatly. "You have both

-always been kind to me."

-

-"Well, now, I am going to say something that may seem hurtful," the

-master went on. But then he stopped as he encountered those calm, brave

-eyes, and he motioned to Mr. Delermain. "Suppose you speak?" he said,

-and Ralph's own master complied.

-

-"Rexworth," he said quietly, "it is not pleasant to say anything that

-could be interpreted into the faintest suspicion of doubting your

-honesty----"

-

-"I hope that you do not doubt it, sir," replied Ralph quickly. "It

-would be a very great trouble to me if you did! But I see that

-something is wrong; and if that is so, it is best to know it at once

-in plain language. If you have to say anything to hurt me, it must be

-something grave indeed!" he added.

-

-"It is grave," acknowledged the master. "You remember, last evening,

-knocking a banknote from my desk, and picking it up for me?"

-

-"Perfectly well, sir."

-

-"I replaced that note on my desk, and, having some letters to write, I

-forgot to take it up again; and when I went to post my correspondence,

-I left it there on the desk. When I returned, the note was gone, and

-the only person who was near my room, so far as we know, was yourself.

-Dr. Beverly saw you there."

-

-"And you think that I have stolen your banknote, sir?" cried Ralph,

-regretfully. But Mr. Delermain shook his head.

-

-"No, no, Ralph! You must not go so far as that. I only tell you the

-facts, as far as we know them. The note was there, the note has gone,

-you are the only one who was seen near the spot!"

-

-"There was some one else, sir!" cried Ralph; and he narrated how some

-one had pushed against him and run down the dark corridor. Both masters

-listened gravely as he did so.

-

-"And you have no idea who this was? Did not recognize either voice or

-figure?"

-

-"No, sir. He did not speak, and it was so dark, and the thing so

-sudden, that I was taken quite by surprise!"

-

-"You can think of no one? Know of no lad you saw in that part of the

-house?"

-

-"No, sir," answered Ralph; but even as he spoke one thought flashed

-into his mind. "Charlton, his chum! Charlton was in need of money!

-Could it have been Charlton?"

-

-"I can think of no one, sir," he replied. "I can quite see how it looks

-against me; but Mr. Delermain has proved so good a friend to me, that

-it seems hard that I should be thought capable of robbing him."

-

-"Let me impress upon you, Rexworth," said the doctor, "that we do not

-look at the matter in that light. We sent for you because we knew that

-you were near the place--in the room, indeed. The matter must be made

-public, and questions must be asked; and it is natural that, since you

-are the only one who was near the place----"

-

-"I was not the only one, sir," he answered quietly.

-

-"No, there is that other boy whom you say ran past you in the dark;

-but, my lad, unless something can be found out concerning that boy, we

-have only your bare word; and suspicion is bound to fall mostly upon

-yourself. That is why we both felt that you should be seen privately,

-before the circumstance was made known to the whole school. That is

-all. You can go!"

-

-"It is impossible that such a boy can be a thief, sir!" cried Mr.

-Delermain to the Head, when Ralph had gone. "I would stake my life upon

-his honesty!"

-

-"I feel somewhat the same, Delermain," answered the Head. "But the note

-is gone, and he is the only one known to have been near. The school

-will not view the thing in that light."

-

-"I should rather that the school did not know, sir," suggested the

-master; but at this Dr. Beverly shook his head.

-

-"No, no, Delermain, I will not have that. We will have no

-favouritism--no keeping things back. If it was my own son who was

-implicated, the thing should be gone on with. For the sake of every one

-concerned, it must be gone on with."

-

-But what a sensation it caused when the doctor made the announcement

-to the school! He had classes stopped, and all the school assembled in

-the hall; and there, standing at his great desk, he spoke to the lads,

-telling them that the banknote was lost.

-

-"It can hardly have been mislaid," he said, "for Mr. Delermain put it

-beneath a heavy paper-weight; and upon his return he found that weight

-had been moved. Now, there are two things I want to impress upon you

-all, very solemnly. Some one must have done this--some one acting,

-perhaps, under a sudden temptation; some one, perhaps, who did not

-understand the full gravity and magnitude of his offence. Let that some

-one come and own his fault to me, like a man and a Christian should do.

-Remember, also, that the number of that note is known. It cannot be

-parted with, or converted into money, without eventually being traced,

-even through successive stages, back to the one who originally parted

-with it.

-

-"Then, remember also, that there is one of your number who is

-particularly affected by this loss; there is one boy who knew this note

-was there, and who is known to have been near the study during Mr.

-Delermain's absence. A boy who frankly explains what took him there,

-and who declares that some one passed him hurriedly in the darkness of

-the corridor. That boy is Ralph Rexworth, and the boy who passed by him

-must undoubtedly be the thief!"

-

-It was kindly put by the Head, for it seemed as if it exonerated Ralph

-from all suspicion; but there were those in the classes who, as the

-Head had foreseen, did not look at it from that standpoint; and Dobson

-muttered to his nearest neighbour--

-

-"That is all very well, but why may not Rexworth have taken it himself?

-He is the only one who knew that it was there."

-

-And the boy to whom this was addressed nodded.

-

-"I again earnestly entreat the boy who has done this thing to confess

-his fault!" the Head went on. "Do not let us have the taint of a

-thief amongst us! Let the culprit act the better part, and remove the

-disgrace from the school! Now go to your classes, and think over what

-I have said, and I trust ere the morning has passed, the boy who is

-guilty will have taken the better course and have come to own his fault

-to me!"

-

-Away to their rooms they went; and now tongues were loosened,

-and comments made; and oh, how hard it was for Ralph to keep his

-temper! for Elgert was not slow to take all the advantages which the

-circumstance offered to him.

-

-"It is all right to talk about shame being on the school!" he said to

-his companions. "What else can you expect? There is Charlton--look

-at him! 'Like father, like son,' you know. Then there is his chum,

-Rexworth. 'Birds of a feather flock together.' It does not take very

-much to see who the thief is, Rexworth was caught almost in the act,

-by the Head himself; and it is very easy to make up a tale of some one

-running by him in the dark."

-

-"Of course," was the answer; and Ralph heard it all so plainly, as

-Elgert had intended that he should do. Poor Ralph, it was a hard task

-for him to keep his temper--to remember his promise, and act the

-standard-bearer's part!

-

-

-

-

-CHAPTER XIII

-

-DIVIDED OPINIONS

-

-

-There was but one serious theme of conversation at Marlthorpe College

-during the remainder of that day, and it is not difficult to guess that

-the theft of the banknote formed its subject. From the highest class

-to the lowest--from the First Form youngsters right up to the Upper

-Fifth--the boys discussed the business eagerly, and, it must be owned,

-with divided opinions.

-

-For there were some there who, being quick to perceive true nobility of

-character, felt that it was impossible for such a boy as Ralph Rexworth

-to be a thief. They were like Dr. Beverly and Mr. Delermain, and felt

-that, dark as the circumstances made it appear for Ralph, he could not

-be guilty of such a mean action. And there were others who, with all

-the thoughtlessness of youth, and influenced, perhaps, by the words of

-Elgert and Dobson, were quite ready to declare Ralph guilty off-hand,

-without the slightest hesitation.

-

-And it was bitter for Ralph--far more bitter than any there could

-understand. He felt that they all looked with suspicion upon him. And

-he even did his best friends some injustice, yet they, right down to

-their hearts, believed him to be guilty.

-

-He wanted at first to throw aside his books and go back to Mr. St.

-Clive and to Irene, but he pulled himself up sternly. He would not run

-away like a coward. It would appear as if he were really guilty. He

-would stay and fight it out and prove his innocence. He felt sure that

-it would aid him in getting at the truth concerning his father, and so

-he settled sternly down to his work, and even, in his battle, seemed a

-little cold and standoffish to his best friends.

-

-And Charlton--ah, Ralph could not help thinking that Charlton

-knew something about this. He seemed so strange, so different and

-hesitating. He felt like challenging him to tell the truth, but

-something, he was not quite clear what, made him hesitate. It was bad

-enough to be suspected himself, and he was a fairly strong boy, able to

-take his own part, but what would timid, weakly Charlton feel if the

-suspicion were thrown upon him?

-

-"I won't do anything to let him think that I suspect him, until I can

-be sure that I have good grounds for suspicion," Ralph reflected.

-

-And then he paused. And if he had those good grounds, what then?

-Suppose that he could even be certain that Charlton was the culprit,

-what then? The boy would have taken the money for his mother in all

-likelihood, and----

-

-Ralph shrugged his shoulders and turned resolutely to his work, and,

-though plenty there believed that he was guilty, there was such a look

-upon that strong young face that they forbore to speak their opinions

-directly to him, but only revealed them by cutting him contemptuously

-whenever he chanced to be in their company.

-

-But he was not left without comforters. Mr. Delermain took the

-opportunity to speak with him quietly, and as he placed one hand gently

-upon the strong young shoulder, and looked gravely into the face, now

-somewhat clouded with its sorrow, the kindly master said--

-

-"Rexworth, my dear boy, I could find it in my heart to wish that I had

-never mentioned this loss."

-

-"I do not, sir," answered Ralph quickly. "If the thing has been done it

-ought to be mentioned, no matter upon whom the blame may fall. It is

-rather hard to feel that so many of the boys believe that I have done

-it, but then, you see, I was in your room, and things look black, and I

-have no means of proving that my story of some one having passed me is

-really true."

-

-"I would that we had any clue to that," observed the master. "If we

-could only find out who that was! You have no suspicion, Ralph?"

-

-And he glanced into the boy's eyes.

-

-"No sir." Then Ralph hesitated. That was not quite true. He had a

-suspicion. "I would rather not talk of it, sir," he answered, after a

-pause. "Perhaps it is not quite right to say that I have no suspicion,

-but it is only a suspicion, and I have no right to talk about it,

-seeing that I have no solid grounds to go upon. I am accused solely

-upon suspicion, and I know how hard it is."

-

-"I applaud your sentiment," said Mr. Delermain. "Well, my dear lad, let

-me impress upon you that I do not believe you to be a thief. Let me

-give you my sympathy, and let me encourage you to bear this trial--I

-fully understand how hard it must be for one of your nature--bravely;

-and let me assure you that I shall look forward with just as much

-pleasure as formerly to your visits in the evening. Do not let this

-interfere with your studies for the Newlet medal, and rest sure that I

-should not again invite Ralph Rexworth into my study if I suspected him

-of being a thief."

-

-"The boy has some sort of suspicion," reflected the master, after Ralph

-had gone. "He suspects some one. Now whom can that be? Is he shielding

-that boy Charlton? He is a weakly dispositioned lad--one likely to fall

-into temptation, and to yield to it too. I must watch him quietly.

-Charlton is the most likely boy to have done this. He is poor too.

-Perhaps he took it to help his mother. Poor lad! if that is the case, I

-would be the last one to bring him to punishment." He paused and shook

-his head. "I ought to take a lesson from Rexworth," he went on, with a

-smile. "He will not speak upon mere suspicion, and here I am weaving a

-theory without the slightest ground for so doing, and actually arriving

-at the conclusion that a certain boy is guilty, when I have not the

-least right to even connect him with the theft."

-

-Mr. Delermain went back to his duties, but still that thought was in

-his head--was it possible that Charlton had taken that five-pound

-note, and that Ralph Rexworth knew it, and was silent only for the

-sake of his chum? Ralph felt quite cheered by his master's words.

-He did not dream that Mr. Delermain thought anything about Charlton

-being the thief, and he soon found another comforter in the person

-of good-hearted Tom Warren; for the monitor came up to him with

-outstretched hand, crying heartily--

-

-"Look here, Rexworth, you are asking for a fight with me, that's what!"

-

-"Eh?" said Ralph, staring. "I don't understand."

-

-"Well then, why are you cutting me like this? Oh, think I don't notice

-it? You are sitting moping, just like an old magpie that is moulting.

-Look here, don't be so jolly silly as to worry about what these kites

-say or do. It's only Elgert and his gang, and Dobby and Co. They are

-always glad to be able to chuck stones at another fellow's glasshouse;

-but they will get their own windows smashed in time. Now, don't hide

-your head as though you had done something to be ashamed about. Come

-into the playground with me."

-

-"The other fellows don't want me, and I don't want to go where I am not

-wanted."

-

-"Rubbish! Downright silly rubbish!" retorted Warren. "I want you!

-I want you to show me how to throw one of those ropes like you do.

-I cannot manage it. I was trying the other day, and I caught Bert

-Standish an awful smack in the eye, and jolly nearly knocked it out for

-him; and if you had seen him scudding after me, one hand on his injured

-optic and the other shaking in very wrath! I didn't stop to argue until

-I got safe inside my study and had the bolt drawn; and then he stood

-outside kicking the panel, and calling me a chump, and a kite, and a

-cuckoo, and all manner of pretty and polite names, and inviting me to

-come out and let him wipe up the floor with me. I spoke soft words, and

-tried to pour oil on troubled waters, only the troubled waters were not

-taking any, and would not be assuaged until Kesterway came along and

-said that he would report him for damaging the paint if he didn't stop

-it. I have kept out of Bert's way since then, and he has got a lovely

-bruise under his eye. Come on, Ralph, and show me how you do it without

-knocking any one's head off."

-

-So Ralph suffered himself to be taken into the playground, and though

-some looked at him suspiciously and edged away from him, others of

-Warren's disposition resolved that, at any rate, they would wait for

-proof before condemning him, gathered round Ralph, and made him feel

-that they were his friends.

-

-So opinions were divided, and Marlthorpe College split into two

-parties, one for, and one against Ralph--one with Tom Warren at its

-head, and the other with Horace Elgert, the Honourable Horace Elgert,

-the nobleman's son!

-

-And Elgert was not quite satisfied, for he saw that Ralph was not sent

-to Coventry, as he had intended that he should be. He saw that some

-of the boys recognized that he was not the sort of lad to be a thief,

-and he determined that, if it could be done, their opinions should be

-changed.

-

-"If I can only prove that he did it," he mused, "I may be able to

-manage that, if I have any luck."

-

-So the days of the week slipped away, once more bringing the Saturday

-holiday near, and it had been one of the hardest weeks that Ralph

-Rexworth had ever known--a week that had called for all his strength of

-will and purpose to enable him to face and overcome its difficulties

-and temptations.

-

-It was Friday afternoon, and Ralph was in his study putting his books

-straight prior to leaving--he was always neat in his habits--when

-Charlton came in, hesitating, troubled-looking, as ever.

-

-"Glad the week is over, Ralph?" he asked, after he had stood in silence

-for a little while watching his chum.

-

-And Ralph nodded.

-

-"Yes. It has been a little hard. I shall be glad to have a rest from

-it," he answered.

-

-"They are wicked to try and make out that you took that note. They

-ought to know that you did not. I know you did not."

-

-"Do you? How?" was the quiet answer to this indignant outburst.

-

-And Charlton seemed confused.

-

-"Why, because--don't you see--because--you could not do it, of course."

-

-"Thanks!" said Ralph. "It is nice to hear you say that."

-

-But, alas! he wondered whether Charlton had any better grounds for his

-belief.

-

-And then the boy went on, taking ten shillings from his pocket.

-

-"Here are the ten shillings which I owe you. I am much obliged."

-

-Ralph looked hard at him, and made no attempt to pick up the money.

-

-"Charlton," he said quietly, "I thought you said that you would not be

-able to repay me for some time."

-

-And Charlton looked more confused than ever.

-

-"I know, but I--I can pay you now."

-

-"How did you get the money?" asked Ralph.

-

-And his chum grew more nervous.

-

-"I had it given--I mean that I---- Why do you ask that?"

-

-"I will tell you, Charlton," answered Ralph gravely. "I don't mean to

-tell any one else, though. You had no money at the beginning of this

-week, and now you can pay me ten shillings. Where did you get the money

-from? Did you take that five-pound note?"

-

-For a moment the lad stood silently staring at Ralph. Then his pale

-face went crimson, and he burst out indignantly--

-

-"What do you mean? Do you think that I stole it? Do you mean that I am

-a thief? You can't mean that, Rexworth! Did you ever catch me telling a

-lie?"

-

-"Yes," said Ralph quietly. "I did once."

-

-"When?" demanded Charlton.

-

-And Ralph answered--

-

-"Last week in the woods, when you said that you were alone. I know that

-there was a man with you."

-

-"That is a lie!" answered Charlton wildly. "There was no one. You have

-no right to say there was any one with me." He seemed quite beside

-himself with terror. "I know what it is, Ralph Rexworth! You have taken

-that note after all, and now you are trying to put the blame upon me.

-We are not chums any longer. I hate you!"

-

-And with that Charlton rushed off, choking with anger and bitter grief,

-and Ralph stood there looking after him, more in regret than in anger.

-

-"Poor chap!" he muttered. "I ought not to have spoken like that. It

-only shows how easy it is to make a slip, if you are not for ever

-watching. Perhaps I am wronging him, after all."

-

-He paused. His eyes fell upon the money which Charlton had placed upon

-the table. If he was wronging him, then where had Charlton managed to

-get that money from?

-

-

-

-

-CHAPTER XIV

-

-BY THE RIVER SIDE

-

-

-"I wish that I had not spoken like that to him."

-

-So Ralph Rexworth mused as he left the study and went along the

-corridor--anger at the violent outburst and the accusation which

-Charlton had hurled at him, he felt none.

-

-A muffled sound broke upon his ears--the sound of some one sobbing

-violently, and he stopped, peering along the corridor until he made

-out the form of his former chum. Charlton had flung himself down full

-length, and was crying as if his heart would break.

-

-It was more than Ralph could stand--he went up to him and laid a hand

-upon the prostrate boy's shoulder.

-

-"Charlton," he said kindly, "don't cry. I am awfully sorry that I have

-offended you, and that we have quarrelled. I did not mean to do it.

-Won't you get up and shake hands with me?"

-

-"No!" came the broken answer. "Go away, I don't want you! You were the

-only chum that I had, and now you say that I am a thief! I never said a

-word against you. I told Dobson that he was telling lies when he said

-that you had stolen the note, and he beat me. I did not mind that,

-because I was trying to stick up for you; and now you say I stole it!"

-

-"Come, shake hands," pleaded Ralph, feeling somehow that he was on the

-wrong track. "I am sorry."

-

-"You ought to have known how it feels to be called a thief," the other

-lad continued. "You are not my chum--I don't care about you being

-strong and me being weak--I don't want to be your chum. I know that my

-father was called a thief, but it was not true--he never did anything

-wrong--and I know that people sneer at me. But I am not a thief--I

-never stole anything, and you, seeing what Elgert has said about your

-father, and that you have been accused, might have been a little more

-kind to me."

-

-"Well, I have said that I am sorry. Won't you shake hands?" said Ralph

-again. "And I had a note from Mr. St. Clive, and he told me to ask you

-and Warren to come over to-morrow. Won't you come?"

-

-"No," answered Charlton. "You don't want boys there who have convict

-fathers, and who you believe to be thieves. You go away, Ralph

-Rexworth. We shall never be friends any more until you have been proved

-wrong. When I can prove to you that I had no hand in taking that note,

-then we will be chums again.

-

-"And," he added, sitting up, "it is a wicked, wicked lie to say that I

-was with any man in those woods. It is not true, and you are making it

-up. There--go away, and make what chums you like. I suppose that we

-must still share the same study! I won't worry you with my presence

-very much, I can promise you; but I won't make friends, and I won't

-forgive you, and I won't take back one word of what I have said that I

-believe about you--not even if you beat me--and you are strong enough

-to do that, I know."

-

-"I am sorry. I don't want to beat you, Charlton," responded Ralph, "and

-I am very grieved that we are not to be chums. Perhaps after Sunday you

-will think differently."

-

-"I will never think differently--never--never!" cried Charlton. And

-jumping up he rushed off, leaving Ralph to continue his way alone, and

-somewhat heavy-hearted, for he had a genuine liking for the lonely,

-sad-faced boy, and was indeed truly sorry that he had said anything to

-cause him such pain and grief.

-

-"Hallo, Rexworth! What have you been doing with Charlton?" asked

-Warren, meeting him in the playground a little later. "He rushed across

-here a little while ago as though he were training for a race; and when

-I asked him if he had seen you, he said that he didn't know anything

-about you, and that he didn't want to know, either. Whatever have you

-done to upset him in that way?"

-

-"We have had a bit of a quarrel," answered Ralph. "Don't ask me about

-it, old fellow, for I don't want to talk of it. I hope that he will

-be all right again next week. By the way, Mr. St. Clive has asked me

-whether you would care to come over and spend the afternoon with me

-to-morrow."

-

-"Will a duck like to swim when it gets enough water to paddle its

-little tootsies in?" laughed Warren. "My dear chap, I will come on the

-wings of greased lightning. I must go home and tell the mater first

-though, or she will wonder what has become of me--fancy that I have met

-with an accident, or something. Fellows ought not to be careless about

-such things as that. Then I will come on, if that will do, and--great

-guns! there goes the bell, and it is my turn to see the school ready

-for calling over. I am off"--and away Warren sped as fast as he could

-run.

-

-The evening passed, the following morning came and went, and

-still Charlton gave Ralph no opportunity for renewing his offer

-of friendship. He looked pale, miserable, but determined--Ralph

-had wounded him to the very soul, and he would not--could not

-indeed--forget or forgive it.

-

-The hour of departure came, and still Charlton avoided Ralph. They left

-without wishing each other good-bye, and Ralph set out for Mr. St.

-Clive's, feeling disappointed and heavy-hearted.

-

-But disappointment and heavy-heartedness could not long find place in

-that bright home. The very first greeting, the warm handshake of Mr.

-St. Clive, the smile of his wife and the rush with which Irene came to

-greet him, altogether united to banish every melancholy thought, and to

-bring sunshine to his heart.

-

-And what a circle of sympathetic listeners he had when he told them

-about the theft, and how he had chanced to be upon the scene. And both

-Irene and Mrs. Clive laughed, and were at the same time very indignant

-that any one should dare to suppose, even for one moment, that Ralph

-could possibly be a thief.

-

-But Mr. St. Clive looked grave, for he could see how hard this was for

-the lad, and could understand what a big fight it must have been for

-Ralph.

-

-"Never fear, my boy," he said when the story was told. "It is hard, but

-the truth must come out at last--it always does in this world of ours.

-But now," he continued, "about your friends--I hope they are to be my

-guests to-day."

-

-"Warren will be here, sir," answered Ralph. And Mr. St. Clive asked,

-"And not Charlton?"

-

-"No, sir, he could not promise." Ralph did not go into the matter of

-his quarrel with his chum then; he wanted to talk to Mr. St. Clive

-alone about that; and the gentleman, seeing that something must have

-gone amiss, did not press his questions further.

-

-Then Ralph went off with Irene, and had to tell her everything over

-again, while she sat and listened with sparkling eyes, especially when

-he told her how Mr. Delermain had behaved.

-

-"I would like to kiss him," she said. "He is a nice man." And Ralph

-suggested that, as she could not do that, the next best thing would be

-to kiss him instead--a thing which proves very conclusively that Ralph

-was very quickly getting used to the ways of Western civilization.

-

-And then, with a merry call, Tom Warren came upon the scene, for he had

-arrived, had been welcomed by his host, and sent out into the garden

-to meet his friend. Irene was introduced--she had known him before, by

-the way, but that doesn't matter--and Warren was nice, and didn't think

-girls a bit of a nuisance--which shows that he was a wise boy--and the

-three just got on as well as could be, until the bell rang for lunch,

-and--

-

-Well, well, they did enjoy that lunch, that is all; and they

-demonstrated very clearly what exceedingly healthy appetites they all

-possessed; and then, that over, they set out for a stroll along the

-river's bank--for it was very pretty there, and Irene loved the spot.

-The trees were so stately, and, in some places, grew right to the

-water's edge, and the grass was so green and velvety, and the river

-ran so smoothly--perhaps too smoothly--for the current was strong

-and swift, and glided along, making the water look like a stream of

-glass as it turned the curve towards Becket Weir, and went roaring and

-foaming down twelve feet like a little Niagara.

-

-But to-day, when they reached the spot they were somewhat disappointed

-to find that they were not the only occupants. A party of boys were

-there--boys from the college--and, of all boys in the world, Elgert,

-Dobson, and some of their chums who had been to Mr. St. Clive's.

-

-Some of the boys were fishing, for there were excellent perch and roach

-in the still pools; and Horace Elgert had his canoe, a pretty little

-boat--light, easy, and graceful, so long as it was kept away from the

-immediate neighbourhood of the weir.

-

-"Oh," growled Warren, as he saw the others. "How jolly annoying!" And

-at that Irene burst out laughing, and inquired how anything could

-possibly be "jolly annoying."

-

-"Well, very annoying, Miss St. Clive," was Warren's answer. "Just to

-think of that lot being here!"

-

-"I don't see that they need annoy us," she answered.

-

-"We will go a little farther along the bank, down by the weir."

-

-Some of the other boys greeted Warren, and raised their hats as they

-saw Irene--whom most of them knew by sight; but of Ralph they took no

-notice, and Elgert, coming by in his canoe, called out loud enough for

-all to hear--

-

-"Keep your eyes on your property, you fellows, you might lose something

-here."

-

-"The cad!" muttered Warren, while Irene gave Ralph's arm a little

-squeeze, as if to tell him never to mind.

-

-"The cad!" said Warren again. "He would not dare do that if you were in

-the playground; and just look at him showing off in that canoe--as if

-no one but he could use a paddle."

-

-"He cannot use one," laughed Ralph. "That is not the way to swing it.

-He takes it over and over like the sails of a windmill, describing

-circles with every stroke."

-

-"Well," asked Warren, "how would you use it? I confess that is the way

-I should handle it."

-

-"It is not the right way. It should be swung from side to side, and he

-will be over if he tries to play tricks like that"--as Elgert made a

-fancy stroke which brought the boat down on one side.--"There, he has

-dropped his paddle! Be careful"--and he raised his voice--"Be careful!

-He is over!"

-

-Yes; the warning came too late. Elgert reached over to regain his

-paddle, the canoe took one sudden lurch, turned bottom up, and sent the

-boy struggling into the water. Elgert could not swim--Ralph saw that

-at a glance; and, without waiting, off went coat and waistcoat, and

-into the river Ralph Rexworth went after his foe--the river that ran so

-swiftly on to the boiling, roaring weir.

-

-[Illustration: "INTO THE RIVER RALPH REXWORTH WENT AFTER HIS

-FOE." p. 138]

-

-It was a hard fight, but Ralph had the advantage of being carried by

-the current right down to the struggling boy, and, ere long, he had

-reached him, was gripping his arm, and had commenced the struggle back

-to the bank, only to find that Warren was by his side ready to give his

-help.

-

-And between them they managed to get Elgert back to the shore. Not

-without a big battle, for the water pulled like giant hands, seeking to

-sweep them all away. They had to swim in a slanting course, and even

-then, ere the bank was reached, they were perilously near to the spot

-over which the water took its leap, and where the notice-board with the

-big "Danger" was so prominently fixed.

-

-But they managed it; and Elgert was hurried off by his friends, while

-Warren and Ralph, soaked as they were, had to race back to Mr. St.

-Clive's, with Irene behind them urging them not to stop for her, but to

-get back as quickly as ever they could.

-

-Only to think of it! Ralph Rexworth had actually rescued, with the help

-of Warren, his enemy Horace Elgert from almost certain death!

-

-

-

-

-CHAPTER XV

-

-THE LOST POCKET-BOOK

-

-

-Ralph Rexworth was inconsolable--he had lost his pocket-book. Now, a

-lost pocket-book may not seem a very big thing to grieve over, seeing

-that another one can be bought for a reasonable sum; and yet Ralph did

-grieve, and grieve greatly.

-

-For this pocket-book was not like other pocket-books that might be

-bought. It was one which his father had given to him--the very last

-present which he had ever received from him--and it contained, amongst

-other things, and the greatest treasure of them all, a portrait of

-his darling mother, and the letter which his father had written to

-him on the day he made the present. What wonder, then, that a boy who

-loved his parents as Ralph Rexworth had done should grieve, and grieve

-greatly, over such a loss?

-

-He found out the loss shortly after he reached Mr. St. Clive's, after

-rescuing Horace Elgert. He had been looking at some portraits of Irene,

-which had only just arrived from the photographers, and she had given

-him one to keep for himself. What should he do with such a gift but put

-it into his pocket-book--and his pocket-book was not there!

-

-Irene saw the change which came over his face when he had discovered

-the loss, and she asked him what was the matter. His face went quite

-white, so that Tom Warren, looking at him, wondered why such a manly,

-sensible chap should look so bad over such a little thing.

-

-But then Tom Warren had father and mother living, and plenty of friends

-around; so that made all the difference. He did not understand what it

-was to be all alone in the world, or how people like that treasured

-every relic of friends and happy days that had been.

-

-"Perhaps it tumbled from your pocket when you threw your coat off down

-by the river?" he suggested. "Let us go and have a look for it." And

-the two boys set off together.

-

-"He does seem cut up," the monitor reflected, as they ran on; for Ralph

-hardly had a word to say now, so anxious was he.

-

-But, no--no pocket-book was to be found. They searched every foot of

-the towing-path, and then went into the wood, to the very spot where

-they had rested that afternoon; but not a sign of the book could they

-see, and at last Warren declared that it was no use looking further.

-

-"You cannot have dropped it anywhere about here," he said, "unless

-some one has seen it and picked it up. Had it got your name inside?"

-

-"Yes," answered Ralph; "but then they won't know where to bring it. How

-will they know who Ralph Rexworth is, or where he lives? I am afraid I

-shall never see it again; and--and--" And Ralph broke off, unable to

-finish his sentence.

-

-"Oh, come, don't be like that, Rexworth!" protested Warren. "At any

-rate, you can advertise for it and offer a reward; and any one who

-found it would be only too glad to bring it back and get the money. An

-old pocket-book is not so great a find that any one would want to keep

-it from you."

-

-"No; it is only of value to me," admitted Ralph, giving one last vain

-look round. "Well, it is no use staying here now; and it is beginning

-to grow dark. I suppose that we had better go back."

-

-The St. Clives were quite anxious to know whether the book had been

-recovered when the two boys once more reached the house, and they were

-full of sympathy when Ralph sadly shook his head.

-

-"I suppose you are quite sure that you brought it away from school

-with you, Ralph?" said Mr. St. Clive; and that brought just one little

-ray of hope. Ralph could not be quite sure. He thought that he had

-done so--he always took it from the pocket of the coat he took off and

-transferred it to that of the one he was going to wear. He had taken

-off his school-jacket when he left that afternoon, and though he felt

-nearly sure that he had done so, he could not be quite certain that he

-had taken his pocket-book from the pocket.

-

-But he felt so anxious and worried that all the pleasure of the evening

-was gone; and when Warren finally said good-night and ran off to his

-own home, it was still with the reflection that Ralph Rexworth must

-indeed be a queer sort of chap, or else there must be some extra

-special reason for his worrying over that pocket-book in the way he did.

-

-And when Warren had gone, Irene came and sat by her friend's side,

-being, indeed, a staunch little friend herself, and wanting to do

-something to comfort him; and she whispered again how she sympathized

-with him, and that perhaps the book was still at school, or, again, if

-it were really lost, it would be sure to be found by some one who would

-be likely to see the advertisement which Mr. St. Clive said should be

-printed, and then they would certainly bring it back to him.

-

-And then she talked of the deed which Ralph had done that day, and how

-glad she was that he had been the means of saving Horace Elgert; and

-how, in returning good for evil, he would be sure to conquer; and just

-for the moment Ralph forgot his loss, and was interested.

-

-"I could not do anything else, Irene," he said. "When it comes to

-saving a fellow's life, one cannot stop to consider whether they are

-friends or enemies. It had to be done, though it has cost me enough,"

-he added sadly.

-

-"You think that you lost your pocket-book then?" she said; and he

-nodded.

-

-"Yes. I must have jerked it out of my pocket when I threw my coat off."

-

-"Well, then some of the other boys will most likely have found it, and

-they will bring it back to you on Monday."

-

-"I hope, if they do find it, they will not open it and get playing

-about with its contents," he said anxiously; and she laughed.

-

-"Why, how silly, Ralph! How can they possibly find out to whom it

-belongs unless they open it? Why should you mind that? You have nothing

-in it that you are afraid for people to see?"

-

-"Oh, no, no; of course not!" he answered quickly. It was not that.

-He could not explain it to Irene--he could hardly understand it

-himself--but the idea of other hands touching that, and other eyes

-prying at its treasured contents, was very repugnant to Ralph's

-feelings.

-

-The next morning Ralph was up early, almost as soon as it was light,

-and back in the neighbourhood of Becket Weir; and there, all alone in

-the freshness of the early day, he hunted this way and that, far more

-carefully than he had done the previous evening, but with as little

-success. There was not a trace of the pocket-book, but--he paused, his

-nerves tingling--some one had driven along the towing-path. The tracks

-were perfectly plain upon the dew-damp earth; and the tracks were

-those of a light cart which was drawn by a horse lame in its left fore

-foot--the same tracks which he connected with his father's fate, and

-which he had not seen for some time now!

-

-He stood looking round. It was Sunday--the day of peace and rest

-and gentle thoughts, and yet for the moment his heart filled with

-hard ones. He must follow these tracks! They might not lead to the

-recovery of his father--alas! he could not but believe now that father

-was dead--but they would lead to the man who had killed him; and

-then--then----

-

-Sweet and low the bells came from the distant church, ringing for the

-first early morning service. They seemed to whisper messages to Ralph;

-but for once he turned a deaf ear to their voices. He must follow these

-tracks, Sunday or no Sunday.

-

-Along the path he went, his eyes fixed on the ground--past the roaring,

-tumbling weir, and the marks grew clearer. Hope rose in his excited

-heart. This was more in accordance with his tastes and desires. It was

-like being back on the long, rolling prairies. He would find out the

-truth now--at least, he would find out who this man was who drove a

-lame horse!

-

-Vain hopes, vain thoughts! Clear and unbroken, the marks ran until

-the towing-path turned out on the main road just by Becket Bridge,

-and there, on the hard, stony road, all tracks were lost. It was

-failure again; and a sudden rush of sorrow came to Ralph, a sudden

-sense of disappointment and loneliness; and sitting down there on

-the stone coping of the wall that separated the road from the river,

-Ralph Rexworth burst into tears. He could not help it--he felt so very

-depressed and weary; and not even the thoughts of Mr. St. Clive and

-Irene could drive that depression away.

-

-But still the bells rang, and their sweet voices thrust themselves upon

-him. I am not sure that a good cry is not a good thing sometimes, even

-for a boy. He felt all the better now, and he thrust back his weakness

-and squared his shoulders, turning once more for the house, lest his

-absence, being noticed, the family might wonder what had become of him.

-

-But his adventures were not quite over for the morning; for, as he

-went back, he became aware that far off to the right, just where the

-spinney came creeping down to the common, there were two persons

-walking--a man and a boy. He could see them quite plainly; and though

-they were so far off, his eyes, accustomed in the past to be used on

-the sweeping plains, where safety, and even life, may depend upon keen

-sight, distinguished the boy as his former chum, Charlton--Charlton and

-a man--who but his father? And again came the thought, in spite of all

-the reasoning which Mr. St. Clive had used--was there any connexion

-between that man, the tracks of the lame horse, and his own dear

-father's disappearance?

-

-Very slowly did Ralph return to his benefactor's house. He was

-restless, anxious; all the stormy feelings seemed to have returned. And

-all this had come through the loss of his pocket-book!

-

-That Sunday was a hard one for Ralph. Even the quiet church, with its

-solemn service, its sweet music, and its glorious coloured windows, did

-not seem quite the same to-day. It was as though Satan was combating

-with him, whispering that it was no use striving to go Christ's

-way--that the road was too hard and the service too ill-paid--that it

-was far better to give up trying to be noble and good and just be as

-other boys were--as Dobson and Elgert, and that sort.

-

-Indeed, the temptation came that it was just downright silly to go to

-school at all, when he could go back to his old life and live in all

-the wild freedom of the plains. So Ralph was tempted; and it seemed as

-if he could get no good from the day at all--as if all striving to do

-so were in vain--and as if he would have been just as well if he had

-stopped away from church altogether.

-

-Even Irene did not seem able to cheer him up. Despairing thoughts, dark

-thoughts, doubting thoughts--one after another they came; for Ralph was

-like Christian in _Pilgrim's Progress_--he was in the dark valley, and

-all manner of evil things seemed to assail him as he journeyed.

-

-Perhaps Mr. St. Clive understood--he seemed to understand most

-things--for that night, when the family knelt at prayers together, he

-prayed especially for all who had special grief to bear and special

-temptations to endure; and somehow that prayer seemed to do Ralph more

-good than anything else had done. It seemed to pull him up, and to tell

-him that, let him be tempted as he might, conquest was possible if the

-temptation was met in the strength which comes through prayer.

-

-Monday morning came at last--the first Monday morning when he had

-really felt anxious to get back to school; and off he set, promising to

-write to his friends and let them know whether the pocket-book was safe

-at the school in the pocket of his other coat.

-

-He met Warren on the road, and the monitor asked him if the book was

-found; but Ralph shook his head in token that it was still missing.

-

-The school was reached at last, and Ralph hurried across the playground

-and darted up to the dormitory. His coat was in his box. He felt in the

-pocket; the book was there--safe! There had been no need to worry! He

-had left it behind him, and it had been safe all the time!

-

-Warren had followed him, and Charlton was there, and half-a-dozen of

-the others. Charlton had taken no notice of him when he ran in.

-

-"There you are, you kite!" laughed Warren. "You left it here all the

-time, and you have been worrying yourself to fiddle-strings, as if it

-contained the most important things in the world, and just trembling

-in your shoes for fear any one should find it and open it, and----"

-

-Warren stopped short. A boy, running by, accidentally pushed against

-Ralph and sent the book flying from his hands. It fell at Warren's feet

-and burst open; and from it there fluttered on the floor, in plain view

-of every boy there--a five-pound note!

-

-

-

-

-CHAPTER XVI

-

-THINGS LOOK BLACK FOR RALPH

-

-

-A five-pound note!

-

-There it lay, face upwards; and for a moment there was silence in the

-dormitory. Every eye was turned upon the boy, who stood staring at that

-accusing piece of paper, as if turned to stone. If ever any one looked

-guilty, Ralph Rexworth did at that moment. It was so unexpected, so

-inexplicable--and worst of all, though not a word was spoken, he seemed

-to feel what his companions thought, to know that they looked upon him

-as a liar and a thief.

-

-As for Warren, he stood with open mouth and staring eyes, as if he

-could not believe his senses. So this was why Ralph had been so anxious

-about finding his pocket-book! But when Elgert, who had also come

-into the room, took in the scene and muttered scornfully something

-about "Like father like son," Warren turned on him savagely, with a

-contemptuous--

-

-"Shut up, you cad! You, at any rate, should be the last one to speak,

-seeing that he saved your life on Saturday." And at that sharp reproof

-Elgert shrank away, abashed for once.

-

-Then Warren stooped and picked up the note, for it still lay there, and

-every one seemed too bewildered to move--and he held it out to Ralph.

-

-"Rexworth," he said, in low, grave tones, "this was in your

-pocket-book. It don't want much talking about, you can see what it

-looks like against you. But I want to say, and I feel that I must say

-it, I cannot believe that a chap like you can really be guilty of such

-a horribly mean thing. You and I have been good chums, and if any one

-had asked me my opinion, I should have said that there was no chap in

-the school I could more honour and trust. But this thing has got to be

-explained, and I must do my duty as a monitor, even if it gets my best

-chum into trouble. I must tell the Head of this. If I did not, some one

-else would, and it is my duty to do it."

-

-"You don't think that I stole it," faltered Ralph. It seemed so

-horrible that it unnerved him, and made him lose his firm resolution

-for the moment. It would be only for a little while: presently the old

-grit would come back, and he would be firm enough. But the greatest may

-flinch for the moment--recoiling from the horror of the accusation or

-suspicion--and others may put down their agitation to a wrong cause,

-think it the evidence of a guilty conscience, and condemn them untried.

-

-"You don't think that I stole it?" he faltered, as if pleading that

-Warren would not think so poorly as that of him. But the monitor

-replied gravely:

-

-"I don't think anything about it, Rexworth. I don't want to think, for

-if I did, I should think wrong, perhaps. I can only act on the thing as

-I know it. You lost your pocket-book, you said. You were in a terrible

-mess over the loss. You, yourself, said to me that you hoped no one

-would look inside it if they picked it up; and I, with my own eyes, saw

-this note fall out of it just now, the note I suppose Mr. Delermain

-lost, and which you declared that you had not seen. I must tell the

-Head. I only wish that it were not part of my work to have to do so."

-

-Then the old resolution came back. Ralph's self had not deserted him,

-and he spoke, quietly and calmly, so that all the dormitory could hear

-his troubled tones.

-

-"Thank you, Warren. I value your friendship, which makes doing your

-duty so hard a thing for you, and I quite understand that you cannot

-give me that friendship now, while this thing is over me. I know it

-looks very bad against me. I have some enemy here, and that enemy has

-been just a little too clever for me."

-

-Just as he spoke his eyes caught sight of Charlton, standing looking so

-white and scared, and the thought came: Had he done this? He seemed to

-avoid his gaze. Ralph paused only a moment, and then went on--

-

-"There is one thing, however, that I can do to prove that I value your

-friendship, and that is take the task of speaking from you. If you

-choose to wait until after prayers, I will tell the Head myself, in

-open school, and you can all hear me do it."

-

-Warren hesitated for a moment. He hated to have to do the task, and if

-Ralph would tell himself, it would do just as well.

-

-"Very well," he said, "if you will do that, I have no objection; and,

-look here, you fellows," he added, turning to the others, "do, for

-mercy's sake, keep this to yourselves, all of you; or it will be all

-over the school, and it is not a nice thing to have connected with our

-Form. We may have been a bit wild, but we have never had a thing like

-this before, and I would have done anything rather than have had it

-now."

-

-He turned away as he spoke, and the others followed slowly, leaving

-Ralph there alone--alone with his pocket-book, and the note which had

-come from it.

-

-No, not quite alone, for Charlton still stood there regarding him with

-the same half-frightened, half sorrowful look; and at last Ralph,

-becoming aware of his presence, turned and looked at him.

-

-"Well," he said, "what do you want? Why don't you clear off, like the

-rest have done?"

-

-The boy backed away from him, as if almost frightened.

-

-"And it was you, all the time," he said, in low tones. "You, whom I

-thought so noble and good! You took it, and then you dared to ask me if

-I had taken it, to hint that it was me. Oh, Ralph Rexworth, I did not

-think that there was any one as mean as you."

-

-Ralph regarded him gravely for a little while, and then he said--

-

-"And suppose that I still think that you took it, Charlton? Suppose

-that I ask you whether you put this note in my pocket-book?--for some

-one put it there, that is quite certain. Is this done in spite, because

-of what I said to you on Friday?"

-

-Then Charlton started forward, as if beside himself with anger.

-

-"How dare you, Ralph Rexworth--how dare you! Is that the way in which

-you are going to try and get out of it? Try and put it on to my

-shoulders! Ralph Rexworth, I stayed here when the others went because I

-was going to offer you something--going to offer to take the blame and

-seem to be the thing which you accuse me of being. The boys all look

-upon me as a thief's son, and it would not make much difference if I

-were turned out. I was going to offer to say that I had done this, and

-put it into your book. Going to do it because you were kind to me, and,

-even after what you said, you tried to make friends again. I would have

-done it, Rexworth, but I will not now. If you can be as mean as that, I

-will not do it."

-

-"Hold on a bit, Charlton," answered Ralph. "If you had any idea of that

-sort, I thank you for your kindness. But you don't suppose that I would

-be a party to a thing of that kind, do you? Let you tell a lie and get

-the blame, that I might escape trouble! Not me! If you have done it,

-own up or hold your tongue, as you like. But if you have not done it,

-you shan't say that you have, and that is all about it." And he added,

-as Charlton turned away--

-

-"If I have wronged you with my suspicions, I am sorry. I know how easy

-it is to be wrongly judged."

-

-"And you will find how hard it is to bear," the other boy said, and

-then he, too, turned away, leaving Ralph considerably perplexed. Had

-Charlton taken the note and placed it in his pocket-book? After all,

-Ralph hardly thought so, it was not like him to do that, and yet--yet

-some one must have done this wicked thing, some one who wanted to get

-him into trouble!

-

-But there was no more time to spare, the bell for prayers was ringing,

-and he went down to his place.

-

-In spite of Warren's pleading, it was evident that the story had leaked

-out; for, as Ralph appeared, there was a considerable amount of subdued

-hissing and groaning, which made the masters look up in surprise, and

-the monitors to call silence in angry tones.

-

-Then the Head appeared, and prayers were read. Poor Ralph! It was

-harder than ever to attend to worship now. He felt nervous at the

-ordeal before him, and yet he felt also that to seem nervous was to

-seem guilty--and he was innocent! That thought calmed him. The service

-was over, the Head was just going to dismiss the school when Ralph rose

-in his seat, and said in clear tones--

-

-"Please, sir, may I say something in open school? It is something of

-importance, something connected with the banknote which Mr. Delermain

-lost."

-

-The words created quite a sensation amongst those who were ignorant of

-what had transpired, and the doctor answered--

-

-"Would it not be better to speak with myself first, Rexworth? Then I

-can decide whether what you have to communicate should be made public."

-

-"I would rather speak here, sir. In fact, I have promised to do so. It

-only concerns myself, please, sir."

-

-"Then you may speak. Be brief and plain, and let us hear what you have

-to say."

-

-So Ralph spoke, turning half to the Head, half to the school; and

-describing how he had thought that he took his pocket-book with him and

-how he had found it in his other coat, when he got back that morning;

-and how, also, the five-pound note had been seen to tumble from it,

-when it fell on the floor.

-

-"I know, sir," he said, in conclusion, "that the thing looks as bad as

-bad can be, and that if every one here believes me to be a thief, it

-is only natural; but I can only say, sir, what I have said from the

-beginning. I am quite innocent. I never saw that banknote from the time

-when Mr. Delermain laid it on his desk until this morning, when it fell

-from my pocket-book and Warren picked it up."

-

-The doctor listened in silence, his keen eyes fixed upon the face of

-the lad before him; and Dr. Beverly felt perfectly certain that Ralph

-Rexworth was speaking the truth.

-

-And yet, if that were so, it meant not only that some other boy was a

-thief, but also that a boy must be deliberately trying to get Rexworth

-wrongly accused; and that seemed a very dreadful thing in the eyes of

-the noble, upright master of Marlthorpe.

-

-"You say you were under the impression that you took your pocket-book

-home with you, Rexworth?" he said, when the boy had concluded; and

-Ralph replied--

-

-"Yes, sir. I can say yes to that, though I suppose that I must be

-mistaken, seeing that I found it safely in my coat-pocket when I went

-to the dormitory the first thing this morning."

-

-A low murmur went round the school. Some of the boys were evidently

-convinced that Ralph was guilty, and that he was only striving to

-screen himself, and their youthful hearts rebelled against such

-behaviour.

-

-"Hiss, hiss!" "Thief, thief!" ran round, and Ralph started as though he

-had been struck by a whip.

-

-The doctor struck his bell sharply, and silence followed. The offenders

-looked somewhat dismayed at their own audacity.

-

-"Silence, there!" he cried. "Is it the custom to call a man guilty

-before even the whole evidence is heard? What Rexworth says is very

-true. The facts do seem to unite to condemn him, and yet it is

-possible that those facts are unworthy of credence."

-

-"Whatever does the Head favour that fellow for?" muttered Elgert,

-to one of his own friends. But he received a look of disgust and an

-impatient--

-

-"Oh, shut up! Didn't he pull you out of the river?" That was the second

-time that morning Horace Elgert had been so rebuked.

-

-"This," the Head continued, "demands the most careful, searching

-investigation. If Rexworth is guilty, I shall be the last to screen

-him; if he is innocent, it is but my duty to strive to establish that

-innocence. If any boy has been wicked enough to deliberately do this

-for the very purpose of getting this lad into trouble, I most earnestly

-entreat that boy to think of what he has done, and to confess his fault

-before this goes farther, and----"

-

-The Head paused and looked round, the door was opened, and Lord Elgert

-had entered, just in time to overhear his last words.

-

-

-

-

-CHAPTER XVII

-

-THE PLOT THAT FAILED

-

-

-The entrance of Lord Elgert interrupted the serious business being

-carried on; and somewhat impatient, even if curious, glances were

-directed towards him as he walked up to Dr. Beverly.

-

-"I evidently come at an inopportune moment," the nobleman said, as he

-surveyed the scene before him; "and yet, perhaps, it is a fortunate

-interruption, if this lad is in trouble, as he seems to be"--and

-he nodded towards Ralph, who met his gaze with some coldness. "If

-my interruption is untimely I will withdraw." And he looked round

-inquiringly.

-

-"We certainly are in the midst of a painful inquiry," replied the

-headmaster gravely. "I do not suppose that your visit is connected with

-it in any way."

-

-"My visit is wholly and solely to thank Ralph Rexworth and Tom Warren

-for their bravery in rescuing my son last Saturday," was the reply.

-

-And these words also caused something of a sensation, for, to the

-school at large the adventure at the river side was still unknown.

-

-The Head himself had evidently not heard of it, for he looked

-surprised, and Lord Elgert continued--

-

-"The two boys risked their lives to save that of my son, and I cannot

-be slow in coming to express my thanks and admiration. If Rexworth is

-in any trouble, I sincerely trust that any influence which I may have

-will be allowed to weigh in his favour."

-

-"Perhaps we had better finish the business in hand first," suggested

-the Head. "It is connected with something of which I understand you

-have already been informed. A banknote which was missing some time ago

-has been recovered, and it was found in Ralph Rexworth's pocket-book."

-

-"Dear, dear," said Lord Elgert, in grieved tones; "I am truly

-sorry--very sorry. But the temptations to which youth are exposed are

-great. It may be possible to overlook this unhappy matter for once----"

-

-"Sir--sir," broke in Ralph, indignantly appealing to Dr. Beverly, "I

-know that you have always been kind to me, and I ask you to protect

-me from Lord Elgert's insults, lest I may forget myself and say words

-which I ought not to say. I want no friendship nor influence of his. I

-am not guilty, and I will not accept anything which will make it appear

-that I am. As to saving his son, Warren did as much as I did, and we

-could do no less for any one who was in danger, but I can honestly say

-that I wish that it had been any one else than Horace Elgert."

-

-A very ugly look swept over the face of Lord Elgert, and he stepped

-back, remarking to Dr. Beverly--

-

-"In that case, there is no need for me to interrupt you any longer--at

-any rate, so far as this boy is concerned."

-

-"Now, attention!" said the Head; and the school straightened up again.

-"We have heard what Ralph Rexworth has to say, and some of you are

-evidently quite certain that he is guilty--that he is a thief, and,

-worse, a liar also--and that in face of what we have just heard. A

-boy who risks his life to save that of another is surely not so poor

-spirited as this. To believe that he is, is to believe that utter

-contradictions can be reconcilable."

-

-"Please, sir," said one lad, rising in his place, "there is one thing

-which I should like to say."

-

-"You may speak, sir," was the reply which he received; and the boy went

-on--

-

-"Rexworth says that he thought he took his pocket-book away with him on

-Saturday. Please, sir, so he did, for I saw him take it from his other

-coat. He laid it on his bed for a minute, and then looked at a likeness

-in it, and afterwards put it into his pocket. So that if it was found

-here this morning, some one must have picked it up and brought it back."

-

-"That is most important, if it is true," said the Head, while Ralph

-felt a rush of relief, and turned grateful eyes upon the speaker.

-

-"Are you sure that he did put it into his pocket, and not either

-replace it in the coat from which he took it, or leave it lying on the

-bed?"

-

-"Quite sure, sir," answered the lad confidently. "I saw him slip it

-into his pocket, and I wondered whose likeness it was that he carried

-about with him."

-

-"It is my mother's, sir," said Ralph in a low voice.

-

-And the Head nodded.

-

-"Then, if this be true, a most wicked and evil plot has indeed been

-attempted--one so bad that, when I discover those who invented it, they

-shall surely be expelled. I am glad to have this testimony, although it

-was almost needless, for I am already quite certain that Ralph Rexworth

-is innocent--or, I had better say, that the evidence against him is

-valueless.

-

-"In the first place, this pocket-book"--and he held it up--"has

-certainly been dropped, for its side is still stained with mud, and

-there is the mark of a boot, where some one has stepped upon it. In the

-next place--and this in itself is sufficient--a little mistake has been

-made. Is this note yours, Rexworth?"

-

-And he turned, holding the banknote to the astonished Ralph.

-

-"No, sir," the boy answered, not knowing what to make of this turn in

-affairs.

-

-"Have you not such a thing as a five-pound note?" he was next asked.

-

-And again he replied in the negative.

-

-"Well," the Head went on, "it certainly is not the one lost by Mr.

-Delermain. Every banknote, as I suppose you know, has its own number,

-and this number is not that of the note lost, so that either some one

-has been kind enough to make Rexworth a present of a five-pound note,

-or else they have, by oversight, or through ignorance, put a note into

-his pocket-book to make it appear that he is a thief, not considering

-that it is as easily distinguished from the one which is missing, as if

-it were for a different amount, and----"

-

-The doctor paused once more, for Ralph broke down. He had kept stiff

-enough so far; but now, as he heard that by no means could he be

-accused, and that some one must certainly have done this out of spite,

-his courage gave way, and he cried out--

-

-"Why should any one want to harm me so? I have done nothing to make any

-one wish me evil. I am almost a stranger in England, and yet people try

-to do such things as that! I cannot stay, sir. I must ask Mr. St. Clive

-to send me back. England is a wicked place, and strangers are treated

-wickedly."

-

-"Perhaps all England is not as bad as you think it, my lad," replied

-the Head kindly, "though I confess that your experiences are enough

-to make you form such an opinion. But do not decide hastily. I think

-that out of all such trials you will emerge a conqueror, and I know

-that such wicked attempts as have been made against you must, sooner or

-later, recoil upon the heads of those who make them."

-

-"I sympathize with the lad," said Lord Elgert, "and I take no offence

-at the way in which he spoke. You remember, Rexworth, that if ever you

-want a friend you can come to me. I think your decision a wise one.

-This land is no place for you, and if you wish to return to your old

-home, I will myself provide all the money which is required. I want you

-to let me give you a gold watch--I have one for Warren, also."

-

-"I will take nothing from you," cried the boy, so that all could hear.

-"I do not trust you. For some reason you seem to hate me, and I believe

-that you are at the bottom of all my troubles."

-

-"Rexworth," said the Head, in grave remonstrance; and the boy checked

-himself.

-

-"I am sorry, sir. I ought not to have spoken like that," he said

-penitently; "but Lord Elgert knows how impossible it is to take any

-favours from him, after what he has said about my father. All I desire

-of him is that he will leave me alone to fight my own battle."

-

-Lord Elgert shrugged his shoulders.

-

-"If that is so, I cannot help it," he said. "If you change your mind

-and need a friend, you can come to me. Now for Master Warren."

-

-"Please, sir," said Warren rising, "I don't want anything for just

-doing my duty; and, anyhow, I could not take any present or reward

-without first asking my father's leave."

-

-Lord Elgert bit his lip.

-

-"It seems that I am to be deprived of the pleasure of giving any

-reward at all," he said. "In that case, I will intrude no longer, Dr.

-Beverly."

-

-And with a sense of discomfiture Lord Elgert departed, and the Head

-again addressed the boys, enlarging upon the wickedness of what had

-been done, and once more pleading that the culprit, whoever he was,

-would act a man's part, own his wrong, and ask for mercy. Alas! there

-was no response to his pleading, and after a short pause the Head

-dismissed the school to its various classes.

-

-But surely never before had Marlthorpe had so much to talk of; and

-never before did the masters allow more talking. For the thing was so

-bad, and the lessons to be learned so grave, that each master felt as

-if it were almost his duty to bring the subject before the boys, even

-to encourage them to talk of it, if in so doing those lads could be

-taught that honesty and truth must prevail in the end, and that deceit

-and wrong-doing must fail.

-

-But oh, what a good thing it was for Ralph when Mr. Delermain shook

-hands with him.

-

-"My dear boy," the master said, "none can rejoice more than I do that

-the clumsy attempt to fasten this theft on your shoulders has failed.

-Had it not been shown to be such an attempt, I should still have felt

-confident that it was so, being sure that you would not have done

-this thing. Still, it is well to have it proved to be but an attempt.

-Now, take my advice, and banish it from your mind. Do not even worry

-as to who did it, nor as to their motive. These things will manifest

-themselves in time, and until they do they are not worth troubling

-about, nor allowing to interfere with your work, and particularly with

-your chances for the Newlet."

-

-And Warren came to him also, as frank and good-hearted as could be.

-

-"I suppose that you feel as if you wanted to punch my head," he said;

-"but I had to do my duty, old fellow, even if it were an unpleasant

-one."

-

-And to him Ralph had answered--

-

-"I should have thought precious little of you if you had not done it.

-Of course, you could not have done anything different from what you

-did."

-

-Charlton said nothing--only he looked at Ralph wistfully, and it seemed

-as if there was something of relief in his eyes. Charlton was a puzzle

-to Ralph. He could not understand the boy anyhow.

-

-Nor was Warren the only one who came and spoke to Ralph and expressed

-abhorrence for the attempt to brand him as a thief, and satisfaction

-that he was cleared from the accusation.

-

-But that same day, in a quiet corner of the playground, Horace Elgert

-came across Dobson, and, seizing him by the collar, he shook him

-savagely.

-

-"You great blundering donkey," he said. "How did you come to do it? You

-have made a pretty mess of things."

-

-"Well," growled Dobson, shaking himself free, "it is no good to kick up

-a row about it. No harm is done, only he has managed to get clear."

-

-"But how did you do it? I cannot think how it was."

-

-"Easy enough. I had five pounds that my aunt sent me. I am a favourite

-with her"--and Dobson smiled complacently. "Well, I had that in my

-pocket, and when you handed me over the other note, after I picked up

-his pocket-book, I must have put the wrong note in, that is all."

-

-"But what did you do with the one I gave you?" demanded Elgert quickly.

-

-"Changed it up in the town."

-

-"Changed it!" he gasped. "You idiot! Don't you know that it can be

-traced by its number? I suppose that you wrote your name on the back?"

-

-"Of course I did," said Dobson, looking very scared.

-

-"Yes, and that note will come back to you, perhaps brought by a

-constable. You have done a nice thing!"

-

-"But I didn't steal it--you stole it!" cried Dobson, in alarm. And

-Elgert struck him a savage blow.

-

-"So you would turn sneak, would you? Well, there is no proof that I

-stole it. There is plenty of proof that you had it, changed it, and put

-your note into the pocket-book. You will suffer, and not me."

-

-"What--what can we d-d-do?" gasped Dobson, his knees knocking together.

-And Elgert answered--

-

-"We must go up into town to the place where you changed it. We must get

-that note back if we can, even if we have to give double for it. There

-is no telling what will happen, unless we get hold of it."

-

-

-

-

-CHAPTER XVIII

-

-WHERE THE BANKNOTE WENT

-

-

-Brown's cake-shop was out of bounds for the younger boys at

-Marlthorpe College. The boys in the upper classes might go there if

-they chose; but as it was over a mile from the school, the Head had

-wisely determined that it was too far away for the little lads to be

-continually running there to spend their pocket-money; especially as

-there was a very clean and nice shop in the village close by--a shop

-kept by a kindly old dame, where Dr. Beverly was certain the boys could

-not come to harm.

-

-It was quite as good a shop as Brown's; but, because it was within

-bounds, and because the lads were forbidden to go to the town, it was

-not patronized as it should have been; while Brown's received many a

-secret visit. It was a shame that the upper fellows might go there,

-when the juniors might not! It was the cause of heartburnings. There

-were no cakes in all the world like those which Brown's sold! The chief

-inducement to get promoted was that Brown's might be visited freely.

-

-Of course, it was wrong and foolish; but then, boys are apt to think

-wrongly and do foolishly; and, therefore, the reason of two small

-mortals scuttling along the road, and dodging into Great Stow, with

-eyes ever on the alert for monitors and masters, was not hard to

-seek--their destination was, of course, Brown's.

-

-A nice pair of young rebels they were. One was small and freckled and

-sandy, with small eyes, and a decidedly pug nose; and the other was a

-remarkably fat youth--so fat that it really seemed wonderful that he

-could run as he did.

-

-They darted along, avoiding the main street, until the noted

-establishment was reached; then, after a careful and cautious peering

-in, to make sure that the coast was clear, they dived in, and the door

-closed behind them.

-

-Now, Brown knew about these unlawful visits. He was very glad that

-he was without bounds, for he was quite certain that being so would

-increase his trade. He encouraged his youthful customers. He called

-them noble-spirited boys, who refused to bow to harsh rules. He said

-they were young heroes; and he had a nice little room behind the

-shop, with the window screened by a thick curtain--rather holey and

-dirty, it is true--and there was a bell to ring for Brown; and little

-white-topped tables to sit at; and it seemed so grand and "grown-up" to

-call for the waiter--though it was Brown himself who came--and to order

-a penny bun, or a jam tart, and for Brown to say "Yes, sir; at once,

-sir." Oh, it was very, very delightful, and it had a spice of adventure

-about it.

-

-So into the private room dived the two youthful spendthrifts, and

-ordered tarts and ginger-beer and ices, and then seated themselves at

-their ease to enjoy this forbidden feast.

-

-"Ain't they prime, Jimmy?" gloated the fat boy, as he put himself

-outside a three-cornered puff; and Jimmy, with his mouth full of tart,

-was understood to reply that they were "ripping."

-

-The shop-bell tinkled, and Jimmy jumped up. He was not quite sure who

-might come in, and he squinted through one of those convenient holes in

-the blind, a fragment of tart still in his hand.

-

-"I say, it is Elgert's man!" he said, looking round. "I wonder what he

-wants here?"

-

-"Oh, he doesn't signify. Let us enjoy ourselves, for we cannot stay

-long, and we shall have to run all the way back."

-

-That eating cakes was a good preparation for running a mile is open

-to question, but the two boys evidently had no doubts concerning the

-matter; and so they sat there, while the man who had entered talked to

-Brown over the counter, and, seeing that the door was not quite closed,

-the boys could not help hearing a little of what passed.

-

-"I'll bide my time, Brown," Elgert's man said. "I will not be

-impatient, but I will humble that young cub yet! I hate him even more

-than I do his father. He treats a man like the dirt beneath his feet!"

-

-"So he does," muttered Jimmy Green to Tinkle; "that is quite right!"

-

-And Tinkle nodded. He was busy with an ice just at the moment.

-

-"I say," said Brown to the man, "if you are not in a hurry, I wish that

-you would run over to the inn and ask them to change me this five-pound

-note? It is one which I changed for one of the boys from the school the

-other day."

-

-Two youthful pairs of ears pricked up, two hands were arrested as they

-conveyed two cakes towards two mouths. A five-pound note changed for a

-boy from the school! This was exciting!

-

-"I can cash it for you myself," the man said; "I have just been paid my

-month's money."

-

-"I shall be obliged," said Brown. And then followed the ringing sound

-of money being counted out; the man picked up the note, glanced at it

-and put it into his pocket.

-

-"I will look in as I return," he said to Brown; and away he went.

-

-"I say! Think we can get out of Brown who changed that note?" said

-Tinkle to Green. "It's jolly funny, after what took place to-day!"

-

-"I don't know," answered Green thoughtfully. "Fact is, Tinkle, old man,

-I don't know that I am anxious to do it. It is awkward to know too

-much sometimes. There is the chance of having to split on some chap you

-are friendly with. If you don't know you can't say."

-

-"And if you don't say, some one may stay wrongly suspected," was the

-retort of Tinkle. And then, the shop-bell sounding again, necessitated

-another going to peep through the blind.

-

-"Oh, I say!" gasped Tinkle, as he looked through a hole; "if it isn't

-Elgert himself this time, and his crony Dobson is with him!"

-

-[Illustration: "'OH, I SAY,' GASPED TINKLE; 'IF IT ISN'T ELGERT

-HIMSELF THIS TIME.'" p. 172]

-

-"Well, they won't split," was the philosophic reply. "They will only

-want to go shares. I know 'em both."

-

-"Eat cakes while we pay; and Dobson is such a greedy beast!" And Tinkle

-groaned to himself.

-

-"Perhaps they are not going to stop," whispered Green. "They may only

-be going to take something back with them."

-

-It seemed like it; for the two boys outside made no attempt to enter

-the inner room. They both seemed rather flustered and out of breath,

-and as Brown came forward to attend to their wants Dobson panted out--

-

-"Oh--er--I say, Brown. That--that note I changed the other day. I

-should like--that is--I mean----"

-

-"We want it back!" put in Elgert impatiently, pushing his companion

-aside. "We cannot explain why, but we are very anxious to get hold of

-it!"

-

-"Fact is, we fancy that it is bad, and we don't want you to be the

-loser, you see," added Dobson. And Brown smiled slightly and nodded.

-

-"That's very good of you young gentlemen--very good and honourable. But

-you have no occasion to worry; the note was good enough. I saw to that."

-

-"Well, good or bad," Elgert said, "I want to get hold of it! And, as

-you know, I am always willing to pay for what I want. I will give you

-six pounds for that note, Brown!"

-

-The man glanced at him shrewdly. What did this mean? Why had they

-invented that lie about the note being bad; and why were they willing

-to give a pound extra to get it into their hands again?

-

-"I am very sorry, sir," he said slowly, "but the fact is, I have parted

-with that note. I changed it only a short time ago."

-

-"Changed it!" Elgert went rather white, and Dobson groaned dismally.

-"Whom did you give it to?" was Elgert's quick inquiry. "Perhaps he has

-it still!"

-

-"Well," responded Brown, "the fact is, I can hardly remember. You see,

-a lot of money passes through my hands, and I have passed on four or

-five notes to-day. I should have to inquire of the different people,

-and find who had the identical note that you require."

-

-"And will you do it?" cried Elgert quickly. "I will not grumble about

-the price. I want to get the note back, and I am willing to pay well

-for it. When can you let me know about it?"

-

-"If you came to-morrow, sir, about this time, I'd see what I could do

-meanwhiles. I may be able to get hold of it again, if it has not been

-paid into the bank."

-

-There was nothing more to be done. Elgert and Dobson came away with a

-horrible feeling of nervous apprehension filling their hearts. If that

-note was gone, what might not the consequences be for both of them?

-They were quarrelsome--each blamed the other--each tried to screen

-himself. But recriminations were of no avail; nothing was of avail,

-unless it was getting hold of the note once more.

-

-And when the two had gone, the feasters on unlawful pastries came forth

-from their hiding-place; and having settled their bill with lordly air,

-they also set out for the school, for there was no time to lose if they

-were to be back before calling over.

-

-But they had something to think about indeed! Why did Elgert want that

-note? And how came it that Dobson had possessed one to change at all?

-

-"What are we going to do about this, Jimmy?" inquired Tinkle, as they

-ran along, and Green answered without the slightest hesitation.

-

-"Nothing! That is my advice, Tinkle. We can't do anything without

-owning up to having been out of bounds; and I don't want my name down

-for punishment now. We don't know that the note is the one which Mr.

-Delermain lost. We only know that it is one Elgert and Dobson want to

-get hold of for some purpose of their own; they may be trying to trace

-something about it."

-

-And then Brown went to stand at his shop-door, impatiently watching for

-the return of his companion, and hailing him as he saw him appear round

-the bend of the road.

-

-"It's curious that they should be so anxious to get that note back" he

-said, when he told the other of Elgert's request. "Offered a pound, and

-said he was willing to go beyond that. Well, as you have changed the

-note, it is your property, and the profit will be yours. Of course, you

-will part with it?"

-

-The man drew the note from his pocket-book, and examined it carefully

-ere he answered.

-

-"It is quite genuine," he said, and Brown laughed.

-

-"Of course, it is! I knew that all along. That part of their story was

-all nonsense. There is something up, but you may as well make your

-little bit out of it. Say I give you six pounds for it, and chance

-making any more myself?"

-

-"Not to-day," was the quiet answer. "You shall have it in a day or two.

-You can say that you have been promised that it shall be returned."

-

-"But what do you want to do with it for a day or two?" asked Brown,

-with something of curiosity.

-

-And the man looked him in the face, and replied, with a quiet smile--

-

-"Do? Oh, nothing! I only think that it may be as well if I have this

-banknote photographed. You can have it after that, and we will share

-the profits."

-

-Then Brown laughed, and clapped him on the back.

-

-"You are a smart fellow!" he cried.

-

-And the man answered.

-

-"There are some people living who will find that out to their cost one

-of these fine days!"

-

-

-

-

-CHAPTER XIX

-

-THE LAME HORSE ONCE MORE

-

-

-If Elgert and Dobson and the two juniors who had overheard that

-conversation in Brown's cake-shop were the four most excited concerning

-the five-pound note which had been stolen from Mr. Delermain, they were

-not the only ones in Marlthorpe College who were interested in the

-matter.

-

-From first to last the whole school could do nothing but discuss the

-mysterious business; and, whatever else it did, the attempt to put the

-guilt upon Ralph's shoulders resulted in his being all the more firmly

-established in the favour of most of the boys.

-

-Even those who had not liked him were more friendly now; for there was

-something so shameful and wicked in trying to get him accused of that

-which it had been proved he was innocent of, that they could not but

-feel sympathy for him. Then the story of his brave deed in rescuing

-Elgert was strongly in his favour. After all, boys at heart love

-bravery.

-

-But of all there, Warren and Ralph himself pondered most. Their

-friendship was quite restored, and together they talked and discussed,

-and wondered who it could possibly be who would want to harm Ralph.

-

-And poor Charlton! Ah, how miserable he was now! He had his own weight

-of sorrow, and it was very, very heavy to bear; and after what Ralph

-had said he could never hope that they would be friends again.

-

-"I suppose that I am to blame," he said. "Perhaps I took things too

-much to heart. I feel that I am never to have friends. I--I don't care!

-Rexworth might give me another chance; but if he won't--if he is so

-taken up with Warren--he can do as he likes. I don't care!"

-

-Poor Charlton! He did care, for all his talk--care very much. He was

-lonely and sad; but he did not stop to think that Ralph had already

-given him chances, and that it was his own fault that he had not taken

-them. When we are miserable we are also apt to be unjust, and to put

-the blame for our own actions upon other people's shoulders.

-

-And how interested and indignant, and yet withal delighted, were the

-St. Clives when they heard of what had happened.

-

-"A clean reputation is a good thing, you see, Ralph," Mr. St. Clive

-said. "It is surely worth something to feel that people have such a

-high estimate of you as to realize that you are utterly incapable of

-doing a mean thing, even though appearances are so strong against you."

-

-"It is just splendid to think how you have come out of it, Ralph!" was

-Irene's delighted comment when the two young people were alone. "It is

-like when wicked people tried to injure the brave knights of old, and

-when truth and valour and true chivalry triumphed over all opposition.

-There is something, even here and now, to be gained when people know

-that you are fighting under honour's flag!"

-

-And Ralph had to acknowledge that she spoke the truth, and to own that

-he was now very glad that he had resisted the temptation to yield and

-to run away from his troubles.

-

-That Saturday holiday--the one after the business of the note being

-found in his pocket-book--was one of the happiest that he had spent

-since coming to Stow Ormond--a day when the clouds seemed to have

-lifted, when the sun seemed brighter, and when faith grew more strong.

-It came from the feeling that he had fought a good fight, and that he

-had been helped to be more than conqueror.

-

-And yet he had forgotten nothing of his father. He was as anxious as

-ever to solve the mystery surrounding his disappearance; only now,

-instead of being impatient, he felt that he was preparing in the best

-way for seeking the truth by staying with Mr. St. Clive, and by working

-as hard as ever he could.

-

-And on that same afternoon he walked with Irene as far as the pretty

-old inn; and old Simon, the landlord, greeted him with a cheery smile;

-for, indeed, Simon felt a great interest in the lad, seeing that the

-first scene in his strange story was enacted beneath his roof.

-

-"And how are you, young gentleman?" he asked. "And you, too,

-missie?"--as the two entered the yard. "Come to pay a visit to old

-Simon--eh?"

-

-"I have come to talk to you, Simon," answered Ralph. No one ever called

-the landlord of the _Horse and Wheel_ anything but Simon. "I have come

-to ask you something."

-

-"That's right, sir! Ask away--though I don't promise to answer if it is

-a poser. I haven't had the education which you young people enjoy."

-

-"It is nothing to do with education, Simon," laughed Ralph. "I want

-to ask you whether, now that you have had plenty of time to think of

-it--as I feel sure you must have thought--do you think that you have

-any recollection of ever having seen my father before? I feel certain

-that he knew the place; and if he knew it, perhaps you may be able to

-think of some one whom he reminds you of."

-

-But Simon shook his head at that question.

-

-"I am afraid that I cannot answer that, sir. Your father certainly did

-know the place; for when I told him the number of his room he walked

-right up to it without waiting to be shown. And, in some way, I seem to

-have a faint recollection of having seen him before; but it is all dim

-and hazy like, and it wouldn't do to go upon."

-

-"Thank you, Simon. Now the other question--and I want you to keep this

-to yourself; I have a particular reason for that. Do you know any one

-in the neighbourhood who drives about in a light trap, and who has a

-horse lame in its left foreleg?"

-

-"Well," said the old man thoughtfully, "come to that, there are plenty

-of folk with light traps hereabout; and I know of two lame horses. Old

-Saxer, the carter, has one, and Hopkin, the butcher, has one, and--why,

-yes, Lord Elgert himself has a pretty little mare lame in her left

-foreleg. She hurt herself in a hole, and, though she goes all right

-now, she has a bit of a limp. And, why, come to think of it, now I

-remember who your father put me in mind of."

-

-"Who--oh, who?" cried Ralph eagerly; while Irene looked on not less

-interested.

-

-"Who?" said the innkeeper. "Why, of old Lord Stephen! He was Lord

-Elgert's uncle, and he died without leaving child of his own. He had

-one son, who died long, long ago. That is it, for certain! But what

-ails you, young sir?"

-

-For Ralph had gone quite white. He had never expected that answer. Lord

-Elgert had a lame horse! Lord Elgert was the nephew of some one whom

-his father had resembled! Lord Elgert had told that wicked story about

-his father; and Lord Elgert was so very anxious for him to go back to

-the plains, and leave England behind him for ever! Surely it could not

-be! And yet, as Ralph pondered, he seemed to call to mind a hundred

-things to strengthen his suspicions. It could not be that Lord Elgert

-knew anything about his father!

-

-A very grave Ralph walked home to lunch; and a very grave Mr. St. Clive

-listened to his story.

-

-"I could wish that this had not been brought up, Ralph," he said. "I

-fear that it will only unsettle you again; and, in spite of all that

-you advance, I cannot bring myself to believe that you are anything but

-mistaken. Lord Elgert may not be a pleasant man to deal with, but this

-is a very, very grave thing to even so much as hint at."

-

-But whatever Mr. St. Clive might say, Ralph could not get the thing

-out of his head. It is not to be wondered at that it should haunt him

-and make him feel excited. After waiting so long, this was like the

-first real tangible clue. And he had been thinking that it was poor

-Charlton's father who must be at the bottom of it! Poor Charlton!

-

-Walking by himself, Ralph pondered upon the fact that, after all, if

-any one had hinted to him what he had hinted to his chum he would have

-been just as hurt and indignant. And now that he was cleared it would

-be manly and nice to go and ask him to be friends again.

-

-"He can hardly do anything if I don't give him the chance," he told

-himself. "I will do it as soon as I get back to school on Monday."

-

-His head full of the tracks of lame horses and light traps, he had

-taken his way across towards Stow Wood, the scene of that tragedy--for

-tragedy he believed there had surely been--and as he walked over the

-common he reflected that those marks had led away in the direction of

-Great Stow; and in Great Stow or just beyond it, Lord Elgert lived.

-

-And then, as he walked along, his eyes thoughtfully fixed upon the

-ground, he stopped suddenly. Surely things were going strangely to-day;

-for, coming on top of old Simon's words, here was the track of the lame

-horse again!

-

-"I will follow it this time," said Ralph to himself.

-

-And he set forward rapidly. There was plenty of both light and time

-this afternoon, and if the tracks led to hard roads he would go on and

-search beyond them.

-

-But he did not have very far to go this time, though he gained but

-little for his trouble. The other side the common, and close to Stow

-Wood, he came upon the vehicle he had followed--a light trap, truly,

-and drawn by a pretty little mare; and with it were three men, one in

-the uniform of a constable and the others in ordinary dress.

-

-"Who does this trap belong to?"

-

-The question was absurd, perhaps, but he blurted it out without

-thinking; and the men turned and regarded him with mingled surprise

-and amusement.

-

-"And what has that to do with you, if you please?" said one--the one in

-uniform.

-

-And what could he say? Whatever the other two were, one was a

-constable; and surely a constable was sufficient evidence that he had

-followed a wrong trail!

-

-"You seem to have a liking for asking questions, young gentleman," said

-one of the other men. "Now, suppose that we ask you one? Have you seen

-any one out here--any one that seemed as if they were trying to hide?

-We are looking for a prisoner of ours, who escaped some time back,

-and who, we believe, is hiding in this locality. Have you seen any

-suspicious character about?"

-

-Detectives! A prisoner! It must be Charlton's father! How glad he was

-that he could answer truly that he had seen no one! And the man who had

-put the question replied to him, when he had finished:

-

-"Thank you. Now, as you have answered me, I will answer you; though

-I confess that I do not understand the reason for your question. The

-horse and trap belong to Lord Elgert. Doubtless you have heard of him.

-He kindly lent them to us that we might be saved a long walk."

-

-It was Lord Elgert's! And these men, in Lord Elgert's trap, were

-looking for poor Charlton's father! Ralph thanked the constables,

-letting them remain in ignorance as to the real reason for his

-question, and with slow and thoughtful steps turned into Stow Wood.

-

-He was bewildered, perplexed, stunned. It was Lord Elgert's trap! Could

-Lord Elgert be the one who had harmed his father?

-

-Pondering deeply, he walked on, hardly noticing where he went, until

-suddenly a slight exclamation recalled his wandering senses. He looked

-up. He had penetrated into a little glade, and there before him stood

-two people--his chum Charlton and a man! He had found the one for whom

-the police were searching so close at hand!

-

-

-

-

-CHAPTER XX

-

-TO MR. ST. CLIVE'S

-

-

-The man started to his feet, with an exclamation of mingled rage and

-despair; while Charlton stood before his father, his arms outstretched,

-as if he feared that Ralph would rush forward and seize him.

-

-His face was very white, as he looked at the boy who had been his

-friend and champion, and cried, in tones of misery and reproach--

-

-"You! Oh, this is mean and cruel! I did not think that you would act

-the spy and hunt us down. Let him go--let him go quietly; and, if you

-want to harm any one, hurt me. I will not move, or cry out, no matter

-how much you beat me--only let my poor father go, and do not tell any

-one you have seen him."

-

-Now, Ralph had been standing in silence, too surprised to say anything.

-Despite what Mr. St. Clive had said, he had some sort of idea that this

-man must, in some way, know of his father's disappearance, even if he

-himself had no hand in it, just as he still thought that Charlton knew

-more about the missing note than any one else, though that suspicion

-was beginning to weaken considerably now.

-

-But as he looked from the boy to the man, and as he heard that pathetic

-appeal, every feeling, save that of pity, vanished. This man should not

-be captured, not if he could hinder it; and he said, advancing a step,

-and holding out one hand in friendship--

-

-"Why, Charlton, you don't think as meanly of me as that, do you? I

-neither want to harm you nor your father, though it is quite true that

-I came here to find you."

-

-"But--why? How did you know that we should be here?" questioned the

-boy, not yet reassured.

-

-And Ralph hurriedly explained how he had followed the trap and come

-upon the policemen.

-

-"I felt certain that it must be your father whom they were after," he

-said; "and so I determined to come through the wood to try to find you

-and give you warning. We must be quick, or there will be no chance of

-getting away."

-

-"Oh, father," wailed Charlton, "I wish that I had not persuaded you to

-come here again! You will be taken! What shall we do?"

-

-"My boy," answered the man calmly, "try and be brave. We owe our thanks

-to this young gentleman for the kindly warning he has brought. If I

-must be taken, I must; and I will try to bear it patiently, though it

-is very hard. It is strange that they should have Lord Elgert's trap,"

-he added bitterly. "Elgert has been at the bottom of all my troubles."

-

-"Look here!" expostulated Ralph bluntly. "It's no good stopping here

-talking and wasting time when every minute is precious. Those fellows

-are on the farther side of the wood, and they are beginning to search,

-and they won't leave off until they have hunted right through the

-place."

-

-"But where can we go?" asked Charlton, wringing his hands. "This place

-has nowhere to hide in; nowhere that could not be found if once people

-were really searching."

-

-"They will search; there is no doubt of that," answered Ralph. "But we

-may manage to elude them. We cannot stay here dodging round, that is

-quite certain. We must manage to get out of it and find somewhere else

-to hide."

-

-"Ah, my kind boy, but where shall that somewhere be?" said the man,

-shaking his head. "It might have been in my own home, but now that they

-think that I am here, and are on my track, they will keep their eyes on

-that spot, and I have not one single friend who will shelter me."

-

-"Hush! Hush!" cried Ralph suddenly. "Listen! There is no time to lose.

-They are in the wood on that side. Creep after me. Stop! Cover those

-leaves over or they will see where you have been standing."

-

-"You are thoughtful for one so young," murmured the man, as he obeyed

-Ralph's instructions. "Well, I will place myself under your guidance,

-and trust to you. Where shall we go? Through that undergrowth?"

-

-"No, no! You cannot move through that without making a noise and

-leaving traces. Keep to this path. I feel sure that is wisest. Bend

-low, and step lightly. Come! Now, Charlton, buck up, and we will save

-your father yet."

-

-His confidence inspired them with hope. Unhesitatingly they followed

-his lead. The path he chose led them into another clear little space,

-away to the right of that which they had left. They could hear the

-noise made by their pursuers in their rear, and they did not seem any

-better off here. It was only putting off the end for a little time,

-and so Charlton's father said, but Ralph would not listen to him. He

-had been in as tight a corner before, when he and his father, and two

-more, had been pursued by the Indians of the plains, and had dodged and

-doubled for three whole days ere they had thrown their foe off their

-track. Ralph was not going to give up yet.

-

-"Stop!" he said. "You must climb up this tree. No, not that one!" as

-Charlton ran to a big, old decaying oak.

-

-"But this is hollow. We can hide in it," objected the boy.

-

-But Ralph shook his head.

-

-"I can see it is hollow, and so can any one who has a pair of eyes.

-That is just why we must not go there, for they will be sure to look in

-it. Up this one!"

-

-"But we shall be seen."

-

-"Do as your friend bids you," said the man.

-

-And Charlton obeyed, his father following him.

-

-Then did Ralph show his cunning, for, directing them to stand with

-their backs against the trunk, he showed them how to draw the branches

-down until they made a thick canopy all around them. Ralph himself

-stood at the bottom, carefully examining their hiding-place.

-

-"Now, if you stand quite still, as you are, no one will be able to see

-you," he said. "But remember there must be no noise and no movement;

-everything may depend upon that. Keep still. Here is some one coming!"

-

-A man appeared at the end of the glade, and, catching a glimpse of the

-boy's form, gave a shout and ran forward; but he stopped, and looked

-very cross, as Ralph himself walked innocently to meet him, with the

-question--"Have not you found him yet?"

-

-"No," grumbled the man. "He is a slippery fellow, and is giving us a

-lot of trouble; but we will have him yet. We are working right through

-the wood, and we must be driving him before us, and when he gets to the

-other side----"

-

-"He will bolt," said Ralph.

-

-But the man smiled grimly.

-

-"Into our arms. We have four men stationed keeping watch there. No, we

-shall have him yet. You have not seen him?"

-

-"There was a man in that little hollow, the other end of this path. I

-saw him there," said Ralph, with perfect truthfulness.

-

-"Which hollow? The one to the right?" said the man quickly.

-

-And Ralph nodded.

-

-"Ah, we have looked there! He has bolted. Then we are right on his

-track. Stop a minute, though. That old tree looks a likely place. Here,

-give us a hand, boy! I will lift you, and you look in. Can you see

-anything?"

-

-And he lifted Ralph, and helped him to scramble up, and peer down into

-the hollow depths of the old oak.

-

-"Can't see much," said Ralph, his head in the hollow. "There is a gleam

-of light below, and something dark. Can't you clear away the leaves a

-bit, and then I can see whether it is a man or not?"

-

-The constable sprawled on the ground, and thrust his arm into the hole

-at the bottom of the trunk, dragging out leaves and dust, till Ralph

-cried--

-

-"It is all right; I can see now. There is no one there. What I was

-looking at was a lot of leaves. They have tumbled over now, and you are

-pulling them out."

-

-"That's no good, then; only it looked a likely place. Down you come,

-boy!"

-

-And, helping Ralph down, the man turned and ran off, satisfied that

-he had looked in the only place where the fugitive could have hidden

-himself.

-

-"I see that you are a clever lad," said Mr. Charlton when the fugitives

-again stood beside Ralph. "But what now? You heard what he said? There

-is no getting away on that side."

-

-"We are not going out that side, though," was Ralph's answer. "We are

-behind them now, and while they are hunting forward, we will go back."

-

-"They will have left watchers behind them."

-

-"I suppose so. They cannot have left many, though, for they had not

-enough men. Back is our only chance. We will try it. There is no time

-to stop talking now," he added, as he saw that the man was going to ask

-more questions. "Come, follow me!"

-

-Going cautiously, pausing to listen again and again, he led the way;

-and soon they were getting close to that side of the wood from which

-the search had commenced. Then he bade the other two remain hidden, and

-he went forward by himself, until, at last, he was able to peer from

-the hedges.

-

-He did not see a single man, though he looked carefully; but he did

-see--and the sight made his heart jump wildly--the horse and trap, the

-horse contentedly feeding on the rich grass. He would risk it! One

-chance, and one alone, offered, and he would take it!

-

-He beckoned to his companions to join him, and whispered his plans.

-

-"It is the only chance. No one is near the trap, and we can drive off

-before they will even know that it is gone. Will you dare it?"

-

-"Yes," said the man desperately.

-

-And Ralph, with a "Follow me, then!" was at the trap, had the rope,

-with which the horse had been tethered, cut; the other two were up

-after him, and, with a crack of the whip, away they went, clean across

-the open moor.

-

-Lame or not, that pony had to go, for once. They were right across,

-close on two miles away, and getting near to Great Stow, before a

-distant shout, and figures running from the wood, told them that the

-theft had been discovered.

-

-"Lie down, Charlton," he said, "and you sit directly behind me," he

-added to the man. "It will be far better if they can only see one

-person in the trap. We don't want them to know that I helped you if it

-can be avoided."

-

-They reached the road; then turned to the right, so that the view was

-shut off from those behind. No one had seen them with the trap, and now

-Ralph reined in, and jumped down.

-

-"Come on!" he said. "Lord Elgert's pony must look after itself now.

-Quick, we must hurry!"

-

-"Where are you going to, Rexworth?" cried Charlton in surprise. "There

-is nowhere about here where father can hide."

-

-But Ralph answered with a smile, never slackening his pace as he spoke--

-

-"Hurry up! There is one place--a safe place. I am going to Mr. St.

-Clive's."

-

-

-

-

-CHAPTER XXI

-

-A HOUSE OF REFUGE

-

-

-"To Mr. St. Clive's!"

-

-What wonder that the words filled Charlton with surprise. Ralph was

-surely risking a great deal in taking such a step. But Ralph knew

-Mr. St. Clive, and Charlton did not--and that made a great deal of

-difference. Besides, the case was desperate. Somewhere must be found in

-which to hide; and no other place offered, so to Mr. St. Clive's they

-went; and Ralph, leaving his two companions in the garden, went indoors

-by himself.

-

-But if the Charltons were surprised when Ralph announced his intention

-of going to Mr. St. Clive's, that gentleman was still more astonished

-when the lad told him of his adventures, and what he had done.

-

-"You know that you said, sir," Ralph concluded by saying--"that you

-always had a great idea that Mr. Charlton was innocent; and that if I

-were instrumental in getting him taken I might regret it all the rest

-of my life, and so I thought that you would be sure to sympathize with

-the poor man, and be ready to help him."

-

-"Well, Ralph," laughed Mr. St. Clive, "you have certainly taken me at

-my word. However, I do not know but what I am glad that you have done

-so; and Mr. Charlton being here, I may be able, after consultation with

-him, to devise some means of proving that he was innocent of the crime

-laid to his charge. Let us go and welcome him."

-

-It was very affecting, that meeting between the two men--the one so

-weary and dispirited, the other such a true Christian gentleman; but

-Mr. St. Clive soon put the other at his ease, and they all entered the

-house. Irene was out with her mother at the moment; and after Mr. St.

-Clive had seen that his new guest was provided with food, he spoke, and

-the other three sat listening attentively.

-

-"Now, Mr. Charlton," he said, "I have been thinking, and I can see one

-way for your remaining here in safety, and being able to communicate

-freely with your wife."

-

-"That is a blessing too great to be possible," sighed Mr. Charlton; but

-Mr. St. Clive smiled kindly.

-

-"I differ from you. It is not only possible, but easy. Listen to me.

-It is unlikely that any one will dream of looking for you here; but

-to make doubly sure, we can disguise you. Now, it so happens that I

-am in need of a gardener, and there is a cottage vacant. You must be

-gardener. If you know nothing of gardening, that does not much matter;

-I can post you up in it. Then, my wife can invite Mrs. Charlton to

-visit here, and there will be nothing to prevent her coming frequently,

-and staying all day. There is only one thing to remember. Of course,

-I shall tell my wife everything, but I do not think that my little

-daughter ought to be made a party to this; so to her you will be, say,

-Thomas Brown--that is an easy name--and before her our manner towards

-each other must be that of master and servant. You will not mind that?"

-

-"Mind!" cried Mr. Charlton, the tears rolling down his cheeks. "Mind!

-Can you think that I shall mind such a trifle as that, when you are so

-good, and ready to take the risk of helping me? But this morning I felt

-that, excepting wife and son, I had not a friend in the world. Now I

-find that God has not forsaken me utterly."

-

-"He never does forsake those who put their trust in Him," was the

-gentle answer. "Well, come with me at once, and we will see about

-making a gardener of you, before any of the servants can see you as you

-are. And you, boys, remember how you behave to my gardener," he added,

-looking at them. "You, Ralph, have been very thoughtful in the way you

-have managed--mind you do not make a slip."

-

-"I will try my best, sir," answered Ralph; and then he and Charlton

-were left alone. And then--then all of a sudden Charlton was kneeling

-at his feet, holding his hand and kissing it, and sobbing out his

-thanks; until Ralph cried out that if he didn't get up he would punch

-his head for him, to give him something to cry about, and to show that

-he was his friend; and that made poor Charlton laugh feebly.

-

-And, sitting there, Charlton explained what he was too proud to tell

-before--how he had wanted that ten shillings to help his father; and

-how his father, not using it, had given it back to him.

-

-"Indeed, I knew nothing about the note, Ralph," he said. "I know that

-you thought I had stolen it, and it made me miserable, but I am sorry

-that I spoke to you as I did."

-

-"All right, old fellow!" answered Ralph, wringing his hand. "Do not let

-us think of it any more. Besides, I have a pretty good idea of who took

-that note now--or, rather, who caused it to be taken. I don't know for

-certain, so I will accuse no one; but I don't think that it was you."

-

-"You mean Horace Elgert!" cried Charlton; but Ralph smiled and shook

-his head.

-

-"Won't do, old fellow. I said that I would not mention names. But look

-here, Charlton, I do want to ask your father one thing. Does he know

-anything about my father?"

-

-"Your father! How can he, Ralph?"

-

-"He might have been in Stow Wood that night, and have seen or heard

-something," the boy said.

-

-"I will answer that question for myself!" Mr. Charlton entered as

-Ralph was speaking, and the boys started, for even Charlton would

-not have known his father in the half-bald, grey-bearded old fellow

-who stood before him. "I will answer that question, Ralph Rexworth;

-and then, after that, I am only Brown, the gardener, remember. I can

-give you no information beyond this. On the night of your father's

-disappearance--my son has told me about that--I was in Stow Wood, and

-I heard a shot; and afterwards I saw a trap being driven rapidly away.

-There were two men in it, and one of those two leaned up against his

-companion as though he was helpless or badly hurt. Hiding myself, I

-could not follow them; but I thought at the time that it looked like

-foul play."

-

-"The second man was not dead?" cried Ralph anxiously; and the answer

-was very positive--

-

-"No, I am quite certain of that, for I heard him groan as they passed

-in the darkness. That is all I can tell you. It was natural that you

-should think that I knew something about it. I have also heard that I

-am supposed to be the one who entered the dormitory at the school one

-night; but I am innocent of that. A little thought ought to convince

-any one that to do such a thing would be the very last object of my

-wishes--the danger of being captured would be too great; and I do not

-quite see what any one can imagine that I should want to go there for."

-

-"It is all a mystery to me," said Ralph. And then Irene's voice was

-heard in the hall, and she and her mother entered.

-

-"Back again, Ladybird!" said her father, kissing her. Then, seeing her

-eyes fixed on the strangers, he went on: "Ah! you want an introduction?

-This is Fred Charlton, Ralph's friend; and this is a man who is to be

-our new gardener. His name is Thomas Brown. Run off with Ralph and

-Charlton for a little while; I want to talk to your mother."

-

-When the young people were gone, Mr. St. Clive told his wife of Ralph's

-adventures, and introduced Mr. Charlton in his proper character. And

-Mrs. St. Clive spoke so nicely and kindly, and promised to go and see

-Mrs. Charlton the very next day; and when she met Ralph she squeezed

-his hand, and gave him such a kiss as made him know that she was glad

-he had acted as he had done.

-

-And on the Sunday Mrs. St. Clive went for Mrs. Charlton, and brought

-her back with her. No one saw the meeting between the husband and wife

-save their own son; for Ralph had to take Irene right out of the way,

-lest she should wonder at their guest talking to the gardener, or going

-to his cottage.

-

-But afterwards, when Mrs. Charlton met the boy to whom she owed so

-much--oh, the look of gratitude which she gave him, and the way in

-which she spoke! It made Ralph very happy, but it made him very

-uncomfortable at the same time.

-

-And then, the day past and morning come, it was once more back to

-school; and some of the boys stared when they saw Ralph and Charlton

-appear arm-in-arm, for their quarrel had been noticed and discussed.

-

-But when Tom Warren saw them, he came running up, a real glad smile on

-his face.

-

-"Hallo, you two!" he said, as he met them. "I am awfully glad to see

-this. It's the right thing; and I do hope that you won't quarrel again."

-

-"I shall never quarrel with Rexworth any more," said Charlton, in low

-tones. "You have no need to fear that, Warren. I owe him more than I

-can ever repay, though I cannot tell you why!"

-

-"Perhaps I can tell you why," replied Warren, with a laugh. "For it is

-all over the place. Elgert set it going."

-

-"Set what going?" demanded the two chums, in one voice; and the monitor

-went on--

-

-"Oh, he says that--I don't want to pain you, Charlton, but it is better

-to hear it from a friend than from an enemy"--and Warren turned, half

-apologetically to Charlton as he said this--"he says that your father

-was in Stow Wood, and that the police were looking for him----"

-

-"And that Lord Elgert lent them his pony and trap to hunt him down,"

-put in Charlton bitterly.

-

-"No, he didn't say that. Did he, though? The mean sneak! Well, he says

-that your father was there, and that the police saw Ralph, here, go

-into the wood. Some one must have warned your father, for he managed to

-get out, and got off in the pony and trap they had left. They didn't

-say it was Lord Elgert's, though. Elgert at once jumped at it that

-it was you, Ralph, did the warning, because you are Charlton's chum.

-He says it is additional proof that you two had that note, and he is

-making a jolly lot about it; though half the fellows, and more than

-half, are strong on your side, and say that if it is true, they would

-have done the same thing. Elgert says that the police inspector is

-ready to knock your head off for the way in which you cheated him."

-

-"Is he, though!" laughed Ralph. "Well, Warren, as you know so much,

-we may as well tell you all about it, when we have time--with one

-exception, though. You must not ask us where we took Mr. Charlton, or

-where we hid him. That is our secret. The rest you may know. By the

-way, I wonder how Elgert will like it if he knows that it was I drove

-off in that trap?"

-

-"You! What a prime joke! I say, Ralph, what a chap you are! Come along,

-and let us get in!"

-

-That the story had got about was very clear, for curious glances were

-cast at the pair as they crossed the playground with the monitor; and

-then a group of juniors, led by Tinkle, suddenly piped up--

-

-

-     For he's a jolly good fellow,

-     For he's a jolly good fellow!

-

-

-Elgert, standing near them, turned with a frown.

-

-"Shut up that howling, you young cubs!" he growled fiercely; but from

-the other side of the playground, and from the Fifths, the same words

-came.

-

-Elgert turned and went into school. He was furious. He had come down

-thinking that he had a good chance of getting Ralph into disgrace, and

-here the fellows were actually praising him! It was gall to Horace

-Elgert; and, through the window, still came the sounds of the refrain

-being shouted below--

-

-

-     For he's a jolly good fellow,

-     And so say all of us!

-

-

-

-

-CHAPTER XXII

-

-AN AFTERNOON RAMBLE

-

-

-"I say, you two chaps, what are you going to do this afternoon?"

-

-The question was asked by Tom Warren, as Ralph and Charlton stood at

-the entrance to the playground.

-

-Another week had passed, and it had been a delightful one for both

-Ralph and his chum, now that they were friends again. For these two,

-so different in natures, liked each other very much; and now that the

-trouble was gone, they were drawn still closer together. Of course they

-were. Had not Ralph proved what a staunch good fellow he could be? and

-had not Charlton shown that he was not only innocent of stealing that

-note, but that he was a loyal, true son, doing what he could to help

-his unfortunate father?

-

-It was good to see how the boys had come round and how they regarded

-Ralph as a comrade to be proud of; though Elgert and Dobson and the set

-whom they led, glowered and sneered, and said unkind things that hurt

-no one, and were treated with contempt.

-

-And Saturday had come, and the boys were preparing to set out for their

-homes, and Ralph had a bundle of books under his arm, for he meant to

-have another quiet read that evening. The Newlet would want a lot of

-working for, and, since he had entered, he meant to do all he could to

-win success.

-

-"What are you going to do?" said Warren; and the pair confessed that

-they had made no particular plans.

-

-"I cannot spare very much time, anyway," said Ralph. "I want to put in

-a few hours' work to-night."

-

-"You will go and make yourself silly if you do too much," answered Tom

-Warren. "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, you know. Will you

-both meet me after you have had lunch--say about one o'clock--and we

-will go for a ramble?"

-

-"Where?" asked Charlton. "Anywhere in particular?"

-

-"I will tell you a nice walk. Let us go over the moor, and past Great

-Stow, out to Crab Tree Hill. It is jolly out there; and there are some

-lovely butterflies in the chalk there."

-

-"Butterflies in chalk?" said Ralph, raising his brows in wonder; and

-Warren laughed.

-

-"You kite! I mean that it is chalk country all round there, and the

-butterflies keep to it--fritillaries and skippers and browns; and we

-can find some grass snakes there."

-

-"Don't like snakes," said Ralph decisively, thinking of the terrible

-species which he had known in his younger days--snakes whose bite

-means certain death. "Well, I don't mind coming. Will you go, Fred?"

-And he turned to Charlton, who nodded his assent.

-

-"That is all right, then," answered Warren. "I will be over for you

-just after one, and we can pick up Charlton on our way and---- Hallo!

-what is the row?"

-

-The three lads turned. A scrimmage of some kind was evidently in

-progress at the other side of the playground, for there came some hoots

-and groans, and, mingling with the noise, a shrill cry of pain.

-

-"You great coward, let go my arm!"

-

-"Dobson and Co.," muttered Warren; and the three darted across to the

-scene of the trouble; and there they found Tinkle and Green, standing

-defiant and somewhat tearful, confronted by Dobson, Elgert and some of

-their cronies, while a scattered crowd of angry juniors kept in the

-safe background, hurling taunting jeers at the bigger boys.

-

-"I will half kill you, you cheeky little beggar!" they heard Dobson say

-to Tinkle. He had got hold of his arm, and, according to his favourite

-fashion, was twisting it painfully. "I will teach you to cheek me! I

-suppose it is that beggar Rexworth who has taught you to do it."

-

-But then Dobson stopped. He had thought that Ralph was gone; and even

-as he spoke, he caught sight of him. It certainly was very awkward for

-Dobson, and before he knew what to say next, Ralph had quietly but

-firmly removed Tinkle from his grasp.

-

-"You suppose wrong, Dobson," he said calmly. "I should not encourage

-any junior to cheek a senior; but I won't see a junior bullied, and you

-will please let that youngster go."

-

-"I didn't cheek him!" cried Tinkle--"leastways, not until he kicked me.

-I was standing here talking to Jimmy Green, when he and Elgert came up;

-and Elgert shied a stone at Green's head, and Dobson kicked me--the

-great coward! Let him stand up fair, and I will fight him myself."

-

-"Oh, no, you won't, sonny!" laughed Tom Warren. "You will clear off,

-and get home at once. No fight if you please."

-

-"It seems to me," sneered Elgert, "that this school is to be run by

-Rexworth and Co. You look here, Warren. It is out of school hours;

-and if you think that we are all going to stand being ruled by you

-especially when you are under the thumb of such a fellow as that--well,

-all I have to say is that you are jolly well mistaken."

-

-"I mean to say," was Warren's calm reply, "that there is not going to

-be any fighting here; and I mean to say that we have the Head's own

-orders to stop any more bullying of juniors. There has been a great

-deal too much of it in the past."

-

-"And if we don't obey, you will run sneaking to the Head?"

-

-"Oh, no, I won't," came the answer. "I will give you a jolly good

-licking myself. If it has got to come, let us get it over. Here are I

-and Rexworth--Charlton don't count. If you want to see which side is

-the best, just you----"

-

-"Just you all clear off; and you, Warren, don't make an ass of

-yourself," said a pleasant voice; and Kesterway, the head monitor of

-the school, appeared upon the scene. "Off you go, now! And you look

-here, Elgert. You may be an honourable, and a lord's son, but that is

-no reason why you should behave like a prig. You keep a civil tongue in

-your head, or you may get into trouble."

-

-Elgert and his companions turned away, for it did not do to defy the

-authority of Kesterway; but he muttered as he went--

-

-"Only wait a little while. I will get some of my own back. If I don't

-make Ralph Rexworth suffer for it, I will know the reason why."

-

-But two youthful individuals, as they also walked away--Tinkle and

-Green to wit--discussed darkly the chances of getting equal with Dobson

-and Elgert.

-

-"I vote we tell about that note," said Tinkle; but Green shook his head.

-

-"What is the good? Suppose they denied it, how could we prove it? You

-bet, there would be no chance of old Brown owning up. And besides,

-wouldn't it be telling that we had broken bounds? No; we had best wait

-a while, Tinkle, and presently the chance will come."

-

-"S'pose we sent 'em a what-you-call-it letter?"

-

-"What is that?" demanded Green; and Tinkle answered lucidly--

-

-"You know. One of them sort that don't come from nowhere, and is writ

-by nobody."

-

-"Annie nonimus," was Green's suggestion; and Tinkle nodded.

-

-"Yes, that's him. We might do that; and write on it, 'Who stole the

-five-pound note?' or 'What price Brown's cake shop?' or something."

-

-"We'd best do nothing of the kind," was Green's crushing answer. "That

-wouldn't do no good, and it would make 'em think that something was

-known. No, Tinkle; you leave 'em alone; and presently they will make a

-slip, and then we can have 'em."

-

-"I'd like to help Rexworth, though," murmured Tinkle.

-

-"But he don't want no help now. He's cleared about the note. No one

-thinks that he took it, not for a moment. It wouldn't help Rexworth.

-The thing is dropped, and we'd best leave it alone for the time."

-

-Meanwhile, Ralph and his friends took their way homeward, ignorant

-alike of the threats of their foes or the good wishes of the juniors;

-and after lunch was over, Warren in accordance with his promise, called

-for Ralph.

-

-"Hallo! got a new gardener here?" he remarked, as he caught sight of an

-old man who was sweeping the path; and Ralph thought how little Warren

-guessed who that man really was.

-

-They set off in high spirits, and after calling for Charlton, they

-started upon their long ramble. They rattled on at a good pace, and got

-away to the hills, and then--it was most provoking--great dark clouds

-had been rolling up, and suddenly, with a roar of thunder and a blaze

-of lightning, the storm burst, and it rained--gracious, how it did rain!

-

-It is not pleasant to be caught in a violent shower at the best of

-times, but to be caught when you are away from all shelter is decidedly

-unpleasant.

-

-"Wherever can we shelter?" cried Charlton in dismay, as the three

-bolted along, with heads bent down and collars turned up. "This is

-cheerful!"

-

-"I say," suddenly suggested Warren, "there is a thick preserve over

-by the road; I noticed it as we came along. Of course, it will be

-trespassing and we might get into trouble, but I suggest making for it.

-We can get some sort of shelter under the trees, and we may stumble

-upon a shooting hut or a keeper's cottage, and if we explain why we

-have come, they surely will not mind."

-

-"Cannot help it if they do," said Ralph desperately. "We cannot go on

-in this, and it's five miles into Stow, if it's a yard. Show us the way

-Warren, and be quick about it."

-

-With a whoop and a yell, off scudded Warren, the other two close in

-his rear, while the thunder growled and grumbled and the lightning

-flickered, and the sky grew so black that things promised to get worse

-instead of better.

-

-They struck the path for which Warren was making; and there, sure

-enough, a little farther along, divided from the road by a meadow and a

-stout gate, the tall trees of a dark covert waved to and fro. It might

-not mean much shelter, but it would mean some, and with a scramble they

-were over that gate.

-

-"This is better," panted Warren. "It is some sort of a screen. I am

-jolly well drenched!"

-

-"I wish that I could get a cup of warm cocoa or tea," shivered

-Charlton. "I got hot running, and now it strikes horribly cold."

-

-"Let's push on a bit," suggested Ralph. "We are trespassing, and we

-may as well be hanged for a sheep as for a lamb. Perhaps we shall find

-shelter somewhere. Come on, you two, and keep to these open paths. If

-you get right into that undergrowth, you may do some damage--disturb

-some nests, or something."

-

-"Right you are, Ralph. I don't think it is much good, though; there

-seems no sign of life here."

-

-"I will soon see if there is." Ralph paused as he spoke. He put his

-hand to his mouth and gave a ringing call--one he had learnt from the

-Indians on the plains. "If any one is about, they will hear that; and,

-at any rate, they cannot say that we are trying to hide from----"

-

-He stopped and started back, turning as white as death; for from

-somewhere, ringing through the silences of that preserve, there came a

-sound, muffled, but clear. It was Ralph's call repeated!

-

-What wonder that he trembled. What wonder that he looked so white.

-There was but one other person whom he knew who would answer that call

-in that way; and that one person was his own father!

-

-

-

-

-CHAPTER XXIII

-

-THE RUIN AND THE LONELY HOUSE

-

-

-Just that one cry, ringing wild and plaintive through the wood; and

-then silence, broken by a loud, angry rumble of thunder.

-

-Ralph stood there trembling, too agitated to speak; and his two chums

-turned anxiously towards him, bewildered at the change which had come

-over him.

-

-"Ralph, old fellow, why, whatever is it? What has come to you?" they

-asked; and he replied in hoarse, trembling tones--

-

-"That call! Did you not hear it? There is only one person who would

-give that, and he is my own father."

-

-For a moment they were staggered by his answer; then Warren said

-gently--

-

-"But, Ralph, how can it be your father? It was only the echo, old

-fellow."

-

-"It was not the echo. It was his voice. Listen--try and hear where it

-comes from!" And once again, through the dripping wood, he sent the

-Indian cry.

-

-"Now, listen--listen!" he said; and they waited, but no sound came in

-answer--nothing but the shiver of the trees, the patter of the rain,

-and the distant growling of the storm.

-

-"There, you see. It must have been the echo!" said Warren; but Ralph

-shook his head.

-

-"Do not be silly, Warren. If it was the echo it would be heard again;

-but we heard nothing."

-

-Which direction did it come from? They forgot about the wet and the

-storm; they forgot everything in the excitement of the moment. Which

-direction had the cry come from?

-

-Warren declared that it sounded as if it was under ground; Charlton

-said he fancied that it came from high up, as if some one was in the

-air; and Ralph fancied that it was straight ahead.

-

-"What shall we do?" was the question of Warren and Ralph answered--

-

-"I am going forward. I mean to search this plantation from end to end,

-if I am trespassing twenty times over."

-

-So on the three went, and again and again did they pause while Ralph

-uttered his wild call, but no answer was heard.

-

-They pushed on, their hearts full of excitement, until they emerged

-from the trees with almost startling suddenness. The plantation was

-nothing like so thick as they had thought--it was a mere belt of wood,

-surrounding a neglected lawn; and in the centre of this, encircled by

-a wall, stood the very last thing they would have expected to find

-there--a house.

-

-A house; but so dreary, desolate looking. All the windows stared blank

-and empty, and were encrusted with dirt and grime. Not a trace of smoke

-curled up from the chimney-stack, not a sound of life was heard. It

-seemed empty, desolate, drear; and the masses of creeper, hanging down

-and swinging in the breath of the storm, only intensified the desolate

-picture it made.

-

-The three lads, standing there with every nerve thrilled by a strange,

-inexplicable excitement, surveyed the place, and looked at each other

-in questioning silence, until Warren said softly--

-

-"Well, I am blest! Who would have thought of finding a house here?"

-

-"Where are you going, Ralph?" cried Charlton, for Ralph was moving

-forward; and he replied firmly--

-

-"To that house. I mean to see if any one lives here."

-

-Right up to the wall walked Ralph. It was a high wall, and only the

-upper part of the house could be seen above it. But they found a gate

-on the other side; and, without a moment's hesitation, Ralph pushed

-it open, entered the garden, and, walking up to the door, lifted the

-knocker.

-

-With what a dull, hollow sound did it fall! A ghostly sound, that

-echoed through the house, with that peculiar vibration which is heard

-when a place is empty.

-

-"There is no one here," whispered Warren, after a pause--somehow they

-found themselves speaking in whispers. "The house is empty."

-

-Ralph, for answer, knocked again, a louder and longer summons.

-"Listen!" he said; and from somewhere they heard a faint sound, as of a

-door being shut.

-

-"It's only the wind, making a door slam," was Warren's comment. But,

-for the third time, Ralph sent his call resounding--there was no

-mistake about that knock--if any one was in the place they must hear

-it, for the door fairly creaked beneath the blows.

-

-Another pause, a shuffling noise from within, the sound of some one

-coming from distant passages, then the unfastening of bolts and chains,

-and the door was opened a little space, while a man, big, burly, and

-brutal looking, filled the doorway, and barred their entrance--an

-altogether evil-looking, cruel-faced man, who, scowling upon the three

-lads, demanded in gruff tones what they wanted, and how it was they

-were here.

-

-Just for the moment the three were taken aback; or, brave as they might

-be, still they were only lads, and that scowling presence was certainly

-very ominous. But Ralph plucked up his courage, and answered that

-they were three lads from the distant school, and that they had been

-overtaken by the storm and were seeking shelter.

-

-The man had stood glaring from one to the other as the explanation was

-given; and then he said, in the gruffest of accents--

-

-"Well, and what is all this to me? That is no reason why you should

-trespass on my land, and come knocking at my door. I don't want to know

-that you are getting wet. It's no interest of mine, is it?"

-

-"But we are seeking for shelter," persisted Ralph. "Surely you will not

-refuse to give that to us?" And he made a slight attempt to push his

-way in. The man gave him a shove that sent him almost off the step.

-

-"Here, none of that sort of thing," he said, "or you will be sorry for

-it, my young bantam. You don't think that you can shove your way into

-my premises. You three just take yourselves off. You are trespassing on

-my ground; and it's lucky for you that the dog is tied up, or he would

-tear you limb from limb. Hear him!" And he paused, as a deep, distant

-baying was heard from somewhere within. "He is a beauty big enough to

-eat you. You just get off as fast as you can. Clear! If you are here in

-five minutes time I will set the dog on you!" And he slammed the door,

-and left them standing there.

-

-"What a particularly unpleasant person!" said Warren. "His politeness

-is only exceeded by his good looks. Come on, Ralph, it won't do any

-good to stand here; and I don't fancy a meeting with that loud-voiced

-brute we heard. He had got a bark like a bloodhound."

-

-"We had better do as Warren says," added Charlton, a trifle timidly,

-for he could understand how badly Ralph must feel. "I know what you are

-thinking of. You want to see inside that house, but it is impossible

-now. If it is done at all, it would have to be some other time, when

-that man did not suspect us. Only I don't think that you are right. I

-don't see how you can be."

-

-"I shall never rest until I have contrived some way of doing as you

-say," was Ralph's reply, and his face looked very resolute again. "That

-cry was raised by my father. He may not be there--I do not say he

-is, but somehow I dislike that man and distrust him. Let us go right

-through the grounds. Don't you understand, Warren? I want to see if

-there are any other places hidden away here. Who would have said a

-house like that was here; and who can say what other house may be here?

-You go back if you like, you and Charlton; I am going on."

-

-"Then on we all go," was Warren's reply; and he and Charlton

-accompanied Ralph.

-

-They crossed the lawn and went out by the gate, and Ralph was conscious

-of the face of that man peering at them through one of the upper

-windows. He might be a recluse, a miser, a madman--that seemed the most

-probable thing; and yet, yet somehow Ralph must get inside that house.

-

-They pushed their way on into the wood again, making for the opposite

-side to that on which they had entered; and then Ralph's words that

-they did not know what else they might find were proved to be very

-true, for, upon its farther side, bordering upon a stretch of wild

-open land, they came upon a ruined building. It looked as if at one

-time it had been a chapel, or monastery, or something of that sort;

-the pillars, the pointed windows, and the arched doors gave them that

-impression. It was a fairly large building, larger than the house they

-had left, and its crumbling walls were thickly overgrown with ivy. A

-mournful, silent ruin it was, where only the shapes and shadows of

-those whose feet had once trodden its stone floors now seemed to lurk;

-but it was a shelter, and in Ralph went.

-

-"I don't care for twenty men and dogs," he said resolutely. "I am not

-going on in this rain, and I am going to have a look in this ruin."

-

-"But you do not think that you will find any trace of your father

-there, Ralph," protested Warren.

-

-"I don't, old man; I only hope for shelter. Come on. If the worst comes

-we will get on the stairs and drive off the dog with stones. Come on."

-

-It looked gloomy outside--it looked more gloomy within, as they passed

-in through the yawning space where once a stout oak door had been. How

-their footsteps echoed, and how great piles of damp, decaying leaves

-lay in the corners, and ugly lizards scuttled away as they went on.

-But, for all that, after the first disinclination was got over, there

-was something very exciting in wandering about the ruin, exploring

-this way and that, going down into dark, oozy places underground, or

-clambering up into the old, deserted turret above, at the no small risk

-of breaking one's neck. They wandered here and there, until at last a

-single ray of sunlight, falling through a broken casement, awoke them

-to the fact that the storm was over, and that they could get on their

-way again.

-

-"We had better go, Ralph," said Charlton. "I must, for think how mother

-will feel if I am not home when she expects me."

-

-"Well, I don't think it is much good staying," Warren added. "It seems

-impossible that your father should be about here, Ralph. That sound was

-an echo."

-

-"I suppose it must have been something of that sort," Ralph admitted

-reluctantly. "There seems to be no other explanation. You must forgive

-me for seeming stupid; but, you see, it--it is my father!" He stopped

-and Charlton pressed his hand sympathetically, while Warren said

-hastily--

-

-"Oh, of course, old fellow, I understand; and I only wish that we could

-have found something out. What a stunning place this ruin would be for

-hiding in! You could play hide-and-seek about it for a week!"

-

-They emerged from the place, and speedily were in the public road again

-and walking, with their faces in a homeward direction. But as they went

-Ralph turned, and once again he uttered that wild signal cry; and then,

-then--was it an echo, or was it indeed a human voice?--after a pause,

-faint and low the sound came back once more--whether from earth, or

-from air, they knew not; but the cry was taken up and repeated note for

-note.

-

-

-

-

-CHAPTER XXIV

-

-FOR THE SAKE OF REVENGE

-

-

-Now, on that very afternoon when Ralph and his two friends, on their

-visit to Crab Tree Hill, were driven by the storm to seek shelter in

-that preserve, Horace Elgert and his companion Dobson, were standing in

-close consultation.

-

-And a very discontented, savage, and disconcerted pair they were, for

-things did not seem to be going right with them.

-

-In the first place, that miserable five-pound note was still missing,

-and though the man at the cake-shop had promised that he would get it

-for them if possible, he had not yet kept his word; and while it was

-still in other hands both boys trembled with apprehensive fears.

-

-They quarrelled over it, too, Elgert still declaring that, as Dobson

-had changed it, he would alone be to blame, and Dobson retorting by

-saying that he would confess that he received it from Elgert.

-

-Then, added to this source of annoyance, there was the fact that,

-in spite of all their efforts, Ralph Rexworth was rising in his

-schoolmates' esteem, and his influence, coupled with that of Warren

-and Charlton, was making itself steadily felt, to the diminution of

-their own powers.

-

-"It seems to me," grumbled Elgert moodily, "that the fellows look

-upon trying to give a criminal up to justice as a crime. Some of them

-actually hissed at me--and why? Just because my father lent the police

-his pony and trap! I can't make out what is coming to them."

-

-"They are just as down on me in the Fourth," answered Dobson. "There is

-no fun in the place now. All the kids have got to be coddled like a lot

-of babies; and if you catch one of them a smack on the head for being

-cheeky, there are a dozen fellows ready to take his part. Look how that

-little beggar Green cheeked me."

-

-"Well, why didn't you give him a hiding? You were afraid to, that is

-the fact."

-

-"Afraid yourself!" retorted Dobson angrily. "As if I should be afraid

-of him! You know that if I had done anything I should have had Rexworth

-and all his set about me, and a fellow can't take the lot of them. You

-don't care to meet Rexworth yourself, and you know it."

-

-A dark frown gathered upon Horace Elgert's handsome face. Ah, how that

-frown spoilt all his good looks!

-

-"Perhaps I don't, Dobson," he said grimly. "But there are better ways

-of getting even with Rexworth than fighting; and I mean to try them

-all. Have you seen Brown again?"

-

-"Yes," said Dobson.

-

-And Elgert went on--

-

-"Well, what did he say?"

-

-"Only just what he has said all along. He has not been able to get it

-yet, but he thinks that he will. I tell you, Elgert, that I believe he

-is playing with us----"

-

-"What do you mean?" cried Elgert sharply. "How playing with us?"

-

-"Well, he either knows more than he pretends to, or else he suspects

-something. I don't think that he means to let us have that note."

-

-Horace Elgert was silent for a few moments. Evidently he found that

-statement very disquieting.

-

-"It will be a nice mess if it is like that," he said at last. "But it

-is no good worrying over it unless it comes. I will go and see him

-myself. You are a bit of a messer when it comes to doing anything. You

-don't seem to use your wits----"

-

-"Can't use my wits to make him give me a thing which he has either not

-got or don't mean to part with," grumbled Dobson.

-

-"You might have used your wits to make sure that he never got it. I did

-all the dangerous part of the work, and only left you something which

-was safe and easy, and you went and bungled it!"

-

-"Oh, don't begin that all over again. I am sick and tired of hearing

-of it. Whenever you have nothing else to grumble about you bring that

-up. Just drop it, or don't talk at all!"

-

-Elgert saw that his companion was getting really cross; and though he

-despised Dobson at heart, he could not afford to quarrel with him, for

-the boy knew too much of his evil ways; so he affected to laugh at the

-angry words.

-

-"Don't lose your temper," he said. "I never came near such a surly

-chap! A fellow can't speak to you without your taking offence."

-

-"Well, then, drop it. I don't like having things thrown in my face like

-you throw that. It is done, and it can't be undone, so what is the good

-of talking of it?"

-

-"You will find there will be some talking about it if ever it comes to

-light," was the grim answer. And Dobson looked miserable. How he wished

-now that he had never had anything to do with the wretched business.

-

-"I wonder," mused Elgert, "what became of that fellow Charlton?"

-

-"We'd best let that alone," retorted Dobson. "We have got ourselves

-disliked quite enough over it."

-

-"What do I care for that? If only I knew where he was, do you think

-that I would hesitate to tell? I would do it, if it was only to spite

-Rexworth."

-

-"It would not hurt him," answered Dobson. "It is not his father."

-

-"No, but it is his chum's, and he would be sure to feel it. I only wish

-I knew where he was."

-

-"But you don't," remarked Dobson.

-

-"But I might find out. I only wish that I could!"

-

-"Talk of angels and see their wings," said Dobson; and at this

-apparently vague proverb Elgert turned excitedly.

-

-"Where? What do you mean? Not the man?"

-

-"No," answered Dobson, with a shake of the head.

-

-"I don't see Rexworth or Charlton." And Elgert stared round. "Bother

-it! Don't stand grinning there like a monkey. Tell me what you mean."

-

-"Only that there goes Charlton's mother," said Dobson, nodding in the

-direction of the common.

-

-"Well, what of that? We don't want his mother, do we? It is his father

-we are talking about."

-

-"I know that," came the calm answer. And Dobson looked very knowing. "I

-am a monkey and a silly, and I don't know what besides, but I may be

-able to think smarter than you can, Elgert. May not Charlton's mother

-lead us to Charlton's father? She is sure to know where he is, and do

-you know that since that affair she has been going to the St. Clives' a

-lot----"

-

-"How do you know?" demanded Elgert.

-

-"My sister told me that she has seen her go there frequently; and

-sometimes, instead of going right in at the front gate she has gone in

-at the side one. That looks strange, don't it? And she was not visiting

-there before--I know that."

-

-Elgert pondered a while in silence, then he suddenly turned, and Dobson

-inquired where he was going.

-

-"To follow her. There may be something in what you say. I should hardly

-think that they would hide a convict away, but they might--some people

-do such strange things--and St. Clive don't like my father, I know. Let

-us follow her."

-

-"Well, it will only be to St. Clive's place. And what are we to do

-then? We can't say that she goes to see her husband because she goes

-there."

-

-"What did you tell me about it for, then? You looked knowing enough.

-It is not much good talking of a thing if we cannot follow it up. I am

-going after her, at any rate. You need not come if you don't want to."

-

-"Oh, I will come, Disagreeable!" answered Dobson. And the two boys set

-out, following the lady, who was quite unconscious of their wicked

-desires.

-

-And they could follow her openly and without fear, for if she had seen

-them close by her side she would have thought nothing of it. The boys

-from the school were common enough objects in the place.

-

-And it chanced that Mrs. Charlton was indeed going to see her poor

-husband; to try and cheer him, and urge him to be hopeful and patient,

-and to tell him that presently the clouds would all vanish, and the sun

-shine out again.

-

-And after her the two boys went like spies, and neither Elgert nor

-Dobson thought what a wicked thing they were doing. There was with

-them the love of doing evil and causing sorrow--the delight of little,

-spiteful natures--but there was also the greater desire to cause Ralph

-Rexworth pain. That was before everything, and so on they went. And

-Mrs. Charlton, all unconscious of evil, entered the grounds of Mr. St.

-Clive's house, and as Dobson had said, she went in at the side gate.

-

-Mr. St. Clive had arranged that with her, so that she could go directly

-to her husband's cottage without any of the servants in the house

-knowing that she was there.

-

-And the boys stood at that gate undecided for a little while. The path

-was soon lost to view amidst the bushes. Elgert looked round, and then

-deliberately climbed over the gate.

-

-"You can stay or come," he whispered to Dobson; "I mean to go on and

-see this through." And Dobson, not without some inward fears, followed

-his example. It was delightful, this tracking a man down; it was like

-the stories of adventure, and he wanted to see the end of it.

-

-"Come quietly," directed Elgert in suppressed tones. "Don't make a

-noise with your feet, and stoop down; they might see your head over

-the bushes. That is it. Now follow me."

-

-Creeping along stealthily, Dobson in the rear, he followed the

-direction which Mrs. Charlton had taken, and presently the shrubberies

-ended, and there were flower beds and lawns. Clearly, it would be

-dangerous for them to go any farther if they wished to remain unseen.

-

-"We will stop here and watch," said he to Dobson. And the latter,

-crouching there, whispered--

-

-"Where has she gone? I don't see her anywhere."

-

-"She must have gone into that cottage. I would creep across and try to

-peep through the window, but I am afraid that I should be discovered;

-and if we gave them the alarm, he might be off."

-

-"You don't think that the man is hiding there, do you?" queried Dobson,

-trembling betwixt fear and excitement.

-

-Truth to tell, when he had made his suggestion, it had been merely from

-the love of talking; he had not thought really that there was anything

-in it; and now there seemed to be a very great deal.

-

-"I do think it," Elgert answered. "Hush! Let us watch. No one knows

-that we are here, and no one can see us. We can easily creep out the

-same way that we came. Keep still, she is coming out of the cottage!"

-

-Yes, Mrs. Charlton was coming out, and with her a poor, bent decrepit

-old gardener. But--but she held his arm, and once she pressed a kiss on

-his cheek! Horace Elgert felt his heart thrill with evil triumph. He

-saw it all now. Mr. St. Clive was keeping the man here, in the position

-of a gardener, and Mrs. Charlton came to see him!

-

-"We have got him now, Dobson," he whispered to his companion. "We have

-got him now, and he will not get away from the police a second time! It

-is the first step to paying Ralph Rexworth what we owe him!"

-

-[Illustration: "'WE HAVE GOT HIM NOW, DOBSON,' HE WHISPERED TO HIS

-COMPANION." p. 230.]

-

-

-

-

-CHAPTER XXV

-

-JUST IN TIME

-

-

-"What shall we do next, Elgert?"

-

-Dobson whispered that question in his ear, as the two crouched in the

-shrubbery watching Mrs. Charlton and her husband.

-

-"Do! What a question! Get away from here, and then go straight to the

-police and give them information. They won't mention our names, and the

-fellows at the school need never know that we have had any part in it.

-We have seen enough, so come on, and mind you don't let them either see

-or hear you. I would not have them alarmed for anything."

-

-The two stole silently off, treading on tiptoe, walking with the

-greatest care, until once more they climbed over the gate, and stood

-safely in the roadway.

-

-"Thank goodness we are out of that without any trouble," said Dobson;

-and Elgert inquired, contemptuously, what danger he feared would come

-to them in the grounds.

-

-"Dogs," retorted Dobson tersely. "We weren't to know that there were no

-dogs loose. I thought that I heard a rustling in the bushes once, as

-though one was pushing his way towards us, and it made me turn cold.

-Well, now we are here, what next?"

-

-"The police, at once. How dark it is getting, and was not that thunder?"

-

-"Yes, I reckon they are getting a smart storm not far from here. The

-police-station, is it?"

-

-"Of course. The man is here, we do not know how long he may remain,

-so we cannot waste time; and I am not going to let the possibility

-of getting caught in a shower prevent me from having my revenge on

-Rexworth, and making things unpleasant for these stuck-up St. Clives.

-I hate them! St. Clive himself, because he backs this Rexworth up; his

-wife, because she is so very goody-goody; and the girl, because she is

-a proud little minx, who turns up her nose at me, and----"

-

-"Ha, ha!" laughed Dobson. "Jealous because Rexworth cut you out, that

-is it! Well, I don't mind. Come on, if you are coming. The police will

-be pleased enough to know; and if there is a reward, we may as well

-have it."

-

-"You can take it, if you like," retorted Elgert. "I don't want their

-money. All I want is to see the man taken again, and taken there to

-prove that the St. Clives are in it."

-

-They turned and hurried off; and then, very cautiously, from amidst

-the laurels, there arose a little scared and indignant face--a face

-surrounded by golden hair. Irene St. Clive had seen them and heard all

-that they had said!

-

-She had seen them go into the shrubbery, and had wondered what tricks

-they were about to play. Her first idea was that it was something to do

-with Ralph, something to vex him; for she knew both the boys, and was

-aware that they were his enemies. So she had followed them, that she

-might see, and then warn Ralph. And then it had flashed upon her! Mrs.

-Charlton was there with her husband; and the boys were spying upon her.

-Oh, what mean, miserable boys to call themselves gentlemen, and do such

-things!

-

-She heard what they said when they stood in the roadway, and then she

-turned and raced indoors to tell her father; even in her dismay, she

-was thoughtful enough not to go to her mother first, lest she should be

-needlessly alarmed. Her father would know best what was to be done.

-

-And her tidings filled Mr. St. Clive with concern. Where could poor Mr.

-Charlton go? Where else was there for him to hide?

-

-He reproached himself now that he had not sent him away sooner. But Mr.

-Charlton had seemed to derive such comfort from being able to see his

-son and wife frequently, that Mr. St. Clive had allowed things to go on

-as they were, and now it might be too late!

-

-Yes, even with Irene's warning, too late; for the man could not go out

-just as he was. Mr. St. Clive knew full well that every hiding-place

-would be searched--that escape would be almost impossible--and he

-shrank from being the bearer of such bad tidings to the husband and

-wife.

-

-But it had to be done, the warning must be given, and given at once,

-and he rose, Irene following him, and went into the grounds and towards

-the cottage. His own wife was there at the moment speaking with Mrs.

-Charlton.

-

-And the dismay, the sorrow, that they exhibited when the tidings were

-told! The poor man must fly from here and be a wanderer again--hunted

-hither and thither, not knowing from hour to hour if he should be

-captured, not able even to get a message to his wife, or to hear how it

-fared with her and his son. It was very hard indeed.

-

-"You have done all that one man could to help another, sir," he said to

-Mr. St. Clive, as he held his weeping wife in his arms. "I shall never,

-never forget your kindness, nor that of your good wife and dear little

-daughter. You will be a friend to my poor wife and my boy--I feel sure

-that you will be--and now I must change this disguise, and go. To go

-as the old gardener might be more dangerous than to go as the escaped

-prisoner."

-

-"But where can you go? Where can you hide for the time? If you could

-only find a place, the police might come to the conclusion that the

-boys had made a mistake, and abandon the search again, so giving you

-opportunity of getting out of England. So far as money can aid, you

-can count upon me, but money will be of no avail, if you cannot elude

-your pursuers, and----"

-

-A hurrying of feet! Oh, surely the police could not be there already!

-No; a well-known shrill whistle! Ralph and his chums were coming, and

-Ralph must be told.

-

-Now, Warren knew nothing about Charlton's father being there, and the

-two boys had allowed their chum to come in because there was no danger;

-he would only think that it was an old gardener at work.

-

-But when they saw Mr. St. Clive and all the others in that little

-cottage, they stopped, and Charlton faltered out--

-

-"What is it? Oh, what is it, father?" And so he gave away his secret to

-the monitor.

-

-And they told them, and Charlton stood very white, and clenched his

-fist.

-

-"Elgert again," he said. "Oh, I hate him! I should like to kill him."

-But his father put his hand on his arm and said, almost sternly--

-

-"My son, such words are not for the lips of a Christian boy."

-

-"Well, sir, at any rate you can't blame Fred for using them," broke in

-Warren. "I know I should feel like it. They are a pair of cads, and

-deserve kicking."

-

-"Be quiet, Tom," chimed in Ralph. "Never mind them. The thing is what

-can we do? Where can Mr. Charlton go so that he can hide in safety for

-the time?"

-

-"Nowhere," said the man sadly. "There is no spot about here where I can

-be safe. I am afraid that I am losing heart," he added, "but it seems

-hopeless."

-

-"Never say, die, sir," cried Warren. "I know a place, a jolly place,

-where you could hide for a month; yes, even if they knew you were there

-they would not be able to get you. You could dodge them, and dodge

-them, for ever so long----"

-

-"The ruin!" cried Ralph suddenly. "Warren, you're a brick! The ruin, of

-course----"

-

-"What ruin? Where?" asked Mr. St. Clive, while the rest listened

-anxiously. "Speak quickly, lads, for time is precious." And Ralph

-explained their adventure of that afternoon, adding--

-

-"Of course, there are the dogs, but even if they scented him down he

-could shut them out; they couldn't get at him, and the very fact that

-the dogs were loose would hinder people from imagining that any one was

-hiding there. Besides, I don't believe that any people know about it. I

-didn't until to-day, and I thought that I had pretty well explored the

-country round here."

-

-"How am I to get to this place, boys?"

-

-"By following us," said Ralph. "Yes, we will all three go, and skirmish

-out one ahead of the other, so that if danger is about we can give

-warning. Never you fear, we will get there safe enough, if we have a

-little start. But you will want things, even at once; light--you must

-be careful to hide that from being seen--and food, and some rugs."

-

-Away hurried Mrs. St. Clive and her husband and hastily procured what

-they thought would be immediate necessities, while Mr. Charlton took

-off the disguise. His rest there had done him good. He was strong and

-well, not a bit like the wearied man who had at first come there. The

-boys divided the burdens between them; and then, with last hand shakes,

-and with a parting embrace between husband and wife, Mr. Charlton

-followed the three boys from the place where he had been so kindly

-treated.

-

-"Won't Elgert and Dobson be precious mad!" said Warren. "It was

-fortunate for you, sir, that little Irene heard them talking."

-

-"It is fortunate for me that my boy has two such faithful friends

-as you and Ralph here," answered Mr. Charlton. "I feel that Heaven,

-knowing my innocence, has raised me up helpers all round."

-

-"That is the way, sir," said Ralph heartily. "Go on thinking that and

-you won't lose heart, and presently the truth will come to light----"

-

-"Now then, Ralph," cried Warren, interrupting him. "Send on ahead, and

-keep both your eyes open, get well on in front, and give the Fourth's

-whistle if you see any one about."

-

-They were now getting away from the road and on towards Stow Wood. They

-would have to go through that and then out across the common, leaving

-Great Stow on their right. It would have been shorter to have gone

-through Great Stow, but they did not dare that, there were too many

-people about.

-

-Away raced Charlton, pushing into the wood, and then Warren dived away

-to the right, and Ralph led Mr. Charlton directly on.

-

-But no warning whistle came. The storm was gathering up again, and no

-one who could avoid it was out of doors. They pushed through the wood

-and across the common, out to Crab Tree Hill; and then they circled

-the preserves, and came to the place they sought; and, as Ralph said,

-it looked as if they had been led to the spot that afternoon, in order

-that they might know where to bring Mr. Charlton.

-

-And into the ruin they led the way with a lighted candle, and showed

-the man all the windings and secret ways that they had found out.

-

-"I dare say that there are plenty more, for it is a strange old place,"

-Ralph said, "and you will be able to find them out for yourself."

-

-"The only thing that I see, is you cannot make a fire here. At least,

-if you did, the smoke might be seen," added Warren; and Mr. Charlton

-smiled.

-

-"We can do without the fire, my kind young friend," he said. "I shall

-manage here very well. But now do you all go, for you are nearly wet

-through, and I fear that you may suffer some ill effects, and you all

-look tired to death, too. Shake hands with me, and be off."

-

-"We shall manage to let you know soon, sir, how things go," said Ralph,

-"and we will bring more food and things. Good-bye, sir, and keep up a

-good heart."

-

-"Good-bye, and good-bye and God bless you, my own dear son." And the

-father and son embraced.

-

-Then the three lads dashed away, making for home as fast as they could;

-and though Warren wondered what his people would think of him for being

-so late, nothing could persuade him to refrain from going back to Mr.

-St. Clive's, just to see how things had gone.

-

-

-

-

-CHAPTER XXVI

-

-TOM WARREN SPEAKS HIS MIND

-

-

-If ever three boys were tired and wet and cold, Ralph and his chums

-were when they once again arrived at Mr. St. Clive's; but for all

-that, they were three delighted boys, for they had succeeded in their

-mission, and Mr. Charlton was safe.

-

-They found that the police had been and gone, and were none the wiser

-for their visit. Mr. St. Clive had received them readily, and told them

-that he certainly had employed an old gardener, but that the man had

-left his employ only a short time before they came, and that he could

-give them no information about him.

-

-It was highly distasteful to an honourable gentleman like Mr. St.

-Clive even to say anything which, while strictly true, had yet the

-qualities of a lie, but in this case he was forced to do so. He could

-not give the poor man up to justice--a man whom he honestly believed to

-have been wrongly convicted--especially after having received him and

-sheltered him so long.

-

-But when Elgert and Dobson heard that the search was unsuccessful, oh,

-how angry they were! They had come back with the constables, and Mr.

-St. Clive turned to them and spoke very sternly.

-

-"So it appears that I am indebted to you two young gentlemen for this

-visit," he said. "First of all you trespass upon my grounds; then you

-take upon yourselves to give this information to the police; and now

-you have come back uninvited. Kindly oblige me by taking yourselves

-off; and understand that if I find you on my grounds again, I shall not

-have the slightest hesitation in horsewhipping the pair of you!"

-

-Oh, what a rage Elgert was in! To be spoken to like that! He, the

-Honourable Horace Elgert!

-

-He went home and told his father, and Lord Elgert rode over in a

-terrible passion to demand an explanation from Mr. St. Clive.

-

-But that gentleman took things very calmly, and his lordship got little

-satisfaction from him.

-

-"It is my belief, sir, that my son is correct, and that you have been

-harbouring a fugitive from justice!" shouted his lordship. "It is like

-you to do that. You have taken that young rascal, Rexworth, in spite of

-the knowledge that his father is a man who attempted to rob me."

-

-"Pardon me, Lord Elgert," answered Mr. St. Clive, "I have tried to

-repay a debt of gratitude I owe to a brave boy, who rescued my child

-from death, at the peril of his own life, because you would not take

-the trouble to have your bull properly secured. As to the knowledge

-that his father tried to rob you, I know nothing of the kind."

-

-"I have told you so. You have my word for it," replied Lord Elgert; and

-Mr. St. Clive answered drily--

-

-"That is a very different thing from knowing it."

-

-"You insult me, sir! You deliberately insult me! But be careful, or you

-shall answer for it. Make no mistake, you shall answer for it!" And

-with that, his lordship rode off in a towering rage.

-

-Mr. St. Clive did not trouble to tell Ralph all the unkind things which

-Lord Elgert had said, for there was nothing to be gained by causing the

-boy pain; and so, after giving them all hot cocoa, Warren and Charlton

-were sent off to their homes, and Ralph was glad to get to bed, for he

-was quite tired out.

-

-And then, after one of those quiet Sundays which he had got to value

-so much, he set off for school on the Monday morning, calling for

-Charlton, and meeting with Warren on the way.

-

-"Well, Rexworth, and how do you feel to-day?"

-

-Now, if Warren or Charlton had asked that question, there would have

-been nothing strange in it; but it was neither of the boys. It was Mr.

-Delermain, when the class was assembled; and Ralph, although he felt

-surprised, answered that he felt very well.

-

-"Ah!" said the master, and he smiled. "Well, I am glad of that, for

-to-day you have to uphold the honour of the Fourth. You will not take

-your place for lessons as usual. The examination for the Newlet is

-to-day. You are to go to the Head's class-room immediately after

-prayers."

-

-"Good luck to you, Rexworth," whispered Charlton, looking quite

-nervous; and Tom Warren patted him on the shoulder and added

-imploringly--

-

-"Now, mind you keep cool, Ralph--keep quite cool. Don't get flustered

-if you cannot answer every question, and don't spend too much time over

-the easy ones. Answer them first, as briefly as you can, and then go

-for the others. Keep cool, old fellow, for the honour of the Fourth."

-

-Certainly Ralph did feel just a trifle anxious and nervous; but he had

-worked hard, and felt pretty well grounded in his subjects, and he

-meant to do his best honestly.

-

-So when prayers were over, he rose and went out of the class-room,

-while the boys, thinking that the occasion admitted of it, cried out

-aloud: "Good luck to you, Rexworth! Hope that you will succeed!"

-

-"Jolly lot of fuss they make about that chap," sneered Dobson to the

-boy next him. "It is just a disgrace to let such a fellow as that sit

-for the Newlet."

-

-"Especially when a bright, intellectual fellow like Dobson does not

-go in for it!" was the answer he received; and Dobson glowered and

-muttered something about his "cheek."

-

-Somehow, Charlton could not get on as he ought to have done that

-morning. He was so anxious about Ralph, and he was so full of his

-father, and wondering whether he was all safe. Mr. Delermain had to

-rebuke him once or twice--he did not understand things like Warren

-did--and poor Charlton lost his place and got a bad mark; and somehow

-he could not help it, the tears would come into his eyes. Dobson saw

-it, and grinned. He sniffed, and drew his handkerchief out, pretending

-to wipe away tears and wring the water out on the floor. Mr. Delermain

-saw him, and Dobson got something to cry for. Six handers, and a bad

-mark. Dobson vowed to make Charlton suffer for it, as if it were his

-fault that he had been caned.

-

-And he had his chance when recess came.

-

-"Hallo, Elgert!" cried Dobson, as he saw his friend. "I say, I want to

-ask you a question. Who was the first gardener?"--and he winked towards

-Charlton, who was standing near.

-

-"Adam," was Elgert's reply; and Dobson nodded.

-

-"Quite right; and who was the very last one that we know anything

-about, eh?"

-

-"A fellow named Charlton, some relation to one of your Form, I think.

-Quite a public personage, and eagerly sought after by the police."

-

-Poor Charlton! His face went white, and his eyes sparkled with anger.

-Dobson saw it, and laughed mockingly. Charlton was a weakly boy, and

-the bully was by no means afraid of him.

-

-"Funny how some people have queer tastes," he went on. "I should have

-thought that breaking stones was no harder work than digging. By the

-way, it is breaking stones that they put convicts to, is it not?"

-

-"You say that to insult me?"

-

-Charlton spoke in low tones, and his face was very white; and Dobson

-laughed again.

-

-"Oh, I say, you chaps, is not this a rich joke? Here is Charlton asking

-if we mean to insult him! My dear fellow, your presence is such an

-insult----"

-

-Dobson stopped and ducked, for the maddened boy had struck so fierce a

-blow that had the bully received it, it would surely have knocked him

-down.

-

-"Go on, Dobson! Give him a hiding!" cried Elgert. But then Tom Warren

-pushed forward and cried out--

-

-"Drop that! Charlton, don't be stupid; and you, Dobson, if you want to

-fight, fight me."

-

-"I say, you fellows," said Elgert, "how much longer are we going to

-be dictated to by Tom Warren? Charlton struck the first blow. It is

-his fight, and he ought to go through with it. It is a condescension

-on Dobson's part to fight with such a fellow." And some of the boys

-murmured approval.

-

-"Hold hard a minute," said Warren. "Since Elgert puts it that way, we

-will see if the boot is not on the other foot. Let me see, Dobson asked

-who was the last gardener, didn't he?"

-

-"That is it, Warren!" cried some of the others. "And Charlton got mad."

-

-"Very well; now I will tell you why. It seems that Elgert and Dobson,

-wanting a little employment, and liking to play the part of spies and

-informers----" Elgert started. He had no idea that Warren knew about

-that, and it was the very last thing he wished the school to hear of.

-He attempted to turn away, but Warren noticed it, and went on.

-

-"You had better stop, Elgert, unless you are too ashamed to let

-gentlemen see your face." And Elgert stopped, white to the lips with

-passion.

-

-"That is better," said the monitor. "Well, you chaps, I was saying that

-our gentlemanly friends, Messrs. Elgert and Dobson, finding it to their

-taste to play the part of spies, must needs dog the steps of a lady,

-and that lady Mrs. Charlton, under the impression that she would guide

-them to the spot where her husband was hidden.

-

-"Now, having played this delightful part, these refined young gentlemen

-came upon an old gardener in Mr. St. Clive's grounds, and jumped to the

-conclusion that it was the lady's husband in disguise.

-

-"Then they came away and quietly enough, for they had no wish to

-disturb the parties concerned. But once away, they set off as hard as

-they could go, running all the way, to the police-station, to tell the

-constables that the man they wanted was hiding at Mr. St. Clive's.

-I would mention the fact that there is a reward offered for the

-apprehension of this man; perhaps that had something to do with their

-action. And this pair of spies and informers have the impudence to

-speak of it being a condescension for one of them to fight a boy in no

-way his equal."

-

-"I say, Warren, it can't be true!" cried one boy in disgust. "No fellow

-at our school would be such an awful cad!"

-

-"Look at Elgert's face. Does that look like innocence?" answered

-Warren. "You can ask Mr. St. Clive, if you like; but you ought not to

-want to after that!" And he pointed to Horace Elgert.

-

-Ay, there was no mistake; he looked guilty, and he knew it was no good

-trying to deny the charge. He strove to look careless and dignified,

-and he turned away on his heel; but then a storm of hisses broke out.

-Hisses! They were hissing him! And he had once been their leader! And

-above the clamour came the shrill voices of the juniors--

-

-"Sneak! Sneak! Sneak!"

-

-He felt as if he must press his fingers in his ears and run, but he

-managed to maintain his slow walk, and got into the class-room, Dobson

-at his heels; and the latter asked in consternation--

-

-"How ever did they find out?"

-

-"I don't know--I don't care!" was the fierce answer. "But I will pay

-them all out! And to think of Rexworth going in for the Newlet!"

-

-"Won't he crow if he manages to get through!" remarked Dobson; and

-Elgert jumped up.

-

-"He must not get through, Dobson; somehow we must stop him."

-

-"That is all very well. But how can we do it?" queried Dobson, with a

-shake of his head. And Elgert replied--

-

-"Wait until morning school is over, and I will tell you."

-

-

-

-

-CHAPTER XXVII

-

-IN THE DEAD OF THE NIGHT

-

-

-"I tell you that it can be done. What danger is there, if we are only

-careful not to make a noise? What a miserable coward you are, Dobson!"

-

-So said Horace Elgert. He and Dobson were together, and morning school

-was over. They had met that Elgert might unfold his plan for preventing

-Ralph Rexworth having any chance of gaining the Newlet medal, and

-also for getting him into disgrace by making it appear that he had

-been cribbing; and apparently Dobson did not much like the plan, and

-had been making objections which had called forth Elgert's angry

-remonstrance.

-

-"What danger can there be?" The question came again, when Dobson did

-not reply. "Why, you have risked more than that when we have left the

-house at night! You have thought that a lark. And now we have only to

-go to the Head's desk, and then sit in the class-room for an hour or

-so."

-

-"It will be awfully cold there," shivered Dobson. "And just

-think--stopping for two hours, and the chance all the time that some

-one will come!"

-

-"Rubbish! If it is cold, put on your overcoat. You don't call it cold

-when you stand for longer than that keeping goal, with an east wind

-blowing. It is no use trying to make objections. I am determined to try

-it, and you have just got to help me."

-

-"I don't see how we can do it," grumbled Dobson. "I think we had better

-leave him alone. After all, it don't matter to us if he gets the medal."

-

-"Everything matters that advances him. Now, look here. After the exam.

-is over, all the papers are taken to the Head, and he puts them in his

-desk, and sends them to the examiners in the morning. We know that

-much."

-

-"Yes," assented Dobson.

-

-"Very well. Now, the catch of the Head's roller desk is broken. I heard

-him say yesterday that he had forgotten to send for a man to repair it.

-There the papers will be, with nothing to prevent us from getting hold

-of Rexworth's. That is easy enough. We wait till the place is quiet,

-and then go to the Head's class-room and take what we want. Then we go

-to our own class-room, and have our bicycle lamps to give us light. You

-know that I can write like Rexworth; and even if I did not, no one will

-know. The Head does not examine the papers himself, and the chap he

-sends them to would not know the difference, even if you scrawled the

-answers."

-

-"But what do you want me for?" objected Dobson. "We can't both write."

-

-"You sneak! You want me to do it all. Why, to keep me company, and

-to be in it as well as me. Besides, I shall want you to read me some

-answers from Grimwade. I have a copy; and I don't mean only to write

-wrong answers to some questions, but to put in extracts, so that it

-will look as if he had been using a crib----"

-

-"It will take an awful long time! He takes all day over the papers."

-

-"Yes; but he has got to think of the answers, and we shall not have to

-do anything of the kind. We can copy a lot of what he has written--you

-reading and I writing. Then we just take our set of papers back and put

-them with the others, and we destroy his, and who is to know a thing

-about it?"

-

-"I don't like it," protested Dobson. "I know that we shall get caught

-one of these days, and then we shall be expelled, and it will be all

-your fault."

-

-"Then you have just got to like it!" retorted Elgert; and Dobson burst

-out furiously--

-

-"Oh, have I? Think I am going to be ordered about by you, Horace

-Elgert! Why have I got to like it, pray?"

-

-"Because you changed that five-pound note!"

-

-"But you gave it to me," retorted Dobson, changing colour, and falling

-back upon his old plea; and Elgert laughed.

-

-"You prove that, if you can. You are the only one implicated in it."

-

-"You are a jolly mean sneak!" cried his companion; and again Elgert

-laughed, this time rather menacingly.

-

-"I wouldn't talk in that way if I were you, Dobson," he said. "It is a

-bit foolish to quarrel with me. Now, don't be silly, but say that you

-agree."

-

-"I suppose I must," was the sulky reply; "but I tell you I think it

-risky. Besides, all that we have yet done has not harmed Rexworth; but

-it has jolly well hurt us."

-

-"We will be more successful this time. But let us clear off, for that

-little sneak Charlton is watching us, and he may get suspicious if he

-sees us talking together."

-

-"Punch his head!" said Dobson. He was brave enough when it came to

-ill-treating boys weaker than himself. "He is alone; punch his head!"

-

-"No. You forget we should have Warren and all his gang down on us, and

-perhaps Kesterway taking the matter to the Head. Let him go for the

-time. We will have him over his father yet, and that will be better

-than giving him a licking."

-

-It was quite true that Charlton had seen the two together, and he was

-indeed wondering what mischief they were plotting. Ralph was still a

-prisoner over his examination papers, for until they were done he was

-not allowed to leave the class-room; and Warren was at the moment

-away, so that Charlton was alone.

-

-He was very anxious for Ralph's success, and perhaps that very anxiety

-made him suspicious of the two boys who were such bitter enemies of his

-chum. At any rate, Charlton determined to keep a very sharp eye upon

-the movements of Elgert and Dobson, though he was quite ignorant of any

-way in which they could harm Ralph.

-

-But, in spite of his watching, nothing occurred. The dinner-hour

-passed and afternoon school began, and all went smoothly; and Charlton

-managed to retrieve the loss which his anxiety had brought to him in

-the morning. And then, when the bell rang, and the boys filed out, free

-to do as they liked, until teatime, there Ralph joined them, a trifle

-tired, it is true, but very hopeful, for he felt confident that he had

-answered every question that had been given to him without making a

-huge number of mistakes.

-

-A general rush of Fourth Form boys occurred, and he was surrounded by a

-throng of eager questioners.

-

-"How did you get on, Rexworth? Was it very stiff? Could you manage it?

-How many questions did you get through?"

-

-These and a score of kindred questions were asked; and when Ralph

-answered that he thought he had managed all right, and that he had

-answered every question, a hearty cheer followed.

-

-"Hurrah for Rexworth and the Fourth!"

-

-Dobson and Elgert heard it, and the latter laughed quietly, and said,

-with a sneer upon his handsome face--

-

-"Go on; cheer away. You will have something to cheer for presently."

-

-The evening wore away--tea, and preparation, and recess, and finally

-bed; and after the usual chatter and skylarking when monitors' backs

-were turned, the boys of Marlthorpe College were all snugly in bed, the

-gas had been turned out in the dormitories, save for one faint glimmer

-at the end of each room, and silence reigned throughout the old school.

-

-Perhaps it was because he was so anxious for Ralph's success, perhaps

-it was that he was thinking of Dobson and Elgert, or of his poor

-father away there in that dreary ruin, but somehow Charlton could not

-get to sleep. He lay there thinking, thinking, long after the regular

-breathing from Ralph, and the occasional gurgle and snore from Warren,

-announced that his two chums were fast asleep.

-

-Would Ralph get the medal? Would his father ever get safely away? Or,

-better still, would he ever be proved to be innocent? Would----

-

-A stealthy movement caused him to open his eyes. A boy, higher up the

-dormitory, had got out of bed; and that boy was Dobson!

-

-Charlton held his breath and felt himself trembling with excitement.

-Elgert and the bully had plotted something, after all, then;

-and--and--why, Dobson was dressing! And now he crept out of the

-dormitory with careful, noiseless steps!

-

-Then Charlton, as soon as he was gone, slipped from his bed also. At

-first he thought of rousing Ralph and Warren; but he paused. A strange

-ambition filled his heart. How lovely it would be to do this all by

-himself--to follow and see what mischief they were doing, and, if it

-was anything to harm Ralph, to frustrate their plot, alone and unaided!

-

-Rapidly he slipped on his clothes. At any other time he would have

-trembled at the audacity of such a deed after hours; but now he was

-filled only with the one thought of serving Ralph, and he neither

-considered the risk of being discovered, nor the seriousness of

-matching himself against two such boys as Elgert and Dobson--for he

-felt absolutely certain that Elgert would also be in this business.

-

-Then, in his stockinged feet, he also slipped into the corridor

-and stood listening. Where had Dobson gone? How horribly dark it

-seemed--and how cold and desolate! He stood undecided for a moment;

-then he heard a stealthy sound--and from the entrance to the Fifth he

-saw Elgert come. Ah, he had not been mistaken, then! He stepped back

-and peeped round the dormitory door. Elgert was stealing down the

-stairs, and--yes, there Dobson was awaiting him. The two glided on,

-noiseless as mice; and Charlton, his heart thumping so that it seemed

-as if the two in front must hear it, creeping cautiously in the rear,

-determined to ascertain what they were going to do.

-

-Down, past the Fourth class-room, they groped their way, and then to

-the Head's room. The Head's room! The room in which the examination

-papers were kept!

-

-Charlton, crouching at the door, watched them as they lit their bicycle

-lamps and stole to the big desk at the top of the room. Then came a

-slight click and the top was rolled back, and he could see the two

-bending over the interior, searching for something.

-

-"Here we are!" whispered Elgert, as he took up a neat little roll of

-papers. "Mind your fingers, silly!"--and he let the top of the desk

-down with the greatest care. "You see how easy it is."

-

-"Best blow out the lamps until we get to the class-room," suggested

-Dobson. "Some one might see them. You never know." And Elgert, willing

-enough to take every precaution, complied.

-

-"We will precious soon spoil Rexworth's chances now!" he laughed

-softly; and Charlton understood--or thought that he did. They were

-going to destroy Ralph's answers, and they should not do it!

-

-Regardless of secrecy or of self, he sprang from the darkness; and,

-before either of the startled boys could realize what had happened, he

-had snatched that roll of paper from Elgert's grasp.

-

-"You sha'n't have them!" he said aloud. "You want to destroy them, and

-you shall not have them!"

-

-"Charlton!" cried Elgert, in furious rage; and forgetful of all

-precaution, he struck a savage blow at him, which sent him spinning

-backwards over a form with a crash.

-

-"Keep quiet! You will rouse the whole school!" cried Dobson in terror.

-"Hark! I hear some one coming. Run--run, I say, or we shall be found

-here!" And Elgert, awakening to the danger of the position, glided away

-with him, as voices were heard calling and asking what was the matter.

-

-"What shall we do now?" groaned Dobson; but his companion answered in a

-fierce whisper--

-

-"Quick--get back to your room and pull off your clothes, as if you had

-just slipped out of bed. Be quick! Then come out on to the landing, as

-if you were only half awake. They are certain to catch him, and we must

-declare that we know nothing of it. He has the papers in his hand, and

-it is our word against his, and appearances are upon our side."

-

-Dobson nodded, and hastily dragging off his clothes, he sat on the edge

-of his bed, and called aloud: "Who is there?" That roused the others;

-and he asserted that he had been scared by a noise downstairs. Up

-tumbled Warren and Ralph and some more, and Charlton's bed was seen to

-be empty.

-

-Then the Fifth Form boys, aroused by Elgert, came out on the landing,

-only to be met by one of the masters, who quietly said that nothing was

-wrong, and directed them all to go back to bed again.

-

-Nothing wrong! Go back to bed! But why was Charlton's bed empty? And

-what did that glimpse of the boy, in the custody of Kesterway, the head

-monitor, mean? Ralph looked at Warren in dismay. Whatever mischief had

-Fred Charlton been up to?

-

-

-

-

-CHAPTER XXVIII

-

-THE NEXT DAY

-

-

-"Believe it! Of course we don't believe it. And I do not think that

-the Head does, either. You cheer up, old fellow! I know you were only

-trying to serve me; but you were silly to go without waking Warren, or

-myself."

-

-The speaker was Ralph, and he addressed his chum Charlton, who was a

-prisoner. A prisoner, that is, inasmuch as the Head had forbidden him

-to go out into the playground until he had thoroughly gone into the

-incidents of the previous night.

-

-It was all very well for Ralph to say "cheer up," but Charlton did not

-feel very cheerful. His sensitive nature shrank from the position in

-which he found himself, and his heart revolted at the wicked falsehoods

-which were told so calmly by both Dobson and Elgert. Besides, he was

-kept in, and that afternoon he had hoped to get across to see how his

-father was getting on.

-

-And though we, who know the truth, may wonder how it was that the Head

-should do this, still, the doctor himself did not know the truth, and

-he could hardly think that two lads would tell such wicked deliberate

-lies; and, moreover, everything pointed to Charlton being guilty.

-

-Dr. Beverly had been sitting up late, deep in a learned work with

-which he was greatly interested, when he had heard the noise in his

-class-room, followed by the voice of the head monitor, calling from

-above, and asking what was the matter; and he had hurried out--to find

-Charlton lying half dazed on the floor, having apparently fallen over a

-form and struck his head; and in his hand was Ralph's examination paper.

-

-Charlton being a nervous boy, his very manner seemed guilty when the

-Head had questioned him; and his story seemed to be false, for upon

-Dr. Beverly hurrying upstairs, Elgert was found with only his trousers

-on, as if he had just slipped out of bed, and Dobson was the same.

-Moreover, the boys in the Fifth declared that Elgert was sitting up in

-bed when they were aroused; and even Ralph and Warren had to own that

-Dobson appeared as if he had only just woke up.

-

-And both Dobson and Elgert declared that they had never been

-downstairs, and that Charlton had invented the story.

-

-So, still under the suspicion, he was kept in, and Ralph and Warren

-seized the first opportunity of going to comfort him.

-

-"If the Head knew them as well as we do, he would not be in much doubt

-about things," was Warren's verdict. "Don't you worry, old chap! We

-know you would not do anything to harm Ralph."

-

-"I wanted to go and see my father this afternoon," sighed Charlton; and

-Ralph answered--

-

-"Never mind. I will go. Tom will come with me."

-

-"I am awfully sorry, but I cannot," the monitor put in. "I would in a

-minute, but I promised mother to go round for her to my aunt's, and I

-must not disappoint her."

-

-"Of course not," said Ralph immediately. "Well, I will go alone, and

-explain to your father, old chap; so don't you worry about that any

-more. I wish, though, that I could see some way of bringing this home

-to those two, but I confess that I don't."

-

-"Wait a bit. Give them a rope long enough and they will hang

-themselves!" growled Warren. "Now, buck up, Charlton, and don't let

-them think that you are beaten!" And with that the two had to leave

-their chum, and Charlton felt decidedly comforted.

-

-And, after school, Tom Warren went off to obey his mother's desire; and

-Ralph, true to his promise, started on his journey to the man hiding in

-the old ruin away by Crab Tree Hill; and the rest of the boys prepared

-to spend their time according to their own inclinations.

-

-Jimmy Green and his chum Tinkle had made their plans. They were going

-fishing. It is sometimes a matter for wonder why small boys will go

-fishing, seeing that they seldom catch any fish, and don't know what

-to do with them if by chance they manage to secure a few. Still, that

-matters nothing. Jimmy and Tinkle were going fishing, and were busily

-preparing a wonderful and fearful assortment of tackle and bait. Bait!

-They had worms several inches long, and what they called paste--a

-fearsome concoction of bread and clay kneaded together into little

-balls. And they had a landing-net. We mention this for two reasons.

-First, because of its size--it would have held a small salmon--and then

-because it was destined to aid in landing some queer fish. We may not

-say of what kind yet--but the point to remember is that they had the

-landing-net.

-

-And Jimmy Green and his chum were discussing the problem of Charlton's

-guilt, and their small minds appeared to be fully made up.

-

-"I just believe every word he says!" declared Green; and Tinkle nodded

-his fat little head.

-

-"So do I!" he said.

-

-"Those two chaps are awful cads--dreadful cads!" continued Green,

-with much warmth; and again Tinkle nodded. He did not believe in the

-exertion of talking, unless it was absolutely necessary.

-

-"I wonder," he said slowly, as he pushed back a particularly lively

-worm into the bait-tin--"I wonder, Jimmy, if we ought to tell what we

-know about that note? I often wonder that." But Jimmy was still firm

-upon that point.

-

-"What's the good? If we had the note now we might do it. But suppose

-they treat us as they have treated Charlton, and say they did not go

-there? How are we to prove it? And we let out that we have been there

-ourselves. It ain't no good, Tinkle. I would tell if I thought it was;

-but it isn't, and there is no getting away from it."

-

-"I suppose it ain't," was Tinkle's regretful answer. "Well, come on,

-Jimmy! I think we have got everything we want, and we may as well have

-all the time we can."

-

-"Where shall we go?" inquired Jimmy Green.

-

-"Oh, the pool below Becket Weir," answered Tinkle; "where Elgert nearly

-got drowned."

-

-"Very well; come on, and let us see if we have any luck." And the two

-young anglers set out, little dreaming what a very queer fish they were

-going to catch that day.

-

-And what of Elgert and Dobson? Mean lads that they were, they were

-delighted, and congratulated themselves upon their astuteness. True,

-they had not got possession of Ralph's papers, and had failed in so far

-as spoiling his chances for the medal went; but they had got Charlton

-into fine disgrace.

-

-It was wonderfully smart upon their parts, they thought; and, as if to

-add to their good fortune, Dobson had a little scrap of paper brought

-to him by a town urchin--a message from Brown of the cake-shop, to the

-effect that the latter had been successful in obtaining the "article"

-he had inquired about; but that the price would be seven pounds for it,

-cash down.

-

-Seven pounds! Elgert growled at that, but the note must be got again at

-any cost; and so Dobson was given the sum required, and dispatched upon

-his errand.

-

-He wanted Elgert to go with him, for company, but Elgert was too

-cunning for that. He had kept out of the business all along, and he did

-not mean to be seen in it now. To be sure, he had been with Dobson to

-inquire about it in the first place, but he had no fear that the man

-would betray him. Dobson had done the changing, and Dobson should do

-the buying, and bring the note back to him.

-

-"I cannot come," he said, in answer to the boy's remonstrance. "I

-expect our man over with a letter from my father, and I want to stay

-here to get it. You must go alone. It won't take you long. Hurry back,

-for I shall not go out until you return."

-

-"I always have to do the work," grumbled Dobson. "It is a horrid long

-way to go alone."

-

-"Get out! Have not I found the money? And as to a long way, you don't

-make much fuss about that if you think that you are going to be treated

-to tarts. You clear off, and look sharp; and thank your lucky stars

-that we have got out of the mess so nicely, for I confess that I did

-not think that we were going to manage it!"

-

-So Dobson set off, and Horace Elgert turned back to the playground,

-to await his return with what patience he could; and there the Head

-himself came upon him, and stopped, and placed one hand upon his

-shoulder, looking searchingly into his face.

-

-"I am glad that I have met you alone, Elgert," the doctor said. "For

-I want to speak to you very seriously. I want to speak to you about

-Charlton."

-

-"Yes, sir?" said the boy inquiringly. It was wonderful how calmly and

-innocently he spoke. "What about him, sir--has he owned that his story

-is false?"

-

-"Not so, Elgert. Nor am I satisfied that it is false, Elgert. Are you

-satisfied that it is?"

-

-"Why, sir, of course I am!" he answered, staring up as if unable to

-comprehend the Head's meaning, though he knew it well enough.

-

-"Elgert, there is an old Book with an old law, which says: 'Thou shalt

-not bear false witness against thy neighbour.' In face of such a solemn

-command, are you still sure that Charlton's story is false?"

-

-"You don't mean to say that I and Dobson were there taking those

-papers, do you, sir?" he queried indignantly. "Ah, I see how it is!

-You believe his word. I don't think that quite fair, sir. Consider the

-difference between his surroundings and mine. Which will most likely

-speak the truth--the son of a man wanted by the police, or the son of a

-nobleman like my father?"

-

-"You still adhere to your statement, Elgert?" said the Head, taking no

-notice of the latter part of his speech. And Elgert answered at once--

-

-"Of course I do, sir!"

-

-"Then," said the Head, "I have no option but to be guided by

-circumstances, and they all point to Charlton being guilty." And with

-that he turned away.

-

-Elgert felt anxious and angry. What right had the Head to suspect

-him of telling lies, or to doubt his honour? It is wonderful how

-dishonourable people will talk of their honour. And suppose the Head

-got Dobson, and began to question him. He must warn the fellow to be on

-guard against that.

-

-The man he expected did not come. Elgert was angry. He told himself

-that Dobson was taking double the time he need; and when at last his

-companion returned, he asked very shortly--

-

-"Well, have you got it?"

-

-"Yes; here it is, all safe. It is delightful to feel that danger is

-past!"

-

-"A danger of your own making," retorted Elgert. "A danger that I have

-had to pay for, and that has cost you nothing. And you look here! The

-Head has been questioning me. He is suspicious, and preaches about

-false witnessing. Mind what you are at if he begins on you; for if you

-let anything out I will pay you out for it. You had better clear off

-now, to be out of his way."

-

-Dobson complied readily enough. The last thing he wanted was for the

-Head to carpet him. And then Horace Elgert, the note safe in his

-pocket-book, put on his hat and went out. He was enraged that his man

-had not been, and was going home to give him a good rating; and he, to

-take a short cut, must go past Becket Weir, where Tinkle and Green had

-gone to fish.

-

-

-

-

-CHAPTER XXIX

-

-WHAT TINKLE AND GREEN CAUGHT

-

-

-"There don't seem to be much sport," said Tinkle to Green, as they

-sat side by side on the river bank, casting longing glances at their

-floats. Tinkle's bobbed under, and he pulled up sharply--he had hooked

-a fine piece of weed, the tenth catch of the kind he had made.

-

-"Bother!" said Green, putting down the landing-net, which he had seized

-to be in readiness to help his friend. "I am jolly well sick of it. Let

-us drop it."

-

-Tinkle agreed; the rod was taken to pieces and the lines put away, and

-then the pair stood up.

-

-"Ugh--ah-r-r!" sighed Tinkle. "Don't it make you cramped, and---- I

-say, Green, there's a man coming, and by gum, I believe it's that

-Elgert's man--the chap we saw in the cake-shop!"

-

-"So it is," was Green's answer. "And look how he is sauntering. Perhaps

-he is going to meet some one."

-

-"Let us hide," suggested Tinkle eagerly, "in the old boathouse. We may

-hear some more secrets."

-

-Green made no objection on the score of eavesdropping; the two

-boys, bending low, darted across the towing-path, and into an old,

-dilapidated, wooden building, now fast falling to decay, that had once

-done duty as a boathouse.

-

-"Oh, I say, here comes Elgert himself!" said Green excitedly, peeping

-through a hole. "Don't make a sound. I believe----"

-

-"Oh," interrupted Tinkle, in consternation, "they are coming in here!

-Oh, what ever shall we do?"

-

-"Be quiet, you silly. Hide! Down you go flat under that old boat. Hold

-up the end while I creep under; and whatever you do, don't sneeze. Mind

-the net, and----"

-

-His words were cut short by the boat slipping from Tinkle's hands and

-extinguishing them both. They lay side by side. They were quite safe,

-for it was most unlikely that Elgert or the man would look beneath it.

-

-One of the planks had started, and they could hear plainly, and even

-see a good deal of the interior of the place. They did see--saw Elgert

-and the man enter; and Horace Elgert sat down on the top of that boat.

-

-"If I only had a pin!" muttered Green. And Tinkle dug him in the ribs

-and breathed in his ear--

-

-"Be quiet, or I will punch your head when I get you out!"

-

-"You are an impertinent rascal!" was Elgert's first polite remark.

-"But don't you forget the book I have, with the confession in it. It

-may get you into trouble yet."

-

-"And don't you forget, Mr. Horace, that it was your own father who

-put me up to it. He wanted Charlton got out of the way, and he showed

-me how to make a hundred pounds for myself, and make an innocent man

-get the blame. I haven't had a single day's peace of mind since. My

-conscience has accused me."

-

-"Your conscience! Where do you keep it?" laughed Elgert, while the ears

-of the two hidden boys were strained to their utmost. "A pretty sort of

-fellow you are. My father put you up to it! How can you prove that?"

-

-"I cannot," was the sulky answer. "He was too clever for that. I wrote

-the truth in my pocket-book----"

-

-"Like the ass you are! What good would that do to you, or to Charlton?"

-

-"It did no good. But it made me feel better, even to confess it like

-that. You stole the book--you, a fine gentleman! You stole it from my

-coat!"

-

-"Yes; it was safer in my keeping than in yours. Such things are

-dangerous if they are left lying about."

-

-"And you have used it as a threat to me ever since; and have ordered me

-about as if I were a dog!" was the angry retort. And Elgert laughed.

-

-"I have found it useful certainly. And, my man, do you see that scar on

-the back of your hand? It was a bad cut, I think. How did you manage

-it?"

-

-The man, with a swift motion, put his hand in his pocket.

-

-"I cut it," he said. And Elgert laughed again.

-

-"Yes. Do you know what housebreaking is? I suppose you know nothing of

-some one who broke into the school, the beginning of this term; and

-who was found near my bed, with a pillow; it looked very much as if he

-were going to try and kill me by smothering me. I wonder what that man

-wanted. He was frightened away by one of our boys, and he cut his hand

-getting over the wall. I wonder who that man was?"

-

-"You know it was me. I would have done it, too, if I had not been

-found. I was frightened then, but I am not now. I am not in your power

-any more."

-

-"Oh, and what has happened to change things?" inquired Horace Elgert

-mockingly.

-

-"This," said the man fiercely. "If I have done wrong, what about you?

-There was a five-pound note stolen at your school----"

-

-"What do you know about that?" cried Elgert quickly.

-

-"I know that it was changed in the town by your friend; and I know that

-you and he went to buy it back, and paid far more than it was worth for

-it, and----"

-

-"And having got it back, there the thing ends," laughed Horace; but the

-man laughed also.

-

-"Oh, yes, you got it back; but not before I had photographed it! I have

-the negative here, a beautiful negative that will enlarge."

-

-Elgert regarded him in silent fury.

-

-"Well," he said, altering his tone, "what do you want for it? I suppose

-you are trying to make money?"

-

-"My book--the one you stole. If it is just as it was when I had it,

-you shall have this; if it is torn or damaged, then I take this to the

-police."

-

-"You are smarter than I thought," answered Elgert blandly; but oh, in

-his heart, how he determined that in some way he would make this man

-suffer! "Well, here is the book. You can see it is not harmed."

-

-The man snatched the book which the boy took from his pocket, and ran

-to the door to get all the light he could, as he eagerly glanced inside.

-

-"It is all right," he said. "Here is the negative." And he handed it

-to Elgert. "And now you go!"--this to the book. "You have caused me

-trouble enough. Go where no one can get at you!" And, in a fit of rage,

-he threw it into the river; and then he turned back to the boy.

-

-"Get it again, if you can!" he laughed. "My word is as good as yours,

-now; and while you have the negative, you have not got the prints I

-took from it. You are in my power now, Mr. Horace, and you had best be

-civil, or there will be trouble." And with that he turned and hurried

-off, leaving Horace Elgert alone, white with passion and fear.

-

-"I need not fear him," he muttered. "It only means paying enough, and I

-shall get them. This can go, the water will soon wash the film off."

-

-He skimmed the negative away, but it slipped from his fingers and fell

-into shallow water. He did not trouble; in less than an hour it would

-be washed clean away. Then Horace Elgert produced a book from his

-pocket, and this he, having tied a stone to it, also threw into the

-river; then, finally, he took that dreadful banknote from his pocket,

-and, striking a match, he set it alight and watched it burn to ashes.

-Then, hands in pockets, he sauntered off, and Tinkle and Green crept

-from their refuge.

-

-"We must get back," said Green. "We shall be late."

-

-"Get back be bothered!" rejoined Tinkle eagerly. "We are going to fish

-again. Be careful. Here, hold open your book--I see one in your pocket!"

-

-Tinkle carefully picked up all the grey, fluffy ash of that burnt

-banknote, and placed it between the leaves.

-

-"My father says that banknotes have a queer ash, and we may want to

-show this. Now let us see if we can get those things out of the river.

-That negative seemed to fall close in."

-

-"I see it!" cried Green, pointing into the water.

-

-"Look, there it is, out on that patch of white sand--see, there!"

-

-A clever stroke or two with the landing-net, and then the little square

-of glass was in their hands. It was scratched somewhat, but unbroken.

-Tinkle laid it on the grass carefully.

-

-"That is one," he said. "Now let us try for the others."

-

-He weighted his line heavily, and started. He fished and fished, and at

-last he was rewarded--up came the pocket-book; and soon after, up came

-another book with a stone tied to it.

-

-"It is a crib," pronounced Tinkle. "Come on, Green; we are in an awful

-mess, and we are in for a caning, I suppose; but we have caught our

-fish, and I don't care a bit."

-

-The two boys raced back to the school, and they were accosted in the

-playground by Warren.

-

-"Hallo, you two kids! Where have you been, and how did you get into

-that state?" the monitor asked. "You are over an hour late. Have you

-seen anything of Rexworth?"

-

-"No, Warren. Isn't he in? We wanted him. Oh, we have got something to

-tell him!"

-

-"You will have something to tell the doctor," answered Warren grimly.

-"He is bound to want to know what you have been up to."

-

-"Don't go, Warren. Do listen to us. It concerns Rexworth and Charlton.

-We know about Elgert."

-

-"What is that?" cried Warren, turning. "What do you mean?" And the

-boys, with many "you sees" and "you knows," told their story, and

-exhibited their treasures.

-

-"Here, you come with me!" said Warren. "You are a pair of little

-bricks. Come with me!"

-

-"Where to, Warren?" they asked, as he hurried on--not in the direction

-of their room, but towards the Head's house. "Where are we going?"

-

-"To the Head himself. He must deal with this. Don't you be frightened.

-I don't think he will punish you for being late, after he knows what

-kept you. Come on and speak up like men!"

-

-"Why, Warren!" exclaimed Dr. Beverly, in mild surprise, when the

-monitor of the Fourth entered his presence, accompanied by the two

-little draggled objects. "What is this? Have these boys been in the

-river? Take them to the housekeeper at once. They are soaking wet!"

-

-"They won't hurt for a minute or two more. They have something to tell

-you, sir--something I thought that you ought to hear before any one

-else."

-

-"Indeed!" said the Head. "And what is it? Speak quickly, and let them

-go; they will catch bad colds."

-

-So Warren told the story for them, and placed their catch before the

-Head. And Dr. Beverly, great man as he was, shook these two happy

-juniors by the hand, and called them clever boys, and dismissed them

-to revel in special tea in the matron's room after he had strictly

-enjoined both them and the monitor not to say a word of this, even to

-Charlton or Ralph Rexworth.

-

-But Ralph had not come home, and it was getting late now. He had been

-long enough to get to Crab Tree Hill and back twice over. What could

-have happened to Ralph Rexworth?

-

-

-

-

-CHAPTER XXX

-

-WHAT DETAINED RALPH REXWORTH

-

-

-Ralph Rexworth stood in the old ruin, looking very perplexed. He could

-not find Mr. Charlton anywhere. He had whistled, and called, and

-searched, but not a trace of the hiding man could he discover.

-

-He felt anxious. What could it mean? Had the hiding-place been

-discovered, and his chum's unfortunate parent again been taken

-prisoner? Unless that was the case, he was at a loss to account for the

-man's absence.

-

-"It is no use waiting any longer," he mused, after he had searched the

-ruin through for the third time. "He has not hurt himself and fallen

-anywhere in here. He must have been alarmed, and have fled, unless he

-is taken. Poor old Fred will be horribly worried when I go back and

-tell him; but there is nothing else for me to do, and I shall be late

-back, as it is."

-

-He sighed. His friend's anxiety for his parent would be something like

-what he felt for his missing father. It made Ralph think of that again,

-and of the strange cry which he had heard in that place. He could not

-understand that. As he stood there he felt an uncontrollable impulse to

-penetrate to that lonely house again, to risk meeting the dogs, and to

-try the effects of his call once more.

-

-"I am bound to be late, anyhow," he muttered, "so here goes." And he

-set off. Perhaps he might meet Charlton's father in the wood.

-

-But--he stopped suddenly--what did this mean? There, on the soft

-ground, were those tracks once more! Lord Elgert's lame mare had been

-here! Did that mean that Lord Elgert himself had been; or had he lent

-his trap to the police again, and had they managed to run their victim

-down?

-

-The tracks did not touch the ruin; they began some way from it, and

-swept round the spinny towards that lonely house. For Ralph to follow

-them was but child's play. He had hardly to slacken his pace a bit, so

-plainly the marks were to be seen on the soft, little-trodden earth.

-They guided him to the spinny--to a little path cut through it, of

-which he had been ignorant before--right up to the house itself; and

-there, standing before the open door, was Lord Elgert's trap and the

-lame mare. It was not to the ruin, but to that mysterious house that

-the trap had been driven. But why? Ah, how Ralph asked himself that

-question, and how impossible it was to find an answer to it!

-

-Lord Elgert seemed to have hated his father. Lord Elgert was here,

-and he had heard his father's signal in this place. Ralph, crouching

-behind the trees, uttered his old call, and then listened with almost

-breathless attention.

-

-Yes. There--there, muffled but indistinct, the answer came! It came

-from the house. His father was there, and his father was in Lord

-Elgert's power!

-

-Ralph's first impulse was to dash forward; but he paused. He must

-be cautious here. He remained hiding, waiting to see if any one had

-noticed his call, and his prudence was rewarded by seeing Lord Elgert

-himself come to the door, accompanied by the brutal-looking man whom he

-had seen before, and glance anxiously round.

-

-Then the two seemed to consult; and presently the man went away, to

-return with a couple of great tawny hounds, both of which he let loose.

-Ralph's heart stood still. What could he do against those fierce

-brutes? The man and Lord Elgert went in, and the dogs roamed round.

-They had not struck his scent yet; but presently they would do so, and

-then it would be a hard business for him.

-

-Ralph was preparing to cautiously creep away, when he heard a shout

-from the house--a cry for help, and in his father's voice! That put all

-else out of his head, and he dashed like a deer across the grass and

-into the open door of that house. His father was there; his father was

-crying for help, and he would stand by his side!

-

-The dogs saw, and raised a deep-voiced bay. He slammed the door and

-shut them out, then darted along in the direction of the sounds he had

-heard.

-

-They came from a room on the first floor and he rushed in, and

-there--there his father struggled in the grasp of Lord Elgert and

-his fierce companion. Mr. Rexworth had evidently been kept a captive

-by being bound to the wall by a stout chain; and one of his arms was

-swathed in dirty bandages, as though he was hurt.

-

-Whether his captors wished to bind him still more securely, or whether

-it was that they sought to convey him somewhere else, Ralph did not

-know. He saw his father with his back to the wall, brandishing a stool

-in one hand. He saw the man rush in, dodge the blow, and strike his

-father down; and then, with a cry of rage, he sprang forward, seizing a

-heavy stick that lay on the table, and struck wildly at the aggressor.

-Alas! what could one stripling like he do against two such men? They

-both turned, and Ralph received a heavy blow upon the temple; and then

-all was darkness, and he knew nothing more.

-

-But when he opened his eyes, where was he? What had happened? Why could

-he not move?

-

-He strove to rise. He felt giddy and sick, and his head ached and

-throbbed dreadfully. Why he was bound--bound hand and foot, and he was

-stretched upon the floor!

-

-He rolled on his side. His father lay back against the wall, but his

-chain was gone. He was only secured with a rope, in the same manner

-that Ralph was fastened. But his eyes were closed, and his face was

-very white. A dreadful fear filled the lad's mind--that he had come too

-late, that his father was really dead now.

-

-For a few minutes he lay still, quietly trying the strength of his

-bonds. He knew that knots hastily tied could frequently be worked

-loose; but, alas, it was a vain hope in his case! Those who had secured

-him had done their work well.

-

-And then suddenly he became aware of a hot, choky feeling in the air,

-and a sound of crackling. He struggled into a sitting posture, and--oh,

-horrible, horrible!--the room was full of smoke. The place was on fire,

-and he and his dear father were there, helpless and bound, left to

-perish in the flames!

-

-What wonder that terror claimed him for the moment? Who would not

-flinch then in such an awful position?

-

-"Father! Father!" he cried; but the prostrate man returned no answer.

-He lay silent, motionless. Ralph rolled over and over to his side.

-Alas, what good would that do? He managed to struggle to his feet by

-supporting himself in an angle of the room, and he gazed around. The

-smoke was growing worse--he could hardly breathe when he stood up--and

-hot puffs of air were forcing themselves through the flooring and

-whirling along the passage and through the door of the room--the door

-which was cracking and glowing red now, ready to burst into flame.

-

-Oh, was there no help, no succour? If only his faithful Warren or dear

-old Charlton knew of his peril, how they would come to his aid! Alas,

-they were far away, and they did not know.

-

-But what was that? A sound outside! A shout, and the dogs barking and

-raging more than ever, in a perfect fury of anger. Then a smashing of

-glass. Had the fire broken the windows? No. A form rising above the

-sill, a man who staggered as the hot smoke met him, and who bent down

-on all fours to creep across the room--a man who cried aloud--

-

-"Ralph Rexworth, are you here? Are you here?"

-

-It was Mr. Charlton; it was Mr. Charlton come to his aid. Oh, what a

-swift rush of thanksgiving filled Ralph's heart then!

-

-"Here, here!" he answered. "I am tied up; I cannot move. And father is

-here, too; he is senseless." And Mr. Charlton was by his side in a few

-moments.

-

-"Thank God you are unharmed," he said, as he drew his knife across

-the ropes that held Ralph prisoner. "I saw you enter, and I feared

-mischief; and when those two came out and drove off, I knew not what to

-think. There are two brutes of dogs there, and they prevented my trying

-to get in. Then I saw the smoke and flame, and I knew what they had

-done. I grew desperate, and made a dash for it. The dogs almost got

-me, but I managed to get into a tree that grew close to the house; and

-I passed along one branch to the top of the verandah, and so worked my

-way round. It was risky, for if I had slipped those two brutes would

-have been on me in a moment."

-

-Mr. Charlton was not idle while he was talking. He had set Ralph free,

-and had cut the ropes that held Mr. Rexworth, who now opened his eyes

-and stared around in bewilderment.

-

-"Oh father, father!" cried Ralph. "Thank God that you are alive! Try

-and rouse yourself, father dear. We are in great danger. The house is

-on fire, and if we do not get away quickly we must all perish."

-

-"Ralph, what is it! How did you come?" the father asked vacantly. And

-Mr. Charlton shook him.

-

-"Never mind that now, friend!" he cried. "The fire is upon us. Ah, see

-there!"--as the door fell with a crash and a burst of flame swept in

-upon them. "We have not a moment to lose. Out you go, Ralph, and hold

-on like a limpet! Be ready to aid your father, that is all"--as Ralph

-scrambled through the window and managed to find footing on a narrow

-ledge that ran round the house. "Now, Mr. Rexworth, prove yourself

-a man. If you fall, the dogs won't give you a chance. Now, sir, for

-Heaven's sake, try!"

-

-"I will manage it all right, my good friend," answered Mr. Rexworth.

-The flame and smoke had recalled him to the immediate peril. "Just a

-hand through, that is all." And, summoning all his reserve of strength

-and resolution, he managed to get from the window, aided by Mr.

-Charlton in the room, and somewhat supported by Ralph behind him.

-

-Cautiously holding on with grim energy, the three managed to creep back

-to that point from which the rescuer had first started--the top of the

-verandah. But this was a position of great peril now; for the flames

-were breaking through it, and darting from the windows above it, and

-the melted lead of roof and gutter hissed and spluttered. It seemed

-death to go on; it was death to go back. And the two hounds below had

-followed them round, and now stood barking up at them.

-

-"We must risk it," panted Mr. Charlton. "Let me go first, and show you

-how to do it. If you step on the wall you can reach the branch of the

-tree in three strides. It seems very dreadful, but the peril is more

-apparent than real. Look!"

-

-He boldly jumped to the brickwork around which the fire darted. He took

-three quick firm steps, and was able to swing himself into the limb of

-the tree, safe from the fire's reach.

-

-Mr. Rexworth followed by the same dangerous path. "Now, Ralph!" he

-cried. But almost as the words came the whole of the verandah, and the

-brickwork supporting it, fell in; and there Ralph was left clinging to

-that narrow protection of the wall.

-

-And the wall itself was cracking with the heat. He could not maintain

-his position for long. At any moment it might fall and cover him in its

-heated ruins.

-

-Mr. Rexworth groaned in horror; Mr. Charlton looked on in dismay; and

-Ralph clung there, with death behind, and death above, and death--the

-worst death of all, red-eyed and lolling-tongued death--beneath

-awaiting him!

-

-

-

-

-CHAPTER XXXI

-

-THE TABLES ARE TURNED

-

-

-"Ralph! Oh, my son!" cried Mr. Rexworth, as he saw the peril in which

-the brave lad stood. And the boy turned and looked at his father.

-

-"I cannot hold on here much longer, father," he said. "I shall have to

-drop, and take my chance with the dogs."

-

-"Wait--wait a moment, Ralph!" answered the agonized man. "Let me get

-down and attract their attention, and then you will have a chance."

-

-"Don't, don't father," implored Ralph. "What chance will you have with

-them with your arm hurt? I may manage it."

-

-"I will do it," volunteered Mr. Charlton; "I am uninjured. You stay

-here, sir."

-

-"Don't either of you do it!" cried Ralph, shifting his position a

-little so as to avoid the smoke if he could. "I am going to try and

-creep back a bit. I may find a better place."

-

-"It is useless, Ralph," was his father's answer. "The wall is cracking

-behind you. I can see the smoke coming through. Oh, if we only had a

-rope!"

-

-"A rope!" cried Mr. Charlton. "If a rope can aid in such an extremity,

-I can supply that; for I have kept a long one on my person in case I

-might be in need of it to escape from my own enemies."

-

-As he spoke he threw off his coat and waistcoat, and there, wound round

-his body, was a long but fine line, one quite long enough to serve the

-purpose of reaching to where Ralph clung, though he could not see of

-what avail it would be.

-

-But Mr. Rexworth saw. And, shouting to Ralph to keep up his courage and

-to look out, he threw one end of the rope--not to the boy--but up over

-another branch of the tree that was some height above them. Then he

-caught this end as it fell, and gave the other to Mr. Charlton, bidding

-him give one turn round the trunk and hold on with all his might. The

-other end he whirled round his head, and, with practised aim, he sent

-it to Ralph, who gripped at it with one hand, having to risk falling to

-earth as he did so.

-

-[Illustration: "WITH PRACTISED AIM, HE SENT THE ROPE TO RALPH, WHO

-GRIPPED IT WITH ONE HAND." p. 287]

-

-But, having got it, the rest was easy. He was able to swing across that

-fiery gulf which separated him from safety, and the next moment was

-safely beside his father, while the dogs ran to the tree and leaped

-against its trunk in vain rage. And almost at that moment the wall to

-which he had been clinging collapsed and fell in fiery ruin. A few

-moments sooner, and it would have carried the brave boy with it to his

-death.

-

-Safe so far, but still held prisoners by those dogs; and still with

-the flame and smoke blowing upon them. If the walls fell in their

-direction death might claim them after all.

-

-"If we only had some weapon to beat these brutes off with," said Mr.

-Charlton, as he looked down. But Mr. Rexworth replied--

-

-"We had better remain here. The fire is sure to be seen, and help will

-arrive soon."

-

-Help! Yes, help for Ralph and his father. But what would that help mean

-to poor Mr. Charlton--what but being taken prisoner again? He sighed,

-but said nothing. He had done his best to help the boy who had helped

-him, and if that must be the price paid he would pay it.

-

-But Ralph had little idea of remaining perched in a tree. He saw that

-there was a weapon, and one which, in skilful hands, would prove very

-effective--one which he excelled in the use of.

-

-The rope was coiled in his hands, and a running noose was formed at

-one end. He crawled far out on the branch, and got a firm hold with

-his legs; then he gave his rope a whirl, and sent it flying downwards.

-And soon one of those great dogs was jerked into mid-air, and when it

-touched earth again it was dead--its neck was broken.

-

-They hauled it up and loosened the noose, letting the body fall heavily

-to the earth. And ere long the second animal had shared its fate, and

-there was nothing to hinder them from descending.

-

-Nothing! No, that was not quite right. There was a desperate man, who

-had remained hidden, to see the result of his wicked work--a man whose

-face was dark with wrath, and whose heart was maddened with fear. For

-if these escaped unscathed, it meant the ruin of everything for him.

-

-Mr. Charlton and Ralph had helped Mr. Rexworth to the ground, and

-either from weakness, or from the reaction of feeling, Mr. Rexworth

-staggered and sunk half swooning at the foot of the tree; while the

-other two bent over him anxiously.

-

-That was the chance. Lord Elgert and his brutal follower suddenly

-dashed from the shelter of the trees and rushed upon them. The man was

-armed with a rugged stick, and Lord Elgert had a heavily-loaded whip.

-It seemed as if the others were at their mercy; but Ralph's quick

-ear caught the sound of their approach, and with a cry of warning he

-started up. The others were almost upon them, and they were unarmed.

-The lad glanced around; at his feet one of the dead dogs lay; he seized

-it, he put out all his strength, and sent the heavy body direct at the

-pair, who, quite unprepared for such an unexpected assault, received it

-full in their faces.

-

-The man fell heavily, Lord Elgert turned and fled. And Ralph, with an

-eager cry, darted after him, rope in hand. The man who had treated his

-father thus should not escape him now.

-

-But now through the growth there came the crashing of heavy bodies,

-and loud shouts were raised. The fire had attracted attention, and

-people were rushing from Crab Tree village to see what was the cause.

-

-And not only villagers, but policemen--policemen who had patiently

-waited and watched, feeling sure that the man they wanted was still

-hiding in the locality. It was a constable who grabbed hold of Ralph's

-arm, and, pulling him up with a sudden jerk, demanded what he was doing

-and what had occasioned the fire.

-

-Ralph struggled. It was maddening to think that he was stopped while

-Lord Elgert was escaping. He did not stop to think that escape was next

-to impossible. He was accustomed to the ways of the wild plains, and

-there, if a man once got away, it was almost certain that no one would

-catch him again.

-

-"It was Lord Elgert who did it, and he is running away!" he cried. "My

-father is there. You know how he was missing, and we thought he had

-been murdered. Lord Elgert had him. He is here."

-

-"Whatever are you talking about, young man?" the constable demanded,

-perplexed at such a dramatic statement. But the sergeant, who had come

-up with a horse-constable interposed--

-

-"Don't stand there talking, man, see what is amiss!" The constable had

-let go of Ralph, and the mounted man had jumped from his horse. Ralph

-caught sight of a trap being driven at full speed over the moor. He

-had no need to ask who was in that. Lord Elgert was making good his

-escape. With a shout of anger and defiance, Ralph had sprung into the

-empty saddle and was off before a single man there could get over his

-surprise and hinder him.

-

-"There he goes, there he goes!" he shouted, pointing after the trap.

-"That is Lord Elgert, but I will ride him down!" And away he went,

-leaving the men open-mouthed.

-

-They found the two dead dogs, they found Mr. Rexworth, and alas! they

-found poor, patient Mr. Charlton. He might have attempted to escape,

-but he would not leave the injured man. Besides, it was no use now;

-there was nowhere else to hide, and he must be taken sooner or later.

-

-And after the galloping mare went Ralph, riding hard. It was

-like the old life once more--this wild gallop. He had ridden the

-half-wild broncho steeds of Texas, and he had no difficulty with this

-well-trained horse.

-

-On he went; on, on, near and nearer to the flying man in front. He

-saw Lord Elgert look back at him. A man against a boy! Surely the man

-need have no fear in such a contest! And yet Lord Elgert did fear. He

-had feared this boy from the very first time he had seen him in Stow

-Wood. He had feared him from the moment Ralph had cut that bullet

-from the tree, and from the time when he had heard him declare that

-he would never rest until he had solved the mystery of his father's

-disappearance. That mystery was solved, all his wicked devices were

-brought to naught, and now he was fleeing for life and for liberty,

-being hunted just as he had made the police hunt Mr. Charlton. The

-tables were being turned indeed!

-

-Nearer and nearer Ralph drew, and fiercer and more cruelly did the

-man lash the sides of his faithful little mare. Ralph stood up in his

-stirrups, and Lord Elgert looked at him over his shoulder. The boy had

-the rope in his hands. Ah, the very first thing he did when he had come

-to the place was to rope his black bull! Now he was going to serve him

-in the same way--to serve him as he had served the two dogs!

-

-Lord Elgert saw the arm of the boy sweep round his head, and he ducked.

-

-But Ralph had not aimed at him, he had a better plan than that. The

-noose settled over the little mare. Ralph pulled up, and braced himself

-for the shock which he knew would follow--a shock which nearly pulled

-him from his saddle. The mare went down, the trap was shattered,

-and Lord Elgert, totally unprepared--not even looking where he was

-going--was sent flying through the air to fall heavily, striking his

-temple against a rugged stump.

-

-Ralph was at the spot in a moment. The man was stunned and at his

-mercy. The rope had done its duty as a lasso, and was now used to bind

-Lord Elgert. Ralph felt no remorse or compunction about that. He must

-take this man to his father, and his father must declare what should

-next be done.

-

-"He isn't much hurt," he muttered; "nor are you, you poor thing," he

-added, turning to the plunging mare. "There you are"--as he cut her

-free from the ruin of the trap. "Now I reckon that you can find your

-own way home, and, in the meantime, I will wait here."

-

-He placed his hands to his mouth, and gave his old wild call, and from

-the distance it was answered by his father. They would soon be here

-now. Ralph tethered the horse, and seated himself on the grass. Lord

-Elgert opened his eyes, and looked at him with an expression of the

-deepest hate; but Ralph little heeded that. His father was safe, and

-that was all he thought of then. Ralph Rexworth felt happier at that

-moment than he had done for many a day, and, paying no attention to his

-fallen foe, save to take care that he did not get free, he waited until

-the police, people, and Mr. Rexworth arrived upon the scene. Yes, the

-tables were turned now; and had he but known it, they were turned at

-school also.

-

-

-

-

-CHAPTER XXXII

-

-FLOGGED AND EXPELLED

-

-

-"The whole school to assemble in the hall!"

-

-The order was received in every class-room, and masters and boys looked

-surprised. It was generally known that Ralph Rexworth had been absent

-all night, and that a message had been sent over to Mr. St. Clive's

-asking whether the boy had been detained there. It was also known that

-Charlton was in disgrace--that he had been accused of stealing Ralph's

-examination papers, for the purpose of correcting them from a crib.

-

-The idea was that it must be on one of these accounts that the school

-was summoned--either Ralph had got into trouble, or Charlton was to be

-punished.

-

-But there was no time for speculation. Into the hall the boys trooped,

-class by class--juniors, middle division, and seniors--their masters

-following, and their monitors leading the way; and there upon the

-doctor's desk an ominous object was to be seen--the school birch,

-rarely taken from its resting-place in the cupboard, rarely used, and,

-if the truth must be told, rarely needing to be used. Woe betide the

-unlucky boy who so far disgraced the honour of Marlthorpe as to render

-its presence needful, for what he got from the Head was as nothing to

-what he would receive from the angry scholars later on.

-

-"Silence!"

-

-Kesterway's voice rang out as Dr. Beverly entered and an expectant hush

-fell upon the whole school.

-

-"Frederick Charlton, stand out!"

-

-Charlton obeyed. Boys who knew how nervous he was were surprised to

-see him quite calm now. He moved forward towards the Head's desk and

-saluted; and then the Headmaster of Marlthorpe spoke.

-

-"Charlton, you were found in my class-room the other night, with

-Rexworth's examination papers in your hand. Tell the school your reason

-for being there!"

-

-The Head spoke shortly, but kindly, as if inviting the boy to be at

-ease; and Charlton told his story, and explained how he had seen Dobson

-and Elgert break open the desk.

-

-"The desk was unlocked. There was no need to break it open," the Head

-said; and then he turned to the other two boys, and asked them what

-they had to say.

-

-What they had to say indeed! Such indignant denials, and such plain

-statements that it was all up between Rexworth and Charlton.

-

-"Rexworth is detained, and cannot be here yet," said the Head quietly.

-"But we can proceed with this inquiry in his absence. Elgert and

-Dobson, stand out!"

-

-And the two obeyed, ill at ease, wondering what was coming next, and

-casting suspicious looks at each other, as if each thought the other

-had turned informer.

-

-"Horace Elgert, did you ever see this before?" asked the Head.

-

-And Elgert turned white, for the doctor held out that wretched crib

-which he had thrown into the river.

-

-"No, sir," he answered, averting his eyes.

-

-And the same answer was asked of Dobson, who gave the same answer.

-

-"James Green! Henry Tinkle!" cried Kesterway.

-

-And the two small chums jumped up eagerly.

-

-"Explain how you became possessed of this crib," said the Head.

-

-Green spoke first, and Tinkle backed him up, and then a low angry hiss

-rang through the school, and Horace Elgert turned a pair of anxious,

-frightened eyes towards his companions.

-

-"Do you deny this story, Elgert?" asked the Head sternly.

-

-And the boy was silent. If those two juniors had picked up his book,

-had they picked up anything else?

-

-"There was a banknote missing some time ago," the Head went on. "You

-may remember that a note was found in Rexworth's pocket-book, and I

-showed how he had been the victim of a plot. The banknote that was

-stolen was never discovered; but I now know that it was changed by you,

-Dobson, at a low cake shop in the town, and that afterwards it was

-bought back by you and Elgert from that man for far more than it was

-worth. That note, Elgert, you destroyed yesterday by burning it, and

-here are the ashes." And the Head produced the filmy ash still lying

-in _Tom Brown's Schooldays_. "But that note had been photographed,

-and you purchased the negative by giving to the person who held it a

-pocket-book which you had previously taken from him. The negative you

-also threw into the river, and the person you were with threw in the

-book which you had just restored to him. Do you deny these statements?"

-

-Still Elgert did not answer. He felt hot and cold by turns. He did not

-know where to turn his eyes. It was no use denying in the face of such

-proof.

-

-"You cannot answer!" the Head went on. "You, Dobson, what do you know

-of this?"

-

-"Oh--oh--oh!" yelled Dobson, clasping his hands, and falling upon

-his knees. "Oh, forgive me, sir! Oh, I will own up, sir! It was all

-Elgert's fault. He made me do it, sir! I never wanted to do it, sir! It

-is all true, every bit of it, sir! Oh----"

-

-"Silence!" cried the Head, in ill-disguised contempt. "No one can force

-another to do evil. You two boys have conspired together to injure

-the good name of a companion, whose only offence has been that he has

-tried to act a noble manly part amidst very difficult and adverse

-circumstances. You would have branded him a thief; and to do it you

-did not hesitate to become thieves yourselves. You have told the

-vilest lies--and you, Elgert, have done worse. It will be for other

-authorities to deal with this; but I will mention it here. You have

-allowed one of these boys--Charlton I mean--to suffer much torture

-because of his father's unhappy position. You knew that his father was

-innocent, and you held the proof of that, and----"

-

-Then the Head stopped, for Charlton had turned very white. He had not

-known of the business of the pocket-book.

-

-"Oh, sir," he said, "my father innocent! And he knew it, and--and----"

-

-He put his hand to his head, and Kesterway sprang forward and caught

-him, or he would have fallen, for he fainted away; and the Head, with

-tears in his eyes, murmured--

-

-"Poor boy! Poor boy! Take him to the matron."

-

-They carried him out, and not one of those who had jeered at him but

-now felt sorry and ashamed, and full of anger against the two culprits,

-to whom the Head now turned again.

-

-"It is possible that others outside our school may have something to

-say to you about this business," he said. "That has nothing to do with

-me. I have only to deal with your offence as it touches the honour of

-the school and for that offence only the severest punishment can be

-inflicted----"

-

-Whereat Dobson uttered a howl, and Elgert clenched his hands and

-looked desperate. The severest punishment! That was why the birch was

-there.

-

-"You will both be publicly flogged," continued the Head, "and then you

-will be expelled!"

-

-And at this a shout of approval went up. Marlthorpe was going to be

-avenged for the slight put upon its honour.

-

-"Oh, mercy--mercy!" cried Dobson. "Oh, don't flog me, sir! I won't do

-it any more, and it was all Elgert's fault."

-

-Elgert looked at him in scorn. If he must be flogged, he would crave

-no mercy. He would show them that he did not care. But flogged! A gasp

-went round as the school porter and the man who kept the lodge came

-in. It was useless to resist, though Dobson kicked and struggled, and

-shouted in his anger and fear. The Head laid aside his gown, and took

-the rod; and then the sound of the hissing cuts came. Dobson was the

-first victim, and with the strokes came the yells--awful yells, for the

-Head did not spare him in the least, and Dobson plainly found himself

-in a very uncomfortable position.

-

-He was released at last, and then Elgert--the Honourable Horace

-Elgert--took his place. He bit his lips until the blood came, but he

-would not cry out. But oh, how he hated Ralph Rexworth then! If he

-could have hurt him--if he could have killed him, he would not have

-cared what they did to him afterwards.

-

-It was over at last. And he stood breathless, smarting, a mist before

-his eyes, until he caught sight of Tinkle's fat face; and he thought

-that Tinkle was grinning.

-

-Then, rage overcoming him, not thinking what he was doing, he rushed

-at the little fellow, and, had not Warren been near to prevent it, he

-would have knocked him down.

-

-And then, Head or no Head, Marlthorpe lost its calmness, and the boys

-sprang up, and surged forward at the two offenders--angry boys, with

-menacing eyes. Elgert's courage failed him then. He turned and ran, and

-Dobson went after him. In vain masters shouted, and the Head rang his

-bell. In vain Kesterway rushed after them. Not another monitor paid any

-attention. Out into the playground they streamed, and around it they

-chased the two boys.

-

-Around they went. They drove them to the small pond, and threw them in.

-They dragged them out, and hustled them, dripping and breathless, to

-the gates. The Head had no need to expel the pair.

-

-As Elgert and Dobson were thrown out a little party approached the

-gates; and from its number, one boy darted forward to throw himself

-between the two miserable victims and their pursuers, and that boy was

-Ralph Rexworth himself.

-

-"Here, I say, drop that! It is not fair!" giving Warren a shove

-backwards. "It isn't the right thing! Drop it, you fellows! And look

-out, here comes the Head!"

-

-Yes, the Head with his cane, and the masters with their canes, coming

-to insist upon order, and to show Marlthorpe that it could not be

-permitted to do just as it chose even with boys like Dobson and Elgert.

-It certainly looked as though some one was going to get caned just then.

-

-But Warren uttered a whoop.

-

-"Hallo, Ralph! Fellows, here is Rexworth turned up. Just too late to

-see the fun! You ought to have heard Dobby yell, my boy! It was lovely!"

-

-"Here is Rexworth!" echoed the boys.

-

-They pounced upon him. They grabbed arm or leg, whichever they could

-get hold of, and dragged him somehow upon their shoulders, and marched

-back triumphantly; while the Head and the masters did not know what to

-do.

-

-And behind Ralph came Mr. Rexworth, and Mr. St. Clive and Irene--a very

-radiant Irene--who whispered to Tom Warren that the gentleman with the

-injured arm was Ralph's father, and that he was Lord Rexworth, because

-he was the son of the old Lord Stephen, and his right name was Rexworth

-Stephen, and Ralph would be the Honourable Ralph Rexworth Stephen. She

-told it very excitedly, and Tom Warren whistled, and then yelled--

-

-"Three cheers for Ralph's father--Lord Rexworth Stephen! And three more

-cheers for the Honourable Ralph Rexworth Stephen! Come on, you fellows,

-out with it!"

-

-What shouting and cheering there was then! And how, while Mr. Rexworth,

-as we will still call him, was talking to the Doctor, Ralph got nearly

-pulled to pieces. Why, they even forgot the birching in the excitement

-of Ralph's return. They had to hear his story, and how he had found

-his father; and then Warren explained how they had found out that Mr.

-Charlton was innocent.

-

-That was good news for Ralph--the best news that could possibly be--and

-escaping with Warren and Irene, he hurried across to the matron's

-house, and begged that he might see his chum.

-

-Charlton was all right, only he was so excited, and just a little

-inclined to cry. And he wanted to know where his father was; and when

-Ralph explained how Mr. Charlton had given himself up, he exclaimed--

-

-"Oh, Ralph, let us go and explain! Let us go now!"

-

-"Come and tell my father. He will understand," said Ralph; but there

-was little need for telling.

-

-Already Mr. St. Clive had been informed, and he had hurried off at

-once. It would not be long before Mr. Charlton was a free man.

-

-And then Mr. Rexworth, seeing that there would be much to talk about,

-went back with Ralph and Irene and Charlton to Mr. St. Clive's house,

-there to tell his story, and explain how it was that he had become the

-prisoner of the man who had treated him so very cruelly.

-

-

-

-

-CHAPTER XXXIII

-

-CONCLUSION

-

-

-Seated in the drawing-room at Mr. St. Clive's house, an interested

-party gathered around Mr. Rexworth to hear his story. And not only

-an interested party, but a happy one, for the trouble was gone, and

-the sun was shining for all there. It was no wonder that, even before

-stories were told, Mr. Rexworth should have said, "Let us all kneel

-and thank our Heavenly Father for His great mercy and goodness," nor

-that every heart should have been filled with devout gratitude as, with

-bent heads, they listened to the words of thanksgiving, for, like the

-psalmist of old, they could say, "God hath done great things for us,

-whereof we are glad."

-

-And so they sat, while Mr. Rexworth told his story, a story that had

-its moral, too, for it revealed how disobedience to a father might

-bring sore punishment afterwards.

-

-For, as we now know, Mr. Rexworth was the son of old Lord Stephen, and

-in his early days he had been wild and headstrong, and had frequently

-disobeyed his father's commands. And in that he had been aided by his

-cousin Elgert. For Elgert envied the young heir his position, and hoped

-to make a bad quarrel between the father and son.

-

-And he was successful. The quarrel came, and Mr. Rexworth had run away

-from home, dropping his name of Stephen, and going away to the wild

-plains of Texas, to indulge in the roving life for which he longed.

-But he soon found that it was not all pleasure--that hardship and

-disappointment followed, and that whether in England or away in wild

-lands, the best thing for a man was to be a follower of the Lord Jesus

-Christ.

-

-But he did not write to his father, for he believed that he would never

-be forgiven. And he met his wife, and married, and Ralph was born;

-and then he was content, and put all thoughts of the old home away,

-striving to bring his son up as a true Christian, even amidst their

-wild surroundings.

-

-But his wife, when she was dying, spoke seriously to her husband, for

-she knew the truth, and she said that their boy ought to come to his

-own; and so, because she wished it, for the first time Mr. Rexworth

-wrote home to his father.

-

-But Lord Stephen was dead, and his nephew reigned in his place; and

-Lord Elgert had sent a cold letter back, saying that he did not wish to

-have anything to do with a man who had broken a good father's heart,

-and that everything had been left to him.

-

-But with that letter there came another, one written by a faithful old

-servant, enclosing a will. Lord Stephen had made that will just before

-he died, and had entrusted it to his old retainer; so that if ever his

-son, whom he had forgiven, should come back, he should have his own

-again.

-

-Then Mr. Rexworth had started for England with Ralph, but he had not

-told his son anything of the business which took him there; and when at

-last they had reached Stow Ormond he had left the boy at the _Horse and

-Wheel_ with old Simon, and had started off for Castle Court.

-

-And an angry, disappointed man was Lord Elgert when he found that his

-cousin was to take from him everything which he had schemed to gain.

-

-"He had nothing to say," said Mr. Rexworth, "but he looked very strange

-as I left--as if he would have liked to kill me. I had told him that

-no one knew who I really was, and that my own son was ignorant of the

-truth. It was a foolish thing to have done, for it meant that if I were

-out of the way, no one would know anything about the business which had

-brought me home.

-

-"It was dark and cheerless, and I was anxious to get back to you,

-Ralph, so I took the short cut through Stow Wood past the black mere;

-and just as I reached the pond I was startled by some one firing at me

-from behind a tree. The first shot missed, but the second struck my arm

-and broke the bone. It has never been properly set, and has caused me

-much pain.

-

-"I must have fainted, for when I recovered my senses I was a prisoner

-in a strange place--the very house in which you found me. My cousin's

-first intention had been to kill me; but when he found that he had

-failed, his courage wavered, and he had me taken to that place and put

-that man to guard me. He promised to set me free if I would give him

-the will, but that I would not do. I had taken the precaution to leave

-that in London with a lawyer I had known in my younger days, and there

-it is now.

-

-"Lord Elgert's next offer was to set me free if I would sign away half

-the property to him; but that I also refused to do. The man used to

-urge him to kill me, but he seemed possessed with the fear that you,

-Ralph, would find it out if he did so.

-

-"Then one day when I felt very depressed and ill and on the point of

-yielding, I heard your old call, and I answered it, and I knew that you

-had in some way got on my track. And Lord Elgert found that out also,

-for yesterday he came to take me away to another hiding-place, and I

-refused to go. We struggled, and again your call came, and that made

-him desperate. The rest of the story you know, my dear boy. And now you

-must tell me how you managed to get on my track."

-

-So Ralph told his story, and then Mr. Charlton explained how he had,

-whilst hiding in the old ruin, become convinced that Lord Elgert held

-some one prisoner in that strange house, and on the very day when

-Ralph had gone to take his chum's message, he had stolen out to watch.

-Mr. Charlton had seen Ralph go in, and had watched until both Lord

-Elgert and his man came out; then, perplexed and fearing foul play,

-he had stood there until the flames burst out, and that sight had

-dispelled his fear of the dogs and sent him to the rescue.

-

-And then, when the police had arrived and had taken their prisoner

-again, Mr. St. Clive had come after him, not only with that diary,

-but with the man who had written it, and who confessed that he had

-committed the offence at the instigation of Lord Elgert, who had a

-spite against Mr. Charlton.

-

-The innocent man was soon set free after that, and was able to rejoin

-his wife and his son openly and without any fear.

-

-But Lord Elgert? Ah, that was the one thing that made Mr. Rexworth sad.

-He would have forgiven his cousin if he could, much as he had suffered

-at his hands, but the law would not allow that. Lord Elgert had been

-arrested, and the miserable Horace, together with his partner in

-disgrace, Dobson, had run away, and no one knew where they were.

-

-But they were found, for Mr. Dobson set a detective on their track,

-and they were brought back, a pair of sorry-looking objects, dirty and

-ragged.

-

-Mr. Dobson immediately apprenticed his son to a firm of shipowners,

-and sent him off to sea; and Mr. Rexworth, seeing that Horace had no

-friend, did the same for his nephew, hoping that in his new life

-he would become a true and good man. Ralph would have been friendly

-to Horace at their parting, but the proud boy would not accept his

-friendship. Later on they heard that he had deserted his ship when it

-got to Australia, and after that they heard no more of him.

-

-And so punishment overtook those who had done evil, and patience and

-truth reaped their reward at last, as they ever must in the end;

-and Ralph Rexworth was the Hon. Ralph Rexworth Stephen amongst his

-schoolfellows, for Mr. Rexworth thought that it would do him no harm to

-stay at the good doctor's school for a little while before he went to

-college.

-

-Yes, he was "the Honourable." Indeed, he had been the Honourable all

-the time in the true sense of the word. He did not put on any airs--our

-Ralph could not have done that if he had tried--and he and Charlton and

-honest old Tom Warren were three of the staunchest chums that ever you

-met with--always together, and all three working for the good of the

-Fourth; so that when they were promoted to the Fifth, Mr. Delermain

-said that it was one of the greatest losses he had received, and that

-the best influences in his class had all been taken away together.

-

-"But," some of my readers may ask, "did Ralph Rexworth win the Newlet?"

-I declare that I had nearly forgotten that. He did win it; and it will

-not be a bad idea to finish the story by having a peep at him when he

-received it.

-

-Of course, that was on breaking-up day. What a lovely day that always

-is, especially when you know that you have a good report to take home,

-and some prizes to carry away with you.

-

-The great hall at Marlthorpe was decorated with flags, and crowded with

-visitors; while on the platform, which had been constructed at one

-end, all the boys were gathered, class by class, and in the middle of

-them was the Head's chair, and the masters' seats, and a place for the

-speakers--and there was Mr. Rexworth among the speakers!

-

-Well, there they all were; and the Head read his report; and they all

-clapped and shouted at the part where it said that for the second year

-in succession, Marlthorpe had the honour of carrying off the Newlet.

-

-"Good old Rexworth!" shouted one boy. And the Head had to cry order

-sharply; whereat Jimmy Green nudged Tinkle and said "Shut up, you

-silly!" so it must have been Tinkle who shouted.

-

-And then there were the speeches, and then the recitations; and Tinkle

-and Green were most wonderfully impressive in the quarrel between

-Brutus and Cassius--only just at the part where Brutus had to say "Take

-this dagger," he found he had no dagger with him; and Cassius said very

-rudely, and quite out loud, so that every one could hear it--

-

-"You silly owl! I knew you would forget it; and I made such a lovely

-one, with silver foil for a blade."

-

-"Imagine the dagger," whispered Mr. Rexworth, his face red with

-laughter. And the dagger being imagined, the quarrel went on, and was

-made up in the most approved fashion.

-

-And then, recitations over, there came a short pause--an impressive

-pause, during which small juniors pushed back their hair, and arranged

-collars and ties, and tried to look irreproachable, for prizes were

-coming--prizes!

-

-They began with the juniors first. That is a wise plan, because, having

-got their share, they are more likely to sit still while the upper

-classes are being dealt with. The juniors! And every one laughed and

-clapped as the little fellows walked up to the Head, so stiff and

-awkward, and saluted for all the world like penny dolls worked by a

-string, and having clutched their prizes and bobbed to the audience,

-scuttled back to their seats to have their immediate neighbours bend

-enviously over that lovely book, and take hurried glances at the

-pictures.

-

-The middle classes--that is the Upper Third and Lower Fourth--next.

-With them we have nothing to do, beyond saying that both Tinkle and

-Green were amongst the prize-winners and that almost before they had

-got back to their seats, they had challenged each other to mortal

-combat, because each said his book was better than the other's.

-

-Then the seniors--the Upper Fourth--Warren and Charlton. And each of

-them got clapped and cheered, as they richly deserved to be.

-

-And then Ralph Rexworth Stephen--how strange it sounded to hear him

-called that!--and such a burst of cheering and "Brave old Ralph!" and

-"Buck up, Ralph!" Well, the Head smiled; and for once Ralph looked

-quite foolish and nervous, and as if he would have liked to cry--it was

-so good to feel that all his schoolmates respected him!

-

-But his prize given, the Head took up a little case by his side and

-took from it a gold medal with blue ribbon attached to it. The Newlet

-Gold Medal, won for Marlthorpe College by Ralph!

-

-Talk of cheering then! It almost deafened one. And--those boys had been

-plotting together--Warren nodded and winked; and Charlton dived down

-and got something from beneath the form; and Irene suddenly appeared at

-Ralph's side with a tiny little laurel wreath, such as they crowned the

-heroes with in the olden days, when men worked for honour and not for

-gold; and while the people laughed and clapped she put it on Ralph's

-head, and at that moment Tom Warren and Charlton held up a great

-flag--Old England's Union Jack. They had thought all this out, mind

-you--the sly fellows they were; and Kesterway, the senior monitor of

-the school, shouted at the top of his voice--

-

-"Now then, fellows! Three times three for the Honourable Ralph, while

-he stands under Honour's Flag!"

-

-"Hurrah! Hurrah! Hurrah!"

-

-"And a whole holiday to-morrow!"

-

-"Hurrah! Hurrah! Hurrah!"

-

-And when no one was looking--a kiss from Irene for her hero!

-

-

-THE END

-

-

-

-

-

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+The Project Gutenberg EBook of Under Honour's Flag, by Eric Lisle
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most
+other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions
+whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of
+the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at
+www.gutenberg.org.  If you are not located in the United States, you'll have
+to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook.
+
+Title: Under Honour's Flag
+
+Author: Eric Lisle
+
+Illustrator: G. H. Evison
+
+Release Date: October 31, 2019 [EBook #60604]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK UNDER HONOUR'S FLAG ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Tim Lindell, Martin Pettit and the Online
+Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
+
+
+
+
+
+
++-------------------------------------------------+
+|Transcriber's note:                              |
+|                                                 |
+|Obvious typographic errors have been corrected.  |
+|                                                 |
++-------------------------------------------------+
+
+
+NEW POPULAR BOOKS FOR BOYS.
+
+Uniform in size with this Volume.
+
+
+_By H. ESCOTT INMAN._
+
+DAVID CHESTER'S MOTTO--
+
+"HONOUR BRIGHT."
+
+With 16 Original Illustrations.
+
+LOYAL AND TRUE.
+
+With 16 Original Illustrations.
+
+THE SECOND FORM MASTER OF ST. CYRIL'S.
+
+With 16 Original Illustrations.
+
+
+_By J. HARWOOD PANTING._
+
+CLIVE OF CLAIR COLLEGE.
+
+With 16 Original Illustrations by RAYMOND POTTER.
+
+THE HERO OF GARSIDE SCHOOL.
+
+With 16 Original Illustrations by ERNEST HASSELDINE.
+
+
+_By M. B. MANWELL._
+
+THE BOYS OF MONKS HAROLD.
+
+With 16 Original Illustrations.
+
+
+_By S. WALKEY._
+
+KIDNAPPED BY PIRATES.
+
+With numerous Illustrations by PAUL HARDY.
+
+
+_By EDGAR PICKERING._
+
+THE CRUISE OF THE ANGEL.
+
+With Original Illustrations by LANCELOT SPEED.
+
+
+_By the REV. ERIC LISLE._
+
+UNDER HONOUR'S FLAG.
+
+With Original Illustrations by G. H. EVISON.
+
+
+LONDON: FREDERICK WARNE & CO.
+
+AND NEW YORK.
+
+
+
+
+UNDER HONOUR'S FLAG
+
+[Illustration: "FORGETFUL OF ALL PRECAUTION ELGERT STRUCK A SAVAGE
+BLOW AT HIM." _Frontispiece._ [_see p. 257._]
+
+
+
+
+Under Honour's Flag
+
+
+By the
+REV. ERIC LISLE
+
+
+WITH ORIGINAL ILLUSTRATIONS BY
+G. H. EVISON.
+
+
+[Illustration: Logo]
+
+
+LONDON
+FREDERICK WARNE & CO
+AND NEW YORK
+
+(_All rights reserved_)
+
+
+
+
+BUTLER & TANNER
+THE SELWOOD PRINTING WORKS
+FROME AND LONDON
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS
+
+CHAPTER                                            PAGE
+     I A STRANGE AFFAIR                               1
+
+    II A CRUEL IMPLICATION                           15
+
+   III MR. ST. CLIVE PROVES HIMSELF A TRUE FRIEND    25
+
+    IV RALPH'S FIRST DAY AT SCHOOL                   35
+
+     V MAKING THINGS STRAIGHT                        45
+
+    VI AN EARLY MORNING SPIN                         55
+
+   VII HORACE ELGERT GOES A LITTLE TOO FAR           65
+
+  VIII A MYSTERIOUS MIDNIGHT VISITOR                 75
+
+    IX ALTOGETHER BEYOND EXPLANATION                 84
+
+     X COUNSELS AND PROMISES                         94
+
+    XI GOING IN FOR GRINDING                        103
+
+   XII THE STOLEN BANKNOTE                          113
+
+  XIII DIVIDED OPINIONS                             122
+
+   XIV BY THE RIVER SIDE                            131
+
+    XV THE LOST POCKET-BOOK                         140
+
+   XVI THINGS LOOK BLACK FOR RALPH                  150
+
+  XVII THE PLOT THAT FAILED                         159
+
+ XVIII WHERE THE BANKNOTE WENT                      168
+
+   XIX THE LAME HORSE ONCE MORE                     177
+
+    XX TO MR. ST. CLIVE'S                           186
+
+   XXI A HOUSE OF REFUGE                            195
+
+  XXII AN AFTERNOON RAMBLE                          204
+
+ XXIII THE RUIN AND THE LONELY HOUSE                213
+
+  XXIV FOR THE SAKE OF REVENGE                      222
+
+   XXV JUST IN TIME                                 231
+
+  XXVI TOM WARREN SPEAKS HIS MIND                   240
+
+ XXVII IN THE DEAD OF THE NIGHT                     249
+
+XXVIII THE NEXT DAY                                 259
+
+  XXIX WHAT TINKLE AND GREEN CAUGHT                 268
+
+   XXX WHAT DETAINED RALPH REXWORTH                 277
+
+  XXXI THE TABLES ARE TURNED                        286
+
+ XXXII FLOGGED AND EXPELLED                         294
+
+XXXIII CONCLUSION                                   303
+
+
+
+
+UNDER HONOUR'S FLAG
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I
+
+A STRANGE AFFAIR
+
+
+The late autumn afternoon was rapidly drawing in, closing ominously and
+sullenly, as if rebelling against the approach of the winter, and the
+nearer coming of the night.
+
+Great banks of purple vapour rose in the west; and sinking towards the
+earth, spread abroad in hazy wreaths, which seemed to possess, in a
+fainter degree, the hues of their parent clouds above.
+
+The air was heavy with moisture, which condensed and dripped from the
+red leaves of the sycamore, the brown of the beech, and the yellow of
+lime and poplar. It glistened on the rich green of the crimson-berried
+hollies; it begemmed the festooning webs of the weaving spiders; and
+brought with it a chilling breath which seemed to strike through one.
+
+In that gloaming hour a man and youth toiled wearily up the steep hill
+over which the main road runs before it descends into the quaint old
+town of Stow Ormond; yet as they reached the summit they hastened
+their steps, with the air of those who were drawing near to a welcome
+resting-place.
+
+The man was tall and refined-looking; and though a crisp, curling beard
+and full moustache hid the greater part of his face, the features
+visible revealed determination and strong will, and their bronzed hue
+showed plainly that their owner had lived beneath warmer skies than
+those of England. And yet, despite health and good looks and strength
+of will, an expression of anxiety was there; and as he walked along he
+appeared to be more occupied with his own thoughts than in attending to
+the remarks of the lad by his side, whose questions he frequently left
+unanswered.
+
+The boy was so like the man that there could be little room for
+doubting that they were father and son; a well-built, handsome youth,
+with the same bronzed cheek, but with an expression on his face which
+indicated the utmost disgust with his surroundings. This was his first
+experience of a damp, chill autumn mist, and he did not like it in the
+least.
+
+Both the travellers were comfortably clad, though their clothes seemed
+cut more for comfort than with a regard to fashion; indicating that
+they certainly were not from the workshop of any fashionable tailor.
+
+Reaching the top of the hill, the two wayfarers paused; and the man,
+pointing down into the town which lay before them, said, with a sigh of
+relief:
+
+"There you are, Ralph! That is our destination for to-night; it may be
+our haven for many days."
+
+"Funny looking place," laughed the boy. "But all these English towns
+are funny, after the plains and the mountains. And it is funny," he
+added, "that I am an English boy, and yet am talking like that."
+
+"Not funny, lad, seeing that you have never set foot in your native
+land before. Ah me, it is not funny to me! It comes back like the
+faces of old familiar friends. The scenes of childhood's happiness,
+and youth's hopes and follies. All changed, and yet nothing changed;
+and I myself unchanged, and yet most changed of all! Come," he went
+on, "you are tired, for we have walked a long way, and have had a long
+railway journey into the bargain. Unless things are altered down there,
+we shall find a comfortable old inn where we can put up, Ralph--a real
+old English inn. Quite different from the hotels where we have stopped.
+Come on, lad!"
+
+Changing his handbag from one cramped hand to the other, the lad obeyed
+the call, and trudged forward briskly with the strong, elastic step of
+buoyant youth. At first he poured out a string of questions relative
+to life in English towns; but one or two being unanswered, he glanced
+towards his father, and perceiving him buried in thought again, he
+walked on in silence, yet keen-eyed, noting everything around.
+
+A few scattered cottages and outlying buildings passed, the pair
+were in the precincts of the town itself; and almost one of the first
+houses they came to was the one the father sought--a quaint, thatched,
+many-gabled old place, with commodious stabling and a great creaking
+sign-post near the horse trough, giving the information to all who
+cared to possess it that this was the _Horse and Wheel Inn_, wherein
+might be found accommodation for both man and beast.
+
+"Just the same! Nothing changed!" murmured the man as the two arrived
+at the spot. "Twenty years have brought no revolution here. Come, lad!"
+And he entered the old hostelry.
+
+A bonnie waiting-maid met them; and in response to the man's query if
+they could have a room she called the landlord, a portly old fellow,
+with bald head fringed with grey hair, a pair of twinkling merry
+eyes beneath overhanging brows, and a face wherein all the principal
+features seemed to be entered into a competition as to which could look
+the ruddiest.
+
+"Have a room, sir?" said this individual, in a voice which seemed to
+proceed from his boots. "Ay, that you can, sir, and all else that you
+require. Here, Mary girl, show the gentleman to Number Ten! Have the
+bags carried up, and serve their dinner in the private room."
+
+"Number Ten!" said the guest, as he heard the number given. "Come on,
+Ralph, I know the way!" And he led his son upstairs with the air of
+one who did indeed know, much to the worthy landlord's astonishment,
+who murmured to himself as he waddled off to attend to some waggoners--
+
+"He must ha' been here before; but I don't remember his face in the
+least."
+
+"He does not recognize me," mused his guest, in his turn. "How should
+he, after all those years? Poor old Simon, he has not changed much! A
+little stouter, a little huskier, and more shaky; that is all. Time has
+dealt gently with him!"
+
+The meal, which was ordered and duly served, proved that the _Horse
+and Wheel_, whatever it might do for beasts, claimed no more than its
+due when it came to accommodating the beast's master, man; and the
+appetites of the travellers enabled them to do ample justice to the
+food, served in a room rendered all the more cheerful by the roaring
+fire--a good, old-fashioned English fire--which blazed away in the
+capacious fireplace.
+
+But the meal over, the gentleman rose and donned hat and coat, turning
+to his son when he had done so.
+
+"Ralph," he said, "I am going out by myself. I have not brought you
+across the ocean and to this place for nothing. I have business to do
+here which may affect all your future life. What that business is, lad,
+I cannot tell you just now; but you shall know of it presently. I shall
+not be away long--not more than an hour or two--and you can spend the
+time as you like. I do not suppose that you will find much in the shape
+of literature here, beyond a copy or two of some local paper or an
+agricultural magazine. They won't interest you much, so you must occupy
+the time as best you can. Prospect around a bit, but don't miss your
+way, or you will find it harder to pick up trails again here than you
+would out yonder where we have come from."
+
+"I shall be all right, father," the boy answered, rather pleased than
+otherwise to be left alone for a little. Every lad of fourteen with any
+spirit in him rather likes that kind of thing.
+
+"Of course you will be. You cannot very well get into harm, and you are
+not the boy to get into mischief. Well, good-bye, my lad, and to-morrow
+if all is well, I will show you what English rural scenery is like, and
+you will find it is more beautiful than it has seemed to you yet." And
+with that the gentleman went out, leaving the boy alone.
+
+At first Ralph wandered round the rooms and examined all the funny,
+old-fashioned pictures, and frowned at some old-time Dresden ornaments
+of shepherds and shepherdesses in Court attire, as though he was not
+quite sure whether they were intended for pagan idols or not; and then,
+getting tired of this, he put on his hat and strolled down into the inn
+yard, where he found more to interest him in an ostler who was busily
+grooming a couple of powerful waggon horses. Ralph had never seen a
+real cart-horse before, for the horses he had been accustomed to were
+little, thin, wiry creatures, all sinew and bone, and spirit--horses
+that could go, and would go, until they dropped, but pigmies compared
+to these mighty creatures--the largest of all the species.
+
+Then he picked up a long coil of rope lying near and examined it
+with critical eye, which yet seemed to disapprove of its texture and
+quality; and then, idly fashioning a running noose at one end, he
+coiled that rope up, and sent it with a flying jerk over a post thirty
+feet away.
+
+The man stared and paused in his work.
+
+"Ay, but ye couldn't do that again, sir," he ventured; and Ralph, with
+a little flush of something like conceit, immediately repeated his
+performance.
+
+"That be main clever," said the man, and he shambled off to get "Tom"
+and "Garge" and "Luke" to come and see the young gentleman's wonderful
+deed.
+
+Ralph was delighted, and he varied his work by sending the noose over
+one of the men as he ran at full speed across the yard. It was nothing
+to him; he had handled a rope as soon as he had handled anything, and
+he wondered at the surprise the thing caused to these men.
+
+[Illustration: "SENDING THE NOOSE OVER ONE OF THE MEN AS HE RAN AT
+FULL SPEED ACROSS THE YARD." p. 7]
+
+A drove of cattle passed, and Ralph paused and regarded them with
+interest. They were good beasts, but nothing like the troublesome
+wild cattle which he had known. They seemed perfectly contented with
+everything in this life.
+
+"They are very quiet," he observed, and the man nodded.
+
+"They be quiet enough, sir, but there be a bull in yonder paddock; ye
+will see him in a minute, for they will be coming to drive him back to
+his shed; and he be very savage. He ha' killed two poor chaps now, and
+it be a risky job dealing with him. He be quiet enough as a rule; but
+when his temper is bad, then he is bad, too--and very bad."
+
+"I would like to see him," was the boy's answer; and almost before
+the words were out of his mouth he had his wish granted; for a fierce
+bellow of deep-voiced rage was heard, and rushing along, a broken
+halter streaming behind, there came a magnificent black bull, while
+in his rear, shouting and waving their arms in distress, ran two men,
+who had evidently been engaged in bringing the monster home when he
+had turned upon them, and sent them spinning this way and that ere he
+darted off.
+
+Every one in the way rushed to the nearest cover without ceremony; and
+then a wild scream of terror broke on the air, and Ralph saw, directly
+in the fierce creature's path, a pretty girl, seemingly but a year
+younger than himself; a girl transfixed with fright, standing there,
+directly in the pathway of horrible injury, if not death!
+
+And what could he do? He who had been used to cattle was the only one
+who kept his courage. Had he been in the saddle and armed with a good
+stock whip the thing would have been touch and go; but he had nothing,
+and he could not tackle the bull empty-handed.
+
+Stay, there was one thing--the rope! A chance, but a slender one. Quick
+as a flash he put a couple of turns round the post he had been aiming
+at and gathered the noose for a cast. The bull came thundering along
+the road, head down, tail out, snorting with rage and defiance. If it
+kept on like that it would pass quite close to him. He put another turn
+round the post. The shorter the rope the better the chance; and then,
+hand and eye acting in unison, he sent the noose round his head and
+made his cast. If he succeeded the bull would be over, if he failed the
+girl must go down.
+
+And succeed he did. It was to him quite an easy throw. The noose
+settled fairly over those curving horns. There was a jerk, a roar of
+rage and fear, and the great struggling creature was hurled forward so
+violently, through the force of its flight, that it fell in a cloud of
+scattered mud and stones, and lay half stunned and wholly bewildered.
+
+Ralph, with a cry of thankfulness, ran forward, and pulled the girl
+from her dangerous proximity to its mighty legs, just as a gentleman,
+pale with terror, rushed from a shop near by, where he had been giving
+some orders.
+
+"Irene!" he cried. "My little Irene! Thank Heaven that you are safe!"
+Then, as he saw the bull still noosed, and now in the hands of several
+men, he went on--
+
+"But who did that? Who stopped the bull in that way?" and a dozen hands
+pointed to Ralph, who stood there feeling rather confused and awkward,
+and wishing that he could run away. Young ladies were more terrible
+things in his eyes than were angry bulls; and this young lady was
+thanking him so prettily, while her father, for so the gentleman was,
+kept shaking his hand, hardly able to voice his gratitude. He seemed
+overcome with a sense of the good hand of Providence in the matter.
+
+"You are staying at the inn," he said. "I must return and express my
+thanks to your father. I will take my little daughter home first and
+then come back. Perhaps he will be in by then. What is your name, my
+dear young gentleman?"
+
+"Ralph Rexworth," the lad answered. And the gentleman answered--
+
+"And mine is Hubert St. Clive, and if ever I can be of service to you I
+shall think nothing too much to enable me to show some return for what
+you have done for me and mine this evening."
+
+It was really a relief to Ralph when Mr. St. Clive had gone, and he was
+glad to get back to his room and escape the curious and admiring crowd,
+though even then he could not shut the landlord out, nor prevent the
+admiration of the maid, who would come in on all sorts of pretexts just
+to have a peep at him; and so the evening wore on, and the time for his
+father's return drew near.
+
+But no father came, and at last Ralph began to grow anxious. He could
+not tell why, but he felt nervous. Had he been alone on the great Texan
+plains, where his boyhood had been passed, he would not have cared in
+the slightest; but here he was so lonely, everything was so different.
+His father had been gone nearly five hours, and Ralph did not know what
+to make of it.
+
+And ten came and went, and eleven; and the landlord looked in
+restlessly, for the old fellow was beginning to have uneasy suspicions
+that his guest had gone off and did not mean to return again, and there
+was the dinner unpaid for.
+
+Still, he could not turn this lonely boy out, so he suggested at last
+that Ralph should go to bed.
+
+"Most like your father has been detained, sir, and he won't be back
+till the morning," he suggested. "Even if he does he can ring us up. We
+likes to get to bed as soon as we can after closing time, for the days
+are long enough, and we do not get too much rest."
+
+So the landlord said, and Ralph took the hint and went to his room.
+Throwing himself beside his bed, he prayed as he had never prayed
+before, asking his Heavenly Father to quickly send back to him his own
+dear parent.
+
+To bed, but not to sleep. What could have happened to his father? Had
+he met with any accident? A thousand fears and questions presented
+themselves to the boy's mind, until at last he fell into a restless
+sleep, to dream that his father was calling to him for aid; and when
+he awoke it was to the alarming knowledge that he was still alone--his
+father had not come back.
+
+His distress was now intensified, and old Simon, the landlord, was
+very perplexed; but he was a good-hearted old fellow, and he saw that
+the boy was provided with a good breakfast, reminding him that Mr. St.
+Clive would be certain to be round in the morning, as he had not come
+the evening before, and that then they could consult with him as to
+what was best to be done.
+
+"You have your breakfast, anyhow," he said. "No one is worth much
+without their food. Mr. St. Clive is a very good gentleman, and he owes
+you a lot for having saved his little daughter. I am quite sure that he
+will be ready to advise you."
+
+"But where can my father have got to?" asked Ralph, and the old man
+shook his head.
+
+"It is more than I can say, sir. Perhaps he will be back soon."
+
+But no father came; and when Mr. St. Clive arrived, which he did soon
+after breakfast was over, he was informed of Ralph's trouble, and he
+looked very grave indeed.
+
+"Run away! Nonsense, Simon?" he said to the landlord, after he had been
+told. "That is absurd! If this gentleman had desired to do anything so
+base as desert his son, he would never have brought him all the way to
+England in order to do so. I will see the young gentleman."
+
+"My dear lad," he greeted Ralph, when he was shown into the room where
+the boy was. "I was unable to return last evening, but I understand
+that it would have been no use had I done so. Your father has not come
+back, I hear."
+
+"No, sir," replied Ralph; "and I feel very troubled, for I cannot
+imagine what has kept him away. He said he would only be a short time."
+
+"You do not know where he was going, or whether he knew any one in the
+locality?"
+
+But Ralph shook his head.
+
+"I do not know, sir. Father did not tell me anything. We have lived all
+my life on the ranch in Texas, and when mother died last year father
+sold the ranch and brought me to England; but he did not tell me why."
+
+"It is strange; but still, it is foolish to make trouble. He may have
+found his business take longer than he anticipated, and--well, Simon?"
+
+"Beg pardon, Mr. St. Clive, but one of the men from Little Stow has
+just come in, and he has brought me this. He says that he found it in
+Stow Wood, just by the Black Mere."
+
+And what was it that he had found? What was it that should wring a cry
+of grief from Ralph Rexworth? Only a hat--broken, as from a blow, and
+with an ominous red smear upon it. Only a hat; but that hat was never
+bought in England. It was the hat which his father was wearing when he
+left the inn the previous evening; and there it lay now upon the table,
+a grim, silent explanation of why that father had not returned.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II
+
+A CRUEL IMPLICATION
+
+
+"My dear lad, it is foolish to give way to grief before you are sure
+that there is cause for it"--so said Mr. St. Clive to Ralph Rexworth,
+trying to comfort the boy and restore his confidence. "I admit that
+this, coupled with your father's absence, looks serious; but still,
+we do not know what explanation there may be to it. Come, try and be
+brave; trust in God, even though the very worst may have befallen; idle
+grief is useless. Let us go to Stow Wood and examine the place; perhaps
+we may discover something which this man may have overlooked. Pluck up
+your courage, and hope for the best; and Ralph, remember, that whatever
+happens you have a friend in myself, who counts it a privilege to be
+able to do anything to show how grateful he is to you for what you did
+yesterday."
+
+Ralph, with an effort, subdued his feelings, and replied gratefully--
+
+"You are very kind to me, sir. Let us do as you suggest. Will you
+take me to the place? I do not know anything of the country here, of
+course."
+
+"I will go with you, and we will have this man accompany us, and show
+us exactly where he found this hat. Come, we will start at once."
+
+Stow Wood was about a mile and a half from the inn, a rather
+dismal-looking place, where the grass grew long and dank, and where
+stoats and rats found a safe retreat from which to sally forth at night
+upon their marauding expeditions; and the grimmest, most lonely spot
+was around the deep pool, known locally as the Black Mere.
+
+A dark, motionless pool it was; in some parts covered with green weed,
+surrounded by coarse grass.
+
+Local superstition said that it was haunted, and though sensible people
+laughed at that, still the appearance of the spot was enough to give
+rise to such a legend.
+
+"I found the hat just here, sir," said the man, bending down and
+pointing to a clump of blind-nettle. "You can see where it was lying,
+sir."
+
+Mr. St. Clive and Ralph stopped and examined the place. It was clear
+that something resembling a struggle had taken place here, for the tall
+grass was trampled and beaten flat, and, in some places, the earth
+itself had been cut up, as though by the heels of boots. Mr. St. Clive
+felt very grave--if ever anything seemed to tell of a tragedy, this
+did--and he said to Ralph--
+
+"My poor boy, I must own that there seems every appearance of foul play
+here. We shall have to see the police. You are quite sure that your
+father told you nothing, however unimportant it may seem, which might
+give us an inkling of where he was going?"
+
+"He said nothing, sir," answered Ralph sadly. "It is all a mystery to
+me. But now we are here we may as well learn all that we can."
+
+"What more can we learn, Ralph?" asked Mr. St. Clive. "This silent spot
+will not speak and tell us what happened."
+
+"Not to you perhaps, but it will speak to me, sir. I have been brought
+up on the plains, remember, and grass and trees may tell me more than
+they can tell to you. First, sir, is this a direct road to anywhere? I
+mean, is it a general thoroughfare?"
+
+Mr. St. Clive shook his head.
+
+"No, Ralph. It is a rarely frequented spot. The village people are half
+afraid of it. It is a short cut from Stow Ormond to Great Stow, and it
+would argue that your father must have been familiar with the place for
+him to have taken it."
+
+"Where else besides Great Stow does it lead to, sir?"
+
+"Why, my lad, to nowhere in particular. It takes you out the other side
+of Stow Common, and, of course, from there you can go where you will."
+
+Ralph nodded.
+
+"So that we may suppose that any one crossing here would be going to
+Great Stow?"
+
+"Yes. It would save him going all round through Little Stow."
+
+"Very well, sir. Now we will go to the side of the wood nearest to the
+inn."
+
+"Why?" asked Mr. St. Clive in surprise.
+
+"Because I want to know whether my father crossed this place in going
+from the inn; and if so, I want to try and see where he went to. There
+is a lot to learn here, sir; but I must start at the beginning."
+
+Mr. St. Clive was impressed, though he could not understand what Ralph
+meant; and so together they went back to that part of the wood which
+bordered upon Stow Ormond, and here Ralph began to walk to and fro,
+carefully surveying the grass, until presently he stopped and said--
+
+"My father did cross here. He got over that stile."
+
+"How do you know, Ralph?" asked Mr. St. Clive. "I confess that I see
+nothing to indicate it."
+
+"Why, it is quite clear, sir," answered the boy. "See, the ground here
+is soft and muddy, and this is the imprint of my father's foot here
+in this soft red clay. That has taken the mark like wax. That is his
+square-toed boot."
+
+Mr. St. Clive had to admit that so far the boy was correct. Some one
+wearing a square-toed boot had stepped into a little heap of clay, and
+the footmark was quite clearly defined.
+
+"Now," Ralph went on, pointing to the stile, "here is a mark of clay on
+the stile, so he must have crossed here, and here the grass has been
+trodden down as he went on."
+
+This latter sign was nothing like so clear, but the boy, used to
+reading tracks in the far-off West, showed the man how the blades of
+grass were turned from the weight that had trodden on them; and as
+they walked forward the traces became even plainer, leading past the
+pool, and on towards the common; and Ralph gave a cry as he studied the
+ground.
+
+"Here are two people walking now," he said; "and one wears pointed
+boots!"
+
+"The man who brought the hat to us," suggested Mr. St. Clive.
+
+"No, sir. He wore big boots, with nails in them. You can see the marks
+of those quite plainly, and he came here last of all."
+
+"How do you know that?" demanded Mr. St. Clive, very interested.
+
+"Because the marks that he has made are over all the others," was the
+explanation. "Let us go on."
+
+They followed the traces, faint though they seemed, until they reached
+the common; and here, though Ralph studied the ground for nearly an
+hour, he could discover nothing. Several roads crossed the common,
+and the men must have traversed one of these, but which one there was
+nothing to show.
+
+Back to the pool they went, and here Ralph paused; and Mr. St. Clive,
+looking at him inquiringly, said--
+
+"Well, what now, my boy? Have you learnt anything?"
+
+"Yes--a lot, sir; but I do not understand it. Let me tell you what
+these signs tell me. My father crossed here alone, and went somewhere
+across the common, and I do not think that it could have been very far
+away. Then he came back alone----"
+
+"But the second man?" queried Mr. St. Clive.
+
+"One moment, sir. He came alone, and he stopped to light another cigar
+just here. Look, here is the match half-burnt, and the stump of the one
+he threw away."
+
+"Yes; go on," said Mr. St. Clive, nodding his head. "You have reason
+for what you say."
+
+"Now, some one followed my father back, and he wore rather small boots
+with pointed toes----"
+
+"Plenty of gentlemen do that. I wear such boots myself, you see."
+
+"I know, sir. This man was dodging my father, and when he stopped to
+light his cigar the man stopped too, just over there behind that hedge."
+
+"My dear lad, what makes you say that?"
+
+"The mark of his feet are there, and I think he fired at my father more
+than once. He fired once and missed, I know, because this tree has
+got a bullet in the bark, and I am going to have it out! Then he ran
+forward, and there must have been a fight, and father fell just here.
+Look, you can surely see where he lay? See the length where the grass
+is crushed; and see these two marks--a heel and a toe; that means,
+that some one knelt beside him, and----. Look, look, sir!"
+
+A glimmer of something bright in the long grass caught Ralph's eye,
+and, stooping, he picked up a watch and chain, and a purse, which had
+evidently been thrown hastily aside.
+
+"Whoever killed my father searched him, and wanted something in
+particular. It was no robber, for then he would have taken these and
+not thrown them down."
+
+Mr. St. Clive could only look on in silence. There was something very
+strange in the boy thus unfolding the incidents of a strange mystery,
+reading them from almost invisible signs upon the grass. And Ralph
+continued--
+
+"Then the man ran away and came back with a cart--you can see the marks
+of the wheels. See, they come close up here! And here he drove off
+again. I suppose that father was in the cart--that is what he brought
+it for. The horse went a bit lame, too, in the off forefoot. That is
+all the place can tell me, sir."
+
+All! Mr. St. Clive was amazed that the boy was able to see so much, and
+he followed his reasoning, noting how one footmark partly obliterated
+another, proving that it had been made after it. That a strange meeting
+had taken place in that lonely wood seemed indeed all too likely, but
+beyond that all was mystery. Why had Mr. Rexworth entered this place,
+whither was he going, and who was the man who had come after him?
+
+Ralph had his knife out, and was busily cutting away the bark of one of
+the trees which stood close by. His action proved that he had not been
+wrong in his conjecture--a flattened piece of lead was embedded there,
+and Frank put it into his pocket.
+
+"Perhaps one day that may tell me some more," he said.
+
+But there was nothing more to do there, though Mr. St. Clive said that
+he would see that the wood was searched through, and that the mere
+was dragged; and then, trying to speak comforting words to Ralph, he
+returned with him to Stow Ormond. And as they entered the inn, a tall,
+handsome gentleman, with one hand in a sling, came out, and seeing Mr.
+St. Clive, greeted him with: "Hallo, St. Clive, I hear that your little
+girl had a narrow escape last night!"
+
+Mr. St. Clive frowned.
+
+"Yes, from your bull, Lord Elgert. You ought to have the brute properly
+guarded. If it had not been for this young gentleman, Irene might have
+been killed."
+
+Lord Elgert stared at Ralph, and his look was not pleasant.
+
+"Oh, is this the young man who noosed him? Well, he has broken the
+bull's knees; but, however, it is fortunate that he was at hand. By the
+way, what is this that Simon tells me. Something has happened in Stow
+Wood?"
+
+"I fear so," replied Mr. St. Clive; and he narrated briefly what they
+had discovered.
+
+Was it fancy, or did Ralph notice that handsome face turn a shade paler
+when mention was made of the bullet cut from the tree? Somehow the boy
+did not like this wealthy gentleman, though he knew not why he should
+regard him with enmity. When Mr. St. Clive had concluded, Lord Elgert
+said--
+
+"Dear, dear! How strange! But still, you do not know that anything
+has happened. You will tell the police, of course. Can you give a
+description of your father, my boy?"
+
+"I can show his likeness, sir," replied Ralph, taking out his
+pocket-book. "Here it is!"
+
+Lord Elgert took the photograph, but as he looked at it he gave a
+whistle of surprise.
+
+"So this is the missing man?" he said. "St. Clive, perhaps, I can tell
+you something of interest. Last night my place was broken into, and
+I woke up to hear a man in my study. I went down and switched on the
+electric light, so that I could see the rascal quite plainly. He turned
+and tried to bolt, but I closed with him, and in the rough-and-tumble
+he managed to cut my hand open and clear off. St. Clive, I am positive
+that the man was none other than the original of this likeness, and----"
+
+He was interrupted by a passionate cry of pain and anger, and Ralph,
+snatching the photograph from his hand, stood confronting him with
+blazing eyes.
+
+"It is false!" he cried. "You know it is false! I believe that you are
+responsible for my father's disappearance!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III
+
+MR. ST. CLIVE PROVES HIMSELF A TRUE FRIEND
+
+
+"I believe that you are responsible for my father's disappearance."
+
+So did Ralph Rexworth cry in his anger; and Lord Elgert started, and
+his face grew dark with rage.
+
+"You impudent young dog!" he shouted, raising his stick; and the blow
+would have fallen, had not Mr. St. Clive stopped it with his arm.
+
+"Lord Elgert," he said sternly; for he was shocked at the callous way
+in which the charge had been made, "I cannot stand by and allow that.
+You have made a very serious charge----"
+
+"Nothing so serious as that young rascal has made. I am surprised
+that you stand by and listen to it, St. Clive; but you always were
+antagonistic to me! I assert what is fact. My place was broken into----"
+
+"Did any one but yourself see this man?"
+
+"An absurd question! Who was there to see him? By the time the alarm
+was given he was gone. I shall have to tell the police of that
+photograph; it will be wanted to help in tracing him. I expect this
+story is all nonsense; and upon inquiry it will be found that the
+farthest these two have travelled is from London. Most probably this
+boy, who makes such unfounded charges, knew well the business which
+brought his father here. The story of what happened in the woods is
+really too romantic. If two people were there, the second was most
+likely an accomplice; and they have gone off, leaving the boy here to
+see what he can learn, or pick up. You are easily deceived, St. Clive."
+And Lord Elgert turned upon his heel with a mocking laugh.
+
+But ere he could go, Ralph stood in his path, regarding him with a
+fixed stare.
+
+"I do not know you," he said. "I never saw you before; but I can tell
+friend from enemy, and you are an enemy. I am only a boy; but one day I
+will bring your words back to you, and make you prove them."
+
+"Out of my way, you young rascal!" came the answer, "or I will have you
+in prison before long. St. Clive, I wish you joy of your young friend.
+Take my advice, and keep a sharp eye on the silver, if you suffer him
+to enter your house."
+
+Ralph would have surely been provoked into some foolish action had not
+Mr. St. Clive laid a gentle hand upon his shoulder, and led him back
+into the inn; and then the boy quite broke down.
+
+"Oh, sir! Oh, sir!" he cried. "To say such things about my dear
+father--my dear, kind father! But he shall prove them," he added
+fiercely. "I will make him prove them. I believe that he knows
+something."
+
+"Ralph," answered Mr. St. Clive quietly, "because Lord Elgert has been
+both unkind and foolish, that is no reason why you should talk wildly.
+To say that Lord Elgert has had anything to do with your father's
+disappearance, seems to me to be the very height of folly. He is a rich
+man, and one of our justices----"
+
+"Where does he live, sir?" queried Ralph suddenly.
+
+"At Castle Court, near Great Stow. Ah," he added, as he saw Ralph's
+look, "I know what you are thinking--that it is in the direction
+whither your father was going! But remember, that will be equally
+applicable to Lord Elgert's story that your father was going there.
+It is most likely that some one in a measure resembling your father,
+did break into Castle Court--we have not the slightest reason for
+discrediting Lord Elgert's statement--and in the confusion of the
+struggle, he did not clearly distinguish his opponent, and so says that
+he resembles this photograph. Mistaken identity is a common occurrence,
+and----"
+
+"You do not believe his story, sir? I could not bear to think that."
+
+"I do not, Ralph. If I did so, I should still feel my debt of gratitude
+to you; but I do not believe it. I am not so foolish as to mistake
+between a gentleman and a thief; and though I have not seen your
+father, I think that I can see him in you and your manner. Now be
+brave, and do not trouble about what his lordship said. He was angry
+because you spoke as you did; and though it was natural, your language
+was not very polite." And Mr. St. Clive smiled slightly. "Now let us
+talk sensibly. First, you cannot stay here by yourself; therefore,
+disregarding the warning I have received, I invite you to be my guest
+for the time, until we can see what is best to be done. What money have
+you of your own?"
+
+"Only a few shillings, but there is the purse, sir." And Ralph opened
+the purse which they had picked up in Stow Wood. "Here are five
+sovereigns, and two five-pound notes, sir."
+
+"Then we had better pay the innkeeper and make a start. Simon"--as the
+old fellow came in answer to the bell--"I am going to take this young
+gentleman home with me. If his father should return, or if letters
+arrive, you will let us know. Make out your bill. And, Simon, I suppose
+that you did not recognize Mr. Rexworth at all?"
+
+"Why, no, sir; I cannot say that I did! But he knew the place, sir;
+and when I told the girl to show him up to No. 10, sir, he just went
+straight up to it. He knew the _Horse and Wheel_, sir."
+
+"Well, get your bill ready."
+
+The old man went out. It was something of a relief to know that he
+was going to be paid; for he had begun to have some doubts about the
+matter.
+
+So it came about that Ralph Rexworth was taken home by Mr. St. Clive;
+and there he was received with kindness and warmth by that gentleman's
+wife, while little Irene smiled shyly, and put out one dainty little
+hand for him to take in his brown palm.
+
+"I thank you very much," the little lass said. "I think that horrid
+bull would have killed me if it had not been for you." And Mrs. St.
+Clive shuddered as she listened; for her husband had told her how great
+was the peril from which Irene had been rescued.
+
+Leaving the two young people to make friends, Mr. St. Clive took his
+wife aside and told her of the strange position in which their young
+guest was placed.
+
+"The boy does not seem to have a friend in the world," he said. "And he
+is undoubtedly a gentleman, Kate. What is to be done? His father may
+return; but I confess that it looks as if a tragedy had taken place. It
+was wonderful how the lad pieced together traces which were invisible
+to me. I fear that something bad has occurred. As to Lord Elgert's
+idea, I do not put much faith in it. Elgert is too fond of thinking
+evil of people--he is one of the most merciless men on the bench. What
+shall we do, Kate?"
+
+"Do?" replied his wife, with a fond smile. "Why, Hubert, you have
+already determined what to do!"
+
+Her husband laughed pleasantly.
+
+"I confess that I have. Still, I like to have your desire run with my
+own. You want this lad to stay here?"
+
+"Yes, Hubert. If he is lonely and friendless, let us be his friends;
+for had he not rescued her, our dear little daughter would have been
+killed."
+
+So husband and wife agreed; but when they went to Ralph they found that
+he was not quite willing to accept the invitation.
+
+"I know how kind it is of you," the boy said. "And it is true that
+I have no friends, and nowhere to go; but I--I cannot live on your
+charity. I want to earn my living somehow."
+
+"That is good, Ralph," was the hearty reply of Mr. St. Clive; "but you
+must be reasonable. There is such a thing as unreasonable pride. You
+cannot earn your living in any calling as a gentleman, without you are
+fitted for it. Your life on the plains, and life here, or in London,
+would be very vastly different. If you had friends in Texas we might
+send you back again----"
+
+"No, no, sir!" cried Ralph, interrupting him. "I could not go back.
+Here I must stay for two reasons. I must live to find out what has
+become of my father, and I must clear his name from the accusation that
+man made."
+
+"Your first reason is good; your second I do not think that you need
+worry over. Then you will stay? Well, then, you must certainly let the
+wish of my wife and of Irene conquer your pride. I want to help you
+all I can; and if presently it is better for you to go, I promise you
+that I will not seek to detain you."
+
+"Do stop, Ralph," added Irene, who, pet as she was, had stolen into
+her father's study, and heard what was said. "I want you to stay; and
+I want you to teach me how to throw a rope like that, though I should
+never dare to throw it at a bull. Please stay."
+
+And somehow Ralph looked down into that upturned little face, and he
+could not say "no."
+
+"It is very good of you, sir," he murmured, to Mr. St. Clive,
+"especially after what Lord Elgert said----"
+
+"My lad, do not be so sensitive concerning that."
+
+"But I cannot help it, sir. He first called my father a thief; and
+he--he--you know what he said about your silver?"
+
+And Ralph turned very red.
+
+Mr. St. Clive understood, and sympathized. He liked Ralph all the
+better for being keenly sensitive about it.
+
+"There, let it go, my dear boy. Now, once more, business. Have you any
+luggage, save these two handbags?"
+
+"In London, sir. Two great trunks. Father left them at the station.
+Here are the papers for them." And the boy took a railway luggage
+receipt from his pocket-book.
+
+"This is important. We may find something to help us in those trunks,"
+cried Mr. St. Clive. "Of course, I am not legally justified in touching
+them, Ralph; but, under the circumstances, I think that I might do
+so. We must have them here, and examine their contents. We may then
+discover what brought your father to Stow Ormond; and that, in its
+turn, might give us some clue as to what may have happened."
+
+"I do not think there is much doubt as to what has happened," sighed
+the boy. But Mr. St. Clive would not listen to that.
+
+"Never look at the darkest side, lad. There is a kind Providence over
+all, and we must never despair. Now, our very first task must be to
+obtain your travelling trunks without delay."
+
+Mr. St. Clive lost no time in putting this resolution into practice.
+The trunks were got down from London, and opened; but, to their
+disappointment, their contents revealed nothing which tended in any way
+to throw a light upon the mystery--clothing, a few mementoes of their
+Texan home, and--and in view of Ralph's future welfare this was most
+important--banknotes and gold to the amount of £3,000!
+
+"No need to feel yourself dependent upon any one now, Ralph," was the
+remark of Mr. St. Clive, as they counted this money; "and no need to
+give another thought to Lord Elgert's suspicions. People possessed of
+so much money do not go breaking into houses, risking their liberty
+for the sake of what they may be able to steal."
+
+Now, though Irene St. Clive was delighted, and would have been quite
+content for Ralph to have stayed as her companion, her father did
+not look at matters in that way; and he had a serious talk with
+Ralph, having first quietly questioned him in order to ascertain his
+acquirements.
+
+"You see, Ralph," he said, "what a man needs in England is quite
+different from what he may need abroad. You can ride, shoot, and round
+up cattle; but that is no good here. Your father has given you a
+general education, so that you are not a dunce; but it is nothing like
+what you will need as a gentleman here. Knowledge is power and your
+desire to clear up the matter of your father's disappearance demands
+that you should acquire all the power obtainable. My advice--I have
+no right to insist, remember--but my advice is that you should spend
+a couple of years at a first-class school--we have a splendid one
+here--and if you work honestly during that time, with your intellect
+you ought to have made a good headway. What do you say?"
+
+The boy knit his brows. To one who had passed his days in a wild, free
+life, such a prospect did not hold out many charms; but then Ralph was
+fond of learning, and had sometimes sighed that he could not learn
+more. Besides, his one object in life was to solve the matter of his
+father's disappearance, and clear his name from any foul charge. In
+his heart, Ralph had resolved ever to live under honour's flag. He
+looked up, and answered frankly--
+
+"I will be guided entirely by you, sir, unless my father comes back;
+then, of course, I should do whatever he directed."
+
+"My feeling is, that had your father elected to remain in England he
+would certainly have sent you to school. Now, Ralph, I am going to be
+frank with you. We have, as I have said, a splendid school near here;
+but amongst its pupils is Horace Elgert. I fear that he takes after
+his father somewhat; and if Lord Elgert has said anything, or does say
+anything to him when he knows you are there, young Horace may try to
+make it unpleasant for you. Do you understand?"
+
+"Perfectly, sir," replied Ralph.
+
+"And will you go there?"
+
+Ralph looked Mr. St. Clive in the face, and he answered firmly:
+
+"Yes, sir. The boy's being there is nothing to me. I will go."
+
+"Good!" replied Mr. St. Clive, with a nod of appreciation. "We will go
+over and see the Headmaster to-morrow."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV
+
+RALPH'S FIRST DAY AT SCHOOL
+
+
+"He is a fine young fellow, but his past life has been spent amidst
+very different scenes, and he is far from having a fitting education.
+But he is very intellectual and will acquire knowledge quickly. His
+father must have been a gentleman, and he has taught his son to be one
+also."
+
+It was Mr. St. Clive who spoke, and his words were addressed to Dr.
+Beverly, the principal of Marlthorpe College--the best school in all
+the county.
+
+A fine-looking man was the doctor, tall, erect, dignified, with firm
+face and piercing eyes--eyes which could look terribly severe when
+their owner was angry, but which otherwise were gentle, and even
+mirthful.
+
+Dr. Beverly was proud of his school, but prouder still of his work. He
+did not labour to make scholars only, but also to build up men--good,
+noble men--who should be a credit to the old school, and a blessing to
+their country. Work or play, the doctor believed in everything being
+done as well as it could be, for his watchword was "Whatever you do, do
+it to the glory of God," and nothing can be done to God's glory that
+is not done as well as it possibly can be.
+
+Mr. St. Clive had explained how Ralph came to be under his care,
+and had told the doctor how much he owed to him; and he finished by
+mentioning the cruel statement which Lord Elgert had made, and the
+angry way in which Ralph had answered it.
+
+"I tell you this," he said, "that you may know everything. I attach no
+weight to Elgert's statement myself--it is too absurd, but you must
+exercise your own discretion," and the doctor smiled slightly.
+
+"Lord Elgert is rather prone to make rash statements," he said. "I
+shall be quite willing to receive your young friend, and I will do my
+best to turn him into a good man."
+
+"That I am sure of," was the hearty reply, "and I am also sure that you
+will have good material to work upon. Then I will bring Ralph over."
+
+"And do you propose that he shall board here entirely, or return to you
+every Saturday, as most of the lads do?"
+
+"Oh, come home. That is how I did in my day--you know I want to watch
+the boy. Good-day, doctor," and Mr. St. Clive came away.
+
+Marlthorpe College was a splendid old building, with large playing
+fields at the back, and a great quadrangle in front, to which entrance
+was gained through a pair of great iron gates, against which the
+porter's lodge was built.
+
+The school itself was at the other side of the quadrangle, directly
+facing the gates--a two storey building, with the hall, in which the
+whole school assembled upon special occasions, below, and with the
+classrooms above. It had two wings; the one to the right being the
+doctor's own residence, and that on the left the undermaster's quarters.
+
+At the back there were again buildings on the right and left--on the
+left junior dormitories, the dining-hall, and matron's rooms; and on
+the right senior dormitories and studies.
+
+Mr. St. Clive drove home and told Ralph the result of his visit.
+
+"I am sure that you will like the doctor," he said, "and you will find
+your companions a nice lot of fellows. Of course there will be some
+unpleasant ones; and Ralph, if things are as they used to be, you
+will find that there are two sets of fellows--those who mean to work
+honestly, and those who never intend to take pains. I need not ask
+which set you will belong to," and Mr. St. Clive smiled. "But now,"
+he added, "I want you to try and be brave. You have a very terrible
+sorrow, I know; and it is hard to put it from my mind----"
+
+"It is never from my mind, sir," interrupted Ralph sadly. "I am always
+thinking of it."
+
+"But you must not brood over it. To do that, will unfit you for all
+else. Leave it with God, Ralph, and do not let even so great a grief
+interfere with life's duties. Will you promise me to try and remember
+this?"
+
+"I will indeed, sir," answered Ralph. "If I have lost father, I mean to
+try and think that he knows, and just do that which would please him."
+
+"That is good; but still better is it to remember that we have to
+try and do that which shall please our Heavenly Father. Now, Ralph,
+I suppose that out where you made your home, blows often were the
+only way of settling troubles. I do not say that blows are never
+justifiable, for sometimes we are placed in such circumstances as
+warrant fighting, but do not be too ready to quarrel, or to avenge
+every fancied insult with your fist. But there, I am sure that I can
+leave that to you. Now come to lunch, and then we must see about
+starting."
+
+"I am so glad that you are coming home every week, Ralph," so said
+Irene St. Clive, when she heard of the arrangements which her father
+had made. "My own lessons are finished on Friday, and we can have all
+Saturday to ourselves. I shall count all the days until each Saturday
+comes."
+
+So with kindly words to cheer him on his way, Ralph started off with
+Mr. St. Clive, and was introduced to Dr. Beverly; and Ralph felt that
+he liked the doctor from the very first moment that he saw him; and he
+determined that he would do all that he could to get on and prove to
+Mr. St. Clive that he meant to keep his word.
+
+Then when his friend had gone, the doctor questioned Ralph to see just
+what he knew; and at the conclusion of the examination he laid his hand
+on his shoulder.
+
+"My boy," he said, "it is my desire always to have the fullest
+confidence in my scholars, and also to enjoy their confidence. I want
+you to remember that I desire to be your friend as well as your master,
+and that out of school hours I am always glad to see any of my boys who
+want to talk with me. I do not mean who want to come tale-bearing," he
+added, and Ralph smiled as he answered--
+
+"Thank you, sir. I think I understand."
+
+"You will have to be in the Fourth Form at first, that is the lowest
+Form in the Senior House," the doctor continued. "But if you work well,
+you will soon be in the Fifth. Now, if you will come with me I will
+introduce you to your master, Mr. Delermain, and I think you will find
+him ever ready to help you in any way he can."
+
+Ralph thanked the Head again, and followed him, with more of curiosity
+than of nervousness, to make the acquaintance of the boys with whom he
+was to study; and twenty pairs of eyes glanced up as the Head opened
+the door, and then dropped as quickly when they saw who had entered.
+
+But the master rose from his seat and came forward to meet the doctor,
+who said, patting Ralph on the shoulder--
+
+"I have brought you a new scholar, Mr. Delermain. This is Ralph
+Rexworth, and he is the young gentleman of whom you have heard--the one
+who saved Mr. St. Clive's daughter." Hereat the eyes were stealthily
+raised, and glances of something like respectful awe followed. Of
+course every one there had heard of the incident about the bull, and of
+the disappearance of Mr. Rexworth.
+
+"Rexworth is rather backward," the Head continued. "His life has been
+spent abroad, and he has not had the opportunities for study; but I
+believe that he will soon pick up." And with this Dr. Beverly went, and
+Mr. Delermain, having spoken a few words of welcome, beckoned to a boy
+to come forward.
+
+"Warren, let Rexworth sit beside you this afternoon, and give him a set
+of the sums we are doing. If you find them too difficult," he added to
+Ralph, "do not hesitate to come to me."
+
+But Ralph did not need to ask for aid, he could do the sums and the
+exercises that followed. Indeed, he did better than some who had been
+there longer, notably one big lad with a sickly flabby face, who was
+seated at the bottom of the class, and who received a reprimand from
+his master for his indolence.
+
+"It is shameful, Dobson! Here, a new boy has done better than you have.
+Your idleness is disgraceful."
+
+A writing exercise followed; and Ralph was bending over his book, when
+flop!--a wad of wet blotting-paper hit him in the cheek. He looked up,
+but every one seemed busy with their work, so wiping his cheek he put
+the wet mass on one side, and went on with his task. Flop! A second
+wad came. Ralph noted the direction, and saw that at the end of the
+form Dobson was seated, and Ralph had his suspicions. Pretending to
+be absorbed in his work, he kept a covert watch; and presently he was
+rewarded by seeing Dobson extract a third wad from his mouth, where he
+had been chewing it into a convenient pellet, and under cover of the
+boy in front of him prepare to fire it by a flick of his thumb. Ralph
+raised his eyes and looked him full in the face, and, somehow, Dobson
+seemed confused. He turned red, and bent over his work hastily; and no
+more pellets were fired at Ralph that afternoon.
+
+It seemed rather a wearisome afternoon to the boy, used as he was to
+his open-air life, but he worked away with all his might; and presently
+the bell rang and work was over; and then Warren, the boy beside whom
+he had sat, came to him and held out his hand.
+
+"I am first monitor of our form," he said, "and I hope that we shall be
+friends. If you come with me I will take you round the school."
+
+"Rexworth."
+
+Ralph turned as his name was called; his master stood there.
+
+"I want you a few minutes. Warren, you can take him round afterwards.
+I want to arrange about his study."
+
+"We have only got one vacant, sir," the monitor said. "Charlton has
+that."
+
+"I know," was the quiet answer; and then, when Warren ran off, the
+master turned to Ralph.
+
+"Rexworth," he said, "I must explain that in our form every two boys
+have one study between them, and as you heard Warren say, we have only
+one study that is not fully occupied. A lad named Charlton has it, and
+you must chum with him. It is about him I want to speak to you."
+
+"Yes, sir," said Ralph, wondering why his master spoke so gravely.
+
+"Rexworth, I am sorry to say that Charlton is not quite in favour
+with his schoolmates. His father got into some trouble and has
+disappeared--it is supposed that he is dead--and the boy managed to
+gain a scholarship at another and poorer school, and has come here.
+He is a real nice lad, but very weakly and timid, and the others put
+upon him, partly on that account, partly because of his father's
+disappearance, and partly because he is poor--a sad crime in the eyes
+of many. It would have been wiser, I think, if he had not come here,
+but Dr. Beverly wished him to do so. I wish, Rexworth, that you would
+try to be his friend, for he needs one; some of the lads are nice
+enough to him, but he seems so very much alone."
+
+"I would like to help him, sir," was the ready answer. And the master
+smiled.
+
+"I thought that I was not mistaken in you," he said. "Look, there the
+lad is. Charlton, come here."
+
+The lad came up. He was a pale boy, very delicate in appearance, and
+with a sad, wistful face.
+
+"Yes, sir," he said.
+
+"Charlton, there is only one vacancy in our studies, and that is with
+you. Rexworth will have to chum with you." The boy cast a startled
+glance at Ralph. "Take him and show him where it is, and try to make
+him feel at home."
+
+"Yes, sir." The boy beckoned to Ralph. "Please come with me," he said,
+in troubled tones, as if he doubted whether Ralph would care about
+sharing the study with him.
+
+"Have we got to be chums?" asked Ralph; and the other boy nodded.
+
+"Yes. That is what we call it. It means sharing studies; but you need
+not speak to me if you don't want to, and I will not be in the study
+much. I am not as it is, for they are always disturbing me and spoiling
+my things."
+
+"They! Who?" demanded Ralph; and the lad answered--
+
+"The other chaps and the Fifths. Dobson, in ours, and Elgert of the
+Fifth, are the worst. They go in and spoil my things."
+
+"They have no business to, of course?"
+
+"Go in? No, of course not--only the two who chum have any right in it.
+Here we are, and--there, they are in now!"--as a scuffling and burst
+of laughter came from the inside of the study before which the boy had
+halted. "Oh, what are they doing! Will you stop until they have gone?"
+
+"Not I," answered Ralph grimly. "That study is mine as well as yours,
+and I mean to see that we have it to ourselves, Charlton. Come on, and
+we will see what is up." And saying this, Ralph threw open the door and
+walked into the little room, followed by his companion.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V
+
+MAKING THINGS STRAIGHT
+
+
+A burst of laughter greeted Ralph's ears as he opened the study door,
+and some one said:
+
+"Look sharp. Here he comes! Hurry up there, Elgert!"
+
+But the laughter died away somewhat awkwardly when the boys saw that
+Charlton was not alone, and one or two of the boys came up to Ralph.
+
+"Hallo, you new fellow! They surely haven't put you to chum with
+Charlton, have they? What a shame! I should kick against it. Some one
+else must make room for you."
+
+Such were the remarks of those who had taken a fancy to Ralph, but he
+paid no heed to it all. He just calmly gazed round, as if counting the
+number of boys there and taking their measure; and then he quite as
+calmly shut the door, locked it, and put the key in his pocket. Those
+present looked in surprise for a moment--some laughed, and one, a tall,
+handsome boy, came haughtily up to him.
+
+"What do you mean by that?" he demanded. "How dare you lock that door?"
+
+Ralph regarded him with the utmost coolness. No one had told him who
+the boy was, and yet he seemed to know--he felt sure that this was none
+other than Horace Elgert himself.
+
+"Wait a bit," he said calmly. "So far as I understand, this study
+belongs to Charlton and myself. We have a perfect right to lock the
+door."
+
+"But not to lock us in," retorted Elgert. "Open it at once, and think
+yourself lucky that you don't get a licking for your impudence!"
+
+"Steady!" was Ralph's answer. "It seems to me that if you had not been
+where you have no right to be, you would not have got locked in; and
+now that you are here, you must wait my pleasure as to going out."
+
+This was beginning school life with a vengeance, but Ralph believed in
+settling things once and for all, and his indignation was hot as he saw
+what these half dozen lads had been doing.
+
+But Horace Elgert was not a boy to be spoken to like that, and he came
+striding up to Ralph to take the key by force.
+
+"I will soon settle you," he began, and he aimed a blow at this
+impertinent new boy's head, only somehow the blow did not get there.
+Ralph adroitly stepped aside, and the Honourable Horace Elgert stumbled
+to the ground violently.
+
+"A fight! A fight!" cried the rest; but Ralph smiled and shook his
+head.
+
+"Oh, no, my friends. I have something better to do, and this is not the
+place for fighting."
+
+They were staggered. They could not understand this coolness and,
+moreover, they had all heard about Ralph having tackled the bull, and
+the story had grown somewhat. They stood considerably in awe of this
+boy from the Western plains, and they began to wish that they were
+anywhere else than in his study.
+
+Horace Elgert got up, his face white with passion but he made no more
+attempts to take the key from Ralph.
+
+"You are right," he said, in suppressed tones; "this is not the place
+to fight. Open the door, and we will soon settle things."
+
+"Presently," was all the answer he got. "Now, then, let us see what you
+have been up to."
+
+He glanced round at the books tumbled on the floor, at a desk upset, at
+an ink-bottle on its side, and then turned to his chum.
+
+But Charlton was standing, looking very white, and staring at a picture
+on the wall--the picture of a lady, and beneath it some one had
+written--
+
+"This is Charlton's mammy. But where is his daddy? Puzzle--Find daddy,
+and tell the police."
+
+Ralph felt his nerves tingle. He felt sure that Elgert had done that,
+and he remembered the words of Lord Elgert respecting his own father.
+
+"Who did that?" he said, and no one answered. He went up to Elgert.
+"Did you do it?"
+
+"Well, if I did, what is it to do with you? Mind your own business!"
+
+"Take that scrawl down. Quick, or I shall lose my temper, and then I
+fancy some one will get hurt! Down with it! That is right"--as the
+other, considerably startled, pulled the writing down. "Give it to me."
+
+It was remarkable how the daring of the one lad held the half dozen in
+check. Elgert handed him the paper, and Ralph tore it up and threw the
+fragments into his face.
+
+"Now then, you have upset this room. Just put it straight again,
+and look sharp about it!" he said. "And please to understand that
+Charlton and I are chums, and mean to stick together. Oh, and I want a
+word with you"--and he walked up to Dobson, who turned a trifle more
+pasty-looking than before. "Do you know what these are?"
+
+Ralph produced two wads of chewed blotting-paper from his pocket as he
+spoke, and Dobson blustered--
+
+"You keep to your chum, since you are so thick with him. I don't want
+anything to do with you. I say, you chaps, are you going to let him
+crow over you like this? Rush him!"
+
+"Good advice; only, why don't you do the rushing first?" said Ralph.
+"I asked you if you recognized these. If you don't, I will tell you
+what they are--they are pieces of blotting-paper, which you chewed
+and then threw at me. They came out of your mouth, and they are
+going back there again--when I have mopped up this ink which you have
+spilt." Ralph suited the action to the word, and presented the two
+unpalatable-looking objects to Dobson, who was at once a coward and a
+bully. "Now, then, open your mouth!"
+
+"I won't! Who do you think that you are? I---- Oh!"
+
+For Ralph did not argue. He grabbed hold of Dobson, and with a quick
+jerk sent him backwards across the little study table.
+
+"Oh, oh! You are breaking my back!" howled the bully.
+
+"Open your mouth!"
+
+"I won't! Oh, help me, you fellows--he will break my back! Oh! Ugh!
+Ow! I am choking!" For, just as he opened his mouth to yell, Ralph had
+pushed both those pieces of blotting-paper in.
+
+"Now, then, take them," he said. "Quick, or it will be the worse for
+you!"
+
+Dobson, with many queer grimaces, had to comply--it was the most
+unsavoury morsel which he had tasted for many a day.
+
+[Illustration: "DOBSON, WITH MANY QUEER GRIMACES, HAD TO COMPLY." p. 49]
+
+"Now! Ah, I see that you have straightened things!" Ralph went on. "Now
+you chaps can go, and the next time you want to come into our study
+take my advice and ask leave, or there will be more trouble. Clear out!"
+
+And he unlocked the door and flung it open.
+
+And out those half dozen boys went, looking considerably crestfallen
+and stupid, and knowing also that they were cowards--they were all
+frightened by Ralph, so greatly does one of dauntless bearing affect a
+number.
+
+But one boy turned, and that one was Horace Elgert, and he came back
+and gave Ralph look for look.
+
+"Look here, you new fellow!" he said, "you have been very clever, but
+you have done a bad day's work for yourself. You have made one enemy at
+least. As for that insult which you offered me, you will have to fight
+me for it; and as for you, you miserable cub"--and he turned towards
+Charlton, who cowered back before his raised fist--"as for you, I
+will----"
+
+"Hold hard--you will do nothing!" answered Ralph, with the utmost
+good humour. "You are talking tall, that is all about it. Now, take
+my advice, and go; and when you are calmer, you will see things
+differently. And then, as to fighting--well, I shall not run away in
+the meantime. Clear!"
+
+And with that he shut the door and locked it behind his discomfited
+foes. Then, seating himself, he looked at the bewildered Charlton, and
+laughed again as he saw the look of admiration in his face.
+
+"There, I think that has taught them a lesson! We shall not have them
+upset our study again," he said. "One must maintain one's rights, and
+we may as well begin as we mean to go on. So this is our study, is it?"
+
+"Yes, if you will share it with me," the other boy said. And Ralph
+answered--
+
+"Share it? Of course I shall share it with you! Did not you hear Mr.
+Delermain say that we were to share it?"
+
+"But most fellows don't like me, because--because----"
+
+"Never mind why," interrupted Ralph, anxious to spare the boy's
+feelings. "I heard something about your father being gone; well, my
+father is gone, you know"--and Ralph's voice shook a little--"and so we
+two ought to be chums, and help each other. Then, I suppose that you
+know more than I do; for, except at roping a steer or rounding up a
+herd of cattle, I am afraid that I am not of much use. You will be able
+to help me on no end."
+
+"What! I help you?" gasped Charlton. "How can I do that?"
+
+"You know Greek and Latin, and goodness knows how much more, that I am
+only just at the beginning of, and you will be able to give me a hand
+with it. I want to get on and pick up things as quickly as I can."
+
+"I might help you that way, if you would let me," the boy said
+doubtfully. And Ralph laughed.
+
+"What a chap you are! Have I not told you that I shall be downright
+thankful: and there you keep on about if I will let you. Come, shake
+hands upon it! Charlton, we two are chums, and we are going to stick
+together and help each other. Is that so?"
+
+"Yes, if you will. I shall be so glad to have a chum, because it has
+been rather lonely sometimes; and then, you see, I am not very strong,
+and I am not brave like you, and the fellows know it, and they try to
+play all sorts of tricks upon me. Do you really mean to be my chum,
+Rexworth?"
+
+"Really and truly! Now, let us go down, and then you can show me what
+the place is like," was Ralph's answer. And the two, descending to the
+playground were met by Warren, who stopped and looked from Ralph to
+Charlton, and then asked--
+
+"I say, Rexworth, what have you been up to so soon? There is Dobson
+declaring that he will do all manner of things to you. You seem to have
+been having some fun already."
+
+So Ralph explained what had happened, and the monitor laughed until the
+tears ran down his cheeks.
+
+"Well, all I can say is that you are a cool hand," was his comment,
+"and I am not sorry that you have taught Dobson a lesson. You have not
+much to fear from him, but you will find that Elgert, for all he is an
+Honourable, has precious little honour about him. He will pay you back
+if he gets the chance, be sure of that. However," he went on, "I am
+glad that you two are chums, for I think you will like each other; but
+there is the bell for tea. Come on, or we shall be late."
+
+The rest of that day passed without further incident and at last the
+boys--evening preparation and supper over--went trooping to their
+dormitories, there to laugh and chat as they undressed; and many
+glances were bestowed upon Ralph. His exploit of that afternoon had
+been spoken of, and there was no attempt to play any jokes upon one who
+was prepared to take his own part so vigorously.
+
+But presently the laughing suddenly stopped, and something like a
+hush of surprise succeeded the noise. Warren seated on the edge of
+his bed, looked round to see what had happened--he thought that one
+of the masters had come in unexpectedly; but he saw his companions
+standing glancing across towards the spot where Ralph's bed was, and
+he, following their gaze, saw that the boy who was ready to face half a
+dozen of his companions, was down on his knees, his head bent upon his
+hands in prayer.
+
+Warren felt a thrill of shame. He was a real good lad at heart, but
+somehow he did not do that--none of them did--they thought that public
+prayers were enough; and yet he had promised his mother that each night
+he would kneel alone in prayer.
+
+Some of the boys were tittering, some looked grave. Warren suddenly
+found himself resolved. "If a thing should be done, do it at once," was
+his motto. He gave one hasty glance round, half ashamed, half defiant,
+and then, in the sight of all his companions, the Fourth Form monitor
+also knelt down by his bed, following the brave example set by Ralph
+Rexworth.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI
+
+AN EARLY MORNING SPIN
+
+
+It was quite a common thing for new boys at Marlthorpe College to be
+made the victims of practical jokes during their first night in the
+school; but such was the impression which Ralph Rexworth had made, that
+no tricks were attempted with him. A boy who could take his own part so
+vigorously was not the sort that it was safe to take liberties with.
+
+Nor was that the only reason. With Dobson and his friends it was quite
+sufficient, but with the better boys, that quiet kneeling down to pray
+had not been without effect. Some of them recognized that to do that
+might require more courage than to deal as he had done with those who
+had invaded his study--a moral courage, far greater and better than a
+physical; and they realized that a boy who possessed that courage was
+not a fit subject for stupid jokes.
+
+So Ralph slept peacefully until the morning, when, used to early rising
+all his life, he opened his eyes before any of the other boys were
+awake.
+
+At first he felt puzzled with his surroundings, but he soon remembered;
+and propping himself upon his elbow he lay watching the faces of the
+others, wondering what sort of lads they would prove to be, and how he
+should get on with them, and whether he would be able to master the
+lessons which they were engaged upon.
+
+Then he looked at Charlton, and thought how sad he looked, even in his
+sleep; and he noted how often he sighed. Perhaps he was dreaming of his
+father.
+
+That sent him thinking of his own father, and the mystery of his fate;
+and he pondered whether it would ever be possible for him--a lonely boy
+in this strange land--to find out the truth concerning his parent's
+disappearance. But he was not altogether alone; it was wrong to think
+of himself in that light. God had given him a friend in Mr. St. Clive,
+and another in Mrs. St. Clive, and yet a third--a very nice, lovable
+third--in Irene! Ralph, who had never had anything to do with girls,
+thought Irene the sweetest, dearest little friend that it would be
+possible to find.
+
+A bell rang, and his companions stretched and yawned and opened their
+eyes; and though some grunted and turned over again, determined to have
+every minute they could, several jumped up at once, and hastily pulling
+on their clothes began sluicing and splashing in good, honest, cold
+water.
+
+"Hallo! Awake? Slept well?" queried Warren seeing that Ralph was
+preparing to follow the example of these last boys. "Any one try any
+games with you in the night?" And he came and sat down on Ralph's bed,
+and grinned when the new boy answered that he had not been disturbed.
+
+"I suppose they thought better of it. That is your basin!" he added,
+pointing to one washstand. "Mind that they don't take all the water, or
+you will either have to sneak another fellow's, or go and get some more
+for yourself. Look sharp, and then we will go and have a turn with the
+bells, and a spin afterwards, I like to get all I can before breakfast;
+it seems to set a fellow up for the day."
+
+Ralph nodded, and began vigorously sluicing and polishing; and the
+boys, too busy about their own business, paid no attention to him. He
+was quite capable of looking after himself, in their opinion. At last,
+all ready to accompany the monitor, he quietly repeated his action of
+the previous night--he knelt down in prayer.
+
+That staggered even Warren. As a whole, the boys were good lads, but
+even those who had been accustomed to evening prayers in their homes
+did not seem to think that morning prayers were quite as important.
+They wanted to scramble off to play as quickly as possible. The Head
+always read prayers in school, and that was enough; and here was this
+new fellow wasting precious time in this way!
+
+A few sneered and giggled; some shrugged their shoulders, and ran off;
+some looked grave; and Warren sat nursing his foot, and pondering;
+while Charlton turned red.
+
+But they made no remarks; and when Ralph rose from his knees, the three
+went out together. Warren was turning over a decidedly new leaf. If he
+had not annoyed Charlton before, he had left him pretty much alone, and
+now he was admitting him to his company. Well, Charlton was Rexworth's
+chum, and if he wanted Rexworth he must have the chum as well.
+
+Charlton hardly expected the monitor to be friendly to him, but he
+waited for his chum, and Warren waited, too.
+
+"Let us get down and have a try at the bells," suggested the monitor,
+leading the way. And Ralph inquired innocently--
+
+"Ringing bells, do you mean?"
+
+Whereat Warren stared, and felt just a little less respect for the
+new boy. What sort of a fellow could he be if he didn't know what
+dumb-bells were?
+
+"Ringing bells?" he repeated. "No; dumb-bells--exercises, you know!
+Come on, I will show you."
+
+"I never saw bells like those," was Ralph's comment, when a pair was
+produced. "How do you use them?"
+
+Warren went through a set of exercises, and then handed them to Ralph,
+who laughed, and said--
+
+"Why, they don't weigh anything! I don't see much exercise in this!"
+
+"They are six-pounders," was the answer; "quite as heavy as you will
+want. Now try this exercise--do it a dozen times."
+
+Warren showed Ralph the right way, and off he went; Charlton, who had
+also got a pair of bells, doing the same. And, to Ralph Rexworth's
+surprise, he found that those weights at which he had laughed soon made
+him feel tired, and that Charlton could keep on longer than he could.
+He could not understand that.
+
+"I don't see why it should be," he said.
+
+And a voice replied--
+
+"Because you are exercising muscles which you have not tried much
+before, my lad." And he turned, to see Mr. Delermain watching him.
+
+"Try again," said the master. "Only once; this sort of thing must be
+done gradually. Go slow, and take time."
+
+Ralph obeyed: but dumb-bells certainly made his arms ache. And then
+Warren suggested Indian clubs.
+
+"Indian clubs," repeated Ralph, "and what are they? I never saw the
+Indians use clubs. They have knives and hatchets, and spears and bows,
+and some of them use guns, too, and shoot wonderfully well; but I never
+saw them use clubs."
+
+Now that speech caused a smile, but it was a very respectful smile; for
+here was a boy who had actually seen real Indians. That was something,
+even if he did not know what Indian clubs were!
+
+However, the clubs were produced, and Ralph was shown how to swing
+them. And, as a natural result of his first attempt, he hit his head a
+smart crack, evoking a burst of laughter thereby.
+
+"Slow and steady," he answered; "I shall get it in time. I don't
+understand these things; but if you get me a coil of rope, I will show
+you one or two little things that I do not think any of you can do."
+
+"A coil of rope--that is easily supplied," said Mr. Delermain; and
+when it was brought, he said: "Now, Rexworth, let us see what you can
+do." And all the boys stood round while Ralph took the rope and made a
+running noose at one end.
+
+"Give me plenty of room," he said, and he commenced to whirl the noose
+round and round his head, letting the rope run out as he did so; until
+at last he held the very end in his hand, and the rest was twirling
+round and round him in a perfect circle.
+
+"One of you try to do that," he said.
+
+And try they did, in vain. They could not even get it to go in a
+circle, and it made their arms ache dreadfully.
+
+Then he made the circle spin round him on its edge just as if that rope
+was a hoop; and afterwards he actually jumped through it as it was
+going, explaining that the cowboys on the ranches frequently indulged
+in such tricks as these, and were experts at it--far more so than the
+Indians themselves.
+
+Then nothing would do but that he must show them how a lasso was
+thrown. And though several, including the master, essayed to try, not
+one of them was able to send the noose over Ralph's shoulders, though
+he caught them, one after the other, without the slightest trouble.
+
+"It is what one is used to," he said laughing. "I have not had much to
+do with bells and clubs--nothing to do with them, indeed--but I have
+played with a rope all my life."
+
+Dobson had come in with his friends, and he stood and glared. Elgert
+came in, and looked angry. This new boy was evidently on the way
+to become a favourite in the school, and, unless something was
+done, he might rival them. Though just then they did not speak to
+each other about it, both Dobson and Elgert arrived at the same
+conclusion--namely, that something should be done, and that Ralph
+Rexworth should be humbled and disgraced.
+
+Then Warren suggested a spin, and of course Charlton went, and two or
+three other boys--who found Ralph very good company--had to come too;
+and since they did come, they could not ignore the boy they had all
+neglected in the past. Poor Charlton, he could hardly understand it, it
+almost frightened him!
+
+It was delightful out in the fields, in the fresh morning, with the dew
+still sparkling on the leaves, and with the air full of the songs of
+the wild birds. There is a charm and sweetness and delight about the
+early morning which they who are late risers have no idea of. It sets
+the nerves tingling and the blood dancing, and makes one feel as if he
+were walking on air, and not on solid earth.
+
+Away they went across the playing field, and out on the common, on
+towards Great Stow; arms well back, shoulders square, bodies gently
+sloped, going with good, long, swinging strides.
+
+Ralph was in his element now, for running, equally with rope work, was
+an accomplishment practised by all those amongst whom he had lived. A
+very necessary accomplishment, seeing that the ability to run swiftly,
+and to keep up without fagging, might mean all the difference between
+life and death in a land where the natives were quarrelsome and quite
+ready to go upon the warpath upon the least provocation.
+
+Some of the boys outstripped him at the first go off, but he kept on
+running low, swinging well from the hips, and those who had gone with
+a spurt at first soon found that he could, to use Warren's expression,
+"run circles round them, and then beat them hollow."
+
+But presently Ralph slackened his speed, for he had noticed that
+Charlton was fagged, and he--having pledged himself to be the boy's
+chum--was not going to desert him. The rest were by no means sorry to
+stop; for though their pride would not allow them to give in, they
+had all had nearly enough of it. And panting, laughing, happy in all
+their youthful strength and spirits, they pulled up and wiped the
+perspiration from their foreheads.
+
+"Let us go over to Tibb's Farm, and get a drink of milk; and then
+we must be getting back, or we shall get slated and be late for
+breakfast, and that won't do," directed Warren, and the others agreed.
+
+The farm was but a short distance away, and it was evident that this
+visit was nothing out of the ordinary; for the farmer's wife smiled,
+and produced tumblers of milk and wedges of cake, and charged the boys
+a penny each--which certainly was not exorbitant.
+
+And the way they got rid of that cake! And they were going home to
+breakfast!--ay, and would be able to eat it, too, cake notwithstanding!
+So much results from getting up early!
+
+Perhaps it was because of his exhibition with the rope--perhaps it was
+the run; but as Ralph sat there his thoughts went back to his trouble.
+
+How often had he been out in the early morning on the hot plains alone
+with his father! And how once when the grass caught fire, they had to
+run for dear life and take shelter in the creek until the fiery sea had
+swept by! And now, now, where--oh, where--was that father? It would
+come back, try to be as brave as he would. It would come back, and his
+heart would suddenly fill with pain, and cry out for that lost father.
+
+"Time's up!" sang out Warren, stuffing the last of his cake into his
+mouth. "Now, you fellows, come on!"
+
+Off they went with a whoop and hallo! Perhaps not quite so fast now,
+for cake and milk interfere somewhat with scudding. And Ralph, now with
+his chum and Warren, suddenly stopped, staring hard on the ground.
+
+His companions could see nothing, and looked at him in surprise. Their
+eyes had never been trained to read the surface of the earth. But Ralph
+had suddenly lighted upon a freshly made trail. A trap had gone along
+here--a light trap, like that which had left those other traces in Stow
+Wood; and this trap, like that again, had been drawn by a horse lame in
+its left forefoot!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII
+
+HORACE ELGERT GOES A LITTLE TOO FAR
+
+
+"What's the matter, Rexworth?"
+
+So queried Warren. Ralph was standing anxiously looking around. He was
+perplexed, and did not know what he ought to do. These marks might
+afford him a clue to the mystery of his father's disappearance; and yet
+the chance seemed but slight, there were more horses than one going
+lame in one leg. If he stopped he would be late for school, and he did
+not want to get into disgrace.
+
+He could not explain to his companions, for he saw that if he was
+ever to succeed he must keep his secrets to himself. A casual word,
+heedlessly dropped, that he was looking for a lame horse which drew a
+light trap might be enough to make the owner of horse and trap very
+careful that he should not be traced.
+
+"It was nothing," he said slowly. "I was thinking."
+
+"Then don't stop to think now," was the advice he received. "We have
+been a little too far. You scudded along so, and we tried to beat you.
+We cannot waste any more time. Come on."
+
+He went on with his friends. He felt that it was right to do so.
+Moreover, the man with the horse and trap must be in the locality
+still, and if he was not scared off, those tracks would be made again,
+perhaps even more clearly, and Ralph might then have better opportunity
+of following them. It was the right thing to go back to the school now.
+
+"I say," suddenly queried Warren, as they hurried on. "Has Elgert said
+anything more to you?"
+
+"No; I have not seen him, except just as we were coming out, when he
+came into the gymnasium."
+
+"Well, he is bound to do so, after what happened yesterday. I do not
+see how he can help it, or how you can avoid it. You will have to fight
+him, Rexworth."
+
+"I am sorry to hear you say that, for I don't want to be fighting if
+I can help it, and I would far rather be friends with----" He paused.
+He was going to say "friends with him." But that was not true. He felt
+that, apart from anything which had happened yesterday, he could not be
+friends with the son of a man who had said that his father was a thief.
+
+"I don't want to fight him," he said slowly; and Warren nodded.
+
+"I know; but if he challenges you, what then?"
+
+Ralph looked grave. No boy likes to be thought a coward; but still he
+did not want to fight.
+
+"If I can get out of it I shall," he said: and the monitor looked just
+a trifle disappointed, while one or two of the boys laughed.
+
+"It is not that I am afraid of him," Ralph said hastily. "It is that I
+don't want to begin fighting, if I can avoid it."
+
+"For goodness' sake, then, keep out of his way, and don't let him
+get to know that, for if Elgert thinks that he can do it without the
+chance of a row following, he is bound to challenge you. He is bound
+to, anyhow, so far as I can see, and it won't be nice for a fellow in
+the Fourth to refuse a challenge from the Fifth. If it was one of the
+youngsters in the Third, it would be different. No one would say that
+we were frightened to fight them; but in the Fifth they are bound to
+say that it was fear, and---- Hurry up, you chaps, there is the bell
+going!"
+
+A scamper, fast as they could go, and they trooped in to breakfast, so
+hungry, spite of cake and milk, that not even the troubled question
+of the probable challenge could disturb their appetites. Only Warren
+looked across to where Horace Elgert sat, and he muttered to himself--
+
+"I wish that we hadn't talked of it before the others. If one of them
+lets out that Rexworth will not fight, Elgert is sure to make no end of
+it. I understand why Rexworth don't like it, and it is all right, but
+still--oh, he will have to fight, like it or not, and that is all about
+it."
+
+Morning lessons occupied their thoughts after breakfast, and Ralph
+found himself quite eager to master the things which, while they were
+hard to him, seemed easy to his companions. He had already determined
+that he would excel with dumb-bells and Indian clubs, and now it was
+just the same with lessons. He hated to be beaten, and he was not going
+to be beaten.
+
+And already he reaped the reward of having put in a couple of hours'
+study the evening before, with Charlton to lend him a hand. He was
+praised by Mr. Delermain, and rose rapidly from the bottom of the class
+towards the top, and, thanks to his firmness the day before, he had no
+more of the unpleasantness with Dobson, who remained persistently at
+the very bottom of the class.
+
+Slow and steady, he found the best way, doing each thing thoroughly,
+and thinking only of one thing at a time; and that is always the best
+way, not only to learn, but to do everything in life.
+
+He was quite surprised when the bell rang--the morning seemed to have
+slipped away, and he put his books away and went, Charlton with him,
+into the playground.
+
+"I don't know how I should have got on if you had not helped me last
+night, and I am very much obliged to you," he said. And the other boy
+smiled. It was very nice to hear any one say that he had been of use to
+them.
+
+The pair sauntered across the playground, and presently they saw
+that Horace Elgert and some of his chums were coming towards them,
+and Ralph stopped, a strange, firm look on his face, and awaited his
+approach.
+
+Up the others came, and Elgert, hands in pockets, addressed him--
+
+"I want a word with you. You know what we have got to do. You cheeked
+me last night, and you have got either to thrash me or be thrashed."
+
+Elgert spoke very confidently, for, as Warren had feared, he had heard
+that it was unlikely that Ralph would fight him.
+
+"It is this, then," replied Ralph quietly. "You mean that we have got
+to fight?"
+
+Elgert looked round and laughed. A whole lot of the boys had come up,
+seeing them standing there, and knowing what they would be talking
+about.
+
+"Hear him!" he said. "How innocent! He cheeks me last night, and then
+asks if I mean we have got to fight! Yes, I do mean it! After afternoon
+school, the other side of the playing-field; and make up your mind for
+a thrashing!"
+
+"I have not the slightest wish to fight you. I was going to say that I
+had not any intention of fighting you," said Ralph.
+
+And some of the boys groaned, and muttered "Coward!"
+
+"I don't care whether you have wish or intention," replied Elgert, in
+truculent tones. "I have both wish and intention of thrashing you, and
+so you have got to put up with it, and afterwards beg my pardon. Do you
+hear that?"
+
+"I hear," was the quiet reply.
+
+And Ralph's eyes sparkled slightly.
+
+"Very well. This afternoon, the other side of the playing-field; and
+you mind that you are there, for it will be worse for you if I have to
+come and find you! That is all."
+
+And round swung Elgert on his heel and walked off, leaving Ralph
+standing unmoved by his angry, insulting tones.
+
+But if Ralph was unmoved, his companions in the Fourth were not, and
+Warren said, almost entreatingly, as he caught hold of Ralph's arm--
+
+"Look here, Rexworth, you must fight him after that! It is no good
+talking, you must fight him!"
+
+A statement which was received with approval by all the others there.
+
+"Well," said Ralph, "if I must, I must. I don't want to, though."
+
+"But for the honour of the class you must, or we shall never hear the
+last of it from them. You will meet him where he said?"
+
+"Not I!" laughed Ralph. "If I must fight, I must; but I am not going to
+be ordered about by him; and I am not going to do anything which makes
+it look as though I were a party to the fight. If he wants me, he must
+come and find me, as he threatened to do. There, we will say no more
+about it now."
+
+"He will do it all right," reflected Warren. "Elgert will find that he
+has gone a trifle too far."
+
+The afternoon passed away in study, and whatever any of the others
+may have felt of anxiety or interest in the likelihood of the fight,
+certainly Ralph did not let it trouble him. He was engaged with some
+sums which worried him a trifle, and when once one of his neighbours
+whispered to him in reference to the combat, Ralph glared at him, and
+requested him to be quiet in a manner which there was no gainsaying.
+One thing at a time with Ralph.
+
+But when the work of the day was finally over, he strolled calmly
+into the playground, calling to Charlton to accompany him. Charlton,
+who looked so terribly anxious, realized that Ralph must fight, and
+yet dreaded the issue, for Elgert was no mean foe. Charlton, who, in
+self-reproach, thought that it was all his fault--that it was only
+because Ralph had stood up for him concerning the study.
+
+"I say, Charlton, I want you just to show me how to get on with
+cricket," Ralph said. "Every one seems to play; but I cannot make
+anything out of it, except that you have to hit the ball, and run if
+you can."
+
+Charlton beamed; this was a delightful experience for him, and he at
+once led the way to the playroom, and secured one of the school sets.
+
+"Come in!" he said. "I will soon explain the rules to you, and you can
+try batting. I will bowl for you as long as you like."
+
+Perhaps Ralph was conscious that he was being covertly observed by many
+anxious eyes; but he gave no sign, nor did he move a hairsbreadth when
+presently he saw Horace Elgert coming in his direction, a curious and
+somewhat eager crowd at his heels.
+
+"Go on, Charlton, don't stop," he said very quietly, for his chum had
+stopped, and was fingering the ball nervously. "Fire away!"
+
+The lad would have obeyed, but Elgert had arrived, and he gripped the
+weaker lad's arm and twisted the ball out of his hand.
+
+"You clear off!" he said. "We don't want one of your sort here."
+
+But Ralph remarked quietly--so very quietly: "Charlton, you stay where
+you are."
+
+"Be off!" again said Elgert; and raised his hand, to find that not
+Charlton but Ralph was before him, and to hear that quiet voice say
+again--
+
+"Charlton, if you budge an inch, I'll thrash you myself. Neither you
+nor I can be ordered about, unless the fellow who does the ordering is
+able to enforce his demands."
+
+Elgert paused then. He was not a coward, but there was something very
+disconcerting in this quiet bearing, especially when he called to mind
+the fact that Ralph had not been frightened the evening before. He had
+determined to fight, and then he had heard that Ralph was afraid, and
+he had acted upon that information; and now Ralph was not afraid, not
+in the least. And indeed, instead of being afraid, he was asking, still
+quietly--
+
+"Now, Horace Elgert, I am tired of this rubbish. What do you mean by
+it?"
+
+"Didn't I tell you to come and meet me the other side of the
+playground?"
+
+"Yes. And I decline to do anything of the sort. When people want me,
+they generally come to me, not order me to go to them."
+
+"Well, I have come: and now I am going to thrash you!"
+
+"I see. Start right away; don't wait for me!"
+
+Some of the Fourths laughed. This was quite unexpected. Elgert was
+manifestly disappointed, but he turned red.
+
+"We don't generally fight here," he said. "Will you come over?"
+
+"No, I will not. I will not budge an inch. I don't want to fight; but
+if you start it, it must be here. And if you don't stand aside and let
+us go on with our game there will be trouble!"
+
+"You fellows can laugh!" suddenly blazed Elgert, turning towards the
+grinning Fourths. "A nice thing to laugh at! He has got the proper
+chum--that's one thing! We all know about Charlton, and why no one
+will chum with him; and this chap is not much better. I saw my pater at
+dinner-time, and a fine way he was in when I told him of the new boy we
+had.
+
+"You know the yarn he told about his father disappearing? Where has he
+gone to? People don't disappear in England, unless they want to! My
+pater says that a burglar broke into our house, and that he fired at
+him and hit him; and he says, from the description, that the burglar
+must have been the man that came to Stow Ormond with this chap, and
+passed as his father, and----"
+
+"Stop!" said Ralph, very quietly still, but with an ominous expression
+of face.
+
+But Elgert laughed contemptuously.
+
+"Why, I don't know that I would soil my hands fighting with the son, or
+the associate, of a thief!" he said.
+
+And then, suddenly forgetting everything in the feeling of hot
+indignation which overwhelmed him, Ralph Rexworth raised his hand, and
+in a moment his taunting enemy lay prostrate on the ground.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII
+
+A MYSTERIOUS MIDNIGHT VISITOR
+
+
+"Hurrah!"
+
+"Bravo, Rexworth!"
+
+"Now, you Fifths, does your man want to fight?"
+
+Such were the gleeful shouts of the Fourth when they beheld Horace
+Elgert on the ground. And the Fifths, alarmed for the honour of their
+class, rushed to pick up their fallen champion, saying--
+
+"Don't make such a row! Of course he will fight. Get over to the other
+side, where we shall not be seen, and we will come!"
+
+But Ralph would not listen to any such arguments. He stood there,
+looking down at his fallen foe, and he said shortly--
+
+"You fellows will please to mind your own business! I am going nowhere
+to fight until this chap has apologized, then, if a fight is wanted, we
+will move!"
+
+"But you cannot fight here! The Head will see us!" cried a score of
+voices.
+
+"I cannot help that! This fellow has told a lie about my father, and he
+has got to unsay it, or take the consequences! I suppose that he thinks
+I was afraid because I tried to avoid a fight the very first day of
+being at school. Well, I am not afraid! If he had only talked about me
+I might have taken no notice, but when he comes to speaking as he has
+done he is going too far, and he has got to take back his words now, or
+finish it here!"
+
+Meanwhile, Elgert had struggled to his feet, and he looked dazed from
+the effects of the blow, while his face was already growing swollen and
+discoloured.
+
+"Stand aside!" he said hoarsely. "I will fight him here! If the Head
+himself were looking on, I would fight him!"
+
+"You are a pair of fools!" muttered a Fifth-Form monitor. "We shall
+be spotted, for a certainty, and all of us get carpeted for this! Go
+calmly, you silly fellow, or he will smash you!" and he broke off in
+his complaint to give this last advice to Elgert, who had rushed at his
+opponent, mad with pain and anger, and had gone down for the second
+time!
+
+"Look out! I knew how it would be! Here comes the Head!" shouted one
+boy; and a hurried rush took place, leaving the two boys and Warren and
+Charlton alone when the master reached the spot.
+
+"Elgert! Rexworth!" he exclaimed in tones of displeasure. "What
+does this mean? You, too, Warren! You, a monitor of the Fourth, and
+encouraging a new boy in fighting! I am displeased, indeed!"
+
+"It is my fault, in one way, sir," replied Ralph, without waiting
+for the others to speak. "Elgert said something concerning my father
+which angered me, and I struck him. He wanted me to come across the
+playground and fight where we would not be seen, but I was angry, and
+would not do so."
+
+Something like a smile played across the grave face for a moment as the
+Head heard this speech.
+
+"You boys seem to think that if I do not see you fight no offence is
+committed. You do not recognize the fact that fighting in itself is
+poor, and low, and degrading. I know that boys settle their quarrels
+in this manner, but I decry it. Now, the fact of fighting here is a
+double offence, for you are within sight of my study window. I am sorry
+that it has happened, but I will overlook it on condition that you and
+Elgert shake hands."
+
+"I cannot do that, sir," was Ralph's respectful answer; and Elgert on
+his part, said:
+
+"I will not do it!"
+
+"Boys, boys! 'Cannot,' and 'will not!' Neither expression is seemly!
+You will go to your respective studies and remain there until you are
+in better minds!"
+
+"It is not that I am angry, sir," Ralph said, very respectfully. "This
+boy has said that my father is a common thief!" Ralph's voice shook
+just a little as the words came. "He says that his disappearance is due
+to that! You must see, sir, that I cannot shake hands with him after
+that!"
+
+"Elgert, what have you to say to this?" demanded the Head sternly; and
+Elgert stammered--
+
+"I didn't exactly say that, sir."
+
+"Yes, you did!" blurted Warren. "He did say it, sir, and he has been
+trying to get up this fight! It is no use denying it. It began because
+Rexworth turned him and some more out of the study he shares with
+Charlton. They say enough unkind things about him," he added. "There
+was a bit of a bother, and Elgert got knocked over, and he challenged
+Rexworth to fight him after school to-day. Rexworth, would not do it,
+and he said that if a fight was forced upon him it should be wherever
+he chanced to be at that moment. Elgert came here and began sneering
+and saying unkind things, and then Rexworth struck him, and that is all
+the truth. I know that I ought to have tried to stop it, but we and the
+Fifth don't get on well, and so--and so----"
+
+"Because of class rivalry you allowed your companion to fight. It is
+not right, Warren! Monitors should try to enforce the rules, not to
+break them. Elgert, you will do me two hundred lines, and be good
+enough to remember that if I consider any boy fit to become a scholar
+here it is not for you to make such statements as you appear to have
+done."
+
+"I only said what my father told me!" sulkily answered Elgert; and the
+Head frowned.
+
+"What you and your father may say in private is no concern of mine,
+Elgert," he replied coldly; "what you repeat in public here is another
+matter, with which I have to do! Do your imposition and bring it to
+me before class to-morrow, and mind that I have no more of this. You
+other lads, I will overlook this in your case this time, seeing that it
+appears that violent provocation was given; but, mind, there must be no
+more fighting in the playground boundaries! See that I am obeyed!" And
+the Head turned away.
+
+"Don't think that we have finished yet!" said Horace Elgert, looking
+darkly at Ralph. "I will have my revenge for this, as sure as you are
+standing there!" and, with that he went.
+
+And the three Fourth-Form boys went indoors; while the rest of the
+lads, who had scattered, came back eagerly discussing what punishment
+the offenders would receive.
+
+And the general verdict was, "It served Elgert right, and that he had
+no business to have spoken as he had done!"
+
+"But suppose it is right?" queried one lad. "You know, there is
+something queer about it!"
+
+"Something very queer," said another; "but that story is all nonsense!
+My dad knows Mr. St. Clive very well, and he told him all the story and
+how there was plenty of money in Mr. Rexworth's possession. Besides,
+any one with eyes can see that Rexworth is a gentleman, even if he has
+some strange ways through living abroad. Elgert is too fond of thinking
+he is all the world and every one else dirt beneath his feet. It
+serves him jolly well right!"
+
+"Well, there is one thing," admitted a third boy, "that fellow Rexworth
+may be queer in some ways, but he is no fool when it comes to a
+scrimmage, and he knows how to defend himself! I don't think any of us
+are likely to try for a row with him after what we have seen!"
+
+Meanwhile, Ralph, ignorant of the criticisms which were being made
+in his favour, had gone to his own study. He felt sorry for what had
+occurred, and the cruel words which had been spoken had gone like
+arrows to his heart and brought back all his trouble. He felt like
+running away to Mrs. St. Clive and getting her to comfort him.
+
+And then Charlton came in, very gently, as if half afraid to intrude
+his presence upon his chum. He came and bent over Ralph's chair,
+putting one hand on his shoulder, and whispered--
+
+"Ralph, I am so sorry! Don't you worry about it!"
+
+Ralph looked up, and a brave smile came to his lips.
+
+"Hallo! Is it you, Charlton?" he said. "No, I won't worry about it; but
+I am sorry that I have commenced my school life so badly. There, we
+won't think of it any more! If you are not busy, you might just lend
+me a hand with to-morrow's exercises. If it were speaking French or
+Spanish, I should be all right, but I don't seem to understand Latin
+in the slightest."
+
+"Let us go through it," replied Charlton eagerly. "I shall be glad to
+do it."
+
+So troubles were forgotten, and the chums bent over the table and soon
+became absorbed in their task. Learning lessons is not anything like so
+bad when you put your heart into it.
+
+So the evening passed, and bed-time came; and once more Ralph knelt
+down to offer up his evening prayers. And not only Warren and Charlton,
+but some other boys followed his example now, for his action had
+reproached them and made them think soberly of things which they had
+been careless about all too long.
+
+But Ralph was not easy in his mind. Somehow, he felt that he had no
+kindly thought for Elgert--and he had been praying to be forgiven, as
+he forgave his enemies! That was a very troublesome thought, and it was
+still in his mind when he fell asleep.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+What was that noise?
+
+Ralph Rexworth sat up in bed, and listened. Accustomed to wake at the
+slightest noise that might betoken danger, and to wake with all his
+senses about him, he had been disturbed by a strange, scraping sound,
+the cause of which he could not think of.
+
+Only one dim point of light burnt in the dormitory, and all was still
+there save for the breathing of the sleepers. It was no sound of that
+sort which had awakened him.
+
+There it was again--outside! He remembered having heard a sound like
+that once before--when the Indians had risen and come to attack the
+ranch. He had laid and listened to them as they crawled over the tops
+of the sheds, and the sound was like that! It was from outside! He
+rose, and creeping to the window, he lifted one corner of the blind,
+and peeped out.
+
+Nothing there--stay, that was wrong! Surely that was a ladder propped
+against the wall? What was a ladder doing there, for there was none
+there the evening before! And the window there was open! Some one must
+have got in at that window!
+
+Was it one of the boys who had been up to mischief, or, it seemed
+absurd, was some thief breaking in? Thieves did not, as a rule, break
+into schools!
+
+He was half inclined to raise an alarm. But the thought came, that if
+this was some midnight escapade on the part of some of the boys, to do
+that might be to get them into disgrace--to make more enemies, and to
+interfere in what did not concern him.
+
+That was a window just outside the Fifth-Form dormitory, too! Elgert
+might be in it, and he did not want to be the means of getting him into
+any more trouble.
+
+But suppose that it was a thief? Ralph crept to the door and opened it
+noiselessly. He peered down the corridor, but nothing was to be seen or
+heard.
+
+Stop! Surely he did hear a faint sound--a very faint sound! He felt
+that he must go and see; a strange, uneasy feeling had possessed him; a
+strange presentiment that all was not right.
+
+He crept down the passage, and turned towards the Fifth-Form dormitory,
+and a breath of cold air met him. The window was open, and the top of a
+ladder could be seen--and the door of the dormitory was open also!
+
+With cautious, stealthy steps he crept on, pausing once when the boards
+creaked beneath his weight. There was something eerie in being here
+alone at midnight; it was worse than being out alone on the plains.
+
+He reached the door, and peered into the dormitory with its long row
+of sleeping boys there. There was nothing here in the shape of a lark
+going on. All was still and silent.
+
+There was his enemy lying asleep, his handsome face just catching a
+glimmer of moonlight which found its way through the blind; and as
+Ralph looked he saw a strange apparition--a man slowly appeared, rising
+at the side of the bed! A man with pillow in his hands, which he was
+about to press down upon that sleeping boy! A man going to murder
+Horace Elgert!
+
+Like a flash the truth burst upon the watching boy, and, with a loud
+cry, he threw the door wide open and rushed into the dormitory.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX
+
+ALTOGETHER BEYOND EXPLANATION
+
+
+"Thieves!"
+
+"Fire!"
+
+"Help! Help!"
+
+The whole house was aroused. The cries of confusion and alarm coming
+from the Fifth Form dormitory were repeated by others who, entirely
+ignorant as to what was the matter, and aroused from slumber by the
+noise, tumbled from their beds and rushed out wildly, under the
+impression that nothing less than the house being ablaze could account
+for the cry.
+
+The doctor and masters came hurrying to the spot; and while the
+Head ran to the Fifth Form room, the master got the other boys into
+something like order, ready to be marched quietly downstairs if the
+alarm of fire should prove to be well founded.
+
+The first thing that the doctor noted was the open window and the
+ladder, and the next, that a confused babel of sound was going on in
+the Fifth's room; and as he strode to the door he was met, full tilt,
+by a boy with torn clothes, apparently seeking to free himself from the
+grasp of half a dozen Fifth Form boys. To his bewilderment, the Head
+saw that this boy was his new scholar, Ralph Rexworth.
+
+His strong hand gripped the boy's arm, and his voice thundered out a
+command for silence, which the boys obeyed all save Ralph, who cried--
+
+"If you do not follow him at once, he will be off, sir! These fellows
+stopped me, and he has got a good start!"
+
+"He! Who?" cried the Head. And the boy replied--
+
+"The man who was in the Fifth, sir. He knocked me down, and bolted; and
+then the boys woke, and got me, and would not let me go!"
+
+"You have been dreaming, boy. Silence, all! Kesterway, you are head
+monitor. Explain to me! All boys from other Forms back to their rooms;
+there is no cause for any alarm. At once, please! Now, Kesterway!"
+
+"I can tell you nothing, sir. I heard a noise, and woke; and there was
+Elgert, and one or two others holding a boy who kicked and struggled;
+and just as I jumped out of bed and ran round, he broke away and rushed
+for the door."
+
+"It was Rexworth, sir!" cried one boy. "He was in our room trying to
+play some trick upon Elgert. They have been having a row, sir."
+
+"Will you have the goodness to hold your tongue, sir!" exclaimed the
+master, a trifle irritably; and the boy subsided at once.
+
+"Elgert, what have you to say? Did this boy attempt to play any tricks
+on you?"
+
+"Yes, sir! I was asleep and I was aroused by a violent cry and a blow,
+and some one was struggling on my bed, as if he had jumped on and
+was trying to hold me down; I gripped hold of him, and found it was
+Rexworth. The other fellows woke, and began crying out; and then, when
+they found who it was that had made the row, they got angry and went
+for him!"
+
+"That will do. Now you, sir, what have you to say? Speak up, and
+tell the truth! Why have you disturbed the whole household in this
+disgraceful manner?"
+
+So the doctor asked, and terribly angry did he look; but very different
+was his expression when he had heard Ralph's story. It sounded
+incredible that any one should attempt to enter the school for the
+deliberate purpose of injuring any boy; and he would have put the story
+down as a fabrication, but there was the plain evidence in the shape of
+the open window and the ladder.
+
+If Ralph had invented it, he must have managed to leave the house, drag
+the ladder across the playground, raise it to the window, and then go
+back and open that window; and that also seemed absolutely impossible.
+
+"I saw the man, sir!" the lad said; "he was creeping on his hands and
+knees, and when he got to Elgert's bed he got up, and he had a pillow.
+He was going to smother Elgert. He dropped the pillow when I shouted
+and ran in. It is by the bed now. I tried to clutch him, sir, but he
+was too strong. He struck me, and knocked me over on top of Elgert, and
+then they held me and actually let him escape. He darted away like a
+flash, sir; and I expect that he is far enough away by now!"
+
+Bewilderment, incredulity, wonder, all were depicted upon the faces of
+those who listened; but Elgert actually laughed in the Head's presence,
+and asked how any one could be expected to believe such a story.
+
+"Who is there who would want to harm me, sir?" he said. "Why, it is
+really absurd to think of such a thing! I have had a row with this boy,
+as you know, and I suppose that he wanted to play a trick on me, and
+quite forgot the row that would be made."
+
+"Be good enough to keep your remarks to yourself, until I ask for your
+opinion, Elgert!" said the Head sternly. "Now, all you boys, back to
+bed! In the morning I will go into the matter properly. To bed at once!"
+
+It was all very well to say "to bed," but "to sleep" was quite another
+matter. Sleep seemed banished from most eyes; and in the Fourth, Ralph
+was plied with question after question, until at last he positively
+refused to talk any more.
+
+Truth to tell, Ralph was somewhat disgusted. He had done more than
+most boys would have risked; and had it not been for him, Elgert would
+have been murdered, and this was the best thanks he received!
+
+And yet, as he thought of it, it seemed quite natural to him. After
+all, it was a very mysterious business; and if people did not believe
+it, it was not to be wondered at. He would wait patiently until the
+morning; and then, if the doctor did not believe him, it would not be
+his fault.
+
+And when morning came, and breakfast was over, the Head sent for Ralph,
+and again listened to his story, and questioned him closely; and he
+felt convinced that the boy was indeed speaking the truth.
+
+That only perplexed him the more; a foolish joke would be
+understandable, but a deliberate attempt to harm one of the boys under
+his charge was a thing which he could not by any means comprehend.
+
+He went into the playground and surveyed the ladder; it had been left
+just where it was. He went to the boundary wall and examined that, and
+there was a stain of blood--some one, in hastily getting over, must
+have cut his hand upon the broken glass with which it was finished off.
+He felt, beyond question, that Ralph's tale was true. Some one had been
+there, but who that some one was, was a mystery indeed.
+
+But the doctor was a just man, and as he had thrown some doubt upon
+Ralph's story, he summoned the entire school, and told them he was
+quite satisfied that what Ralph had said happened was absolutely true.
+
+"Mysterious as it is, I feel satisfied that one of our number has been
+in dreadful peril, while he was innocently sleeping; and it is to the
+goodness of God that he owes his preservation. God, Who made Ralph
+Rexworth wake up and look from the window and then go to the help of
+Elgert! And I trust," he added gently, "that this circumstance may make
+the two chief actors in this incident better friends! I am sorry to
+know that they are not very friendly, but I hope that they will be so
+in the future!"
+
+So the affair ended--so far as public investigation went, though it was
+talked over again and again by the boys. The Head communicated with the
+police, and a detective came down; and however much he may have been
+bewildered and ready to put it down to the tricks of schoolboys, yet
+after he had seen the ladder and the bloodmark, and heard Ralph tell
+his story, he also had to admit that the boy was undoubtedly telling
+the truth, and that the school had been entered in the manner described.
+
+But Ralph worried over it. The very mystery surrounding it brought back
+the mystery of his father's disappearance. He pondered all day over it,
+until he felt weary and angry with himself; and he hailed the close of
+school with delight, suggesting to his chum and Warren that they should
+go for a good long walk, a proposal with which they immediately agreed.
+
+"Now, look here," said Ralph, when the trio had started, "there is only
+one thing; for mercy's sake don't talk about that business of last
+night! I am fairly tired of it, and I want to forget it if I can!"
+
+"All right, old chap," answered Warren, with a laugh; "let us go into
+the woods and see if we can find anything worth taking in the way of
+specimens. I got two lovely orange-tips there the other day, and some
+silly fellow went and knocked over my setting-board, and spoilt them
+both!"
+
+"The woods be it," answered Ralph readily.
+
+And so they sought the green, cool, shady glades, where the wild birds
+were so tame, and where such splendid butterflies and dragon flies were
+to be captured.
+
+They wandered hither and thither, enjoying the quiet sylvan beauty; and
+presently, stretched on the grass, they spoke of the difference of this
+scene to that which Ralph had known in his younger days; and Warren lay
+flat on his back, and asked question after question concerning the wild
+people of the great Texan plains.
+
+"I didn't know that there were any Indians left," the monitor
+confessed; and Ralph laughed.
+
+"Plenty of them; and then there are the Gauchos--they are of Spanish
+descent, and they are for ever fighting with the Indians. It is very
+different living out there; and, even in the towns, men seldom go about
+unarmed."
+
+"Pleasant," was Warren's remark. "I think that I will stop where I am;
+even if we do get midnight visitors now and again."
+
+"I say, that subject is forbidden," laughed Ralph.
+
+And then he was silent so long that, presently, Warren asked him what
+he was thinking of, and Ralph sighed.
+
+"Something that is hardly ever out of my thoughts," he answered
+gravely. "Speaking of my old home brought it back----"
+
+"Your father?" queried Warren; and Ralph nodded.
+
+"It must be precious hard for you," the monitor said. "I think that if
+I were in your place I should go silly."
+
+"No, you would do what I do, old fellow; just pray to God to bring
+things right. I felt bad at first, and it was Mrs. St. Clive who taught
+me to be brave."
+
+"I like her," remarked Warren, with a nod. "She is awfully nice, Ralph.
+I wonder if ever you will hear anything about your father?"
+
+"Yes," came the confident answer. "I feel sure that I shall; and
+sometimes, Warren, it may seem strange, but it comes to me that he is
+not dead, and that he will come back!"
+
+"But if he were not dead he would not have gone off and left you all
+alone like this," objected Warren. "I should not think that."
+
+"He may not be able to help it. There, we won't talk of it; only I
+cannot help thinking like that sometimes. Where is Charlton?"
+
+The question brought the fact out that they were alone; their companion
+had gone off and left them there while they were talking.
+
+"Now, where has that silly chap got to?" queried Warren, sitting up.
+
+"Gone after a butterfly, perhaps. He will soon be back."
+
+"But it is time that we began to move. He is such a silly fellow that
+he is as like as not to go and lose himself. Hallo! Charlton! Charlton!
+Coo-ee! Charlton!"
+
+They paused and waited, but no reply came; and Warren got up, a trifle
+cross.
+
+"Of all the silly kites!" he said. "What trouble has he got into now?
+Charlton, I say, where are you?"
+
+"Better let us go and have a look for him," said Ralph; and the two
+started, Warren grumbling all the way, until in response to their
+shouts, they heard an answering call, and saw their companion appear.
+
+"Well, you stupid!" began Warren; but Ralph checked him, for the other
+boy looked scared and pale.
+
+"Why, what is the matter?" he asked. "You look as if you had been
+scared. Has any one frightened you?"
+
+"I! Any one frightened me? Oh, no!" answered Charlton quickly. "How
+silly! Who could be with me? I got lost--and lost my head! I felt a
+little afraid, until I heard you call."
+
+"We have been shouting for the last half hour!" grumbled Warren. "Come
+along! We shall be late for tea!"
+
+But Ralph said nothing. He was puzzled. The spot where they stood was
+damp and clayey; and on the soft ground were the imprints of two pairs
+of feet, going towards the bushes from which Charlton had emerged. Of
+those footprints, one set was a boy's, and evidently made by his chum;
+the other set was a man's.
+
+Charlton said that he had been alone, but Ralph knew better. A man had
+been with his chum, but who was that man? Was he the one who had broken
+into the school the previous night?
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X
+
+COUNSELS AND PROMISES
+
+
+"My dear lad, it certainly is very strange. You seem, since your
+arrival in England, to be surrounded with mysteries."
+
+Ralph was sitting alone with Mr. St. Clive; and the latter, having
+questioned him as to how he had got on during his first week at school,
+Ralph had told him of his various experiences--of his quarrel with
+Horace Elgert, and of the strange midnight episode which had taken
+place--Mr. St. Clive listening with interest, and making the remark
+that it was very mysterious, as the lad concluded his story.
+
+"It is strange, sir," answered Ralph, "and at first Dr. Beverly seemed
+inclined to doubt my story; while Horace Elgert, instead of taking it
+seriously, actually said that it was not true, and that I had gone into
+the Fifth dormitory on purpose to play some trick with him. I think,
+though," he added, "that he only said that to anger me."
+
+"It is very strange," Mr. St. Clive repeated. "And then this other
+boy----"
+
+"Charlton, do you mean, sir?"
+
+"Yes. You say that you are sure he was with some man, and that he
+denied it?"
+
+"Yes, sir. I asked him if he had been with any one, and he looked quite
+frightened."
+
+"That may easily be. I know something of his history, or rather, of the
+family's. His father was accused of some crime, and, strangely enough,
+Lord Elgert was the prosecutor. A cheque was forged, I believe. Mr.
+Charlton managed to escape, but he was never able to come back; and it
+was finally said that he was dead. It is quite possible that he has
+returned, and that he got into the school to see his son, and went into
+the wrong dormitory. That is possible, I say, though I do not think it
+likely. He would hardly run such a risk, in my opinion; and more so, as
+he could have gone to his wife, and then let her send for the lad."
+
+"I did not think of it being his father," acknowledged Ralph. "I was
+thinking of something else."
+
+"Yes?" inquired Mr. St. Clive.
+
+"Cannot you guess, sir? My father is gone, and I know nothing of his
+fate. What if this man was the one who met him in Stow Wood. He might
+be able to solve the matter."
+
+"He might," was the reply, "but it is not likely. Charlton, as I
+remember him, was a timid, shrinking man; that was proved by the way he
+took to flight. He would not be likely to do such a thing."
+
+"But he might, sir. Some one must have done it," persisted Ralph. "I
+feel as if I ought to watch Charlton, and find out who it was that he
+met. I could do it, too! I may not be very clever with books, but I
+could do that kind of thing."
+
+"And then?" came the grave question.
+
+And Ralph cried, almost fiercely--
+
+"Can you ask me that, sir? If my father has come to harm, the one who
+harmed him must be punished."
+
+"Even though he is your chum's father. Ralph, this is quite natural;
+and even beyond that, I do not say that if you could discover the man
+who killed your father--supposing that he is killed--he should not be
+given up to justice. I only say, 'pause, and be careful.' Remember the
+man your chum saw may be his father, and yet may be entirely innocent
+of the crime which you naturally desire to have punished. You, in your
+eagerness, may deliver an unfortunate man up to justice, and then find
+out that he is not the man you seek. And if I can read anything of your
+nature, that would be a cause of bitter regret with you for many a long
+day."
+
+"It would, sir," acknowledged Ralph readily. "But unless I can find the
+man, how can I know the truth?"
+
+"Well, my lad, I feel that I can only advise you to be careful;
+and, above all, even in this desire to have your father's assailant
+punished, see to it that no motive of revenge actuates you. Remember
+that it is written: 'Vengeance is Mine. I will repay, saith the Lord.'
+Remember also that it is 'As we forgive them that trespass against us.'"
+
+"But you would not have me let the man go free, sir?" protested Ralph.
+"The only thing I seem to have before me is to find out what happened
+to my father."
+
+"But not of necessity to help hunt any man down. Besides, Ralph, there
+is another thing. You mention that you have again seen the tracks of
+that horse. Now, does it not strike you that, if this man is the father
+of your chum, and a fugitive from justice, he would be the last person
+in the world to be riding about in a trap? That is a very important
+thing to remember."
+
+"I never thought of that," the boy acknowledged. And Mr. St. Clive
+nodded.
+
+"Precisely; and yet such things, in so important a business, must be
+taken into consideration. Now, Ralph, my advice--my earnest advice--is
+that you proceed very carefully, and be quite certain that you have
+reason for each step before you take it. And one thing more, my
+dear boy. It is not well to say that even unravelling the mystery
+surrounding your father's disappearance is the chief object of your
+life. The chief object should be to become a noble, true man, alike
+a blessing to your fellows and an honour to God. Do you remember how
+it says in the Bible: 'There is a banner given to thee, that it may
+be displayed because of righteousness'? Now, that is a verse I like.
+God gives you His standard, and He says not only 'march under it, but
+bear it for Me.' Die for the colours of the King, if need be, and fight
+always under honour's flag. Ralph, that is my counsel, the best I can
+give you, as your true friend. Wait for God to bring the mystery to
+light. Do not let revenge be your life's object, for revenge is of the
+devil. Let love be your watchword, and honour your banner. Ralph, will
+you promise me this?"
+
+"I will, sir," answered the boy, deeply moved. "I will try and be a
+good standard-bearer."
+
+"I feel sure of it. Shake hands. I know that I shall have cause to be
+proud of your friendship. Now, I must not take up all your time. I know
+that Irene is waiting patiently for you, so run and join her, and make
+the most of your brief holiday."
+
+And what a delightful holiday it was, in spite of the trouble over
+him! It was a splendid thought to think of himself as being a
+standard-bearer. And he told Irene all about it; and she, in return,
+told him of the young hero who, being wounded, and fearing that the
+colours he bore would be taken from him, placed them beneath him, and
+lay in silent suffering until the enemy found him and, in pity, sought
+to help him. And then she told how he begged so hard that he might not
+be moved that they wondered; and when, even against his wish, they
+raised his dying form, there they found the colours which he loved, and
+which he had guarded so well; and they wrapped them round him and bore
+him away. And when he died they buried him with the flag which he had
+carried, and gave him all honour for being true man and hero.
+
+It was a fine story, and set Ralph's heart beating more quickly. And
+then Irene said that he must be as true, and be her champion, and win
+in the battle of right against wrong. And Ralph--well, I do not mind
+owning that he kissed her; and seeing that he had been brought up all
+his life on the plains, and had never been used to girls' society, that
+really was a daring thing to do.
+
+So the holiday was spent, and Sunday passed in quiet and worship. And
+then on Monday morning back he went to Marlthorpe College, and the
+fight of another week.
+
+And the battle began almost at once, for very soon after his arrival he
+was called into the doctor's study, where he found two stern-faced men,
+whom he was told were detectives; and they questioned him closely as to
+the events of that night when he had seen the man, and even went so far
+as to hint that he must have been dreaming and walking in his sleep,
+and that made Ralph feel very like losing his temper. Dreaming! As if
+he did not know that he had been very wide awake indeed!
+
+And they called Horace Elgert in also, and questioned him as to whether
+he had seen anything, or whether he could think of any one likely to
+harm him. And Elgert laughed in the most insulting manner.
+
+"I don't believe a word of it!" he said, with seeming frankness. "It is
+a silly business, and it had best be forgotten. There is a great deal
+too much being made out of it. I suppose that Rexworth wants to pose as
+a hero. I told my father of it, and he laughed about it; but he said
+that he would ride over this morning and question Rexworth himself."
+
+"I do not want him to question me!" cried Ralph, flushing angrily. And
+Elgert laughed again.
+
+"Very likely not; but he will do it, all the same," he replied. And
+then Dr. Beverly interrupted them sternly.
+
+"Silence, both of you! I did not tell you to come here to have this
+nonsense, but to answer any questions which these gentlemen might wish
+to ask you. Back to your classes, both of you, and mind that I have no
+trouble with either of you! If you cannot be friendly, keep apart!"
+
+"I am sure that I want to," muttered Elgert, as he went; but he only
+spoke loud enough for the words to reach Ralph's ears.
+
+It was very hard to keep cool and pay attention to his work; but Ralph
+remembered his promise to his good friends, and he set sternly to the
+tasks before him, only to be interrupted an hour afterwards by the
+doctor sending for him again; and this time--how hot and angry he came
+all in a moment!--it was to be questioned by Lord Elgert, who sat there
+as cold, as haughty, and overbearing as ever.
+
+"Now, young man," he said, when Ralph entered, "I want to hear, for
+myself, this remarkable story."
+
+Ralph paused a moment. With a strong effort he mastered himself. If
+he was a standard-bearer, he must remember to give soft and polite
+answers, so he said politely--
+
+"I am afraid that I have little to tell, sir, that I have not told
+already; and, unfortunately, it does not seem to be believed."
+
+"Never mind that. Begin at the beginning, and tell me all that
+occurred."
+
+So Ralph complied, and Lord Elgert sat listening with frowning face and
+watchful eyes; and Ralph could see that he, like his son, really did
+believe the story, even though he pretended not to.
+
+"Well, well, doctor," said his lordship, when the tale was told, "I am
+inclined to think that it is a case of sleepwalking----"
+
+"But did I put the ladder against the window in my sleep, sir?" asked
+Ralph. "The detectives did not think that, nor do you. I have no
+interest in inventing such a story; and I have no wish to do anything
+to annoy your son, so long as he leaves me alone----"
+
+"I do not think that the boy dreamed it," said the doctor. And Lord
+Elgert frowned.
+
+"Hum! Hark, boy! I suppose that it was not your own father, come to see
+you, eh?"
+
+Then up started Ralph indignantly, and cried--
+
+"You have no right to insult me like that! Why should you? I know
+nothing of you, and yet, upon the only two occasions when we have met,
+you have spoken in that way. My father! Why should he come like a thief
+at night? He has never done anything to be ashamed of. Never, I say, in
+spite of the tale you told. That tale is not true!"
+
+"Each to his own opinion, young man," retorted Lord Elgert drily. "You
+take my advice. Attend to your studies, learn all you can, and then go
+back to the land you came from; for you will get on best there!"
+
+"Lord Elgert," answered Ralph fearlessly, "you may mean that kindly
+or you may not. I neither know nor care. It is your advice, but it is
+advice which I shall not take. I have something to do here. I have
+to find out what has become of my father, and I have to prove that
+your accusation that he is a thief is not true. I am only a boy, Lord
+Elgert, and you may laugh at me, but I know that I shall succeed
+presently, and when I do perhaps I may also learn the reason for your
+disliking me so much."
+
+"What do you mean by that?" shouted Lord Elgert angrily. And Ralph
+replied--
+
+"Just what I say!"
+
+Then he turned and asked the doctor if he wanted him any more. And
+receiving permission to go, he went back to his class; while Lord
+Elgert rode homewards, with black looks and frowning brow.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI
+
+GOING IN FOR GRINDING
+
+
+"Boys, I have an announcement to make."
+
+The whole school were gathered for the usual morning prayers, the
+masters each at the head of his class; and when the reading was over,
+the doctor, instead of dismissing them to their classes as usual, still
+stood at his desk, and the boys looked up eagerly. Was it a holiday, or
+a challenge from some neighbouring school to a football match?
+
+Alas, for such hopes! It was neither the one nor the other. It was
+something which only interested a very few of the most industrious
+there.
+
+"The Newlet gold medal examination for mathematics will be held in a
+month's time from now; and it will be needful for intending competitors
+to hand in their names to their masters at once. I trust that the
+school will be well represented at the examination. We lost the medal
+last year, though we had a very good average; but the year before that,
+Kesterway, who was then only in the Fourth, gained it. That debars
+him from again trying for it; but I hope that others will enter the
+field, and do as well as he did. The second and third boys gain silver
+medals. That is all. Dismiss to your classes."
+
+"I say, Dobby, there is a chance for you to distinguish yourself,"
+whispered one boy in the lazy one's ear, as the Fourth trooped away.
+And Dobson glared, for of all things, mathematics was his weak point.
+
+"Dobson cannot do it," laughed Warren, overhearing the words. "His
+system of mathematics is erratic. When it comes to eating tarts at
+some one else's expense, it is wonderful how many he can take without
+counting them up; but if he has to treat--well, one multiplies itself
+into twenty."
+
+"You shut up," growled Dobson. "I never had tarts at your expense."
+
+"No, my son, and you never will," laughed Warren. "Hurry up and take
+your place. You know where it is--top wrong end."
+
+Mr. Delermain entered, and the class settled down to work; but Ralph
+found himself pondering over that prize which was offered. True,
+figures were not his strongest point; but then he had a great belief
+that any one who sets his mind to a thing can manage to do it in time,
+and, somehow, he felt that it would be very nice to take that medal
+home and show it to Irene.
+
+So when recess was called, he managed to get hold of Warren and
+question him about it.
+
+"The Newlet," explained the monitor. "Well, it certainly is rather
+stiff. I suppose that I must go in for it, though I don't think I
+shall stand much chance. There will be Philmore and Standish of the
+Fifth; I don't know if Elgert will try for it. He thinks no end of his
+mathematics, but if you ask me, I think that a crib has a good deal to
+do with it."
+
+"A crib?"
+
+"Yes. You know. Don't know what a crib is!" as Ralph shook his head.
+"Oh, you sweet innocent, I thought I explained that to you before! It
+is a book with all the answers in it----"
+
+"That is cheating," said Ralph. And Warren nodded.
+
+"Of course it is; but it is frequently done, not only for exams,
+but for class work. Suppose a fellow is late in--been at cricket or
+anything--and he hasn't got time for prep., and don't want to lose his
+place, a crib comes in very handy; only some fellows always use 'em,
+because they are so lazy----"
+
+"Dobson, for instance," suggested Ralph. But Warren laughed, and shook
+his head.
+
+"Bless you, no. He is too lazy even to use a crib. He does not even
+pretend to do his lessons; and he is in pretty little danger of losing
+his place, seeing that it is always at the bottom of the class."
+
+"Well, I think it mean and dishonourable to use cribs," Ralph declared.
+"If I could not manage without that I would not manage at all."
+
+"It is pretty often done," Warren replied. He was not quite guiltless
+himself; and he felt a trifle ashamed of Ralph's honest wrath. "I
+suppose it is wrong; only a fellow does not think so at the time.
+But you were asking about the Newlet. It is stiff, but it is worth
+winning----"
+
+"I should like to try for it," murmured Ralph. And the monitor stared.
+
+"You! Well, there is nothing to prevent you from doing so; only you
+will have to grind awfully, if you don't crib----"
+
+"I shall not do that," interrupted Ralph firmly. "Once for all, let
+that be understood. If I cannot stand a chance without cheating, I will
+not go in for it."
+
+"Well, then, it is just grinding, that is all."
+
+"Grinding," repeated Ralph, raising his brows. And Warren laughed again.
+
+"Bless your heart! It is refreshing to find any one as innocent as you
+are. Grinding, my dear fellow, is working, swatting, putting in full
+time, giving up games and larks and story books, and working on every
+moment you have got to spare. It is living on mathematics all the time."
+
+"In plain words, it is working hard," laughed Ralph. "And if a thing is
+worth doing, it is worth working well for----"
+
+"Right you are. Go ahead, and good luck. You are letting yourself in
+for a nice thing, though; but, I suppose, that if you enter you will
+stick it out. Best tell Mr. Delermain; it will please him to have you
+enter. He likes his Form well represented, even though we cannot all
+win."
+
+Warren was right in that; the master was very pleased when Ralph spoke
+to him about it.
+
+"I should like to go in for it, sir," the boy said. "I suppose it seems
+rather absurd; but I could try at least, and the study will not do me
+any harm."
+
+"Not if it is honest study, Rexworth," replied Mr. Delermain. And those
+truthful eyes were raised steadily to his own.
+
+"It will not be anything else, sir," Ralph said. "If I cannot do it
+honestly, I shall not do it at all."
+
+"That is the way, Rexworth." Mr. Delermain laid one hand on the boy's
+shoulder as he spoke. "And even if you do not win, the work itself is
+sure to prove of great use to you later on. By all means enter; and if
+you want any assistance or advice, do not hesitate to come to me. I
+shall always be very glad to do anything in my power to assist you."
+
+So Ralph put his name down, and some of the boys stared when they heard
+it. A new boy, only a week there, putting his name down for the Newlet!
+
+"Cheek!" said Elgert.
+
+"Rubbish!" said Dobson.
+
+"No use!" said a good many; but Ralph paid no heed to it all. One thing
+nerved him. Elgert was going in for it; and he felt that if he could
+not beat him, it would be strange.
+
+"You will have to work very hard, Ralph," was the verdict of Mr. St.
+Clive, when he heard of it. "It is an honour to gain the medal, but it
+is an honour that has to be earned by hard work."
+
+"You will try your very best, won't you, Ralph?" pleaded Irene. "I
+should just love you to win it, the same as if you were my very own
+brother."
+
+Brother! Well, well; Irene and Ralph were but young; perhaps, later on,
+it would not be brother, perhaps--who can say?
+
+So Ralph began to undergo that process which Warren called swatting,
+or grinding, and it was not all easy. When the day's work was over,
+and the boys ran off to their games, or settled down to their story
+books--and Ralph loved story books--it was not easy to get out the
+dry figures and bend over them, studying tricky sums, or working out
+obscure equations; it was not easy, but it had to be done. Ralph was
+beginning to understand what work meant.
+
+And Charlton proved himself a good chum in the hour of need, for he was
+farther on than Ralph, and could help him in many points. Indeed, Ralph
+wondered why he had not entered himself; but Charlton sighed and shook
+his head.
+
+"He did not want the worry of it," he said.
+
+Ralph had said nothing more to him concerning his suspicions, but
+they were frequently in his mind. He never lost sight of his father's
+disappearance. He was for ever keeping his eyes open for anything that
+might put him on the right track. But Mr. St. Clive's remark that he
+might perhaps be the means of harming a man who had never harmed him or
+his, made him very careful about saying or doing anything. Something
+was worrying Charlton, that he could plainly see; but since the boy did
+not say anything to him, he hesitated to try and force his confidence
+in any way.
+
+So he worked with Charlton; and sometimes Warren would pop in and ask
+him how he got on, or compare notes with him. And Warren confessed
+that he had been influenced by Ralph's words, and that he was working
+on what he called "the square," which meant that he was doing without
+cribs and keys.
+
+And when particularly knotty points occurred, Ralph would carry his
+books away and consult Mr. Delermain; and the master helped, and
+advised, and praised him, and spoke very encouragingly of his progress
+and his chances.
+
+"There is nothing to beat honest, hard work, Rexworth," he said one
+evening, as the lad sat in his room. "What you gain unfairly, you soon
+lose; but what you learn honestly, that you hold, and it serves as a
+foundation to build other knowledge upon."
+
+"I do not know how to thank you enough, sir," the lad answered, and Mr.
+Delermain smiled.
+
+"The fact that I see you working honestly, is more than reward for
+me, Rexworth. Now if there is nothing more, run away, for I have some
+letters to write."
+
+Ralph rose, and as he did so, in gathering up his books he knocked a
+piece of thin paper on to the ground from off the table. He stooped
+with an apology and picked it up. He could not help seeing what it
+was--a five-pound note--and he handed it to his master, who took it and
+placed it on his desk.
+
+"Thank you, Rexworth. Do not forget to come to me at once, if you want
+any more help."
+
+Charlton awaited him in their study, and the lad seemed but ill at
+ease. He looked at Ralph doubtfully for a while; and, at last, said
+timidly--
+
+"Rexworth, I hope that you won't be angry, but could you--that is, I
+mean, will you----"
+
+"Out with it, old fellow," laughed Ralph. "Will I what?"
+
+"Lend me some money. I am without any, and I want some----"
+
+"I can lend you ten shillings, if that is any good," answered Ralph
+readily. And Charlton beamed.
+
+"Will you? Oh, I am obliged! I will pay you back soon. I shall have a
+little money in a few weeks."
+
+"That is all right. Here you are," and Ralph handed him the money, and
+turned back to his task again.
+
+[Illustration: "'THAT IS ALL RIGHT. HERE YOU ARE,' AND RALPH HANDED
+HIM THE MONEY." p 110.]
+
+But now he could not work. He wondered what Charlton wanted the money
+for, and where he was going to get any more to pay him again. Somehow
+the sums seemed to get muddled; and he jumped up at last, with an
+exclamation of annoyance--
+
+"Bother it! It won't come right! I quite forget how Mr. Delermain
+said I was to do it. I will run and ask him again; he won't mind my
+bothering him."
+
+He took his book and went out. The corridor leading to the masters'
+rooms was rather dark, for the gas had either not been lit, or had been
+turned out by some one. Just before the room was reached the corridor
+turned sharply to the right, and here it was quite dark. And, as Ralph
+turned this corner, he encountered some one, who ran against him with
+such force that he almost fell down; and before he could recover from
+his surprise, that unseen boy had disappeared round the corner, running
+swiftly and silently, as if anxious to escape notice.
+
+Ralph muttered something about clumsy fellows, and picked up his
+papers, which had been scattered in all directions. Then he went on to
+Mr. Delermain's room, and saw that the door was open, but the room in
+darkness. His master had evidently finished his letters and gone.
+
+"I shall have to let it wait until to-morrow," he said. "It's jolly
+vexing, just as I was getting on so nicely."
+
+He turned from the door, when a step sounded in the corridor, and a
+light glimmered round the corner. Some one was coming. And then a voice
+said--
+
+"Why, Rexworth, what are you doing here? You have no business in this
+corridor." And Ralph found himself face to face with Dr. Beverly.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII
+
+THE STOLEN BANKNOTE
+
+
+Now, why Ralph should have felt in the slightest degree confused by the
+sudden appearance of Dr. Beverly, he could not have said; and yet he
+was conscious that he exhibited something of hesitation in his manner.
+It was perhaps due to the doctor finding him there in the dark, and
+looking rather suspicious and stern.
+
+The fact was that the doctor was so used to his pupils playing tricks
+and getting into scrapes, that it was but natural that he should scan
+the boy's face closely, and he noted that Ralph looked confused.
+
+He repeated his question sharply, and then the boy recovered himself
+and described how he had come to ask Mr. Delermain to again explain the
+point which had escaped his memory.
+
+"Mr. Delermain has gone out, I believe," Dr. Beverly said, when Ralph
+concluded. "But perhaps I may be able to make the point clear. Come to
+my study and let me see what you are doing."
+
+Ralph followed the doctor, not without some little nervousness; for,
+like all the boys, he stood somewhat in awe of the head master; but the
+doctor smiled, and was so kind that he soon put the boy at ease; and,
+after scanning the neat rows of figures in the exercise-book, he nodded
+approval.
+
+"I am glad to see that you work so neatly, Rexworth," the Head said.
+"Now, this point. Here is your error--it is very simple, though easily
+made."
+
+And taking a pencil, he worked out the sum himself, making Ralph go
+over it with him, and explaining each detail as it was done, so that
+Ralph was able to understand it quite easily; and, with words of
+thanks, took his books and went off, the doctor saying, as he departed--
+
+"But let me give you one word of advice, Rexworth. It is all very well
+to be industrious; but remember, the brain wants rest, and you cannot
+learn properly when you are jaded. Put the books away, and do something
+else until bedtime--draw, read, or whatever you like. It pays to have a
+little relaxation when one is working hard."
+
+Now Ralph valued the master's experience too much to neglect that
+advice; and, though he had intended to work for another hour, he put
+his books away when he reached his little study, and, picking up his
+long-neglected story, he settled down with a sigh of relief for a quiet
+read.
+
+But he could not read. He wondered who it was that had run up against
+him, and what he was doing in the master's quarters. He felt uneasy, he
+could not say why. Then he had behaved so foolishly when the doctor
+first met him! As if any one had any need to be afraid of such a kind
+man as Dr. Beverly!
+
+Then he fell to thinking of Lord Elgert; and he wondered why he should
+seem to be so bitter against him, and why he seemed to take a delight
+in saying that his father was a thief. Ralph could not understand Lord
+Elgert; he was as much a mystery as was his father's disappearance.
+
+Then, from thinking of the father, his thoughts went to the son; and he
+wondered whether Horace Elgert would stand any chance of winning the
+gold medal, and whether he was working with one of those cribs; and he
+caught himself thinking how nice it would be to defeat his rival and
+carry off the prize.
+
+But then he checked himself. He wanted to win, but that ought not to be
+the real motive for it. After all, to want to win only to make Elgert
+vexed, was a very poor sort of thing.
+
+"I seem to be for ever catching myself up," he reflected. "It is harder
+work being a standard-bearer than I supposed at first."
+
+The bell rang for supper, and there was no more time to think then.
+Boys were laughing, shouting, enjoying the freedom which was allowed at
+this last meal of the day; and after that was over, the classes went
+off to their dormitories, and silence soon reigned in the school. And
+Ralph slept calm and peaceful, little dreaming what trouble was coming
+for him in the morning.
+
+But that trouble came, sharp and swift, before the classes assembled
+for morning school--the heaviest trouble that Ralph had been ever
+called to face, with the exception of that all-supreme one--the loss of
+his dear father.
+
+Breakfast was over, and the boys crowding from the dining-hall to
+snatch a few minutes' play prior to entering classes, when Ralph felt a
+hand laid on his shoulder and, turning, saw Kesterway by his side.
+
+"Rexworth, the Head wants you in his study at once!" the monitor said;
+and Ralph, wondering what could be the matter, turned and went to the
+doctor's room forthwith.
+
+And when he entered, he found both Dr. Beverly and Mr. Delermain there;
+and both looked very grave he thought.
+
+"You sent for me, sir?" he asked, looking towards the doctor, and the
+master nodded.
+
+"I did, Rexworth. Come in and shut the door. Now sit down and listen
+to me. You know that neither I nor Mr. Delermain would willingly say
+anything to hurt your feelings--I am sure that you realize that?"
+
+"Of course I do, sir," replied Ralph, wondering greatly. "You have both
+always been kind to me."
+
+"Well, now, I am going to say something that may seem hurtful," the
+master went on. But then he stopped as he encountered those calm, brave
+eyes, and he motioned to Mr. Delermain. "Suppose you speak?" he said,
+and Ralph's own master complied.
+
+"Rexworth," he said quietly, "it is not pleasant to say anything that
+could be interpreted into the faintest suspicion of doubting your
+honesty----"
+
+"I hope that you do not doubt it, sir," replied Ralph quickly. "It
+would be a very great trouble to me if you did! But I see that
+something is wrong; and if that is so, it is best to know it at once
+in plain language. If you have to say anything to hurt me, it must be
+something grave indeed!" he added.
+
+"It is grave," acknowledged the master. "You remember, last evening,
+knocking a banknote from my desk, and picking it up for me?"
+
+"Perfectly well, sir."
+
+"I replaced that note on my desk, and, having some letters to write, I
+forgot to take it up again; and when I went to post my correspondence,
+I left it there on the desk. When I returned, the note was gone, and
+the only person who was near my room, so far as we know, was yourself.
+Dr. Beverly saw you there."
+
+"And you think that I have stolen your banknote, sir?" cried Ralph,
+regretfully. But Mr. Delermain shook his head.
+
+"No, no, Ralph! You must not go so far as that. I only tell you the
+facts, as far as we know them. The note was there, the note has gone,
+you are the only one who was seen near the spot!"
+
+"There was some one else, sir!" cried Ralph; and he narrated how some
+one had pushed against him and run down the dark corridor. Both masters
+listened gravely as he did so.
+
+"And you have no idea who this was? Did not recognize either voice or
+figure?"
+
+"No, sir. He did not speak, and it was so dark, and the thing so
+sudden, that I was taken quite by surprise!"
+
+"You can think of no one? Know of no lad you saw in that part of the
+house?"
+
+"No, sir," answered Ralph; but even as he spoke one thought flashed
+into his mind. "Charlton, his chum! Charlton was in need of money!
+Could it have been Charlton?"
+
+"I can think of no one, sir," he replied. "I can quite see how it looks
+against me; but Mr. Delermain has proved so good a friend to me, that
+it seems hard that I should be thought capable of robbing him."
+
+"Let me impress upon you, Rexworth," said the doctor, "that we do not
+look at the matter in that light. We sent for you because we knew that
+you were near the place--in the room, indeed. The matter must be made
+public, and questions must be asked; and it is natural that, since you
+are the only one who was near the place----"
+
+"I was not the only one, sir," he answered quietly.
+
+"No, there is that other boy whom you say ran past you in the dark;
+but, my lad, unless something can be found out concerning that boy, we
+have only your bare word; and suspicion is bound to fall mostly upon
+yourself. That is why we both felt that you should be seen privately,
+before the circumstance was made known to the whole school. That is
+all. You can go!"
+
+"It is impossible that such a boy can be a thief, sir!" cried Mr.
+Delermain to the Head, when Ralph had gone. "I would stake my life upon
+his honesty!"
+
+"I feel somewhat the same, Delermain," answered the Head. "But the note
+is gone, and he is the only one known to have been near. The school
+will not view the thing in that light."
+
+"I should rather that the school did not know, sir," suggested the
+master; but at this Dr. Beverly shook his head.
+
+"No, no, Delermain, I will not have that. We will have no
+favouritism--no keeping things back. If it was my own son who was
+implicated, the thing should be gone on with. For the sake of every one
+concerned, it must be gone on with."
+
+But what a sensation it caused when the doctor made the announcement
+to the school! He had classes stopped, and all the school assembled in
+the hall; and there, standing at his great desk, he spoke to the lads,
+telling them that the banknote was lost.
+
+"It can hardly have been mislaid," he said, "for Mr. Delermain put it
+beneath a heavy paper-weight; and upon his return he found that weight
+had been moved. Now, there are two things I want to impress upon you
+all, very solemnly. Some one must have done this--some one acting,
+perhaps, under a sudden temptation; some one, perhaps, who did not
+understand the full gravity and magnitude of his offence. Let that some
+one come and own his fault to me, like a man and a Christian should do.
+Remember, also, that the number of that note is known. It cannot be
+parted with, or converted into money, without eventually being traced,
+even through successive stages, back to the one who originally parted
+with it.
+
+"Then, remember also, that there is one of your number who is
+particularly affected by this loss; there is one boy who knew this note
+was there, and who is known to have been near the study during Mr.
+Delermain's absence. A boy who frankly explains what took him there,
+and who declares that some one passed him hurriedly in the darkness of
+the corridor. That boy is Ralph Rexworth, and the boy who passed by him
+must undoubtedly be the thief!"
+
+It was kindly put by the Head, for it seemed as if it exonerated Ralph
+from all suspicion; but there were those in the classes who, as the
+Head had foreseen, did not look at it from that standpoint; and Dobson
+muttered to his nearest neighbour--
+
+"That is all very well, but why may not Rexworth have taken it himself?
+He is the only one who knew that it was there."
+
+And the boy to whom this was addressed nodded.
+
+"I again earnestly entreat the boy who has done this thing to confess
+his fault!" the Head went on. "Do not let us have the taint of a
+thief amongst us! Let the culprit act the better part, and remove the
+disgrace from the school! Now go to your classes, and think over what
+I have said, and I trust ere the morning has passed, the boy who is
+guilty will have taken the better course and have come to own his fault
+to me!"
+
+Away to their rooms they went; and now tongues were loosened,
+and comments made; and oh, how hard it was for Ralph to keep his
+temper! for Elgert was not slow to take all the advantages which the
+circumstance offered to him.
+
+"It is all right to talk about shame being on the school!" he said to
+his companions. "What else can you expect? There is Charlton--look
+at him! 'Like father, like son,' you know. Then there is his chum,
+Rexworth. 'Birds of a feather flock together.' It does not take very
+much to see who the thief is, Rexworth was caught almost in the act,
+by the Head himself; and it is very easy to make up a tale of some one
+running by him in the dark."
+
+"Of course," was the answer; and Ralph heard it all so plainly, as
+Elgert had intended that he should do. Poor Ralph, it was a hard task
+for him to keep his temper--to remember his promise, and act the
+standard-bearer's part!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII
+
+DIVIDED OPINIONS
+
+
+There was but one serious theme of conversation at Marlthorpe College
+during the remainder of that day, and it is not difficult to guess that
+the theft of the banknote formed its subject. From the highest class
+to the lowest--from the First Form youngsters right up to the Upper
+Fifth--the boys discussed the business eagerly, and, it must be owned,
+with divided opinions.
+
+For there were some there who, being quick to perceive true nobility of
+character, felt that it was impossible for such a boy as Ralph Rexworth
+to be a thief. They were like Dr. Beverly and Mr. Delermain, and felt
+that, dark as the circumstances made it appear for Ralph, he could not
+be guilty of such a mean action. And there were others who, with all
+the thoughtlessness of youth, and influenced, perhaps, by the words of
+Elgert and Dobson, were quite ready to declare Ralph guilty off-hand,
+without the slightest hesitation.
+
+And it was bitter for Ralph--far more bitter than any there could
+understand. He felt that they all looked with suspicion upon him. And
+he even did his best friends some injustice, yet they, right down to
+their hearts, believed him to be guilty.
+
+He wanted at first to throw aside his books and go back to Mr. St.
+Clive and to Irene, but he pulled himself up sternly. He would not run
+away like a coward. It would appear as if he were really guilty. He
+would stay and fight it out and prove his innocence. He felt sure that
+it would aid him in getting at the truth concerning his father, and so
+he settled sternly down to his work, and even, in his battle, seemed a
+little cold and standoffish to his best friends.
+
+And Charlton--ah, Ralph could not help thinking that Charlton
+knew something about this. He seemed so strange, so different and
+hesitating. He felt like challenging him to tell the truth, but
+something, he was not quite clear what, made him hesitate. It was bad
+enough to be suspected himself, and he was a fairly strong boy, able to
+take his own part, but what would timid, weakly Charlton feel if the
+suspicion were thrown upon him?
+
+"I won't do anything to let him think that I suspect him, until I can
+be sure that I have good grounds for suspicion," Ralph reflected.
+
+And then he paused. And if he had those good grounds, what then?
+Suppose that he could even be certain that Charlton was the culprit,
+what then? The boy would have taken the money for his mother in all
+likelihood, and----
+
+Ralph shrugged his shoulders and turned resolutely to his work, and,
+though plenty there believed that he was guilty, there was such a look
+upon that strong young face that they forbore to speak their opinions
+directly to him, but only revealed them by cutting him contemptuously
+whenever he chanced to be in their company.
+
+But he was not left without comforters. Mr. Delermain took the
+opportunity to speak with him quietly, and as he placed one hand gently
+upon the strong young shoulder, and looked gravely into the face, now
+somewhat clouded with its sorrow, the kindly master said--
+
+"Rexworth, my dear boy, I could find it in my heart to wish that I had
+never mentioned this loss."
+
+"I do not, sir," answered Ralph quickly. "If the thing has been done it
+ought to be mentioned, no matter upon whom the blame may fall. It is
+rather hard to feel that so many of the boys believe that I have done
+it, but then, you see, I was in your room, and things look black, and I
+have no means of proving that my story of some one having passed me is
+really true."
+
+"I would that we had any clue to that," observed the master. "If we
+could only find out who that was! You have no suspicion, Ralph?"
+
+And he glanced into the boy's eyes.
+
+"No sir." Then Ralph hesitated. That was not quite true. He had a
+suspicion. "I would rather not talk of it, sir," he answered, after a
+pause. "Perhaps it is not quite right to say that I have no suspicion,
+but it is only a suspicion, and I have no right to talk about it,
+seeing that I have no solid grounds to go upon. I am accused solely
+upon suspicion, and I know how hard it is."
+
+"I applaud your sentiment," said Mr. Delermain. "Well, my dear lad, let
+me impress upon you that I do not believe you to be a thief. Let me
+give you my sympathy, and let me encourage you to bear this trial--I
+fully understand how hard it must be for one of your nature--bravely;
+and let me assure you that I shall look forward with just as much
+pleasure as formerly to your visits in the evening. Do not let this
+interfere with your studies for the Newlet medal, and rest sure that I
+should not again invite Ralph Rexworth into my study if I suspected him
+of being a thief."
+
+"The boy has some sort of suspicion," reflected the master, after Ralph
+had gone. "He suspects some one. Now whom can that be? Is he shielding
+that boy Charlton? He is a weakly dispositioned lad--one likely to fall
+into temptation, and to yield to it too. I must watch him quietly.
+Charlton is the most likely boy to have done this. He is poor too.
+Perhaps he took it to help his mother. Poor lad! if that is the case, I
+would be the last one to bring him to punishment." He paused and shook
+his head. "I ought to take a lesson from Rexworth," he went on, with a
+smile. "He will not speak upon mere suspicion, and here I am weaving a
+theory without the slightest ground for so doing, and actually arriving
+at the conclusion that a certain boy is guilty, when I have not the
+least right to even connect him with the theft."
+
+Mr. Delermain went back to his duties, but still that thought was in
+his head--was it possible that Charlton had taken that five-pound
+note, and that Ralph Rexworth knew it, and was silent only for the
+sake of his chum? Ralph felt quite cheered by his master's words.
+He did not dream that Mr. Delermain thought anything about Charlton
+being the thief, and he soon found another comforter in the person
+of good-hearted Tom Warren; for the monitor came up to him with
+outstretched hand, crying heartily--
+
+"Look here, Rexworth, you are asking for a fight with me, that's what!"
+
+"Eh?" said Ralph, staring. "I don't understand."
+
+"Well then, why are you cutting me like this? Oh, think I don't notice
+it? You are sitting moping, just like an old magpie that is moulting.
+Look here, don't be so jolly silly as to worry about what these kites
+say or do. It's only Elgert and his gang, and Dobby and Co. They are
+always glad to be able to chuck stones at another fellow's glasshouse;
+but they will get their own windows smashed in time. Now, don't hide
+your head as though you had done something to be ashamed about. Come
+into the playground with me."
+
+"The other fellows don't want me, and I don't want to go where I am not
+wanted."
+
+"Rubbish! Downright silly rubbish!" retorted Warren. "I want you!
+I want you to show me how to throw one of those ropes like you do.
+I cannot manage it. I was trying the other day, and I caught Bert
+Standish an awful smack in the eye, and jolly nearly knocked it out for
+him; and if you had seen him scudding after me, one hand on his injured
+optic and the other shaking in very wrath! I didn't stop to argue until
+I got safe inside my study and had the bolt drawn; and then he stood
+outside kicking the panel, and calling me a chump, and a kite, and a
+cuckoo, and all manner of pretty and polite names, and inviting me to
+come out and let him wipe up the floor with me. I spoke soft words, and
+tried to pour oil on troubled waters, only the troubled waters were not
+taking any, and would not be assuaged until Kesterway came along and
+said that he would report him for damaging the paint if he didn't stop
+it. I have kept out of Bert's way since then, and he has got a lovely
+bruise under his eye. Come on, Ralph, and show me how you do it without
+knocking any one's head off."
+
+So Ralph suffered himself to be taken into the playground, and though
+some looked at him suspiciously and edged away from him, others of
+Warren's disposition resolved that, at any rate, they would wait for
+proof before condemning him, gathered round Ralph, and made him feel
+that they were his friends.
+
+So opinions were divided, and Marlthorpe College split into two
+parties, one for, and one against Ralph--one with Tom Warren at its
+head, and the other with Horace Elgert, the Honourable Horace Elgert,
+the nobleman's son!
+
+And Elgert was not quite satisfied, for he saw that Ralph was not sent
+to Coventry, as he had intended that he should be. He saw that some
+of the boys recognized that he was not the sort of lad to be a thief,
+and he determined that, if it could be done, their opinions should be
+changed.
+
+"If I can only prove that he did it," he mused, "I may be able to
+manage that, if I have any luck."
+
+So the days of the week slipped away, once more bringing the Saturday
+holiday near, and it had been one of the hardest weeks that Ralph
+Rexworth had ever known--a week that had called for all his strength of
+will and purpose to enable him to face and overcome its difficulties
+and temptations.
+
+It was Friday afternoon, and Ralph was in his study putting his books
+straight prior to leaving--he was always neat in his habits--when
+Charlton came in, hesitating, troubled-looking, as ever.
+
+"Glad the week is over, Ralph?" he asked, after he had stood in silence
+for a little while watching his chum.
+
+And Ralph nodded.
+
+"Yes. It has been a little hard. I shall be glad to have a rest from
+it," he answered.
+
+"They are wicked to try and make out that you took that note. They
+ought to know that you did not. I know you did not."
+
+"Do you? How?" was the quiet answer to this indignant outburst.
+
+And Charlton seemed confused.
+
+"Why, because--don't you see--because--you could not do it, of course."
+
+"Thanks!" said Ralph. "It is nice to hear you say that."
+
+But, alas! he wondered whether Charlton had any better grounds for his
+belief.
+
+And then the boy went on, taking ten shillings from his pocket.
+
+"Here are the ten shillings which I owe you. I am much obliged."
+
+Ralph looked hard at him, and made no attempt to pick up the money.
+
+"Charlton," he said quietly, "I thought you said that you would not be
+able to repay me for some time."
+
+And Charlton looked more confused than ever.
+
+"I know, but I--I can pay you now."
+
+"How did you get the money?" asked Ralph.
+
+And his chum grew more nervous.
+
+"I had it given--I mean that I---- Why do you ask that?"
+
+"I will tell you, Charlton," answered Ralph gravely. "I don't mean to
+tell any one else, though. You had no money at the beginning of this
+week, and now you can pay me ten shillings. Where did you get the money
+from? Did you take that five-pound note?"
+
+For a moment the lad stood silently staring at Ralph. Then his pale
+face went crimson, and he burst out indignantly--
+
+"What do you mean? Do you think that I stole it? Do you mean that I am
+a thief? You can't mean that, Rexworth! Did you ever catch me telling a
+lie?"
+
+"Yes," said Ralph quietly. "I did once."
+
+"When?" demanded Charlton.
+
+And Ralph answered--
+
+"Last week in the woods, when you said that you were alone. I know that
+there was a man with you."
+
+"That is a lie!" answered Charlton wildly. "There was no one. You have
+no right to say there was any one with me." He seemed quite beside
+himself with terror. "I know what it is, Ralph Rexworth! You have taken
+that note after all, and now you are trying to put the blame upon me.
+We are not chums any longer. I hate you!"
+
+And with that Charlton rushed off, choking with anger and bitter grief,
+and Ralph stood there looking after him, more in regret than in anger.
+
+"Poor chap!" he muttered. "I ought not to have spoken like that. It
+only shows how easy it is to make a slip, if you are not for ever
+watching. Perhaps I am wronging him, after all."
+
+He paused. His eyes fell upon the money which Charlton had placed upon
+the table. If he was wronging him, then where had Charlton managed to
+get that money from?
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV
+
+BY THE RIVER SIDE
+
+
+"I wish that I had not spoken like that to him."
+
+So Ralph Rexworth mused as he left the study and went along the
+corridor--anger at the violent outburst and the accusation which
+Charlton had hurled at him, he felt none.
+
+A muffled sound broke upon his ears--the sound of some one sobbing
+violently, and he stopped, peering along the corridor until he made
+out the form of his former chum. Charlton had flung himself down full
+length, and was crying as if his heart would break.
+
+It was more than Ralph could stand--he went up to him and laid a hand
+upon the prostrate boy's shoulder.
+
+"Charlton," he said kindly, "don't cry. I am awfully sorry that I have
+offended you, and that we have quarrelled. I did not mean to do it.
+Won't you get up and shake hands with me?"
+
+"No!" came the broken answer. "Go away, I don't want you! You were the
+only chum that I had, and now you say that I am a thief! I never said a
+word against you. I told Dobson that he was telling lies when he said
+that you had stolen the note, and he beat me. I did not mind that,
+because I was trying to stick up for you; and now you say I stole it!"
+
+"Come, shake hands," pleaded Ralph, feeling somehow that he was on the
+wrong track. "I am sorry."
+
+"You ought to have known how it feels to be called a thief," the other
+lad continued. "You are not my chum--I don't care about you being
+strong and me being weak--I don't want to be your chum. I know that my
+father was called a thief, but it was not true--he never did anything
+wrong--and I know that people sneer at me. But I am not a thief--I
+never stole anything, and you, seeing what Elgert has said about your
+father, and that you have been accused, might have been a little more
+kind to me."
+
+"Well, I have said that I am sorry. Won't you shake hands?" said Ralph
+again. "And I had a note from Mr. St. Clive, and he told me to ask you
+and Warren to come over to-morrow. Won't you come?"
+
+"No," answered Charlton. "You don't want boys there who have convict
+fathers, and who you believe to be thieves. You go away, Ralph
+Rexworth. We shall never be friends any more until you have been proved
+wrong. When I can prove to you that I had no hand in taking that note,
+then we will be chums again.
+
+"And," he added, sitting up, "it is a wicked, wicked lie to say that I
+was with any man in those woods. It is not true, and you are making it
+up. There--go away, and make what chums you like. I suppose that we
+must still share the same study! I won't worry you with my presence
+very much, I can promise you; but I won't make friends, and I won't
+forgive you, and I won't take back one word of what I have said that I
+believe about you--not even if you beat me--and you are strong enough
+to do that, I know."
+
+"I am sorry. I don't want to beat you, Charlton," responded Ralph, "and
+I am very grieved that we are not to be chums. Perhaps after Sunday you
+will think differently."
+
+"I will never think differently--never--never!" cried Charlton. And
+jumping up he rushed off, leaving Ralph to continue his way alone, and
+somewhat heavy-hearted, for he had a genuine liking for the lonely,
+sad-faced boy, and was indeed truly sorry that he had said anything to
+cause him such pain and grief.
+
+"Hallo, Rexworth! What have you been doing with Charlton?" asked
+Warren, meeting him in the playground a little later. "He rushed across
+here a little while ago as though he were training for a race; and when
+I asked him if he had seen you, he said that he didn't know anything
+about you, and that he didn't want to know, either. Whatever have you
+done to upset him in that way?"
+
+"We have had a bit of a quarrel," answered Ralph. "Don't ask me about
+it, old fellow, for I don't want to talk of it. I hope that he will
+be all right again next week. By the way, Mr. St. Clive has asked me
+whether you would care to come over and spend the afternoon with me
+to-morrow."
+
+"Will a duck like to swim when it gets enough water to paddle its
+little tootsies in?" laughed Warren. "My dear chap, I will come on the
+wings of greased lightning. I must go home and tell the mater first
+though, or she will wonder what has become of me--fancy that I have met
+with an accident, or something. Fellows ought not to be careless about
+such things as that. Then I will come on, if that will do, and--great
+guns! there goes the bell, and it is my turn to see the school ready
+for calling over. I am off"--and away Warren sped as fast as he could
+run.
+
+The evening passed, the following morning came and went, and
+still Charlton gave Ralph no opportunity for renewing his offer
+of friendship. He looked pale, miserable, but determined--Ralph
+had wounded him to the very soul, and he would not--could not
+indeed--forget or forgive it.
+
+The hour of departure came, and still Charlton avoided Ralph. They left
+without wishing each other good-bye, and Ralph set out for Mr. St.
+Clive's, feeling disappointed and heavy-hearted.
+
+But disappointment and heavy-heartedness could not long find place in
+that bright home. The very first greeting, the warm handshake of Mr.
+St. Clive, the smile of his wife and the rush with which Irene came to
+greet him, altogether united to banish every melancholy thought, and to
+bring sunshine to his heart.
+
+And what a circle of sympathetic listeners he had when he told them
+about the theft, and how he had chanced to be upon the scene. And both
+Irene and Mrs. Clive laughed, and were at the same time very indignant
+that any one should dare to suppose, even for one moment, that Ralph
+could possibly be a thief.
+
+But Mr. St. Clive looked grave, for he could see how hard this was for
+the lad, and could understand what a big fight it must have been for
+Ralph.
+
+"Never fear, my boy," he said when the story was told. "It is hard, but
+the truth must come out at last--it always does in this world of ours.
+But now," he continued, "about your friends--I hope they are to be my
+guests to-day."
+
+"Warren will be here, sir," answered Ralph. And Mr. St. Clive asked,
+"And not Charlton?"
+
+"No, sir, he could not promise." Ralph did not go into the matter of
+his quarrel with his chum then; he wanted to talk to Mr. St. Clive
+alone about that; and the gentleman, seeing that something must have
+gone amiss, did not press his questions further.
+
+Then Ralph went off with Irene, and had to tell her everything over
+again, while she sat and listened with sparkling eyes, especially when
+he told her how Mr. Delermain had behaved.
+
+"I would like to kiss him," she said. "He is a nice man." And Ralph
+suggested that, as she could not do that, the next best thing would be
+to kiss him instead--a thing which proves very conclusively that Ralph
+was very quickly getting used to the ways of Western civilization.
+
+And then, with a merry call, Tom Warren came upon the scene, for he had
+arrived, had been welcomed by his host, and sent out into the garden
+to meet his friend. Irene was introduced--she had known him before, by
+the way, but that doesn't matter--and Warren was nice, and didn't think
+girls a bit of a nuisance--which shows that he was a wise boy--and the
+three just got on as well as could be, until the bell rang for lunch,
+and--
+
+Well, well, they did enjoy that lunch, that is all; and they
+demonstrated very clearly what exceedingly healthy appetites they all
+possessed; and then, that over, they set out for a stroll along the
+river's bank--for it was very pretty there, and Irene loved the spot.
+The trees were so stately, and, in some places, grew right to the
+water's edge, and the grass was so green and velvety, and the river
+ran so smoothly--perhaps too smoothly--for the current was strong
+and swift, and glided along, making the water look like a stream of
+glass as it turned the curve towards Becket Weir, and went roaring and
+foaming down twelve feet like a little Niagara.
+
+But to-day, when they reached the spot they were somewhat disappointed
+to find that they were not the only occupants. A party of boys were
+there--boys from the college--and, of all boys in the world, Elgert,
+Dobson, and some of their chums who had been to Mr. St. Clive's.
+
+Some of the boys were fishing, for there were excellent perch and roach
+in the still pools; and Horace Elgert had his canoe, a pretty little
+boat--light, easy, and graceful, so long as it was kept away from the
+immediate neighbourhood of the weir.
+
+"Oh," growled Warren, as he saw the others. "How jolly annoying!" And
+at that Irene burst out laughing, and inquired how anything could
+possibly be "jolly annoying."
+
+"Well, very annoying, Miss St. Clive," was Warren's answer. "Just to
+think of that lot being here!"
+
+"I don't see that they need annoy us," she answered.
+
+"We will go a little farther along the bank, down by the weir."
+
+Some of the other boys greeted Warren, and raised their hats as they
+saw Irene--whom most of them knew by sight; but of Ralph they took no
+notice, and Elgert, coming by in his canoe, called out loud enough for
+all to hear--
+
+"Keep your eyes on your property, you fellows, you might lose something
+here."
+
+"The cad!" muttered Warren, while Irene gave Ralph's arm a little
+squeeze, as if to tell him never to mind.
+
+"The cad!" said Warren again. "He would not dare do that if you were in
+the playground; and just look at him showing off in that canoe--as if
+no one but he could use a paddle."
+
+"He cannot use one," laughed Ralph. "That is not the way to swing it.
+He takes it over and over like the sails of a windmill, describing
+circles with every stroke."
+
+"Well," asked Warren, "how would you use it? I confess that is the way
+I should handle it."
+
+"It is not the right way. It should be swung from side to side, and he
+will be over if he tries to play tricks like that"--as Elgert made a
+fancy stroke which brought the boat down on one side.--"There, he has
+dropped his paddle! Be careful"--and he raised his voice--"Be careful!
+He is over!"
+
+Yes; the warning came too late. Elgert reached over to regain his
+paddle, the canoe took one sudden lurch, turned bottom up, and sent the
+boy struggling into the water. Elgert could not swim--Ralph saw that
+at a glance; and, without waiting, off went coat and waistcoat, and
+into the river Ralph Rexworth went after his foe--the river that ran so
+swiftly on to the boiling, roaring weir.
+
+[Illustration: "INTO THE RIVER RALPH REXWORTH WENT AFTER HIS
+FOE." p. 138]
+
+It was a hard fight, but Ralph had the advantage of being carried by
+the current right down to the struggling boy, and, ere long, he had
+reached him, was gripping his arm, and had commenced the struggle back
+to the bank, only to find that Warren was by his side ready to give his
+help.
+
+And between them they managed to get Elgert back to the shore. Not
+without a big battle, for the water pulled like giant hands, seeking to
+sweep them all away. They had to swim in a slanting course, and even
+then, ere the bank was reached, they were perilously near to the spot
+over which the water took its leap, and where the notice-board with the
+big "Danger" was so prominently fixed.
+
+But they managed it; and Elgert was hurried off by his friends, while
+Warren and Ralph, soaked as they were, had to race back to Mr. St.
+Clive's, with Irene behind them urging them not to stop for her, but to
+get back as quickly as ever they could.
+
+Only to think of it! Ralph Rexworth had actually rescued, with the help
+of Warren, his enemy Horace Elgert from almost certain death!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XV
+
+THE LOST POCKET-BOOK
+
+
+Ralph Rexworth was inconsolable--he had lost his pocket-book. Now, a
+lost pocket-book may not seem a very big thing to grieve over, seeing
+that another one can be bought for a reasonable sum; and yet Ralph did
+grieve, and grieve greatly.
+
+For this pocket-book was not like other pocket-books that might be
+bought. It was one which his father had given to him--the very last
+present which he had ever received from him--and it contained, amongst
+other things, and the greatest treasure of them all, a portrait of
+his darling mother, and the letter which his father had written to
+him on the day he made the present. What wonder, then, that a boy who
+loved his parents as Ralph Rexworth had done should grieve, and grieve
+greatly, over such a loss?
+
+He found out the loss shortly after he reached Mr. St. Clive's, after
+rescuing Horace Elgert. He had been looking at some portraits of Irene,
+which had only just arrived from the photographers, and she had given
+him one to keep for himself. What should he do with such a gift but put
+it into his pocket-book--and his pocket-book was not there!
+
+Irene saw the change which came over his face when he had discovered
+the loss, and she asked him what was the matter. His face went quite
+white, so that Tom Warren, looking at him, wondered why such a manly,
+sensible chap should look so bad over such a little thing.
+
+But then Tom Warren had father and mother living, and plenty of friends
+around; so that made all the difference. He did not understand what it
+was to be all alone in the world, or how people like that treasured
+every relic of friends and happy days that had been.
+
+"Perhaps it tumbled from your pocket when you threw your coat off down
+by the river?" he suggested. "Let us go and have a look for it." And
+the two boys set off together.
+
+"He does seem cut up," the monitor reflected, as they ran on; for Ralph
+hardly had a word to say now, so anxious was he.
+
+But, no--no pocket-book was to be found. They searched every foot of
+the towing-path, and then went into the wood, to the very spot where
+they had rested that afternoon; but not a sign of the book could they
+see, and at last Warren declared that it was no use looking further.
+
+"You cannot have dropped it anywhere about here," he said, "unless
+some one has seen it and picked it up. Had it got your name inside?"
+
+"Yes," answered Ralph; "but then they won't know where to bring it. How
+will they know who Ralph Rexworth is, or where he lives? I am afraid I
+shall never see it again; and--and--" And Ralph broke off, unable to
+finish his sentence.
+
+"Oh, come, don't be like that, Rexworth!" protested Warren. "At any
+rate, you can advertise for it and offer a reward; and any one who
+found it would be only too glad to bring it back and get the money. An
+old pocket-book is not so great a find that any one would want to keep
+it from you."
+
+"No; it is only of value to me," admitted Ralph, giving one last vain
+look round. "Well, it is no use staying here now; and it is beginning
+to grow dark. I suppose that we had better go back."
+
+The St. Clives were quite anxious to know whether the book had been
+recovered when the two boys once more reached the house, and they were
+full of sympathy when Ralph sadly shook his head.
+
+"I suppose you are quite sure that you brought it away from school
+with you, Ralph?" said Mr. St. Clive; and that brought just one little
+ray of hope. Ralph could not be quite sure. He thought that he had
+done so--he always took it from the pocket of the coat he took off and
+transferred it to that of the one he was going to wear. He had taken
+off his school-jacket when he left that afternoon, and though he felt
+nearly sure that he had done so, he could not be quite certain that he
+had taken his pocket-book from the pocket.
+
+But he felt so anxious and worried that all the pleasure of the evening
+was gone; and when Warren finally said good-night and ran off to his
+own home, it was still with the reflection that Ralph Rexworth must
+indeed be a queer sort of chap, or else there must be some extra
+special reason for his worrying over that pocket-book in the way he did.
+
+And when Warren had gone, Irene came and sat by her friend's side,
+being, indeed, a staunch little friend herself, and wanting to do
+something to comfort him; and she whispered again how she sympathized
+with him, and that perhaps the book was still at school, or, again, if
+it were really lost, it would be sure to be found by some one who would
+be likely to see the advertisement which Mr. St. Clive said should be
+printed, and then they would certainly bring it back to him.
+
+And then she talked of the deed which Ralph had done that day, and how
+glad she was that he had been the means of saving Horace Elgert; and
+how, in returning good for evil, he would be sure to conquer; and just
+for the moment Ralph forgot his loss, and was interested.
+
+"I could not do anything else, Irene," he said. "When it comes to
+saving a fellow's life, one cannot stop to consider whether they are
+friends or enemies. It had to be done, though it has cost me enough,"
+he added sadly.
+
+"You think that you lost your pocket-book then?" she said; and he
+nodded.
+
+"Yes. I must have jerked it out of my pocket when I threw my coat off."
+
+"Well, then some of the other boys will most likely have found it, and
+they will bring it back to you on Monday."
+
+"I hope, if they do find it, they will not open it and get playing
+about with its contents," he said anxiously; and she laughed.
+
+"Why, how silly, Ralph! How can they possibly find out to whom it
+belongs unless they open it? Why should you mind that? You have nothing
+in it that you are afraid for people to see?"
+
+"Oh, no, no; of course not!" he answered quickly. It was not that.
+He could not explain it to Irene--he could hardly understand it
+himself--but the idea of other hands touching that, and other eyes
+prying at its treasured contents, was very repugnant to Ralph's
+feelings.
+
+The next morning Ralph was up early, almost as soon as it was light,
+and back in the neighbourhood of Becket Weir; and there, all alone in
+the freshness of the early day, he hunted this way and that, far more
+carefully than he had done the previous evening, but with as little
+success. There was not a trace of the pocket-book, but--he paused, his
+nerves tingling--some one had driven along the towing-path. The tracks
+were perfectly plain upon the dew-damp earth; and the tracks were
+those of a light cart which was drawn by a horse lame in its left fore
+foot--the same tracks which he connected with his father's fate, and
+which he had not seen for some time now!
+
+He stood looking round. It was Sunday--the day of peace and rest
+and gentle thoughts, and yet for the moment his heart filled with
+hard ones. He must follow these tracks! They might not lead to the
+recovery of his father--alas! he could not but believe now that father
+was dead--but they would lead to the man who had killed him; and
+then--then----
+
+Sweet and low the bells came from the distant church, ringing for the
+first early morning service. They seemed to whisper messages to Ralph;
+but for once he turned a deaf ear to their voices. He must follow these
+tracks, Sunday or no Sunday.
+
+Along the path he went, his eyes fixed on the ground--past the roaring,
+tumbling weir, and the marks grew clearer. Hope rose in his excited
+heart. This was more in accordance with his tastes and desires. It was
+like being back on the long, rolling prairies. He would find out the
+truth now--at least, he would find out who this man was who drove a
+lame horse!
+
+Vain hopes, vain thoughts! Clear and unbroken, the marks ran until
+the towing-path turned out on the main road just by Becket Bridge,
+and there, on the hard, stony road, all tracks were lost. It was
+failure again; and a sudden rush of sorrow came to Ralph, a sudden
+sense of disappointment and loneliness; and sitting down there on
+the stone coping of the wall that separated the road from the river,
+Ralph Rexworth burst into tears. He could not help it--he felt so very
+depressed and weary; and not even the thoughts of Mr. St. Clive and
+Irene could drive that depression away.
+
+But still the bells rang, and their sweet voices thrust themselves upon
+him. I am not sure that a good cry is not a good thing sometimes, even
+for a boy. He felt all the better now, and he thrust back his weakness
+and squared his shoulders, turning once more for the house, lest his
+absence, being noticed, the family might wonder what had become of him.
+
+But his adventures were not quite over for the morning; for, as he
+went back, he became aware that far off to the right, just where the
+spinney came creeping down to the common, there were two persons
+walking--a man and a boy. He could see them quite plainly; and though
+they were so far off, his eyes, accustomed in the past to be used on
+the sweeping plains, where safety, and even life, may depend upon keen
+sight, distinguished the boy as his former chum, Charlton--Charlton and
+a man--who but his father? And again came the thought, in spite of all
+the reasoning which Mr. St. Clive had used--was there any connexion
+between that man, the tracks of the lame horse, and his own dear
+father's disappearance?
+
+Very slowly did Ralph return to his benefactor's house. He was
+restless, anxious; all the stormy feelings seemed to have returned. And
+all this had come through the loss of his pocket-book!
+
+That Sunday was a hard one for Ralph. Even the quiet church, with its
+solemn service, its sweet music, and its glorious coloured windows, did
+not seem quite the same to-day. It was as though Satan was combating
+with him, whispering that it was no use striving to go Christ's
+way--that the road was too hard and the service too ill-paid--that it
+was far better to give up trying to be noble and good and just be as
+other boys were--as Dobson and Elgert, and that sort.
+
+Indeed, the temptation came that it was just downright silly to go to
+school at all, when he could go back to his old life and live in all
+the wild freedom of the plains. So Ralph was tempted; and it seemed as
+if he could get no good from the day at all--as if all striving to do
+so were in vain--and as if he would have been just as well if he had
+stopped away from church altogether.
+
+Even Irene did not seem able to cheer him up. Despairing thoughts, dark
+thoughts, doubting thoughts--one after another they came; for Ralph was
+like Christian in _Pilgrim's Progress_--he was in the dark valley, and
+all manner of evil things seemed to assail him as he journeyed.
+
+Perhaps Mr. St. Clive understood--he seemed to understand most
+things--for that night, when the family knelt at prayers together, he
+prayed especially for all who had special grief to bear and special
+temptations to endure; and somehow that prayer seemed to do Ralph more
+good than anything else had done. It seemed to pull him up, and to tell
+him that, let him be tempted as he might, conquest was possible if the
+temptation was met in the strength which comes through prayer.
+
+Monday morning came at last--the first Monday morning when he had
+really felt anxious to get back to school; and off he set, promising to
+write to his friends and let them know whether the pocket-book was safe
+at the school in the pocket of his other coat.
+
+He met Warren on the road, and the monitor asked him if the book was
+found; but Ralph shook his head in token that it was still missing.
+
+The school was reached at last, and Ralph hurried across the playground
+and darted up to the dormitory. His coat was in his box. He felt in the
+pocket; the book was there--safe! There had been no need to worry! He
+had left it behind him, and it had been safe all the time!
+
+Warren had followed him, and Charlton was there, and half-a-dozen of
+the others. Charlton had taken no notice of him when he ran in.
+
+"There you are, you kite!" laughed Warren. "You left it here all the
+time, and you have been worrying yourself to fiddle-strings, as if it
+contained the most important things in the world, and just trembling
+in your shoes for fear any one should find it and open it, and----"
+
+Warren stopped short. A boy, running by, accidentally pushed against
+Ralph and sent the book flying from his hands. It fell at Warren's feet
+and burst open; and from it there fluttered on the floor, in plain view
+of every boy there--a five-pound note!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVI
+
+THINGS LOOK BLACK FOR RALPH
+
+
+A five-pound note!
+
+There it lay, face upwards; and for a moment there was silence in the
+dormitory. Every eye was turned upon the boy, who stood staring at that
+accusing piece of paper, as if turned to stone. If ever any one looked
+guilty, Ralph Rexworth did at that moment. It was so unexpected, so
+inexplicable--and worst of all, though not a word was spoken, he seemed
+to feel what his companions thought, to know that they looked upon him
+as a liar and a thief.
+
+As for Warren, he stood with open mouth and staring eyes, as if he
+could not believe his senses. So this was why Ralph had been so anxious
+about finding his pocket-book! But when Elgert, who had also come
+into the room, took in the scene and muttered scornfully something
+about "Like father like son," Warren turned on him savagely, with a
+contemptuous--
+
+"Shut up, you cad! You, at any rate, should be the last one to speak,
+seeing that he saved your life on Saturday." And at that sharp reproof
+Elgert shrank away, abashed for once.
+
+Then Warren stooped and picked up the note, for it still lay there, and
+every one seemed too bewildered to move--and he held it out to Ralph.
+
+"Rexworth," he said, in low, grave tones, "this was in your
+pocket-book. It don't want much talking about, you can see what it
+looks like against you. But I want to say, and I feel that I must say
+it, I cannot believe that a chap like you can really be guilty of such
+a horribly mean thing. You and I have been good chums, and if any one
+had asked me my opinion, I should have said that there was no chap in
+the school I could more honour and trust. But this thing has got to be
+explained, and I must do my duty as a monitor, even if it gets my best
+chum into trouble. I must tell the Head of this. If I did not, some one
+else would, and it is my duty to do it."
+
+"You don't think that I stole it," faltered Ralph. It seemed so
+horrible that it unnerved him, and made him lose his firm resolution
+for the moment. It would be only for a little while: presently the old
+grit would come back, and he would be firm enough. But the greatest may
+flinch for the moment--recoiling from the horror of the accusation or
+suspicion--and others may put down their agitation to a wrong cause,
+think it the evidence of a guilty conscience, and condemn them untried.
+
+"You don't think that I stole it?" he faltered, as if pleading that
+Warren would not think so poorly as that of him. But the monitor
+replied gravely:
+
+"I don't think anything about it, Rexworth. I don't want to think, for
+if I did, I should think wrong, perhaps. I can only act on the thing as
+I know it. You lost your pocket-book, you said. You were in a terrible
+mess over the loss. You, yourself, said to me that you hoped no one
+would look inside it if they picked it up; and I, with my own eyes, saw
+this note fall out of it just now, the note I suppose Mr. Delermain
+lost, and which you declared that you had not seen. I must tell the
+Head. I only wish that it were not part of my work to have to do so."
+
+Then the old resolution came back. Ralph's self had not deserted him,
+and he spoke, quietly and calmly, so that all the dormitory could hear
+his troubled tones.
+
+"Thank you, Warren. I value your friendship, which makes doing your
+duty so hard a thing for you, and I quite understand that you cannot
+give me that friendship now, while this thing is over me. I know it
+looks very bad against me. I have some enemy here, and that enemy has
+been just a little too clever for me."
+
+Just as he spoke his eyes caught sight of Charlton, standing looking so
+white and scared, and the thought came: Had he done this? He seemed to
+avoid his gaze. Ralph paused only a moment, and then went on--
+
+"There is one thing, however, that I can do to prove that I value your
+friendship, and that is take the task of speaking from you. If you
+choose to wait until after prayers, I will tell the Head myself, in
+open school, and you can all hear me do it."
+
+Warren hesitated for a moment. He hated to have to do the task, and if
+Ralph would tell himself, it would do just as well.
+
+"Very well," he said, "if you will do that, I have no objection; and,
+look here, you fellows," he added, turning to the others, "do, for
+mercy's sake, keep this to yourselves, all of you; or it will be all
+over the school, and it is not a nice thing to have connected with our
+Form. We may have been a bit wild, but we have never had a thing like
+this before, and I would have done anything rather than have had it
+now."
+
+He turned away as he spoke, and the others followed slowly, leaving
+Ralph there alone--alone with his pocket-book, and the note which had
+come from it.
+
+No, not quite alone, for Charlton still stood there regarding him with
+the same half-frightened, half sorrowful look; and at last Ralph,
+becoming aware of his presence, turned and looked at him.
+
+"Well," he said, "what do you want? Why don't you clear off, like the
+rest have done?"
+
+The boy backed away from him, as if almost frightened.
+
+"And it was you, all the time," he said, in low tones. "You, whom I
+thought so noble and good! You took it, and then you dared to ask me if
+I had taken it, to hint that it was me. Oh, Ralph Rexworth, I did not
+think that there was any one as mean as you."
+
+Ralph regarded him gravely for a little while, and then he said--
+
+"And suppose that I still think that you took it, Charlton? Suppose
+that I ask you whether you put this note in my pocket-book?--for some
+one put it there, that is quite certain. Is this done in spite, because
+of what I said to you on Friday?"
+
+Then Charlton started forward, as if beside himself with anger.
+
+"How dare you, Ralph Rexworth--how dare you! Is that the way in which
+you are going to try and get out of it? Try and put it on to my
+shoulders! Ralph Rexworth, I stayed here when the others went because I
+was going to offer you something--going to offer to take the blame and
+seem to be the thing which you accuse me of being. The boys all look
+upon me as a thief's son, and it would not make much difference if I
+were turned out. I was going to offer to say that I had done this, and
+put it into your book. Going to do it because you were kind to me, and,
+even after what you said, you tried to make friends again. I would have
+done it, Rexworth, but I will not now. If you can be as mean as that, I
+will not do it."
+
+"Hold on a bit, Charlton," answered Ralph. "If you had any idea of that
+sort, I thank you for your kindness. But you don't suppose that I would
+be a party to a thing of that kind, do you? Let you tell a lie and get
+the blame, that I might escape trouble! Not me! If you have done it,
+own up or hold your tongue, as you like. But if you have not done it,
+you shan't say that you have, and that is all about it." And he added,
+as Charlton turned away--
+
+"If I have wronged you with my suspicions, I am sorry. I know how easy
+it is to be wrongly judged."
+
+"And you will find how hard it is to bear," the other boy said, and
+then he, too, turned away, leaving Ralph considerably perplexed. Had
+Charlton taken the note and placed it in his pocket-book? After all,
+Ralph hardly thought so, it was not like him to do that, and yet--yet
+some one must have done this wicked thing, some one who wanted to get
+him into trouble!
+
+But there was no more time to spare, the bell for prayers was ringing,
+and he went down to his place.
+
+In spite of Warren's pleading, it was evident that the story had leaked
+out; for, as Ralph appeared, there was a considerable amount of subdued
+hissing and groaning, which made the masters look up in surprise, and
+the monitors to call silence in angry tones.
+
+Then the Head appeared, and prayers were read. Poor Ralph! It was
+harder than ever to attend to worship now. He felt nervous at the
+ordeal before him, and yet he felt also that to seem nervous was to
+seem guilty--and he was innocent! That thought calmed him. The service
+was over, the Head was just going to dismiss the school when Ralph rose
+in his seat, and said in clear tones--
+
+"Please, sir, may I say something in open school? It is something of
+importance, something connected with the banknote which Mr. Delermain
+lost."
+
+The words created quite a sensation amongst those who were ignorant of
+what had transpired, and the doctor answered--
+
+"Would it not be better to speak with myself first, Rexworth? Then I
+can decide whether what you have to communicate should be made public."
+
+"I would rather speak here, sir. In fact, I have promised to do so. It
+only concerns myself, please, sir."
+
+"Then you may speak. Be brief and plain, and let us hear what you have
+to say."
+
+So Ralph spoke, turning half to the Head, half to the school; and
+describing how he had thought that he took his pocket-book with him and
+how he had found it in his other coat, when he got back that morning;
+and how, also, the five-pound note had been seen to tumble from it,
+when it fell on the floor.
+
+"I know, sir," he said, in conclusion, "that the thing looks as bad as
+bad can be, and that if every one here believes me to be a thief, it
+is only natural; but I can only say, sir, what I have said from the
+beginning. I am quite innocent. I never saw that banknote from the time
+when Mr. Delermain laid it on his desk until this morning, when it fell
+from my pocket-book and Warren picked it up."
+
+The doctor listened in silence, his keen eyes fixed upon the face of
+the lad before him; and Dr. Beverly felt perfectly certain that Ralph
+Rexworth was speaking the truth.
+
+And yet, if that were so, it meant not only that some other boy was a
+thief, but also that a boy must be deliberately trying to get Rexworth
+wrongly accused; and that seemed a very dreadful thing in the eyes of
+the noble, upright master of Marlthorpe.
+
+"You say you were under the impression that you took your pocket-book
+home with you, Rexworth?" he said, when the boy had concluded; and
+Ralph replied--
+
+"Yes, sir. I can say yes to that, though I suppose that I must be
+mistaken, seeing that I found it safely in my coat-pocket when I went
+to the dormitory the first thing this morning."
+
+A low murmur went round the school. Some of the boys were evidently
+convinced that Ralph was guilty, and that he was only striving to
+screen himself, and their youthful hearts rebelled against such
+behaviour.
+
+"Hiss, hiss!" "Thief, thief!" ran round, and Ralph started as though he
+had been struck by a whip.
+
+The doctor struck his bell sharply, and silence followed. The offenders
+looked somewhat dismayed at their own audacity.
+
+"Silence, there!" he cried. "Is it the custom to call a man guilty
+before even the whole evidence is heard? What Rexworth says is very
+true. The facts do seem to unite to condemn him, and yet it is
+possible that those facts are unworthy of credence."
+
+"Whatever does the Head favour that fellow for?" muttered Elgert,
+to one of his own friends. But he received a look of disgust and an
+impatient--
+
+"Oh, shut up! Didn't he pull you out of the river?" That was the second
+time that morning Horace Elgert had been so rebuked.
+
+"This," the Head continued, "demands the most careful, searching
+investigation. If Rexworth is guilty, I shall be the last to screen
+him; if he is innocent, it is but my duty to strive to establish that
+innocence. If any boy has been wicked enough to deliberately do this
+for the very purpose of getting this lad into trouble, I most earnestly
+entreat that boy to think of what he has done, and to confess his fault
+before this goes farther, and----"
+
+The Head paused and looked round, the door was opened, and Lord Elgert
+had entered, just in time to overhear his last words.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVII
+
+THE PLOT THAT FAILED
+
+
+The entrance of Lord Elgert interrupted the serious business being
+carried on; and somewhat impatient, even if curious, glances were
+directed towards him as he walked up to Dr. Beverly.
+
+"I evidently come at an inopportune moment," the nobleman said, as he
+surveyed the scene before him; "and yet, perhaps, it is a fortunate
+interruption, if this lad is in trouble, as he seems to be"--and
+he nodded towards Ralph, who met his gaze with some coldness. "If
+my interruption is untimely I will withdraw." And he looked round
+inquiringly.
+
+"We certainly are in the midst of a painful inquiry," replied the
+headmaster gravely. "I do not suppose that your visit is connected with
+it in any way."
+
+"My visit is wholly and solely to thank Ralph Rexworth and Tom Warren
+for their bravery in rescuing my son last Saturday," was the reply.
+
+And these words also caused something of a sensation, for, to the
+school at large the adventure at the river side was still unknown.
+
+The Head himself had evidently not heard of it, for he looked
+surprised, and Lord Elgert continued--
+
+"The two boys risked their lives to save that of my son, and I cannot
+be slow in coming to express my thanks and admiration. If Rexworth is
+in any trouble, I sincerely trust that any influence which I may have
+will be allowed to weigh in his favour."
+
+"Perhaps we had better finish the business in hand first," suggested
+the Head. "It is connected with something of which I understand you
+have already been informed. A banknote which was missing some time ago
+has been recovered, and it was found in Ralph Rexworth's pocket-book."
+
+"Dear, dear," said Lord Elgert, in grieved tones; "I am truly
+sorry--very sorry. But the temptations to which youth are exposed are
+great. It may be possible to overlook this unhappy matter for once----"
+
+"Sir--sir," broke in Ralph, indignantly appealing to Dr. Beverly, "I
+know that you have always been kind to me, and I ask you to protect
+me from Lord Elgert's insults, lest I may forget myself and say words
+which I ought not to say. I want no friendship nor influence of his. I
+am not guilty, and I will not accept anything which will make it appear
+that I am. As to saving his son, Warren did as much as I did, and we
+could do no less for any one who was in danger, but I can honestly say
+that I wish that it had been any one else than Horace Elgert."
+
+A very ugly look swept over the face of Lord Elgert, and he stepped
+back, remarking to Dr. Beverly--
+
+"In that case, there is no need for me to interrupt you any longer--at
+any rate, so far as this boy is concerned."
+
+"Now, attention!" said the Head; and the school straightened up again.
+"We have heard what Ralph Rexworth has to say, and some of you are
+evidently quite certain that he is guilty--that he is a thief, and,
+worse, a liar also--and that in face of what we have just heard. A
+boy who risks his life to save that of another is surely not so poor
+spirited as this. To believe that he is, is to believe that utter
+contradictions can be reconcilable."
+
+"Please, sir," said one lad, rising in his place, "there is one thing
+which I should like to say."
+
+"You may speak, sir," was the reply which he received; and the boy went
+on--
+
+"Rexworth says that he thought he took his pocket-book away with him on
+Saturday. Please, sir, so he did, for I saw him take it from his other
+coat. He laid it on his bed for a minute, and then looked at a likeness
+in it, and afterwards put it into his pocket. So that if it was found
+here this morning, some one must have picked it up and brought it back."
+
+"That is most important, if it is true," said the Head, while Ralph
+felt a rush of relief, and turned grateful eyes upon the speaker.
+
+"Are you sure that he did put it into his pocket, and not either
+replace it in the coat from which he took it, or leave it lying on the
+bed?"
+
+"Quite sure, sir," answered the lad confidently. "I saw him slip it
+into his pocket, and I wondered whose likeness it was that he carried
+about with him."
+
+"It is my mother's, sir," said Ralph in a low voice.
+
+And the Head nodded.
+
+"Then, if this be true, a most wicked and evil plot has indeed been
+attempted--one so bad that, when I discover those who invented it, they
+shall surely be expelled. I am glad to have this testimony, although it
+was almost needless, for I am already quite certain that Ralph Rexworth
+is innocent--or, I had better say, that the evidence against him is
+valueless.
+
+"In the first place, this pocket-book"--and he held it up--"has
+certainly been dropped, for its side is still stained with mud, and
+there is the mark of a boot, where some one has stepped upon it. In the
+next place--and this in itself is sufficient--a little mistake has been
+made. Is this note yours, Rexworth?"
+
+And he turned, holding the banknote to the astonished Ralph.
+
+"No, sir," the boy answered, not knowing what to make of this turn in
+affairs.
+
+"Have you not such a thing as a five-pound note?" he was next asked.
+
+And again he replied in the negative.
+
+"Well," the Head went on, "it certainly is not the one lost by Mr.
+Delermain. Every banknote, as I suppose you know, has its own number,
+and this number is not that of the note lost, so that either some one
+has been kind enough to make Rexworth a present of a five-pound note,
+or else they have, by oversight, or through ignorance, put a note into
+his pocket-book to make it appear that he is a thief, not considering
+that it is as easily distinguished from the one which is missing, as if
+it were for a different amount, and----"
+
+The doctor paused once more, for Ralph broke down. He had kept stiff
+enough so far; but now, as he heard that by no means could he be
+accused, and that some one must certainly have done this out of spite,
+his courage gave way, and he cried out--
+
+"Why should any one want to harm me so? I have done nothing to make any
+one wish me evil. I am almost a stranger in England, and yet people try
+to do such things as that! I cannot stay, sir. I must ask Mr. St. Clive
+to send me back. England is a wicked place, and strangers are treated
+wickedly."
+
+"Perhaps all England is not as bad as you think it, my lad," replied
+the Head kindly, "though I confess that your experiences are enough
+to make you form such an opinion. But do not decide hastily. I think
+that out of all such trials you will emerge a conqueror, and I know
+that such wicked attempts as have been made against you must, sooner or
+later, recoil upon the heads of those who make them."
+
+"I sympathize with the lad," said Lord Elgert, "and I take no offence
+at the way in which he spoke. You remember, Rexworth, that if ever you
+want a friend you can come to me. I think your decision a wise one.
+This land is no place for you, and if you wish to return to your old
+home, I will myself provide all the money which is required. I want you
+to let me give you a gold watch--I have one for Warren, also."
+
+"I will take nothing from you," cried the boy, so that all could hear.
+"I do not trust you. For some reason you seem to hate me, and I believe
+that you are at the bottom of all my troubles."
+
+"Rexworth," said the Head, in grave remonstrance; and the boy checked
+himself.
+
+"I am sorry, sir. I ought not to have spoken like that," he said
+penitently; "but Lord Elgert knows how impossible it is to take any
+favours from him, after what he has said about my father. All I desire
+of him is that he will leave me alone to fight my own battle."
+
+Lord Elgert shrugged his shoulders.
+
+"If that is so, I cannot help it," he said. "If you change your mind
+and need a friend, you can come to me. Now for Master Warren."
+
+"Please, sir," said Warren rising, "I don't want anything for just
+doing my duty; and, anyhow, I could not take any present or reward
+without first asking my father's leave."
+
+Lord Elgert bit his lip.
+
+"It seems that I am to be deprived of the pleasure of giving any
+reward at all," he said. "In that case, I will intrude no longer, Dr.
+Beverly."
+
+And with a sense of discomfiture Lord Elgert departed, and the Head
+again addressed the boys, enlarging upon the wickedness of what had
+been done, and once more pleading that the culprit, whoever he was,
+would act a man's part, own his wrong, and ask for mercy. Alas! there
+was no response to his pleading, and after a short pause the Head
+dismissed the school to its various classes.
+
+But surely never before had Marlthorpe had so much to talk of; and
+never before did the masters allow more talking. For the thing was so
+bad, and the lessons to be learned so grave, that each master felt as
+if it were almost his duty to bring the subject before the boys, even
+to encourage them to talk of it, if in so doing those lads could be
+taught that honesty and truth must prevail in the end, and that deceit
+and wrong-doing must fail.
+
+But oh, what a good thing it was for Ralph when Mr. Delermain shook
+hands with him.
+
+"My dear boy," the master said, "none can rejoice more than I do that
+the clumsy attempt to fasten this theft on your shoulders has failed.
+Had it not been shown to be such an attempt, I should still have felt
+confident that it was so, being sure that you would not have done
+this thing. Still, it is well to have it proved to be but an attempt.
+Now, take my advice, and banish it from your mind. Do not even worry
+as to who did it, nor as to their motive. These things will manifest
+themselves in time, and until they do they are not worth troubling
+about, nor allowing to interfere with your work, and particularly with
+your chances for the Newlet."
+
+And Warren came to him also, as frank and good-hearted as could be.
+
+"I suppose that you feel as if you wanted to punch my head," he said;
+"but I had to do my duty, old fellow, even if it were an unpleasant
+one."
+
+And to him Ralph had answered--
+
+"I should have thought precious little of you if you had not done it.
+Of course, you could not have done anything different from what you
+did."
+
+Charlton said nothing--only he looked at Ralph wistfully, and it seemed
+as if there was something of relief in his eyes. Charlton was a puzzle
+to Ralph. He could not understand the boy anyhow.
+
+Nor was Warren the only one who came and spoke to Ralph and expressed
+abhorrence for the attempt to brand him as a thief, and satisfaction
+that he was cleared from the accusation.
+
+But that same day, in a quiet corner of the playground, Horace Elgert
+came across Dobson, and, seizing him by the collar, he shook him
+savagely.
+
+"You great blundering donkey," he said. "How did you come to do it? You
+have made a pretty mess of things."
+
+"Well," growled Dobson, shaking himself free, "it is no good to kick up
+a row about it. No harm is done, only he has managed to get clear."
+
+"But how did you do it? I cannot think how it was."
+
+"Easy enough. I had five pounds that my aunt sent me. I am a favourite
+with her"--and Dobson smiled complacently. "Well, I had that in my
+pocket, and when you handed me over the other note, after I picked up
+his pocket-book, I must have put the wrong note in, that is all."
+
+"But what did you do with the one I gave you?" demanded Elgert quickly.
+
+"Changed it up in the town."
+
+"Changed it!" he gasped. "You idiot! Don't you know that it can be
+traced by its number? I suppose that you wrote your name on the back?"
+
+"Of course I did," said Dobson, looking very scared.
+
+"Yes, and that note will come back to you, perhaps brought by a
+constable. You have done a nice thing!"
+
+"But I didn't steal it--you stole it!" cried Dobson, in alarm. And
+Elgert struck him a savage blow.
+
+"So you would turn sneak, would you? Well, there is no proof that I
+stole it. There is plenty of proof that you had it, changed it, and put
+your note into the pocket-book. You will suffer, and not me."
+
+"What--what can we d-d-do?" gasped Dobson, his knees knocking together.
+And Elgert answered--
+
+"We must go up into town to the place where you changed it. We must get
+that note back if we can, even if we have to give double for it. There
+is no telling what will happen, unless we get hold of it."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVIII
+
+WHERE THE BANKNOTE WENT
+
+
+Brown's cake-shop was out of bounds for the younger boys at
+Marlthorpe College. The boys in the upper classes might go there if
+they chose; but as it was over a mile from the school, the Head had
+wisely determined that it was too far away for the little lads to be
+continually running there to spend their pocket-money; especially as
+there was a very clean and nice shop in the village close by--a shop
+kept by a kindly old dame, where Dr. Beverly was certain the boys could
+not come to harm.
+
+It was quite as good a shop as Brown's; but, because it was within
+bounds, and because the lads were forbidden to go to the town, it was
+not patronized as it should have been; while Brown's received many a
+secret visit. It was a shame that the upper fellows might go there,
+when the juniors might not! It was the cause of heartburnings. There
+were no cakes in all the world like those which Brown's sold! The chief
+inducement to get promoted was that Brown's might be visited freely.
+
+Of course, it was wrong and foolish; but then, boys are apt to think
+wrongly and do foolishly; and, therefore, the reason of two small
+mortals scuttling along the road, and dodging into Great Stow, with
+eyes ever on the alert for monitors and masters, was not hard to
+seek--their destination was, of course, Brown's.
+
+A nice pair of young rebels they were. One was small and freckled and
+sandy, with small eyes, and a decidedly pug nose; and the other was a
+remarkably fat youth--so fat that it really seemed wonderful that he
+could run as he did.
+
+They darted along, avoiding the main street, until the noted
+establishment was reached; then, after a careful and cautious peering
+in, to make sure that the coast was clear, they dived in, and the door
+closed behind them.
+
+Now, Brown knew about these unlawful visits. He was very glad that
+he was without bounds, for he was quite certain that being so would
+increase his trade. He encouraged his youthful customers. He called
+them noble-spirited boys, who refused to bow to harsh rules. He said
+they were young heroes; and he had a nice little room behind the
+shop, with the window screened by a thick curtain--rather holey and
+dirty, it is true--and there was a bell to ring for Brown; and little
+white-topped tables to sit at; and it seemed so grand and "grown-up" to
+call for the waiter--though it was Brown himself who came--and to order
+a penny bun, or a jam tart, and for Brown to say "Yes, sir; at once,
+sir." Oh, it was very, very delightful, and it had a spice of adventure
+about it.
+
+So into the private room dived the two youthful spendthrifts, and
+ordered tarts and ginger-beer and ices, and then seated themselves at
+their ease to enjoy this forbidden feast.
+
+"Ain't they prime, Jimmy?" gloated the fat boy, as he put himself
+outside a three-cornered puff; and Jimmy, with his mouth full of tart,
+was understood to reply that they were "ripping."
+
+The shop-bell tinkled, and Jimmy jumped up. He was not quite sure who
+might come in, and he squinted through one of those convenient holes in
+the blind, a fragment of tart still in his hand.
+
+"I say, it is Elgert's man!" he said, looking round. "I wonder what he
+wants here?"
+
+"Oh, he doesn't signify. Let us enjoy ourselves, for we cannot stay
+long, and we shall have to run all the way back."
+
+That eating cakes was a good preparation for running a mile is open
+to question, but the two boys evidently had no doubts concerning the
+matter; and so they sat there, while the man who had entered talked to
+Brown over the counter, and, seeing that the door was not quite closed,
+the boys could not help hearing a little of what passed.
+
+"I'll bide my time, Brown," Elgert's man said. "I will not be
+impatient, but I will humble that young cub yet! I hate him even more
+than I do his father. He treats a man like the dirt beneath his feet!"
+
+"So he does," muttered Jimmy Green to Tinkle; "that is quite right!"
+
+And Tinkle nodded. He was busy with an ice just at the moment.
+
+"I say," said Brown to the man, "if you are not in a hurry, I wish that
+you would run over to the inn and ask them to change me this five-pound
+note? It is one which I changed for one of the boys from the school the
+other day."
+
+Two youthful pairs of ears pricked up, two hands were arrested as they
+conveyed two cakes towards two mouths. A five-pound note changed for a
+boy from the school! This was exciting!
+
+"I can cash it for you myself," the man said; "I have just been paid my
+month's money."
+
+"I shall be obliged," said Brown. And then followed the ringing sound
+of money being counted out; the man picked up the note, glanced at it
+and put it into his pocket.
+
+"I will look in as I return," he said to Brown; and away he went.
+
+"I say! Think we can get out of Brown who changed that note?" said
+Tinkle to Green. "It's jolly funny, after what took place to-day!"
+
+"I don't know," answered Green thoughtfully. "Fact is, Tinkle, old man,
+I don't know that I am anxious to do it. It is awkward to know too
+much sometimes. There is the chance of having to split on some chap you
+are friendly with. If you don't know you can't say."
+
+"And if you don't say, some one may stay wrongly suspected," was the
+retort of Tinkle. And then, the shop-bell sounding again, necessitated
+another going to peep through the blind.
+
+"Oh, I say!" gasped Tinkle, as he looked through a hole; "if it isn't
+Elgert himself this time, and his crony Dobson is with him!"
+
+[Illustration: "'OH, I SAY,' GASPED TINKLE; 'IF IT ISN'T ELGERT
+HIMSELF THIS TIME.'" p. 172]
+
+"Well, they won't split," was the philosophic reply. "They will only
+want to go shares. I know 'em both."
+
+"Eat cakes while we pay; and Dobson is such a greedy beast!" And Tinkle
+groaned to himself.
+
+"Perhaps they are not going to stop," whispered Green. "They may only
+be going to take something back with them."
+
+It seemed like it; for the two boys outside made no attempt to enter
+the inner room. They both seemed rather flustered and out of breath,
+and as Brown came forward to attend to their wants Dobson panted out--
+
+"Oh--er--I say, Brown. That--that note I changed the other day. I
+should like--that is--I mean----"
+
+"We want it back!" put in Elgert impatiently, pushing his companion
+aside. "We cannot explain why, but we are very anxious to get hold of
+it!"
+
+"Fact is, we fancy that it is bad, and we don't want you to be the
+loser, you see," added Dobson. And Brown smiled slightly and nodded.
+
+"That's very good of you young gentlemen--very good and honourable. But
+you have no occasion to worry; the note was good enough. I saw to that."
+
+"Well, good or bad," Elgert said, "I want to get hold of it! And, as
+you know, I am always willing to pay for what I want. I will give you
+six pounds for that note, Brown!"
+
+The man glanced at him shrewdly. What did this mean? Why had they
+invented that lie about the note being bad; and why were they willing
+to give a pound extra to get it into their hands again?
+
+"I am very sorry, sir," he said slowly, "but the fact is, I have parted
+with that note. I changed it only a short time ago."
+
+"Changed it!" Elgert went rather white, and Dobson groaned dismally.
+"Whom did you give it to?" was Elgert's quick inquiry. "Perhaps he has
+it still!"
+
+"Well," responded Brown, "the fact is, I can hardly remember. You see,
+a lot of money passes through my hands, and I have passed on four or
+five notes to-day. I should have to inquire of the different people,
+and find who had the identical note that you require."
+
+"And will you do it?" cried Elgert quickly. "I will not grumble about
+the price. I want to get the note back, and I am willing to pay well
+for it. When can you let me know about it?"
+
+"If you came to-morrow, sir, about this time, I'd see what I could do
+meanwhiles. I may be able to get hold of it again, if it has not been
+paid into the bank."
+
+There was nothing more to be done. Elgert and Dobson came away with a
+horrible feeling of nervous apprehension filling their hearts. If that
+note was gone, what might not the consequences be for both of them?
+They were quarrelsome--each blamed the other--each tried to screen
+himself. But recriminations were of no avail; nothing was of avail,
+unless it was getting hold of the note once more.
+
+And when the two had gone, the feasters on unlawful pastries came forth
+from their hiding-place; and having settled their bill with lordly air,
+they also set out for the school, for there was no time to lose if they
+were to be back before calling over.
+
+But they had something to think about indeed! Why did Elgert want that
+note? And how came it that Dobson had possessed one to change at all?
+
+"What are we going to do about this, Jimmy?" inquired Tinkle, as they
+ran along, and Green answered without the slightest hesitation.
+
+"Nothing! That is my advice, Tinkle. We can't do anything without
+owning up to having been out of bounds; and I don't want my name down
+for punishment now. We don't know that the note is the one which Mr.
+Delermain lost. We only know that it is one Elgert and Dobson want to
+get hold of for some purpose of their own; they may be trying to trace
+something about it."
+
+And then Brown went to stand at his shop-door, impatiently watching for
+the return of his companion, and hailing him as he saw him appear round
+the bend of the road.
+
+"It's curious that they should be so anxious to get that note back" he
+said, when he told the other of Elgert's request. "Offered a pound, and
+said he was willing to go beyond that. Well, as you have changed the
+note, it is your property, and the profit will be yours. Of course, you
+will part with it?"
+
+The man drew the note from his pocket-book, and examined it carefully
+ere he answered.
+
+"It is quite genuine," he said, and Brown laughed.
+
+"Of course, it is! I knew that all along. That part of their story was
+all nonsense. There is something up, but you may as well make your
+little bit out of it. Say I give you six pounds for it, and chance
+making any more myself?"
+
+"Not to-day," was the quiet answer. "You shall have it in a day or two.
+You can say that you have been promised that it shall be returned."
+
+"But what do you want to do with it for a day or two?" asked Brown,
+with something of curiosity.
+
+And the man looked him in the face, and replied, with a quiet smile--
+
+"Do? Oh, nothing! I only think that it may be as well if I have this
+banknote photographed. You can have it after that, and we will share
+the profits."
+
+Then Brown laughed, and clapped him on the back.
+
+"You are a smart fellow!" he cried.
+
+And the man answered.
+
+"There are some people living who will find that out to their cost one
+of these fine days!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIX
+
+THE LAME HORSE ONCE MORE
+
+
+If Elgert and Dobson and the two juniors who had overheard that
+conversation in Brown's cake-shop were the four most excited concerning
+the five-pound note which had been stolen from Mr. Delermain, they were
+not the only ones in Marlthorpe College who were interested in the
+matter.
+
+From first to last the whole school could do nothing but discuss the
+mysterious business; and, whatever else it did, the attempt to put the
+guilt upon Ralph's shoulders resulted in his being all the more firmly
+established in the favour of most of the boys.
+
+Even those who had not liked him were more friendly now; for there was
+something so shameful and wicked in trying to get him accused of that
+which it had been proved he was innocent of, that they could not but
+feel sympathy for him. Then the story of his brave deed in rescuing
+Elgert was strongly in his favour. After all, boys at heart love
+bravery.
+
+But of all there, Warren and Ralph himself pondered most. Their
+friendship was quite restored, and together they talked and discussed,
+and wondered who it could possibly be who would want to harm Ralph.
+
+And poor Charlton! Ah, how miserable he was now! He had his own weight
+of sorrow, and it was very, very heavy to bear; and after what Ralph
+had said he could never hope that they would be friends again.
+
+"I suppose that I am to blame," he said. "Perhaps I took things too
+much to heart. I feel that I am never to have friends. I--I don't care!
+Rexworth might give me another chance; but if he won't--if he is so
+taken up with Warren--he can do as he likes. I don't care!"
+
+Poor Charlton! He did care, for all his talk--care very much. He was
+lonely and sad; but he did not stop to think that Ralph had already
+given him chances, and that it was his own fault that he had not taken
+them. When we are miserable we are also apt to be unjust, and to put
+the blame for our own actions upon other people's shoulders.
+
+And how interested and indignant, and yet withal delighted, were the
+St. Clives when they heard of what had happened.
+
+"A clean reputation is a good thing, you see, Ralph," Mr. St. Clive
+said. "It is surely worth something to feel that people have such a
+high estimate of you as to realize that you are utterly incapable of
+doing a mean thing, even though appearances are so strong against you."
+
+"It is just splendid to think how you have come out of it, Ralph!" was
+Irene's delighted comment when the two young people were alone. "It is
+like when wicked people tried to injure the brave knights of old, and
+when truth and valour and true chivalry triumphed over all opposition.
+There is something, even here and now, to be gained when people know
+that you are fighting under honour's flag!"
+
+And Ralph had to acknowledge that she spoke the truth, and to own that
+he was now very glad that he had resisted the temptation to yield and
+to run away from his troubles.
+
+That Saturday holiday--the one after the business of the note being
+found in his pocket-book--was one of the happiest that he had spent
+since coming to Stow Ormond--a day when the clouds seemed to have
+lifted, when the sun seemed brighter, and when faith grew more strong.
+It came from the feeling that he had fought a good fight, and that he
+had been helped to be more than conqueror.
+
+And yet he had forgotten nothing of his father. He was as anxious as
+ever to solve the mystery surrounding his disappearance; only now,
+instead of being impatient, he felt that he was preparing in the best
+way for seeking the truth by staying with Mr. St. Clive, and by working
+as hard as ever he could.
+
+And on that same afternoon he walked with Irene as far as the pretty
+old inn; and old Simon, the landlord, greeted him with a cheery smile;
+for, indeed, Simon felt a great interest in the lad, seeing that the
+first scene in his strange story was enacted beneath his roof.
+
+"And how are you, young gentleman?" he asked. "And you, too,
+missie?"--as the two entered the yard. "Come to pay a visit to old
+Simon--eh?"
+
+"I have come to talk to you, Simon," answered Ralph. No one ever called
+the landlord of the _Horse and Wheel_ anything but Simon. "I have come
+to ask you something."
+
+"That's right, sir! Ask away--though I don't promise to answer if it is
+a poser. I haven't had the education which you young people enjoy."
+
+"It is nothing to do with education, Simon," laughed Ralph. "I want
+to ask you whether, now that you have had plenty of time to think of
+it--as I feel sure you must have thought--do you think that you have
+any recollection of ever having seen my father before? I feel certain
+that he knew the place; and if he knew it, perhaps you may be able to
+think of some one whom he reminds you of."
+
+But Simon shook his head at that question.
+
+"I am afraid that I cannot answer that, sir. Your father certainly did
+know the place; for when I told him the number of his room he walked
+right up to it without waiting to be shown. And, in some way, I seem to
+have a faint recollection of having seen him before; but it is all dim
+and hazy like, and it wouldn't do to go upon."
+
+"Thank you, Simon. Now the other question--and I want you to keep this
+to yourself; I have a particular reason for that. Do you know any one
+in the neighbourhood who drives about in a light trap, and who has a
+horse lame in its left foreleg?"
+
+"Well," said the old man thoughtfully, "come to that, there are plenty
+of folk with light traps hereabout; and I know of two lame horses. Old
+Saxer, the carter, has one, and Hopkin, the butcher, has one, and--why,
+yes, Lord Elgert himself has a pretty little mare lame in her left
+foreleg. She hurt herself in a hole, and, though she goes all right
+now, she has a bit of a limp. And, why, come to think of it, now I
+remember who your father put me in mind of."
+
+"Who--oh, who?" cried Ralph eagerly; while Irene looked on not less
+interested.
+
+"Who?" said the innkeeper. "Why, of old Lord Stephen! He was Lord
+Elgert's uncle, and he died without leaving child of his own. He had
+one son, who died long, long ago. That is it, for certain! But what
+ails you, young sir?"
+
+For Ralph had gone quite white. He had never expected that answer. Lord
+Elgert had a lame horse! Lord Elgert was the nephew of some one whom
+his father had resembled! Lord Elgert had told that wicked story about
+his father; and Lord Elgert was so very anxious for him to go back to
+the plains, and leave England behind him for ever! Surely it could not
+be! And yet, as Ralph pondered, he seemed to call to mind a hundred
+things to strengthen his suspicions. It could not be that Lord Elgert
+knew anything about his father!
+
+A very grave Ralph walked home to lunch; and a very grave Mr. St. Clive
+listened to his story.
+
+"I could wish that this had not been brought up, Ralph," he said. "I
+fear that it will only unsettle you again; and, in spite of all that
+you advance, I cannot bring myself to believe that you are anything but
+mistaken. Lord Elgert may not be a pleasant man to deal with, but this
+is a very, very grave thing to even so much as hint at."
+
+But whatever Mr. St. Clive might say, Ralph could not get the thing
+out of his head. It is not to be wondered at that it should haunt him
+and make him feel excited. After waiting so long, this was like the
+first real tangible clue. And he had been thinking that it was poor
+Charlton's father who must be at the bottom of it! Poor Charlton!
+
+Walking by himself, Ralph pondered upon the fact that, after all, if
+any one had hinted to him what he had hinted to his chum he would have
+been just as hurt and indignant. And now that he was cleared it would
+be manly and nice to go and ask him to be friends again.
+
+"He can hardly do anything if I don't give him the chance," he told
+himself. "I will do it as soon as I get back to school on Monday."
+
+His head full of the tracks of lame horses and light traps, he had
+taken his way across towards Stow Wood, the scene of that tragedy--for
+tragedy he believed there had surely been--and as he walked over the
+common he reflected that those marks had led away in the direction of
+Great Stow; and in Great Stow or just beyond it, Lord Elgert lived.
+
+And then, as he walked along, his eyes thoughtfully fixed upon the
+ground, he stopped suddenly. Surely things were going strangely to-day;
+for, coming on top of old Simon's words, here was the track of the lame
+horse again!
+
+"I will follow it this time," said Ralph to himself.
+
+And he set forward rapidly. There was plenty of both light and time
+this afternoon, and if the tracks led to hard roads he would go on and
+search beyond them.
+
+But he did not have very far to go this time, though he gained but
+little for his trouble. The other side the common, and close to Stow
+Wood, he came upon the vehicle he had followed--a light trap, truly,
+and drawn by a pretty little mare; and with it were three men, one in
+the uniform of a constable and the others in ordinary dress.
+
+"Who does this trap belong to?"
+
+The question was absurd, perhaps, but he blurted it out without
+thinking; and the men turned and regarded him with mingled surprise
+and amusement.
+
+"And what has that to do with you, if you please?" said one--the one in
+uniform.
+
+And what could he say? Whatever the other two were, one was a
+constable; and surely a constable was sufficient evidence that he had
+followed a wrong trail!
+
+"You seem to have a liking for asking questions, young gentleman," said
+one of the other men. "Now, suppose that we ask you one? Have you seen
+any one out here--any one that seemed as if they were trying to hide?
+We are looking for a prisoner of ours, who escaped some time back,
+and who, we believe, is hiding in this locality. Have you seen any
+suspicious character about?"
+
+Detectives! A prisoner! It must be Charlton's father! How glad he was
+that he could answer truly that he had seen no one! And the man who had
+put the question replied to him, when he had finished:
+
+"Thank you. Now, as you have answered me, I will answer you; though
+I confess that I do not understand the reason for your question. The
+horse and trap belong to Lord Elgert. Doubtless you have heard of him.
+He kindly lent them to us that we might be saved a long walk."
+
+It was Lord Elgert's! And these men, in Lord Elgert's trap, were
+looking for poor Charlton's father! Ralph thanked the constables,
+letting them remain in ignorance as to the real reason for his
+question, and with slow and thoughtful steps turned into Stow Wood.
+
+He was bewildered, perplexed, stunned. It was Lord Elgert's trap! Could
+Lord Elgert be the one who had harmed his father?
+
+Pondering deeply, he walked on, hardly noticing where he went, until
+suddenly a slight exclamation recalled his wandering senses. He looked
+up. He had penetrated into a little glade, and there before him stood
+two people--his chum Charlton and a man! He had found the one for whom
+the police were searching so close at hand!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XX
+
+TO MR. ST. CLIVE'S
+
+
+The man started to his feet, with an exclamation of mingled rage and
+despair; while Charlton stood before his father, his arms outstretched,
+as if he feared that Ralph would rush forward and seize him.
+
+His face was very white, as he looked at the boy who had been his
+friend and champion, and cried, in tones of misery and reproach--
+
+"You! Oh, this is mean and cruel! I did not think that you would act
+the spy and hunt us down. Let him go--let him go quietly; and, if you
+want to harm any one, hurt me. I will not move, or cry out, no matter
+how much you beat me--only let my poor father go, and do not tell any
+one you have seen him."
+
+Now, Ralph had been standing in silence, too surprised to say anything.
+Despite what Mr. St. Clive had said, he had some sort of idea that this
+man must, in some way, know of his father's disappearance, even if he
+himself had no hand in it, just as he still thought that Charlton knew
+more about the missing note than any one else, though that suspicion
+was beginning to weaken considerably now.
+
+But as he looked from the boy to the man, and as he heard that pathetic
+appeal, every feeling, save that of pity, vanished. This man should not
+be captured, not if he could hinder it; and he said, advancing a step,
+and holding out one hand in friendship--
+
+"Why, Charlton, you don't think as meanly of me as that, do you? I
+neither want to harm you nor your father, though it is quite true that
+I came here to find you."
+
+"But--why? How did you know that we should be here?" questioned the
+boy, not yet reassured.
+
+And Ralph hurriedly explained how he had followed the trap and come
+upon the policemen.
+
+"I felt certain that it must be your father whom they were after," he
+said; "and so I determined to come through the wood to try to find you
+and give you warning. We must be quick, or there will be no chance of
+getting away."
+
+"Oh, father," wailed Charlton, "I wish that I had not persuaded you to
+come here again! You will be taken! What shall we do?"
+
+"My boy," answered the man calmly, "try and be brave. We owe our thanks
+to this young gentleman for the kindly warning he has brought. If I
+must be taken, I must; and I will try to bear it patiently, though it
+is very hard. It is strange that they should have Lord Elgert's trap,"
+he added bitterly. "Elgert has been at the bottom of all my troubles."
+
+"Look here!" expostulated Ralph bluntly. "It's no good stopping here
+talking and wasting time when every minute is precious. Those fellows
+are on the farther side of the wood, and they are beginning to search,
+and they won't leave off until they have hunted right through the
+place."
+
+"But where can we go?" asked Charlton, wringing his hands. "This place
+has nowhere to hide in; nowhere that could not be found if once people
+were really searching."
+
+"They will search; there is no doubt of that," answered Ralph. "But we
+may manage to elude them. We cannot stay here dodging round, that is
+quite certain. We must manage to get out of it and find somewhere else
+to hide."
+
+"Ah, my kind boy, but where shall that somewhere be?" said the man,
+shaking his head. "It might have been in my own home, but now that they
+think that I am here, and are on my track, they will keep their eyes on
+that spot, and I have not one single friend who will shelter me."
+
+"Hush! Hush!" cried Ralph suddenly. "Listen! There is no time to lose.
+They are in the wood on that side. Creep after me. Stop! Cover those
+leaves over or they will see where you have been standing."
+
+"You are thoughtful for one so young," murmured the man, as he obeyed
+Ralph's instructions. "Well, I will place myself under your guidance,
+and trust to you. Where shall we go? Through that undergrowth?"
+
+"No, no! You cannot move through that without making a noise and
+leaving traces. Keep to this path. I feel sure that is wisest. Bend
+low, and step lightly. Come! Now, Charlton, buck up, and we will save
+your father yet."
+
+His confidence inspired them with hope. Unhesitatingly they followed
+his lead. The path he chose led them into another clear little space,
+away to the right of that which they had left. They could hear the
+noise made by their pursuers in their rear, and they did not seem any
+better off here. It was only putting off the end for a little time,
+and so Charlton's father said, but Ralph would not listen to him. He
+had been in as tight a corner before, when he and his father, and two
+more, had been pursued by the Indians of the plains, and had dodged and
+doubled for three whole days ere they had thrown their foe off their
+track. Ralph was not going to give up yet.
+
+"Stop!" he said. "You must climb up this tree. No, not that one!" as
+Charlton ran to a big, old decaying oak.
+
+"But this is hollow. We can hide in it," objected the boy.
+
+But Ralph shook his head.
+
+"I can see it is hollow, and so can any one who has a pair of eyes.
+That is just why we must not go there, for they will be sure to look in
+it. Up this one!"
+
+"But we shall be seen."
+
+"Do as your friend bids you," said the man.
+
+And Charlton obeyed, his father following him.
+
+Then did Ralph show his cunning, for, directing them to stand with
+their backs against the trunk, he showed them how to draw the branches
+down until they made a thick canopy all around them. Ralph himself
+stood at the bottom, carefully examining their hiding-place.
+
+"Now, if you stand quite still, as you are, no one will be able to see
+you," he said. "But remember there must be no noise and no movement;
+everything may depend upon that. Keep still. Here is some one coming!"
+
+A man appeared at the end of the glade, and, catching a glimpse of the
+boy's form, gave a shout and ran forward; but he stopped, and looked
+very cross, as Ralph himself walked innocently to meet him, with the
+question--"Have not you found him yet?"
+
+"No," grumbled the man. "He is a slippery fellow, and is giving us a
+lot of trouble; but we will have him yet. We are working right through
+the wood, and we must be driving him before us, and when he gets to the
+other side----"
+
+"He will bolt," said Ralph.
+
+But the man smiled grimly.
+
+"Into our arms. We have four men stationed keeping watch there. No, we
+shall have him yet. You have not seen him?"
+
+"There was a man in that little hollow, the other end of this path. I
+saw him there," said Ralph, with perfect truthfulness.
+
+"Which hollow? The one to the right?" said the man quickly.
+
+And Ralph nodded.
+
+"Ah, we have looked there! He has bolted. Then we are right on his
+track. Stop a minute, though. That old tree looks a likely place. Here,
+give us a hand, boy! I will lift you, and you look in. Can you see
+anything?"
+
+And he lifted Ralph, and helped him to scramble up, and peer down into
+the hollow depths of the old oak.
+
+"Can't see much," said Ralph, his head in the hollow. "There is a gleam
+of light below, and something dark. Can't you clear away the leaves a
+bit, and then I can see whether it is a man or not?"
+
+The constable sprawled on the ground, and thrust his arm into the hole
+at the bottom of the trunk, dragging out leaves and dust, till Ralph
+cried--
+
+"It is all right; I can see now. There is no one there. What I was
+looking at was a lot of leaves. They have tumbled over now, and you are
+pulling them out."
+
+"That's no good, then; only it looked a likely place. Down you come,
+boy!"
+
+And, helping Ralph down, the man turned and ran off, satisfied that
+he had looked in the only place where the fugitive could have hidden
+himself.
+
+"I see that you are a clever lad," said Mr. Charlton when the fugitives
+again stood beside Ralph. "But what now? You heard what he said? There
+is no getting away on that side."
+
+"We are not going out that side, though," was Ralph's answer. "We are
+behind them now, and while they are hunting forward, we will go back."
+
+"They will have left watchers behind them."
+
+"I suppose so. They cannot have left many, though, for they had not
+enough men. Back is our only chance. We will try it. There is no time
+to stop talking now," he added, as he saw that the man was going to ask
+more questions. "Come, follow me!"
+
+Going cautiously, pausing to listen again and again, he led the way;
+and soon they were getting close to that side of the wood from which
+the search had commenced. Then he bade the other two remain hidden, and
+he went forward by himself, until, at last, he was able to peer from
+the hedges.
+
+He did not see a single man, though he looked carefully; but he did
+see--and the sight made his heart jump wildly--the horse and trap, the
+horse contentedly feeding on the rich grass. He would risk it! One
+chance, and one alone, offered, and he would take it!
+
+He beckoned to his companions to join him, and whispered his plans.
+
+"It is the only chance. No one is near the trap, and we can drive off
+before they will even know that it is gone. Will you dare it?"
+
+"Yes," said the man desperately.
+
+And Ralph, with a "Follow me, then!" was at the trap, had the rope,
+with which the horse had been tethered, cut; the other two were up
+after him, and, with a crack of the whip, away they went, clean across
+the open moor.
+
+Lame or not, that pony had to go, for once. They were right across,
+close on two miles away, and getting near to Great Stow, before a
+distant shout, and figures running from the wood, told them that the
+theft had been discovered.
+
+"Lie down, Charlton," he said, "and you sit directly behind me," he
+added to the man. "It will be far better if they can only see one
+person in the trap. We don't want them to know that I helped you if it
+can be avoided."
+
+They reached the road; then turned to the right, so that the view was
+shut off from those behind. No one had seen them with the trap, and now
+Ralph reined in, and jumped down.
+
+"Come on!" he said. "Lord Elgert's pony must look after itself now.
+Quick, we must hurry!"
+
+"Where are you going to, Rexworth?" cried Charlton in surprise. "There
+is nowhere about here where father can hide."
+
+But Ralph answered with a smile, never slackening his pace as he spoke--
+
+"Hurry up! There is one place--a safe place. I am going to Mr. St.
+Clive's."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXI
+
+A HOUSE OF REFUGE
+
+
+"To Mr. St. Clive's!"
+
+What wonder that the words filled Charlton with surprise. Ralph was
+surely risking a great deal in taking such a step. But Ralph knew
+Mr. St. Clive, and Charlton did not--and that made a great deal of
+difference. Besides, the case was desperate. Somewhere must be found in
+which to hide; and no other place offered, so to Mr. St. Clive's they
+went; and Ralph, leaving his two companions in the garden, went indoors
+by himself.
+
+But if the Charltons were surprised when Ralph announced his intention
+of going to Mr. St. Clive's, that gentleman was still more astonished
+when the lad told him of his adventures, and what he had done.
+
+"You know that you said, sir," Ralph concluded by saying--"that you
+always had a great idea that Mr. Charlton was innocent; and that if I
+were instrumental in getting him taken I might regret it all the rest
+of my life, and so I thought that you would be sure to sympathize with
+the poor man, and be ready to help him."
+
+"Well, Ralph," laughed Mr. St. Clive, "you have certainly taken me at
+my word. However, I do not know but what I am glad that you have done
+so; and Mr. Charlton being here, I may be able, after consultation with
+him, to devise some means of proving that he was innocent of the crime
+laid to his charge. Let us go and welcome him."
+
+It was very affecting, that meeting between the two men--the one so
+weary and dispirited, the other such a true Christian gentleman; but
+Mr. St. Clive soon put the other at his ease, and they all entered the
+house. Irene was out with her mother at the moment; and after Mr. St.
+Clive had seen that his new guest was provided with food, he spoke, and
+the other three sat listening attentively.
+
+"Now, Mr. Charlton," he said, "I have been thinking, and I can see one
+way for your remaining here in safety, and being able to communicate
+freely with your wife."
+
+"That is a blessing too great to be possible," sighed Mr. Charlton; but
+Mr. St. Clive smiled kindly.
+
+"I differ from you. It is not only possible, but easy. Listen to me.
+It is unlikely that any one will dream of looking for you here; but
+to make doubly sure, we can disguise you. Now, it so happens that I
+am in need of a gardener, and there is a cottage vacant. You must be
+gardener. If you know nothing of gardening, that does not much matter;
+I can post you up in it. Then, my wife can invite Mrs. Charlton to
+visit here, and there will be nothing to prevent her coming frequently,
+and staying all day. There is only one thing to remember. Of course,
+I shall tell my wife everything, but I do not think that my little
+daughter ought to be made a party to this; so to her you will be, say,
+Thomas Brown--that is an easy name--and before her our manner towards
+each other must be that of master and servant. You will not mind that?"
+
+"Mind!" cried Mr. Charlton, the tears rolling down his cheeks. "Mind!
+Can you think that I shall mind such a trifle as that, when you are so
+good, and ready to take the risk of helping me? But this morning I felt
+that, excepting wife and son, I had not a friend in the world. Now I
+find that God has not forsaken me utterly."
+
+"He never does forsake those who put their trust in Him," was the
+gentle answer. "Well, come with me at once, and we will see about
+making a gardener of you, before any of the servants can see you as you
+are. And you, boys, remember how you behave to my gardener," he added,
+looking at them. "You, Ralph, have been very thoughtful in the way you
+have managed--mind you do not make a slip."
+
+"I will try my best, sir," answered Ralph; and then he and Charlton
+were left alone. And then--then all of a sudden Charlton was kneeling
+at his feet, holding his hand and kissing it, and sobbing out his
+thanks; until Ralph cried out that if he didn't get up he would punch
+his head for him, to give him something to cry about, and to show that
+he was his friend; and that made poor Charlton laugh feebly.
+
+And, sitting there, Charlton explained what he was too proud to tell
+before--how he had wanted that ten shillings to help his father; and
+how his father, not using it, had given it back to him.
+
+"Indeed, I knew nothing about the note, Ralph," he said. "I know that
+you thought I had stolen it, and it made me miserable, but I am sorry
+that I spoke to you as I did."
+
+"All right, old fellow!" answered Ralph, wringing his hand. "Do not let
+us think of it any more. Besides, I have a pretty good idea of who took
+that note now--or, rather, who caused it to be taken. I don't know for
+certain, so I will accuse no one; but I don't think that it was you."
+
+"You mean Horace Elgert!" cried Charlton; but Ralph smiled and shook
+his head.
+
+"Won't do, old fellow. I said that I would not mention names. But look
+here, Charlton, I do want to ask your father one thing. Does he know
+anything about my father?"
+
+"Your father! How can he, Ralph?"
+
+"He might have been in Stow Wood that night, and have seen or heard
+something," the boy said.
+
+"I will answer that question for myself!" Mr. Charlton entered as
+Ralph was speaking, and the boys started, for even Charlton would
+not have known his father in the half-bald, grey-bearded old fellow
+who stood before him. "I will answer that question, Ralph Rexworth;
+and then, after that, I am only Brown, the gardener, remember. I can
+give you no information beyond this. On the night of your father's
+disappearance--my son has told me about that--I was in Stow Wood, and
+I heard a shot; and afterwards I saw a trap being driven rapidly away.
+There were two men in it, and one of those two leaned up against his
+companion as though he was helpless or badly hurt. Hiding myself, I
+could not follow them; but I thought at the time that it looked like
+foul play."
+
+"The second man was not dead?" cried Ralph anxiously; and the answer
+was very positive--
+
+"No, I am quite certain of that, for I heard him groan as they passed
+in the darkness. That is all I can tell you. It was natural that you
+should think that I knew something about it. I have also heard that I
+am supposed to be the one who entered the dormitory at the school one
+night; but I am innocent of that. A little thought ought to convince
+any one that to do such a thing would be the very last object of my
+wishes--the danger of being captured would be too great; and I do not
+quite see what any one can imagine that I should want to go there for."
+
+"It is all a mystery to me," said Ralph. And then Irene's voice was
+heard in the hall, and she and her mother entered.
+
+"Back again, Ladybird!" said her father, kissing her. Then, seeing her
+eyes fixed on the strangers, he went on: "Ah! you want an introduction?
+This is Fred Charlton, Ralph's friend; and this is a man who is to be
+our new gardener. His name is Thomas Brown. Run off with Ralph and
+Charlton for a little while; I want to talk to your mother."
+
+When the young people were gone, Mr. St. Clive told his wife of Ralph's
+adventures, and introduced Mr. Charlton in his proper character. And
+Mrs. St. Clive spoke so nicely and kindly, and promised to go and see
+Mrs. Charlton the very next day; and when she met Ralph she squeezed
+his hand, and gave him such a kiss as made him know that she was glad
+he had acted as he had done.
+
+And on the Sunday Mrs. St. Clive went for Mrs. Charlton, and brought
+her back with her. No one saw the meeting between the husband and wife
+save their own son; for Ralph had to take Irene right out of the way,
+lest she should wonder at their guest talking to the gardener, or going
+to his cottage.
+
+But afterwards, when Mrs. Charlton met the boy to whom she owed so
+much--oh, the look of gratitude which she gave him, and the way in
+which she spoke! It made Ralph very happy, but it made him very
+uncomfortable at the same time.
+
+And then, the day past and morning come, it was once more back to
+school; and some of the boys stared when they saw Ralph and Charlton
+appear arm-in-arm, for their quarrel had been noticed and discussed.
+
+But when Tom Warren saw them, he came running up, a real glad smile on
+his face.
+
+"Hallo, you two!" he said, as he met them. "I am awfully glad to see
+this. It's the right thing; and I do hope that you won't quarrel again."
+
+"I shall never quarrel with Rexworth any more," said Charlton, in low
+tones. "You have no need to fear that, Warren. I owe him more than I
+can ever repay, though I cannot tell you why!"
+
+"Perhaps I can tell you why," replied Warren, with a laugh. "For it is
+all over the place. Elgert set it going."
+
+"Set what going?" demanded the two chums, in one voice; and the monitor
+went on--
+
+"Oh, he says that--I don't want to pain you, Charlton, but it is better
+to hear it from a friend than from an enemy"--and Warren turned, half
+apologetically to Charlton as he said this--"he says that your father
+was in Stow Wood, and that the police were looking for him----"
+
+"And that Lord Elgert lent them his pony and trap to hunt him down,"
+put in Charlton bitterly.
+
+"No, he didn't say that. Did he, though? The mean sneak! Well, he says
+that your father was there, and that the police saw Ralph, here, go
+into the wood. Some one must have warned your father, for he managed to
+get out, and got off in the pony and trap they had left. They didn't
+say it was Lord Elgert's, though. Elgert at once jumped at it that
+it was you, Ralph, did the warning, because you are Charlton's chum.
+He says it is additional proof that you two had that note, and he is
+making a jolly lot about it; though half the fellows, and more than
+half, are strong on your side, and say that if it is true, they would
+have done the same thing. Elgert says that the police inspector is
+ready to knock your head off for the way in which you cheated him."
+
+"Is he, though!" laughed Ralph. "Well, Warren, as you know so much,
+we may as well tell you all about it, when we have time--with one
+exception, though. You must not ask us where we took Mr. Charlton, or
+where we hid him. That is our secret. The rest you may know. By the
+way, I wonder how Elgert will like it if he knows that it was I drove
+off in that trap?"
+
+"You! What a prime joke! I say, Ralph, what a chap you are! Come along,
+and let us get in!"
+
+That the story had got about was very clear, for curious glances were
+cast at the pair as they crossed the playground with the monitor; and
+then a group of juniors, led by Tinkle, suddenly piped up--
+
+
+     For he's a jolly good fellow,
+     For he's a jolly good fellow!
+
+
+Elgert, standing near them, turned with a frown.
+
+"Shut up that howling, you young cubs!" he growled fiercely; but from
+the other side of the playground, and from the Fifths, the same words
+came.
+
+Elgert turned and went into school. He was furious. He had come down
+thinking that he had a good chance of getting Ralph into disgrace, and
+here the fellows were actually praising him! It was gall to Horace
+Elgert; and, through the window, still came the sounds of the refrain
+being shouted below--
+
+
+     For he's a jolly good fellow,
+     And so say all of us!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXII
+
+AN AFTERNOON RAMBLE
+
+
+"I say, you two chaps, what are you going to do this afternoon?"
+
+The question was asked by Tom Warren, as Ralph and Charlton stood at
+the entrance to the playground.
+
+Another week had passed, and it had been a delightful one for both
+Ralph and his chum, now that they were friends again. For these two,
+so different in natures, liked each other very much; and now that the
+trouble was gone, they were drawn still closer together. Of course they
+were. Had not Ralph proved what a staunch good fellow he could be? and
+had not Charlton shown that he was not only innocent of stealing that
+note, but that he was a loyal, true son, doing what he could to help
+his unfortunate father?
+
+It was good to see how the boys had come round and how they regarded
+Ralph as a comrade to be proud of; though Elgert and Dobson and the set
+whom they led, glowered and sneered, and said unkind things that hurt
+no one, and were treated with contempt.
+
+And Saturday had come, and the boys were preparing to set out for their
+homes, and Ralph had a bundle of books under his arm, for he meant to
+have another quiet read that evening. The Newlet would want a lot of
+working for, and, since he had entered, he meant to do all he could to
+win success.
+
+"What are you going to do?" said Warren; and the pair confessed that
+they had made no particular plans.
+
+"I cannot spare very much time, anyway," said Ralph. "I want to put in
+a few hours' work to-night."
+
+"You will go and make yourself silly if you do too much," answered Tom
+Warren. "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, you know. Will you
+both meet me after you have had lunch--say about one o'clock--and we
+will go for a ramble?"
+
+"Where?" asked Charlton. "Anywhere in particular?"
+
+"I will tell you a nice walk. Let us go over the moor, and past Great
+Stow, out to Crab Tree Hill. It is jolly out there; and there are some
+lovely butterflies in the chalk there."
+
+"Butterflies in chalk?" said Ralph, raising his brows in wonder; and
+Warren laughed.
+
+"You kite! I mean that it is chalk country all round there, and the
+butterflies keep to it--fritillaries and skippers and browns; and we
+can find some grass snakes there."
+
+"Don't like snakes," said Ralph decisively, thinking of the terrible
+species which he had known in his younger days--snakes whose bite
+means certain death. "Well, I don't mind coming. Will you go, Fred?"
+And he turned to Charlton, who nodded his assent.
+
+"That is all right, then," answered Warren. "I will be over for you
+just after one, and we can pick up Charlton on our way and---- Hallo!
+what is the row?"
+
+The three lads turned. A scrimmage of some kind was evidently in
+progress at the other side of the playground, for there came some hoots
+and groans, and, mingling with the noise, a shrill cry of pain.
+
+"You great coward, let go my arm!"
+
+"Dobson and Co.," muttered Warren; and the three darted across to the
+scene of the trouble; and there they found Tinkle and Green, standing
+defiant and somewhat tearful, confronted by Dobson, Elgert and some of
+their cronies, while a scattered crowd of angry juniors kept in the
+safe background, hurling taunting jeers at the bigger boys.
+
+"I will half kill you, you cheeky little beggar!" they heard Dobson say
+to Tinkle. He had got hold of his arm, and, according to his favourite
+fashion, was twisting it painfully. "I will teach you to cheek me! I
+suppose it is that beggar Rexworth who has taught you to do it."
+
+But then Dobson stopped. He had thought that Ralph was gone; and even
+as he spoke, he caught sight of him. It certainly was very awkward for
+Dobson, and before he knew what to say next, Ralph had quietly but
+firmly removed Tinkle from his grasp.
+
+"You suppose wrong, Dobson," he said calmly. "I should not encourage
+any junior to cheek a senior; but I won't see a junior bullied, and you
+will please let that youngster go."
+
+"I didn't cheek him!" cried Tinkle--"leastways, not until he kicked me.
+I was standing here talking to Jimmy Green, when he and Elgert came up;
+and Elgert shied a stone at Green's head, and Dobson kicked me--the
+great coward! Let him stand up fair, and I will fight him myself."
+
+"Oh, no, you won't, sonny!" laughed Tom Warren. "You will clear off,
+and get home at once. No fight if you please."
+
+"It seems to me," sneered Elgert, "that this school is to be run by
+Rexworth and Co. You look here, Warren. It is out of school hours;
+and if you think that we are all going to stand being ruled by you
+especially when you are under the thumb of such a fellow as that--well,
+all I have to say is that you are jolly well mistaken."
+
+"I mean to say," was Warren's calm reply, "that there is not going to
+be any fighting here; and I mean to say that we have the Head's own
+orders to stop any more bullying of juniors. There has been a great
+deal too much of it in the past."
+
+"And if we don't obey, you will run sneaking to the Head?"
+
+"Oh, no, I won't," came the answer. "I will give you a jolly good
+licking myself. If it has got to come, let us get it over. Here are I
+and Rexworth--Charlton don't count. If you want to see which side is
+the best, just you----"
+
+"Just you all clear off; and you, Warren, don't make an ass of
+yourself," said a pleasant voice; and Kesterway, the head monitor of
+the school, appeared upon the scene. "Off you go, now! And you look
+here, Elgert. You may be an honourable, and a lord's son, but that is
+no reason why you should behave like a prig. You keep a civil tongue in
+your head, or you may get into trouble."
+
+Elgert and his companions turned away, for it did not do to defy the
+authority of Kesterway; but he muttered as he went--
+
+"Only wait a little while. I will get some of my own back. If I don't
+make Ralph Rexworth suffer for it, I will know the reason why."
+
+But two youthful individuals, as they also walked away--Tinkle and
+Green to wit--discussed darkly the chances of getting equal with Dobson
+and Elgert.
+
+"I vote we tell about that note," said Tinkle; but Green shook his head.
+
+"What is the good? Suppose they denied it, how could we prove it? You
+bet, there would be no chance of old Brown owning up. And besides,
+wouldn't it be telling that we had broken bounds? No; we had best wait
+a while, Tinkle, and presently the chance will come."
+
+"S'pose we sent 'em a what-you-call-it letter?"
+
+"What is that?" demanded Green; and Tinkle answered lucidly--
+
+"You know. One of them sort that don't come from nowhere, and is writ
+by nobody."
+
+"Annie nonimus," was Green's suggestion; and Tinkle nodded.
+
+"Yes, that's him. We might do that; and write on it, 'Who stole the
+five-pound note?' or 'What price Brown's cake shop?' or something."
+
+"We'd best do nothing of the kind," was Green's crushing answer. "That
+wouldn't do no good, and it would make 'em think that something was
+known. No, Tinkle; you leave 'em alone; and presently they will make a
+slip, and then we can have 'em."
+
+"I'd like to help Rexworth, though," murmured Tinkle.
+
+"But he don't want no help now. He's cleared about the note. No one
+thinks that he took it, not for a moment. It wouldn't help Rexworth.
+The thing is dropped, and we'd best leave it alone for the time."
+
+Meanwhile, Ralph and his friends took their way homeward, ignorant
+alike of the threats of their foes or the good wishes of the juniors;
+and after lunch was over, Warren in accordance with his promise, called
+for Ralph.
+
+"Hallo! got a new gardener here?" he remarked, as he caught sight of an
+old man who was sweeping the path; and Ralph thought how little Warren
+guessed who that man really was.
+
+They set off in high spirits, and after calling for Charlton, they
+started upon their long ramble. They rattled on at a good pace, and got
+away to the hills, and then--it was most provoking--great dark clouds
+had been rolling up, and suddenly, with a roar of thunder and a blaze
+of lightning, the storm burst, and it rained--gracious, how it did rain!
+
+It is not pleasant to be caught in a violent shower at the best of
+times, but to be caught when you are away from all shelter is decidedly
+unpleasant.
+
+"Wherever can we shelter?" cried Charlton in dismay, as the three
+bolted along, with heads bent down and collars turned up. "This is
+cheerful!"
+
+"I say," suddenly suggested Warren, "there is a thick preserve over
+by the road; I noticed it as we came along. Of course, it will be
+trespassing and we might get into trouble, but I suggest making for it.
+We can get some sort of shelter under the trees, and we may stumble
+upon a shooting hut or a keeper's cottage, and if we explain why we
+have come, they surely will not mind."
+
+"Cannot help it if they do," said Ralph desperately. "We cannot go on
+in this, and it's five miles into Stow, if it's a yard. Show us the way
+Warren, and be quick about it."
+
+With a whoop and a yell, off scudded Warren, the other two close in
+his rear, while the thunder growled and grumbled and the lightning
+flickered, and the sky grew so black that things promised to get worse
+instead of better.
+
+They struck the path for which Warren was making; and there, sure
+enough, a little farther along, divided from the road by a meadow and a
+stout gate, the tall trees of a dark covert waved to and fro. It might
+not mean much shelter, but it would mean some, and with a scramble they
+were over that gate.
+
+"This is better," panted Warren. "It is some sort of a screen. I am
+jolly well drenched!"
+
+"I wish that I could get a cup of warm cocoa or tea," shivered
+Charlton. "I got hot running, and now it strikes horribly cold."
+
+"Let's push on a bit," suggested Ralph. "We are trespassing, and we
+may as well be hanged for a sheep as for a lamb. Perhaps we shall find
+shelter somewhere. Come on, you two, and keep to these open paths. If
+you get right into that undergrowth, you may do some damage--disturb
+some nests, or something."
+
+"Right you are, Ralph. I don't think it is much good, though; there
+seems no sign of life here."
+
+"I will soon see if there is." Ralph paused as he spoke. He put his
+hand to his mouth and gave a ringing call--one he had learnt from the
+Indians on the plains. "If any one is about, they will hear that; and,
+at any rate, they cannot say that we are trying to hide from----"
+
+He stopped and started back, turning as white as death; for from
+somewhere, ringing through the silences of that preserve, there came a
+sound, muffled, but clear. It was Ralph's call repeated!
+
+What wonder that he trembled. What wonder that he looked so white.
+There was but one other person whom he knew who would answer that call
+in that way; and that one person was his own father!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIII
+
+THE RUIN AND THE LONELY HOUSE
+
+
+Just that one cry, ringing wild and plaintive through the wood; and
+then silence, broken by a loud, angry rumble of thunder.
+
+Ralph stood there trembling, too agitated to speak; and his two chums
+turned anxiously towards him, bewildered at the change which had come
+over him.
+
+"Ralph, old fellow, why, whatever is it? What has come to you?" they
+asked; and he replied in hoarse, trembling tones--
+
+"That call! Did you not hear it? There is only one person who would
+give that, and he is my own father."
+
+For a moment they were staggered by his answer; then Warren said
+gently--
+
+"But, Ralph, how can it be your father? It was only the echo, old
+fellow."
+
+"It was not the echo. It was his voice. Listen--try and hear where it
+comes from!" And once again, through the dripping wood, he sent the
+Indian cry.
+
+"Now, listen--listen!" he said; and they waited, but no sound came in
+answer--nothing but the shiver of the trees, the patter of the rain,
+and the distant growling of the storm.
+
+"There, you see. It must have been the echo!" said Warren; but Ralph
+shook his head.
+
+"Do not be silly, Warren. If it was the echo it would be heard again;
+but we heard nothing."
+
+Which direction did it come from? They forgot about the wet and the
+storm; they forgot everything in the excitement of the moment. Which
+direction had the cry come from?
+
+Warren declared that it sounded as if it was under ground; Charlton
+said he fancied that it came from high up, as if some one was in the
+air; and Ralph fancied that it was straight ahead.
+
+"What shall we do?" was the question of Warren and Ralph answered--
+
+"I am going forward. I mean to search this plantation from end to end,
+if I am trespassing twenty times over."
+
+So on the three went, and again and again did they pause while Ralph
+uttered his wild call, but no answer was heard.
+
+They pushed on, their hearts full of excitement, until they emerged
+from the trees with almost startling suddenness. The plantation was
+nothing like so thick as they had thought--it was a mere belt of wood,
+surrounding a neglected lawn; and in the centre of this, encircled by
+a wall, stood the very last thing they would have expected to find
+there--a house.
+
+A house; but so dreary, desolate looking. All the windows stared blank
+and empty, and were encrusted with dirt and grime. Not a trace of smoke
+curled up from the chimney-stack, not a sound of life was heard. It
+seemed empty, desolate, drear; and the masses of creeper, hanging down
+and swinging in the breath of the storm, only intensified the desolate
+picture it made.
+
+The three lads, standing there with every nerve thrilled by a strange,
+inexplicable excitement, surveyed the place, and looked at each other
+in questioning silence, until Warren said softly--
+
+"Well, I am blest! Who would have thought of finding a house here?"
+
+"Where are you going, Ralph?" cried Charlton, for Ralph was moving
+forward; and he replied firmly--
+
+"To that house. I mean to see if any one lives here."
+
+Right up to the wall walked Ralph. It was a high wall, and only the
+upper part of the house could be seen above it. But they found a gate
+on the other side; and, without a moment's hesitation, Ralph pushed
+it open, entered the garden, and, walking up to the door, lifted the
+knocker.
+
+With what a dull, hollow sound did it fall! A ghostly sound, that
+echoed through the house, with that peculiar vibration which is heard
+when a place is empty.
+
+"There is no one here," whispered Warren, after a pause--somehow they
+found themselves speaking in whispers. "The house is empty."
+
+Ralph, for answer, knocked again, a louder and longer summons.
+"Listen!" he said; and from somewhere they heard a faint sound, as of a
+door being shut.
+
+"It's only the wind, making a door slam," was Warren's comment. But,
+for the third time, Ralph sent his call resounding--there was no
+mistake about that knock--if any one was in the place they must hear
+it, for the door fairly creaked beneath the blows.
+
+Another pause, a shuffling noise from within, the sound of some one
+coming from distant passages, then the unfastening of bolts and chains,
+and the door was opened a little space, while a man, big, burly, and
+brutal looking, filled the doorway, and barred their entrance--an
+altogether evil-looking, cruel-faced man, who, scowling upon the three
+lads, demanded in gruff tones what they wanted, and how it was they
+were here.
+
+Just for the moment the three were taken aback; or, brave as they might
+be, still they were only lads, and that scowling presence was certainly
+very ominous. But Ralph plucked up his courage, and answered that
+they were three lads from the distant school, and that they had been
+overtaken by the storm and were seeking shelter.
+
+The man had stood glaring from one to the other as the explanation was
+given; and then he said, in the gruffest of accents--
+
+"Well, and what is all this to me? That is no reason why you should
+trespass on my land, and come knocking at my door. I don't want to know
+that you are getting wet. It's no interest of mine, is it?"
+
+"But we are seeking for shelter," persisted Ralph. "Surely you will not
+refuse to give that to us?" And he made a slight attempt to push his
+way in. The man gave him a shove that sent him almost off the step.
+
+"Here, none of that sort of thing," he said, "or you will be sorry for
+it, my young bantam. You don't think that you can shove your way into
+my premises. You three just take yourselves off. You are trespassing on
+my ground; and it's lucky for you that the dog is tied up, or he would
+tear you limb from limb. Hear him!" And he paused, as a deep, distant
+baying was heard from somewhere within. "He is a beauty big enough to
+eat you. You just get off as fast as you can. Clear! If you are here in
+five minutes time I will set the dog on you!" And he slammed the door,
+and left them standing there.
+
+"What a particularly unpleasant person!" said Warren. "His politeness
+is only exceeded by his good looks. Come on, Ralph, it won't do any
+good to stand here; and I don't fancy a meeting with that loud-voiced
+brute we heard. He had got a bark like a bloodhound."
+
+"We had better do as Warren says," added Charlton, a trifle timidly,
+for he could understand how badly Ralph must feel. "I know what you are
+thinking of. You want to see inside that house, but it is impossible
+now. If it is done at all, it would have to be some other time, when
+that man did not suspect us. Only I don't think that you are right. I
+don't see how you can be."
+
+"I shall never rest until I have contrived some way of doing as you
+say," was Ralph's reply, and his face looked very resolute again. "That
+cry was raised by my father. He may not be there--I do not say he
+is, but somehow I dislike that man and distrust him. Let us go right
+through the grounds. Don't you understand, Warren? I want to see if
+there are any other places hidden away here. Who would have said a
+house like that was here; and who can say what other house may be here?
+You go back if you like, you and Charlton; I am going on."
+
+"Then on we all go," was Warren's reply; and he and Charlton
+accompanied Ralph.
+
+They crossed the lawn and went out by the gate, and Ralph was conscious
+of the face of that man peering at them through one of the upper
+windows. He might be a recluse, a miser, a madman--that seemed the most
+probable thing; and yet, yet somehow Ralph must get inside that house.
+
+They pushed their way on into the wood again, making for the opposite
+side to that on which they had entered; and then Ralph's words that
+they did not know what else they might find were proved to be very
+true, for, upon its farther side, bordering upon a stretch of wild
+open land, they came upon a ruined building. It looked as if at one
+time it had been a chapel, or monastery, or something of that sort;
+the pillars, the pointed windows, and the arched doors gave them that
+impression. It was a fairly large building, larger than the house they
+had left, and its crumbling walls were thickly overgrown with ivy. A
+mournful, silent ruin it was, where only the shapes and shadows of
+those whose feet had once trodden its stone floors now seemed to lurk;
+but it was a shelter, and in Ralph went.
+
+"I don't care for twenty men and dogs," he said resolutely. "I am not
+going on in this rain, and I am going to have a look in this ruin."
+
+"But you do not think that you will find any trace of your father
+there, Ralph," protested Warren.
+
+"I don't, old man; I only hope for shelter. Come on. If the worst comes
+we will get on the stairs and drive off the dog with stones. Come on."
+
+It looked gloomy outside--it looked more gloomy within, as they passed
+in through the yawning space where once a stout oak door had been. How
+their footsteps echoed, and how great piles of damp, decaying leaves
+lay in the corners, and ugly lizards scuttled away as they went on.
+But, for all that, after the first disinclination was got over, there
+was something very exciting in wandering about the ruin, exploring
+this way and that, going down into dark, oozy places underground, or
+clambering up into the old, deserted turret above, at the no small risk
+of breaking one's neck. They wandered here and there, until at last a
+single ray of sunlight, falling through a broken casement, awoke them
+to the fact that the storm was over, and that they could get on their
+way again.
+
+"We had better go, Ralph," said Charlton. "I must, for think how mother
+will feel if I am not home when she expects me."
+
+"Well, I don't think it is much good staying," Warren added. "It seems
+impossible that your father should be about here, Ralph. That sound was
+an echo."
+
+"I suppose it must have been something of that sort," Ralph admitted
+reluctantly. "There seems to be no other explanation. You must forgive
+me for seeming stupid; but, you see, it--it is my father!" He stopped
+and Charlton pressed his hand sympathetically, while Warren said
+hastily--
+
+"Oh, of course, old fellow, I understand; and I only wish that we could
+have found something out. What a stunning place this ruin would be for
+hiding in! You could play hide-and-seek about it for a week!"
+
+They emerged from the place, and speedily were in the public road again
+and walking, with their faces in a homeward direction. But as they went
+Ralph turned, and once again he uttered that wild signal cry; and then,
+then--was it an echo, or was it indeed a human voice?--after a pause,
+faint and low the sound came back once more--whether from earth, or
+from air, they knew not; but the cry was taken up and repeated note for
+note.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIV
+
+FOR THE SAKE OF REVENGE
+
+
+Now, on that very afternoon when Ralph and his two friends, on their
+visit to Crab Tree Hill, were driven by the storm to seek shelter in
+that preserve, Horace Elgert and his companion Dobson, were standing in
+close consultation.
+
+And a very discontented, savage, and disconcerted pair they were, for
+things did not seem to be going right with them.
+
+In the first place, that miserable five-pound note was still missing,
+and though the man at the cake-shop had promised that he would get it
+for them if possible, he had not yet kept his word; and while it was
+still in other hands both boys trembled with apprehensive fears.
+
+They quarrelled over it, too, Elgert still declaring that, as Dobson
+had changed it, he would alone be to blame, and Dobson retorting by
+saying that he would confess that he received it from Elgert.
+
+Then, added to this source of annoyance, there was the fact that,
+in spite of all their efforts, Ralph Rexworth was rising in his
+schoolmates' esteem, and his influence, coupled with that of Warren
+and Charlton, was making itself steadily felt, to the diminution of
+their own powers.
+
+"It seems to me," grumbled Elgert moodily, "that the fellows look
+upon trying to give a criminal up to justice as a crime. Some of them
+actually hissed at me--and why? Just because my father lent the police
+his pony and trap! I can't make out what is coming to them."
+
+"They are just as down on me in the Fourth," answered Dobson. "There is
+no fun in the place now. All the kids have got to be coddled like a lot
+of babies; and if you catch one of them a smack on the head for being
+cheeky, there are a dozen fellows ready to take his part. Look how that
+little beggar Green cheeked me."
+
+"Well, why didn't you give him a hiding? You were afraid to, that is
+the fact."
+
+"Afraid yourself!" retorted Dobson angrily. "As if I should be afraid
+of him! You know that if I had done anything I should have had Rexworth
+and all his set about me, and a fellow can't take the lot of them. You
+don't care to meet Rexworth yourself, and you know it."
+
+A dark frown gathered upon Horace Elgert's handsome face. Ah, how that
+frown spoilt all his good looks!
+
+"Perhaps I don't, Dobson," he said grimly. "But there are better ways
+of getting even with Rexworth than fighting; and I mean to try them
+all. Have you seen Brown again?"
+
+"Yes," said Dobson.
+
+And Elgert went on--
+
+"Well, what did he say?"
+
+"Only just what he has said all along. He has not been able to get it
+yet, but he thinks that he will. I tell you, Elgert, that I believe he
+is playing with us----"
+
+"What do you mean?" cried Elgert sharply. "How playing with us?"
+
+"Well, he either knows more than he pretends to, or else he suspects
+something. I don't think that he means to let us have that note."
+
+Horace Elgert was silent for a few moments. Evidently he found that
+statement very disquieting.
+
+"It will be a nice mess if it is like that," he said at last. "But it
+is no good worrying over it unless it comes. I will go and see him
+myself. You are a bit of a messer when it comes to doing anything. You
+don't seem to use your wits----"
+
+"Can't use my wits to make him give me a thing which he has either not
+got or don't mean to part with," grumbled Dobson.
+
+"You might have used your wits to make sure that he never got it. I did
+all the dangerous part of the work, and only left you something which
+was safe and easy, and you went and bungled it!"
+
+"Oh, don't begin that all over again. I am sick and tired of hearing
+of it. Whenever you have nothing else to grumble about you bring that
+up. Just drop it, or don't talk at all!"
+
+Elgert saw that his companion was getting really cross; and though he
+despised Dobson at heart, he could not afford to quarrel with him, for
+the boy knew too much of his evil ways; so he affected to laugh at the
+angry words.
+
+"Don't lose your temper," he said. "I never came near such a surly
+chap! A fellow can't speak to you without your taking offence."
+
+"Well, then, drop it. I don't like having things thrown in my face like
+you throw that. It is done, and it can't be undone, so what is the good
+of talking of it?"
+
+"You will find there will be some talking about it if ever it comes to
+light," was the grim answer. And Dobson looked miserable. How he wished
+now that he had never had anything to do with the wretched business.
+
+"I wonder," mused Elgert, "what became of that fellow Charlton?"
+
+"We'd best let that alone," retorted Dobson. "We have got ourselves
+disliked quite enough over it."
+
+"What do I care for that? If only I knew where he was, do you think
+that I would hesitate to tell? I would do it, if it was only to spite
+Rexworth."
+
+"It would not hurt him," answered Dobson. "It is not his father."
+
+"No, but it is his chum's, and he would be sure to feel it. I only wish
+I knew where he was."
+
+"But you don't," remarked Dobson.
+
+"But I might find out. I only wish that I could!"
+
+"Talk of angels and see their wings," said Dobson; and at this
+apparently vague proverb Elgert turned excitedly.
+
+"Where? What do you mean? Not the man?"
+
+"No," answered Dobson, with a shake of the head.
+
+"I don't see Rexworth or Charlton." And Elgert stared round. "Bother
+it! Don't stand grinning there like a monkey. Tell me what you mean."
+
+"Only that there goes Charlton's mother," said Dobson, nodding in the
+direction of the common.
+
+"Well, what of that? We don't want his mother, do we? It is his father
+we are talking about."
+
+"I know that," came the calm answer. And Dobson looked very knowing. "I
+am a monkey and a silly, and I don't know what besides, but I may be
+able to think smarter than you can, Elgert. May not Charlton's mother
+lead us to Charlton's father? She is sure to know where he is, and do
+you know that since that affair she has been going to the St. Clives' a
+lot----"
+
+"How do you know?" demanded Elgert.
+
+"My sister told me that she has seen her go there frequently; and
+sometimes, instead of going right in at the front gate she has gone in
+at the side one. That looks strange, don't it? And she was not visiting
+there before--I know that."
+
+Elgert pondered a while in silence, then he suddenly turned, and Dobson
+inquired where he was going.
+
+"To follow her. There may be something in what you say. I should hardly
+think that they would hide a convict away, but they might--some people
+do such strange things--and St. Clive don't like my father, I know. Let
+us follow her."
+
+"Well, it will only be to St. Clive's place. And what are we to do
+then? We can't say that she goes to see her husband because she goes
+there."
+
+"What did you tell me about it for, then? You looked knowing enough.
+It is not much good talking of a thing if we cannot follow it up. I am
+going after her, at any rate. You need not come if you don't want to."
+
+"Oh, I will come, Disagreeable!" answered Dobson. And the two boys set
+out, following the lady, who was quite unconscious of their wicked
+desires.
+
+And they could follow her openly and without fear, for if she had seen
+them close by her side she would have thought nothing of it. The boys
+from the school were common enough objects in the place.
+
+And it chanced that Mrs. Charlton was indeed going to see her poor
+husband; to try and cheer him, and urge him to be hopeful and patient,
+and to tell him that presently the clouds would all vanish, and the sun
+shine out again.
+
+And after her the two boys went like spies, and neither Elgert nor
+Dobson thought what a wicked thing they were doing. There was with
+them the love of doing evil and causing sorrow--the delight of little,
+spiteful natures--but there was also the greater desire to cause Ralph
+Rexworth pain. That was before everything, and so on they went. And
+Mrs. Charlton, all unconscious of evil, entered the grounds of Mr. St.
+Clive's house, and as Dobson had said, she went in at the side gate.
+
+Mr. St. Clive had arranged that with her, so that she could go directly
+to her husband's cottage without any of the servants in the house
+knowing that she was there.
+
+And the boys stood at that gate undecided for a little while. The path
+was soon lost to view amidst the bushes. Elgert looked round, and then
+deliberately climbed over the gate.
+
+"You can stay or come," he whispered to Dobson; "I mean to go on and
+see this through." And Dobson, not without some inward fears, followed
+his example. It was delightful, this tracking a man down; it was like
+the stories of adventure, and he wanted to see the end of it.
+
+"Come quietly," directed Elgert in suppressed tones. "Don't make a
+noise with your feet, and stoop down; they might see your head over
+the bushes. That is it. Now follow me."
+
+Creeping along stealthily, Dobson in the rear, he followed the
+direction which Mrs. Charlton had taken, and presently the shrubberies
+ended, and there were flower beds and lawns. Clearly, it would be
+dangerous for them to go any farther if they wished to remain unseen.
+
+"We will stop here and watch," said he to Dobson. And the latter,
+crouching there, whispered--
+
+"Where has she gone? I don't see her anywhere."
+
+"She must have gone into that cottage. I would creep across and try to
+peep through the window, but I am afraid that I should be discovered;
+and if we gave them the alarm, he might be off."
+
+"You don't think that the man is hiding there, do you?" queried Dobson,
+trembling betwixt fear and excitement.
+
+Truth to tell, when he had made his suggestion, it had been merely from
+the love of talking; he had not thought really that there was anything
+in it; and now there seemed to be a very great deal.
+
+"I do think it," Elgert answered. "Hush! Let us watch. No one knows
+that we are here, and no one can see us. We can easily creep out the
+same way that we came. Keep still, she is coming out of the cottage!"
+
+Yes, Mrs. Charlton was coming out, and with her a poor, bent decrepit
+old gardener. But--but she held his arm, and once she pressed a kiss on
+his cheek! Horace Elgert felt his heart thrill with evil triumph. He
+saw it all now. Mr. St. Clive was keeping the man here, in the position
+of a gardener, and Mrs. Charlton came to see him!
+
+"We have got him now, Dobson," he whispered to his companion. "We have
+got him now, and he will not get away from the police a second time! It
+is the first step to paying Ralph Rexworth what we owe him!"
+
+[Illustration: "'WE HAVE GOT HIM NOW, DOBSON,' HE WHISPERED TO HIS
+COMPANION." p. 230.]
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXV
+
+JUST IN TIME
+
+
+"What shall we do next, Elgert?"
+
+Dobson whispered that question in his ear, as the two crouched in the
+shrubbery watching Mrs. Charlton and her husband.
+
+"Do! What a question! Get away from here, and then go straight to the
+police and give them information. They won't mention our names, and the
+fellows at the school need never know that we have had any part in it.
+We have seen enough, so come on, and mind you don't let them either see
+or hear you. I would not have them alarmed for anything."
+
+The two stole silently off, treading on tiptoe, walking with the
+greatest care, until once more they climbed over the gate, and stood
+safely in the roadway.
+
+"Thank goodness we are out of that without any trouble," said Dobson;
+and Elgert inquired, contemptuously, what danger he feared would come
+to them in the grounds.
+
+"Dogs," retorted Dobson tersely. "We weren't to know that there were no
+dogs loose. I thought that I heard a rustling in the bushes once, as
+though one was pushing his way towards us, and it made me turn cold.
+Well, now we are here, what next?"
+
+"The police, at once. How dark it is getting, and was not that thunder?"
+
+"Yes, I reckon they are getting a smart storm not far from here. The
+police-station, is it?"
+
+"Of course. The man is here, we do not know how long he may remain,
+so we cannot waste time; and I am not going to let the possibility
+of getting caught in a shower prevent me from having my revenge on
+Rexworth, and making things unpleasant for these stuck-up St. Clives.
+I hate them! St. Clive himself, because he backs this Rexworth up; his
+wife, because she is so very goody-goody; and the girl, because she is
+a proud little minx, who turns up her nose at me, and----"
+
+"Ha, ha!" laughed Dobson. "Jealous because Rexworth cut you out, that
+is it! Well, I don't mind. Come on, if you are coming. The police will
+be pleased enough to know; and if there is a reward, we may as well
+have it."
+
+"You can take it, if you like," retorted Elgert. "I don't want their
+money. All I want is to see the man taken again, and taken there to
+prove that the St. Clives are in it."
+
+They turned and hurried off; and then, very cautiously, from amidst
+the laurels, there arose a little scared and indignant face--a face
+surrounded by golden hair. Irene St. Clive had seen them and heard all
+that they had said!
+
+She had seen them go into the shrubbery, and had wondered what tricks
+they were about to play. Her first idea was that it was something to do
+with Ralph, something to vex him; for she knew both the boys, and was
+aware that they were his enemies. So she had followed them, that she
+might see, and then warn Ralph. And then it had flashed upon her! Mrs.
+Charlton was there with her husband; and the boys were spying upon her.
+Oh, what mean, miserable boys to call themselves gentlemen, and do such
+things!
+
+She heard what they said when they stood in the roadway, and then she
+turned and raced indoors to tell her father; even in her dismay, she
+was thoughtful enough not to go to her mother first, lest she should be
+needlessly alarmed. Her father would know best what was to be done.
+
+And her tidings filled Mr. St. Clive with concern. Where could poor Mr.
+Charlton go? Where else was there for him to hide?
+
+He reproached himself now that he had not sent him away sooner. But Mr.
+Charlton had seemed to derive such comfort from being able to see his
+son and wife frequently, that Mr. St. Clive had allowed things to go on
+as they were, and now it might be too late!
+
+Yes, even with Irene's warning, too late; for the man could not go out
+just as he was. Mr. St. Clive knew full well that every hiding-place
+would be searched--that escape would be almost impossible--and he
+shrank from being the bearer of such bad tidings to the husband and
+wife.
+
+But it had to be done, the warning must be given, and given at once,
+and he rose, Irene following him, and went into the grounds and towards
+the cottage. His own wife was there at the moment speaking with Mrs.
+Charlton.
+
+And the dismay, the sorrow, that they exhibited when the tidings were
+told! The poor man must fly from here and be a wanderer again--hunted
+hither and thither, not knowing from hour to hour if he should be
+captured, not able even to get a message to his wife, or to hear how it
+fared with her and his son. It was very hard indeed.
+
+"You have done all that one man could to help another, sir," he said to
+Mr. St. Clive, as he held his weeping wife in his arms. "I shall never,
+never forget your kindness, nor that of your good wife and dear little
+daughter. You will be a friend to my poor wife and my boy--I feel sure
+that you will be--and now I must change this disguise, and go. To go
+as the old gardener might be more dangerous than to go as the escaped
+prisoner."
+
+"But where can you go? Where can you hide for the time? If you could
+only find a place, the police might come to the conclusion that the
+boys had made a mistake, and abandon the search again, so giving you
+opportunity of getting out of England. So far as money can aid, you
+can count upon me, but money will be of no avail, if you cannot elude
+your pursuers, and----"
+
+A hurrying of feet! Oh, surely the police could not be there already!
+No; a well-known shrill whistle! Ralph and his chums were coming, and
+Ralph must be told.
+
+Now, Warren knew nothing about Charlton's father being there, and the
+two boys had allowed their chum to come in because there was no danger;
+he would only think that it was an old gardener at work.
+
+But when they saw Mr. St. Clive and all the others in that little
+cottage, they stopped, and Charlton faltered out--
+
+"What is it? Oh, what is it, father?" And so he gave away his secret to
+the monitor.
+
+And they told them, and Charlton stood very white, and clenched his
+fist.
+
+"Elgert again," he said. "Oh, I hate him! I should like to kill him."
+But his father put his hand on his arm and said, almost sternly--
+
+"My son, such words are not for the lips of a Christian boy."
+
+"Well, sir, at any rate you can't blame Fred for using them," broke in
+Warren. "I know I should feel like it. They are a pair of cads, and
+deserve kicking."
+
+"Be quiet, Tom," chimed in Ralph. "Never mind them. The thing is what
+can we do? Where can Mr. Charlton go so that he can hide in safety for
+the time?"
+
+"Nowhere," said the man sadly. "There is no spot about here where I can
+be safe. I am afraid that I am losing heart," he added, "but it seems
+hopeless."
+
+"Never say, die, sir," cried Warren. "I know a place, a jolly place,
+where you could hide for a month; yes, even if they knew you were there
+they would not be able to get you. You could dodge them, and dodge
+them, for ever so long----"
+
+"The ruin!" cried Ralph suddenly. "Warren, you're a brick! The ruin, of
+course----"
+
+"What ruin? Where?" asked Mr. St. Clive, while the rest listened
+anxiously. "Speak quickly, lads, for time is precious." And Ralph
+explained their adventure of that afternoon, adding--
+
+"Of course, there are the dogs, but even if they scented him down he
+could shut them out; they couldn't get at him, and the very fact that
+the dogs were loose would hinder people from imagining that any one was
+hiding there. Besides, I don't believe that any people know about it. I
+didn't until to-day, and I thought that I had pretty well explored the
+country round here."
+
+"How am I to get to this place, boys?"
+
+"By following us," said Ralph. "Yes, we will all three go, and skirmish
+out one ahead of the other, so that if danger is about we can give
+warning. Never you fear, we will get there safe enough, if we have a
+little start. But you will want things, even at once; light--you must
+be careful to hide that from being seen--and food, and some rugs."
+
+Away hurried Mrs. St. Clive and her husband and hastily procured what
+they thought would be immediate necessities, while Mr. Charlton took
+off the disguise. His rest there had done him good. He was strong and
+well, not a bit like the wearied man who had at first come there. The
+boys divided the burdens between them; and then, with last hand shakes,
+and with a parting embrace between husband and wife, Mr. Charlton
+followed the three boys from the place where he had been so kindly
+treated.
+
+"Won't Elgert and Dobson be precious mad!" said Warren. "It was
+fortunate for you, sir, that little Irene heard them talking."
+
+"It is fortunate for me that my boy has two such faithful friends
+as you and Ralph here," answered Mr. Charlton. "I feel that Heaven,
+knowing my innocence, has raised me up helpers all round."
+
+"That is the way, sir," said Ralph heartily. "Go on thinking that and
+you won't lose heart, and presently the truth will come to light----"
+
+"Now then, Ralph," cried Warren, interrupting him. "Send on ahead, and
+keep both your eyes open, get well on in front, and give the Fourth's
+whistle if you see any one about."
+
+They were now getting away from the road and on towards Stow Wood. They
+would have to go through that and then out across the common, leaving
+Great Stow on their right. It would have been shorter to have gone
+through Great Stow, but they did not dare that, there were too many
+people about.
+
+Away raced Charlton, pushing into the wood, and then Warren dived away
+to the right, and Ralph led Mr. Charlton directly on.
+
+But no warning whistle came. The storm was gathering up again, and no
+one who could avoid it was out of doors. They pushed through the wood
+and across the common, out to Crab Tree Hill; and then they circled
+the preserves, and came to the place they sought; and, as Ralph said,
+it looked as if they had been led to the spot that afternoon, in order
+that they might know where to bring Mr. Charlton.
+
+And into the ruin they led the way with a lighted candle, and showed
+the man all the windings and secret ways that they had found out.
+
+"I dare say that there are plenty more, for it is a strange old place,"
+Ralph said, "and you will be able to find them out for yourself."
+
+"The only thing that I see, is you cannot make a fire here. At least,
+if you did, the smoke might be seen," added Warren; and Mr. Charlton
+smiled.
+
+"We can do without the fire, my kind young friend," he said. "I shall
+manage here very well. But now do you all go, for you are nearly wet
+through, and I fear that you may suffer some ill effects, and you all
+look tired to death, too. Shake hands with me, and be off."
+
+"We shall manage to let you know soon, sir, how things go," said Ralph,
+"and we will bring more food and things. Good-bye, sir, and keep up a
+good heart."
+
+"Good-bye, and good-bye and God bless you, my own dear son." And the
+father and son embraced.
+
+Then the three lads dashed away, making for home as fast as they could;
+and though Warren wondered what his people would think of him for being
+so late, nothing could persuade him to refrain from going back to Mr.
+St. Clive's, just to see how things had gone.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVI
+
+TOM WARREN SPEAKS HIS MIND
+
+
+If ever three boys were tired and wet and cold, Ralph and his chums
+were when they once again arrived at Mr. St. Clive's; but for all
+that, they were three delighted boys, for they had succeeded in their
+mission, and Mr. Charlton was safe.
+
+They found that the police had been and gone, and were none the wiser
+for their visit. Mr. St. Clive had received them readily, and told them
+that he certainly had employed an old gardener, but that the man had
+left his employ only a short time before they came, and that he could
+give them no information about him.
+
+It was highly distasteful to an honourable gentleman like Mr. St.
+Clive even to say anything which, while strictly true, had yet the
+qualities of a lie, but in this case he was forced to do so. He could
+not give the poor man up to justice--a man whom he honestly believed to
+have been wrongly convicted--especially after having received him and
+sheltered him so long.
+
+But when Elgert and Dobson heard that the search was unsuccessful, oh,
+how angry they were! They had come back with the constables, and Mr.
+St. Clive turned to them and spoke very sternly.
+
+"So it appears that I am indebted to you two young gentlemen for this
+visit," he said. "First of all you trespass upon my grounds; then you
+take upon yourselves to give this information to the police; and now
+you have come back uninvited. Kindly oblige me by taking yourselves
+off; and understand that if I find you on my grounds again, I shall not
+have the slightest hesitation in horsewhipping the pair of you!"
+
+Oh, what a rage Elgert was in! To be spoken to like that! He, the
+Honourable Horace Elgert!
+
+He went home and told his father, and Lord Elgert rode over in a
+terrible passion to demand an explanation from Mr. St. Clive.
+
+But that gentleman took things very calmly, and his lordship got little
+satisfaction from him.
+
+"It is my belief, sir, that my son is correct, and that you have been
+harbouring a fugitive from justice!" shouted his lordship. "It is like
+you to do that. You have taken that young rascal, Rexworth, in spite of
+the knowledge that his father is a man who attempted to rob me."
+
+"Pardon me, Lord Elgert," answered Mr. St. Clive, "I have tried to
+repay a debt of gratitude I owe to a brave boy, who rescued my child
+from death, at the peril of his own life, because you would not take
+the trouble to have your bull properly secured. As to the knowledge
+that his father tried to rob you, I know nothing of the kind."
+
+"I have told you so. You have my word for it," replied Lord Elgert; and
+Mr. St. Clive answered drily--
+
+"That is a very different thing from knowing it."
+
+"You insult me, sir! You deliberately insult me! But be careful, or you
+shall answer for it. Make no mistake, you shall answer for it!" And
+with that, his lordship rode off in a towering rage.
+
+Mr. St. Clive did not trouble to tell Ralph all the unkind things which
+Lord Elgert had said, for there was nothing to be gained by causing the
+boy pain; and so, after giving them all hot cocoa, Warren and Charlton
+were sent off to their homes, and Ralph was glad to get to bed, for he
+was quite tired out.
+
+And then, after one of those quiet Sundays which he had got to value
+so much, he set off for school on the Monday morning, calling for
+Charlton, and meeting with Warren on the way.
+
+"Well, Rexworth, and how do you feel to-day?"
+
+Now, if Warren or Charlton had asked that question, there would have
+been nothing strange in it; but it was neither of the boys. It was Mr.
+Delermain, when the class was assembled; and Ralph, although he felt
+surprised, answered that he felt very well.
+
+"Ah!" said the master, and he smiled. "Well, I am glad of that, for
+to-day you have to uphold the honour of the Fourth. You will not take
+your place for lessons as usual. The examination for the Newlet is
+to-day. You are to go to the Head's class-room immediately after
+prayers."
+
+"Good luck to you, Rexworth," whispered Charlton, looking quite
+nervous; and Tom Warren patted him on the shoulder and added
+imploringly--
+
+"Now, mind you keep cool, Ralph--keep quite cool. Don't get flustered
+if you cannot answer every question, and don't spend too much time over
+the easy ones. Answer them first, as briefly as you can, and then go
+for the others. Keep cool, old fellow, for the honour of the Fourth."
+
+Certainly Ralph did feel just a trifle anxious and nervous; but he had
+worked hard, and felt pretty well grounded in his subjects, and he
+meant to do his best honestly.
+
+So when prayers were over, he rose and went out of the class-room,
+while the boys, thinking that the occasion admitted of it, cried out
+aloud: "Good luck to you, Rexworth! Hope that you will succeed!"
+
+"Jolly lot of fuss they make about that chap," sneered Dobson to the
+boy next him. "It is just a disgrace to let such a fellow as that sit
+for the Newlet."
+
+"Especially when a bright, intellectual fellow like Dobson does not
+go in for it!" was the answer he received; and Dobson glowered and
+muttered something about his "cheek."
+
+Somehow, Charlton could not get on as he ought to have done that
+morning. He was so anxious about Ralph, and he was so full of his
+father, and wondering whether he was all safe. Mr. Delermain had to
+rebuke him once or twice--he did not understand things like Warren
+did--and poor Charlton lost his place and got a bad mark; and somehow
+he could not help it, the tears would come into his eyes. Dobson saw
+it, and grinned. He sniffed, and drew his handkerchief out, pretending
+to wipe away tears and wring the water out on the floor. Mr. Delermain
+saw him, and Dobson got something to cry for. Six handers, and a bad
+mark. Dobson vowed to make Charlton suffer for it, as if it were his
+fault that he had been caned.
+
+And he had his chance when recess came.
+
+"Hallo, Elgert!" cried Dobson, as he saw his friend. "I say, I want to
+ask you a question. Who was the first gardener?"--and he winked towards
+Charlton, who was standing near.
+
+"Adam," was Elgert's reply; and Dobson nodded.
+
+"Quite right; and who was the very last one that we know anything
+about, eh?"
+
+"A fellow named Charlton, some relation to one of your Form, I think.
+Quite a public personage, and eagerly sought after by the police."
+
+Poor Charlton! His face went white, and his eyes sparkled with anger.
+Dobson saw it, and laughed mockingly. Charlton was a weakly boy, and
+the bully was by no means afraid of him.
+
+"Funny how some people have queer tastes," he went on. "I should have
+thought that breaking stones was no harder work than digging. By the
+way, it is breaking stones that they put convicts to, is it not?"
+
+"You say that to insult me?"
+
+Charlton spoke in low tones, and his face was very white; and Dobson
+laughed again.
+
+"Oh, I say, you chaps, is not this a rich joke? Here is Charlton asking
+if we mean to insult him! My dear fellow, your presence is such an
+insult----"
+
+Dobson stopped and ducked, for the maddened boy had struck so fierce a
+blow that had the bully received it, it would surely have knocked him
+down.
+
+"Go on, Dobson! Give him a hiding!" cried Elgert. But then Tom Warren
+pushed forward and cried out--
+
+"Drop that! Charlton, don't be stupid; and you, Dobson, if you want to
+fight, fight me."
+
+"I say, you fellows," said Elgert, "how much longer are we going to
+be dictated to by Tom Warren? Charlton struck the first blow. It is
+his fight, and he ought to go through with it. It is a condescension
+on Dobson's part to fight with such a fellow." And some of the boys
+murmured approval.
+
+"Hold hard a minute," said Warren. "Since Elgert puts it that way, we
+will see if the boot is not on the other foot. Let me see, Dobson asked
+who was the last gardener, didn't he?"
+
+"That is it, Warren!" cried some of the others. "And Charlton got mad."
+
+"Very well; now I will tell you why. It seems that Elgert and Dobson,
+wanting a little employment, and liking to play the part of spies and
+informers----" Elgert started. He had no idea that Warren knew about
+that, and it was the very last thing he wished the school to hear of.
+He attempted to turn away, but Warren noticed it, and went on.
+
+"You had better stop, Elgert, unless you are too ashamed to let
+gentlemen see your face." And Elgert stopped, white to the lips with
+passion.
+
+"That is better," said the monitor. "Well, you chaps, I was saying that
+our gentlemanly friends, Messrs. Elgert and Dobson, finding it to their
+taste to play the part of spies, must needs dog the steps of a lady,
+and that lady Mrs. Charlton, under the impression that she would guide
+them to the spot where her husband was hidden.
+
+"Now, having played this delightful part, these refined young gentlemen
+came upon an old gardener in Mr. St. Clive's grounds, and jumped to the
+conclusion that it was the lady's husband in disguise.
+
+"Then they came away and quietly enough, for they had no wish to
+disturb the parties concerned. But once away, they set off as hard as
+they could go, running all the way, to the police-station, to tell the
+constables that the man they wanted was hiding at Mr. St. Clive's.
+I would mention the fact that there is a reward offered for the
+apprehension of this man; perhaps that had something to do with their
+action. And this pair of spies and informers have the impudence to
+speak of it being a condescension for one of them to fight a boy in no
+way his equal."
+
+"I say, Warren, it can't be true!" cried one boy in disgust. "No fellow
+at our school would be such an awful cad!"
+
+"Look at Elgert's face. Does that look like innocence?" answered
+Warren. "You can ask Mr. St. Clive, if you like; but you ought not to
+want to after that!" And he pointed to Horace Elgert.
+
+Ay, there was no mistake; he looked guilty, and he knew it was no good
+trying to deny the charge. He strove to look careless and dignified,
+and he turned away on his heel; but then a storm of hisses broke out.
+Hisses! They were hissing him! And he had once been their leader! And
+above the clamour came the shrill voices of the juniors--
+
+"Sneak! Sneak! Sneak!"
+
+He felt as if he must press his fingers in his ears and run, but he
+managed to maintain his slow walk, and got into the class-room, Dobson
+at his heels; and the latter asked in consternation--
+
+"How ever did they find out?"
+
+"I don't know--I don't care!" was the fierce answer. "But I will pay
+them all out! And to think of Rexworth going in for the Newlet!"
+
+"Won't he crow if he manages to get through!" remarked Dobson; and
+Elgert jumped up.
+
+"He must not get through, Dobson; somehow we must stop him."
+
+"That is all very well. But how can we do it?" queried Dobson, with a
+shake of his head. And Elgert replied--
+
+"Wait until morning school is over, and I will tell you."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVII
+
+IN THE DEAD OF THE NIGHT
+
+
+"I tell you that it can be done. What danger is there, if we are only
+careful not to make a noise? What a miserable coward you are, Dobson!"
+
+So said Horace Elgert. He and Dobson were together, and morning school
+was over. They had met that Elgert might unfold his plan for preventing
+Ralph Rexworth having any chance of gaining the Newlet medal, and
+also for getting him into disgrace by making it appear that he had
+been cribbing; and apparently Dobson did not much like the plan, and
+had been making objections which had called forth Elgert's angry
+remonstrance.
+
+"What danger can there be?" The question came again, when Dobson did
+not reply. "Why, you have risked more than that when we have left the
+house at night! You have thought that a lark. And now we have only to
+go to the Head's desk, and then sit in the class-room for an hour or
+so."
+
+"It will be awfully cold there," shivered Dobson. "And just
+think--stopping for two hours, and the chance all the time that some
+one will come!"
+
+"Rubbish! If it is cold, put on your overcoat. You don't call it cold
+when you stand for longer than that keeping goal, with an east wind
+blowing. It is no use trying to make objections. I am determined to try
+it, and you have just got to help me."
+
+"I don't see how we can do it," grumbled Dobson. "I think we had better
+leave him alone. After all, it don't matter to us if he gets the medal."
+
+"Everything matters that advances him. Now, look here. After the exam.
+is over, all the papers are taken to the Head, and he puts them in his
+desk, and sends them to the examiners in the morning. We know that
+much."
+
+"Yes," assented Dobson.
+
+"Very well. Now, the catch of the Head's roller desk is broken. I heard
+him say yesterday that he had forgotten to send for a man to repair it.
+There the papers will be, with nothing to prevent us from getting hold
+of Rexworth's. That is easy enough. We wait till the place is quiet,
+and then go to the Head's class-room and take what we want. Then we go
+to our own class-room, and have our bicycle lamps to give us light. You
+know that I can write like Rexworth; and even if I did not, no one will
+know. The Head does not examine the papers himself, and the chap he
+sends them to would not know the difference, even if you scrawled the
+answers."
+
+"But what do you want me for?" objected Dobson. "We can't both write."
+
+"You sneak! You want me to do it all. Why, to keep me company, and
+to be in it as well as me. Besides, I shall want you to read me some
+answers from Grimwade. I have a copy; and I don't mean only to write
+wrong answers to some questions, but to put in extracts, so that it
+will look as if he had been using a crib----"
+
+"It will take an awful long time! He takes all day over the papers."
+
+"Yes; but he has got to think of the answers, and we shall not have to
+do anything of the kind. We can copy a lot of what he has written--you
+reading and I writing. Then we just take our set of papers back and put
+them with the others, and we destroy his, and who is to know a thing
+about it?"
+
+"I don't like it," protested Dobson. "I know that we shall get caught
+one of these days, and then we shall be expelled, and it will be all
+your fault."
+
+"Then you have just got to like it!" retorted Elgert; and Dobson burst
+out furiously--
+
+"Oh, have I? Think I am going to be ordered about by you, Horace
+Elgert! Why have I got to like it, pray?"
+
+"Because you changed that five-pound note!"
+
+"But you gave it to me," retorted Dobson, changing colour, and falling
+back upon his old plea; and Elgert laughed.
+
+"You prove that, if you can. You are the only one implicated in it."
+
+"You are a jolly mean sneak!" cried his companion; and again Elgert
+laughed, this time rather menacingly.
+
+"I wouldn't talk in that way if I were you, Dobson," he said. "It is a
+bit foolish to quarrel with me. Now, don't be silly, but say that you
+agree."
+
+"I suppose I must," was the sulky reply; "but I tell you I think it
+risky. Besides, all that we have yet done has not harmed Rexworth; but
+it has jolly well hurt us."
+
+"We will be more successful this time. But let us clear off, for that
+little sneak Charlton is watching us, and he may get suspicious if he
+sees us talking together."
+
+"Punch his head!" said Dobson. He was brave enough when it came to
+ill-treating boys weaker than himself. "He is alone; punch his head!"
+
+"No. You forget we should have Warren and all his gang down on us, and
+perhaps Kesterway taking the matter to the Head. Let him go for the
+time. We will have him over his father yet, and that will be better
+than giving him a licking."
+
+It was quite true that Charlton had seen the two together, and he was
+indeed wondering what mischief they were plotting. Ralph was still a
+prisoner over his examination papers, for until they were done he was
+not allowed to leave the class-room; and Warren was at the moment
+away, so that Charlton was alone.
+
+He was very anxious for Ralph's success, and perhaps that very anxiety
+made him suspicious of the two boys who were such bitter enemies of his
+chum. At any rate, Charlton determined to keep a very sharp eye upon
+the movements of Elgert and Dobson, though he was quite ignorant of any
+way in which they could harm Ralph.
+
+But, in spite of his watching, nothing occurred. The dinner-hour
+passed and afternoon school began, and all went smoothly; and Charlton
+managed to retrieve the loss which his anxiety had brought to him in
+the morning. And then, when the bell rang, and the boys filed out, free
+to do as they liked, until teatime, there Ralph joined them, a trifle
+tired, it is true, but very hopeful, for he felt confident that he had
+answered every question that had been given to him without making a
+huge number of mistakes.
+
+A general rush of Fourth Form boys occurred, and he was surrounded by a
+throng of eager questioners.
+
+"How did you get on, Rexworth? Was it very stiff? Could you manage it?
+How many questions did you get through?"
+
+These and a score of kindred questions were asked; and when Ralph
+answered that he thought he had managed all right, and that he had
+answered every question, a hearty cheer followed.
+
+"Hurrah for Rexworth and the Fourth!"
+
+Dobson and Elgert heard it, and the latter laughed quietly, and said,
+with a sneer upon his handsome face--
+
+"Go on; cheer away. You will have something to cheer for presently."
+
+The evening wore away--tea, and preparation, and recess, and finally
+bed; and after the usual chatter and skylarking when monitors' backs
+were turned, the boys of Marlthorpe College were all snugly in bed, the
+gas had been turned out in the dormitories, save for one faint glimmer
+at the end of each room, and silence reigned throughout the old school.
+
+Perhaps it was because he was so anxious for Ralph's success, perhaps
+it was that he was thinking of Dobson and Elgert, or of his poor
+father away there in that dreary ruin, but somehow Charlton could not
+get to sleep. He lay there thinking, thinking, long after the regular
+breathing from Ralph, and the occasional gurgle and snore from Warren,
+announced that his two chums were fast asleep.
+
+Would Ralph get the medal? Would his father ever get safely away? Or,
+better still, would he ever be proved to be innocent? Would----
+
+A stealthy movement caused him to open his eyes. A boy, higher up the
+dormitory, had got out of bed; and that boy was Dobson!
+
+Charlton held his breath and felt himself trembling with excitement.
+Elgert and the bully had plotted something, after all, then;
+and--and--why, Dobson was dressing! And now he crept out of the
+dormitory with careful, noiseless steps!
+
+Then Charlton, as soon as he was gone, slipped from his bed also. At
+first he thought of rousing Ralph and Warren; but he paused. A strange
+ambition filled his heart. How lovely it would be to do this all by
+himself--to follow and see what mischief they were doing, and, if it
+was anything to harm Ralph, to frustrate their plot, alone and unaided!
+
+Rapidly he slipped on his clothes. At any other time he would have
+trembled at the audacity of such a deed after hours; but now he was
+filled only with the one thought of serving Ralph, and he neither
+considered the risk of being discovered, nor the seriousness of
+matching himself against two such boys as Elgert and Dobson--for he
+felt absolutely certain that Elgert would also be in this business.
+
+Then, in his stockinged feet, he also slipped into the corridor
+and stood listening. Where had Dobson gone? How horribly dark it
+seemed--and how cold and desolate! He stood undecided for a moment;
+then he heard a stealthy sound--and from the entrance to the Fifth he
+saw Elgert come. Ah, he had not been mistaken, then! He stepped back
+and peeped round the dormitory door. Elgert was stealing down the
+stairs, and--yes, there Dobson was awaiting him. The two glided on,
+noiseless as mice; and Charlton, his heart thumping so that it seemed
+as if the two in front must hear it, creeping cautiously in the rear,
+determined to ascertain what they were going to do.
+
+Down, past the Fourth class-room, they groped their way, and then to
+the Head's room. The Head's room! The room in which the examination
+papers were kept!
+
+Charlton, crouching at the door, watched them as they lit their bicycle
+lamps and stole to the big desk at the top of the room. Then came a
+slight click and the top was rolled back, and he could see the two
+bending over the interior, searching for something.
+
+"Here we are!" whispered Elgert, as he took up a neat little roll of
+papers. "Mind your fingers, silly!"--and he let the top of the desk
+down with the greatest care. "You see how easy it is."
+
+"Best blow out the lamps until we get to the class-room," suggested
+Dobson. "Some one might see them. You never know." And Elgert, willing
+enough to take every precaution, complied.
+
+"We will precious soon spoil Rexworth's chances now!" he laughed
+softly; and Charlton understood--or thought that he did. They were
+going to destroy Ralph's answers, and they should not do it!
+
+Regardless of secrecy or of self, he sprang from the darkness; and,
+before either of the startled boys could realize what had happened, he
+had snatched that roll of paper from Elgert's grasp.
+
+"You sha'n't have them!" he said aloud. "You want to destroy them, and
+you shall not have them!"
+
+"Charlton!" cried Elgert, in furious rage; and forgetful of all
+precaution, he struck a savage blow at him, which sent him spinning
+backwards over a form with a crash.
+
+"Keep quiet! You will rouse the whole school!" cried Dobson in terror.
+"Hark! I hear some one coming. Run--run, I say, or we shall be found
+here!" And Elgert, awakening to the danger of the position, glided away
+with him, as voices were heard calling and asking what was the matter.
+
+"What shall we do now?" groaned Dobson; but his companion answered in a
+fierce whisper--
+
+"Quick--get back to your room and pull off your clothes, as if you had
+just slipped out of bed. Be quick! Then come out on to the landing, as
+if you were only half awake. They are certain to catch him, and we must
+declare that we know nothing of it. He has the papers in his hand, and
+it is our word against his, and appearances are upon our side."
+
+Dobson nodded, and hastily dragging off his clothes, he sat on the edge
+of his bed, and called aloud: "Who is there?" That roused the others;
+and he asserted that he had been scared by a noise downstairs. Up
+tumbled Warren and Ralph and some more, and Charlton's bed was seen to
+be empty.
+
+Then the Fifth Form boys, aroused by Elgert, came out on the landing,
+only to be met by one of the masters, who quietly said that nothing was
+wrong, and directed them all to go back to bed again.
+
+Nothing wrong! Go back to bed! But why was Charlton's bed empty? And
+what did that glimpse of the boy, in the custody of Kesterway, the head
+monitor, mean? Ralph looked at Warren in dismay. Whatever mischief had
+Fred Charlton been up to?
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVIII
+
+THE NEXT DAY
+
+
+"Believe it! Of course we don't believe it. And I do not think that
+the Head does, either. You cheer up, old fellow! I know you were only
+trying to serve me; but you were silly to go without waking Warren, or
+myself."
+
+The speaker was Ralph, and he addressed his chum Charlton, who was a
+prisoner. A prisoner, that is, inasmuch as the Head had forbidden him
+to go out into the playground until he had thoroughly gone into the
+incidents of the previous night.
+
+It was all very well for Ralph to say "cheer up," but Charlton did not
+feel very cheerful. His sensitive nature shrank from the position in
+which he found himself, and his heart revolted at the wicked falsehoods
+which were told so calmly by both Dobson and Elgert. Besides, he was
+kept in, and that afternoon he had hoped to get across to see how his
+father was getting on.
+
+And though we, who know the truth, may wonder how it was that the Head
+should do this, still, the doctor himself did not know the truth, and
+he could hardly think that two lads would tell such wicked deliberate
+lies; and, moreover, everything pointed to Charlton being guilty.
+
+Dr. Beverly had been sitting up late, deep in a learned work with
+which he was greatly interested, when he had heard the noise in his
+class-room, followed by the voice of the head monitor, calling from
+above, and asking what was the matter; and he had hurried out--to find
+Charlton lying half dazed on the floor, having apparently fallen over a
+form and struck his head; and in his hand was Ralph's examination paper.
+
+Charlton being a nervous boy, his very manner seemed guilty when the
+Head had questioned him; and his story seemed to be false, for upon
+Dr. Beverly hurrying upstairs, Elgert was found with only his trousers
+on, as if he had just slipped out of bed, and Dobson was the same.
+Moreover, the boys in the Fifth declared that Elgert was sitting up in
+bed when they were aroused; and even Ralph and Warren had to own that
+Dobson appeared as if he had only just woke up.
+
+And both Dobson and Elgert declared that they had never been
+downstairs, and that Charlton had invented the story.
+
+So, still under the suspicion, he was kept in, and Ralph and Warren
+seized the first opportunity of going to comfort him.
+
+"If the Head knew them as well as we do, he would not be in much doubt
+about things," was Warren's verdict. "Don't you worry, old chap! We
+know you would not do anything to harm Ralph."
+
+"I wanted to go and see my father this afternoon," sighed Charlton; and
+Ralph answered--
+
+"Never mind. I will go. Tom will come with me."
+
+"I am awfully sorry, but I cannot," the monitor put in. "I would in a
+minute, but I promised mother to go round for her to my aunt's, and I
+must not disappoint her."
+
+"Of course not," said Ralph immediately. "Well, I will go alone, and
+explain to your father, old chap; so don't you worry about that any
+more. I wish, though, that I could see some way of bringing this home
+to those two, but I confess that I don't."
+
+"Wait a bit. Give them a rope long enough and they will hang
+themselves!" growled Warren. "Now, buck up, Charlton, and don't let
+them think that you are beaten!" And with that the two had to leave
+their chum, and Charlton felt decidedly comforted.
+
+And, after school, Tom Warren went off to obey his mother's desire; and
+Ralph, true to his promise, started on his journey to the man hiding in
+the old ruin away by Crab Tree Hill; and the rest of the boys prepared
+to spend their time according to their own inclinations.
+
+Jimmy Green and his chum Tinkle had made their plans. They were going
+fishing. It is sometimes a matter for wonder why small boys will go
+fishing, seeing that they seldom catch any fish, and don't know what
+to do with them if by chance they manage to secure a few. Still, that
+matters nothing. Jimmy and Tinkle were going fishing, and were busily
+preparing a wonderful and fearful assortment of tackle and bait. Bait!
+They had worms several inches long, and what they called paste--a
+fearsome concoction of bread and clay kneaded together into little
+balls. And they had a landing-net. We mention this for two reasons.
+First, because of its size--it would have held a small salmon--and then
+because it was destined to aid in landing some queer fish. We may not
+say of what kind yet--but the point to remember is that they had the
+landing-net.
+
+And Jimmy Green and his chum were discussing the problem of Charlton's
+guilt, and their small minds appeared to be fully made up.
+
+"I just believe every word he says!" declared Green; and Tinkle nodded
+his fat little head.
+
+"So do I!" he said.
+
+"Those two chaps are awful cads--dreadful cads!" continued Green,
+with much warmth; and again Tinkle nodded. He did not believe in the
+exertion of talking, unless it was absolutely necessary.
+
+"I wonder," he said slowly, as he pushed back a particularly lively
+worm into the bait-tin--"I wonder, Jimmy, if we ought to tell what we
+know about that note? I often wonder that." But Jimmy was still firm
+upon that point.
+
+"What's the good? If we had the note now we might do it. But suppose
+they treat us as they have treated Charlton, and say they did not go
+there? How are we to prove it? And we let out that we have been there
+ourselves. It ain't no good, Tinkle. I would tell if I thought it was;
+but it isn't, and there is no getting away from it."
+
+"I suppose it ain't," was Tinkle's regretful answer. "Well, come on,
+Jimmy! I think we have got everything we want, and we may as well have
+all the time we can."
+
+"Where shall we go?" inquired Jimmy Green.
+
+"Oh, the pool below Becket Weir," answered Tinkle; "where Elgert nearly
+got drowned."
+
+"Very well; come on, and let us see if we have any luck." And the two
+young anglers set out, little dreaming what a very queer fish they were
+going to catch that day.
+
+And what of Elgert and Dobson? Mean lads that they were, they were
+delighted, and congratulated themselves upon their astuteness. True,
+they had not got possession of Ralph's papers, and had failed in so far
+as spoiling his chances for the medal went; but they had got Charlton
+into fine disgrace.
+
+It was wonderfully smart upon their parts, they thought; and, as if to
+add to their good fortune, Dobson had a little scrap of paper brought
+to him by a town urchin--a message from Brown of the cake-shop, to the
+effect that the latter had been successful in obtaining the "article"
+he had inquired about; but that the price would be seven pounds for it,
+cash down.
+
+Seven pounds! Elgert growled at that, but the note must be got again at
+any cost; and so Dobson was given the sum required, and dispatched upon
+his errand.
+
+He wanted Elgert to go with him, for company, but Elgert was too
+cunning for that. He had kept out of the business all along, and he did
+not mean to be seen in it now. To be sure, he had been with Dobson to
+inquire about it in the first place, but he had no fear that the man
+would betray him. Dobson had done the changing, and Dobson should do
+the buying, and bring the note back to him.
+
+"I cannot come," he said, in answer to the boy's remonstrance. "I
+expect our man over with a letter from my father, and I want to stay
+here to get it. You must go alone. It won't take you long. Hurry back,
+for I shall not go out until you return."
+
+"I always have to do the work," grumbled Dobson. "It is a horrid long
+way to go alone."
+
+"Get out! Have not I found the money? And as to a long way, you don't
+make much fuss about that if you think that you are going to be treated
+to tarts. You clear off, and look sharp; and thank your lucky stars
+that we have got out of the mess so nicely, for I confess that I did
+not think that we were going to manage it!"
+
+So Dobson set off, and Horace Elgert turned back to the playground,
+to await his return with what patience he could; and there the Head
+himself came upon him, and stopped, and placed one hand upon his
+shoulder, looking searchingly into his face.
+
+"I am glad that I have met you alone, Elgert," the doctor said. "For
+I want to speak to you very seriously. I want to speak to you about
+Charlton."
+
+"Yes, sir?" said the boy inquiringly. It was wonderful how calmly and
+innocently he spoke. "What about him, sir--has he owned that his story
+is false?"
+
+"Not so, Elgert. Nor am I satisfied that it is false, Elgert. Are you
+satisfied that it is?"
+
+"Why, sir, of course I am!" he answered, staring up as if unable to
+comprehend the Head's meaning, though he knew it well enough.
+
+"Elgert, there is an old Book with an old law, which says: 'Thou shalt
+not bear false witness against thy neighbour.' In face of such a solemn
+command, are you still sure that Charlton's story is false?"
+
+"You don't mean to say that I and Dobson were there taking those
+papers, do you, sir?" he queried indignantly. "Ah, I see how it is!
+You believe his word. I don't think that quite fair, sir. Consider the
+difference between his surroundings and mine. Which will most likely
+speak the truth--the son of a man wanted by the police, or the son of a
+nobleman like my father?"
+
+"You still adhere to your statement, Elgert?" said the Head, taking no
+notice of the latter part of his speech. And Elgert answered at once--
+
+"Of course I do, sir!"
+
+"Then," said the Head, "I have no option but to be guided by
+circumstances, and they all point to Charlton being guilty." And with
+that he turned away.
+
+Elgert felt anxious and angry. What right had the Head to suspect
+him of telling lies, or to doubt his honour? It is wonderful how
+dishonourable people will talk of their honour. And suppose the Head
+got Dobson, and began to question him. He must warn the fellow to be on
+guard against that.
+
+The man he expected did not come. Elgert was angry. He told himself
+that Dobson was taking double the time he need; and when at last his
+companion returned, he asked very shortly--
+
+"Well, have you got it?"
+
+"Yes; here it is, all safe. It is delightful to feel that danger is
+past!"
+
+"A danger of your own making," retorted Elgert. "A danger that I have
+had to pay for, and that has cost you nothing. And you look here! The
+Head has been questioning me. He is suspicious, and preaches about
+false witnessing. Mind what you are at if he begins on you; for if you
+let anything out I will pay you out for it. You had better clear off
+now, to be out of his way."
+
+Dobson complied readily enough. The last thing he wanted was for the
+Head to carpet him. And then Horace Elgert, the note safe in his
+pocket-book, put on his hat and went out. He was enraged that his man
+had not been, and was going home to give him a good rating; and he, to
+take a short cut, must go past Becket Weir, where Tinkle and Green had
+gone to fish.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIX
+
+WHAT TINKLE AND GREEN CAUGHT
+
+
+"There don't seem to be much sport," said Tinkle to Green, as they
+sat side by side on the river bank, casting longing glances at their
+floats. Tinkle's bobbed under, and he pulled up sharply--he had hooked
+a fine piece of weed, the tenth catch of the kind he had made.
+
+"Bother!" said Green, putting down the landing-net, which he had seized
+to be in readiness to help his friend. "I am jolly well sick of it. Let
+us drop it."
+
+Tinkle agreed; the rod was taken to pieces and the lines put away, and
+then the pair stood up.
+
+"Ugh--ah-r-r!" sighed Tinkle. "Don't it make you cramped, and---- I
+say, Green, there's a man coming, and by gum, I believe it's that
+Elgert's man--the chap we saw in the cake-shop!"
+
+"So it is," was Green's answer. "And look how he is sauntering. Perhaps
+he is going to meet some one."
+
+"Let us hide," suggested Tinkle eagerly, "in the old boathouse. We may
+hear some more secrets."
+
+Green made no objection on the score of eavesdropping; the two
+boys, bending low, darted across the towing-path, and into an old,
+dilapidated, wooden building, now fast falling to decay, that had once
+done duty as a boathouse.
+
+"Oh, I say, here comes Elgert himself!" said Green excitedly, peeping
+through a hole. "Don't make a sound. I believe----"
+
+"Oh," interrupted Tinkle, in consternation, "they are coming in here!
+Oh, what ever shall we do?"
+
+"Be quiet, you silly. Hide! Down you go flat under that old boat. Hold
+up the end while I creep under; and whatever you do, don't sneeze. Mind
+the net, and----"
+
+His words were cut short by the boat slipping from Tinkle's hands and
+extinguishing them both. They lay side by side. They were quite safe,
+for it was most unlikely that Elgert or the man would look beneath it.
+
+One of the planks had started, and they could hear plainly, and even
+see a good deal of the interior of the place. They did see--saw Elgert
+and the man enter; and Horace Elgert sat down on the top of that boat.
+
+"If I only had a pin!" muttered Green. And Tinkle dug him in the ribs
+and breathed in his ear--
+
+"Be quiet, or I will punch your head when I get you out!"
+
+"You are an impertinent rascal!" was Elgert's first polite remark.
+"But don't you forget the book I have, with the confession in it. It
+may get you into trouble yet."
+
+"And don't you forget, Mr. Horace, that it was your own father who
+put me up to it. He wanted Charlton got out of the way, and he showed
+me how to make a hundred pounds for myself, and make an innocent man
+get the blame. I haven't had a single day's peace of mind since. My
+conscience has accused me."
+
+"Your conscience! Where do you keep it?" laughed Elgert, while the ears
+of the two hidden boys were strained to their utmost. "A pretty sort of
+fellow you are. My father put you up to it! How can you prove that?"
+
+"I cannot," was the sulky answer. "He was too clever for that. I wrote
+the truth in my pocket-book----"
+
+"Like the ass you are! What good would that do to you, or to Charlton?"
+
+"It did no good. But it made me feel better, even to confess it like
+that. You stole the book--you, a fine gentleman! You stole it from my
+coat!"
+
+"Yes; it was safer in my keeping than in yours. Such things are
+dangerous if they are left lying about."
+
+"And you have used it as a threat to me ever since; and have ordered me
+about as if I were a dog!" was the angry retort. And Elgert laughed.
+
+"I have found it useful certainly. And, my man, do you see that scar on
+the back of your hand? It was a bad cut, I think. How did you manage
+it?"
+
+The man, with a swift motion, put his hand in his pocket.
+
+"I cut it," he said. And Elgert laughed again.
+
+"Yes. Do you know what housebreaking is? I suppose you know nothing of
+some one who broke into the school, the beginning of this term; and
+who was found near my bed, with a pillow; it looked very much as if he
+were going to try and kill me by smothering me. I wonder what that man
+wanted. He was frightened away by one of our boys, and he cut his hand
+getting over the wall. I wonder who that man was?"
+
+"You know it was me. I would have done it, too, if I had not been
+found. I was frightened then, but I am not now. I am not in your power
+any more."
+
+"Oh, and what has happened to change things?" inquired Horace Elgert
+mockingly.
+
+"This," said the man fiercely. "If I have done wrong, what about you?
+There was a five-pound note stolen at your school----"
+
+"What do you know about that?" cried Elgert quickly.
+
+"I know that it was changed in the town by your friend; and I know that
+you and he went to buy it back, and paid far more than it was worth for
+it, and----"
+
+"And having got it back, there the thing ends," laughed Horace; but the
+man laughed also.
+
+"Oh, yes, you got it back; but not before I had photographed it! I have
+the negative here, a beautiful negative that will enlarge."
+
+Elgert regarded him in silent fury.
+
+"Well," he said, altering his tone, "what do you want for it? I suppose
+you are trying to make money?"
+
+"My book--the one you stole. If it is just as it was when I had it,
+you shall have this; if it is torn or damaged, then I take this to the
+police."
+
+"You are smarter than I thought," answered Elgert blandly; but oh, in
+his heart, how he determined that in some way he would make this man
+suffer! "Well, here is the book. You can see it is not harmed."
+
+The man snatched the book which the boy took from his pocket, and ran
+to the door to get all the light he could, as he eagerly glanced inside.
+
+"It is all right," he said. "Here is the negative." And he handed it
+to Elgert. "And now you go!"--this to the book. "You have caused me
+trouble enough. Go where no one can get at you!" And, in a fit of rage,
+he threw it into the river; and then he turned back to the boy.
+
+"Get it again, if you can!" he laughed. "My word is as good as yours,
+now; and while you have the negative, you have not got the prints I
+took from it. You are in my power now, Mr. Horace, and you had best be
+civil, or there will be trouble." And with that he turned and hurried
+off, leaving Horace Elgert alone, white with passion and fear.
+
+"I need not fear him," he muttered. "It only means paying enough, and I
+shall get them. This can go, the water will soon wash the film off."
+
+He skimmed the negative away, but it slipped from his fingers and fell
+into shallow water. He did not trouble; in less than an hour it would
+be washed clean away. Then Horace Elgert produced a book from his
+pocket, and this he, having tied a stone to it, also threw into the
+river; then, finally, he took that dreadful banknote from his pocket,
+and, striking a match, he set it alight and watched it burn to ashes.
+Then, hands in pockets, he sauntered off, and Tinkle and Green crept
+from their refuge.
+
+"We must get back," said Green. "We shall be late."
+
+"Get back be bothered!" rejoined Tinkle eagerly. "We are going to fish
+again. Be careful. Here, hold open your book--I see one in your pocket!"
+
+Tinkle carefully picked up all the grey, fluffy ash of that burnt
+banknote, and placed it between the leaves.
+
+"My father says that banknotes have a queer ash, and we may want to
+show this. Now let us see if we can get those things out of the river.
+That negative seemed to fall close in."
+
+"I see it!" cried Green, pointing into the water.
+
+"Look, there it is, out on that patch of white sand--see, there!"
+
+A clever stroke or two with the landing-net, and then the little square
+of glass was in their hands. It was scratched somewhat, but unbroken.
+Tinkle laid it on the grass carefully.
+
+"That is one," he said. "Now let us try for the others."
+
+He weighted his line heavily, and started. He fished and fished, and at
+last he was rewarded--up came the pocket-book; and soon after, up came
+another book with a stone tied to it.
+
+"It is a crib," pronounced Tinkle. "Come on, Green; we are in an awful
+mess, and we are in for a caning, I suppose; but we have caught our
+fish, and I don't care a bit."
+
+The two boys raced back to the school, and they were accosted in the
+playground by Warren.
+
+"Hallo, you two kids! Where have you been, and how did you get into
+that state?" the monitor asked. "You are over an hour late. Have you
+seen anything of Rexworth?"
+
+"No, Warren. Isn't he in? We wanted him. Oh, we have got something to
+tell him!"
+
+"You will have something to tell the doctor," answered Warren grimly.
+"He is bound to want to know what you have been up to."
+
+"Don't go, Warren. Do listen to us. It concerns Rexworth and Charlton.
+We know about Elgert."
+
+"What is that?" cried Warren, turning. "What do you mean?" And the
+boys, with many "you sees" and "you knows," told their story, and
+exhibited their treasures.
+
+"Here, you come with me!" said Warren. "You are a pair of little
+bricks. Come with me!"
+
+"Where to, Warren?" they asked, as he hurried on--not in the direction
+of their room, but towards the Head's house. "Where are we going?"
+
+"To the Head himself. He must deal with this. Don't you be frightened.
+I don't think he will punish you for being late, after he knows what
+kept you. Come on and speak up like men!"
+
+"Why, Warren!" exclaimed Dr. Beverly, in mild surprise, when the
+monitor of the Fourth entered his presence, accompanied by the two
+little draggled objects. "What is this? Have these boys been in the
+river? Take them to the housekeeper at once. They are soaking wet!"
+
+"They won't hurt for a minute or two more. They have something to tell
+you, sir--something I thought that you ought to hear before any one
+else."
+
+"Indeed!" said the Head. "And what is it? Speak quickly, and let them
+go; they will catch bad colds."
+
+So Warren told the story for them, and placed their catch before the
+Head. And Dr. Beverly, great man as he was, shook these two happy
+juniors by the hand, and called them clever boys, and dismissed them
+to revel in special tea in the matron's room after he had strictly
+enjoined both them and the monitor not to say a word of this, even to
+Charlton or Ralph Rexworth.
+
+But Ralph had not come home, and it was getting late now. He had been
+long enough to get to Crab Tree Hill and back twice over. What could
+have happened to Ralph Rexworth?
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXX
+
+WHAT DETAINED RALPH REXWORTH
+
+
+Ralph Rexworth stood in the old ruin, looking very perplexed. He could
+not find Mr. Charlton anywhere. He had whistled, and called, and
+searched, but not a trace of the hiding man could he discover.
+
+He felt anxious. What could it mean? Had the hiding-place been
+discovered, and his chum's unfortunate parent again been taken
+prisoner? Unless that was the case, he was at a loss to account for the
+man's absence.
+
+"It is no use waiting any longer," he mused, after he had searched the
+ruin through for the third time. "He has not hurt himself and fallen
+anywhere in here. He must have been alarmed, and have fled, unless he
+is taken. Poor old Fred will be horribly worried when I go back and
+tell him; but there is nothing else for me to do, and I shall be late
+back, as it is."
+
+He sighed. His friend's anxiety for his parent would be something like
+what he felt for his missing father. It made Ralph think of that again,
+and of the strange cry which he had heard in that place. He could not
+understand that. As he stood there he felt an uncontrollable impulse to
+penetrate to that lonely house again, to risk meeting the dogs, and to
+try the effects of his call once more.
+
+"I am bound to be late, anyhow," he muttered, "so here goes." And he
+set off. Perhaps he might meet Charlton's father in the wood.
+
+But--he stopped suddenly--what did this mean? There, on the soft
+ground, were those tracks once more! Lord Elgert's lame mare had been
+here! Did that mean that Lord Elgert himself had been; or had he lent
+his trap to the police again, and had they managed to run their victim
+down?
+
+The tracks did not touch the ruin; they began some way from it, and
+swept round the spinny towards that lonely house. For Ralph to follow
+them was but child's play. He had hardly to slacken his pace a bit, so
+plainly the marks were to be seen on the soft, little-trodden earth.
+They guided him to the spinny--to a little path cut through it, of
+which he had been ignorant before--right up to the house itself; and
+there, standing before the open door, was Lord Elgert's trap and the
+lame mare. It was not to the ruin, but to that mysterious house that
+the trap had been driven. But why? Ah, how Ralph asked himself that
+question, and how impossible it was to find an answer to it!
+
+Lord Elgert seemed to have hated his father. Lord Elgert was here,
+and he had heard his father's signal in this place. Ralph, crouching
+behind the trees, uttered his old call, and then listened with almost
+breathless attention.
+
+Yes. There--there, muffled but indistinct, the answer came! It came
+from the house. His father was there, and his father was in Lord
+Elgert's power!
+
+Ralph's first impulse was to dash forward; but he paused. He must
+be cautious here. He remained hiding, waiting to see if any one had
+noticed his call, and his prudence was rewarded by seeing Lord Elgert
+himself come to the door, accompanied by the brutal-looking man whom he
+had seen before, and glance anxiously round.
+
+Then the two seemed to consult; and presently the man went away, to
+return with a couple of great tawny hounds, both of which he let loose.
+Ralph's heart stood still. What could he do against those fierce
+brutes? The man and Lord Elgert went in, and the dogs roamed round.
+They had not struck his scent yet; but presently they would do so, and
+then it would be a hard business for him.
+
+Ralph was preparing to cautiously creep away, when he heard a shout
+from the house--a cry for help, and in his father's voice! That put all
+else out of his head, and he dashed like a deer across the grass and
+into the open door of that house. His father was there; his father was
+crying for help, and he would stand by his side!
+
+The dogs saw, and raised a deep-voiced bay. He slammed the door and
+shut them out, then darted along in the direction of the sounds he had
+heard.
+
+They came from a room on the first floor and he rushed in, and
+there--there his father struggled in the grasp of Lord Elgert and
+his fierce companion. Mr. Rexworth had evidently been kept a captive
+by being bound to the wall by a stout chain; and one of his arms was
+swathed in dirty bandages, as though he was hurt.
+
+Whether his captors wished to bind him still more securely, or whether
+it was that they sought to convey him somewhere else, Ralph did not
+know. He saw his father with his back to the wall, brandishing a stool
+in one hand. He saw the man rush in, dodge the blow, and strike his
+father down; and then, with a cry of rage, he sprang forward, seizing a
+heavy stick that lay on the table, and struck wildly at the aggressor.
+Alas! what could one stripling like he do against two such men? They
+both turned, and Ralph received a heavy blow upon the temple; and then
+all was darkness, and he knew nothing more.
+
+But when he opened his eyes, where was he? What had happened? Why could
+he not move?
+
+He strove to rise. He felt giddy and sick, and his head ached and
+throbbed dreadfully. Why he was bound--bound hand and foot, and he was
+stretched upon the floor!
+
+He rolled on his side. His father lay back against the wall, but his
+chain was gone. He was only secured with a rope, in the same manner
+that Ralph was fastened. But his eyes were closed, and his face was
+very white. A dreadful fear filled the lad's mind--that he had come too
+late, that his father was really dead now.
+
+For a few minutes he lay still, quietly trying the strength of his
+bonds. He knew that knots hastily tied could frequently be worked
+loose; but, alas, it was a vain hope in his case! Those who had secured
+him had done their work well.
+
+And then suddenly he became aware of a hot, choky feeling in the air,
+and a sound of crackling. He struggled into a sitting posture, and--oh,
+horrible, horrible!--the room was full of smoke. The place was on fire,
+and he and his dear father were there, helpless and bound, left to
+perish in the flames!
+
+What wonder that terror claimed him for the moment? Who would not
+flinch then in such an awful position?
+
+"Father! Father!" he cried; but the prostrate man returned no answer.
+He lay silent, motionless. Ralph rolled over and over to his side.
+Alas, what good would that do? He managed to struggle to his feet by
+supporting himself in an angle of the room, and he gazed around. The
+smoke was growing worse--he could hardly breathe when he stood up--and
+hot puffs of air were forcing themselves through the flooring and
+whirling along the passage and through the door of the room--the door
+which was cracking and glowing red now, ready to burst into flame.
+
+Oh, was there no help, no succour? If only his faithful Warren or dear
+old Charlton knew of his peril, how they would come to his aid! Alas,
+they were far away, and they did not know.
+
+But what was that? A sound outside! A shout, and the dogs barking and
+raging more than ever, in a perfect fury of anger. Then a smashing of
+glass. Had the fire broken the windows? No. A form rising above the
+sill, a man who staggered as the hot smoke met him, and who bent down
+on all fours to creep across the room--a man who cried aloud--
+
+"Ralph Rexworth, are you here? Are you here?"
+
+It was Mr. Charlton; it was Mr. Charlton come to his aid. Oh, what a
+swift rush of thanksgiving filled Ralph's heart then!
+
+"Here, here!" he answered. "I am tied up; I cannot move. And father is
+here, too; he is senseless." And Mr. Charlton was by his side in a few
+moments.
+
+"Thank God you are unharmed," he said, as he drew his knife across
+the ropes that held Ralph prisoner. "I saw you enter, and I feared
+mischief; and when those two came out and drove off, I knew not what to
+think. There are two brutes of dogs there, and they prevented my trying
+to get in. Then I saw the smoke and flame, and I knew what they had
+done. I grew desperate, and made a dash for it. The dogs almost got
+me, but I managed to get into a tree that grew close to the house; and
+I passed along one branch to the top of the verandah, and so worked my
+way round. It was risky, for if I had slipped those two brutes would
+have been on me in a moment."
+
+Mr. Charlton was not idle while he was talking. He had set Ralph free,
+and had cut the ropes that held Mr. Rexworth, who now opened his eyes
+and stared around in bewilderment.
+
+"Oh father, father!" cried Ralph. "Thank God that you are alive! Try
+and rouse yourself, father dear. We are in great danger. The house is
+on fire, and if we do not get away quickly we must all perish."
+
+"Ralph, what is it! How did you come?" the father asked vacantly. And
+Mr. Charlton shook him.
+
+"Never mind that now, friend!" he cried. "The fire is upon us. Ah, see
+there!"--as the door fell with a crash and a burst of flame swept in
+upon them. "We have not a moment to lose. Out you go, Ralph, and hold
+on like a limpet! Be ready to aid your father, that is all"--as Ralph
+scrambled through the window and managed to find footing on a narrow
+ledge that ran round the house. "Now, Mr. Rexworth, prove yourself
+a man. If you fall, the dogs won't give you a chance. Now, sir, for
+Heaven's sake, try!"
+
+"I will manage it all right, my good friend," answered Mr. Rexworth.
+The flame and smoke had recalled him to the immediate peril. "Just a
+hand through, that is all." And, summoning all his reserve of strength
+and resolution, he managed to get from the window, aided by Mr.
+Charlton in the room, and somewhat supported by Ralph behind him.
+
+Cautiously holding on with grim energy, the three managed to creep back
+to that point from which the rescuer had first started--the top of the
+verandah. But this was a position of great peril now; for the flames
+were breaking through it, and darting from the windows above it, and
+the melted lead of roof and gutter hissed and spluttered. It seemed
+death to go on; it was death to go back. And the two hounds below had
+followed them round, and now stood barking up at them.
+
+"We must risk it," panted Mr. Charlton. "Let me go first, and show you
+how to do it. If you step on the wall you can reach the branch of the
+tree in three strides. It seems very dreadful, but the peril is more
+apparent than real. Look!"
+
+He boldly jumped to the brickwork around which the fire darted. He took
+three quick firm steps, and was able to swing himself into the limb of
+the tree, safe from the fire's reach.
+
+Mr. Rexworth followed by the same dangerous path. "Now, Ralph!" he
+cried. But almost as the words came the whole of the verandah, and the
+brickwork supporting it, fell in; and there Ralph was left clinging to
+that narrow protection of the wall.
+
+And the wall itself was cracking with the heat. He could not maintain
+his position for long. At any moment it might fall and cover him in its
+heated ruins.
+
+Mr. Rexworth groaned in horror; Mr. Charlton looked on in dismay; and
+Ralph clung there, with death behind, and death above, and death--the
+worst death of all, red-eyed and lolling-tongued death--beneath
+awaiting him!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXI
+
+THE TABLES ARE TURNED
+
+
+"Ralph! Oh, my son!" cried Mr. Rexworth, as he saw the peril in which
+the brave lad stood. And the boy turned and looked at his father.
+
+"I cannot hold on here much longer, father," he said. "I shall have to
+drop, and take my chance with the dogs."
+
+"Wait--wait a moment, Ralph!" answered the agonized man. "Let me get
+down and attract their attention, and then you will have a chance."
+
+"Don't, don't father," implored Ralph. "What chance will you have with
+them with your arm hurt? I may manage it."
+
+"I will do it," volunteered Mr. Charlton; "I am uninjured. You stay
+here, sir."
+
+"Don't either of you do it!" cried Ralph, shifting his position a
+little so as to avoid the smoke if he could. "I am going to try and
+creep back a bit. I may find a better place."
+
+"It is useless, Ralph," was his father's answer. "The wall is cracking
+behind you. I can see the smoke coming through. Oh, if we only had a
+rope!"
+
+"A rope!" cried Mr. Charlton. "If a rope can aid in such an extremity,
+I can supply that; for I have kept a long one on my person in case I
+might be in need of it to escape from my own enemies."
+
+As he spoke he threw off his coat and waistcoat, and there, wound round
+his body, was a long but fine line, one quite long enough to serve the
+purpose of reaching to where Ralph clung, though he could not see of
+what avail it would be.
+
+But Mr. Rexworth saw. And, shouting to Ralph to keep up his courage and
+to look out, he threw one end of the rope--not to the boy--but up over
+another branch of the tree that was some height above them. Then he
+caught this end as it fell, and gave the other to Mr. Charlton, bidding
+him give one turn round the trunk and hold on with all his might. The
+other end he whirled round his head, and, with practised aim, he sent
+it to Ralph, who gripped at it with one hand, having to risk falling to
+earth as he did so.
+
+[Illustration: "WITH PRACTISED AIM, HE SENT THE ROPE TO RALPH, WHO
+GRIPPED IT WITH ONE HAND." p. 287]
+
+But, having got it, the rest was easy. He was able to swing across that
+fiery gulf which separated him from safety, and the next moment was
+safely beside his father, while the dogs ran to the tree and leaped
+against its trunk in vain rage. And almost at that moment the wall to
+which he had been clinging collapsed and fell in fiery ruin. A few
+moments sooner, and it would have carried the brave boy with it to his
+death.
+
+Safe so far, but still held prisoners by those dogs; and still with
+the flame and smoke blowing upon them. If the walls fell in their
+direction death might claim them after all.
+
+"If we only had some weapon to beat these brutes off with," said Mr.
+Charlton, as he looked down. But Mr. Rexworth replied--
+
+"We had better remain here. The fire is sure to be seen, and help will
+arrive soon."
+
+Help! Yes, help for Ralph and his father. But what would that help mean
+to poor Mr. Charlton--what but being taken prisoner again? He sighed,
+but said nothing. He had done his best to help the boy who had helped
+him, and if that must be the price paid he would pay it.
+
+But Ralph had little idea of remaining perched in a tree. He saw that
+there was a weapon, and one which, in skilful hands, would prove very
+effective--one which he excelled in the use of.
+
+The rope was coiled in his hands, and a running noose was formed at
+one end. He crawled far out on the branch, and got a firm hold with
+his legs; then he gave his rope a whirl, and sent it flying downwards.
+And soon one of those great dogs was jerked into mid-air, and when it
+touched earth again it was dead--its neck was broken.
+
+They hauled it up and loosened the noose, letting the body fall heavily
+to the earth. And ere long the second animal had shared its fate, and
+there was nothing to hinder them from descending.
+
+Nothing! No, that was not quite right. There was a desperate man, who
+had remained hidden, to see the result of his wicked work--a man whose
+face was dark with wrath, and whose heart was maddened with fear. For
+if these escaped unscathed, it meant the ruin of everything for him.
+
+Mr. Charlton and Ralph had helped Mr. Rexworth to the ground, and
+either from weakness, or from the reaction of feeling, Mr. Rexworth
+staggered and sunk half swooning at the foot of the tree; while the
+other two bent over him anxiously.
+
+That was the chance. Lord Elgert and his brutal follower suddenly
+dashed from the shelter of the trees and rushed upon them. The man was
+armed with a rugged stick, and Lord Elgert had a heavily-loaded whip.
+It seemed as if the others were at their mercy; but Ralph's quick
+ear caught the sound of their approach, and with a cry of warning he
+started up. The others were almost upon them, and they were unarmed.
+The lad glanced around; at his feet one of the dead dogs lay; he seized
+it, he put out all his strength, and sent the heavy body direct at the
+pair, who, quite unprepared for such an unexpected assault, received it
+full in their faces.
+
+The man fell heavily, Lord Elgert turned and fled. And Ralph, with an
+eager cry, darted after him, rope in hand. The man who had treated his
+father thus should not escape him now.
+
+But now through the growth there came the crashing of heavy bodies,
+and loud shouts were raised. The fire had attracted attention, and
+people were rushing from Crab Tree village to see what was the cause.
+
+And not only villagers, but policemen--policemen who had patiently
+waited and watched, feeling sure that the man they wanted was still
+hiding in the locality. It was a constable who grabbed hold of Ralph's
+arm, and, pulling him up with a sudden jerk, demanded what he was doing
+and what had occasioned the fire.
+
+Ralph struggled. It was maddening to think that he was stopped while
+Lord Elgert was escaping. He did not stop to think that escape was next
+to impossible. He was accustomed to the ways of the wild plains, and
+there, if a man once got away, it was almost certain that no one would
+catch him again.
+
+"It was Lord Elgert who did it, and he is running away!" he cried. "My
+father is there. You know how he was missing, and we thought he had
+been murdered. Lord Elgert had him. He is here."
+
+"Whatever are you talking about, young man?" the constable demanded,
+perplexed at such a dramatic statement. But the sergeant, who had come
+up with a horse-constable interposed--
+
+"Don't stand there talking, man, see what is amiss!" The constable had
+let go of Ralph, and the mounted man had jumped from his horse. Ralph
+caught sight of a trap being driven at full speed over the moor. He
+had no need to ask who was in that. Lord Elgert was making good his
+escape. With a shout of anger and defiance, Ralph had sprung into the
+empty saddle and was off before a single man there could get over his
+surprise and hinder him.
+
+"There he goes, there he goes!" he shouted, pointing after the trap.
+"That is Lord Elgert, but I will ride him down!" And away he went,
+leaving the men open-mouthed.
+
+They found the two dead dogs, they found Mr. Rexworth, and alas! they
+found poor, patient Mr. Charlton. He might have attempted to escape,
+but he would not leave the injured man. Besides, it was no use now;
+there was nowhere else to hide, and he must be taken sooner or later.
+
+And after the galloping mare went Ralph, riding hard. It was
+like the old life once more--this wild gallop. He had ridden the
+half-wild broncho steeds of Texas, and he had no difficulty with this
+well-trained horse.
+
+On he went; on, on, near and nearer to the flying man in front. He
+saw Lord Elgert look back at him. A man against a boy! Surely the man
+need have no fear in such a contest! And yet Lord Elgert did fear. He
+had feared this boy from the very first time he had seen him in Stow
+Wood. He had feared him from the moment Ralph had cut that bullet
+from the tree, and from the time when he had heard him declare that
+he would never rest until he had solved the mystery of his father's
+disappearance. That mystery was solved, all his wicked devices were
+brought to naught, and now he was fleeing for life and for liberty,
+being hunted just as he had made the police hunt Mr. Charlton. The
+tables were being turned indeed!
+
+Nearer and nearer Ralph drew, and fiercer and more cruelly did the
+man lash the sides of his faithful little mare. Ralph stood up in his
+stirrups, and Lord Elgert looked at him over his shoulder. The boy had
+the rope in his hands. Ah, the very first thing he did when he had come
+to the place was to rope his black bull! Now he was going to serve him
+in the same way--to serve him as he had served the two dogs!
+
+Lord Elgert saw the arm of the boy sweep round his head, and he ducked.
+
+But Ralph had not aimed at him, he had a better plan than that. The
+noose settled over the little mare. Ralph pulled up, and braced himself
+for the shock which he knew would follow--a shock which nearly pulled
+him from his saddle. The mare went down, the trap was shattered,
+and Lord Elgert, totally unprepared--not even looking where he was
+going--was sent flying through the air to fall heavily, striking his
+temple against a rugged stump.
+
+Ralph was at the spot in a moment. The man was stunned and at his
+mercy. The rope had done its duty as a lasso, and was now used to bind
+Lord Elgert. Ralph felt no remorse or compunction about that. He must
+take this man to his father, and his father must declare what should
+next be done.
+
+"He isn't much hurt," he muttered; "nor are you, you poor thing," he
+added, turning to the plunging mare. "There you are"--as he cut her
+free from the ruin of the trap. "Now I reckon that you can find your
+own way home, and, in the meantime, I will wait here."
+
+He placed his hands to his mouth, and gave his old wild call, and from
+the distance it was answered by his father. They would soon be here
+now. Ralph tethered the horse, and seated himself on the grass. Lord
+Elgert opened his eyes, and looked at him with an expression of the
+deepest hate; but Ralph little heeded that. His father was safe, and
+that was all he thought of then. Ralph Rexworth felt happier at that
+moment than he had done for many a day, and, paying no attention to his
+fallen foe, save to take care that he did not get free, he waited until
+the police, people, and Mr. Rexworth arrived upon the scene. Yes, the
+tables were turned now; and had he but known it, they were turned at
+school also.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXII
+
+FLOGGED AND EXPELLED
+
+
+"The whole school to assemble in the hall!"
+
+The order was received in every class-room, and masters and boys looked
+surprised. It was generally known that Ralph Rexworth had been absent
+all night, and that a message had been sent over to Mr. St. Clive's
+asking whether the boy had been detained there. It was also known that
+Charlton was in disgrace--that he had been accused of stealing Ralph's
+examination papers, for the purpose of correcting them from a crib.
+
+The idea was that it must be on one of these accounts that the school
+was summoned--either Ralph had got into trouble, or Charlton was to be
+punished.
+
+But there was no time for speculation. Into the hall the boys trooped,
+class by class--juniors, middle division, and seniors--their masters
+following, and their monitors leading the way; and there upon the
+doctor's desk an ominous object was to be seen--the school birch,
+rarely taken from its resting-place in the cupboard, rarely used, and,
+if the truth must be told, rarely needing to be used. Woe betide the
+unlucky boy who so far disgraced the honour of Marlthorpe as to render
+its presence needful, for what he got from the Head was as nothing to
+what he would receive from the angry scholars later on.
+
+"Silence!"
+
+Kesterway's voice rang out as Dr. Beverly entered and an expectant hush
+fell upon the whole school.
+
+"Frederick Charlton, stand out!"
+
+Charlton obeyed. Boys who knew how nervous he was were surprised to
+see him quite calm now. He moved forward towards the Head's desk and
+saluted; and then the Headmaster of Marlthorpe spoke.
+
+"Charlton, you were found in my class-room the other night, with
+Rexworth's examination papers in your hand. Tell the school your reason
+for being there!"
+
+The Head spoke shortly, but kindly, as if inviting the boy to be at
+ease; and Charlton told his story, and explained how he had seen Dobson
+and Elgert break open the desk.
+
+"The desk was unlocked. There was no need to break it open," the Head
+said; and then he turned to the other two boys, and asked them what
+they had to say.
+
+What they had to say indeed! Such indignant denials, and such plain
+statements that it was all up between Rexworth and Charlton.
+
+"Rexworth is detained, and cannot be here yet," said the Head quietly.
+"But we can proceed with this inquiry in his absence. Elgert and
+Dobson, stand out!"
+
+And the two obeyed, ill at ease, wondering what was coming next, and
+casting suspicious looks at each other, as if each thought the other
+had turned informer.
+
+"Horace Elgert, did you ever see this before?" asked the Head.
+
+And Elgert turned white, for the doctor held out that wretched crib
+which he had thrown into the river.
+
+"No, sir," he answered, averting his eyes.
+
+And the same answer was asked of Dobson, who gave the same answer.
+
+"James Green! Henry Tinkle!" cried Kesterway.
+
+And the two small chums jumped up eagerly.
+
+"Explain how you became possessed of this crib," said the Head.
+
+Green spoke first, and Tinkle backed him up, and then a low angry hiss
+rang through the school, and Horace Elgert turned a pair of anxious,
+frightened eyes towards his companions.
+
+"Do you deny this story, Elgert?" asked the Head sternly.
+
+And the boy was silent. If those two juniors had picked up his book,
+had they picked up anything else?
+
+"There was a banknote missing some time ago," the Head went on. "You
+may remember that a note was found in Rexworth's pocket-book, and I
+showed how he had been the victim of a plot. The banknote that was
+stolen was never discovered; but I now know that it was changed by you,
+Dobson, at a low cake shop in the town, and that afterwards it was
+bought back by you and Elgert from that man for far more than it was
+worth. That note, Elgert, you destroyed yesterday by burning it, and
+here are the ashes." And the Head produced the filmy ash still lying
+in _Tom Brown's Schooldays_. "But that note had been photographed,
+and you purchased the negative by giving to the person who held it a
+pocket-book which you had previously taken from him. The negative you
+also threw into the river, and the person you were with threw in the
+book which you had just restored to him. Do you deny these statements?"
+
+Still Elgert did not answer. He felt hot and cold by turns. He did not
+know where to turn his eyes. It was no use denying in the face of such
+proof.
+
+"You cannot answer!" the Head went on. "You, Dobson, what do you know
+of this?"
+
+"Oh--oh--oh!" yelled Dobson, clasping his hands, and falling upon
+his knees. "Oh, forgive me, sir! Oh, I will own up, sir! It was all
+Elgert's fault. He made me do it, sir! I never wanted to do it, sir! It
+is all true, every bit of it, sir! Oh----"
+
+"Silence!" cried the Head, in ill-disguised contempt. "No one can force
+another to do evil. You two boys have conspired together to injure
+the good name of a companion, whose only offence has been that he has
+tried to act a noble manly part amidst very difficult and adverse
+circumstances. You would have branded him a thief; and to do it you
+did not hesitate to become thieves yourselves. You have told the
+vilest lies--and you, Elgert, have done worse. It will be for other
+authorities to deal with this; but I will mention it here. You have
+allowed one of these boys--Charlton I mean--to suffer much torture
+because of his father's unhappy position. You knew that his father was
+innocent, and you held the proof of that, and----"
+
+Then the Head stopped, for Charlton had turned very white. He had not
+known of the business of the pocket-book.
+
+"Oh, sir," he said, "my father innocent! And he knew it, and--and----"
+
+He put his hand to his head, and Kesterway sprang forward and caught
+him, or he would have fallen, for he fainted away; and the Head, with
+tears in his eyes, murmured--
+
+"Poor boy! Poor boy! Take him to the matron."
+
+They carried him out, and not one of those who had jeered at him but
+now felt sorry and ashamed, and full of anger against the two culprits,
+to whom the Head now turned again.
+
+"It is possible that others outside our school may have something to
+say to you about this business," he said. "That has nothing to do with
+me. I have only to deal with your offence as it touches the honour of
+the school and for that offence only the severest punishment can be
+inflicted----"
+
+Whereat Dobson uttered a howl, and Elgert clenched his hands and
+looked desperate. The severest punishment! That was why the birch was
+there.
+
+"You will both be publicly flogged," continued the Head, "and then you
+will be expelled!"
+
+And at this a shout of approval went up. Marlthorpe was going to be
+avenged for the slight put upon its honour.
+
+"Oh, mercy--mercy!" cried Dobson. "Oh, don't flog me, sir! I won't do
+it any more, and it was all Elgert's fault."
+
+Elgert looked at him in scorn. If he must be flogged, he would crave
+no mercy. He would show them that he did not care. But flogged! A gasp
+went round as the school porter and the man who kept the lodge came
+in. It was useless to resist, though Dobson kicked and struggled, and
+shouted in his anger and fear. The Head laid aside his gown, and took
+the rod; and then the sound of the hissing cuts came. Dobson was the
+first victim, and with the strokes came the yells--awful yells, for the
+Head did not spare him in the least, and Dobson plainly found himself
+in a very uncomfortable position.
+
+He was released at last, and then Elgert--the Honourable Horace
+Elgert--took his place. He bit his lips until the blood came, but he
+would not cry out. But oh, how he hated Ralph Rexworth then! If he
+could have hurt him--if he could have killed him, he would not have
+cared what they did to him afterwards.
+
+It was over at last. And he stood breathless, smarting, a mist before
+his eyes, until he caught sight of Tinkle's fat face; and he thought
+that Tinkle was grinning.
+
+Then, rage overcoming him, not thinking what he was doing, he rushed
+at the little fellow, and, had not Warren been near to prevent it, he
+would have knocked him down.
+
+And then, Head or no Head, Marlthorpe lost its calmness, and the boys
+sprang up, and surged forward at the two offenders--angry boys, with
+menacing eyes. Elgert's courage failed him then. He turned and ran, and
+Dobson went after him. In vain masters shouted, and the Head rang his
+bell. In vain Kesterway rushed after them. Not another monitor paid any
+attention. Out into the playground they streamed, and around it they
+chased the two boys.
+
+Around they went. They drove them to the small pond, and threw them in.
+They dragged them out, and hustled them, dripping and breathless, to
+the gates. The Head had no need to expel the pair.
+
+As Elgert and Dobson were thrown out a little party approached the
+gates; and from its number, one boy darted forward to throw himself
+between the two miserable victims and their pursuers, and that boy was
+Ralph Rexworth himself.
+
+"Here, I say, drop that! It is not fair!" giving Warren a shove
+backwards. "It isn't the right thing! Drop it, you fellows! And look
+out, here comes the Head!"
+
+Yes, the Head with his cane, and the masters with their canes, coming
+to insist upon order, and to show Marlthorpe that it could not be
+permitted to do just as it chose even with boys like Dobson and Elgert.
+It certainly looked as though some one was going to get caned just then.
+
+But Warren uttered a whoop.
+
+"Hallo, Ralph! Fellows, here is Rexworth turned up. Just too late to
+see the fun! You ought to have heard Dobby yell, my boy! It was lovely!"
+
+"Here is Rexworth!" echoed the boys.
+
+They pounced upon him. They grabbed arm or leg, whichever they could
+get hold of, and dragged him somehow upon their shoulders, and marched
+back triumphantly; while the Head and the masters did not know what to
+do.
+
+And behind Ralph came Mr. Rexworth, and Mr. St. Clive and Irene--a very
+radiant Irene--who whispered to Tom Warren that the gentleman with the
+injured arm was Ralph's father, and that he was Lord Rexworth, because
+he was the son of the old Lord Stephen, and his right name was Rexworth
+Stephen, and Ralph would be the Honourable Ralph Rexworth Stephen. She
+told it very excitedly, and Tom Warren whistled, and then yelled--
+
+"Three cheers for Ralph's father--Lord Rexworth Stephen! And three more
+cheers for the Honourable Ralph Rexworth Stephen! Come on, you fellows,
+out with it!"
+
+What shouting and cheering there was then! And how, while Mr. Rexworth,
+as we will still call him, was talking to the Doctor, Ralph got nearly
+pulled to pieces. Why, they even forgot the birching in the excitement
+of Ralph's return. They had to hear his story, and how he had found
+his father; and then Warren explained how they had found out that Mr.
+Charlton was innocent.
+
+That was good news for Ralph--the best news that could possibly be--and
+escaping with Warren and Irene, he hurried across to the matron's
+house, and begged that he might see his chum.
+
+Charlton was all right, only he was so excited, and just a little
+inclined to cry. And he wanted to know where his father was; and when
+Ralph explained how Mr. Charlton had given himself up, he exclaimed--
+
+"Oh, Ralph, let us go and explain! Let us go now!"
+
+"Come and tell my father. He will understand," said Ralph; but there
+was little need for telling.
+
+Already Mr. St. Clive had been informed, and he had hurried off at
+once. It would not be long before Mr. Charlton was a free man.
+
+And then Mr. Rexworth, seeing that there would be much to talk about,
+went back with Ralph and Irene and Charlton to Mr. St. Clive's house,
+there to tell his story, and explain how it was that he had become the
+prisoner of the man who had treated him so very cruelly.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXIII
+
+CONCLUSION
+
+
+Seated in the drawing-room at Mr. St. Clive's house, an interested
+party gathered around Mr. Rexworth to hear his story. And not only
+an interested party, but a happy one, for the trouble was gone, and
+the sun was shining for all there. It was no wonder that, even before
+stories were told, Mr. Rexworth should have said, "Let us all kneel
+and thank our Heavenly Father for His great mercy and goodness," nor
+that every heart should have been filled with devout gratitude as, with
+bent heads, they listened to the words of thanksgiving, for, like the
+psalmist of old, they could say, "God hath done great things for us,
+whereof we are glad."
+
+And so they sat, while Mr. Rexworth told his story, a story that had
+its moral, too, for it revealed how disobedience to a father might
+bring sore punishment afterwards.
+
+For, as we now know, Mr. Rexworth was the son of old Lord Stephen, and
+in his early days he had been wild and headstrong, and had frequently
+disobeyed his father's commands. And in that he had been aided by his
+cousin Elgert. For Elgert envied the young heir his position, and hoped
+to make a bad quarrel between the father and son.
+
+And he was successful. The quarrel came, and Mr. Rexworth had run away
+from home, dropping his name of Stephen, and going away to the wild
+plains of Texas, to indulge in the roving life for which he longed.
+But he soon found that it was not all pleasure--that hardship and
+disappointment followed, and that whether in England or away in wild
+lands, the best thing for a man was to be a follower of the Lord Jesus
+Christ.
+
+But he did not write to his father, for he believed that he would never
+be forgiven. And he met his wife, and married, and Ralph was born;
+and then he was content, and put all thoughts of the old home away,
+striving to bring his son up as a true Christian, even amidst their
+wild surroundings.
+
+But his wife, when she was dying, spoke seriously to her husband, for
+she knew the truth, and she said that their boy ought to come to his
+own; and so, because she wished it, for the first time Mr. Rexworth
+wrote home to his father.
+
+But Lord Stephen was dead, and his nephew reigned in his place; and
+Lord Elgert had sent a cold letter back, saying that he did not wish to
+have anything to do with a man who had broken a good father's heart,
+and that everything had been left to him.
+
+But with that letter there came another, one written by a faithful old
+servant, enclosing a will. Lord Stephen had made that will just before
+he died, and had entrusted it to his old retainer; so that if ever his
+son, whom he had forgiven, should come back, he should have his own
+again.
+
+Then Mr. Rexworth had started for England with Ralph, but he had not
+told his son anything of the business which took him there; and when at
+last they had reached Stow Ormond he had left the boy at the _Horse and
+Wheel_ with old Simon, and had started off for Castle Court.
+
+And an angry, disappointed man was Lord Elgert when he found that his
+cousin was to take from him everything which he had schemed to gain.
+
+"He had nothing to say," said Mr. Rexworth, "but he looked very strange
+as I left--as if he would have liked to kill me. I had told him that
+no one knew who I really was, and that my own son was ignorant of the
+truth. It was a foolish thing to have done, for it meant that if I were
+out of the way, no one would know anything about the business which had
+brought me home.
+
+"It was dark and cheerless, and I was anxious to get back to you,
+Ralph, so I took the short cut through Stow Wood past the black mere;
+and just as I reached the pond I was startled by some one firing at me
+from behind a tree. The first shot missed, but the second struck my arm
+and broke the bone. It has never been properly set, and has caused me
+much pain.
+
+"I must have fainted, for when I recovered my senses I was a prisoner
+in a strange place--the very house in which you found me. My cousin's
+first intention had been to kill me; but when he found that he had
+failed, his courage wavered, and he had me taken to that place and put
+that man to guard me. He promised to set me free if I would give him
+the will, but that I would not do. I had taken the precaution to leave
+that in London with a lawyer I had known in my younger days, and there
+it is now.
+
+"Lord Elgert's next offer was to set me free if I would sign away half
+the property to him; but that I also refused to do. The man used to
+urge him to kill me, but he seemed possessed with the fear that you,
+Ralph, would find it out if he did so.
+
+"Then one day when I felt very depressed and ill and on the point of
+yielding, I heard your old call, and I answered it, and I knew that you
+had in some way got on my track. And Lord Elgert found that out also,
+for yesterday he came to take me away to another hiding-place, and I
+refused to go. We struggled, and again your call came, and that made
+him desperate. The rest of the story you know, my dear boy. And now you
+must tell me how you managed to get on my track."
+
+So Ralph told his story, and then Mr. Charlton explained how he had,
+whilst hiding in the old ruin, become convinced that Lord Elgert held
+some one prisoner in that strange house, and on the very day when
+Ralph had gone to take his chum's message, he had stolen out to watch.
+Mr. Charlton had seen Ralph go in, and had watched until both Lord
+Elgert and his man came out; then, perplexed and fearing foul play,
+he had stood there until the flames burst out, and that sight had
+dispelled his fear of the dogs and sent him to the rescue.
+
+And then, when the police had arrived and had taken their prisoner
+again, Mr. St. Clive had come after him, not only with that diary,
+but with the man who had written it, and who confessed that he had
+committed the offence at the instigation of Lord Elgert, who had a
+spite against Mr. Charlton.
+
+The innocent man was soon set free after that, and was able to rejoin
+his wife and his son openly and without any fear.
+
+But Lord Elgert? Ah, that was the one thing that made Mr. Rexworth sad.
+He would have forgiven his cousin if he could, much as he had suffered
+at his hands, but the law would not allow that. Lord Elgert had been
+arrested, and the miserable Horace, together with his partner in
+disgrace, Dobson, had run away, and no one knew where they were.
+
+But they were found, for Mr. Dobson set a detective on their track,
+and they were brought back, a pair of sorry-looking objects, dirty and
+ragged.
+
+Mr. Dobson immediately apprenticed his son to a firm of shipowners,
+and sent him off to sea; and Mr. Rexworth, seeing that Horace had no
+friend, did the same for his nephew, hoping that in his new life
+he would become a true and good man. Ralph would have been friendly
+to Horace at their parting, but the proud boy would not accept his
+friendship. Later on they heard that he had deserted his ship when it
+got to Australia, and after that they heard no more of him.
+
+And so punishment overtook those who had done evil, and patience and
+truth reaped their reward at last, as they ever must in the end;
+and Ralph Rexworth was the Hon. Ralph Rexworth Stephen amongst his
+schoolfellows, for Mr. Rexworth thought that it would do him no harm to
+stay at the good doctor's school for a little while before he went to
+college.
+
+Yes, he was "the Honourable." Indeed, he had been the Honourable all
+the time in the true sense of the word. He did not put on any airs--our
+Ralph could not have done that if he had tried--and he and Charlton and
+honest old Tom Warren were three of the staunchest chums that ever you
+met with--always together, and all three working for the good of the
+Fourth; so that when they were promoted to the Fifth, Mr. Delermain
+said that it was one of the greatest losses he had received, and that
+the best influences in his class had all been taken away together.
+
+"But," some of my readers may ask, "did Ralph Rexworth win the Newlet?"
+I declare that I had nearly forgotten that. He did win it; and it will
+not be a bad idea to finish the story by having a peep at him when he
+received it.
+
+Of course, that was on breaking-up day. What a lovely day that always
+is, especially when you know that you have a good report to take home,
+and some prizes to carry away with you.
+
+The great hall at Marlthorpe was decorated with flags, and crowded with
+visitors; while on the platform, which had been constructed at one
+end, all the boys were gathered, class by class, and in the middle of
+them was the Head's chair, and the masters' seats, and a place for the
+speakers--and there was Mr. Rexworth among the speakers!
+
+Well, there they all were; and the Head read his report; and they all
+clapped and shouted at the part where it said that for the second year
+in succession, Marlthorpe had the honour of carrying off the Newlet.
+
+"Good old Rexworth!" shouted one boy. And the Head had to cry order
+sharply; whereat Jimmy Green nudged Tinkle and said "Shut up, you
+silly!" so it must have been Tinkle who shouted.
+
+And then there were the speeches, and then the recitations; and Tinkle
+and Green were most wonderfully impressive in the quarrel between
+Brutus and Cassius--only just at the part where Brutus had to say "Take
+this dagger," he found he had no dagger with him; and Cassius said very
+rudely, and quite out loud, so that every one could hear it--
+
+"You silly owl! I knew you would forget it; and I made such a lovely
+one, with silver foil for a blade."
+
+"Imagine the dagger," whispered Mr. Rexworth, his face red with
+laughter. And the dagger being imagined, the quarrel went on, and was
+made up in the most approved fashion.
+
+And then, recitations over, there came a short pause--an impressive
+pause, during which small juniors pushed back their hair, and arranged
+collars and ties, and tried to look irreproachable, for prizes were
+coming--prizes!
+
+They began with the juniors first. That is a wise plan, because, having
+got their share, they are more likely to sit still while the upper
+classes are being dealt with. The juniors! And every one laughed and
+clapped as the little fellows walked up to the Head, so stiff and
+awkward, and saluted for all the world like penny dolls worked by a
+string, and having clutched their prizes and bobbed to the audience,
+scuttled back to their seats to have their immediate neighbours bend
+enviously over that lovely book, and take hurried glances at the
+pictures.
+
+The middle classes--that is the Upper Third and Lower Fourth--next.
+With them we have nothing to do, beyond saying that both Tinkle and
+Green were amongst the prize-winners and that almost before they had
+got back to their seats, they had challenged each other to mortal
+combat, because each said his book was better than the other's.
+
+Then the seniors--the Upper Fourth--Warren and Charlton. And each of
+them got clapped and cheered, as they richly deserved to be.
+
+And then Ralph Rexworth Stephen--how strange it sounded to hear him
+called that!--and such a burst of cheering and "Brave old Ralph!" and
+"Buck up, Ralph!" Well, the Head smiled; and for once Ralph looked
+quite foolish and nervous, and as if he would have liked to cry--it was
+so good to feel that all his schoolmates respected him!
+
+But his prize given, the Head took up a little case by his side and
+took from it a gold medal with blue ribbon attached to it. The Newlet
+Gold Medal, won for Marlthorpe College by Ralph!
+
+Talk of cheering then! It almost deafened one. And--those boys had been
+plotting together--Warren nodded and winked; and Charlton dived down
+and got something from beneath the form; and Irene suddenly appeared at
+Ralph's side with a tiny little laurel wreath, such as they crowned the
+heroes with in the olden days, when men worked for honour and not for
+gold; and while the people laughed and clapped she put it on Ralph's
+head, and at that moment Tom Warren and Charlton held up a great
+flag--Old England's Union Jack. They had thought all this out, mind
+you--the sly fellows they were; and Kesterway, the senior monitor of
+the school, shouted at the top of his voice--
+
+"Now then, fellows! Three times three for the Honourable Ralph, while
+he stands under Honour's Flag!"
+
+"Hurrah! Hurrah! Hurrah!"
+
+"And a whole holiday to-morrow!"
+
+"Hurrah! Hurrah! Hurrah!"
+
+And when no one was looking--a kiss from Irene for her hero!
+
+
+THE END
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Under Honour's Flag, by Eric Lisle
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+<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN"
+    "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd">
+
+<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
+  <head>
+    <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=iso-8859-1" />
+    <title>
+      The Project Gutenberg eBook of Under Honour's Flag, by Eric Lisle.
+    </title>
+    <style type="text/css">
+
+    p {  margin-top: .75em;
+         text-align: justify;
+         margin-bottom: .75em;
+         }
+
+    p.bold {text-align: center; font-weight: bold;}
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+         text-align: center; /* all headings centered */
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+         }
+    h1 span, h2 span { display: block; text-align: center; }
+    #id1 { font-size: smaller }
+
+
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+    table {margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 5px; border-collapse: collapse; border: none; text-align: right;}
+
+    .pagenum  { /* uncomment the next line for invisible page numbers */
+            /*  visibility: hidden;  */
+                position: absolute;
+                left: 92%;
+                font-size: smaller;
+                text-align: right;
+                text-indent: 0px;
+              } /* page numbers */
+
+    .center   {text-align: center;}
+    .smaller  {font-size: smaller;}
+    .smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
+    .mynote { background-color: #DDE; color: black; padding: .5em; margin-left: 20%;
+              margin-right: 20%; } /* colored box for notes at beginning of file */
+    .space-above {margin-top: 3em;}
+    .left             {text-align: left;}
+    .s15       {display: inline; margin-left: 15em;}
+
+    .poem             {display: inline-block; text-align: left;}
+    .poem br          {display: none;}
+    .poem .stanza     {margin: 1em 0em 1em 0em;}
+    .poem div        {margin: 0; padding-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;}
+
+    </style>
+  </head>
+<body>
+
+
+<pre>
+
+The Project Gutenberg EBook of Under Honour's Flag, by Eric Lisle
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most
+other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions
+whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of
+the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at
+www.gutenberg.org.  If you are not located in the United States, you'll have
+to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook.
+
+Title: Under Honour's Flag
+
+Author: Eric Lisle
+
+Illustrator: G. H. Evison
+
+Release Date: October 31, 2019 [EBook #60604]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK UNDER HONOUR'S FLAG ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Tim Lindell, Martin Pettit and the Online
+Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
+
+
+
+
+
+
+</pre>
+
+
+<div class ="mynote"><p class="center">Transcriber's Note:<br /><br />
+Obvious typographic errors have been corrected.<br /></p></div>
+
+<hr />
+
+<div class="center"><a name="cover.jpg" id="cover.jpg"></a><img src="images/cover.jpg" alt="cover" /></div>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_i" id="Page_i">[Pg i]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="center"><img src="images/booklist.jpg" alt="NEW POPULAR BOOKS FOR BOYS" /></div>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_ii" id="Page_ii">[Pg ii]</a></span></p>
+
+<h1>UNDER HONOUR'S FLAG</h1>
+
+<hr />
+
+<div class="center"><img src="images/frontispiece.jpg" alt=">Forgetful of all precaution" /></div>
+
+<p class="bold">"<span class="smcap">Forgetful of all precaution Elgert struck a savage
+blow at him.</span>"</p>
+
+<p class="bold"><i>Frontispiece.</i> <span class="s15">&nbsp;</span> [<i>see p. 257.</i></p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<div class="center"><img src="images/title.jpg" alt="title page" /></div>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_iii" id="Page_iii">[Pg iii]</a></span></p>
+
+<p class="bold2">Under Honour's<br />Flag</p>
+
+<p class="bold space-above">By the</p>
+
+<p class="bold2">REV. ERIC LISLE</p>
+
+<p class="bold space-above">WITH ORIGINAL ILLUSTRATIONS BY<br />G. H. EVISON.</p>
+
+<div class="center space-above"><img src="images/logo.jpg" alt="logo" /></div>
+
+<p class="bold space-above">LONDON<br />FREDERICK WARNE &amp; CO<br />
+AND NEW YORK<br /><br />(<i>All rights reserved</i>)</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_iv" id="Page_iv">[Pg iv]</a></span></p>
+
+<p class="center"><span class="smcap">Butler &amp; Tanner<br />The Selwood Printing Works<br />Frome and London</span></p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_v" id="Page_v">[Pg v]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2>CONTENTS</h2>
+
+<table summary="CONTENTS">
+  <tr>
+    <td colspan="2" class="left"><span class="smaller">CHAPTER</span></td>
+    <td><span class="smaller">PAGE</span></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>I&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="left"><span class="smcap">A Strange Affair</span></td>
+    <td><a href="#Page_1">1</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>II&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="left"><span class="smcap">A Cruel Implication</span></td>
+    <td><a href="#Page_15">15</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>III&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="left"><span class="smcap">Mr. St. Clive proves himself a True Friend</span></td>
+    <td><a href="#Page_25">25</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>IV&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="left"><span class="smcap">Ralph's First Day at School</span></td>
+    <td><a href="#Page_35">35</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>V&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="left"><span class="smcap">Making Things Straight</span></td>
+    <td><a href="#Page_45">45</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>VI&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="left"><span class="smcap">An Early Morning Spin</span></td>
+    <td><a href="#Page_55">55</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>VII&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="left"><span class="smcap">Horace Elgert Goes a little Too Far</span></td>
+    <td><a href="#Page_65">65</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>VIII&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="left"><span class="smcap">A Mysterious Midnight Visitor</span></td>
+    <td><a href="#Page_75">75</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>IX&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="left"><span class="smcap">Altogether Beyond Explanation</span></td>
+    <td><a href="#Page_84">84</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>X&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="left"><span class="smcap">Counsels and Promises</span></td>
+    <td><a href="#Page_94">94</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>XI&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="left"><span class="smcap">Going in for Grinding</span></td>
+    <td><a href="#Page_103">103</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>XII&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="left"><span class="smcap">The Stolen Banknote</span></td>
+    <td><a href="#Page_113">113</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>XIII&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="left"><span class="smcap">Divided Opinions</span></td>
+    <td><a href="#Page_122">122</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>XIV&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="left"><span class="smcap">By the River Side</span></td>
+    <td><a href="#Page_131">131</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>XV&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="left"><span class="smcap">The Lost Pocket-Book</span></td>
+    <td><a href="#Page_140">140</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>XVI&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="left"><span class="smcap">Things look Black for Ralph</span></td>
+    <td><a href="#Page_150">150</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_vi" id="Page_vi">[Pg vi]</a></span>XVII&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="left"><span class="smcap">The Plot that Failed</span></td>
+    <td><a href="#Page_159">159</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>XVIII&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="left"><span class="smcap">Where the Banknote Went</span></td>
+    <td><a href="#Page_168">168</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>XIX&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="left"><span class="smcap">The Lame Horse once more</span></td>
+    <td><a href="#Page_177">177</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>XX&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="left"><span class="smcap">To Mr. St. Clive's</span></td>
+    <td><a href="#Page_186">186</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>XXI&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="left"><span class="smcap">A House of Refuge</span></td>
+    <td><a href="#Page_195">195</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>XXII&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="left"><span class="smcap">An Afternoon Ramble</span></td>
+    <td><a href="#Page_204">204</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>XXIII&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="left"><span class="smcap">The Ruin and the Lonely House</span></td>
+    <td><a href="#Page_213">213</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>XXIV&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="left"><span class="smcap">For the Sake of Revenge</span></td>
+    <td><a href="#Page_222">222</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>XXV&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="left"><span class="smcap">Just in Time</span></td>
+    <td><a href="#Page_231">231</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>XXVI&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="left"><span class="smcap">Tom Warren Speaks His Mind</span></td>
+    <td><a href="#Page_240">240</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>XXVII&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="left"><span class="smcap">In the Dead of the Night</span></td>
+    <td><a href="#Page_249">249</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>XXVIII&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="left"><span class="smcap">The Next Day</span></td>
+    <td><a href="#Page_259">259</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>XXIX&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="left"><span class="smcap">What Tinkle and Green Caught</span></td>
+    <td><a href="#Page_268">268</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>XXX&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="left"><span class="smcap">What Detained Ralph Rexworth</span></td>
+    <td><a href="#Page_277">277</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>XXXI&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="left"><span class="smcap">The Tables are Turned</span></td>
+    <td><a href="#Page_286">286</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>XXXII&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="left"><span class="smcap">Flogged and Expelled</span></td>
+    <td><a href="#Page_294">294</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>XXXIII&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="left"><span class="smcap">Conclusion</span></td>
+    <td><a href="#Page_303">303</a></td>
+  </tr>
+</table>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_1" id="Page_1">[Pg 1]</a></span></p>
+
+<p class="bold2">UNDER HONOUR'S FLAG</p>
+
+<h2><span>CHAPTER I</span> <span class="smaller">A STRANGE AFFAIR</span></h2>
+
+<p>The late autumn afternoon was rapidly drawing in, closing ominously and
+sullenly, as if rebelling against the approach of the winter, and the
+nearer coming of the night.</p>
+
+<p>Great banks of purple vapour rose in the west; and sinking towards the
+earth, spread abroad in hazy wreaths, which seemed to possess, in a
+fainter degree, the hues of their parent clouds above.</p>
+
+<p>The air was heavy with moisture, which condensed and dripped from the
+red leaves of the sycamore, the brown of the beech, and the yellow of
+lime and poplar. It glistened on the rich green of the crimson-berried
+hollies; it begemmed the festooning webs of the weaving spiders; and
+brought with it a chilling breath which seemed to strike through one.</p>
+
+<p>In that gloaming hour a man and youth toiled wearily up the steep hill
+over which the main road runs before it descends into the quaint old
+town of Stow Ormond; yet as they reached the summit they hastened<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2" id="Page_2">[Pg 2]</a></span>
+their steps, with the air of those who were drawing near to a welcome
+resting-place.</p>
+
+<p>The man was tall and refined-looking; and though a crisp, curling beard
+and full moustache hid the greater part of his face, the features
+visible revealed determination and strong will, and their bronzed hue
+showed plainly that their owner had lived beneath warmer skies than
+those of England. And yet, despite health and good looks and strength
+of will, an expression of anxiety was there; and as he walked along he
+appeared to be more occupied with his own thoughts than in attending to
+the remarks of the lad by his side, whose questions he frequently left
+unanswered.</p>
+
+<p>The boy was so like the man that there could be little room for
+doubting that they were father and son; a well-built, handsome youth,
+with the same bronzed cheek, but with an expression on his face which
+indicated the utmost disgust with his surroundings. This was his first
+experience of a damp, chill autumn mist, and he did not like it in the
+least.</p>
+
+<p>Both the travellers were comfortably clad, though their clothes seemed
+cut more for comfort than with a regard to fashion; indicating that
+they certainly were not from the workshop of any fashionable tailor.</p>
+
+<p>Reaching the top of the hill, the two wayfarers paused; and the man,
+pointing down into the town which lay before them, said, with a sigh of
+relief:</p>
+
+<p>"There you are, Ralph! That is our destination for to-night; it may be
+our haven for many days."</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_3" id="Page_3">[Pg 3]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Funny looking place," laughed the boy. "But all these English towns
+are funny, after the plains and the mountains. And it is funny," he
+added, "that I am an English boy, and yet am talking like that."</p>
+
+<p>"Not funny, lad, seeing that you have never set foot in your native
+land before. Ah me, it is not funny to me! It comes back like the
+faces of old familiar friends. The scenes of childhood's happiness,
+and youth's hopes and follies. All changed, and yet nothing changed;
+and I myself unchanged, and yet most changed of all! Come," he went
+on, "you are tired, for we have walked a long way, and have had a long
+railway journey into the bargain. Unless things are altered down there,
+we shall find a comfortable old inn where we can put up, Ralph&mdash;a real
+old English inn. Quite different from the hotels where we have stopped.
+Come on, lad!"</p>
+
+<p>Changing his handbag from one cramped hand to the other, the lad obeyed
+the call, and trudged forward briskly with the strong, elastic step of
+buoyant youth. At first he poured out a string of questions relative
+to life in English towns; but one or two being unanswered, he glanced
+towards his father, and perceiving him buried in thought again, he
+walked on in silence, yet keen-eyed, noting everything around.</p>
+
+<p>A few scattered cottages and outlying buildings<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_4" id="Page_4">[Pg 4]</a></span> passed, the pair
+were in the precincts of the town itself; and almost one of the first
+houses they came to was the one the father sought&mdash;a quaint, thatched,
+many-gabled old place, with commodious stabling and a great creaking
+sign-post near the horse trough, giving the information to all who
+cared to possess it that this was the <i>Horse and Wheel Inn</i>, wherein
+might be found accommodation for both man and beast.</p>
+
+<p>"Just the same! Nothing changed!" murmured the man as the two arrived
+at the spot. "Twenty years have brought no revolution here. Come, lad!"
+And he entered the old hostelry.</p>
+
+<p>A bonnie waiting-maid met them; and in response to the man's query if
+they could have a room she called the landlord, a portly old fellow,
+with bald head fringed with grey hair, a pair of twinkling merry
+eyes beneath overhanging brows, and a face wherein all the principal
+features seemed to be entered into a competition as to which could look
+the ruddiest.</p>
+
+<p>"Have a room, sir?" said this individual, in a voice which seemed to
+proceed from his boots. "Ay, that you can, sir, and all else that you
+require. Here, Mary girl, show the gentleman to Number Ten! Have the
+bags carried up, and serve their dinner in the private room."</p>
+
+<p>"Number Ten!" said the guest, as he heard the number given. "Come on,
+Ralph, I know the way!"<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_5" id="Page_5">[Pg 5]</a></span> And he led his son upstairs with the air of
+one who did indeed know, much to the worthy landlord's astonishment,
+who murmured to himself as he waddled off to attend to some waggoners&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"He must ha' been here before; but I don't remember his face in the
+least."</p>
+
+<p>"He does not recognize me," mused his guest, in his turn. "How should
+he, after all those years? Poor old Simon, he has not changed much! A
+little stouter, a little huskier, and more shaky; that is all. Time has
+dealt gently with him!"</p>
+
+<p>The meal, which was ordered and duly served, proved that the <i>Horse
+and Wheel</i>, whatever it might do for beasts, claimed no more than its
+due when it came to accommodating the beast's master, man; and the
+appetites of the travellers enabled them to do ample justice to the
+food, served in a room rendered all the more cheerful by the roaring
+fire&mdash;a good, old-fashioned English fire&mdash;which blazed away in the
+capacious fireplace.</p>
+
+<p>But the meal over, the gentleman rose and donned hat and coat, turning
+to his son when he had done so.</p>
+
+<p>"Ralph," he said, "I am going out by myself. I have not brought you
+across the ocean and to this place for nothing. I have business to do
+here which may affect all your future life. What that business is, lad,
+I cannot tell you just now; but you shall know of it presently. I shall
+not be away long&mdash;not <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_6" id="Page_6">[Pg 6]</a></span>more than an hour or two&mdash;and you can spend the
+time as you like. I do not suppose that you will find much in the shape
+of literature here, beyond a copy or two of some local paper or an
+agricultural magazine. They won't interest you much, so you must occupy
+the time as best you can. Prospect around a bit, but don't miss your
+way, or you will find it harder to pick up trails again here than you
+would out yonder where we have come from."</p>
+
+<p>"I shall be all right, father," the boy answered, rather pleased than
+otherwise to be left alone for a little. Every lad of fourteen with any
+spirit in him rather likes that kind of thing.</p>
+
+<p>"Of course you will be. You cannot very well get into harm, and you are
+not the boy to get into mischief. Well, good-bye, my lad, and to-morrow
+if all is well, I will show you what English rural scenery is like, and
+you will find it is more beautiful than it has seemed to you yet." And
+with that the gentleman went out, leaving the boy alone.</p>
+
+<p>At first Ralph wandered round the rooms and examined all the funny,
+old-fashioned pictures, and frowned at some old-time Dresden ornaments
+of shepherds and shepherdesses in Court attire, as though he was not
+quite sure whether they were intended for pagan idols or not; and then,
+getting tired of this, he put on his hat and strolled down into the inn
+yard, where he found more to interest him in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_7" id="Page_7">[Pg 7]</a></span> an ostler who was busily
+grooming a couple of powerful waggon horses. Ralph had never seen a
+real cart-horse before, for the horses he had been accustomed to were
+little, thin, wiry creatures, all sinew and bone, and spirit&mdash;horses
+that could go, and would go, until they dropped, but pigmies compared
+to these mighty creatures&mdash;the largest of all the species.</p>
+
+<p>Then he picked up a long coil of rope lying near and examined it
+with critical eye, which yet seemed to disapprove of its texture and
+quality; and then, idly fashioning a running noose at one end, he
+coiled that rope up, and sent it with a flying jerk over a post thirty
+feet away.</p>
+
+<p>The man stared and paused in his work.</p>
+
+<p>"Ay, but ye couldn't do that again, sir," he ventured; and Ralph, with
+a little flush of something like conceit, immediately repeated his
+performance.</p>
+
+<p>"That be main clever," said the man, and he shambled off to get "Tom"
+and "Garge" and "Luke" to come and see the young gentleman's wonderful
+deed.</p>
+
+<p>Ralph was delighted, and he varied his work by sending the noose over
+one of the men as he ran at full speed across the yard. It was nothing
+to him; he had handled a rope as soon as he had handled anything, and
+he wondered at the surprise the thing caused to these men.</p>
+
+<div class="center"><img src="images/i007.jpg" alt="Sending the noose over one of the men" /></div>
+
+<p class="bold">"<span class="smcap">Sending the noose over one of the men as he ran at<br />
+full speed across the yard.</span>" p. 7</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_8" id="Page_8">[Pg 8]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>A drove of cattle passed, and Ralph paused and regarded them with
+interest. They were good beasts, but nothing like the troublesome
+wild cattle which he had known. They seemed perfectly contented with
+everything in this life.</p>
+
+<p>"They are very quiet," he observed, and the man nodded.</p>
+
+<p>"They be quiet enough, sir, but there be a bull in yonder paddock; ye
+will see him in a minute, for they will be coming to drive him back to
+his shed; and he be very savage. He ha' killed two poor chaps now, and
+it be a risky job dealing with him. He be quiet enough as a rule; but
+when his temper is bad, then he is bad, too&mdash;and very bad."</p>
+
+<p>"I would like to see him," was the boy's answer; and almost before
+the words were out of his mouth he had his wish granted; for a fierce
+bellow of deep-voiced rage was heard, and rushing along, a broken
+halter streaming behind, there came a magnificent black bull, while
+in his rear, shouting and waving their arms in distress, ran two men,
+who had evidently been engaged in bringing the monster home when he
+had turned upon them, and sent them spinning this way and that ere he
+darted off.</p>
+
+<p>Every one in the way rushed to the nearest cover without ceremony; and
+then a wild scream of terror broke on the air, and Ralph saw, directly
+in the fierce creature's path, a pretty girl, seemingly but a year
+younger than himself; a girl transfixed with fright,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_9" id="Page_9">[Pg 9]</a></span> standing there,
+directly in the pathway of horrible injury, if not death!</p>
+
+<p>And what could he do? He who had been used to cattle was the only one
+who kept his courage. Had he been in the saddle and armed with a good
+stock whip the thing would have been touch and go; but he had nothing,
+and he could not tackle the bull empty-handed.</p>
+
+<p>Stay, there was one thing&mdash;the rope! A chance, but a slender one. Quick
+as a flash he put a couple of turns round the post he had been aiming
+at and gathered the noose for a cast. The bull came thundering along
+the road, head down, tail out, snorting with rage and defiance. If it
+kept on like that it would pass quite close to him. He put another turn
+round the post. The shorter the rope the better the chance; and then,
+hand and eye acting in unison, he sent the noose round his head and
+made his cast. If he succeeded the bull would be over, if he failed the
+girl must go down.</p>
+
+<p>And succeed he did. It was to him quite an easy throw. The noose
+settled fairly over those curving horns. There was a jerk, a roar of
+rage and fear, and the great struggling creature was hurled forward so
+violently, through the force of its flight, that it fell in a cloud of
+scattered mud and stones, and lay half stunned and wholly bewildered.</p>
+
+<p>Ralph, with a cry of thankfulness, ran forward,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_10" id="Page_10">[Pg 10]</a></span> and pulled the girl
+from her dangerous proximity to its mighty legs, just as a gentleman,
+pale with terror, rushed from a shop near by, where he had been giving
+some orders.</p>
+
+<p>"Irene!" he cried. "My little Irene! Thank Heaven that you are safe!"
+Then, as he saw the bull still noosed, and now in the hands of several
+men, he went on&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"But who did that? Who stopped the bull in that way?" and a dozen hands
+pointed to Ralph, who stood there feeling rather confused and awkward,
+and wishing that he could run away. Young ladies were more terrible
+things in his eyes than were angry bulls; and this young lady was
+thanking him so prettily, while her father, for so the gentleman was,
+kept shaking his hand, hardly able to voice his gratitude. He seemed
+overcome with a sense of the good hand of Providence in the matter.</p>
+
+<p>"You are staying at the inn," he said. "I must return and express my
+thanks to your father. I will take my little daughter home first and
+then come back. Perhaps he will be in by then. What is your name, my
+dear young gentleman?"</p>
+
+<p>"Ralph Rexworth," the lad answered. And the gentleman answered&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"And mine is Hubert St. Clive, and if ever I can be of service to you I
+shall think nothing too much to enable me to show some return for what
+you have done for me and mine this evening."</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_11" id="Page_11">[Pg 11]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>It was really a relief to Ralph when Mr. St. Clive had gone, and he was
+glad to get back to his room and escape the curious and admiring crowd,
+though even then he could not shut the landlord out, nor prevent the
+admiration of the maid, who would come in on all sorts of pretexts just
+to have a peep at him; and so the evening wore on, and the time for his
+father's return drew near.</p>
+
+<p>But no father came, and at last Ralph began to grow anxious. He could
+not tell why, but he felt nervous. Had he been alone on the great Texan
+plains, where his boyhood had been passed, he would not have cared in
+the slightest; but here he was so lonely, everything was so different.
+His father had been gone nearly five hours, and Ralph did not know what
+to make of it.</p>
+
+<p>And ten came and went, and eleven; and the landlord looked in
+restlessly, for the old fellow was beginning to have uneasy suspicions
+that his guest had gone off and did not mean to return again, and there
+was the dinner unpaid for.</p>
+
+<p>Still, he could not turn this lonely boy out, so he suggested at last
+that Ralph should go to bed.</p>
+
+<p>"Most like your father has been detained, sir, and he won't be back
+till the morning," he suggested. "Even if he does he can ring us up. We
+likes to get to bed as soon as we can after closing time, for the days
+are long enough, and we do not get too much rest."</p>
+
+<p>So the landlord said, and Ralph took the hint and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_12" id="Page_12">[Pg 12]</a></span> went to his room.
+Throwing himself beside his bed, he prayed as he had never prayed
+before, asking his Heavenly Father to quickly send back to him his own
+dear parent.</p>
+
+<p>To bed, but not to sleep. What could have happened to his father? Had
+he met with any accident? A thousand fears and questions presented
+themselves to the boy's mind, until at last he fell into a restless
+sleep, to dream that his father was calling to him for aid; and when
+he awoke it was to the alarming knowledge that he was still alone&mdash;his
+father had not come back.</p>
+
+<p>His distress was now intensified, and old Simon, the landlord, was
+very perplexed; but he was a good-hearted old fellow, and he saw that
+the boy was provided with a good breakfast, reminding him that Mr. St.
+Clive would be certain to be round in the morning, as he had not come
+the evening before, and that then they could consult with him as to
+what was best to be done.</p>
+
+<p>"You have your breakfast, anyhow," he said. "No one is worth much
+without their food. Mr. St. Clive is a very good gentleman, and he owes
+you a lot for having saved his little daughter. I am quite sure that he
+will be ready to advise you."</p>
+
+<p>"But where can my father have got to?" asked Ralph, and the old man
+shook his head.</p>
+
+<p>"It is more than I can say, sir. Perhaps he will be back soon."</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_13" id="Page_13">[Pg 13]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>But no father came; and when Mr. St. Clive arrived, which he did soon
+after breakfast was over, he was informed of Ralph's trouble, and he
+looked very grave indeed.</p>
+
+<p>"Run away! Nonsense, Simon?" he said to the landlord, after he had been
+told. "That is absurd! If this gentleman had desired to do anything so
+base as desert his son, he would never have brought him all the way to
+England in order to do so. I will see the young gentleman."</p>
+
+<p>"My dear lad," he greeted Ralph, when he was shown into the room where
+the boy was. "I was unable to return last evening, but I understand
+that it would have been no use had I done so. Your father has not come
+back, I hear."</p>
+
+<p>"No, sir," replied Ralph; "and I feel very troubled, for I cannot
+imagine what has kept him away. He said he would only be a short time."</p>
+
+<p>"You do not know where he was going, or whether he knew any one in the
+locality?"</p>
+
+<p>But Ralph shook his head.</p>
+
+<p>"I do not know, sir. Father did not tell me anything. We have lived all
+my life on the ranch in Texas, and when mother died last year father
+sold the ranch and brought me to England; but he did not tell me why."</p>
+
+<p>"It is strange; but still, it is foolish to make trouble. He may have
+found his business take longer than he anticipated, and&mdash;well, Simon?"</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_14" id="Page_14">[Pg 14]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Beg pardon, Mr. St. Clive, but one of the men from Little Stow has
+just come in, and he has brought me this. He says that he found it in
+Stow Wood, just by the Black Mere."</p>
+
+<p>And what was it that he had found? What was it that should wring a cry
+of grief from Ralph Rexworth? Only a hat&mdash;broken, as from a blow, and
+with an ominous red smear upon it. Only a hat; but that hat was never
+bought in England. It was the hat which his father was wearing when he
+left the inn the previous evening; and there it lay now upon the table,
+a grim, silent explanation of why that father had not returned.</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_15" id="Page_15">[Pg 15]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><span>CHAPTER II</span> <span class="smaller">A CRUEL IMPLICATION</span></h2>
+
+<p>"My dear lad, it is foolish to give way to grief before you are sure
+that there is cause for it"&mdash;so said Mr. St. Clive to Ralph Rexworth,
+trying to comfort the boy and restore his confidence. "I admit that
+this, coupled with your father's absence, looks serious; but still,
+we do not know what explanation there may be to it. Come, try and be
+brave; trust in God, even though the very worst may have befallen; idle
+grief is useless. Let us go to Stow Wood and examine the place; perhaps
+we may discover something which this man may have overlooked. Pluck up
+your courage, and hope for the best; and Ralph, remember, that whatever
+happens you have a friend in myself, who counts it a privilege to be
+able to do anything to show how grateful he is to you for what you did
+yesterday."</p>
+
+<p>Ralph, with an effort, subdued his feelings, and replied gratefully&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"You are very kind to me, sir. Let us do as you suggest. Will you
+take me to the place? I do not know anything of the country here, of
+course."</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_16" id="Page_16">[Pg 16]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"I will go with you, and we will have this man accompany us, and show
+us exactly where he found this hat. Come, we will start at once."</p>
+
+<p>Stow Wood was about a mile and a half from the inn, a rather
+dismal-looking place, where the grass grew long and dank, and where
+stoats and rats found a safe retreat from which to sally forth at night
+upon their marauding expeditions; and the grimmest, most lonely spot
+was around the deep pool, known locally as the Black Mere.</p>
+
+<p>A dark, motionless pool it was; in some parts covered with green weed,
+surrounded by coarse grass.</p>
+
+<p>Local superstition said that it was haunted, and though sensible people
+laughed at that, still the appearance of the spot was enough to give
+rise to such a legend.</p>
+
+<p>"I found the hat just here, sir," said the man, bending down and
+pointing to a clump of blind-nettle. "You can see where it was lying,
+sir."</p>
+
+<p>Mr. St. Clive and Ralph stopped and examined the place. It was clear
+that something resembling a struggle had taken place here, for the tall
+grass was trampled and beaten flat, and, in some places, the earth
+itself had been cut up, as though by the heels of boots. Mr. St. Clive
+felt very grave&mdash;if ever anything seemed to tell of a tragedy, this
+did&mdash;and he said to Ralph&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"My poor boy, I must own that there seems every appearance of foul play
+here. We shall have to see<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_17" id="Page_17">[Pg 17]</a></span> the police. You are quite sure that your
+father told you nothing, however unimportant it may seem, which might
+give us an inkling of where he was going?"</p>
+
+<p>"He said nothing, sir," answered Ralph sadly. "It is all a mystery to
+me. But now we are here we may as well learn all that we can."</p>
+
+<p>"What more can we learn, Ralph?" asked Mr. St. Clive. "This silent spot
+will not speak and tell us what happened."</p>
+
+<p>"Not to you perhaps, but it will speak to me, sir. I have been brought
+up on the plains, remember, and grass and trees may tell me more than
+they can tell to you. First, sir, is this a direct road to anywhere? I
+mean, is it a general thoroughfare?"</p>
+
+<p>Mr. St. Clive shook his head.</p>
+
+<p>"No, Ralph. It is a rarely frequented spot. The village people are half
+afraid of it. It is a short cut from Stow Ormond to Great Stow, and it
+would argue that your father must have been familiar with the place for
+him to have taken it."</p>
+
+<p>"Where else besides Great Stow does it lead to, sir?"</p>
+
+<p>"Why, my lad, to nowhere in particular. It takes you out the other side
+of Stow Common, and, of course, from there you can go where you will."</p>
+
+<p>Ralph nodded.</p>
+
+<p>"So that we may suppose that any one crossing here would be going to
+Great Stow?"</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_18" id="Page_18">[Pg 18]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Yes. It would save him going all round through Little Stow."</p>
+
+<p>"Very well, sir. Now we will go to the side of the wood nearest to the
+inn."</p>
+
+<p>"Why?" asked Mr. St. Clive in surprise.</p>
+
+<p>"Because I want to know whether my father crossed this place in going
+from the inn; and if so, I want to try and see where he went to. There
+is a lot to learn here, sir; but I must start at the beginning."</p>
+
+<p>Mr. St. Clive was impressed, though he could not understand what Ralph
+meant; and so together they went back to that part of the wood which
+bordered upon Stow Ormond, and here Ralph began to walk to and fro,
+carefully surveying the grass, until presently he stopped and said&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"My father did cross here. He got over that stile."</p>
+
+<p>"How do you know, Ralph?" asked Mr. St. Clive. "I confess that I see
+nothing to indicate it."</p>
+
+<p>"Why, it is quite clear, sir," answered the boy. "See, the ground here
+is soft and muddy, and this is the imprint of my father's foot here
+in this soft red clay. That has taken the mark like wax. That is his
+square-toed boot."</p>
+
+<p>Mr. St. Clive had to admit that so far the boy was correct. Some one
+wearing a square-toed boot had stepped into a little heap of clay, and
+the footmark was quite clearly defined.</p>
+
+<p>"Now," Ralph went on, pointing to the stile, "here is a mark of clay on
+the stile, so he must have crossed<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_19" id="Page_19">[Pg 19]</a></span> here, and here the grass has been
+trodden down as he went on."</p>
+
+<p>This latter sign was nothing like so clear, but the boy, used to
+reading tracks in the far-off West, showed the man how the blades of
+grass were turned from the weight that had trodden on them; and as
+they walked forward the traces became even plainer, leading past the
+pool, and on towards the common; and Ralph gave a cry as he studied the
+ground.</p>
+
+<p>"Here are two people walking now," he said; "and one wears pointed
+boots!"</p>
+
+<p>"The man who brought the hat to us," suggested Mr. St. Clive.</p>
+
+<p>"No, sir. He wore big boots, with nails in them. You can see the marks
+of those quite plainly, and he came here last of all."</p>
+
+<p>"How do you know that?" demanded Mr. St. Clive, very interested.</p>
+
+<p>"Because the marks that he has made are over all the others," was the
+explanation. "Let us go on."</p>
+
+<p>They followed the traces, faint though they seemed, until they reached
+the common; and here, though Ralph studied the ground for nearly an
+hour, he could discover nothing. Several roads crossed the common,
+and the men must have traversed one of these, but which one there was
+nothing to show.</p>
+
+<p>Back to the pool they went, and here Ralph paused; and Mr. St. Clive,
+looking at him inquiringly, said&mdash;</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_20" id="Page_20">[Pg 20]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Well, what now, my boy? Have you learnt anything?"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes&mdash;a lot, sir; but I do not understand it. Let me tell you what
+these signs tell me. My father crossed here alone, and went somewhere
+across the common, and I do not think that it could have been very far
+away. Then he came back alone&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"But the second man?" queried Mr. St. Clive.</p>
+
+<p>"One moment, sir. He came alone, and he stopped to light another cigar
+just here. Look, here is the match half-burnt, and the stump of the one
+he threw away."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes; go on," said Mr. St. Clive, nodding his head. "You have reason
+for what you say."</p>
+
+<p>"Now, some one followed my father back, and he wore rather small boots
+with pointed toes&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"Plenty of gentlemen do that. I wear such boots myself, you see."</p>
+
+<p>"I know, sir. This man was dodging my father, and when he stopped to
+light his cigar the man stopped too, just over there behind that hedge."</p>
+
+<p>"My dear lad, what makes you say that?"</p>
+
+<p>"The mark of his feet are there, and I think he fired at my father more
+than once. He fired once and missed, I know, because this tree has
+got a bullet in the bark, and I am going to have it out! Then he ran
+forward, and there must have been a fight, and father fell just here.
+Look, you can surely see where he lay? See the length where the grass
+is crushed;<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_21" id="Page_21">[Pg 21]</a></span> and see these two marks&mdash;a heel and a toe; that means,
+that some one knelt beside him, and&mdash;&mdash;. Look, look, sir!"</p>
+
+<p>A glimmer of something bright in the long grass caught Ralph's eye,
+and, stooping, he picked up a watch and chain, and a purse, which had
+evidently been thrown hastily aside.</p>
+
+<p>"Whoever killed my father searched him, and wanted something in
+particular. It was no robber, for then he would have taken these and
+not thrown them down."</p>
+
+<p>Mr. St. Clive could only look on in silence. There was something very
+strange in the boy thus unfolding the incidents of a strange mystery,
+reading them from almost invisible signs upon the grass. And Ralph
+continued&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Then the man ran away and came back with a cart&mdash;you can see the marks
+of the wheels. See, they come close up here! And here he drove off
+again. I suppose that father was in the cart&mdash;that is what he brought
+it for. The horse went a bit lame, too, in the off forefoot. That is
+all the place can tell me, sir."</p>
+
+<p>All! Mr. St. Clive was amazed that the boy was able to see so much, and
+he followed his reasoning, noting how one footmark partly obliterated
+another, proving that it had been made after it. That a strange meeting
+had taken place in that lonely wood seemed indeed all too likely, but
+beyond that all was<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_22" id="Page_22">[Pg 22]</a></span> mystery. Why had Mr. Rexworth entered this place,
+whither was he going, and who was the man who had come after him?</p>
+
+<p>Ralph had his knife out, and was busily cutting away the bark of one of
+the trees which stood close by. His action proved that he had not been
+wrong in his conjecture&mdash;a flattened piece of lead was embedded there,
+and Frank put it into his pocket.</p>
+
+<p>"Perhaps one day that may tell me some more," he said.</p>
+
+<p>But there was nothing more to do there, though Mr. St. Clive said that
+he would see that the wood was searched through, and that the mere
+was dragged; and then, trying to speak comforting words to Ralph, he
+returned with him to Stow Ormond. And as they entered the inn, a tall,
+handsome gentleman, with one hand in a sling, came out, and seeing Mr.
+St. Clive, greeted him with: "Hallo, St. Clive, I hear that your little
+girl had a narrow escape last night!"</p>
+
+<p>Mr. St. Clive frowned.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, from your bull, Lord Elgert. You ought to have the brute properly
+guarded. If it had not been for this young gentleman, Irene might have
+been killed."</p>
+
+<p>Lord Elgert stared at Ralph, and his look was not pleasant.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, is this the young man who noosed him? Well, he has broken the
+bull's knees; but, however, it is fortunate that he was at hand. By the
+way, what is<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_23" id="Page_23">[Pg 23]</a></span> this that Simon tells me. Something has happened in Stow
+Wood?"</p>
+
+<p>"I fear so," replied Mr. St. Clive; and he narrated briefly what they
+had discovered.</p>
+
+<p>Was it fancy, or did Ralph notice that handsome face turn a shade paler
+when mention was made of the bullet cut from the tree? Somehow the boy
+did not like this wealthy gentleman, though he knew not why he should
+regard him with enmity. When Mr. St. Clive had concluded, Lord Elgert
+said&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Dear, dear! How strange! But still, you do not know that anything
+has happened. You will tell the police, of course. Can you give a
+description of your father, my boy?"</p>
+
+<p>"I can show his likeness, sir," replied Ralph, taking out his
+pocket-book. "Here it is!"</p>
+
+<p>Lord Elgert took the photograph, but as he looked at it he gave a
+whistle of surprise.</p>
+
+<p>"So this is the missing man?" he said. "St. Clive, perhaps, I can tell
+you something of interest. Last night my place was broken into, and
+I woke up to hear a man in my study. I went down and switched on the
+electric light, so that I could see the rascal quite plainly. He turned
+and tried to bolt, but I closed with him, and in the rough-and-tumble
+he managed to cut my hand open and clear off. St. Clive, I am positive
+that the man was none other than the original of this likeness, and&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>He was interrupted by a passionate cry of pain and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_24" id="Page_24">[Pg 24]</a></span> anger, and Ralph,
+snatching the photograph from his hand, stood confronting him with
+blazing eyes.</p>
+
+<p>"It is false!" he cried. "You know it is false! I believe that you are
+responsible for my father's disappearance!"</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_25" id="Page_25">[Pg 25]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><span>CHAPTER III</span> <span class="smaller">MR. ST. CLIVE PROVES HIMSELF A TRUE FRIEND</span></h2>
+
+<p>"I believe that you are responsible for my father's disappearance."</p>
+
+<p>So did Ralph Rexworth cry in his anger; and Lord Elgert started, and
+his face grew dark with rage.</p>
+
+<p>"You impudent young dog!" he shouted, raising his stick; and the blow
+would have fallen, had not Mr. St. Clive stopped it with his arm.</p>
+
+<p>"Lord Elgert," he said sternly; for he was shocked at the callous way
+in which the charge had been made, "I cannot stand by and allow that.
+You have made a very serious charge&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"Nothing so serious as that young rascal has made. I am surprised
+that you stand by and listen to it, St. Clive; but you always were
+antagonistic to me! I assert what is fact. My place was broken into&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"Did any one but yourself see this man?"</p>
+
+<p>"An absurd question! Who was there to see him? By the time the alarm
+was given he was gone. I shall have to tell the police of that
+photograph; it will be wanted to help in tracing him. I expect this
+story is all nonsense; and upon inquiry it will<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_26" id="Page_26">[Pg 26]</a></span> be found that the
+farthest these two have travelled is from London. Most probably this
+boy, who makes such unfounded charges, knew well the business which
+brought his father here. The story of what happened in the woods is
+really too romantic. If two people were there, the second was most
+likely an accomplice; and they have gone off, leaving the boy here to
+see what he can learn, or pick up. You are easily deceived, St. Clive."
+And Lord Elgert turned upon his heel with a mocking laugh.</p>
+
+<p>But ere he could go, Ralph stood in his path, regarding him with a
+fixed stare.</p>
+
+<p>"I do not know you," he said. "I never saw you before; but I can tell
+friend from enemy, and you are an enemy. I am only a boy; but one day I
+will bring your words back to you, and make you prove them."</p>
+
+<p>"Out of my way, you young rascal!" came the answer, "or I will have you
+in prison before long. St. Clive, I wish you joy of your young friend.
+Take my advice, and keep a sharp eye on the silver, if you suffer him
+to enter your house."</p>
+
+<p>Ralph would have surely been provoked into some foolish action had not
+Mr. St. Clive laid a gentle hand upon his shoulder, and led him back
+into the inn; and then the boy quite broke down.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, sir! Oh, sir!" he cried. "To say such things about my dear
+father&mdash;my dear, kind father! But he shall prove them," he added
+fiercely. "I<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_27" id="Page_27">[Pg 27]</a></span> will make him prove them. I believe that he knows
+something."</p>
+
+<p>"Ralph," answered Mr. St. Clive quietly, "because Lord Elgert has been
+both unkind and foolish, that is no reason why you should talk wildly.
+To say that Lord Elgert has had anything to do with your father's
+disappearance, seems to me to be the very height of folly. He is a rich
+man, and one of our justices&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"Where does he live, sir?" queried Ralph suddenly.</p>
+
+<p>"At Castle Court, near Great Stow. Ah," he added, as he saw Ralph's
+look, "I know what you are thinking&mdash;that it is in the direction
+whither your father was going! But remember, that will be equally
+applicable to Lord Elgert's story that your father was going there.
+It is most likely that some one in a measure resembling your father,
+did break into Castle Court&mdash;we have not the slightest reason for
+discrediting Lord Elgert's statement&mdash;and in the confusion of the
+struggle, he did not clearly distinguish his opponent, and so says that
+he resembles this photograph. Mistaken identity is a common occurrence,
+and&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"You do not believe his story, sir? I could not bear to think that."</p>
+
+<p>"I do not, Ralph. If I did so, I should still feel my debt of gratitude
+to you; but I do not believe it. I am not so foolish as to mistake
+between a gentleman and a thief; and though I have not seen your
+father, I think that I can see him in you and your<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_28" id="Page_28">[Pg 28]</a></span> manner. Now be
+brave, and do not trouble about what his lordship said. He was angry
+because you spoke as you did; and though it was natural, your language
+was not very polite." And Mr. St. Clive smiled slightly. "Now let us
+talk sensibly. First, you cannot stay here by yourself; therefore,
+disregarding the warning I have received, I invite you to be my guest
+for the time, until we can see what is best to be done. What money have
+you of your own?"</p>
+
+<p>"Only a few shillings, but there is the purse, sir." And Ralph opened
+the purse which they had picked up in Stow Wood. "Here are five
+sovereigns, and two five-pound notes, sir."</p>
+
+<p>"Then we had better pay the innkeeper and make a start. Simon"&mdash;as the
+old fellow came in answer to the bell&mdash;"I am going to take this young
+gentleman home with me. If his father should return, or if letters
+arrive, you will let us know. Make out your bill. And, Simon, I suppose
+that you did not recognize Mr. Rexworth at all?"</p>
+
+<p>"Why, no, sir; I cannot say that I did! But he knew the place, sir;
+and when I told the girl to show him up to No. 10, sir, he just went
+straight up to it. He knew the <i>Horse and Wheel</i>, sir."</p>
+
+<p>"Well, get your bill ready."</p>
+
+<p>The old man went out. It was something of a relief to know that he
+was going to be paid; for he had begun to have some doubts about the
+matter.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_29" id="Page_29">[Pg 29]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>So it came about that Ralph Rexworth was taken home by Mr. St. Clive;
+and there he was received with kindness and warmth by that gentleman's
+wife, while little Irene smiled shyly, and put out one dainty little
+hand for him to take in his brown palm.</p>
+
+<p>"I thank you very much," the little lass said. "I think that horrid
+bull would have killed me if it had not been for you." And Mrs. St.
+Clive shuddered as she listened; for her husband had told her how great
+was the peril from which Irene had been rescued.</p>
+
+<p>Leaving the two young people to make friends, Mr. St. Clive took his
+wife aside and told her of the strange position in which their young
+guest was placed.</p>
+
+<p>"The boy does not seem to have a friend in the world," he said. "And he
+is undoubtedly a gentleman, Kate. What is to be done? His father may
+return; but I confess that it looks as if a tragedy had taken place. It
+was wonderful how the lad pieced together traces which were invisible
+to me. I fear that something bad has occurred. As to Lord Elgert's
+idea, I do not put much faith in it. Elgert is too fond of thinking
+evil of people&mdash;he is one of the most merciless men on the bench. What
+shall we do, Kate?"</p>
+
+<p>"Do?" replied his wife, with a fond smile. "Why, Hubert, you have
+already determined what to do!"</p>
+
+<p>Her husband laughed pleasantly.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_30" id="Page_30">[Pg 30]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"I confess that I have. Still, I like to have your desire run with my
+own. You want this lad to stay here?"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, Hubert. If he is lonely and friendless, let us be his friends;
+for had he not rescued her, our dear little daughter would have been
+killed."</p>
+
+<p>So husband and wife agreed; but when they went to Ralph they found that
+he was not quite willing to accept the invitation.</p>
+
+<p>"I know how kind it is of you," the boy said. "And it is true that
+I have no friends, and nowhere to go; but I&mdash;I cannot live on your
+charity. I want to earn my living somehow."</p>
+
+<p>"That is good, Ralph," was the hearty reply of Mr. St. Clive; "but you
+must be reasonable. There is such a thing as unreasonable pride. You
+cannot earn your living in any calling as a gentleman, without you are
+fitted for it. Your life on the plains, and life here, or in London,
+would be very vastly different. If you had friends in Texas we might
+send you back again&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"No, no, sir!" cried Ralph, interrupting him. "I could not go back.
+Here I must stay for two reasons. I must live to find out what has
+become of my father, and I must clear his name from the accusation that
+man made."</p>
+
+<p>"Your first reason is good; your second I do not think that you need
+worry over. Then you will stay? Well, then, you must certainly let the
+wish of my<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_31" id="Page_31">[Pg 31]</a></span> wife and of Irene conquer your pride. I want to help you
+all I can; and if presently it is better for you to go, I promise you
+that I will not seek to detain you."</p>
+
+<p>"Do stop, Ralph," added Irene, who, pet as she was, had stolen into
+her father's study, and heard what was said. "I want you to stay; and
+I want you to teach me how to throw a rope like that, though I should
+never dare to throw it at a bull. Please stay."</p>
+
+<p>And somehow Ralph looked down into that upturned little face, and he
+could not say "no."</p>
+
+<p>"It is very good of you, sir," he murmured, to Mr. St. Clive,
+"especially after what Lord Elgert said&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"My lad, do not be so sensitive concerning that."</p>
+
+<p>"But I cannot help it, sir. He first called my father a thief; and
+he&mdash;he&mdash;you know what he said about your silver?"</p>
+
+<p>And Ralph turned very red.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. St. Clive understood, and sympathized. He liked Ralph all the
+better for being keenly sensitive about it.</p>
+
+<p>"There, let it go, my dear boy. Now, once more, business. Have you any
+luggage, save these two handbags?"</p>
+
+<p>"In London, sir. Two great trunks. Father left them at the station.
+Here are the papers for them." And the boy took a railway luggage
+receipt from his pocket-book.</p>
+
+<p>"This is important. We may find something to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_32" id="Page_32">[Pg 32]</a></span> help us in those trunks,"
+cried Mr. St. Clive. "Of course, I am not legally justified in touching
+them, Ralph; but, under the circumstances, I think that I might do
+so. We must have them here, and examine their contents. We may then
+discover what brought your father to Stow Ormond; and that, in its
+turn, might give us some clue as to what may have happened."</p>
+
+<p>"I do not think there is much doubt as to what has happened," sighed
+the boy. But Mr. St. Clive would not listen to that.</p>
+
+<p>"Never look at the darkest side, lad. There is a kind Providence over
+all, and we must never despair. Now, our very first task must be to
+obtain your travelling trunks without delay."</p>
+
+<p>Mr. St. Clive lost no time in putting this resolution into practice.
+The trunks were got down from London, and opened; but, to their
+disappointment, their contents revealed nothing which tended in any way
+to throw a light upon the mystery&mdash;clothing, a few mementoes of their
+Texan home, and&mdash;and in view of Ralph's future welfare this was most
+important&mdash;banknotes and gold to the amount of £3,000!</p>
+
+<p>"No need to feel yourself dependent upon any one now, Ralph," was the
+remark of Mr. St. Clive, as they counted this money; "and no need to
+give another thought to Lord Elgert's suspicions. People possessed of
+so much money do not go breaking into houses,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_33" id="Page_33">[Pg 33]</a></span> risking their liberty
+for the sake of what they may be able to steal."</p>
+
+<p>Now, though Irene St. Clive was delighted, and would have been quite
+content for Ralph to have stayed as her companion, her father did
+not look at matters in that way; and he had a serious talk with
+Ralph, having first quietly questioned him in order to ascertain his
+acquirements.</p>
+
+<p>"You see, Ralph," he said, "what a man needs in England is quite
+different from what he may need abroad. You can ride, shoot, and round
+up cattle; but that is no good here. Your father has given you a
+general education, so that you are not a dunce; but it is nothing like
+what you will need as a gentleman here. Knowledge is power and your
+desire to clear up the matter of your father's disappearance demands
+that you should acquire all the power obtainable. My advice&mdash;I have
+no right to insist, remember&mdash;but my advice is that you should spend
+a couple of years at a first-class school&mdash;we have a splendid one
+here&mdash;and if you work honestly during that time, with your intellect
+you ought to have made a good headway. What do you say?"</p>
+
+<p>The boy knit his brows. To one who had passed his days in a wild, free
+life, such a prospect did not hold out many charms; but then Ralph was
+fond of learning, and had sometimes sighed that he could not learn
+more. Besides, his one object in life was to solve the matter of his
+father's disappearance,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_34" id="Page_34">[Pg 34]</a></span> and clear his name from any foul charge. In
+his heart, Ralph had resolved ever to live under honour's flag. He
+looked up, and answered frankly&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"I will be guided entirely by you, sir, unless my father comes back;
+then, of course, I should do whatever he directed."</p>
+
+<p>"My feeling is, that had your father elected to remain in England he
+would certainly have sent you to school. Now, Ralph, I am going to be
+frank with you. We have, as I have said, a splendid school near here;
+but amongst its pupils is Horace Elgert. I fear that he takes after
+his father somewhat; and if Lord Elgert has said anything, or does say
+anything to him when he knows you are there, young Horace may try to
+make it unpleasant for you. Do you understand?"</p>
+
+<p>"Perfectly, sir," replied Ralph.</p>
+
+<p>"And will you go there?"</p>
+
+<p>Ralph looked Mr. St. Clive in the face, and he answered firmly:</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, sir. The boy's being there is nothing to me. I will go."</p>
+
+<p>"Good!" replied Mr. St. Clive, with a nod of appreciation. "We will go
+over and see the Headmaster to-morrow."</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_35" id="Page_35">[Pg 35]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><span>CHAPTER IV</span> <span class="smaller">RALPH'S FIRST DAY AT SCHOOL</span></h2>
+
+<p>"He is a fine young fellow, but his past life has been spent amidst
+very different scenes, and he is far from having a fitting education.
+But he is very intellectual and will acquire knowledge quickly. His
+father must have been a gentleman, and he has taught his son to be one
+also."</p>
+
+<p>It was Mr. St. Clive who spoke, and his words were addressed to Dr.
+Beverly, the principal of Marlthorpe College&mdash;the best school in all
+the county.</p>
+
+<p>A fine-looking man was the doctor, tall, erect, dignified, with firm
+face and piercing eyes&mdash;eyes which could look terribly severe when
+their owner was angry, but which otherwise were gentle, and even
+mirthful.</p>
+
+<p>Dr. Beverly was proud of his school, but prouder still of his work. He
+did not labour to make scholars only, but also to build up men&mdash;good,
+noble men&mdash;who should be a credit to the old school, and a blessing to
+their country. Work or play, the doctor believed in everything being
+done as well as it could be, for his watchword was "Whatever you do, do
+it to the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_36" id="Page_36">[Pg 36]</a></span> glory of God," and nothing can be done to God's glory that
+is not done as well as it possibly can be.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. St. Clive had explained how Ralph came to be under his care,
+and had told the doctor how much he owed to him; and he finished by
+mentioning the cruel statement which Lord Elgert had made, and the
+angry way in which Ralph had answered it.</p>
+
+<p>"I tell you this," he said, "that you may know everything. I attach no
+weight to Elgert's statement myself&mdash;it is too absurd, but you must
+exercise your own discretion," and the doctor smiled slightly.</p>
+
+<p>"Lord Elgert is rather prone to make rash statements," he said. "I
+shall be quite willing to receive your young friend, and I will do my
+best to turn him into a good man."</p>
+
+<p>"That I am sure of," was the hearty reply, "and I am also sure that you
+will have good material to work upon. Then I will bring Ralph over."</p>
+
+<p>"And do you propose that he shall board here entirely, or return to you
+every Saturday, as most of the lads do?"</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, come home. That is how I did in my day&mdash;you know I want to watch
+the boy. Good-day, doctor," and Mr. St. Clive came away.</p>
+
+<p>Marlthorpe College was a splendid old building, with large playing
+fields at the back, and a great quadrangle in front, to which entrance
+was gained through a pair of great iron gates, against which the
+porter's lodge was built.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_37" id="Page_37">[Pg 37]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>The school itself was at the other side of the quadrangle, directly
+facing the gates&mdash;a two storey building, with the hall, in which the
+whole school assembled upon special occasions, below, and with the
+classrooms above. It had two wings; the one to the right being the
+doctor's own residence, and that on the left the undermaster's quarters.</p>
+
+<p>At the back there were again buildings on the right and left&mdash;on the
+left junior dormitories, the dining-hall, and matron's rooms; and on
+the right senior dormitories and studies.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. St. Clive drove home and told Ralph the result of his visit.</p>
+
+<p>"I am sure that you will like the doctor," he said, "and you will find
+your companions a nice lot of fellows. Of course there will be some
+unpleasant ones; and Ralph, if things are as they used to be, you
+will find that there are two sets of fellows&mdash;those who mean to work
+honestly, and those who never intend to take pains. I need not ask
+which set you will belong to," and Mr. St. Clive smiled. "But now,"
+he added, "I want you to try and be brave. You have a very terrible
+sorrow, I know; and it is hard to put it from my mind&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"It is never from my mind, sir," interrupted Ralph sadly. "I am always
+thinking of it."</p>
+
+<p>"But you must not brood over it. To do that, will unfit you for all
+else. Leave it with God, Ralph, and do not let even so great a grief
+interfere with life's<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_38" id="Page_38">[Pg 38]</a></span> duties. Will you promise me to try and remember
+this?"</p>
+
+<p>"I will indeed, sir," answered Ralph. "If I have lost father, I mean to
+try and think that he knows, and just do that which would please him."</p>
+
+<p>"That is good; but still better is it to remember that we have to
+try and do that which shall please our Heavenly Father. Now, Ralph,
+I suppose that out where you made your home, blows often were the
+only way of settling troubles. I do not say that blows are never
+justifiable, for sometimes we are placed in such circumstances as
+warrant fighting, but do not be too ready to quarrel, or to avenge
+every fancied insult with your fist. But there, I am sure that I can
+leave that to you. Now come to lunch, and then we must see about
+starting."</p>
+
+<p>"I am so glad that you are coming home every week, Ralph," so said
+Irene St. Clive, when she heard of the arrangements which her father
+had made. "My own lessons are finished on Friday, and we can have all
+Saturday to ourselves. I shall count all the days until each Saturday
+comes."</p>
+
+<p>So with kindly words to cheer him on his way, Ralph started off with
+Mr. St. Clive, and was introduced to Dr. Beverly; and Ralph felt that
+he liked the doctor from the very first moment that he saw him; and he
+determined that he would do all that he could to get on and prove to
+Mr. St. Clive that he meant to keep his word.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_39" id="Page_39">[Pg 39]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Then when his friend had gone, the doctor questioned Ralph to see just
+what he knew; and at the conclusion of the examination he laid his hand
+on his shoulder.</p>
+
+<p>"My boy," he said, "it is my desire always to have the fullest
+confidence in my scholars, and also to enjoy their confidence. I want
+you to remember that I desire to be your friend as well as your master,
+and that out of school hours I am always glad to see any of my boys who
+want to talk with me. I do not mean who want to come tale-bearing," he
+added, and Ralph smiled as he answered&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Thank you, sir. I think I understand."</p>
+
+<p>"You will have to be in the Fourth Form at first, that is the lowest
+Form in the Senior House," the doctor continued. "But if you work well,
+you will soon be in the Fifth. Now, if you will come with me I will
+introduce you to your master, Mr. Delermain, and I think you will find
+him ever ready to help you in any way he can."</p>
+
+<p>Ralph thanked the Head again, and followed him, with more of curiosity
+than of nervousness, to make the acquaintance of the boys with whom he
+was to study; and twenty pairs of eyes glanced up as the Head opened
+the door, and then dropped as quickly when they saw who had entered.</p>
+
+<p>But the master rose from his seat and came forward to meet the doctor,
+who said, patting Ralph on the shoulder&mdash;</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_40" id="Page_40">[Pg 40]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"I have brought you a new scholar, Mr. Delermain. This is Ralph
+Rexworth, and he is the young gentleman of whom you have heard&mdash;the one
+who saved Mr. St. Clive's daughter." Hereat the eyes were stealthily
+raised, and glances of something like respectful awe followed. Of
+course every one there had heard of the incident about the bull, and of
+the disappearance of Mr. Rexworth.</p>
+
+<p>"Rexworth is rather backward," the Head continued. "His life has been
+spent abroad, and he has not had the opportunities for study; but I
+believe that he will soon pick up." And with this Dr. Beverly went, and
+Mr. Delermain, having spoken a few words of welcome, beckoned to a boy
+to come forward.</p>
+
+<p>"Warren, let Rexworth sit beside you this afternoon, and give him a set
+of the sums we are doing. If you find them too difficult," he added to
+Ralph, "do not hesitate to come to me."</p>
+
+<p>But Ralph did not need to ask for aid, he could do the sums and the
+exercises that followed. Indeed, he did better than some who had been
+there longer, notably one big lad with a sickly flabby face, who was
+seated at the bottom of the class, and who received a reprimand from
+his master for his indolence.</p>
+
+<p>"It is shameful, Dobson! Here, a new boy has done better than you have.
+Your idleness is disgraceful."</p>
+
+<p>A writing exercise followed; and Ralph was bending over his book, when
+flop!&mdash;a wad of wet blotting-paper<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_41" id="Page_41">[Pg 41]</a></span> hit him in the cheek. He looked up,
+but every one seemed busy with their work, so wiping his cheek he put
+the wet mass on one side, and went on with his task. Flop! A second
+wad came. Ralph noted the direction, and saw that at the end of the
+form Dobson was seated, and Ralph had his suspicions. Pretending to
+be absorbed in his work, he kept a covert watch; and presently he was
+rewarded by seeing Dobson extract a third wad from his mouth, where he
+had been chewing it into a convenient pellet, and under cover of the
+boy in front of him prepare to fire it by a flick of his thumb. Ralph
+raised his eyes and looked him full in the face, and, somehow, Dobson
+seemed confused. He turned red, and bent over his work hastily; and no
+more pellets were fired at Ralph that afternoon.</p>
+
+<p>It seemed rather a wearisome afternoon to the boy, used as he was to
+his open-air life, but he worked away with all his might; and presently
+the bell rang and work was over; and then Warren, the boy beside whom
+he had sat, came to him and held out his hand.</p>
+
+<p>"I am first monitor of our form," he said, "and I hope that we shall be
+friends. If you come with me I will take you round the school."</p>
+
+<p>"Rexworth."</p>
+
+<p>Ralph turned as his name was called; his master stood there.</p>
+
+<p>"I want you a few minutes. Warren, you can take<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_42" id="Page_42">[Pg 42]</a></span> him round afterwards.
+I want to arrange about his study."</p>
+
+<p>"We have only got one vacant, sir," the monitor said. "Charlton has
+that."</p>
+
+<p>"I know," was the quiet answer; and then, when Warren ran off, the
+master turned to Ralph.</p>
+
+<p>"Rexworth," he said, "I must explain that in our form every two boys
+have one study between them, and as you heard Warren say, we have only
+one study that is not fully occupied. A lad named Charlton has it, and
+you must chum with him. It is about him I want to speak to you."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, sir," said Ralph, wondering why his master spoke so gravely.</p>
+
+<p>"Rexworth, I am sorry to say that Charlton is not quite in favour
+with his schoolmates. His father got into some trouble and has
+disappeared&mdash;it is supposed that he is dead&mdash;and the boy managed to
+gain a scholarship at another and poorer school, and has come here.
+He is a real nice lad, but very weakly and timid, and the others put
+upon him, partly on that account, partly because of his father's
+disappearance, and partly because he is poor&mdash;a sad crime in the eyes
+of many. It would have been wiser, I think, if he had not come here,
+but Dr. Beverly wished him to do so. I wish, Rexworth, that you would
+try to be his friend, for he needs one; some of the lads are nice
+enough to him, but he seems so very much alone."</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_43" id="Page_43">[Pg 43]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"I would like to help him, sir," was the ready answer. And the master
+smiled.</p>
+
+<p>"I thought that I was not mistaken in you," he said. "Look, there the
+lad is. Charlton, come here."</p>
+
+<p>The lad came up. He was a pale boy, very delicate in appearance, and
+with a sad, wistful face.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, sir," he said.</p>
+
+<p>"Charlton, there is only one vacancy in our studies, and that is with
+you. Rexworth will have to chum with you." The boy cast a startled
+glance at Ralph. "Take him and show him where it is, and try to make
+him feel at home."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, sir." The boy beckoned to Ralph. "Please come with me," he said,
+in troubled tones, as if he doubted whether Ralph would care about
+sharing the study with him.</p>
+
+<p>"Have we got to be chums?" asked Ralph; and the other boy nodded.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes. That is what we call it. It means sharing studies; but you need
+not speak to me if you don't want to, and I will not be in the study
+much. I am not as it is, for they are always disturbing me and spoiling
+my things."</p>
+
+<p>"They! Who?" demanded Ralph; and the lad answered&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"The other chaps and the Fifths. Dobson, in ours, and Elgert of the
+Fifth, are the worst. They go in and spoil my things."</p>
+
+<p>"They have no business to, of course?"</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_44" id="Page_44">[Pg 44]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Go in? No, of course not&mdash;only the two who chum have any right in it.
+Here we are, and&mdash;there, they are in now!"&mdash;as a scuffling and burst
+of laughter came from the inside of the study before which the boy had
+halted. "Oh, what are they doing! Will you stop until they have gone?"</p>
+
+<p>"Not I," answered Ralph grimly. "That study is mine as well as yours,
+and I mean to see that we have it to ourselves, Charlton. Come on, and
+we will see what is up." And saying this, Ralph threw open the door and
+walked into the little room, followed by his companion.</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_45" id="Page_45">[Pg 45]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><span>CHAPTER V</span> <span class="smaller">MAKING THINGS STRAIGHT</span></h2>
+
+<p>A burst of laughter greeted Ralph's ears as he opened the study door,
+and some one said:</p>
+
+<p>"Look sharp. Here he comes! Hurry up there, Elgert!"</p>
+
+<p>But the laughter died away somewhat awkwardly when the boys saw that
+Charlton was not alone, and one or two of the boys came up to Ralph.</p>
+
+<p>"Hallo, you new fellow! They surely haven't put you to chum with
+Charlton, have they? What a shame! I should kick against it. Some one
+else must make room for you."</p>
+
+<p>Such were the remarks of those who had taken a fancy to Ralph, but he
+paid no heed to it all. He just calmly gazed round, as if counting the
+number of boys there and taking their measure; and then he quite as
+calmly shut the door, locked it, and put the key in his pocket. Those
+present looked in surprise for a moment&mdash;some laughed, and one, a tall,
+handsome boy, came haughtily up to him.</p>
+
+<p>"What do you mean by that?" he demanded. "How dare you lock that door?"</p>
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_46" id="Page_46">[Pg 46]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Ralph regarded him with the utmost coolness. No one had told him who
+the boy was, and yet he seemed to know&mdash;he felt sure that this was none
+other than Horace Elgert himself.</p>
+
+<p>"Wait a bit," he said calmly. "So far as I understand, this study
+belongs to Charlton and myself. We have a perfect right to lock the
+door."</p>
+
+<p>"But not to lock us in," retorted Elgert. "Open it at once, and think
+yourself lucky that you don't get a licking for your impudence!"</p>
+
+<p>"Steady!" was Ralph's answer. "It seems to me that if you had not been
+where you have no right to be, you would not have got locked in; and
+now that you are here, you must wait my pleasure as to going out."</p>
+
+<p>This was beginning school life with a vengeance, but Ralph believed in
+settling things once and for all, and his indignation was hot as he saw
+what these half dozen lads had been doing.</p>
+
+<p>But Horace Elgert was not a boy to be spoken to like that, and he came
+striding up to Ralph to take the key by force.</p>
+
+<p>"I will soon settle you," he began, and he aimed a blow at this
+impertinent new boy's head, only somehow the blow did not get there.
+Ralph adroitly stepped aside, and the Honourable Horace Elgert stumbled
+to the ground violently.</p>
+
+<p>"A fight! A fight!" cried the rest; but Ralph smiled and shook his
+head.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_47" id="Page_47">[Pg 47]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Oh, no, my friends. I have something better to do, and this is not the
+place for fighting."</p>
+
+<p>They were staggered. They could not understand this coolness and,
+moreover, they had all heard about Ralph having tackled the bull, and
+the story had grown somewhat. They stood considerably in awe of this
+boy from the Western plains, and they began to wish that they were
+anywhere else than in his study.</p>
+
+<p>Horace Elgert got up, his face white with passion but he made no more
+attempts to take the key from Ralph.</p>
+
+<p>"You are right," he said, in suppressed tones; "this is not the place
+to fight. Open the door, and we will soon settle things."</p>
+
+<p>"Presently," was all the answer he got. "Now, then, let us see what you
+have been up to."</p>
+
+<p>He glanced round at the books tumbled on the floor, at a desk upset, at
+an ink-bottle on its side, and then turned to his chum.</p>
+
+<p>But Charlton was standing, looking very white, and staring at a picture
+on the wall&mdash;the picture of a lady, and beneath it some one had
+written&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"This is Charlton's mammy. But where is his daddy? Puzzle&mdash;Find daddy,
+and tell the police."</p>
+
+<p>Ralph felt his nerves tingle. He felt sure that Elgert had done that,
+and he remembered the words of Lord Elgert respecting his own father.</p>
+
+<p>"Who did that?" he said, and no one answered. He went up to Elgert.
+"Did you do it?"</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_48" id="Page_48">[Pg 48]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Well, if I did, what is it to do with you? Mind your own business!"</p>
+
+<p>"Take that scrawl down. Quick, or I shall lose my temper, and then I
+fancy some one will get hurt! Down with it! That is right"&mdash;as the
+other, considerably startled, pulled the writing down. "Give it to me."</p>
+
+<p>It was remarkable how the daring of the one lad held the half dozen in
+check. Elgert handed him the paper, and Ralph tore it up and threw the
+fragments into his face.</p>
+
+<p>"Now then, you have upset this room. Just put it straight again,
+and look sharp about it!" he said. "And please to understand that
+Charlton and I are chums, and mean to stick together. Oh, and I want a
+word with you"&mdash;and he walked up to Dobson, who turned a trifle more
+pasty-looking than before. "Do you know what these are?"</p>
+
+<p>Ralph produced two wads of chewed blotting-paper from his pocket as he
+spoke, and Dobson blustered&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"You keep to your chum, since you are so thick with him. I don't want
+anything to do with you. I say, you chaps, are you going to let him
+crow over you like this? Rush him!"</p>
+
+<p>"Good advice; only, why don't you do the rushing first?" said Ralph.
+"I asked you if you recognized these. If you don't, I will tell you
+what they are&mdash;they are pieces of blotting-paper, which you chewed
+and then threw at me. They came out of your mouth,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_49" id="Page_49">[Pg 49]</a></span> and they are
+going back there again&mdash;when I have mopped up this ink which you have
+spilt." Ralph suited the action to the word, and presented the two
+unpalatable-looking objects to Dobson, who was at once a coward and a
+bully. "Now, then, open your mouth!"</p>
+
+<p>"I won't! Who do you think that you are? I&mdash;&mdash; Oh!"</p>
+
+<p>For Ralph did not argue. He grabbed hold of Dobson, and with a quick
+jerk sent him backwards across the little study table.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, oh! You are breaking my back!" howled the bully.</p>
+
+<p>"Open your mouth!"</p>
+
+<p>"I won't! Oh, help me, you fellows&mdash;he will break my back! Oh! Ugh!
+Ow! I am choking!" For, just as he opened his mouth to yell, Ralph had
+pushed both those pieces of blotting-paper in.</p>
+
+<p>"Now, then, take them," he said. "Quick, or it will be the worse for
+you!"</p>
+
+<p>Dobson, with many queer grimaces, had to comply&mdash;it was the most
+unsavoury morsel which he had tasted for many a day.</p>
+
+<div class="center"><img src="images/i049.jpg" alt="Dobson had to comply" /></div>
+
+<p class="bold">"<span class="smcap">Dobson, with many queer grimaces, had to
+comply.</span>" p. 49</p>
+
+<p>"Now! Ah, I see that you have straightened things!" Ralph went on. "Now
+you chaps can go, and the next time you want to come into our study
+take my advice and ask leave, or there will be more trouble. Clear out!"</p>
+
+<p>And he unlocked the door and flung it open.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_50" id="Page_50">[Pg 50]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>And out those half dozen boys went, looking considerably crestfallen
+and stupid, and knowing also that they were cowards&mdash;they were all
+frightened by Ralph, so greatly does one of dauntless bearing affect a
+number.</p>
+
+<p>But one boy turned, and that one was Horace Elgert, and he came back
+and gave Ralph look for look.</p>
+
+<p>"Look here, you new fellow!" he said, "you have been very clever, but
+you have done a bad day's work for yourself. You have made one enemy at
+least. As for that insult which you offered me, you will have to fight
+me for it; and as for you, you miserable cub"&mdash;and he turned towards
+Charlton, who cowered back before his raised fist&mdash;"as for you, I
+will&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"Hold hard&mdash;you will do nothing!" answered Ralph, with the utmost
+good humour. "You are talking tall, that is all about it. Now, take
+my advice, and go; and when you are calmer, you will see things
+differently. And then, as to fighting&mdash;well, I shall not run away in
+the meantime. Clear!"</p>
+
+<p>And with that he shut the door and locked it behind his discomfited
+foes. Then, seating himself, he looked at the bewildered Charlton, and
+laughed again as he saw the look of admiration in his face.</p>
+
+<p>"There, I think that has taught them a lesson! We shall not have them
+upset our study again," he said. "One must maintain one's rights, and
+we may<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_51" id="Page_51">[Pg 51]</a></span> as well begin as we mean to go on. So this is our study, is it?"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, if you will share it with me," the other boy said. And Ralph
+answered&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Share it? Of course I shall share it with you! Did not you hear Mr.
+Delermain say that we were to share it?"</p>
+
+<p>"But most fellows don't like me, because&mdash;because&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"Never mind why," interrupted Ralph, anxious to spare the boy's
+feelings. "I heard something about your father being gone; well, my
+father is gone, you know"&mdash;and Ralph's voice shook a little&mdash;"and so we
+two ought to be chums, and help each other. Then, I suppose that you
+know more than I do; for, except at roping a steer or rounding up a
+herd of cattle, I am afraid that I am not of much use. You will be able
+to help me on no end."</p>
+
+<p>"What! I help you?" gasped Charlton. "How can I do that?"</p>
+
+<p>"You know Greek and Latin, and goodness knows how much more, that I am
+only just at the beginning of, and you will be able to give me a hand
+with it. I want to get on and pick up things as quickly as I can."</p>
+
+<p>"I might help you that way, if you would let me," the boy said
+doubtfully. And Ralph laughed.</p>
+
+<p>"What a chap you are! Have I not told you that I shall be downright
+thankful: and there you keep<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_52" id="Page_52">[Pg 52]</a></span> on about if I will let you. Come, shake
+hands upon it! Charlton, we two are chums, and we are going to stick
+together and help each other. Is that so?"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, if you will. I shall be so glad to have a chum, because it has
+been rather lonely sometimes; and then, you see, I am not very strong,
+and I am not brave like you, and the fellows know it, and they try to
+play all sorts of tricks upon me. Do you really mean to be my chum,
+Rexworth?"</p>
+
+<p>"Really and truly! Now, let us go down, and then you can show me what
+the place is like," was Ralph's answer. And the two, descending to the
+playground were met by Warren, who stopped and looked from Ralph to
+Charlton, and then asked&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"I say, Rexworth, what have you been up to so soon? There is Dobson
+declaring that he will do all manner of things to you. You seem to have
+been having some fun already."</p>
+
+<p>So Ralph explained what had happened, and the monitor laughed until the
+tears ran down his cheeks.</p>
+
+<p>"Well, all I can say is that you are a cool hand," was his comment,
+"and I am not sorry that you have taught Dobson a lesson. You have not
+much to fear from him, but you will find that Elgert, for all he is an
+Honourable, has precious little honour about him. He will pay you back
+if he gets the chance, be sure of that. However," he went on, "I am
+glad that you<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_53" id="Page_53">[Pg 53]</a></span> two are chums, for I think you will like each other; but
+there is the bell for tea. Come on, or we shall be late."</p>
+
+<p>The rest of that day passed without further incident and at last the
+boys&mdash;evening preparation and supper over&mdash;went trooping to their
+dormitories, there to laugh and chat as they undressed; and many
+glances were bestowed upon Ralph. His exploit of that afternoon had
+been spoken of, and there was no attempt to play any jokes upon one who
+was prepared to take his own part so vigorously.</p>
+
+<p>But presently the laughing suddenly stopped, and something like a
+hush of surprise succeeded the noise. Warren seated on the edge of
+his bed, looked round to see what had happened&mdash;he thought that one
+of the masters had come in unexpectedly; but he saw his companions
+standing glancing across towards the spot where Ralph's bed was, and
+he, following their gaze, saw that the boy who was ready to face half a
+dozen of his companions, was down on his knees, his head bent upon his
+hands in prayer.</p>
+
+<p>Warren felt a thrill of shame. He was a real good lad at heart, but
+somehow he did not do that&mdash;none of them did&mdash;they thought that public
+prayers were enough; and yet he had promised his mother that each night
+he would kneel alone in prayer.</p>
+
+<p>Some of the boys were tittering, some looked grave. Warren suddenly
+found himself resolved. "If a thing should be done, do it at once," was
+his motto. He gave<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_54" id="Page_54">[Pg 54]</a></span> one hasty glance round, half ashamed, half defiant,
+and then, in the sight of all his companions, the Fourth Form monitor
+also knelt down by his bed, following the brave example set by Ralph
+Rexworth.</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_55" id="Page_55">[Pg 55]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><span>CHAPTER VI</span> <span class="smaller">AN EARLY MORNING SPIN</span></h2>
+
+<p>It was quite a common thing for new boys at Marlthorpe College to be
+made the victims of practical jokes during their first night in the
+school; but such was the impression which Ralph Rexworth had made, that
+no tricks were attempted with him. A boy who could take his own part so
+vigorously was not the sort that it was safe to take liberties with.</p>
+
+<p>Nor was that the only reason. With Dobson and his friends it was quite
+sufficient, but with the better boys, that quiet kneeling down to pray
+had not been without effect. Some of them recognized that to do that
+might require more courage than to deal as he had done with those who
+had invaded his study&mdash;a moral courage, far greater and better than a
+physical; and they realized that a boy who possessed that courage was
+not a fit subject for stupid jokes.</p>
+
+<p>So Ralph slept peacefully until the morning, when, used to early rising
+all his life, he opened his eyes before any of the other boys were
+awake.</p>
+
+<p>At first he felt puzzled with his surroundings, but he soon remembered;
+and propping himself upon his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_56" id="Page_56">[Pg 56]</a></span> elbow he lay watching the faces of the
+others, wondering what sort of lads they would prove to be, and how he
+should get on with them, and whether he would be able to master the
+lessons which they were engaged upon.</p>
+
+<p>Then he looked at Charlton, and thought how sad he looked, even in his
+sleep; and he noted how often he sighed. Perhaps he was dreaming of his
+father.</p>
+
+<p>That sent him thinking of his own father, and the mystery of his fate;
+and he pondered whether it would ever be possible for him&mdash;a lonely boy
+in this strange land&mdash;to find out the truth concerning his parent's
+disappearance. But he was not altogether alone; it was wrong to think
+of himself in that light. God had given him a friend in Mr. St. Clive,
+and another in Mrs. St. Clive, and yet a third&mdash;a very nice, lovable
+third&mdash;in Irene! Ralph, who had never had anything to do with girls,
+thought Irene the sweetest, dearest little friend that it would be
+possible to find.</p>
+
+<p>A bell rang, and his companions stretched and yawned and opened their
+eyes; and though some grunted and turned over again, determined to have
+every minute they could, several jumped up at once, and hastily pulling
+on their clothes began sluicing and splashing in good, honest, cold
+water.</p>
+
+<p>"Hallo! Awake? Slept well?" queried Warren seeing that Ralph was
+preparing to follow the example of these last boys. "Any one try any
+games with you in the night?" And he came and sat down on Ralph's<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_57" id="Page_57">[Pg 57]</a></span> bed,
+and grinned when the new boy answered that he had not been disturbed.</p>
+
+<p>"I suppose they thought better of it. That is your basin!" he added,
+pointing to one washstand. "Mind that they don't take all the water, or
+you will either have to sneak another fellow's, or go and get some more
+for yourself. Look sharp, and then we will go and have a turn with the
+bells, and a spin afterwards, I like to get all I can before breakfast;
+it seems to set a fellow up for the day."</p>
+
+<p>Ralph nodded, and began vigorously sluicing and polishing; and the
+boys, too busy about their own business, paid no attention to him. He
+was quite capable of looking after himself, in their opinion. At last,
+all ready to accompany the monitor, he quietly repeated his action of
+the previous night&mdash;he knelt down in prayer.</p>
+
+<p>That staggered even Warren. As a whole, the boys were good lads, but
+even those who had been accustomed to evening prayers in their homes
+did not seem to think that morning prayers were quite as important.
+They wanted to scramble off to play as quickly as possible. The Head
+always read prayers in school, and that was enough; and here was this
+new fellow wasting precious time in this way!</p>
+
+<p>A few sneered and giggled; some shrugged their shoulders, and ran off;
+some looked grave; and Warren sat nursing his foot, and pondering;
+while Charlton turned red.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_58" id="Page_58">[Pg 58]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>But they made no remarks; and when Ralph rose from his knees, the three
+went out together. Warren was turning over a decidedly new leaf. If he
+had not annoyed Charlton before, he had left him pretty much alone, and
+now he was admitting him to his company. Well, Charlton was Rexworth's
+chum, and if he wanted Rexworth he must have the chum as well.</p>
+
+<p>Charlton hardly expected the monitor to be friendly to him, but he
+waited for his chum, and Warren waited, too.</p>
+
+<p>"Let us get down and have a try at the bells," suggested the monitor,
+leading the way. And Ralph inquired innocently&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Ringing bells, do you mean?"</p>
+
+<p>Whereat Warren stared, and felt just a little less respect for the
+new boy. What sort of a fellow could he be if he didn't know what
+dumb-bells were?</p>
+
+<p>"Ringing bells?" he repeated. "No; dumb-bells&mdash;exercises, you know!
+Come on, I will show you."</p>
+
+<p>"I never saw bells like those," was Ralph's comment, when a pair was
+produced. "How do you use them?"</p>
+
+<p>Warren went through a set of exercises, and then handed them to Ralph,
+who laughed, and said&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Why, they don't weigh anything! I don't see much exercise in this!"</p>
+
+<p>"They are six-pounders," was the answer; "quite as heavy as you will
+want. Now try this exercise&mdash;do it a dozen times."</p>
+
+<p>Warren showed Ralph the right way, and off he went;<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_59" id="Page_59">[Pg 59]</a></span> Charlton, who had
+also got a pair of bells, doing the same. And, to Ralph Rexworth's
+surprise, he found that those weights at which he had laughed soon made
+him feel tired, and that Charlton could keep on longer than he could.
+He could not understand that.</p>
+
+<p>"I don't see why it should be," he said.</p>
+
+<p>And a voice replied&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Because you are exercising muscles which you have not tried much
+before, my lad." And he turned, to see Mr. Delermain watching him.</p>
+
+<p>"Try again," said the master. "Only once; this sort of thing must be
+done gradually. Go slow, and take time."</p>
+
+<p>Ralph obeyed: but dumb-bells certainly made his arms ache. And then
+Warren suggested Indian clubs.</p>
+
+<p>"Indian clubs," repeated Ralph, "and what are they? I never saw the
+Indians use clubs. They have knives and hatchets, and spears and bows,
+and some of them use guns, too, and shoot wonderfully well; but I never
+saw them use clubs."</p>
+
+<p>Now that speech caused a smile, but it was a very respectful smile; for
+here was a boy who had actually seen real Indians. That was something,
+even if he did not know what Indian clubs were!</p>
+
+<p>However, the clubs were produced, and Ralph was shown how to swing
+them. And, as a natural result of his first attempt, he hit his head a
+smart crack, evoking a burst of laughter thereby.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_60" id="Page_60">[Pg 60]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Slow and steady," he answered; "I shall get it in time. I don't
+understand these things; but if you get me a coil of rope, I will show
+you one or two little things that I do not think any of you can do."</p>
+
+<p>"A coil of rope&mdash;that is easily supplied," said Mr. Delermain; and
+when it was brought, he said: "Now, Rexworth, let us see what you can
+do." And all the boys stood round while Ralph took the rope and made a
+running noose at one end.</p>
+
+<p>"Give me plenty of room," he said, and he commenced to whirl the noose
+round and round his head, letting the rope run out as he did so; until
+at last he held the very end in his hand, and the rest was twirling
+round and round him in a perfect circle.</p>
+
+<p>"One of you try to do that," he said.</p>
+
+<p>And try they did, in vain. They could not even get it to go in a
+circle, and it made their arms ache dreadfully.</p>
+
+<p>Then he made the circle spin round him on its edge just as if that rope
+was a hoop; and afterwards he actually jumped through it as it was
+going, explaining that the cowboys on the ranches frequently indulged
+in such tricks as these, and were experts at it&mdash;far more so than the
+Indians themselves.</p>
+
+<p>Then nothing would do but that he must show them how a lasso was
+thrown. And though several, including the master, essayed to try, not
+one of them was able to send the noose over Ralph's shoulders, though<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_61" id="Page_61">[Pg 61]</a></span>
+he caught them, one after the other, without the slightest trouble.</p>
+
+<p>"It is what one is used to," he said laughing. "I have not had much to
+do with bells and clubs&mdash;nothing to do with them, indeed&mdash;but I have
+played with a rope all my life."</p>
+
+<p>Dobson had come in with his friends, and he stood and glared. Elgert
+came in, and looked angry. This new boy was evidently on the way
+to become a favourite in the school, and, unless something was
+done, he might rival them. Though just then they did not speak to
+each other about it, both Dobson and Elgert arrived at the same
+conclusion&mdash;namely, that something should be done, and that Ralph
+Rexworth should be humbled and disgraced.</p>
+
+<p>Then Warren suggested a spin, and of course Charlton went, and two or
+three other boys&mdash;who found Ralph very good company&mdash;had to come too;
+and since they did come, they could not ignore the boy they had all
+neglected in the past. Poor Charlton, he could hardly understand it, it
+almost frightened him!</p>
+
+<p>It was delightful out in the fields, in the fresh morning, with the dew
+still sparkling on the leaves, and with the air full of the songs of
+the wild birds. There is a charm and sweetness and delight about the
+early morning which they who are late risers have no idea of. It sets
+the nerves tingling and the blood dancing, and makes one feel as if he
+were walking on air, and not on solid earth.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_62" id="Page_62">[Pg 62]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Away they went across the playing field, and out on the common, on
+towards Great Stow; arms well back, shoulders square, bodies gently
+sloped, going with good, long, swinging strides.</p>
+
+<p>Ralph was in his element now, for running, equally with rope work, was
+an accomplishment practised by all those amongst whom he had lived. A
+very necessary accomplishment, seeing that the ability to run swiftly,
+and to keep up without fagging, might mean all the difference between
+life and death in a land where the natives were quarrelsome and quite
+ready to go upon the warpath upon the least provocation.</p>
+
+<p>Some of the boys outstripped him at the first go off, but he kept on
+running low, swinging well from the hips, and those who had gone with
+a spurt at first soon found that he could, to use Warren's expression,
+"run circles round them, and then beat them hollow."</p>
+
+<p>But presently Ralph slackened his speed, for he had noticed that
+Charlton was fagged, and he&mdash;having pledged himself to be the boy's
+chum&mdash;was not going to desert him. The rest were by no means sorry to
+stop; for though their pride would not allow them to give in, they
+had all had nearly enough of it. And panting, laughing, happy in all
+their youthful strength and spirits, they pulled up and wiped the
+perspiration from their foreheads.</p>
+
+<p>"Let us go over to Tibb's Farm, and get a drink of milk; and then
+we must be getting back, or we<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_63" id="Page_63">[Pg 63]</a></span> shall get slated and be late for
+breakfast, and that won't do," directed Warren, and the others agreed.</p>
+
+<p>The farm was but a short distance away, and it was evident that this
+visit was nothing out of the ordinary; for the farmer's wife smiled,
+and produced tumblers of milk and wedges of cake, and charged the boys
+a penny each&mdash;which certainly was not exorbitant.</p>
+
+<p>And the way they got rid of that cake! And they were going home to
+breakfast!&mdash;ay, and would be able to eat it, too, cake notwithstanding!
+So much results from getting up early!</p>
+
+<p>Perhaps it was because of his exhibition with the rope&mdash;perhaps it was
+the run; but as Ralph sat there his thoughts went back to his trouble.</p>
+
+<p>How often had he been out in the early morning on the hot plains alone
+with his father! And how once when the grass caught fire, they had to
+run for dear life and take shelter in the creek until the fiery sea had
+swept by! And now, now, where&mdash;oh, where&mdash;was that father? It would
+come back, try to be as brave as he would. It would come back, and his
+heart would suddenly fill with pain, and cry out for that lost father.</p>
+
+<p>"Time's up!" sang out Warren, stuffing the last of his cake into his
+mouth. "Now, you fellows, come on!"</p>
+
+<p>Off they went with a whoop and hallo! Perhaps not quite so fast now,
+for cake and milk interfere somewhat with scudding. And Ralph, now with
+his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_64" id="Page_64">[Pg 64]</a></span> chum and Warren, suddenly stopped, staring hard on the ground.</p>
+
+<p>His companions could see nothing, and looked at him in surprise. Their
+eyes had never been trained to read the surface of the earth. But Ralph
+had suddenly lighted upon a freshly made trail. A trap had gone along
+here&mdash;a light trap, like that which had left those other traces in Stow
+Wood; and this trap, like that again, had been drawn by a horse lame in
+its left forefoot!</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_65" id="Page_65">[Pg 65]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><span>CHAPTER VII</span> <span class="smaller">HORACE ELGERT GOES A LITTLE TOO FAR</span></h2>
+
+<p>"What's the matter, Rexworth?"</p>
+
+<p>So queried Warren. Ralph was standing anxiously looking around. He was
+perplexed, and did not know what he ought to do. These marks might
+afford him a clue to the mystery of his father's disappearance; and yet
+the chance seemed but slight, there were more horses than one going
+lame in one leg. If he stopped he would be late for school, and he did
+not want to get into disgrace.</p>
+
+<p>He could not explain to his companions, for he saw that if he was
+ever to succeed he must keep his secrets to himself. A casual word,
+heedlessly dropped, that he was looking for a lame horse which drew a
+light trap might be enough to make the owner of horse and trap very
+careful that he should not be traced.</p>
+
+<p>"It was nothing," he said slowly. "I was thinking."</p>
+
+<p>"Then don't stop to think now," was the advice he received. "We have
+been a little too far. You scudded along so, and we tried to beat you.
+We cannot waste any more time. Come on."</p>
+
+<p>He went on with his friends. He felt that it was<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_66" id="Page_66">[Pg 66]</a></span> right to do so.
+Moreover, the man with the horse and trap must be in the locality
+still, and if he was not scared off, those tracks would be made again,
+perhaps even more clearly, and Ralph might then have better opportunity
+of following them. It was the right thing to go back to the school now.</p>
+
+<p>"I say," suddenly queried Warren, as they hurried on. "Has Elgert said
+anything more to you?"</p>
+
+<p>"No; I have not seen him, except just as we were coming out, when he
+came into the gymnasium."</p>
+
+<p>"Well, he is bound to do so, after what happened yesterday. I do not
+see how he can help it, or how you can avoid it. You will have to fight
+him, Rexworth."</p>
+
+<p>"I am sorry to hear you say that, for I don't want to be fighting if
+I can help it, and I would far rather be friends with&mdash;&mdash;" He paused.
+He was going to say "friends with him." But that was not true. He felt
+that, apart from anything which had happened yesterday, he could not be
+friends with the son of a man who had said that his father was a thief.</p>
+
+<p>"I don't want to fight him," he said slowly; and Warren nodded.</p>
+
+<p>"I know; but if he challenges you, what then?"</p>
+
+<p>Ralph looked grave. No boy likes to be thought a coward; but still he
+did not want to fight.</p>
+
+<p>"If I can get out of it I shall," he said: and the monitor looked just
+a trifle disappointed, while one or two of the boys laughed.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_67" id="Page_67">[Pg 67]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"It is not that I am afraid of him," Ralph said hastily. "It is that I
+don't want to begin fighting, if I can avoid it."</p>
+
+<p>"For goodness' sake, then, keep out of his way, and don't let him
+get to know that, for if Elgert thinks that he can do it without the
+chance of a row following, he is bound to challenge you. He is bound
+to, anyhow, so far as I can see, and it won't be nice for a fellow in
+the Fourth to refuse a challenge from the Fifth. If it was one of the
+youngsters in the Third, it would be different. No one would say that
+we were frightened to fight them; but in the Fifth they are bound to
+say that it was fear, and&mdash;&mdash; Hurry up, you chaps, there is the bell
+going!"</p>
+
+<p>A scamper, fast as they could go, and they trooped in to breakfast, so
+hungry, spite of cake and milk, that not even the troubled question
+of the probable challenge could disturb their appetites. Only Warren
+looked across to where Horace Elgert sat, and he muttered to himself&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"I wish that we hadn't talked of it before the others. If one of them
+lets out that Rexworth will not fight, Elgert is sure to make no end of
+it. I understand why Rexworth don't like it, and it is all right, but
+still&mdash;oh, he will have to fight, like it or not, and that is all about
+it."</p>
+
+<p>Morning lessons occupied their thoughts after breakfast, and Ralph
+found himself quite eager to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_68" id="Page_68">[Pg 68]</a></span> master the things which, while they were
+hard to him, seemed easy to his companions. He had already determined
+that he would excel with dumb-bells and Indian clubs, and now it was
+just the same with lessons. He hated to be beaten, and he was not going
+to be beaten.</p>
+
+<p>And already he reaped the reward of having put in a couple of hours'
+study the evening before, with Charlton to lend him a hand. He was
+praised by Mr. Delermain, and rose rapidly from the bottom of the class
+towards the top, and, thanks to his firmness the day before, he had no
+more of the unpleasantness with Dobson, who remained persistently at
+the very bottom of the class.</p>
+
+<p>Slow and steady, he found the best way, doing each thing thoroughly,
+and thinking only of one thing at a time; and that is always the best
+way, not only to learn, but to do everything in life.</p>
+
+<p>He was quite surprised when the bell rang&mdash;the morning seemed to have
+slipped away, and he put his books away and went, Charlton with him,
+into the playground.</p>
+
+<p>"I don't know how I should have got on if you had not helped me last
+night, and I am very much obliged to you," he said. And the other boy
+smiled. It was very nice to hear any one say that he had been of use to
+them.</p>
+
+<p>The pair sauntered across the playground, and presently they saw
+that Horace Elgert and some of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_69" id="Page_69">[Pg 69]</a></span> his chums were coming towards them,
+and Ralph stopped, a strange, firm look on his face, and awaited his
+approach.</p>
+
+<p>Up the others came, and Elgert, hands in pockets, addressed him&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"I want a word with you. You know what we have got to do. You cheeked
+me last night, and you have got either to thrash me or be thrashed."</p>
+
+<p>Elgert spoke very confidently, for, as Warren had feared, he had heard
+that it was unlikely that Ralph would fight him.</p>
+
+<p>"It is this, then," replied Ralph quietly. "You mean that we have got
+to fight?"</p>
+
+<p>Elgert looked round and laughed. A whole lot of the boys had come up,
+seeing them standing there, and knowing what they would be talking
+about.</p>
+
+<p>"Hear him!" he said. "How innocent! He cheeks me last night, and then
+asks if I mean we have got to fight! Yes, I do mean it! After afternoon
+school, the other side of the playing-field; and make up your mind for
+a thrashing!"</p>
+
+<p>"I have not the slightest wish to fight you. I was going to say that I
+had not any intention of fighting you," said Ralph.</p>
+
+<p>And some of the boys groaned, and muttered "Coward!"</p>
+
+<p>"I don't care whether you have wish or intention," replied Elgert, in
+truculent tones. "I have both<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_70" id="Page_70">[Pg 70]</a></span> wish and intention of thrashing you, and
+so you have got to put up with it, and afterwards beg my pardon. Do you
+hear that?"</p>
+
+<p>"I hear," was the quiet reply.</p>
+
+<p>And Ralph's eyes sparkled slightly.</p>
+
+<p>"Very well. This afternoon, the other side of the playing-field; and
+you mind that you are there, for it will be worse for you if I have to
+come and find you! That is all."</p>
+
+<p>And round swung Elgert on his heel and walked off, leaving Ralph
+standing unmoved by his angry, insulting tones.</p>
+
+<p>But if Ralph was unmoved, his companions in the Fourth were not, and
+Warren said, almost entreatingly, as he caught hold of Ralph's arm&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Look here, Rexworth, you must fight him after that! It is no good
+talking, you must fight him!"</p>
+
+<p>A statement which was received with approval by all the others there.</p>
+
+<p>"Well," said Ralph, "if I must, I must. I don't want to, though."</p>
+
+<p>"But for the honour of the class you must, or we shall never hear the
+last of it from them. You will meet him where he said?"</p>
+
+<p>"Not I!" laughed Ralph. "If I must fight, I must; but I am not going to
+be ordered about by him; and I am not going to do anything which makes
+it look as though I were a party to the fight. If he wants me, he must
+come and find me, as he<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_71" id="Page_71">[Pg 71]</a></span> threatened to do. There, we will say no more
+about it now."</p>
+
+<p>"He will do it all right," reflected Warren. "Elgert will find that he
+has gone a trifle too far."</p>
+
+<p>The afternoon passed away in study, and whatever any of the others
+may have felt of anxiety or interest in the likelihood of the fight,
+certainly Ralph did not let it trouble him. He was engaged with some
+sums which worried him a trifle, and when once one of his neighbours
+whispered to him in reference to the combat, Ralph glared at him, and
+requested him to be quiet in a manner which there was no gainsaying.
+One thing at a time with Ralph.</p>
+
+<p>But when the work of the day was finally over, he strolled calmly
+into the playground, calling to Charlton to accompany him. Charlton,
+who looked so terribly anxious, realized that Ralph must fight, and
+yet dreaded the issue, for Elgert was no mean foe. Charlton, who, in
+self-reproach, thought that it was all his fault&mdash;that it was only
+because Ralph had stood up for him concerning the study.</p>
+
+<p>"I say, Charlton, I want you just to show me how to get on with
+cricket," Ralph said. "Every one seems to play; but I cannot make
+anything out of it, except that you have to hit the ball, and run if
+you can."</p>
+
+<p>Charlton beamed; this was a delightful experience for him, and he at
+once led the way to the playroom, and secured one of the school sets.</p>
+
+<p>"Come in!" he said. "I will soon explain the rules<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_72" id="Page_72">[Pg 72]</a></span> to you, and you can
+try batting. I will bowl for you as long as you like."</p>
+
+<p>Perhaps Ralph was conscious that he was being covertly observed by many
+anxious eyes; but he gave no sign, nor did he move a hairsbreadth when
+presently he saw Horace Elgert coming in his direction, a curious and
+somewhat eager crowd at his heels.</p>
+
+<p>"Go on, Charlton, don't stop," he said very quietly, for his chum had
+stopped, and was fingering the ball nervously. "Fire away!"</p>
+
+<p>The lad would have obeyed, but Elgert had arrived, and he gripped the
+weaker lad's arm and twisted the ball out of his hand.</p>
+
+<p>"You clear off!" he said. "We don't want one of your sort here."</p>
+
+<p>But Ralph remarked quietly&mdash;so very quietly: "Charlton, you stay where
+you are."</p>
+
+<p>"Be off!" again said Elgert; and raised his hand, to find that not
+Charlton but Ralph was before him, and to hear that quiet voice say
+again&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Charlton, if you budge an inch, I'll thrash you myself. Neither you
+nor I can be ordered about, unless the fellow who does the ordering is
+able to enforce his demands."</p>
+
+<p>Elgert paused then. He was not a coward, but there was something very
+disconcerting in this quiet bearing, especially when he called to mind
+the fact that Ralph had not been frightened the evening before.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_73" id="Page_73">[Pg 73]</a></span> He had
+determined to fight, and then he had heard that Ralph was afraid, and
+he had acted upon that information; and now Ralph was not afraid, not
+in the least. And indeed, instead of being afraid, he was asking, still
+quietly&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Now, Horace Elgert, I am tired of this rubbish. What do you mean by
+it?"</p>
+
+<p>"Didn't I tell you to come and meet me the other side of the
+playground?"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes. And I decline to do anything of the sort. When people want me,
+they generally come to me, not order me to go to them."</p>
+
+<p>"Well, I have come: and now I am going to thrash you!"</p>
+
+<p>"I see. Start right away; don't wait for me!"</p>
+
+<p>Some of the Fourths laughed. This was quite unexpected. Elgert was
+manifestly disappointed, but he turned red.</p>
+
+<p>"We don't generally fight here," he said. "Will you come over?"</p>
+
+<p>"No, I will not. I will not budge an inch. I don't want to fight; but
+if you start it, it must be here. And if you don't stand aside and let
+us go on with our game there will be trouble!"</p>
+
+<p>"You fellows can laugh!" suddenly blazed Elgert, turning towards the
+grinning Fourths. "A nice thing to laugh at! He has got the proper
+chum&mdash;that's one thing! We all know about Charlton,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_74" id="Page_74">[Pg 74]</a></span> and why no one
+will chum with him; and this chap is not much better. I saw my pater at
+dinner-time, and a fine way he was in when I told him of the new boy we
+had.</p>
+
+<p>"You know the yarn he told about his father disappearing? Where has he
+gone to? People don't disappear in England, unless they want to! My
+pater says that a burglar broke into our house, and that he fired at
+him and hit him; and he says, from the description, that the burglar
+must have been the man that came to Stow Ormond with this chap, and
+passed as his father, and&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"Stop!" said Ralph, very quietly still, but with an ominous expression
+of face.</p>
+
+<p>But Elgert laughed contemptuously.</p>
+
+<p>"Why, I don't know that I would soil my hands fighting with the son, or
+the associate, of a thief!" he said.</p>
+
+<p>And then, suddenly forgetting everything in the feeling of hot
+indignation which overwhelmed him, Ralph Rexworth raised his hand, and
+in a moment his taunting enemy lay prostrate on the ground.</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_75" id="Page_75">[Pg 75]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><span>CHAPTER VIII</span> <span class="smaller">A MYSTERIOUS MIDNIGHT VISITOR</span></h2>
+
+<p>"Hurrah!"</p>
+
+<p>"Bravo, Rexworth!"</p>
+
+<p>"Now, you Fifths, does your man want to fight?"</p>
+
+<p>Such were the gleeful shouts of the Fourth when they beheld Horace
+Elgert on the ground. And the Fifths, alarmed for the honour of their
+class, rushed to pick up their fallen champion, saying&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Don't make such a row! Of course he will fight. Get over to the other
+side, where we shall not be seen, and we will come!"</p>
+
+<p>But Ralph would not listen to any such arguments. He stood there,
+looking down at his fallen foe, and he said shortly&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"You fellows will please to mind your own business! I am going nowhere
+to fight until this chap has apologized, then, if a fight is wanted, we
+will move!"</p>
+
+<p>"But you cannot fight here! The Head will see us!" cried a score of
+voices.</p>
+
+<p>"I cannot help that! This fellow has told a lie about my father, and he
+has got to unsay it, or take the consequences! I suppose that he thinks
+I was<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_76" id="Page_76">[Pg 76]</a></span> afraid because I tried to avoid a fight the very first day of
+being at school. Well, I am not afraid! If he had only talked about me
+I might have taken no notice, but when he comes to speaking as he has
+done he is going too far, and he has got to take back his words now, or
+finish it here!"</p>
+
+<p>Meanwhile, Elgert had struggled to his feet, and he looked dazed from
+the effects of the blow, while his face was already growing swollen and
+discoloured.</p>
+
+<p>"Stand aside!" he said hoarsely. "I will fight him here! If the Head
+himself were looking on, I would fight him!"</p>
+
+<p>"You are a pair of fools!" muttered a Fifth-Form monitor. "We shall
+be spotted, for a certainty, and all of us get carpeted for this! Go
+calmly, you silly fellow, or he will smash you!" and he broke off in
+his complaint to give this last advice to Elgert, who had rushed at his
+opponent, mad with pain and anger, and had gone down for the second
+time!</p>
+
+<p>"Look out! I knew how it would be! Here comes the Head!" shouted one
+boy; and a hurried rush took place, leaving the two boys and Warren and
+Charlton alone when the master reached the spot.</p>
+
+<p>"Elgert! Rexworth!" he exclaimed in tones of displeasure. "What
+does this mean? You, too, Warren! You, a monitor of the Fourth, and
+encouraging a new boy in fighting! I am displeased, indeed!"</p>
+
+<p>"It is my fault, in one way, sir," replied Ralph,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_77" id="Page_77">[Pg 77]</a></span> without waiting
+for the others to speak. "Elgert said something concerning my father
+which angered me, and I struck him. He wanted me to come across the
+playground and fight where we would not be seen, but I was angry, and
+would not do so."</p>
+
+<p>Something like a smile played across the grave face for a moment as the
+Head heard this speech.</p>
+
+<p>"You boys seem to think that if I do not see you fight no offence is
+committed. You do not recognize the fact that fighting in itself is
+poor, and low, and degrading. I know that boys settle their quarrels
+in this manner, but I decry it. Now, the fact of fighting here is a
+double offence, for you are within sight of my study window. I am sorry
+that it has happened, but I will overlook it on condition that you and
+Elgert shake hands."</p>
+
+<p>"I cannot do that, sir," was Ralph's respectful answer; and Elgert on
+his part, said:</p>
+
+<p>"I will not do it!"</p>
+
+<p>"Boys, boys! 'Cannot,' and 'will not!' Neither expression is seemly!
+You will go to your respective studies and remain there until you are
+in better minds!"</p>
+
+<p>"It is not that I am angry, sir," Ralph said, very respectfully. "This
+boy has said that my father is a common thief!" Ralph's voice shook
+just a little as the words came. "He says that his disappearance is due
+to that! You must see, sir, that I cannot shake hands with him after
+that!"</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_78" id="Page_78">[Pg 78]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Elgert, what have you to say to this?" demanded the Head sternly; and
+Elgert stammered&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"I didn't exactly say that, sir."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, you did!" blurted Warren. "He did say it, sir, and he has been
+trying to get up this fight! It is no use denying it. It began because
+Rexworth turned him and some more out of the study he shares with
+Charlton. They say enough unkind things about him," he added. "There
+was a bit of a bother, and Elgert got knocked over, and he challenged
+Rexworth to fight him after school to-day. Rexworth, would not do it,
+and he said that if a fight was forced upon him it should be wherever
+he chanced to be at that moment. Elgert came here and began sneering
+and saying unkind things, and then Rexworth struck him, and that is all
+the truth. I know that I ought to have tried to stop it, but we and the
+Fifth don't get on well, and so&mdash;and so&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"Because of class rivalry you allowed your companion to fight. It is
+not right, Warren! Monitors should try to enforce the rules, not to
+break them. Elgert, you will do me two hundred lines, and be good
+enough to remember that if I consider any boy fit to become a scholar
+here it is not for you to make such statements as you appear to have
+done."</p>
+
+<p>"I only said what my father told me!" sulkily answered Elgert; and the
+Head frowned.</p>
+
+<p>"What you and your father may say in private is no concern of mine,
+Elgert," he replied coldly;<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_79" id="Page_79">[Pg 79]</a></span> "what you repeat in public here is another
+matter, with which I have to do! Do your imposition and bring it to
+me before class to-morrow, and mind that I have no more of this. You
+other lads, I will overlook this in your case this time, seeing that it
+appears that violent provocation was given; but, mind, there must be no
+more fighting in the playground boundaries! See that I am obeyed!" And
+the Head turned away.</p>
+
+<p>"Don't think that we have finished yet!" said Horace Elgert, looking
+darkly at Ralph. "I will have my revenge for this, as sure as you are
+standing there!" and, with that he went.</p>
+
+<p>And the three Fourth-Form boys went indoors; while the rest of the
+lads, who had scattered, came back eagerly discussing what punishment
+the offenders would receive.</p>
+
+<p>And the general verdict was, "It served Elgert right, and that he had
+no business to have spoken as he had done!"</p>
+
+<p>"But suppose it is right?" queried one lad. "You know, there is
+something queer about it!"</p>
+
+<p>"Something very queer," said another; "but that story is all nonsense!
+My dad knows Mr. St. Clive very well, and he told him all the story and
+how there was plenty of money in Mr. Rexworth's possession. Besides,
+any one with eyes can see that Rexworth is a gentleman, even if he has
+some strange ways through living abroad. Elgert is too fond of thinking
+he is<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_80" id="Page_80">[Pg 80]</a></span> all the world and every one else dirt beneath his feet. It
+serves him jolly well right!"</p>
+
+<p>"Well, there is one thing," admitted a third boy, "that fellow Rexworth
+may be queer in some ways, but he is no fool when it comes to a
+scrimmage, and he knows how to defend himself! I don't think any of us
+are likely to try for a row with him after what we have seen!"</p>
+
+<p>Meanwhile, Ralph, ignorant of the criticisms which were being made
+in his favour, had gone to his own study. He felt sorry for what had
+occurred, and the cruel words which had been spoken had gone like
+arrows to his heart and brought back all his trouble. He felt like
+running away to Mrs. St. Clive and getting her to comfort him.</p>
+
+<p>And then Charlton came in, very gently, as if half afraid to intrude
+his presence upon his chum. He came and bent over Ralph's chair,
+putting one hand on his shoulder, and whispered&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Ralph, I am so sorry! Don't you worry about it!"</p>
+
+<p>Ralph looked up, and a brave smile came to his lips.</p>
+
+<p>"Hallo! Is it you, Charlton?" he said. "No, I won't worry about it; but
+I am sorry that I have commenced my school life so badly. There, we
+won't think of it any more! If you are not busy, you might just lend
+me a hand with to-morrow's exercises. If it were speaking French or
+Spanish, I should be all<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_81" id="Page_81">[Pg 81]</a></span> right, but I don't seem to understand Latin
+in the slightest."</p>
+
+<p>"Let us go through it," replied Charlton eagerly. "I shall be glad to
+do it."</p>
+
+<p>So troubles were forgotten, and the chums bent over the table and soon
+became absorbed in their task. Learning lessons is not anything like so
+bad when you put your heart into it.</p>
+
+<p>So the evening passed, and bed-time came; and once more Ralph knelt
+down to offer up his evening prayers. And not only Warren and Charlton,
+but some other boys followed his example now, for his action had
+reproached them and made them think soberly of things which they had
+been careless about all too long.</p>
+
+<p>But Ralph was not easy in his mind. Somehow, he felt that he had no
+kindly thought for Elgert&mdash;and he had been praying to be forgiven, as
+he forgave his enemies! That was a very troublesome thought, and it was
+still in his mind when he fell asleep.</p>
+
+<p class="center">*&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;*&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;*&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;*&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;*</p>
+
+<p>What was that noise?</p>
+
+<p>Ralph Rexworth sat up in bed, and listened. Accustomed to wake at the
+slightest noise that might betoken danger, and to wake with all his
+senses about him, he had been disturbed by a strange, scraping sound,
+the cause of which he could not think of.</p>
+
+<p>Only one dim point of light burnt in the dormitory, and all was still
+there save for the breathing of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_82" id="Page_82">[Pg 82]</a></span> sleepers. It was no sound of that
+sort which had awakened him.</p>
+
+<p>There it was again&mdash;outside! He remembered having heard a sound like
+that once before&mdash;when the Indians had risen and come to attack the
+ranch. He had laid and listened to them as they crawled over the tops
+of the sheds, and the sound was like that! It was from outside! He
+rose, and creeping to the window, he lifted one corner of the blind,
+and peeped out.</p>
+
+<p>Nothing there&mdash;stay, that was wrong! Surely that was a ladder propped
+against the wall? What was a ladder doing there, for there was none
+there the evening before! And the window there was open! Some one must
+have got in at that window!</p>
+
+<p>Was it one of the boys who had been up to mischief, or, it seemed
+absurd, was some thief breaking in? Thieves did not, as a rule, break
+into schools!</p>
+
+<p>He was half inclined to raise an alarm. But the thought came, that if
+this was some midnight escapade on the part of some of the boys, to do
+that might be to get them into disgrace&mdash;to make more enemies, and to
+interfere in what did not concern him.</p>
+
+<p>That was a window just outside the Fifth-Form dormitory, too! Elgert
+might be in it, and he did not want to be the means of getting him into
+any more trouble.</p>
+
+<p>But suppose that it was a thief? Ralph crept to the door and opened it
+noiselessly. He peered down the corridor, but nothing was to be seen or
+heard.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_83" id="Page_83">[Pg 83]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Stop! Surely he did hear a faint sound&mdash;a very faint sound! He felt
+that he must go and see; a strange, uneasy feeling had possessed him; a
+strange presentiment that all was not right.</p>
+
+<p>He crept down the passage, and turned towards the Fifth-Form dormitory,
+and a breath of cold air met him. The window was open, and the top of a
+ladder could be seen&mdash;and the door of the dormitory was open also!</p>
+
+<p>With cautious, stealthy steps he crept on, pausing once when the boards
+creaked beneath his weight. There was something eerie in being here
+alone at midnight; it was worse than being out alone on the plains.</p>
+
+<p>He reached the door, and peered into the dormitory with its long row
+of sleeping boys there. There was nothing here in the shape of a lark
+going on. All was still and silent.</p>
+
+<p>There was his enemy lying asleep, his handsome face just catching a
+glimmer of moonlight which found its way through the blind; and as
+Ralph looked he saw a strange apparition&mdash;a man slowly appeared, rising
+at the side of the bed! A man with pillow in his hands, which he was
+about to press down upon that sleeping boy! A man going to murder
+Horace Elgert!</p>
+
+<p>Like a flash the truth burst upon the watching boy, and, with a loud
+cry, he threw the door wide open and rushed into the dormitory.</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_84" id="Page_84">[Pg 84]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><span>CHAPTER IX</span> <span class="smaller">ALTOGETHER BEYOND EXPLANATION</span></h2>
+
+<p>"Thieves!"</p>
+
+<p>"Fire!"</p>
+
+<p>"Help! Help!"</p>
+
+<p>The whole house was aroused. The cries of confusion and alarm coming
+from the Fifth Form dormitory were repeated by others who, entirely
+ignorant as to what was the matter, and aroused from slumber by the
+noise, tumbled from their beds and rushed out wildly, under the
+impression that nothing less than the house being ablaze could account
+for the cry.</p>
+
+<p>The doctor and masters came hurrying to the spot; and while the
+Head ran to the Fifth Form room, the master got the other boys into
+something like order, ready to be marched quietly downstairs if the
+alarm of fire should prove to be well founded.</p>
+
+<p>The first thing that the doctor noted was the open window and the
+ladder, and the next, that a confused babel of sound was going on in
+the Fifth's room; and as he strode to the door he was met, full tilt,
+by a boy with torn clothes, apparently seeking to free himself from the
+grasp of half a dozen Fifth Form boys.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_85" id="Page_85">[Pg 85]</a></span> To his bewilderment, the Head
+saw that this boy was his new scholar, Ralph Rexworth.</p>
+
+<p>His strong hand gripped the boy's arm, and his voice thundered out a
+command for silence, which the boys obeyed all save Ralph, who cried&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"If you do not follow him at once, he will be off, sir! These fellows
+stopped me, and he has got a good start!"</p>
+
+<p>"He! Who?" cried the Head. And the boy replied&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"The man who was in the Fifth, sir. He knocked me down, and bolted; and
+then the boys woke, and got me, and would not let me go!"</p>
+
+<p>"You have been dreaming, boy. Silence, all! Kesterway, you are head
+monitor. Explain to me! All boys from other Forms back to their rooms;
+there is no cause for any alarm. At once, please! Now, Kesterway!"</p>
+
+<p>"I can tell you nothing, sir. I heard a noise, and woke; and there was
+Elgert, and one or two others holding a boy who kicked and struggled;
+and just as I jumped out of bed and ran round, he broke away and rushed
+for the door."</p>
+
+<p>"It was Rexworth, sir!" cried one boy. "He was in our room trying to
+play some trick upon Elgert. They have been having a row, sir."</p>
+
+<p>"Will you have the goodness to hold your tongue, sir!" exclaimed the
+master, a trifle irritably; and the boy subsided at once.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_86" id="Page_86">[Pg 86]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Elgert, what have you to say? Did this boy attempt to play any tricks
+on you?"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, sir! I was asleep and I was aroused by a violent cry and a blow,
+and some one was struggling on my bed, as if he had jumped on and
+was trying to hold me down; I gripped hold of him, and found it was
+Rexworth. The other fellows woke, and began crying out; and then, when
+they found who it was that had made the row, they got angry and went
+for him!"</p>
+
+<p>"That will do. Now you, sir, what have you to say? Speak up, and
+tell the truth! Why have you disturbed the whole household in this
+disgraceful manner?"</p>
+
+<p>So the doctor asked, and terribly angry did he look; but very different
+was his expression when he had heard Ralph's story. It sounded
+incredible that any one should attempt to enter the school for the
+deliberate purpose of injuring any boy; and he would have put the story
+down as a fabrication, but there was the plain evidence in the shape of
+the open window and the ladder.</p>
+
+<p>If Ralph had invented it, he must have managed to leave the house, drag
+the ladder across the playground, raise it to the window, and then go
+back and open that window; and that also seemed absolutely impossible.</p>
+
+<p>"I saw the man, sir!" the lad said; "he was creeping on his hands and
+knees, and when he got to Elgert's<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_87" id="Page_87">[Pg 87]</a></span> bed he got up, and he had a pillow.
+He was going to smother Elgert. He dropped the pillow when I shouted
+and ran in. It is by the bed now. I tried to clutch him, sir, but he
+was too strong. He struck me, and knocked me over on top of Elgert, and
+then they held me and actually let him escape. He darted away like a
+flash, sir; and I expect that he is far enough away by now!"</p>
+
+<p>Bewilderment, incredulity, wonder, all were depicted upon the faces of
+those who listened; but Elgert actually laughed in the Head's presence,
+and asked how any one could be expected to believe such a story.</p>
+
+<p>"Who is there who would want to harm me, sir?" he said. "Why, it is
+really absurd to think of such a thing! I have had a row with this boy,
+as you know, and I suppose that he wanted to play a trick on me, and
+quite forgot the row that would be made."</p>
+
+<p>"Be good enough to keep your remarks to yourself, until I ask for your
+opinion, Elgert!" said the Head sternly. "Now, all you boys, back to
+bed! In the morning I will go into the matter properly. To bed at once!"</p>
+
+<p>It was all very well to say "to bed," but "to sleep" was quite another
+matter. Sleep seemed banished from most eyes; and in the Fourth, Ralph
+was plied with question after question, until at last he positively
+refused to talk any more.</p>
+
+<p>Truth to tell, Ralph was somewhat disgusted. He<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_88" id="Page_88">[Pg 88]</a></span> had done more than
+most boys would have risked; and had it not been for him, Elgert would
+have been murdered, and this was the best thanks he received!</p>
+
+<p>And yet, as he thought of it, it seemed quite natural to him. After
+all, it was a very mysterious business; and if people did not believe
+it, it was not to be wondered at. He would wait patiently until the
+morning; and then, if the doctor did not believe him, it would not be
+his fault.</p>
+
+<p>And when morning came, and breakfast was over, the Head sent for Ralph,
+and again listened to his story, and questioned him closely; and he
+felt convinced that the boy was indeed speaking the truth.</p>
+
+<p>That only perplexed him the more; a foolish joke would be
+understandable, but a deliberate attempt to harm one of the boys under
+his charge was a thing which he could not by any means comprehend.</p>
+
+<p>He went into the playground and surveyed the ladder; it had been left
+just where it was. He went to the boundary wall and examined that, and
+there was a stain of blood&mdash;some one, in hastily getting over, must
+have cut his hand upon the broken glass with which it was finished off.
+He felt, beyond question, that Ralph's tale was true. Some one had been
+there, but who that some one was, was a mystery indeed.</p>
+
+<p>But the doctor was a just man, and as he had thrown some doubt upon
+Ralph's story, he summoned the entire school, and told them he was
+quite satisfied<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_89" id="Page_89">[Pg 89]</a></span> that what Ralph had said happened was absolutely true.</p>
+
+<p>"Mysterious as it is, I feel satisfied that one of our number has been
+in dreadful peril, while he was innocently sleeping; and it is to the
+goodness of God that he owes his preservation. God, Who made Ralph
+Rexworth wake up and look from the window and then go to the help of
+Elgert! And I trust," he added gently, "that this circumstance may make
+the two chief actors in this incident better friends! I am sorry to
+know that they are not very friendly, but I hope that they will be so
+in the future!"</p>
+
+<p>So the affair ended&mdash;so far as public investigation went, though it was
+talked over again and again by the boys. The Head communicated with the
+police, and a detective came down; and however much he may have been
+bewildered and ready to put it down to the tricks of schoolboys, yet
+after he had seen the ladder and the bloodmark, and heard Ralph tell
+his story, he also had to admit that the boy was undoubtedly telling
+the truth, and that the school had been entered in the manner described.</p>
+
+<p>But Ralph worried over it. The very mystery surrounding it brought back
+the mystery of his father's disappearance. He pondered all day over it,
+until he felt weary and angry with himself; and he hailed the close of
+school with delight, suggesting to his chum and Warren that they should
+go for a good long walk, a proposal with which they immediately agreed.</p>
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_90" id="Page_90">[Pg 90]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Now, look here," said Ralph, when the trio had started, "there is only
+one thing; for mercy's sake don't talk about that business of last
+night! I am fairly tired of it, and I want to forget it if I can!"</p>
+
+<p>"All right, old chap," answered Warren, with a laugh; "let us go into
+the woods and see if we can find anything worth taking in the way of
+specimens. I got two lovely orange-tips there the other day, and some
+silly fellow went and knocked over my setting-board, and spoilt them
+both!"</p>
+
+<p>"The woods be it," answered Ralph readily.</p>
+
+<p>And so they sought the green, cool, shady glades, where the wild birds
+were so tame, and where such splendid butterflies and dragon flies were
+to be captured.</p>
+
+<p>They wandered hither and thither, enjoying the quiet sylvan beauty; and
+presently, stretched on the grass, they spoke of the difference of this
+scene to that which Ralph had known in his younger days; and Warren lay
+flat on his back, and asked question after question concerning the wild
+people of the great Texan plains.</p>
+
+<p>"I didn't know that there were any Indians left," the monitor
+confessed; and Ralph laughed.</p>
+
+<p>"Plenty of them; and then there are the Gauchos&mdash;they are of Spanish
+descent, and they are for ever fighting with the Indians. It is very
+different living out there; and, even in the towns, men seldom go about
+unarmed."</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_91" id="Page_91">[Pg 91]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Pleasant," was Warren's remark. "I think that I will stop where I am;
+even if we do get midnight visitors now and again."</p>
+
+<p>"I say, that subject is forbidden," laughed Ralph.</p>
+
+<p>And then he was silent so long that, presently, Warren asked him what
+he was thinking of, and Ralph sighed.</p>
+
+<p>"Something that is hardly ever out of my thoughts," he answered
+gravely. "Speaking of my old home brought it back&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"Your father?" queried Warren; and Ralph nodded.</p>
+
+<p>"It must be precious hard for you," the monitor said. "I think that if
+I were in your place I should go silly."</p>
+
+<p>"No, you would do what I do, old fellow; just pray to God to bring
+things right. I felt bad at first, and it was Mrs. St. Clive who taught
+me to be brave."</p>
+
+<p>"I like her," remarked Warren, with a nod. "She is awfully nice, Ralph.
+I wonder if ever you will hear anything about your father?"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes," came the confident answer. "I feel sure that I shall; and
+sometimes, Warren, it may seem strange, but it comes to me that he is
+not dead, and that he will come back!"</p>
+
+<p>"But if he were not dead he would not have gone off and left you all
+alone like this," objected Warren. "I should not think that."</p>
+
+<p>"He may not be able to help it. There, we won't<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_92" id="Page_92">[Pg 92]</a></span> talk of it; only I
+cannot help thinking like that sometimes. Where is Charlton?"</p>
+
+<p>The question brought the fact out that they were alone; their companion
+had gone off and left them there while they were talking.</p>
+
+<p>"Now, where has that silly chap got to?" queried Warren, sitting up.</p>
+
+<p>"Gone after a butterfly, perhaps. He will soon be back."</p>
+
+<p>"But it is time that we began to move. He is such a silly fellow that
+he is as like as not to go and lose himself. Hallo! Charlton! Charlton!
+Coo-ee! Charlton!"</p>
+
+<p>They paused and waited, but no reply came; and Warren got up, a trifle
+cross.</p>
+
+<p>"Of all the silly kites!" he said. "What trouble has he got into now?
+Charlton, I say, where are you?"</p>
+
+<p>"Better let us go and have a look for him," said Ralph; and the two
+started, Warren grumbling all the way, until in response to their
+shouts, they heard an answering call, and saw their companion appear.</p>
+
+<p>"Well, you stupid!" began Warren; but Ralph checked him, for the other
+boy looked scared and pale.</p>
+
+<p>"Why, what is the matter?" he asked. "You look as if you had been
+scared. Has any one frightened you?"</p>
+
+<p>"I! Any one frightened me? Oh, no!" answered Charlton quickly. "How
+silly! Who could be with<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_93" id="Page_93">[Pg 93]</a></span> me? I got lost&mdash;and lost my head! I felt a
+little afraid, until I heard you call."</p>
+
+<p>"We have been shouting for the last half hour!" grumbled Warren. "Come
+along! We shall be late for tea!"</p>
+
+<p>But Ralph said nothing. He was puzzled. The spot where they stood was
+damp and clayey; and on the soft ground were the imprints of two pairs
+of feet, going towards the bushes from which Charlton had emerged. Of
+those footprints, one set was a boy's, and evidently made by his chum;
+the other set was a man's.</p>
+
+<p>Charlton said that he had been alone, but Ralph knew better. A man had
+been with his chum, but who was that man? Was he the one who had broken
+into the school the previous night?</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_94" id="Page_94">[Pg 94]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><span>CHAPTER X</span> <span class="smaller">COUNSELS AND PROMISES</span></h2>
+
+<p>"My dear lad, it certainly is very strange. You seem, since your
+arrival in England, to be surrounded with mysteries."</p>
+
+<p>Ralph was sitting alone with Mr. St. Clive; and the latter, having
+questioned him as to how he had got on during his first week at school,
+Ralph had told him of his various experiences&mdash;of his quarrel with
+Horace Elgert, and of the strange midnight episode which had taken
+place&mdash;Mr. St. Clive listening with interest, and making the remark
+that it was very mysterious, as the lad concluded his story.</p>
+
+<p>"It is strange, sir," answered Ralph, "and at first Dr. Beverly seemed
+inclined to doubt my story; while Horace Elgert, instead of taking it
+seriously, actually said that it was not true, and that I had gone into
+the Fifth dormitory on purpose to play some trick with him. I think,
+though," he added, "that he only said that to anger me."</p>
+
+<p>"It is very strange," Mr. St. Clive repeated. "And then this other
+boy&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"Charlton, do you mean, sir?"</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_95" id="Page_95">[Pg 95]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Yes. You say that you are sure he was with some man, and that he
+denied it?"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, sir. I asked him if he had been with any one, and he looked quite
+frightened."</p>
+
+<p>"That may easily be. I know something of his history, or rather, of the
+family's. His father was accused of some crime, and, strangely enough,
+Lord Elgert was the prosecutor. A cheque was forged, I believe. Mr.
+Charlton managed to escape, but he was never able to come back; and it
+was finally said that he was dead. It is quite possible that he has
+returned, and that he got into the school to see his son, and went into
+the wrong dormitory. That is possible, I say, though I do not think it
+likely. He would hardly run such a risk, in my opinion; and more so, as
+he could have gone to his wife, and then let her send for the lad."</p>
+
+<p>"I did not think of it being his father," acknowledged Ralph. "I was
+thinking of something else."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes?" inquired Mr. St. Clive.</p>
+
+<p>"Cannot you guess, sir? My father is gone, and I know nothing of his
+fate. What if this man was the one who met him in Stow Wood. He might
+be able to solve the matter."</p>
+
+<p>"He might," was the reply, "but it is not likely. Charlton, as I
+remember him, was a timid, shrinking man; that was proved by the way he
+took to flight. He would not be likely to do such a thing."</p>
+
+<p>"But he might, sir. Some one must have done it,"<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_96" id="Page_96">[Pg 96]</a></span> persisted Ralph. "I
+feel as if I ought to watch Charlton, and find out who it was that he
+met. I could do it, too! I may not be very clever with books, but I
+could do that kind of thing."</p>
+
+<p>"And then?" came the grave question.</p>
+
+<p>And Ralph cried, almost fiercely&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Can you ask me that, sir? If my father has come to harm, the one who
+harmed him must be punished."</p>
+
+<p>"Even though he is your chum's father. Ralph, this is quite natural;
+and even beyond that, I do not say that if you could discover the man
+who killed your father&mdash;supposing that he is killed&mdash;he should not be
+given up to justice. I only say, 'pause, and be careful.' Remember the
+man your chum saw may be his father, and yet may be entirely innocent
+of the crime which you naturally desire to have punished. You, in your
+eagerness, may deliver an unfortunate man up to justice, and then find
+out that he is not the man you seek. And if I can read anything of your
+nature, that would be a cause of bitter regret with you for many a long
+day."</p>
+
+<p>"It would, sir," acknowledged Ralph readily. "But unless I can find the
+man, how can I know the truth?"</p>
+
+<p>"Well, my lad, I feel that I can only advise you to be careful;
+and, above all, even in this desire to have your father's assailant
+punished, see to it that no motive of revenge actuates you. Remember
+that it is written: 'Vengeance is Mine. I will repay, saith<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_97" id="Page_97">[Pg 97]</a></span> the Lord.'
+Remember also that it is 'As we forgive them that trespass against us.'"</p>
+
+<p>"But you would not have me let the man go free, sir?" protested Ralph.
+"The only thing I seem to have before me is to find out what happened
+to my father."</p>
+
+<p>"But not of necessity to help hunt any man down. Besides, Ralph, there
+is another thing. You mention that you have again seen the tracks of
+that horse. Now, does it not strike you that, if this man is the father
+of your chum, and a fugitive from justice, he would be the last person
+in the world to be riding about in a trap? That is a very important
+thing to remember."</p>
+
+<p>"I never thought of that," the boy acknowledged. And Mr. St. Clive
+nodded.</p>
+
+<p>"Precisely; and yet such things, in so important a business, must be
+taken into consideration. Now, Ralph, my advice&mdash;my earnest advice&mdash;is
+that you proceed very carefully, and be quite certain that you have
+reason for each step before you take it. And one thing more, my
+dear boy. It is not well to say that even unravelling the mystery
+surrounding your father's disappearance is the chief object of your
+life. The chief object should be to become a noble, true man, alike
+a blessing to your fellows and an honour to God. Do you remember how
+it says in the Bible: 'There is a banner given to thee, that it may
+be displayed because of righteousness'? Now, that is a verse I<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_98" id="Page_98">[Pg 98]</a></span> like.
+God gives you His standard, and He says not only 'march under it, but
+bear it for Me.' Die for the colours of the King, if need be, and fight
+always under honour's flag. Ralph, that is my counsel, the best I can
+give you, as your true friend. Wait for God to bring the mystery to
+light. Do not let revenge be your life's object, for revenge is of the
+devil. Let love be your watchword, and honour your banner. Ralph, will
+you promise me this?"</p>
+
+<p>"I will, sir," answered the boy, deeply moved. "I will try and be a
+good standard-bearer."</p>
+
+<p>"I feel sure of it. Shake hands. I know that I shall have cause to be
+proud of your friendship. Now, I must not take up all your time. I know
+that Irene is waiting patiently for you, so run and join her, and make
+the most of your brief holiday."</p>
+
+<p>And what a delightful holiday it was, in spite of the trouble over
+him! It was a splendid thought to think of himself as being a
+standard-bearer. And he told Irene all about it; and she, in return,
+told him of the young hero who, being wounded, and fearing that the
+colours he bore would be taken from him, placed them beneath him, and
+lay in silent suffering until the enemy found him and, in pity, sought
+to help him. And then she told how he begged so hard that he might not
+be moved that they wondered; and when, even against his wish, they
+raised his dying form, there they found the colours which he loved, and
+which he had guarded so well; and they wrapped them round him and bore<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_99" id="Page_99">[Pg 99]</a></span>
+him away. And when he died they buried him with the flag which he had
+carried, and gave him all honour for being true man and hero.</p>
+
+<p>It was a fine story, and set Ralph's heart beating more quickly. And
+then Irene said that he must be as true, and be her champion, and win
+in the battle of right against wrong. And Ralph&mdash;well, I do not mind
+owning that he kissed her; and seeing that he had been brought up all
+his life on the plains, and had never been used to girls' society, that
+really was a daring thing to do.</p>
+
+<p>So the holiday was spent, and Sunday passed in quiet and worship. And
+then on Monday morning back he went to Marlthorpe College, and the
+fight of another week.</p>
+
+<p>And the battle began almost at once, for very soon after his arrival he
+was called into the doctor's study, where he found two stern-faced men,
+whom he was told were detectives; and they questioned him closely as to
+the events of that night when he had seen the man, and even went so far
+as to hint that he must have been dreaming and walking in his sleep,
+and that made Ralph feel very like losing his temper. Dreaming! As if
+he did not know that he had been very wide awake indeed!</p>
+
+<p>And they called Horace Elgert in also, and questioned him as to whether
+he had seen anything, or whether he could think of any one likely to
+harm him. And Elgert laughed in the most insulting manner.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_100" id="Page_100">[Pg 100]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"I don't believe a word of it!" he said, with seeming frankness. "It is
+a silly business, and it had best be forgotten. There is a great deal
+too much being made out of it. I suppose that Rexworth wants to pose as
+a hero. I told my father of it, and he laughed about it; but he said
+that he would ride over this morning and question Rexworth himself."</p>
+
+<p>"I do not want him to question me!" cried Ralph, flushing angrily. And
+Elgert laughed again.</p>
+
+<p>"Very likely not; but he will do it, all the same," he replied. And
+then Dr. Beverly interrupted them sternly.</p>
+
+<p>"Silence, both of you! I did not tell you to come here to have this
+nonsense, but to answer any questions which these gentlemen might wish
+to ask you. Back to your classes, both of you, and mind that I have no
+trouble with either of you! If you cannot be friendly, keep apart!"</p>
+
+<p>"I am sure that I want to," muttered Elgert, as he went; but he only
+spoke loud enough for the words to reach Ralph's ears.</p>
+
+<p>It was very hard to keep cool and pay attention to his work; but Ralph
+remembered his promise to his good friends, and he set sternly to the
+tasks before him, only to be interrupted an hour afterwards by the
+doctor sending for him again; and this time&mdash;how hot and angry he came
+all in a moment!&mdash;it was to be questioned by Lord Elgert, who sat there
+as cold, as haughty, and overbearing as ever.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_101" id="Page_101">[Pg 101]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Now, young man," he said, when Ralph entered, "I want to hear, for
+myself, this remarkable story."</p>
+
+<p>Ralph paused a moment. With a strong effort he mastered himself. If
+he was a standard-bearer, he must remember to give soft and polite
+answers, so he said politely&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"I am afraid that I have little to tell, sir, that I have not told
+already; and, unfortunately, it does not seem to be believed."</p>
+
+<p>"Never mind that. Begin at the beginning, and tell me all that
+occurred."</p>
+
+<p>So Ralph complied, and Lord Elgert sat listening with frowning face and
+watchful eyes; and Ralph could see that he, like his son, really did
+believe the story, even though he pretended not to.</p>
+
+<p>"Well, well, doctor," said his lordship, when the tale was told, "I am
+inclined to think that it is a case of sleepwalking&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"But did I put the ladder against the window in my sleep, sir?" asked
+Ralph. "The detectives did not think that, nor do you. I have no
+interest in inventing such a story; and I have no wish to do anything
+to annoy your son, so long as he leaves me alone&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"I do not think that the boy dreamed it," said the doctor. And Lord
+Elgert frowned.</p>
+
+<p>"Hum! Hark, boy! I suppose that it was not your own father, come to see
+you, eh?"</p>
+
+<p>Then up started Ralph indignantly, and cried&mdash;</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_102" id="Page_102">[Pg 102]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"You have no right to insult me like that! Why should you? I know
+nothing of you, and yet, upon the only two occasions when we have met,
+you have spoken in that way. My father! Why should he come like a thief
+at night? He has never done anything to be ashamed of. Never, I say, in
+spite of the tale you told. That tale is not true!"</p>
+
+<p>"Each to his own opinion, young man," retorted Lord Elgert drily. "You
+take my advice. Attend to your studies, learn all you can, and then go
+back to the land you came from; for you will get on best there!"</p>
+
+<p>"Lord Elgert," answered Ralph fearlessly, "you may mean that kindly
+or you may not. I neither know nor care. It is your advice, but it is
+advice which I shall not take. I have something to do here. I have
+to find out what has become of my father, and I have to prove that
+your accusation that he is a thief is not true. I am only a boy, Lord
+Elgert, and you may laugh at me, but I know that I shall succeed
+presently, and when I do perhaps I may also learn the reason for your
+disliking me so much."</p>
+
+<p>"What do you mean by that?" shouted Lord Elgert angrily. And Ralph
+replied&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Just what I say!"</p>
+
+<p>Then he turned and asked the doctor if he wanted him any more. And
+receiving permission to go, he went back to his class; while Lord
+Elgert rode homewards, with black looks and frowning brow.</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_103" id="Page_103">[Pg 103]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><span>CHAPTER XI</span> <span class="smaller">GOING IN FOR GRINDING</span></h2>
+
+<p>"Boys, I have an announcement to make."</p>
+
+<p>The whole school were gathered for the usual morning prayers, the
+masters each at the head of his class; and when the reading was over,
+the doctor, instead of dismissing them to their classes as usual, still
+stood at his desk, and the boys looked up eagerly. Was it a holiday, or
+a challenge from some neighbouring school to a football match?</p>
+
+<p>Alas, for such hopes! It was neither the one nor the other. It was
+something which only interested a very few of the most industrious
+there.</p>
+
+<p>"The Newlet gold medal examination for mathematics will be held in a
+month's time from now; and it will be needful for intending competitors
+to hand in their names to their masters at once. I trust that the
+school will be well represented at the examination. We lost the medal
+last year, though we had a very good average; but the year before that,
+Kesterway, who was then only in the Fourth, gained it. That debars
+him from again trying for it; but I hope that others will enter the
+field, and do as<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_104" id="Page_104">[Pg 104]</a></span> well as he did. The second and third boys gain silver
+medals. That is all. Dismiss to your classes."</p>
+
+<p>"I say, Dobby, there is a chance for you to distinguish yourself,"
+whispered one boy in the lazy one's ear, as the Fourth trooped away.
+And Dobson glared, for of all things, mathematics was his weak point.</p>
+
+<p>"Dobson cannot do it," laughed Warren, overhearing the words. "His
+system of mathematics is erratic. When it comes to eating tarts at
+some one else's expense, it is wonderful how many he can take without
+counting them up; but if he has to treat&mdash;well, one multiplies itself
+into twenty."</p>
+
+<p>"You shut up," growled Dobson. "I never had tarts at your expense."</p>
+
+<p>"No, my son, and you never will," laughed Warren. "Hurry up and take
+your place. You know where it is&mdash;top wrong end."</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Delermain entered, and the class settled down to work; but Ralph
+found himself pondering over that prize which was offered. True,
+figures were not his strongest point; but then he had a great belief
+that any one who sets his mind to a thing can manage to do it in time,
+and, somehow, he felt that it would be very nice to take that medal
+home and show it to Irene.</p>
+
+<p>So when recess was called, he managed to get hold of Warren and
+question him about it.</p>
+
+<p>"The Newlet," explained the monitor. "Well, it<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_105" id="Page_105">[Pg 105]</a></span> certainly is rather
+stiff. I suppose that I must go in for it, though I don't think I
+shall stand much chance. There will be Philmore and Standish of the
+Fifth; I don't know if Elgert will try for it. He thinks no end of his
+mathematics, but if you ask me, I think that a crib has a good deal to
+do with it."</p>
+
+<p>"A crib?"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes. You know. Don't know what a crib is!" as Ralph shook his head.
+"Oh, you sweet innocent, I thought I explained that to you before! It
+is a book with all the answers in it&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"That is cheating," said Ralph. And Warren nodded.</p>
+
+<p>"Of course it is; but it is frequently done, not only for exams,
+but for class work. Suppose a fellow is late in&mdash;been at cricket or
+anything&mdash;and he hasn't got time for prep., and don't want to lose his
+place, a crib comes in very handy; only some fellows always use 'em,
+because they are so lazy&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"Dobson, for instance," suggested Ralph. But Warren laughed, and shook
+his head.</p>
+
+<p>"Bless you, no. He is too lazy even to use a crib. He does not even
+pretend to do his lessons; and he is in pretty little danger of losing
+his place, seeing that it is always at the bottom of the class."</p>
+
+<p>"Well, I think it mean and dishonourable to use cribs," Ralph declared.
+"If I could not manage without that I would not manage at all."</p>
+
+<p>"It is pretty often done," Warren replied. He was<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_106" id="Page_106">[Pg 106]</a></span> not quite guiltless
+himself; and he felt a trifle ashamed of Ralph's honest wrath. "I
+suppose it is wrong; only a fellow does not think so at the time.
+But you were asking about the Newlet. It is stiff, but it is worth
+winning&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"I should like to try for it," murmured Ralph. And the monitor stared.</p>
+
+<p>"You! Well, there is nothing to prevent you from doing so; only you
+will have to grind awfully, if you don't crib&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"I shall not do that," interrupted Ralph firmly. "Once for all, let
+that be understood. If I cannot stand a chance without cheating, I will
+not go in for it."</p>
+
+<p>"Well, then, it is just grinding, that is all."</p>
+
+<p>"Grinding," repeated Ralph, raising his brows. And Warren laughed again.</p>
+
+<p>"Bless your heart! It is refreshing to find any one as innocent as you
+are. Grinding, my dear fellow, is working, swatting, putting in full
+time, giving up games and larks and story books, and working on every
+moment you have got to spare. It is living on mathematics all the time."</p>
+
+<p>"In plain words, it is working hard," laughed Ralph. "And if a thing is
+worth doing, it is worth working well for&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"Right you are. Go ahead, and good luck. You are letting yourself in
+for a nice thing, though; but, I suppose, that if you enter you will
+stick it out. Best tell Mr. Delermain; it will please him to have<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_107" id="Page_107">[Pg 107]</a></span> you
+enter. He likes his Form well represented, even though we cannot all
+win."</p>
+
+<p>Warren was right in that; the master was very pleased when Ralph spoke
+to him about it.</p>
+
+<p>"I should like to go in for it, sir," the boy said. "I suppose it seems
+rather absurd; but I could try at least, and the study will not do me
+any harm."</p>
+
+<p>"Not if it is honest study, Rexworth," replied Mr. Delermain. And those
+truthful eyes were raised steadily to his own.</p>
+
+<p>"It will not be anything else, sir," Ralph said. "If I cannot do it
+honestly, I shall not do it at all."</p>
+
+<p>"That is the way, Rexworth." Mr. Delermain laid one hand on the boy's
+shoulder as he spoke. "And even if you do not win, the work itself is
+sure to prove of great use to you later on. By all means enter; and if
+you want any assistance or advice, do not hesitate to come to me. I
+shall always be very glad to do anything in my power to assist you."</p>
+
+<p>So Ralph put his name down, and some of the boys stared when they heard
+it. A new boy, only a week there, putting his name down for the Newlet!</p>
+
+<p>"Cheek!" said Elgert.</p>
+
+<p>"Rubbish!" said Dobson.</p>
+
+<p>"No use!" said a good many; but Ralph paid no heed to it all. One thing
+nerved him. Elgert was going in for it; and he felt that if he could
+not beat him, it would be strange.</p>
+
+<p>"You will have to work very hard, Ralph," was the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_108" id="Page_108">[Pg 108]</a></span> verdict of Mr. St.
+Clive, when he heard of it. "It is an honour to gain the medal, but it
+is an honour that has to be earned by hard work."</p>
+
+<p>"You will try your very best, won't you, Ralph?" pleaded Irene. "I
+should just love you to win it, the same as if you were my very own
+brother."</p>
+
+<p>Brother! Well, well; Irene and Ralph were but young; perhaps, later on,
+it would not be brother, perhaps&mdash;who can say?</p>
+
+<p>So Ralph began to undergo that process which Warren called swatting,
+or grinding, and it was not all easy. When the day's work was over,
+and the boys ran off to their games, or settled down to their story
+books&mdash;and Ralph loved story books&mdash;it was not easy to get out the
+dry figures and bend over them, studying tricky sums, or working out
+obscure equations; it was not easy, but it had to be done. Ralph was
+beginning to understand what work meant.</p>
+
+<p>And Charlton proved himself a good chum in the hour of need, for he was
+farther on than Ralph, and could help him in many points. Indeed, Ralph
+wondered why he had not entered himself; but Charlton sighed and shook
+his head.</p>
+
+<p>"He did not want the worry of it," he said.</p>
+
+<p>Ralph had said nothing more to him concerning his suspicions, but
+they were frequently in his mind. He never lost sight of his father's
+disappearance. He was for ever keeping his eyes open for anything<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_109" id="Page_109">[Pg 109]</a></span> that
+might put him on the right track. But Mr. St. Clive's remark that he
+might perhaps be the means of harming a man who had never harmed him or
+his, made him very careful about saying or doing anything. Something
+was worrying Charlton, that he could plainly see; but since the boy did
+not say anything to him, he hesitated to try and force his confidence
+in any way.</p>
+
+<p>So he worked with Charlton; and sometimes Warren would pop in and ask
+him how he got on, or compare notes with him. And Warren confessed
+that he had been influenced by Ralph's words, and that he was working
+on what he called "the square," which meant that he was doing without
+cribs and keys.</p>
+
+<p>And when particularly knotty points occurred, Ralph would carry his
+books away and consult Mr. Delermain; and the master helped, and
+advised, and praised him, and spoke very encouragingly of his progress
+and his chances.</p>
+
+<p>"There is nothing to beat honest, hard work, Rexworth," he said one
+evening, as the lad sat in his room. "What you gain unfairly, you soon
+lose; but what you learn honestly, that you hold, and it serves as a
+foundation to build other knowledge upon."</p>
+
+<p>"I do not know how to thank you enough, sir," the lad answered, and Mr.
+Delermain smiled.</p>
+
+<p>"The fact that I see you working honestly, is<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_110" id="Page_110">[Pg 110]</a></span> more than reward for
+me, Rexworth. Now if there is nothing more, run away, for I have some
+letters to write."</p>
+
+<p>Ralph rose, and as he did so, in gathering up his books he knocked a
+piece of thin paper on to the ground from off the table. He stooped
+with an apology and picked it up. He could not help seeing what it
+was&mdash;a five-pound note&mdash;and he handed it to his master, who took it and
+placed it on his desk.</p>
+
+<p>"Thank you, Rexworth. Do not forget to come to me at once, if you want
+any more help."</p>
+
+<p>Charlton awaited him in their study, and the lad seemed but ill at
+ease. He looked at Ralph doubtfully for a while; and, at last, said
+timidly&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Rexworth, I hope that you won't be angry, but could you&mdash;that is, I
+mean, will you&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"Out with it, old fellow," laughed Ralph. "Will I what?"</p>
+
+<p>"Lend me some money. I am without any, and I want some&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"I can lend you ten shillings, if that is any good," answered Ralph
+readily. And Charlton beamed.</p>
+
+<p>"Will you? Oh, I am obliged! I will pay you back soon. I shall have a
+little money in a few weeks."</p>
+
+<p>"That is all right. Here you are," and Ralph handed him the money, and
+turned back to his task again.</p>
+
+<div class="center"><img src="images/i110.jpg" alt="That is all right. Here you are" /></div>
+
+<p class="bold">"<span class="smcap">'That is all right. Here you are,' and Ralph handed
+him<br />the money.</span>" p. 110.</p>
+
+<p>But now he could not work. He wondered what<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_111" id="Page_111">[Pg 111]</a></span> Charlton wanted the money
+for, and where he was going to get any more to pay him again. Somehow
+the sums seemed to get muddled; and he jumped up at last, with an
+exclamation of annoyance&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Bother it! It won't come right! I quite forget how Mr. Delermain
+said I was to do it. I will run and ask him again; he won't mind my
+bothering him."</p>
+
+<p>He took his book and went out. The corridor leading to the masters'
+rooms was rather dark, for the gas had either not been lit, or had been
+turned out by some one. Just before the room was reached the corridor
+turned sharply to the right, and here it was quite dark. And, as Ralph
+turned this corner, he encountered some one, who ran against him with
+such force that he almost fell down; and before he could recover from
+his surprise, that unseen boy had disappeared round the corner, running
+swiftly and silently, as if anxious to escape notice.</p>
+
+<p>Ralph muttered something about clumsy fellows, and picked up his
+papers, which had been scattered in all directions. Then he went on to
+Mr. Delermain's room, and saw that the door was open, but the room in
+darkness. His master had evidently finished his letters and gone.</p>
+
+<p>"I shall have to let it wait until to-morrow," he said. "It's jolly
+vexing, just as I was getting on so nicely."</p>
+
+<p>He turned from the door, when a step sounded<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_112" id="Page_112">[Pg 112]</a></span> in the corridor, and a
+light glimmered round the corner. Some one was coming. And then a voice
+said&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Why, Rexworth, what are you doing here? You have no business in this
+corridor." And Ralph found himself face to face with Dr. Beverly.</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_113" id="Page_113">[Pg 113]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><span>CHAPTER XII</span> <span class="smaller">THE STOLEN BANKNOTE</span></h2>
+
+<p>Now, why Ralph should have felt in the slightest degree confused by the
+sudden appearance of Dr. Beverly, he could not have said; and yet he
+was conscious that he exhibited something of hesitation in his manner.
+It was perhaps due to the doctor finding him there in the dark, and
+looking rather suspicious and stern.</p>
+
+<p>The fact was that the doctor was so used to his pupils playing tricks
+and getting into scrapes, that it was but natural that he should scan
+the boy's face closely, and he noted that Ralph looked confused.</p>
+
+<p>He repeated his question sharply, and then the boy recovered himself
+and described how he had come to ask Mr. Delermain to again explain the
+point which had escaped his memory.</p>
+
+<p>"Mr. Delermain has gone out, I believe," Dr. Beverly said, when Ralph
+concluded. "But perhaps I may be able to make the point clear. Come to
+my study and let me see what you are doing."</p>
+
+<p>Ralph followed the doctor, not without some little nervousness; for,
+like all the boys, he stood somewhat in awe of the head master; but the
+doctor<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_114" id="Page_114">[Pg 114]</a></span> smiled, and was so kind that he soon put the boy at ease; and,
+after scanning the neat rows of figures in the exercise-book, he nodded
+approval.</p>
+
+<p>"I am glad to see that you work so neatly, Rexworth," the Head said.
+"Now, this point. Here is your error&mdash;it is very simple, though easily
+made."</p>
+
+<p>And taking a pencil, he worked out the sum himself, making Ralph go
+over it with him, and explaining each detail as it was done, so that
+Ralph was able to understand it quite easily; and, with words of
+thanks, took his books and went off, the doctor saying, as he departed&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"But let me give you one word of advice, Rexworth. It is all very well
+to be industrious; but remember, the brain wants rest, and you cannot
+learn properly when you are jaded. Put the books away, and do something
+else until bedtime&mdash;draw, read, or whatever you like. It pays to have a
+little relaxation when one is working hard."</p>
+
+<p>Now Ralph valued the master's experience too much to neglect that
+advice; and, though he had intended to work for another hour, he put
+his books away when he reached his little study, and, picking up his
+long-neglected story, he settled down with a sigh of relief for a quiet
+read.</p>
+
+<p>But he could not read. He wondered who it was that had run up against
+him, and what he was doing in the master's quarters. He felt uneasy, he
+could not say why. Then he had behaved so foolishly<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_115" id="Page_115">[Pg 115]</a></span> when the doctor
+first met him! As if any one had any need to be afraid of such a kind
+man as Dr. Beverly!</p>
+
+<p>Then he fell to thinking of Lord Elgert; and he wondered why he should
+seem to be so bitter against him, and why he seemed to take a delight
+in saying that his father was a thief. Ralph could not understand Lord
+Elgert; he was as much a mystery as was his father's disappearance.</p>
+
+<p>Then, from thinking of the father, his thoughts went to the son; and he
+wondered whether Horace Elgert would stand any chance of winning the
+gold medal, and whether he was working with one of those cribs; and he
+caught himself thinking how nice it would be to defeat his rival and
+carry off the prize.</p>
+
+<p>But then he checked himself. He wanted to win, but that ought not to be
+the real motive for it. After all, to want to win only to make Elgert
+vexed, was a very poor sort of thing.</p>
+
+<p>"I seem to be for ever catching myself up," he reflected. "It is harder
+work being a standard-bearer than I supposed at first."</p>
+
+<p>The bell rang for supper, and there was no more time to think then.
+Boys were laughing, shouting, enjoying the freedom which was allowed at
+this last meal of the day; and after that was over, the classes went
+off to their dormitories, and silence soon reigned in the school. And
+Ralph slept calm and peaceful, little dreaming what trouble was coming
+for him in the morning.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_116" id="Page_116">[Pg 116]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>But that trouble came, sharp and swift, before the classes assembled
+for morning school&mdash;the heaviest trouble that Ralph had been ever
+called to face, with the exception of that all-supreme one&mdash;the loss of
+his dear father.</p>
+
+<p>Breakfast was over, and the boys crowding from the dining-hall to
+snatch a few minutes' play prior to entering classes, when Ralph felt a
+hand laid on his shoulder and, turning, saw Kesterway by his side.</p>
+
+<p>"Rexworth, the Head wants you in his study at once!" the monitor said;
+and Ralph, wondering what could be the matter, turned and went to the
+doctor's room forthwith.</p>
+
+<p>And when he entered, he found both Dr. Beverly and Mr. Delermain there;
+and both looked very grave he thought.</p>
+
+<p>"You sent for me, sir?" he asked, looking towards the doctor, and the
+master nodded.</p>
+
+<p>"I did, Rexworth. Come in and shut the door. Now sit down and listen
+to me. You know that neither I nor Mr. Delermain would willingly say
+anything to hurt your feelings&mdash;I am sure that you realize that?"</p>
+
+<p>"Of course I do, sir," replied Ralph, wondering greatly. "You have both
+always been kind to me."</p>
+
+<p>"Well, now, I am going to say something that may seem hurtful," the
+master went on. But then he stopped as he encountered those calm, brave
+eyes, and he motioned to Mr. Delermain. "Suppose you<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_117" id="Page_117">[Pg 117]</a></span> speak?" he said,
+and Ralph's own master complied.</p>
+
+<p>"Rexworth," he said quietly, "it is not pleasant to say anything that
+could be interpreted into the faintest suspicion of doubting your
+honesty&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"I hope that you do not doubt it, sir," replied Ralph quickly. "It
+would be a very great trouble to me if you did! But I see that
+something is wrong; and if that is so, it is best to know it at once
+in plain language. If you have to say anything to hurt me, it must be
+something grave indeed!" he added.</p>
+
+<p>"It is grave," acknowledged the master. "You remember, last evening,
+knocking a banknote from my desk, and picking it up for me?"</p>
+
+<p>"Perfectly well, sir."</p>
+
+<p>"I replaced that note on my desk, and, having some letters to write, I
+forgot to take it up again; and when I went to post my correspondence,
+I left it there on the desk. When I returned, the note was gone, and
+the only person who was near my room, so far as we know, was yourself.
+Dr. Beverly saw you there."</p>
+
+<p>"And you think that I have stolen your banknote, sir?" cried Ralph,
+regretfully. But Mr. Delermain shook his head.</p>
+
+<p>"No, no, Ralph! You must not go so far as that. I only tell you the
+facts, as far as we know them. The note was there, the note has gone,
+you are the only one who was seen near the spot!"</p>
+
+<p>"There was some one else, sir!" cried Ralph; and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_118" id="Page_118">[Pg 118]</a></span> he narrated how some
+one had pushed against him and run down the dark corridor. Both masters
+listened gravely as he did so.</p>
+
+<p>"And you have no idea who this was? Did not recognize either voice or
+figure?"</p>
+
+<p>"No, sir. He did not speak, and it was so dark, and the thing so
+sudden, that I was taken quite by surprise!"</p>
+
+<p>"You can think of no one? Know of no lad you saw in that part of the
+house?"</p>
+
+<p>"No, sir," answered Ralph; but even as he spoke one thought flashed
+into his mind. "Charlton, his chum! Charlton was in need of money!
+Could it have been Charlton?"</p>
+
+<p>"I can think of no one, sir," he replied. "I can quite see how it looks
+against me; but Mr. Delermain has proved so good a friend to me, that
+it seems hard that I should be thought capable of robbing him."</p>
+
+<p>"Let me impress upon you, Rexworth," said the doctor, "that we do not
+look at the matter in that light. We sent for you because we knew that
+you were near the place&mdash;in the room, indeed. The matter must be made
+public, and questions must be asked; and it is natural that, since you
+are the only one who was near the place&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"I was not the only one, sir," he answered quietly.</p>
+
+<p>"No, there is that other boy whom you say ran past you in the dark;
+but, my lad, unless something can be found out concerning that boy, we
+have only<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_119" id="Page_119">[Pg 119]</a></span> your bare word; and suspicion is bound to fall mostly upon
+yourself. That is why we both felt that you should be seen privately,
+before the circumstance was made known to the whole school. That is
+all. You can go!"</p>
+
+<p>"It is impossible that such a boy can be a thief, sir!" cried Mr.
+Delermain to the Head, when Ralph had gone. "I would stake my life upon
+his honesty!"</p>
+
+<p>"I feel somewhat the same, Delermain," answered the Head. "But the note
+is gone, and he is the only one known to have been near. The school
+will not view the thing in that light."</p>
+
+<p>"I should rather that the school did not know, sir," suggested the
+master; but at this Dr. Beverly shook his head.</p>
+
+<p>"No, no, Delermain, I will not have that. We will have no
+favouritism&mdash;no keeping things back. If it was my own son who was
+implicated, the thing should be gone on with. For the sake of every one
+concerned, it must be gone on with."</p>
+
+<p>But what a sensation it caused when the doctor made the announcement
+to the school! He had classes stopped, and all the school assembled in
+the hall; and there, standing at his great desk, he spoke to the lads,
+telling them that the banknote was lost.</p>
+
+<p>"It can hardly have been mislaid," he said, "for Mr. Delermain put it
+beneath a heavy paper-weight; and upon his return he found that weight
+had been moved. Now, there are two things I want to <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_120" id="Page_120">[Pg 120]</a></span>impress upon you
+all, very solemnly. Some one must have done this&mdash;some one acting,
+perhaps, under a sudden temptation; some one, perhaps, who did not
+understand the full gravity and magnitude of his offence. Let that some
+one come and own his fault to me, like a man and a Christian should do.
+Remember, also, that the number of that note is known. It cannot be
+parted with, or converted into money, without eventually being traced,
+even through successive stages, back to the one who originally parted
+with it.</p>
+
+<p>"Then, remember also, that there is one of your number who is
+particularly affected by this loss; there is one boy who knew this note
+was there, and who is known to have been near the study during Mr.
+Delermain's absence. A boy who frankly explains what took him there,
+and who declares that some one passed him hurriedly in the darkness of
+the corridor. That boy is Ralph Rexworth, and the boy who passed by him
+must undoubtedly be the thief!"</p>
+
+<p>It was kindly put by the Head, for it seemed as if it exonerated Ralph
+from all suspicion; but there were those in the classes who, as the
+Head had foreseen, did not look at it from that standpoint; and Dobson
+muttered to his nearest neighbour&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"That is all very well, but why may not Rexworth have taken it himself?
+He is the only one who knew that it was there."</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_121" id="Page_121">[Pg 121]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>And the boy to whom this was addressed nodded.</p>
+
+<p>"I again earnestly entreat the boy who has done this thing to confess
+his fault!" the Head went on. "Do not let us have the taint of a
+thief amongst us! Let the culprit act the better part, and remove the
+disgrace from the school! Now go to your classes, and think over what
+I have said, and I trust ere the morning has passed, the boy who is
+guilty will have taken the better course and have come to own his fault
+to me!"</p>
+
+<p>Away to their rooms they went; and now tongues were loosened,
+and comments made; and oh, how hard it was for Ralph to keep his
+temper! for Elgert was not slow to take all the advantages which the
+circumstance offered to him.</p>
+
+<p>"It is all right to talk about shame being on the school!" he said to
+his companions. "What else can you expect? There is Charlton&mdash;look
+at him! 'Like father, like son,' you know. Then there is his chum,
+Rexworth. 'Birds of a feather flock together.' It does not take very
+much to see who the thief is, Rexworth was caught almost in the act,
+by the Head himself; and it is very easy to make up a tale of some one
+running by him in the dark."</p>
+
+<p>"Of course," was the answer; and Ralph heard it all so plainly, as
+Elgert had intended that he should do. Poor Ralph, it was a hard task
+for him to keep his temper&mdash;to remember his promise, and act the
+standard-bearer's part!</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_122" id="Page_122">[Pg 122]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><span>CHAPTER XIII</span> <span class="smaller">DIVIDED OPINIONS</span></h2>
+
+<p>There was but one serious theme of conversation at Marlthorpe College
+during the remainder of that day, and it is not difficult to guess that
+the theft of the banknote formed its subject. From the highest class
+to the lowest&mdash;from the First Form youngsters right up to the Upper
+Fifth&mdash;the boys discussed the business eagerly, and, it must be owned,
+with divided opinions.</p>
+
+<p>For there were some there who, being quick to perceive true nobility of
+character, felt that it was impossible for such a boy as Ralph Rexworth
+to be a thief. They were like Dr. Beverly and Mr. Delermain, and felt
+that, dark as the circumstances made it appear for Ralph, he could not
+be guilty of such a mean action. And there were others who, with all
+the thoughtlessness of youth, and influenced, perhaps, by the words of
+Elgert and Dobson, were quite ready to declare Ralph guilty off-hand,
+without the slightest hesitation.</p>
+
+<p>And it was bitter for Ralph&mdash;far more bitter than any there could
+understand. He felt that they all looked with suspicion upon him. And
+he even did his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_123" id="Page_123">[Pg 123]</a></span> best friends some injustice, yet they, right down to
+their hearts, believed him to be guilty.</p>
+
+<p>He wanted at first to throw aside his books and go back to Mr. St.
+Clive and to Irene, but he pulled himself up sternly. He would not run
+away like a coward. It would appear as if he were really guilty. He
+would stay and fight it out and prove his innocence. He felt sure that
+it would aid him in getting at the truth concerning his father, and so
+he settled sternly down to his work, and even, in his battle, seemed a
+little cold and standoffish to his best friends.</p>
+
+<p>And Charlton&mdash;ah, Ralph could not help thinking that Charlton
+knew something about this. He seemed so strange, so different and
+hesitating. He felt like challenging him to tell the truth, but
+something, he was not quite clear what, made him hesitate. It was bad
+enough to be suspected himself, and he was a fairly strong boy, able to
+take his own part, but what would timid, weakly Charlton feel if the
+suspicion were thrown upon him?</p>
+
+<p>"I won't do anything to let him think that I suspect him, until I can
+be sure that I have good grounds for suspicion," Ralph reflected.</p>
+
+<p>And then he paused. And if he had those good grounds, what then?
+Suppose that he could even be certain that Charlton was the culprit,
+what then? The boy would have taken the money for his mother in all
+likelihood, and&mdash;&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>Ralph shrugged his shoulders and turned resolutely<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_124" id="Page_124">[Pg 124]</a></span> to his work, and,
+though plenty there believed that he was guilty, there was such a look
+upon that strong young face that they forbore to speak their opinions
+directly to him, but only revealed them by cutting him contemptuously
+whenever he chanced to be in their company.</p>
+
+<p>But he was not left without comforters. Mr. Delermain took the
+opportunity to speak with him quietly, and as he placed one hand gently
+upon the strong young shoulder, and looked gravely into the face, now
+somewhat clouded with its sorrow, the kindly master said&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Rexworth, my dear boy, I could find it in my heart to wish that I had
+never mentioned this loss."</p>
+
+<p>"I do not, sir," answered Ralph quickly. "If the thing has been done it
+ought to be mentioned, no matter upon whom the blame may fall. It is
+rather hard to feel that so many of the boys believe that I have done
+it, but then, you see, I was in your room, and things look black, and I
+have no means of proving that my story of some one having passed me is
+really true."</p>
+
+<p>"I would that we had any clue to that," observed the master. "If we
+could only find out who that was! You have no suspicion, Ralph?"</p>
+
+<p>And he glanced into the boy's eyes.</p>
+
+<p>"No sir." Then Ralph hesitated. That was not quite true. He had a
+suspicion. "I would rather not talk of it, sir," he answered, after a
+pause. "Perhaps it is not quite right to say that I have no suspicion,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_125" id="Page_125">[Pg 125]</a></span>
+but it is only a suspicion, and I have no right to talk about it,
+seeing that I have no solid grounds to go upon. I am accused solely
+upon suspicion, and I know how hard it is."</p>
+
+<p>"I applaud your sentiment," said Mr. Delermain. "Well, my dear lad, let
+me impress upon you that I do not believe you to be a thief. Let me
+give you my sympathy, and let me encourage you to bear this trial&mdash;I
+fully understand how hard it must be for one of your nature&mdash;bravely;
+and let me assure you that I shall look forward with just as much
+pleasure as formerly to your visits in the evening. Do not let this
+interfere with your studies for the Newlet medal, and rest sure that I
+should not again invite Ralph Rexworth into my study if I suspected him
+of being a thief."</p>
+
+<p>"The boy has some sort of suspicion," reflected the master, after Ralph
+had gone. "He suspects some one. Now whom can that be? Is he shielding
+that boy Charlton? He is a weakly dispositioned lad&mdash;one likely to fall
+into temptation, and to yield to it too. I must watch him quietly.
+Charlton is the most likely boy to have done this. He is poor too.
+Perhaps he took it to help his mother. Poor lad! if that is the case, I
+would be the last one to bring him to punishment." He paused and shook
+his head. "I ought to take a lesson from Rexworth," he went on, with a
+smile. "He will not speak upon mere suspicion, and here I am weaving a
+theory without the slightest ground for so doing, and actually arriving
+at the conclusion that a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_126" id="Page_126">[Pg 126]</a></span> certain boy is guilty, when I have not the
+least right to even connect him with the theft."</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Delermain went back to his duties, but still that thought was in
+his head&mdash;was it possible that Charlton had taken that five-pound
+note, and that Ralph Rexworth knew it, and was silent only for the
+sake of his chum? Ralph felt quite cheered by his master's words.
+He did not dream that Mr. Delermain thought anything about Charlton
+being the thief, and he soon found another comforter in the person
+of good-hearted Tom Warren; for the monitor came up to him with
+outstretched hand, crying heartily&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Look here, Rexworth, you are asking for a fight with me, that's what!"</p>
+
+<p>"Eh?" said Ralph, staring. "I don't understand."</p>
+
+<p>"Well then, why are you cutting me like this? Oh, think I don't notice
+it? You are sitting moping, just like an old magpie that is moulting.
+Look here, don't be so jolly silly as to worry about what these kites
+say or do. It's only Elgert and his gang, and Dobby and Co. They are
+always glad to be able to chuck stones at another fellow's glasshouse;
+but they will get their own windows smashed in time. Now, don't hide
+your head as though you had done something to be ashamed about. Come
+into the playground with me."</p>
+
+<p>"The other fellows don't want me, and I don't want to go where I am not
+wanted."</p>
+
+<p>"Rubbish! Downright silly rubbish!" retorted<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_127" id="Page_127">[Pg 127]</a></span> Warren. "I want you!
+I want you to show me how to throw one of those ropes like you do.
+I cannot manage it. I was trying the other day, and I caught Bert
+Standish an awful smack in the eye, and jolly nearly knocked it out for
+him; and if you had seen him scudding after me, one hand on his injured
+optic and the other shaking in very wrath! I didn't stop to argue until
+I got safe inside my study and had the bolt drawn; and then he stood
+outside kicking the panel, and calling me a chump, and a kite, and a
+cuckoo, and all manner of pretty and polite names, and inviting me to
+come out and let him wipe up the floor with me. I spoke soft words, and
+tried to pour oil on troubled waters, only the troubled waters were not
+taking any, and would not be assuaged until Kesterway came along and
+said that he would report him for damaging the paint if he didn't stop
+it. I have kept out of Bert's way since then, and he has got a lovely
+bruise under his eye. Come on, Ralph, and show me how you do it without
+knocking any one's head off."</p>
+
+<p>So Ralph suffered himself to be taken into the playground, and though
+some looked at him suspiciously and edged away from him, others of
+Warren's disposition resolved that, at any rate, they would wait for
+proof before condemning him, gathered round Ralph, and made him feel
+that they were his friends.</p>
+
+<p>So opinions were divided, and Marlthorpe College split into two
+parties, one for, and one against Ralph&mdash;one with Tom Warren at its
+head, and the other with<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_128" id="Page_128">[Pg 128]</a></span> Horace Elgert, the Honourable Horace Elgert,
+the nobleman's son!</p>
+
+<p>And Elgert was not quite satisfied, for he saw that Ralph was not sent
+to Coventry, as he had intended that he should be. He saw that some
+of the boys recognized that he was not the sort of lad to be a thief,
+and he determined that, if it could be done, their opinions should be
+changed.</p>
+
+<p>"If I can only prove that he did it," he mused, "I may be able to
+manage that, if I have any luck."</p>
+
+<p>So the days of the week slipped away, once more bringing the Saturday
+holiday near, and it had been one of the hardest weeks that Ralph
+Rexworth had ever known&mdash;a week that had called for all his strength of
+will and purpose to enable him to face and overcome its difficulties
+and temptations.</p>
+
+<p>It was Friday afternoon, and Ralph was in his study putting his books
+straight prior to leaving&mdash;he was always neat in his habits&mdash;when
+Charlton came in, hesitating, troubled-looking, as ever.</p>
+
+<p>"Glad the week is over, Ralph?" he asked, after he had stood in silence
+for a little while watching his chum.</p>
+
+<p>And Ralph nodded.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes. It has been a little hard. I shall be glad to have a rest from
+it," he answered.</p>
+
+<p>"They are wicked to try and make out that you took that note. They
+ought to know that you did not. I know you did not."</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_129" id="Page_129">[Pg 129]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Do you? How?" was the quiet answer to this indignant outburst.</p>
+
+<p>And Charlton seemed confused.</p>
+
+<p>"Why, because&mdash;don't you see&mdash;because&mdash;you could not do it, of course."</p>
+
+<p>"Thanks!" said Ralph. "It is nice to hear you say that."</p>
+
+<p>But, alas! he wondered whether Charlton had any better grounds for his
+belief.</p>
+
+<p>And then the boy went on, taking ten shillings from his pocket.</p>
+
+<p>"Here are the ten shillings which I owe you. I am much obliged."</p>
+
+<p>Ralph looked hard at him, and made no attempt to pick up the money.</p>
+
+<p>"Charlton," he said quietly, "I thought you said that you would not be
+able to repay me for some time."</p>
+
+<p>And Charlton looked more confused than ever.</p>
+
+<p>"I know, but I&mdash;I can pay you now."</p>
+
+<p>"How did you get the money?" asked Ralph.</p>
+
+<p>And his chum grew more nervous.</p>
+
+<p>"I had it given&mdash;I mean that I&mdash;&mdash; Why do you ask that?"</p>
+
+<p>"I will tell you, Charlton," answered Ralph gravely. "I don't mean to
+tell any one else, though. You had no money at the beginning of this
+week, and now you can pay me ten shillings. Where did you get the money
+from? Did you take that five-pound note?"</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_130" id="Page_130">[Pg 130]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>For a moment the lad stood silently staring at Ralph. Then his pale
+face went crimson, and he burst out indignantly&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"What do you mean? Do you think that I stole it? Do you mean that I am
+a thief? You can't mean that, Rexworth! Did you ever catch me telling a
+lie?"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes," said Ralph quietly. "I did once."</p>
+
+<p>"When?" demanded Charlton.</p>
+
+<p>And Ralph answered&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Last week in the woods, when you said that you were alone. I know that
+there was a man with you."</p>
+
+<p>"That is a lie!" answered Charlton wildly. "There was no one. You have
+no right to say there was any one with me." He seemed quite beside
+himself with terror. "I know what it is, Ralph Rexworth! You have taken
+that note after all, and now you are trying to put the blame upon me.
+We are not chums any longer. I hate you!"</p>
+
+<p>And with that Charlton rushed off, choking with anger and bitter grief,
+and Ralph stood there looking after him, more in regret than in anger.</p>
+
+<p>"Poor chap!" he muttered. "I ought not to have spoken like that. It
+only shows how easy it is to make a slip, if you are not for ever
+watching. Perhaps I am wronging him, after all."</p>
+
+<p>He paused. His eyes fell upon the money which Charlton had placed upon
+the table. If he was wronging him, then where had Charlton managed to
+get that money from?</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_131" id="Page_131">[Pg 131]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><span>CHAPTER XIV</span> <span class="smaller">BY THE RIVER SIDE</span></h2>
+
+<p>"I wish that I had not spoken like that to him."</p>
+
+<p>So Ralph Rexworth mused as he left the study and went along the
+corridor&mdash;anger at the violent outburst and the accusation which
+Charlton had hurled at him, he felt none.</p>
+
+<p>A muffled sound broke upon his ears&mdash;the sound of some one sobbing
+violently, and he stopped, peering along the corridor until he made
+out the form of his former chum. Charlton had flung himself down full
+length, and was crying as if his heart would break.</p>
+
+<p>It was more than Ralph could stand&mdash;he went up to him and laid a hand
+upon the prostrate boy's shoulder.</p>
+
+<p>"Charlton," he said kindly, "don't cry. I am awfully sorry that I have
+offended you, and that we have quarrelled. I did not mean to do it.
+Won't you get up and shake hands with me?"</p>
+
+<p>"No!" came the broken answer. "Go away, I don't want you! You were the
+only chum that I had, and now you say that I am a thief! I never said a
+word against you. I told Dobson that he was telling lies when he said
+that you had stolen the note, and he<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_132" id="Page_132">[Pg 132]</a></span> beat me. I did not mind that,
+because I was trying to stick up for you; and now you say I stole it!"</p>
+
+<p>"Come, shake hands," pleaded Ralph, feeling somehow that he was on the
+wrong track. "I am sorry."</p>
+
+<p>"You ought to have known how it feels to be called a thief," the other
+lad continued. "You are not my chum&mdash;I don't care about you being
+strong and me being weak&mdash;I don't want to be your chum. I know that my
+father was called a thief, but it was not true&mdash;he never did anything
+wrong&mdash;and I know that people sneer at me. But I am not a thief&mdash;I
+never stole anything, and you, seeing what Elgert has said about your
+father, and that you have been accused, might have been a little more
+kind to me."</p>
+
+<p>"Well, I have said that I am sorry. Won't you shake hands?" said Ralph
+again. "And I had a note from Mr. St. Clive, and he told me to ask you
+and Warren to come over to-morrow. Won't you come?"</p>
+
+<p>"No," answered Charlton. "You don't want boys there who have convict
+fathers, and who you believe to be thieves. You go away, Ralph
+Rexworth. We shall never be friends any more until you have been proved
+wrong. When I can prove to you that I had no hand in taking that note,
+then we will be chums again.</p>
+
+<p>"And," he added, sitting up, "it is a wicked, wicked lie to say that I
+was with any man in those woods. It is not true, and you are making it
+up. There&mdash;go away, and make what chums you like. I suppose that we<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_133" id="Page_133">[Pg 133]</a></span>
+must still share the same study! I won't worry you with my presence
+very much, I can promise you; but I won't make friends, and I won't
+forgive you, and I won't take back one word of what I have said that I
+believe about you&mdash;not even if you beat me&mdash;and you are strong enough
+to do that, I know."</p>
+
+<p>"I am sorry. I don't want to beat you, Charlton," responded Ralph, "and
+I am very grieved that we are not to be chums. Perhaps after Sunday you
+will think differently."</p>
+
+<p>"I will never think differently&mdash;never&mdash;never!" cried Charlton. And
+jumping up he rushed off, leaving Ralph to continue his way alone, and
+somewhat heavy-hearted, for he had a genuine liking for the lonely,
+sad-faced boy, and was indeed truly sorry that he had said anything to
+cause him such pain and grief.</p>
+
+<p>"Hallo, Rexworth! What have you been doing with Charlton?" asked
+Warren, meeting him in the playground a little later. "He rushed across
+here a little while ago as though he were training for a race; and when
+I asked him if he had seen you, he said that he didn't know anything
+about you, and that he didn't want to know, either. Whatever have you
+done to upset him in that way?"</p>
+
+<p>"We have had a bit of a quarrel," answered Ralph. "Don't ask me about
+it, old fellow, for I don't want to talk of it. I hope that he will
+be all right again next week. By the way, Mr. St. Clive has asked me
+whether<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_134" id="Page_134">[Pg 134]</a></span> you would care to come over and spend the afternoon with me
+to-morrow."</p>
+
+<p>"Will a duck like to swim when it gets enough water to paddle its
+little tootsies in?" laughed Warren. "My dear chap, I will come on the
+wings of greased lightning. I must go home and tell the mater first
+though, or she will wonder what has become of me&mdash;fancy that I have met
+with an accident, or something. Fellows ought not to be careless about
+such things as that. Then I will come on, if that will do, and&mdash;great
+guns! there goes the bell, and it is my turn to see the school ready
+for calling over. I am off"&mdash;and away Warren sped as fast as he could
+run.</p>
+
+<p>The evening passed, the following morning came and went, and
+still Charlton gave Ralph no opportunity for renewing his offer
+of friendship. He looked pale, miserable, but determined&mdash;Ralph
+had wounded him to the very soul, and he would not&mdash;could not
+indeed&mdash;forget or forgive it.</p>
+
+<p>The hour of departure came, and still Charlton avoided Ralph. They left
+without wishing each other good-bye, and Ralph set out for Mr. St.
+Clive's, feeling disappointed and heavy-hearted.</p>
+
+<p>But disappointment and heavy-heartedness could not long find place in
+that bright home. The very first greeting, the warm handshake of Mr.
+St. Clive, the smile of his wife and the rush with which Irene came to
+greet him, altogether united to banish every melancholy thought, and to
+bring sunshine to his heart.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_135" id="Page_135">[Pg 135]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>And what a circle of sympathetic listeners he had when he told them
+about the theft, and how he had chanced to be upon the scene. And both
+Irene and Mrs. Clive laughed, and were at the same time very indignant
+that any one should dare to suppose, even for one moment, that Ralph
+could possibly be a thief.</p>
+
+<p>But Mr. St. Clive looked grave, for he could see how hard this was for
+the lad, and could understand what a big fight it must have been for
+Ralph.</p>
+
+<p>"Never fear, my boy," he said when the story was told. "It is hard, but
+the truth must come out at last&mdash;it always does in this world of ours.
+But now," he continued, "about your friends&mdash;I hope they are to be my
+guests to-day."</p>
+
+<p>"Warren will be here, sir," answered Ralph. And Mr. St. Clive asked,
+"And not Charlton?"</p>
+
+<p>"No, sir, he could not promise." Ralph did not go into the matter of
+his quarrel with his chum then; he wanted to talk to Mr. St. Clive
+alone about that; and the gentleman, seeing that something must have
+gone amiss, did not press his questions further.</p>
+
+<p>Then Ralph went off with Irene, and had to tell her everything over
+again, while she sat and listened with sparkling eyes, especially when
+he told her how Mr. Delermain had behaved.</p>
+
+<p>"I would like to kiss him," she said. "He is a nice man." And Ralph
+suggested that, as she could not do that, the next best thing would be
+to kiss him<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_136" id="Page_136">[Pg 136]</a></span> instead&mdash;a thing which proves very conclusively that Ralph
+was very quickly getting used to the ways of Western civilization.</p>
+
+<p>And then, with a merry call, Tom Warren came upon the scene, for he had
+arrived, had been welcomed by his host, and sent out into the garden
+to meet his friend. Irene was introduced&mdash;she had known him before, by
+the way, but that doesn't matter&mdash;and Warren was nice, and didn't think
+girls a bit of a nuisance&mdash;which shows that he was a wise boy&mdash;and the
+three just got on as well as could be, until the bell rang for lunch,
+and&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>Well, well, they did enjoy that lunch, that is all; and they
+demonstrated very clearly what exceedingly healthy appetites they all
+possessed; and then, that over, they set out for a stroll along the
+river's bank&mdash;for it was very pretty there, and Irene loved the spot.
+The trees were so stately, and, in some places, grew right to the
+water's edge, and the grass was so green and velvety, and the river
+ran so smoothly&mdash;perhaps too smoothly&mdash;for the current was strong
+and swift, and glided along, making the water look like a stream of
+glass as it turned the curve towards Becket Weir, and went roaring and
+foaming down twelve feet like a little Niagara.</p>
+
+<p>But to-day, when they reached the spot they were somewhat disappointed
+to find that they were not the only occupants. A party of boys were
+there&mdash;boys from the college&mdash;and, of all boys in the world, Elgert,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_137" id="Page_137">[Pg 137]</a></span>
+Dobson, and some of their chums who had been to Mr. St. Clive's.</p>
+
+<p>Some of the boys were fishing, for there were excellent perch and roach
+in the still pools; and Horace Elgert had his canoe, a pretty little
+boat&mdash;light, easy, and graceful, so long as it was kept away from the
+immediate neighbourhood of the weir.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh," growled Warren, as he saw the others. "How jolly annoying!" And
+at that Irene burst out laughing, and inquired how anything could
+possibly be "jolly annoying."</p>
+
+<p>"Well, very annoying, Miss St. Clive," was Warren's answer. "Just to
+think of that lot being here!"</p>
+
+<p>"I don't see that they need annoy us," she answered.</p>
+
+<p>"We will go a little farther along the bank, down by the weir."</p>
+
+<p>Some of the other boys greeted Warren, and raised their hats as they
+saw Irene&mdash;whom most of them knew by sight; but of Ralph they took no
+notice, and Elgert, coming by in his canoe, called out loud enough for
+all to hear&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Keep your eyes on your property, you fellows, you might lose something
+here."</p>
+
+<p>"The cad!" muttered Warren, while Irene gave Ralph's arm a little
+squeeze, as if to tell him never to mind.</p>
+
+<p>"The cad!" said Warren again. "He would not dare do that if you were in
+the playground; and just<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_138" id="Page_138">[Pg 138]</a></span> look at him showing off in that canoe&mdash;as if
+no one but he could use a paddle."</p>
+
+<p>"He cannot use one," laughed Ralph. "That is not the way to swing it.
+He takes it over and over like the sails of a windmill, describing
+circles with every stroke."</p>
+
+<p>"Well," asked Warren, "how would you use it? I confess that is the way
+I should handle it."</p>
+
+<p>"It is not the right way. It should be swung from side to side, and he
+will be over if he tries to play tricks like that"&mdash;as Elgert made a
+fancy stroke which brought the boat down on one side.&mdash;"There, he has
+dropped his paddle! Be careful"&mdash;and he raised his voice&mdash;"Be careful!
+He is over!"</p>
+
+<p>Yes; the warning came too late. Elgert reached over to regain his
+paddle, the canoe took one sudden lurch, turned bottom up, and sent the
+boy struggling into the water. Elgert could not swim&mdash;Ralph saw that
+at a glance; and, without waiting, off went coat and waistcoat, and
+into the river Ralph Rexworth went after his foe&mdash;the river that ran so
+swiftly on to the boiling, roaring weir.</p>
+
+<div class="center"><img src="images/i138.jpg" alt="Into the river Ralph Rexworth went" /></div>
+
+<p class="bold">"<span class="smcap">Into the river Ralph Rexworth went after his
+foe.</span>" p. 138</p>
+
+<p>It was a hard fight, but Ralph had the advantage of being carried by
+the current right down to the struggling boy, and, ere long, he had
+reached him, was gripping his arm, and had commenced the struggle back
+to the bank, only to find that Warren was by his side ready to give his
+help.</p>
+
+<p>And between them they managed to get Elgert<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_139" id="Page_139">[Pg 139]</a></span> back to the shore. Not
+without a big battle, for the water pulled like giant hands, seeking to
+sweep them all away. They had to swim in a slanting course, and even
+then, ere the bank was reached, they were perilously near to the spot
+over which the water took its leap, and where the notice-board with the
+big "Danger" was so prominently fixed.</p>
+
+<p>But they managed it; and Elgert was hurried off by his friends, while
+Warren and Ralph, soaked as they were, had to race back to Mr. St.
+Clive's, with Irene behind them urging them not to stop for her, but to
+get back as quickly as ever they could.</p>
+
+<p>Only to think of it! Ralph Rexworth had actually rescued, with the help
+of Warren, his enemy Horace Elgert from almost certain death!</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_140" id="Page_140">[Pg 140]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><span>CHAPTER XV</span> <span class="smaller">THE LOST POCKET-BOOK</span></h2>
+
+<p>Ralph Rexworth was inconsolable&mdash;he had lost his pocket-book. Now, a
+lost pocket-book may not seem a very big thing to grieve over, seeing
+that another one can be bought for a reasonable sum; and yet Ralph did
+grieve, and grieve greatly.</p>
+
+<p>For this pocket-book was not like other pocket-books that might be
+bought. It was one which his father had given to him&mdash;the very last
+present which he had ever received from him&mdash;and it contained, amongst
+other things, and the greatest treasure of them all, a portrait of
+his darling mother, and the letter which his father had written to
+him on the day he made the present. What wonder, then, that a boy who
+loved his parents as Ralph Rexworth had done should grieve, and grieve
+greatly, over such a loss?</p>
+
+<p>He found out the loss shortly after he reached Mr. St. Clive's, after
+rescuing Horace Elgert. He had been looking at some portraits of Irene,
+which had only just arrived from the photographers, and she had<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_141" id="Page_141">[Pg 141]</a></span> given
+him one to keep for himself. What should he do with such a gift but put
+it into his pocket-book&mdash;and his pocket-book was not there!</p>
+
+<p>Irene saw the change which came over his face when he had discovered
+the loss, and she asked him what was the matter. His face went quite
+white, so that Tom Warren, looking at him, wondered why such a manly,
+sensible chap should look so bad over such a little thing.</p>
+
+<p>But then Tom Warren had father and mother living, and plenty of friends
+around; so that made all the difference. He did not understand what it
+was to be all alone in the world, or how people like that treasured
+every relic of friends and happy days that had been.</p>
+
+<p>"Perhaps it tumbled from your pocket when you threw your coat off down
+by the river?" he suggested. "Let us go and have a look for it." And
+the two boys set off together.</p>
+
+<p>"He does seem cut up," the monitor reflected, as they ran on; for Ralph
+hardly had a word to say now, so anxious was he.</p>
+
+<p>But, no&mdash;no pocket-book was to be found. They searched every foot of
+the towing-path, and then went into the wood, to the very spot where
+they had rested that afternoon; but not a sign of the book could they
+see, and at last Warren declared that it was no use looking further.</p>
+
+<p>"You cannot have dropped it anywhere about here,"<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_142" id="Page_142">[Pg 142]</a></span> he said, "unless
+some one has seen it and picked it up. Had it got your name inside?"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes," answered Ralph; "but then they won't know where to bring it. How
+will they know who Ralph Rexworth is, or where he lives? I am afraid I
+shall never see it again; and&mdash;and&mdash;" And Ralph broke off, unable to
+finish his sentence.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, come, don't be like that, Rexworth!" protested Warren. "At any
+rate, you can advertise for it and offer a reward; and any one who
+found it would be only too glad to bring it back and get the money. An
+old pocket-book is not so great a find that any one would want to keep
+it from you."</p>
+
+<p>"No; it is only of value to me," admitted Ralph, giving one last vain
+look round. "Well, it is no use staying here now; and it is beginning
+to grow dark. I suppose that we had better go back."</p>
+
+<p>The St. Clives were quite anxious to know whether the book had been
+recovered when the two boys once more reached the house, and they were
+full of sympathy when Ralph sadly shook his head.</p>
+
+<p>"I suppose you are quite sure that you brought it away from school
+with you, Ralph?" said Mr. St. Clive; and that brought just one little
+ray of hope. Ralph could not be quite sure. He thought that he had
+done so&mdash;he always took it from the pocket of the coat he took off and
+transferred it to that of the one he was going to wear. He had taken
+off his school-jacket when he left that afternoon, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_143" id="Page_143">[Pg 143]</a></span> though he felt
+nearly sure that he had done so, he could not be quite certain that he
+had taken his pocket-book from the pocket.</p>
+
+<p>But he felt so anxious and worried that all the pleasure of the evening
+was gone; and when Warren finally said good-night and ran off to his
+own home, it was still with the reflection that Ralph Rexworth must
+indeed be a queer sort of chap, or else there must be some extra
+special reason for his worrying over that pocket-book in the way he did.</p>
+
+<p>And when Warren had gone, Irene came and sat by her friend's side,
+being, indeed, a staunch little friend herself, and wanting to do
+something to comfort him; and she whispered again how she sympathized
+with him, and that perhaps the book was still at school, or, again, if
+it were really lost, it would be sure to be found by some one who would
+be likely to see the advertisement which Mr. St. Clive said should be
+printed, and then they would certainly bring it back to him.</p>
+
+<p>And then she talked of the deed which Ralph had done that day, and how
+glad she was that he had been the means of saving Horace Elgert; and
+how, in returning good for evil, he would be sure to conquer; and just
+for the moment Ralph forgot his loss, and was interested.</p>
+
+<p>"I could not do anything else, Irene," he said. "When it comes to
+saving a fellow's life, one cannot stop to consider whether they are
+friends or enemies.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_144" id="Page_144">[Pg 144]</a></span> It had to be done, though it has cost me enough,"
+he added sadly.</p>
+
+<p>"You think that you lost your pocket-book then?" she said; and he
+nodded.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes. I must have jerked it out of my pocket when I threw my coat off."</p>
+
+<p>"Well, then some of the other boys will most likely have found it, and
+they will bring it back to you on Monday."</p>
+
+<p>"I hope, if they do find it, they will not open it and get playing
+about with its contents," he said anxiously; and she laughed.</p>
+
+<p>"Why, how silly, Ralph! How can they possibly find out to whom it
+belongs unless they open it? Why should you mind that? You have nothing
+in it that you are afraid for people to see?"</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, no, no; of course not!" he answered quickly. It was not that.
+He could not explain it to Irene&mdash;he could hardly understand it
+himself&mdash;but the idea of other hands touching that, and other eyes
+prying at its treasured contents, was very repugnant to Ralph's
+feelings.</p>
+
+<p>The next morning Ralph was up early, almost as soon as it was light,
+and back in the neighbourhood of Becket Weir; and there, all alone in
+the freshness of the early day, he hunted this way and that, far more
+carefully than he had done the previous evening, but with as little
+success. There was not a trace of the pocket-book, but&mdash;he paused, his
+nerves tingling<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_145" id="Page_145">[Pg 145]</a></span>&mdash;some one had driven along the towing-path. The tracks
+were perfectly plain upon the dew-damp earth; and the tracks were
+those of a light cart which was drawn by a horse lame in its left fore
+foot&mdash;the same tracks which he connected with his father's fate, and
+which he had not seen for some time now!</p>
+
+<p>He stood looking round. It was Sunday&mdash;the day of peace and rest
+and gentle thoughts, and yet for the moment his heart filled with
+hard ones. He must follow these tracks! They might not lead to the
+recovery of his father&mdash;alas! he could not but believe now that father
+was dead&mdash;but they would lead to the man who had killed him; and
+then&mdash;then&mdash;&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>Sweet and low the bells came from the distant church, ringing for the
+first early morning service. They seemed to whisper messages to Ralph;
+but for once he turned a deaf ear to their voices. He must follow these
+tracks, Sunday or no Sunday.</p>
+
+<p>Along the path he went, his eyes fixed on the ground&mdash;past the roaring,
+tumbling weir, and the marks grew clearer. Hope rose in his excited
+heart. This was more in accordance with his tastes and desires. It was
+like being back on the long, rolling prairies. He would find out the
+truth now&mdash;at least, he would find out who this man was who drove a
+lame horse!</p>
+
+<p>Vain hopes, vain thoughts! Clear and unbroken, the marks ran until
+the towing-path turned out on the main road just by Becket Bridge,
+and there, on the hard, stony road, all tracks were lost. It was<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_146" id="Page_146">[Pg 146]</a></span>
+failure again; and a sudden rush of sorrow came to Ralph, a sudden
+sense of disappointment and loneliness; and sitting down there on
+the stone coping of the wall that separated the road from the river,
+Ralph Rexworth burst into tears. He could not help it&mdash;he felt so very
+depressed and weary; and not even the thoughts of Mr. St. Clive and
+Irene could drive that depression away.</p>
+
+<p>But still the bells rang, and their sweet voices thrust themselves upon
+him. I am not sure that a good cry is not a good thing sometimes, even
+for a boy. He felt all the better now, and he thrust back his weakness
+and squared his shoulders, turning once more for the house, lest his
+absence, being noticed, the family might wonder what had become of him.</p>
+
+<p>But his adventures were not quite over for the morning; for, as he
+went back, he became aware that far off to the right, just where the
+spinney came creeping down to the common, there were two persons
+walking&mdash;a man and a boy. He could see them quite plainly; and though
+they were so far off, his eyes, accustomed in the past to be used on
+the sweeping plains, where safety, and even life, may depend upon keen
+sight, distinguished the boy as his former chum, Charlton&mdash;Charlton and
+a man&mdash;who but his father? And again came the thought, in spite of all
+the reasoning which Mr. St. Clive had used&mdash;was there any connexion
+between that man, the tracks of the lame horse, and his own dear
+father's disappearance?</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_147" id="Page_147">[Pg 147]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Very slowly did Ralph return to his benefactor's house. He was
+restless, anxious; all the stormy feelings seemed to have returned. And
+all this had come through the loss of his pocket-book!</p>
+
+<p>That Sunday was a hard one for Ralph. Even the quiet church, with its
+solemn service, its sweet music, and its glorious coloured windows, did
+not seem quite the same to-day. It was as though Satan was combating
+with him, whispering that it was no use striving to go Christ's
+way&mdash;that the road was too hard and the service too ill-paid&mdash;that it
+was far better to give up trying to be noble and good and just be as
+other boys were&mdash;as Dobson and Elgert, and that sort.</p>
+
+<p>Indeed, the temptation came that it was just downright silly to go to
+school at all, when he could go back to his old life and live in all
+the wild freedom of the plains. So Ralph was tempted; and it seemed as
+if he could get no good from the day at all&mdash;as if all striving to do
+so were in vain&mdash;and as if he would have been just as well if he had
+stopped away from church altogether.</p>
+
+<p>Even Irene did not seem able to cheer him up. Despairing thoughts, dark
+thoughts, doubting thoughts&mdash;one after another they came; for Ralph was
+like Christian in <i>Pilgrim's Progress</i>&mdash;he was in the dark valley, and
+all manner of evil things seemed to assail him as he journeyed.</p>
+
+<p>Perhaps Mr. St. Clive understood&mdash;he seemed to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_148" id="Page_148">[Pg 148]</a></span> understand most
+things&mdash;for that night, when the family knelt at prayers together, he
+prayed especially for all who had special grief to bear and special
+temptations to endure; and somehow that prayer seemed to do Ralph more
+good than anything else had done. It seemed to pull him up, and to tell
+him that, let him be tempted as he might, conquest was possible if the
+temptation was met in the strength which comes through prayer.</p>
+
+<p>Monday morning came at last&mdash;the first Monday morning when he had
+really felt anxious to get back to school; and off he set, promising to
+write to his friends and let them know whether the pocket-book was safe
+at the school in the pocket of his other coat.</p>
+
+<p>He met Warren on the road, and the monitor asked him if the book was
+found; but Ralph shook his head in token that it was still missing.</p>
+
+<p>The school was reached at last, and Ralph hurried across the playground
+and darted up to the dormitory. His coat was in his box. He felt in the
+pocket; the book was there&mdash;safe! There had been no need to worry! He
+had left it behind him, and it had been safe all the time!</p>
+
+<p>Warren had followed him, and Charlton was there, and half-a-dozen of
+the others. Charlton had taken no notice of him when he ran in.</p>
+
+<p>"There you are, you kite!" laughed Warren. "You left it here all the
+time, and you have been worrying yourself to fiddle-strings, as if it
+contained the most<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_149" id="Page_149">[Pg 149]</a></span> important things in the world, and just trembling
+in your shoes for fear any one should find it and open it, and&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>Warren stopped short. A boy, running by, accidentally pushed against
+Ralph and sent the book flying from his hands. It fell at Warren's feet
+and burst open; and from it there fluttered on the floor, in plain view
+of every boy there&mdash;a five-pound note!</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_150" id="Page_150">[Pg 150]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><span>CHAPTER XVI</span> <span class="smaller">THINGS LOOK BLACK FOR RALPH</span></h2>
+
+<p>A five-pound note!</p>
+
+<p>There it lay, face upwards; and for a moment there was silence in the
+dormitory. Every eye was turned upon the boy, who stood staring at that
+accusing piece of paper, as if turned to stone. If ever any one looked
+guilty, Ralph Rexworth did at that moment. It was so unexpected, so
+inexplicable&mdash;and worst of all, though not a word was spoken, he seemed
+to feel what his companions thought, to know that they looked upon him
+as a liar and a thief.</p>
+
+<p>As for Warren, he stood with open mouth and staring eyes, as if he
+could not believe his senses. So this was why Ralph had been so anxious
+about finding his pocket-book! But when Elgert, who had also come
+into the room, took in the scene and muttered scornfully something
+about "Like father like son," Warren turned on him savagely, with a
+contemptuous&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Shut up, you cad! You, at any rate, should be the last one to speak,
+seeing that he saved your life on Saturday." And at that sharp reproof
+Elgert shrank away, abashed for once.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_151" id="Page_151">[Pg 151]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Then Warren stooped and picked up the note, for it still lay there, and
+every one seemed too bewildered to move&mdash;and he held it out to Ralph.</p>
+
+<p>"Rexworth," he said, in low, grave tones, "this was in your
+pocket-book. It don't want much talking about, you can see what it
+looks like against you. But I want to say, and I feel that I must say
+it, I cannot believe that a chap like you can really be guilty of such
+a horribly mean thing. You and I have been good chums, and if any one
+had asked me my opinion, I should have said that there was no chap in
+the school I could more honour and trust. But this thing has got to be
+explained, and I must do my duty as a monitor, even if it gets my best
+chum into trouble. I must tell the Head of this. If I did not, some one
+else would, and it is my duty to do it."</p>
+
+<p>"You don't think that I stole it," faltered Ralph. It seemed so
+horrible that it unnerved him, and made him lose his firm resolution
+for the moment. It would be only for a little while: presently the old
+grit would come back, and he would be firm enough. But the greatest may
+flinch for the moment&mdash;recoiling from the horror of the accusation or
+suspicion&mdash;and others may put down their agitation to a wrong cause,
+think it the evidence of a guilty conscience, and condemn them untried.</p>
+
+<p>"You don't think that I stole it?" he faltered, as if pleading that
+Warren would not think so poorly as that of him. But the monitor
+replied gravely:</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_152" id="Page_152">[Pg 152]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"I don't think anything about it, Rexworth. I don't want to think, for
+if I did, I should think wrong, perhaps. I can only act on the thing as
+I know it. You lost your pocket-book, you said. You were in a terrible
+mess over the loss. You, yourself, said to me that you hoped no one
+would look inside it if they picked it up; and I, with my own eyes, saw
+this note fall out of it just now, the note I suppose Mr. Delermain
+lost, and which you declared that you had not seen. I must tell the
+Head. I only wish that it were not part of my work to have to do so."</p>
+
+<p>Then the old resolution came back. Ralph's self had not deserted him,
+and he spoke, quietly and calmly, so that all the dormitory could hear
+his troubled tones.</p>
+
+<p>"Thank you, Warren. I value your friendship, which makes doing your
+duty so hard a thing for you, and I quite understand that you cannot
+give me that friendship now, while this thing is over me. I know it
+looks very bad against me. I have some enemy here, and that enemy has
+been just a little too clever for me."</p>
+
+<p>Just as he spoke his eyes caught sight of Charlton, standing looking so
+white and scared, and the thought came: Had he done this? He seemed to
+avoid his gaze. Ralph paused only a moment, and then went on&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"There is one thing, however, that I can do to prove that I value your
+friendship, and that is take the task of speaking from you. If you
+choose to wait until after prayers, I will tell the Head myself, in
+open school, and you can all hear me do it."</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_153" id="Page_153">[Pg 153]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Warren hesitated for a moment. He hated to have to do the task, and if
+Ralph would tell himself, it would do just as well.</p>
+
+<p>"Very well," he said, "if you will do that, I have no objection; and,
+look here, you fellows," he added, turning to the others, "do, for
+mercy's sake, keep this to yourselves, all of you; or it will be all
+over the school, and it is not a nice thing to have connected with our
+Form. We may have been a bit wild, but we have never had a thing like
+this before, and I would have done anything rather than have had it
+now."</p>
+
+<p>He turned away as he spoke, and the others followed slowly, leaving
+Ralph there alone&mdash;alone with his pocket-book, and the note which had
+come from it.</p>
+
+<p>No, not quite alone, for Charlton still stood there regarding him with
+the same half-frightened, half sorrowful look; and at last Ralph,
+becoming aware of his presence, turned and looked at him.</p>
+
+<p>"Well," he said, "what do you want? Why don't you clear off, like the
+rest have done?"</p>
+
+<p>The boy backed away from him, as if almost frightened.</p>
+
+<p>"And it was you, all the time," he said, in low tones. "You, whom I
+thought so noble and good! You took it, and then you dared to ask me if
+I had taken it, to hint that it was me. Oh, Ralph Rexworth, I did not
+think that there was any one as mean as you."</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_154" id="Page_154">[Pg 154]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Ralph regarded him gravely for a little while, and then he said&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"And suppose that I still think that you took it, Charlton? Suppose
+that I ask you whether you put this note in my pocket-book?&mdash;for some
+one put it there, that is quite certain. Is this done in spite, because
+of what I said to you on Friday?"</p>
+
+<p>Then Charlton started forward, as if beside himself with anger.</p>
+
+<p>"How dare you, Ralph Rexworth&mdash;how dare you! Is that the way in which
+you are going to try and get out of it? Try and put it on to my
+shoulders! Ralph Rexworth, I stayed here when the others went because I
+was going to offer you something&mdash;going to offer to take the blame and
+seem to be the thing which you accuse me of being. The boys all look
+upon me as a thief's son, and it would not make much difference if I
+were turned out. I was going to offer to say that I had done this, and
+put it into your book. Going to do it because you were kind to me, and,
+even after what you said, you tried to make friends again. I would have
+done it, Rexworth, but I will not now. If you can be as mean as that, I
+will not do it."</p>
+
+<p>"Hold on a bit, Charlton," answered Ralph. "If you had any idea of that
+sort, I thank you for your kindness. But you don't suppose that I would
+be a party to a thing of that kind, do you? Let you tell a lie and get
+the blame, that I might escape trouble!<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_155" id="Page_155">[Pg 155]</a></span> Not me! If you have done it,
+own up or hold your tongue, as you like. But if you have not done it,
+you shan't say that you have, and that is all about it." And he added,
+as Charlton turned away&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"If I have wronged you with my suspicions, I am sorry. I know how easy
+it is to be wrongly judged."</p>
+
+<p>"And you will find how hard it is to bear," the other boy said, and
+then he, too, turned away, leaving Ralph considerably perplexed. Had
+Charlton taken the note and placed it in his pocket-book? After all,
+Ralph hardly thought so, it was not like him to do that, and yet&mdash;yet
+some one must have done this wicked thing, some one who wanted to get
+him into trouble!</p>
+
+<p>But there was no more time to spare, the bell for prayers was ringing,
+and he went down to his place.</p>
+
+<p>In spite of Warren's pleading, it was evident that the story had leaked
+out; for, as Ralph appeared, there was a considerable amount of subdued
+hissing and groaning, which made the masters look up in surprise, and
+the monitors to call silence in angry tones.</p>
+
+<p>Then the Head appeared, and prayers were read. Poor Ralph! It was
+harder than ever to attend to worship now. He felt nervous at the
+ordeal before him, and yet he felt also that to seem nervous was to
+seem guilty&mdash;and he was innocent! That thought calmed him. The service
+was over, the Head was just going to dismiss the school when Ralph rose
+in his seat, and said in clear tones&mdash;</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_156" id="Page_156">[Pg 156]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Please, sir, may I say something in open school? It is something of
+importance, something connected with the banknote which Mr. Delermain
+lost."</p>
+
+<p>The words created quite a sensation amongst those who were ignorant of
+what had transpired, and the doctor answered&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Would it not be better to speak with myself first, Rexworth? Then I
+can decide whether what you have to communicate should be made public."</p>
+
+<p>"I would rather speak here, sir. In fact, I have promised to do so. It
+only concerns myself, please, sir."</p>
+
+<p>"Then you may speak. Be brief and plain, and let us hear what you have
+to say."</p>
+
+<p>So Ralph spoke, turning half to the Head, half to the school; and
+describing how he had thought that he took his pocket-book with him and
+how he had found it in his other coat, when he got back that morning;
+and how, also, the five-pound note had been seen to tumble from it,
+when it fell on the floor.</p>
+
+<p>"I know, sir," he said, in conclusion, "that the thing looks as bad as
+bad can be, and that if every one here believes me to be a thief, it
+is only natural; but I can only say, sir, what I have said from the
+beginning. I am quite innocent. I never saw that banknote from the time
+when Mr. Delermain laid it on his desk until this morning, when it fell
+from my pocket-book and Warren picked it up."</p>
+
+<p>The doctor listened in silence, his keen eyes fixed<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_157" id="Page_157">[Pg 157]</a></span> upon the face of
+the lad before him; and Dr. Beverly felt perfectly certain that Ralph
+Rexworth was speaking the truth.</p>
+
+<p>And yet, if that were so, it meant not only that some other boy was a
+thief, but also that a boy must be deliberately trying to get Rexworth
+wrongly accused; and that seemed a very dreadful thing in the eyes of
+the noble, upright master of Marlthorpe.</p>
+
+<p>"You say you were under the impression that you took your pocket-book
+home with you, Rexworth?" he said, when the boy had concluded; and
+Ralph replied&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, sir. I can say yes to that, though I suppose that I must be
+mistaken, seeing that I found it safely in my coat-pocket when I went
+to the dormitory the first thing this morning."</p>
+
+<p>A low murmur went round the school. Some of the boys were evidently
+convinced that Ralph was guilty, and that he was only striving to
+screen himself, and their youthful hearts rebelled against such
+behaviour.</p>
+
+<p>"Hiss, hiss!" "Thief, thief!" ran round, and Ralph started as though he
+had been struck by a whip.</p>
+
+<p>The doctor struck his bell sharply, and silence followed. The offenders
+looked somewhat dismayed at their own audacity.</p>
+
+<p>"Silence, there!" he cried. "Is it the custom to call a man guilty
+before even the whole evidence is heard? What Rexworth says is very
+true. The facts do seem<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_158" id="Page_158">[Pg 158]</a></span> to unite to condemn him, and yet it is
+possible that those facts are unworthy of credence."</p>
+
+<p>"Whatever does the Head favour that fellow for?" muttered Elgert,
+to one of his own friends. But he received a look of disgust and an
+impatient&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, shut up! Didn't he pull you out of the river?" That was the second
+time that morning Horace Elgert had been so rebuked.</p>
+
+<p>"This," the Head continued, "demands the most careful, searching
+investigation. If Rexworth is guilty, I shall be the last to screen
+him; if he is innocent, it is but my duty to strive to establish that
+innocence. If any boy has been wicked enough to deliberately do this
+for the very purpose of getting this lad into trouble, I most earnestly
+entreat that boy to think of what he has done, and to confess his fault
+before this goes farther, and&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>The Head paused and looked round, the door was opened, and Lord Elgert
+had entered, just in time to overhear his last words.</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_159" id="Page_159">[Pg 159]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><span>CHAPTER XVII</span> <span class="smaller">THE PLOT THAT FAILED</span></h2>
+
+<p>The entrance of Lord Elgert interrupted the serious business being
+carried on; and somewhat impatient, even if curious, glances were
+directed towards him as he walked up to Dr. Beverly.</p>
+
+<p>"I evidently come at an inopportune moment," the nobleman said, as he
+surveyed the scene before him; "and yet, perhaps, it is a fortunate
+interruption, if this lad is in trouble, as he seems to be"&mdash;and
+he nodded towards Ralph, who met his gaze with some coldness. "If
+my interruption is untimely I will withdraw." And he looked round
+inquiringly.</p>
+
+<p>"We certainly are in the midst of a painful inquiry," replied the
+headmaster gravely. "I do not suppose that your visit is connected with
+it in any way."</p>
+
+<p>"My visit is wholly and solely to thank Ralph Rexworth and Tom Warren
+for their bravery in rescuing my son last Saturday," was the reply.</p>
+
+<p>And these words also caused something of a sensation, for, to the
+school at large the adventure at the river side was still unknown.</p>
+
+<p>The Head himself had evidently not heard of it,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_160" id="Page_160">[Pg 160]</a></span> for he looked
+surprised, and Lord Elgert continued&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"The two boys risked their lives to save that of my son, and I cannot
+be slow in coming to express my thanks and admiration. If Rexworth is
+in any trouble, I sincerely trust that any influence which I may have
+will be allowed to weigh in his favour."</p>
+
+<p>"Perhaps we had better finish the business in hand first," suggested
+the Head. "It is connected with something of which I understand you
+have already been informed. A banknote which was missing some time ago
+has been recovered, and it was found in Ralph Rexworth's pocket-book."</p>
+
+<p>"Dear, dear," said Lord Elgert, in grieved tones; "I am truly
+sorry&mdash;very sorry. But the temptations to which youth are exposed are
+great. It may be possible to overlook this unhappy matter for once&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"Sir&mdash;sir," broke in Ralph, indignantly appealing to Dr. Beverly, "I
+know that you have always been kind to me, and I ask you to protect
+me from Lord Elgert's insults, lest I may forget myself and say words
+which I ought not to say. I want no friendship nor influence of his. I
+am not guilty, and I will not accept anything which will make it appear
+that I am. As to saving his son, Warren did as much as I did, and we
+could do no less for any one who was in danger, but I can honestly say
+that I wish that it had been any one else than Horace Elgert."</p>
+
+<p>A very ugly look swept over the face of Lord Elgert, and he stepped
+back, remarking to Dr. Beverly&mdash;</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_161" id="Page_161">[Pg 161]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"In that case, there is no need for me to interrupt you any longer&mdash;at
+any rate, so far as this boy is concerned."</p>
+
+<p>"Now, attention!" said the Head; and the school straightened up again.
+"We have heard what Ralph Rexworth has to say, and some of you are
+evidently quite certain that he is guilty&mdash;that he is a thief, and,
+worse, a liar also&mdash;and that in face of what we have just heard. A
+boy who risks his life to save that of another is surely not so poor
+spirited as this. To believe that he is, is to believe that utter
+contradictions can be reconcilable."</p>
+
+<p>"Please, sir," said one lad, rising in his place, "there is one thing
+which I should like to say."</p>
+
+<p>"You may speak, sir," was the reply which he received; and the boy went
+on&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Rexworth says that he thought he took his pocket-book away with him on
+Saturday. Please, sir, so he did, for I saw him take it from his other
+coat. He laid it on his bed for a minute, and then looked at a likeness
+in it, and afterwards put it into his pocket. So that if it was found
+here this morning, some one must have picked it up and brought it back."</p>
+
+<p>"That is most important, if it is true," said the Head, while Ralph
+felt a rush of relief, and turned grateful eyes upon the speaker.</p>
+
+<p>"Are you sure that he did put it into his pocket, and not either
+replace it in the coat from which he took it, or leave it lying on the
+bed?"</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_162" id="Page_162">[Pg 162]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Quite sure, sir," answered the lad confidently. "I saw him slip it
+into his pocket, and I wondered whose likeness it was that he carried
+about with him."</p>
+
+<p>"It is my mother's, sir," said Ralph in a low voice.</p>
+
+<p>And the Head nodded.</p>
+
+<p>"Then, if this be true, a most wicked and evil plot has indeed been
+attempted&mdash;one so bad that, when I discover those who invented it, they
+shall surely be expelled. I am glad to have this testimony, although it
+was almost needless, for I am already quite certain that Ralph Rexworth
+is innocent&mdash;or, I had better say, that the evidence against him is
+valueless.</p>
+
+<p>"In the first place, this pocket-book"&mdash;and he held it up&mdash;"has
+certainly been dropped, for its side is still stained with mud, and
+there is the mark of a boot, where some one has stepped upon it. In the
+next place&mdash;and this in itself is sufficient&mdash;a little mistake has been
+made. Is this note yours, Rexworth?"</p>
+
+<p>And he turned, holding the banknote to the astonished Ralph.</p>
+
+<p>"No, sir," the boy answered, not knowing what to make of this turn in
+affairs.</p>
+
+<p>"Have you not such a thing as a five-pound note?" he was next asked.</p>
+
+<p>And again he replied in the negative.</p>
+
+<p>"Well," the Head went on, "it certainly is not the one lost by Mr.
+Delermain. Every banknote, as I suppose you know, has its own number,
+and this number is not that of the note lost, so that either<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_163" id="Page_163">[Pg 163]</a></span> some one
+has been kind enough to make Rexworth a present of a five-pound note,
+or else they have, by oversight, or through ignorance, put a note into
+his pocket-book to make it appear that he is a thief, not considering
+that it is as easily distinguished from the one which is missing, as if
+it were for a different amount, and&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>The doctor paused once more, for Ralph broke down. He had kept stiff
+enough so far; but now, as he heard that by no means could he be
+accused, and that some one must certainly have done this out of spite,
+his courage gave way, and he cried out&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Why should any one want to harm me so? I have done nothing to make any
+one wish me evil. I am almost a stranger in England, and yet people try
+to do such things as that! I cannot stay, sir. I must ask Mr. St. Clive
+to send me back. England is a wicked place, and strangers are treated
+wickedly."</p>
+
+<p>"Perhaps all England is not as bad as you think it, my lad," replied
+the Head kindly, "though I confess that your experiences are enough
+to make you form such an opinion. But do not decide hastily. I think
+that out of all such trials you will emerge a conqueror, and I know
+that such wicked attempts as have been made against you must, sooner or
+later, recoil upon the heads of those who make them."</p>
+
+<p>"I sympathize with the lad," said Lord Elgert, "and I take no offence
+at the way in which he spoke. You remember, Rexworth, that if ever you
+want a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_164" id="Page_164">[Pg 164]</a></span> friend you can come to me. I think your decision a wise one.
+This land is no place for you, and if you wish to return to your old
+home, I will myself provide all the money which is required. I want you
+to let me give you a gold watch&mdash;I have one for Warren, also."</p>
+
+<p>"I will take nothing from you," cried the boy, so that all could hear.
+"I do not trust you. For some reason you seem to hate me, and I believe
+that you are at the bottom of all my troubles."</p>
+
+<p>"Rexworth," said the Head, in grave remonstrance; and the boy checked
+himself.</p>
+
+<p>"I am sorry, sir. I ought not to have spoken like that," he said
+penitently; "but Lord Elgert knows how impossible it is to take any
+favours from him, after what he has said about my father. All I desire
+of him is that he will leave me alone to fight my own battle."</p>
+
+<p>Lord Elgert shrugged his shoulders.</p>
+
+<p>"If that is so, I cannot help it," he said. "If you change your mind
+and need a friend, you can come to me. Now for Master Warren."</p>
+
+<p>"Please, sir," said Warren rising, "I don't want anything for just
+doing my duty; and, anyhow, I could not take any present or reward
+without first asking my father's leave."</p>
+
+<p>Lord Elgert bit his lip.</p>
+
+<p>"It seems that I am to be deprived of the pleasure of giving any
+reward at all," he said. "In that case, I will intrude no longer, Dr.
+Beverly."</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_165" id="Page_165">[Pg 165]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>And with a sense of discomfiture Lord Elgert departed, and the Head
+again addressed the boys, enlarging upon the wickedness of what had
+been done, and once more pleading that the culprit, whoever he was,
+would act a man's part, own his wrong, and ask for mercy. Alas! there
+was no response to his pleading, and after a short pause the Head
+dismissed the school to its various classes.</p>
+
+<p>But surely never before had Marlthorpe had so much to talk of; and
+never before did the masters allow more talking. For the thing was so
+bad, and the lessons to be learned so grave, that each master felt as
+if it were almost his duty to bring the subject before the boys, even
+to encourage them to talk of it, if in so doing those lads could be
+taught that honesty and truth must prevail in the end, and that deceit
+and wrong-doing must fail.</p>
+
+<p>But oh, what a good thing it was for Ralph when Mr. Delermain shook
+hands with him.</p>
+
+<p>"My dear boy," the master said, "none can rejoice more than I do that
+the clumsy attempt to fasten this theft on your shoulders has failed.
+Had it not been shown to be such an attempt, I should still have felt
+confident that it was so, being sure that you would not have done
+this thing. Still, it is well to have it proved to be but an attempt.
+Now, take my advice, and banish it from your mind. Do not even worry
+as to who did it, nor as to their motive. These things will manifest
+themselves in time, and until they do<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_166" id="Page_166">[Pg 166]</a></span> they are not worth troubling
+about, nor allowing to interfere with your work, and particularly with
+your chances for the Newlet."</p>
+
+<p>And Warren came to him also, as frank and good-hearted as could be.</p>
+
+<p>"I suppose that you feel as if you wanted to punch my head," he said;
+"but I had to do my duty, old fellow, even if it were an unpleasant
+one."</p>
+
+<p>And to him Ralph had answered&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"I should have thought precious little of you if you had not done it.
+Of course, you could not have done anything different from what you
+did."</p>
+
+<p>Charlton said nothing&mdash;only he looked at Ralph wistfully, and it seemed
+as if there was something of relief in his eyes. Charlton was a puzzle
+to Ralph. He could not understand the boy anyhow.</p>
+
+<p>Nor was Warren the only one who came and spoke to Ralph and expressed
+abhorrence for the attempt to brand him as a thief, and satisfaction
+that he was cleared from the accusation.</p>
+
+<p>But that same day, in a quiet corner of the playground, Horace Elgert
+came across Dobson, and, seizing him by the collar, he shook him
+savagely.</p>
+
+<p>"You great blundering donkey," he said. "How did you come to do it? You
+have made a pretty mess of things."</p>
+
+<p>"Well," growled Dobson, shaking himself free, "it is no good to kick up
+a row about it. No harm is done, only he has managed to get clear."</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_167" id="Page_167">[Pg 167]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"But how did you do it? I cannot think how it was."</p>
+
+<p>"Easy enough. I had five pounds that my aunt sent me. I am a favourite
+with her"&mdash;and Dobson smiled complacently. "Well, I had that in my
+pocket, and when you handed me over the other note, after I picked up
+his pocket-book, I must have put the wrong note in, that is all."</p>
+
+<p>"But what did you do with the one I gave you?" demanded Elgert quickly.</p>
+
+<p>"Changed it up in the town."</p>
+
+<p>"Changed it!" he gasped. "You idiot! Don't you know that it can be
+traced by its number? I suppose that you wrote your name on the back?"</p>
+
+<p>"Of course I did," said Dobson, looking very scared.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, and that note will come back to you, perhaps brought by a
+constable. You have done a nice thing!"</p>
+
+<p>"But I didn't steal it&mdash;you stole it!" cried Dobson, in alarm. And
+Elgert struck him a savage blow.</p>
+
+<p>"So you would turn sneak, would you? Well, there is no proof that I
+stole it. There is plenty of proof that you had it, changed it, and put
+your note into the pocket-book. You will suffer, and not me."</p>
+
+<p>"What&mdash;what can we d-d-do?" gasped Dobson, his knees knocking together.
+And Elgert answered&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"We must go up into town to the place where you changed it. We must get
+that note back if we can, even if we have to give double for it. There
+is no telling what will happen, unless we get hold of it."</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_168" id="Page_168">[Pg 168]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><span>CHAPTER XVIII</span> <span class="smaller">WHERE THE BANKNOTE WENT</span></h2>
+
+<p>Brown's cake-shop was out of bounds for the younger boys at
+Marlthorpe College. The boys in the upper classes might go there if
+they chose; but as it was over a mile from the school, the Head had
+wisely determined that it was too far away for the little lads to be
+continually running there to spend their pocket-money; especially as
+there was a very clean and nice shop in the village close by&mdash;a shop
+kept by a kindly old dame, where Dr. Beverly was certain the boys could
+not come to harm.</p>
+
+<p>It was quite as good a shop as Brown's; but, because it was within
+bounds, and because the lads were forbidden to go to the town, it was
+not patronized as it should have been; while Brown's received many a
+secret visit. It was a shame that the upper fellows might go there,
+when the juniors might not! It was the cause of heartburnings. There
+were no cakes in all the world like those which Brown's sold! The chief
+inducement to get promoted was that Brown's might be visited freely.</p>
+
+<p>Of course, it was wrong and foolish; but then,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_169" id="Page_169">[Pg 169]</a></span> boys are apt to think
+wrongly and do foolishly; and, therefore, the reason of two small
+mortals scuttling along the road, and dodging into Great Stow, with
+eyes ever on the alert for monitors and masters, was not hard to
+seek&mdash;their destination was, of course, Brown's.</p>
+
+<p>A nice pair of young rebels they were. One was small and freckled and
+sandy, with small eyes, and a decidedly pug nose; and the other was a
+remarkably fat youth&mdash;so fat that it really seemed wonderful that he
+could run as he did.</p>
+
+<p>They darted along, avoiding the main street, until the noted
+establishment was reached; then, after a careful and cautious peering
+in, to make sure that the coast was clear, they dived in, and the door
+closed behind them.</p>
+
+<p>Now, Brown knew about these unlawful visits. He was very glad that
+he was without bounds, for he was quite certain that being so would
+increase his trade. He encouraged his youthful customers. He called
+them noble-spirited boys, who refused to bow to harsh rules. He said
+they were young heroes; and he had a nice little room behind the
+shop, with the window screened by a thick curtain&mdash;rather holey and
+dirty, it is true&mdash;and there was a bell to ring for Brown; and little
+white-topped tables to sit at; and it seemed so grand and "grown-up" to
+call for the waiter&mdash;though it was Brown himself who came&mdash;and to order
+a penny bun, or a jam tart, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_170" id="Page_170">[Pg 170]</a></span> for Brown to say "Yes, sir; at once,
+sir." Oh, it was very, very delightful, and it had a spice of adventure
+about it.</p>
+
+<p>So into the private room dived the two youthful spendthrifts, and
+ordered tarts and ginger-beer and ices, and then seated themselves at
+their ease to enjoy this forbidden feast.</p>
+
+<p>"Ain't they prime, Jimmy?" gloated the fat boy, as he put himself
+outside a three-cornered puff; and Jimmy, with his mouth full of tart,
+was understood to reply that they were "ripping."</p>
+
+<p>The shop-bell tinkled, and Jimmy jumped up. He was not quite sure who
+might come in, and he squinted through one of those convenient holes in
+the blind, a fragment of tart still in his hand.</p>
+
+<p>"I say, it is Elgert's man!" he said, looking round. "I wonder what he
+wants here?"</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, he doesn't signify. Let us enjoy ourselves, for we cannot stay
+long, and we shall have to run all the way back."</p>
+
+<p>That eating cakes was a good preparation for running a mile is open
+to question, but the two boys evidently had no doubts concerning the
+matter; and so they sat there, while the man who had entered talked to
+Brown over the counter, and, seeing that the door was not quite closed,
+the boys could not help hearing a little of what passed.</p>
+
+<p>"I'll bide my time, Brown," Elgert's man said. "I will not be
+impatient, but I will humble that<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_171" id="Page_171">[Pg 171]</a></span> young cub yet! I hate him even more
+than I do his father. He treats a man like the dirt beneath his feet!"</p>
+
+<p>"So he does," muttered Jimmy Green to Tinkle; "that is quite right!"</p>
+
+<p>And Tinkle nodded. He was busy with an ice just at the moment.</p>
+
+<p>"I say," said Brown to the man, "if you are not in a hurry, I wish that
+you would run over to the inn and ask them to change me this five-pound
+note? It is one which I changed for one of the boys from the school the
+other day."</p>
+
+<p>Two youthful pairs of ears pricked up, two hands were arrested as they
+conveyed two cakes towards two mouths. A five-pound note changed for a
+boy from the school! This was exciting!</p>
+
+<p>"I can cash it for you myself," the man said; "I have just been paid my
+month's money."</p>
+
+<p>"I shall be obliged," said Brown. And then followed the ringing sound
+of money being counted out; the man picked up the note, glanced at it
+and put it into his pocket.</p>
+
+<p>"I will look in as I return," he said to Brown; and away he went.</p>
+
+<p>"I say! Think we can get out of Brown who changed that note?" said
+Tinkle to Green. "It's jolly funny, after what took place to-day!"</p>
+
+<p>"I don't know," answered Green thoughtfully. "Fact is, Tinkle, old man,
+I don't know that I am<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_172" id="Page_172">[Pg 172]</a></span> anxious to do it. It is awkward to know too
+much sometimes. There is the chance of having to split on some chap you
+are friendly with. If you don't know you can't say."</p>
+
+<p>"And if you don't say, some one may stay wrongly suspected," was the
+retort of Tinkle. And then, the shop-bell sounding again, necessitated
+another going to peep through the blind.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, I say!" gasped Tinkle, as he looked through a hole; "if it isn't
+Elgert himself this time, and his crony Dobson is with him!"</p>
+
+<div class="center"><img src="images/i172.jpg" alt="Oh, I say, gasped Tinkle" /></div>
+
+<p class="bold">"<span class="smcap">'Oh, I say,' gasped Tinkle; 'if it isn't Elgert
+himself<br />this time.'</span>" p. 172</p>
+
+<p>"Well, they won't split," was the philosophic reply. "They will only
+want to go shares. I know 'em both."</p>
+
+<p>"Eat cakes while we pay; and Dobson is such a greedy beast!" And Tinkle
+groaned to himself.</p>
+
+<p>"Perhaps they are not going to stop," whispered Green. "They may only
+be going to take something back with them."</p>
+
+<p>It seemed like it; for the two boys outside made no attempt to enter
+the inner room. They both seemed rather flustered and out of breath,
+and as Brown came forward to attend to their wants Dobson panted out&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Oh&mdash;er&mdash;I say, Brown. That&mdash;that note I changed the other day. I
+should like&mdash;that is&mdash;I mean&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"We want it back!" put in Elgert impatiently,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_173" id="Page_173">[Pg 173]</a></span> pushing his companion
+aside. "We cannot explain why, but we are very anxious to get hold of
+it!"</p>
+
+<p>"Fact is, we fancy that it is bad, and we don't want you to be the
+loser, you see," added Dobson. And Brown smiled slightly and nodded.</p>
+
+<p>"That's very good of you young gentlemen&mdash;very good and honourable. But
+you have no occasion to worry; the note was good enough. I saw to that."</p>
+
+<p>"Well, good or bad," Elgert said, "I want to get hold of it! And, as
+you know, I am always willing to pay for what I want. I will give you
+six pounds for that note, Brown!"</p>
+
+<p>The man glanced at him shrewdly. What did this mean? Why had they
+invented that lie about the note being bad; and why were they willing
+to give a pound extra to get it into their hands again?</p>
+
+<p>"I am very sorry, sir," he said slowly, "but the fact is, I have parted
+with that note. I changed it only a short time ago."</p>
+
+<p>"Changed it!" Elgert went rather white, and Dobson groaned dismally.
+"Whom did you give it to?" was Elgert's quick inquiry. "Perhaps he has
+it still!"</p>
+
+<p>"Well," responded Brown, "the fact is, I can hardly remember. You see,
+a lot of money passes through my hands, and I have passed on four or
+five notes to-day. I should have to inquire of the different people,
+and find who had the identical note that you require."</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_174" id="Page_174">[Pg 174]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"And will you do it?" cried Elgert quickly. "I will not grumble about
+the price. I want to get the note back, and I am willing to pay well
+for it. When can you let me know about it?"</p>
+
+<p>"If you came to-morrow, sir, about this time, I'd see what I could do
+meanwhiles. I may be able to get hold of it again, if it has not been
+paid into the bank."</p>
+
+<p>There was nothing more to be done. Elgert and Dobson came away with a
+horrible feeling of nervous apprehension filling their hearts. If that
+note was gone, what might not the consequences be for both of them?
+They were quarrelsome&mdash;each blamed the other&mdash;each tried to screen
+himself. But recriminations were of no avail; nothing was of avail,
+unless it was getting hold of the note once more.</p>
+
+<p>And when the two had gone, the feasters on unlawful pastries came forth
+from their hiding-place; and having settled their bill with lordly air,
+they also set out for the school, for there was no time to lose if they
+were to be back before calling over.</p>
+
+<p>But they had something to think about indeed! Why did Elgert want that
+note? And how came it that Dobson had possessed one to change at all?</p>
+
+<p>"What are we going to do about this, Jimmy?" inquired Tinkle, as they
+ran along, and Green answered without the slightest hesitation.</p>
+
+<p>"Nothing! That is my advice, Tinkle. We can't do anything without
+owning up to having been out<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_175" id="Page_175">[Pg 175]</a></span> of bounds; and I don't want my name down
+for punishment now. We don't know that the note is the one which Mr.
+Delermain lost. We only know that it is one Elgert and Dobson want to
+get hold of for some purpose of their own; they may be trying to trace
+something about it."</p>
+
+<p>And then Brown went to stand at his shop-door, impatiently watching for
+the return of his companion, and hailing him as he saw him appear round
+the bend of the road.</p>
+
+<p>"It's curious that they should be so anxious to get that note back" he
+said, when he told the other of Elgert's request. "Offered a pound, and
+said he was willing to go beyond that. Well, as you have changed the
+note, it is your property, and the profit will be yours. Of course, you
+will part with it?"</p>
+
+<p>The man drew the note from his pocket-book, and examined it carefully
+ere he answered.</p>
+
+<p>"It is quite genuine," he said, and Brown laughed.</p>
+
+<p>"Of course, it is! I knew that all along. That part of their story was
+all nonsense. There is something up, but you may as well make your
+little bit out of it. Say I give you six pounds for it, and chance
+making any more myself?"</p>
+
+<p>"Not to-day," was the quiet answer. "You shall have it in a day or two.
+You can say that you have been promised that it shall be returned."</p>
+
+<p>"But what do you want to do with it for a day or two?" asked Brown,
+with something of curiosity.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_176" id="Page_176">[Pg 176]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>And the man looked him in the face, and replied, with a quiet smile&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Do? Oh, nothing! I only think that it may be as well if I have this
+banknote photographed. You can have it after that, and we will share
+the profits."</p>
+
+<p>Then Brown laughed, and clapped him on the back.</p>
+
+<p>"You are a smart fellow!" he cried.</p>
+
+<p>And the man answered.</p>
+
+<p>"There are some people living who will find that out to their cost one
+of these fine days!"</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_177" id="Page_177">[Pg 177]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><span>CHAPTER XIX</span> <span class="smaller">THE LAME HORSE ONCE MORE</span></h2>
+
+<p>If Elgert and Dobson and the two juniors who had overheard that
+conversation in Brown's cake-shop were the four most excited concerning
+the five-pound note which had been stolen from Mr. Delermain, they were
+not the only ones in Marlthorpe College who were interested in the
+matter.</p>
+
+<p>From first to last the whole school could do nothing but discuss the
+mysterious business; and, whatever else it did, the attempt to put the
+guilt upon Ralph's shoulders resulted in his being all the more firmly
+established in the favour of most of the boys.</p>
+
+<p>Even those who had not liked him were more friendly now; for there was
+something so shameful and wicked in trying to get him accused of that
+which it had been proved he was innocent of, that they could not but
+feel sympathy for him. Then the story of his brave deed in rescuing
+Elgert was strongly in his favour. After all, boys at heart love
+bravery.</p>
+
+<p>But of all there, Warren and Ralph himself pondered most. Their
+friendship was quite restored, and together they talked and discussed,
+and wondered<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_178" id="Page_178">[Pg 178]</a></span> who it could possibly be who would want to harm Ralph.</p>
+
+<p>And poor Charlton! Ah, how miserable he was now! He had his own weight
+of sorrow, and it was very, very heavy to bear; and after what Ralph
+had said he could never hope that they would be friends again.</p>
+
+<p>"I suppose that I am to blame," he said. "Perhaps I took things too
+much to heart. I feel that I am never to have friends. I&mdash;I don't care!
+Rexworth might give me another chance; but if he won't&mdash;if he is so
+taken up with Warren&mdash;he can do as he likes. I don't care!"</p>
+
+<p>Poor Charlton! He did care, for all his talk&mdash;care very much. He was
+lonely and sad; but he did not stop to think that Ralph had already
+given him chances, and that it was his own fault that he had not taken
+them. When we are miserable we are also apt to be unjust, and to put
+the blame for our own actions upon other people's shoulders.</p>
+
+<p>And how interested and indignant, and yet withal delighted, were the
+St. Clives when they heard of what had happened.</p>
+
+<p>"A clean reputation is a good thing, you see, Ralph," Mr. St. Clive
+said. "It is surely worth something to feel that people have such a
+high estimate of you as to realize that you are utterly incapable of
+doing a mean thing, even though appearances are so strong against you."</p>
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_179" id="Page_179">[Pg 179]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"It is just splendid to think how you have come out of it, Ralph!" was
+Irene's delighted comment when the two young people were alone. "It is
+like when wicked people tried to injure the brave knights of old, and
+when truth and valour and true chivalry triumphed over all opposition.
+There is something, even here and now, to be gained when people know
+that you are fighting under honour's flag!"</p>
+
+<p>And Ralph had to acknowledge that she spoke the truth, and to own that
+he was now very glad that he had resisted the temptation to yield and
+to run away from his troubles.</p>
+
+<p>That Saturday holiday&mdash;the one after the business of the note being
+found in his pocket-book&mdash;was one of the happiest that he had spent
+since coming to Stow Ormond&mdash;a day when the clouds seemed to have
+lifted, when the sun seemed brighter, and when faith grew more strong.
+It came from the feeling that he had fought a good fight, and that he
+had been helped to be more than conqueror.</p>
+
+<p>And yet he had forgotten nothing of his father. He was as anxious as
+ever to solve the mystery surrounding his disappearance; only now,
+instead of being impatient, he felt that he was preparing in the best
+way for seeking the truth by staying with Mr. St. Clive, and by working
+as hard as ever he could.</p>
+
+<p>And on that same afternoon he walked with Irene as far as the pretty
+old inn; and old Simon, the <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_180" id="Page_180">[Pg 180]</a></span>landlord, greeted him with a cheery smile;
+for, indeed, Simon felt a great interest in the lad, seeing that the
+first scene in his strange story was enacted beneath his roof.</p>
+
+<p>"And how are you, young gentleman?" he asked. "And you, too,
+missie?"&mdash;as the two entered the yard. "Come to pay a visit to old
+Simon&mdash;eh?"</p>
+
+<p>"I have come to talk to you, Simon," answered Ralph. No one ever called
+the landlord of the <i>Horse and Wheel</i> anything but Simon. "I have come
+to ask you something."</p>
+
+<p>"That's right, sir! Ask away&mdash;though I don't promise to answer if it is
+a poser. I haven't had the education which you young people enjoy."</p>
+
+<p>"It is nothing to do with education, Simon," laughed Ralph. "I want
+to ask you whether, now that you have had plenty of time to think of
+it&mdash;as I feel sure you must have thought&mdash;do you think that you have
+any recollection of ever having seen my father before? I feel certain
+that he knew the place; and if he knew it, perhaps you may be able to
+think of some one whom he reminds you of."</p>
+
+<p>But Simon shook his head at that question.</p>
+
+<p>"I am afraid that I cannot answer that, sir. Your father certainly did
+know the place; for when I told him the number of his room he walked
+right up to it without waiting to be shown. And, in some way, I seem to
+have a faint recollection of having<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_181" id="Page_181">[Pg 181]</a></span> seen him before; but it is all dim
+and hazy like, and it wouldn't do to go upon."</p>
+
+<p>"Thank you, Simon. Now the other question&mdash;and I want you to keep this
+to yourself; I have a particular reason for that. Do you know any one
+in the neighbourhood who drives about in a light trap, and who has a
+horse lame in its left foreleg?"</p>
+
+<p>"Well," said the old man thoughtfully, "come to that, there are plenty
+of folk with light traps hereabout; and I know of two lame horses. Old
+Saxer, the carter, has one, and Hopkin, the butcher, has one, and&mdash;why,
+yes, Lord Elgert himself has a pretty little mare lame in her left
+foreleg. She hurt herself in a hole, and, though she goes all right
+now, she has a bit of a limp. And, why, come to think of it, now I
+remember who your father put me in mind of."</p>
+
+<p>"Who&mdash;oh, who?" cried Ralph eagerly; while Irene looked on not less
+interested.</p>
+
+<p>"Who?" said the innkeeper. "Why, of old Lord Stephen! He was Lord
+Elgert's uncle, and he died without leaving child of his own. He had
+one son, who died long, long ago. That is it, for certain! But what
+ails you, young sir?"</p>
+
+<p>For Ralph had gone quite white. He had never expected that answer. Lord
+Elgert had a lame horse! Lord Elgert was the nephew of some one whom
+his father had resembled! Lord Elgert had told that wicked story about
+his father; and Lord Elgert<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_182" id="Page_182">[Pg 182]</a></span> was so very anxious for him to go back to
+the plains, and leave England behind him for ever! Surely it could not
+be! And yet, as Ralph pondered, he seemed to call to mind a hundred
+things to strengthen his suspicions. It could not be that Lord Elgert
+knew anything about his father!</p>
+
+<p>A very grave Ralph walked home to lunch; and a very grave Mr. St. Clive
+listened to his story.</p>
+
+<p>"I could wish that this had not been brought up, Ralph," he said. "I
+fear that it will only unsettle you again; and, in spite of all that
+you advance, I cannot bring myself to believe that you are anything but
+mistaken. Lord Elgert may not be a pleasant man to deal with, but this
+is a very, very grave thing to even so much as hint at."</p>
+
+<p>But whatever Mr. St. Clive might say, Ralph could not get the thing
+out of his head. It is not to be wondered at that it should haunt him
+and make him feel excited. After waiting so long, this was like the
+first real tangible clue. And he had been thinking that it was poor
+Charlton's father who must be at the bottom of it! Poor Charlton!</p>
+
+<p>Walking by himself, Ralph pondered upon the fact that, after all, if
+any one had hinted to him what he had hinted to his chum he would have
+been just as hurt and indignant. And now that he was cleared it would
+be manly and nice to go and ask him to be friends again.</p>
+
+<p>"He can hardly do anything if I don't give him<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_183" id="Page_183">[Pg 183]</a></span> the chance," he told
+himself. "I will do it as soon as I get back to school on Monday."</p>
+
+<p>His head full of the tracks of lame horses and light traps, he had
+taken his way across towards Stow Wood, the scene of that tragedy&mdash;for
+tragedy he believed there had surely been&mdash;and as he walked over the
+common he reflected that those marks had led away in the direction of
+Great Stow; and in Great Stow or just beyond it, Lord Elgert lived.</p>
+
+<p>And then, as he walked along, his eyes thoughtfully fixed upon the
+ground, he stopped suddenly. Surely things were going strangely to-day;
+for, coming on top of old Simon's words, here was the track of the lame
+horse again!</p>
+
+<p>"I will follow it this time," said Ralph to himself.</p>
+
+<p>And he set forward rapidly. There was plenty of both light and time
+this afternoon, and if the tracks led to hard roads he would go on and
+search beyond them.</p>
+
+<p>But he did not have very far to go this time, though he gained but
+little for his trouble. The other side the common, and close to Stow
+Wood, he came upon the vehicle he had followed&mdash;a light trap, truly,
+and drawn by a pretty little mare; and with it were three men, one in
+the uniform of a constable and the others in ordinary dress.</p>
+
+<p>"Who does this trap belong to?"</p>
+
+<p>The question was absurd, perhaps, but he blurted it out without
+thinking; and the men turned and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_184" id="Page_184">[Pg 184]</a></span> regarded him with mingled surprise
+and amusement.</p>
+
+<p>"And what has that to do with you, if you please?" said one&mdash;the one in
+uniform.</p>
+
+<p>And what could he say? Whatever the other two were, one was a
+constable; and surely a constable was sufficient evidence that he had
+followed a wrong trail!</p>
+
+<p>"You seem to have a liking for asking questions, young gentleman," said
+one of the other men. "Now, suppose that we ask you one? Have you seen
+any one out here&mdash;any one that seemed as if they were trying to hide?
+We are looking for a prisoner of ours, who escaped some time back,
+and who, we believe, is hiding in this locality. Have you seen any
+suspicious character about?"</p>
+
+<p>Detectives! A prisoner! It must be Charlton's father! How glad he was
+that he could answer truly that he had seen no one! And the man who had
+put the question replied to him, when he had finished:</p>
+
+<p>"Thank you. Now, as you have answered me, I will answer you; though
+I confess that I do not understand the reason for your question. The
+horse and trap belong to Lord Elgert. Doubtless you have heard of him.
+He kindly lent them to us that we might be saved a long walk."</p>
+
+<p>It was Lord Elgert's! And these men, in Lord Elgert's trap, were
+looking for poor Charlton's father! Ralph thanked the constables,
+letting them remain in ignorance as to the real reason for his
+question, and with slow and thoughtful steps turned into Stow Wood.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_185" id="Page_185">[Pg 185]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>He was bewildered, perplexed, stunned. It was Lord Elgert's trap! Could
+Lord Elgert be the one who had harmed his father?</p>
+
+<p>Pondering deeply, he walked on, hardly noticing where he went, until
+suddenly a slight exclamation recalled his wandering senses. He looked
+up. He had penetrated into a little glade, and there before him stood
+two people&mdash;his chum Charlton and a man! He had found the one for whom
+the police were searching so close at hand!</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_186" id="Page_186">[Pg 186]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><span>CHAPTER XX</span> <span class="smaller">TO MR. ST. CLIVE'S</span></h2>
+
+<p>The man started to his feet, with an exclamation of mingled rage and
+despair; while Charlton stood before his father, his arms outstretched,
+as if he feared that Ralph would rush forward and seize him.</p>
+
+<p>His face was very white, as he looked at the boy who had been his
+friend and champion, and cried, in tones of misery and reproach&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"You! Oh, this is mean and cruel! I did not think that you would act
+the spy and hunt us down. Let him go&mdash;let him go quietly; and, if you
+want to harm any one, hurt me. I will not move, or cry out, no matter
+how much you beat me&mdash;only let my poor father go, and do not tell any
+one you have seen him."</p>
+
+<p>Now, Ralph had been standing in silence, too surprised to say anything.
+Despite what Mr. St. Clive had said, he had some sort of idea that this
+man must, in some way, know of his father's disappearance, even if he
+himself had no hand in it, just as he still thought that Charlton knew
+more about the missing note than any one else, though that suspicion
+was beginning to weaken considerably now.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_187" id="Page_187">[Pg 187]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>But as he looked from the boy to the man, and as he heard that pathetic
+appeal, every feeling, save that of pity, vanished. This man should not
+be captured, not if he could hinder it; and he said, advancing a step,
+and holding out one hand in friendship&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Why, Charlton, you don't think as meanly of me as that, do you? I
+neither want to harm you nor your father, though it is quite true that
+I came here to find you."</p>
+
+<p>"But&mdash;why? How did you know that we should be here?" questioned the
+boy, not yet reassured.</p>
+
+<p>And Ralph hurriedly explained how he had followed the trap and come
+upon the policemen.</p>
+
+<p>"I felt certain that it must be your father whom they were after," he
+said; "and so I determined to come through the wood to try to find you
+and give you warning. We must be quick, or there will be no chance of
+getting away."</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, father," wailed Charlton, "I wish that I had not persuaded you to
+come here again! You will be taken! What shall we do?"</p>
+
+<p>"My boy," answered the man calmly, "try and be brave. We owe our thanks
+to this young gentleman for the kindly warning he has brought. If I
+must be taken, I must; and I will try to bear it patiently, though it
+is very hard. It is strange that they should have Lord Elgert's trap,"
+he added bitterly. "Elgert has been at the bottom of all my troubles."</p>
+
+<p>"Look here!" expostulated Ralph bluntly. "It's<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_188" id="Page_188">[Pg 188]</a></span> no good stopping here
+talking and wasting time when every minute is precious. Those fellows
+are on the farther side of the wood, and they are beginning to search,
+and they won't leave off until they have hunted right through the
+place."</p>
+
+<p>"But where can we go?" asked Charlton, wringing his hands. "This place
+has nowhere to hide in; nowhere that could not be found if once people
+were really searching."</p>
+
+<p>"They will search; there is no doubt of that," answered Ralph. "But we
+may manage to elude them. We cannot stay here dodging round, that is
+quite certain. We must manage to get out of it and find somewhere else
+to hide."</p>
+
+<p>"Ah, my kind boy, but where shall that somewhere be?" said the man,
+shaking his head. "It might have been in my own home, but now that they
+think that I am here, and are on my track, they will keep their eyes on
+that spot, and I have not one single friend who will shelter me."</p>
+
+<p>"Hush! Hush!" cried Ralph suddenly. "Listen! There is no time to lose.
+They are in the wood on that side. Creep after me. Stop! Cover those
+leaves over or they will see where you have been standing."</p>
+
+<p>"You are thoughtful for one so young," murmured the man, as he obeyed
+Ralph's instructions. "Well, I will place myself under your guidance,
+and trust to you. Where shall we go? Through that undergrowth?"</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_189" id="Page_189">[Pg 189]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"No, no! You cannot move through that without making a noise and
+leaving traces. Keep to this path. I feel sure that is wisest. Bend
+low, and step lightly. Come! Now, Charlton, buck up, and we will save
+your father yet."</p>
+
+<p>His confidence inspired them with hope. Unhesitatingly they followed
+his lead. The path he chose led them into another clear little space,
+away to the right of that which they had left. They could hear the
+noise made by their pursuers in their rear, and they did not seem any
+better off here. It was only putting off the end for a little time,
+and so Charlton's father said, but Ralph would not listen to him. He
+had been in as tight a corner before, when he and his father, and two
+more, had been pursued by the Indians of the plains, and had dodged and
+doubled for three whole days ere they had thrown their foe off their
+track. Ralph was not going to give up yet.</p>
+
+<p>"Stop!" he said. "You must climb up this tree. No, not that one!" as
+Charlton ran to a big, old decaying oak.</p>
+
+<p>"But this is hollow. We can hide in it," objected the boy.</p>
+
+<p>But Ralph shook his head.</p>
+
+<p>"I can see it is hollow, and so can any one who has a pair of eyes.
+That is just why we must not go there, for they will be sure to look in
+it. Up this one!"</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_190" id="Page_190">[Pg 190]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"But we shall be seen."</p>
+
+<p>"Do as your friend bids you," said the man.</p>
+
+<p>And Charlton obeyed, his father following him.</p>
+
+<p>Then did Ralph show his cunning, for, directing them to stand with
+their backs against the trunk, he showed them how to draw the branches
+down until they made a thick canopy all around them. Ralph himself
+stood at the bottom, carefully examining their hiding-place.</p>
+
+<p>"Now, if you stand quite still, as you are, no one will be able to see
+you," he said. "But remember there must be no noise and no movement;
+everything may depend upon that. Keep still. Here is some one coming!"</p>
+
+<p>A man appeared at the end of the glade, and, catching a glimpse of the
+boy's form, gave a shout and ran forward; but he stopped, and looked
+very cross, as Ralph himself walked innocently to meet him, with the
+question&mdash;"Have not you found him yet?"</p>
+
+<p>"No," grumbled the man. "He is a slippery fellow, and is giving us a
+lot of trouble; but we will have him yet. We are working right through
+the wood, and we must be driving him before us, and when he gets to the
+other side&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"He will bolt," said Ralph.</p>
+
+<p>But the man smiled grimly.</p>
+
+<p>"Into our arms. We have four men stationed keeping watch there. No, we
+shall have him yet. You have not seen him?"</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_191" id="Page_191">[Pg 191]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"There was a man in that little hollow, the other end of this path. I
+saw him there," said Ralph, with perfect truthfulness.</p>
+
+<p>"Which hollow? The one to the right?" said the man quickly.</p>
+
+<p>And Ralph nodded.</p>
+
+<p>"Ah, we have looked there! He has bolted. Then we are right on his
+track. Stop a minute, though. That old tree looks a likely place. Here,
+give us a hand, boy! I will lift you, and you look in. Can you see
+anything?"</p>
+
+<p>And he lifted Ralph, and helped him to scramble up, and peer down into
+the hollow depths of the old oak.</p>
+
+<p>"Can't see much," said Ralph, his head in the hollow. "There is a gleam
+of light below, and something dark. Can't you clear away the leaves a
+bit, and then I can see whether it is a man or not?"</p>
+
+<p>The constable sprawled on the ground, and thrust his arm into the hole
+at the bottom of the trunk, dragging out leaves and dust, till Ralph
+cried&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"It is all right; I can see now. There is no one there. What I was
+looking at was a lot of leaves. They have tumbled over now, and you are
+pulling them out."</p>
+
+<p>"That's no good, then; only it looked a likely place. Down you come,
+boy!"</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_192" id="Page_192">[Pg 192]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>And, helping Ralph down, the man turned and ran off, satisfied that
+he had looked in the only place where the fugitive could have hidden
+himself.</p>
+
+<p>"I see that you are a clever lad," said Mr. Charlton when the fugitives
+again stood beside Ralph. "But what now? You heard what he said? There
+is no getting away on that side."</p>
+
+<p>"We are not going out that side, though," was Ralph's answer. "We are
+behind them now, and while they are hunting forward, we will go back."</p>
+
+<p>"They will have left watchers behind them."</p>
+
+<p>"I suppose so. They cannot have left many, though, for they had not
+enough men. Back is our only chance. We will try it. There is no time
+to stop talking now," he added, as he saw that the man was going to ask
+more questions. "Come, follow me!"</p>
+
+<p>Going cautiously, pausing to listen again and again, he led the way;
+and soon they were getting close to that side of the wood from which
+the search had commenced. Then he bade the other two remain hidden, and
+he went forward by himself, until, at last, he was able to peer from
+the hedges.</p>
+
+<p>He did not see a single man, though he looked carefully; but he did
+see&mdash;and the sight made his heart jump wildly&mdash;the horse and trap, the
+horse contentedly feeding on the rich grass. He would risk it! One
+chance, and one alone, offered, and he would take it!</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_193" id="Page_193">[Pg 193]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>He beckoned to his companions to join him, and whispered his plans.</p>
+
+<p>"It is the only chance. No one is near the trap, and we can drive off
+before they will even know that it is gone. Will you dare it?"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes," said the man desperately.</p>
+
+<p>And Ralph, with a "Follow me, then!" was at the trap, had the rope,
+with which the horse had been tethered, cut; the other two were up
+after him, and, with a crack of the whip, away they went, clean across
+the open moor.</p>
+
+<p>Lame or not, that pony had to go, for once. They were right across,
+close on two miles away, and getting near to Great Stow, before a
+distant shout, and figures running from the wood, told them that the
+theft had been discovered.</p>
+
+<p>"Lie down, Charlton," he said, "and you sit directly behind me," he
+added to the man. "It will be far better if they can only see one
+person in the trap. We don't want them to know that I helped you if it
+can be avoided."</p>
+
+<p>They reached the road; then turned to the right, so that the view was
+shut off from those behind. No one had seen them with the trap, and now
+Ralph reined in, and jumped down.</p>
+
+<p>"Come on!" he said. "Lord Elgert's pony must look after itself now.
+Quick, we must hurry!"</p>
+
+<p>"Where are you going to, Rexworth?" cried<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_194" id="Page_194">[Pg 194]</a></span> Charlton in surprise. "There
+is nowhere about here where father can hide."</p>
+
+<p>But Ralph answered with a smile, never slackening his pace as he spoke&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Hurry up! There is one place&mdash;a safe place. I am going to Mr. St.
+Clive's."</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_195" id="Page_195">[Pg 195]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><span>CHAPTER XXI</span> <span class="smaller">A HOUSE OF REFUGE</span></h2>
+
+<p>"To Mr. St. Clive's!"</p>
+
+<p>What wonder that the words filled Charlton with surprise. Ralph was
+surely risking a great deal in taking such a step. But Ralph knew
+Mr. St. Clive, and Charlton did not&mdash;and that made a great deal of
+difference. Besides, the case was desperate. Somewhere must be found in
+which to hide; and no other place offered, so to Mr. St. Clive's they
+went; and Ralph, leaving his two companions in the garden, went indoors
+by himself.</p>
+
+<p>But if the Charltons were surprised when Ralph announced his intention
+of going to Mr. St. Clive's, that gentleman was still more astonished
+when the lad told him of his adventures, and what he had done.</p>
+
+<p>"You know that you said, sir," Ralph concluded by saying&mdash;"that you
+always had a great idea that Mr. Charlton was innocent; and that if I
+were instrumental in getting him taken I might regret it all the rest
+of my life, and so I thought that you would be sure to sympathize with
+the poor man, and be ready to help him."</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_196" id="Page_196">[Pg 196]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Well, Ralph," laughed Mr. St. Clive, "you have certainly taken me at
+my word. However, I do not know but what I am glad that you have done
+so; and Mr. Charlton being here, I may be able, after consultation with
+him, to devise some means of proving that he was innocent of the crime
+laid to his charge. Let us go and welcome him."</p>
+
+<p>It was very affecting, that meeting between the two men&mdash;the one so
+weary and dispirited, the other such a true Christian gentleman; but
+Mr. St. Clive soon put the other at his ease, and they all entered the
+house. Irene was out with her mother at the moment; and after Mr. St.
+Clive had seen that his new guest was provided with food, he spoke, and
+the other three sat listening attentively.</p>
+
+<p>"Now, Mr. Charlton," he said, "I have been thinking, and I can see one
+way for your remaining here in safety, and being able to communicate
+freely with your wife."</p>
+
+<p>"That is a blessing too great to be possible," sighed Mr. Charlton; but
+Mr. St. Clive smiled kindly.</p>
+
+<p>"I differ from you. It is not only possible, but easy. Listen to me.
+It is unlikely that any one will dream of looking for you here; but
+to make doubly sure, we can disguise you. Now, it so happens that I
+am in need of a gardener, and there is a cottage vacant. You must be
+gardener. If you know nothing of gardening, that does not much matter;
+I can post you up in it. Then, my wife can invite Mrs. Charlton<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_197" id="Page_197">[Pg 197]</a></span> to
+visit here, and there will be nothing to prevent her coming frequently,
+and staying all day. There is only one thing to remember. Of course,
+I shall tell my wife everything, but I do not think that my little
+daughter ought to be made a party to this; so to her you will be, say,
+Thomas Brown&mdash;that is an easy name&mdash;and before her our manner towards
+each other must be that of master and servant. You will not mind that?"</p>
+
+<p>"Mind!" cried Mr. Charlton, the tears rolling down his cheeks. "Mind!
+Can you think that I shall mind such a trifle as that, when you are so
+good, and ready to take the risk of helping me? But this morning I felt
+that, excepting wife and son, I had not a friend in the world. Now I
+find that God has not forsaken me utterly."</p>
+
+<p>"He never does forsake those who put their trust in Him," was the
+gentle answer. "Well, come with me at once, and we will see about
+making a gardener of you, before any of the servants can see you as you
+are. And you, boys, remember how you behave to my gardener," he added,
+looking at them. "You, Ralph, have been very thoughtful in the way you
+have managed&mdash;mind you do not make a slip."</p>
+
+<p>"I will try my best, sir," answered Ralph; and then he and Charlton
+were left alone. And then&mdash;then all of a sudden Charlton was kneeling
+at his feet, holding his hand and kissing it, and sobbing out his
+thanks; until Ralph cried out that if he didn't get<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_198" id="Page_198">[Pg 198]</a></span> up he would punch
+his head for him, to give him something to cry about, and to show that
+he was his friend; and that made poor Charlton laugh feebly.</p>
+
+<p>And, sitting there, Charlton explained what he was too proud to tell
+before&mdash;how he had wanted that ten shillings to help his father; and
+how his father, not using it, had given it back to him.</p>
+
+<p>"Indeed, I knew nothing about the note, Ralph," he said. "I know that
+you thought I had stolen it, and it made me miserable, but I am sorry
+that I spoke to you as I did."</p>
+
+<p>"All right, old fellow!" answered Ralph, wringing his hand. "Do not let
+us think of it any more. Besides, I have a pretty good idea of who took
+that note now&mdash;or, rather, who caused it to be taken. I don't know for
+certain, so I will accuse no one; but I don't think that it was you."</p>
+
+<p>"You mean Horace Elgert!" cried Charlton; but Ralph smiled and shook
+his head.</p>
+
+<p>"Won't do, old fellow. I said that I would not mention names. But look
+here, Charlton, I do want to ask your father one thing. Does he know
+anything about my father?"</p>
+
+<p>"Your father! How can he, Ralph?"</p>
+
+<p>"He might have been in Stow Wood that night, and have seen or heard
+something," the boy said.</p>
+
+<p>"I will answer that question for myself!" Mr. Charlton entered as
+Ralph was speaking, and the boys started, for even Charlton would
+not have known<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_199" id="Page_199">[Pg 199]</a></span> his father in the half-bald, grey-bearded old fellow
+who stood before him. "I will answer that question, Ralph Rexworth;
+and then, after that, I am only Brown, the gardener, remember. I can
+give you no information beyond this. On the night of your father's
+disappearance&mdash;my son has told me about that&mdash;I was in Stow Wood, and
+I heard a shot; and afterwards I saw a trap being driven rapidly away.
+There were two men in it, and one of those two leaned up against his
+companion as though he was helpless or badly hurt. Hiding myself, I
+could not follow them; but I thought at the time that it looked like
+foul play."</p>
+
+<p>"The second man was not dead?" cried Ralph anxiously; and the answer
+was very positive&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"No, I am quite certain of that, for I heard him groan as they passed
+in the darkness. That is all I can tell you. It was natural that you
+should think that I knew something about it. I have also heard that I
+am supposed to be the one who entered the dormitory at the school one
+night; but I am innocent of that. A little thought ought to convince
+any one that to do such a thing would be the very last object of my
+wishes&mdash;the danger of being captured would be too great; and I do not
+quite see what any one can imagine that I should want to go there for."</p>
+
+<p>"It is all a mystery to me," said Ralph. And then Irene's voice was
+heard in the hall, and she and her mother entered.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_200" id="Page_200">[Pg 200]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Back again, Ladybird!" said her father, kissing her. Then, seeing her
+eyes fixed on the strangers, he went on: "Ah! you want an introduction?
+This is Fred Charlton, Ralph's friend; and this is a man who is to be
+our new gardener. His name is Thomas Brown. Run off with Ralph and
+Charlton for a little while; I want to talk to your mother."</p>
+
+<p>When the young people were gone, Mr. St. Clive told his wife of Ralph's
+adventures, and introduced Mr. Charlton in his proper character. And
+Mrs. St. Clive spoke so nicely and kindly, and promised to go and see
+Mrs. Charlton the very next day; and when she met Ralph she squeezed
+his hand, and gave him such a kiss as made him know that she was glad
+he had acted as he had done.</p>
+
+<p>And on the Sunday Mrs. St. Clive went for Mrs. Charlton, and brought
+her back with her. No one saw the meeting between the husband and wife
+save their own son; for Ralph had to take Irene right out of the way,
+lest she should wonder at their guest talking to the gardener, or going
+to his cottage.</p>
+
+<p>But afterwards, when Mrs. Charlton met the boy to whom she owed so
+much&mdash;oh, the look of gratitude which she gave him, and the way in
+which she spoke! It made Ralph very happy, but it made him very
+uncomfortable at the same time.</p>
+
+<p>And then, the day past and morning come, it was once more back to
+school; and some of the boys stared when they saw Ralph and Charlton
+appear<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_201" id="Page_201">[Pg 201]</a></span> arm-in-arm, for their quarrel had been noticed and discussed.</p>
+
+<p>But when Tom Warren saw them, he came running up, a real glad smile on
+his face.</p>
+
+<p>"Hallo, you two!" he said, as he met them. "I am awfully glad to see
+this. It's the right thing; and I do hope that you won't quarrel again."</p>
+
+<p>"I shall never quarrel with Rexworth any more," said Charlton, in low
+tones. "You have no need to fear that, Warren. I owe him more than I
+can ever repay, though I cannot tell you why!"</p>
+
+<p>"Perhaps I can tell you why," replied Warren, with a laugh. "For it is
+all over the place. Elgert set it going."</p>
+
+<p>"Set what going?" demanded the two chums, in one voice; and the monitor
+went on&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, he says that&mdash;I don't want to pain you, Charlton, but it is better
+to hear it from a friend than from an enemy"&mdash;and Warren turned, half
+apologetically to Charlton as he said this&mdash;"he says that your father
+was in Stow Wood, and that the police were looking for him&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"And that Lord Elgert lent them his pony and trap to hunt him down,"
+put in Charlton bitterly.</p>
+
+<p>"No, he didn't say that. Did he, though? The mean sneak! Well, he says
+that your father was there, and that the police saw Ralph, here, go
+into the wood. Some one must have warned your father, for he managed to
+get out, and got off in the pony and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_202" id="Page_202">[Pg 202]</a></span> trap they had left. They didn't
+say it was Lord Elgert's, though. Elgert at once jumped at it that
+it was you, Ralph, did the warning, because you are Charlton's chum.
+He says it is additional proof that you two had that note, and he is
+making a jolly lot about it; though half the fellows, and more than
+half, are strong on your side, and say that if it is true, they would
+have done the same thing. Elgert says that the police inspector is
+ready to knock your head off for the way in which you cheated him."</p>
+
+<p>"Is he, though!" laughed Ralph. "Well, Warren, as you know so much,
+we may as well tell you all about it, when we have time&mdash;with one
+exception, though. You must not ask us where we took Mr. Charlton, or
+where we hid him. That is our secret. The rest you may know. By the
+way, I wonder how Elgert will like it if he knows that it was I drove
+off in that trap?"</p>
+
+<p>"You! What a prime joke! I say, Ralph, what a chap you are! Come along,
+and let us get in!"</p>
+
+<p>That the story had got about was very clear, for curious glances were
+cast at the pair as they crossed the playground with the monitor; and
+then a group of juniors, led by Tinkle, suddenly piped up&mdash;</p>
+
+<div class="center"><div class="poem"><div class="stanza">
+<div>For he's a jolly good fellow,</div>
+<div>For he's a jolly good fellow!</div>
+</div></div></div>
+
+<p>Elgert, standing near them, turned with a frown.</p>
+
+<p>"Shut up that howling, you young cubs!" he<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_203" id="Page_203">[Pg 203]</a></span> growled fiercely; but from
+the other side of the playground, and from the Fifths, the same words
+came.</p>
+
+<p>Elgert turned and went into school. He was furious. He had come down
+thinking that he had a good chance of getting Ralph into disgrace, and
+here the fellows were actually praising him! It was gall to Horace
+Elgert; and, through the window, still came the sounds of the refrain
+being shouted below&mdash;</p>
+
+<div class="center"><div class="poem"><div class="stanza">
+<div>For he's a jolly good fellow,</div>
+<div>And so say all of us!</div>
+</div></div></div>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_204" id="Page_204">[Pg 204]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><span>CHAPTER XXII</span> <span class="smaller">AN AFTERNOON RAMBLE</span></h2>
+
+<p>"I say, you two chaps, what are you going to do this afternoon?"</p>
+
+<p>The question was asked by Tom Warren, as Ralph and Charlton stood at
+the entrance to the playground.</p>
+
+<p>Another week had passed, and it had been a delightful one for both
+Ralph and his chum, now that they were friends again. For these two,
+so different in natures, liked each other very much; and now that the
+trouble was gone, they were drawn still closer together. Of course they
+were. Had not Ralph proved what a staunch good fellow he could be? and
+had not Charlton shown that he was not only innocent of stealing that
+note, but that he was a loyal, true son, doing what he could to help
+his unfortunate father?</p>
+
+<p>It was good to see how the boys had come round and how they regarded
+Ralph as a comrade to be proud of; though Elgert and Dobson and the set
+whom they led, glowered and sneered, and said unkind things that hurt
+no one, and were treated with contempt.</p>
+
+<p>And Saturday had come, and the boys were preparing to set out for their
+homes, and Ralph had a bundle<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_205" id="Page_205">[Pg 205]</a></span> of books under his arm, for he meant to
+have another quiet read that evening. The Newlet would want a lot of
+working for, and, since he had entered, he meant to do all he could to
+win success.</p>
+
+<p>"What are you going to do?" said Warren; and the pair confessed that
+they had made no particular plans.</p>
+
+<p>"I cannot spare very much time, anyway," said Ralph. "I want to put in
+a few hours' work to-night."</p>
+
+<p>"You will go and make yourself silly if you do too much," answered Tom
+Warren. "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, you know. Will you
+both meet me after you have had lunch&mdash;say about one o'clock&mdash;and we
+will go for a ramble?"</p>
+
+<p>"Where?" asked Charlton. "Anywhere in particular?"</p>
+
+<p>"I will tell you a nice walk. Let us go over the moor, and past Great
+Stow, out to Crab Tree Hill. It is jolly out there; and there are some
+lovely butterflies in the chalk there."</p>
+
+<p>"Butterflies in chalk?" said Ralph, raising his brows in wonder; and
+Warren laughed.</p>
+
+<p>"You kite! I mean that it is chalk country all round there, and the
+butterflies keep to it&mdash;fritillaries and skippers and browns; and we
+can find some grass snakes there."</p>
+
+<p>"Don't like snakes," said Ralph decisively, thinking of the terrible
+species which he had known in his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_206" id="Page_206">[Pg 206]</a></span> younger days&mdash;snakes whose bite
+means certain death. "Well, I don't mind coming. Will you go, Fred?"
+And he turned to Charlton, who nodded his assent.</p>
+
+<p>"That is all right, then," answered Warren. "I will be over for you
+just after one, and we can pick up Charlton on our way and&mdash;&mdash; Hallo!
+what is the row?"</p>
+
+<p>The three lads turned. A scrimmage of some kind was evidently in
+progress at the other side of the playground, for there came some hoots
+and groans, and, mingling with the noise, a shrill cry of pain.</p>
+
+<p>"You great coward, let go my arm!"</p>
+
+<p>"Dobson and Co.," muttered Warren; and the three darted across to the
+scene of the trouble; and there they found Tinkle and Green, standing
+defiant and somewhat tearful, confronted by Dobson, Elgert and some of
+their cronies, while a scattered crowd of angry juniors kept in the
+safe background, hurling taunting jeers at the bigger boys.</p>
+
+<p>"I will half kill you, you cheeky little beggar!" they heard Dobson say
+to Tinkle. He had got hold of his arm, and, according to his favourite
+fashion, was twisting it painfully. "I will teach you to cheek me! I
+suppose it is that beggar Rexworth who has taught you to do it."</p>
+
+<p>But then Dobson stopped. He had thought that Ralph was gone; and even
+as he spoke, he caught sight of him. It certainly was very awkward for
+Dobson, and before he knew what to say next, Ralph<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_207" id="Page_207">[Pg 207]</a></span> had quietly but
+firmly removed Tinkle from his grasp.</p>
+
+<p>"You suppose wrong, Dobson," he said calmly. "I should not encourage
+any junior to cheek a senior; but I won't see a junior bullied, and you
+will please let that youngster go."</p>
+
+<p>"I didn't cheek him!" cried Tinkle&mdash;"leastways, not until he kicked me.
+I was standing here talking to Jimmy Green, when he and Elgert came up;
+and Elgert shied a stone at Green's head, and Dobson kicked me&mdash;the
+great coward! Let him stand up fair, and I will fight him myself."</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, no, you won't, sonny!" laughed Tom Warren. "You will clear off,
+and get home at once. No fight if you please."</p>
+
+<p>"It seems to me," sneered Elgert, "that this school is to be run by
+Rexworth and Co. You look here, Warren. It is out of school hours;
+and if you think that we are all going to stand being ruled by you
+especially when you are under the thumb of such a fellow as that&mdash;well,
+all I have to say is that you are jolly well mistaken."</p>
+
+<p>"I mean to say," was Warren's calm reply, "that there is not going to
+be any fighting here; and I mean to say that we have the Head's own
+orders to stop any more bullying of juniors. There has been a great
+deal too much of it in the past."</p>
+
+<p>"And if we don't obey, you will run sneaking to the Head?"</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, no, I won't," came the answer. "I will give<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_208" id="Page_208">[Pg 208]</a></span> you a jolly good
+licking myself. If it has got to come, let us get it over. Here are I
+and Rexworth&mdash;Charlton don't count. If you want to see which side is
+the best, just you&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"Just you all clear off; and you, Warren, don't make an ass of
+yourself," said a pleasant voice; and Kesterway, the head monitor of
+the school, appeared upon the scene. "Off you go, now! And you look
+here, Elgert. You may be an honourable, and a lord's son, but that is
+no reason why you should behave like a prig. You keep a civil tongue in
+your head, or you may get into trouble."</p>
+
+<p>Elgert and his companions turned away, for it did not do to defy the
+authority of Kesterway; but he muttered as he went&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Only wait a little while. I will get some of my own back. If I don't
+make Ralph Rexworth suffer for it, I will know the reason why."</p>
+
+<p>But two youthful individuals, as they also walked away&mdash;Tinkle and
+Green to wit&mdash;discussed darkly the chances of getting equal with Dobson
+and Elgert.</p>
+
+<p>"I vote we tell about that note," said Tinkle; but Green shook his head.</p>
+
+<p>"What is the good? Suppose they denied it, how could we prove it? You
+bet, there would be no chance of old Brown owning up. And besides,
+wouldn't it be telling that we had broken bounds? No; we had best wait
+a while, Tinkle, and presently the chance will come."</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_209" id="Page_209">[Pg 209]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"S'pose we sent 'em a what-you-call-it letter?"</p>
+
+<p>"What is that?" demanded Green; and Tinkle answered lucidly&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"You know. One of them sort that don't come from nowhere, and is writ
+by nobody."</p>
+
+<p>"Annie nonimus," was Green's suggestion; and Tinkle nodded.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, that's him. We might do that; and write on it, 'Who stole the
+five-pound note?' or 'What price Brown's cake shop?' or something."</p>
+
+<p>"We'd best do nothing of the kind," was Green's crushing answer. "That
+wouldn't do no good, and it would make 'em think that something was
+known. No, Tinkle; you leave 'em alone; and presently they will make a
+slip, and then we can have 'em."</p>
+
+<p>"I'd like to help Rexworth, though," murmured Tinkle.</p>
+
+<p>"But he don't want no help now. He's cleared about the note. No one
+thinks that he took it, not for a moment. It wouldn't help Rexworth.
+The thing is dropped, and we'd best leave it alone for the time."</p>
+
+<p>Meanwhile, Ralph and his friends took their way homeward, ignorant
+alike of the threats of their foes or the good wishes of the juniors;
+and after lunch was over, Warren in accordance with his promise, called
+for Ralph.</p>
+
+<p>"Hallo! got a new gardener here?" he remarked, as he caught sight of an
+old man who was sweeping<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_210" id="Page_210">[Pg 210]</a></span> the path; and Ralph thought how little Warren
+guessed who that man really was.</p>
+
+<p>They set off in high spirits, and after calling for Charlton, they
+started upon their long ramble. They rattled on at a good pace, and got
+away to the hills, and then&mdash;it was most provoking&mdash;great dark clouds
+had been rolling up, and suddenly, with a roar of thunder and a blaze
+of lightning, the storm burst, and it rained&mdash;gracious, how it did rain!</p>
+
+<p>It is not pleasant to be caught in a violent shower at the best of
+times, but to be caught when you are away from all shelter is decidedly
+unpleasant.</p>
+
+<p>"Wherever can we shelter?" cried Charlton in dismay, as the three
+bolted along, with heads bent down and collars turned up. "This is
+cheerful!"</p>
+
+<p>"I say," suddenly suggested Warren, "there is a thick preserve over
+by the road; I noticed it as we came along. Of course, it will be
+trespassing and we might get into trouble, but I suggest making for it.
+We can get some sort of shelter under the trees, and we may stumble
+upon a shooting hut or a keeper's cottage, and if we explain why we
+have come, they surely will not mind."</p>
+
+<p>"Cannot help it if they do," said Ralph desperately. "We cannot go on
+in this, and it's five miles into Stow, if it's a yard. Show us the way
+Warren, and be quick about it."</p>
+
+<p>With a whoop and a yell, off scudded Warren, the other two close in
+his rear, while the thunder growled<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_211" id="Page_211">[Pg 211]</a></span> and grumbled and the lightning
+flickered, and the sky grew so black that things promised to get worse
+instead of better.</p>
+
+<p>They struck the path for which Warren was making; and there, sure
+enough, a little farther along, divided from the road by a meadow and a
+stout gate, the tall trees of a dark covert waved to and fro. It might
+not mean much shelter, but it would mean some, and with a scramble they
+were over that gate.</p>
+
+<p>"This is better," panted Warren. "It is some sort of a screen. I am
+jolly well drenched!"</p>
+
+<p>"I wish that I could get a cup of warm cocoa or tea," shivered
+Charlton. "I got hot running, and now it strikes horribly cold."</p>
+
+<p>"Let's push on a bit," suggested Ralph. "We are trespassing, and we
+may as well be hanged for a sheep as for a lamb. Perhaps we shall find
+shelter somewhere. Come on, you two, and keep to these open paths. If
+you get right into that undergrowth, you may do some damage&mdash;disturb
+some nests, or something."</p>
+
+<p>"Right you are, Ralph. I don't think it is much good, though; there
+seems no sign of life here."</p>
+
+<p>"I will soon see if there is." Ralph paused as he spoke. He put his
+hand to his mouth and gave a ringing call&mdash;one he had learnt from the
+Indians on the plains. "If any one is about, they will hear that; and,
+at any rate, they cannot say that we are trying to hide from&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>He stopped and started back, turning as white as<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_212" id="Page_212">[Pg 212]</a></span> death; for from
+somewhere, ringing through the silences of that preserve, there came a
+sound, muffled, but clear. It was Ralph's call repeated!</p>
+
+<p>What wonder that he trembled. What wonder that he looked so white.
+There was but one other person whom he knew who would answer that call
+in that way; and that one person was his own father!</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_213" id="Page_213">[Pg 213]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><span>CHAPTER XXIII</span> <span class="smaller">THE RUIN AND THE LONELY HOUSE</span></h2>
+
+<p>Just that one cry, ringing wild and plaintive through the wood; and
+then silence, broken by a loud, angry rumble of thunder.</p>
+
+<p>Ralph stood there trembling, too agitated to speak; and his two chums
+turned anxiously towards him, bewildered at the change which had come
+over him.</p>
+
+<p>"Ralph, old fellow, why, whatever is it? What has come to you?" they
+asked; and he replied in hoarse, trembling tones&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"That call! Did you not hear it? There is only one person who would
+give that, and he is my own father."</p>
+
+<p>For a moment they were staggered by his answer; then Warren said
+gently&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"But, Ralph, how can it be your father? It was only the echo, old
+fellow."</p>
+
+<p>"It was not the echo. It was his voice. Listen&mdash;try and hear where it
+comes from!" And once again, through the dripping wood, he sent the
+Indian cry.</p>
+
+<p>"Now, listen&mdash;listen!" he said; and they waited, but no sound came in
+answer&mdash;nothing but the shiver<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_214" id="Page_214">[Pg 214]</a></span> of the trees, the patter of the rain,
+and the distant growling of the storm.</p>
+
+<p>"There, you see. It must have been the echo!" said Warren; but Ralph
+shook his head.</p>
+
+<p>"Do not be silly, Warren. If it was the echo it would be heard again;
+but we heard nothing."</p>
+
+<p>Which direction did it come from? They forgot about the wet and the
+storm; they forgot everything in the excitement of the moment. Which
+direction had the cry come from?</p>
+
+<p>Warren declared that it sounded as if it was under ground; Charlton
+said he fancied that it came from high up, as if some one was in the
+air; and Ralph fancied that it was straight ahead.</p>
+
+<p>"What shall we do?" was the question of Warren and Ralph answered&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"I am going forward. I mean to search this plantation from end to end,
+if I am trespassing twenty times over."</p>
+
+<p>So on the three went, and again and again did they pause while Ralph
+uttered his wild call, but no answer was heard.</p>
+
+<p>They pushed on, their hearts full of excitement, until they emerged
+from the trees with almost startling suddenness. The plantation was
+nothing like so thick as they had thought&mdash;it was a mere belt of wood,
+surrounding a neglected lawn; and in the centre of this, encircled by
+a wall, stood the very last thing they would have expected to find
+there&mdash;a house.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_215" id="Page_215">[Pg 215]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>A house; but so dreary, desolate looking. All the windows stared blank
+and empty, and were encrusted with dirt and grime. Not a trace of smoke
+curled up from the chimney-stack, not a sound of life was heard. It
+seemed empty, desolate, drear; and the masses of creeper, hanging down
+and swinging in the breath of the storm, only intensified the desolate
+picture it made.</p>
+
+<p>The three lads, standing there with every nerve thrilled by a strange,
+inexplicable excitement, surveyed the place, and looked at each other
+in questioning silence, until Warren said softly&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Well, I am blest! Who would have thought of finding a house here?"</p>
+
+<p>"Where are you going, Ralph?" cried Charlton, for Ralph was moving
+forward; and he replied firmly&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"To that house. I mean to see if any one lives here."</p>
+
+<p>Right up to the wall walked Ralph. It was a high wall, and only the
+upper part of the house could be seen above it. But they found a gate
+on the other side; and, without a moment's hesitation, Ralph pushed
+it open, entered the garden, and, walking up to the door, lifted the
+knocker.</p>
+
+<p>With what a dull, hollow sound did it fall! A ghostly sound, that
+echoed through the house, with that peculiar vibration which is heard
+when a place is empty.</p>
+
+<p>"There is no one here," whispered Warren, after a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_216" id="Page_216">[Pg 216]</a></span> pause&mdash;somehow they
+found themselves speaking in whispers. "The house is empty."</p>
+
+<p>Ralph, for answer, knocked again, a louder and longer summons.
+"Listen!" he said; and from somewhere they heard a faint sound, as of a
+door being shut.</p>
+
+<p>"It's only the wind, making a door slam," was Warren's comment. But,
+for the third time, Ralph sent his call resounding&mdash;there was no
+mistake about that knock&mdash;if any one was in the place they must hear
+it, for the door fairly creaked beneath the blows.</p>
+
+<p>Another pause, a shuffling noise from within, the sound of some one
+coming from distant passages, then the unfastening of bolts and chains,
+and the door was opened a little space, while a man, big, burly, and
+brutal looking, filled the doorway, and barred their entrance&mdash;an
+altogether evil-looking, cruel-faced man, who, scowling upon the three
+lads, demanded in gruff tones what they wanted, and how it was they
+were here.</p>
+
+<p>Just for the moment the three were taken aback; or, brave as they might
+be, still they were only lads, and that scowling presence was certainly
+very ominous. But Ralph plucked up his courage, and answered that
+they were three lads from the distant school, and that they had been
+overtaken by the storm and were seeking shelter.</p>
+
+<p>The man had stood glaring from one to the other as<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_217" id="Page_217">[Pg 217]</a></span> the explanation was
+given; and then he said, in the gruffest of accents&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Well, and what is all this to me? That is no reason why you should
+trespass on my land, and come knocking at my door. I don't want to know
+that you are getting wet. It's no interest of mine, is it?"</p>
+
+<p>"But we are seeking for shelter," persisted Ralph. "Surely you will not
+refuse to give that to us?" And he made a slight attempt to push his
+way in. The man gave him a shove that sent him almost off the step.</p>
+
+<p>"Here, none of that sort of thing," he said, "or you will be sorry for
+it, my young bantam. You don't think that you can shove your way into
+my premises. You three just take yourselves off. You are trespassing on
+my ground; and it's lucky for you that the dog is tied up, or he would
+tear you limb from limb. Hear him!" And he paused, as a deep, distant
+baying was heard from somewhere within. "He is a beauty big enough to
+eat you. You just get off as fast as you can. Clear! If you are here in
+five minutes time I will set the dog on you!" And he slammed the door,
+and left them standing there.</p>
+
+<p>"What a particularly unpleasant person!" said Warren. "His politeness
+is only exceeded by his good looks. Come on, Ralph, it won't do any
+good to stand here; and I don't fancy a meeting with that loud-voiced
+brute we heard. He had got a bark like a bloodhound."</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_218" id="Page_218">[Pg 218]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"We had better do as Warren says," added Charlton, a trifle timidly,
+for he could understand how badly Ralph must feel. "I know what you are
+thinking of. You want to see inside that house, but it is impossible
+now. If it is done at all, it would have to be some other time, when
+that man did not suspect us. Only I don't think that you are right. I
+don't see how you can be."</p>
+
+<p>"I shall never rest until I have contrived some way of doing as you
+say," was Ralph's reply, and his face looked very resolute again. "That
+cry was raised by my father. He may not be there&mdash;I do not say he
+is, but somehow I dislike that man and distrust him. Let us go right
+through the grounds. Don't you understand, Warren? I want to see if
+there are any other places hidden away here. Who would have said a
+house like that was here; and who can say what other house may be here?
+You go back if you like, you and Charlton; I am going on."</p>
+
+<p>"Then on we all go," was Warren's reply; and he and Charlton
+accompanied Ralph.</p>
+
+<p>They crossed the lawn and went out by the gate, and Ralph was conscious
+of the face of that man peering at them through one of the upper
+windows. He might be a recluse, a miser, a madman&mdash;that seemed the most
+probable thing; and yet, yet somehow Ralph must get inside that house.</p>
+
+<p>They pushed their way on into the wood again, making for the opposite
+side to that on which they had<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_219" id="Page_219">[Pg 219]</a></span> entered; and then Ralph's words that
+they did not know what else they might find were proved to be very
+true, for, upon its farther side, bordering upon a stretch of wild
+open land, they came upon a ruined building. It looked as if at one
+time it had been a chapel, or monastery, or something of that sort;
+the pillars, the pointed windows, and the arched doors gave them that
+impression. It was a fairly large building, larger than the house they
+had left, and its crumbling walls were thickly overgrown with ivy. A
+mournful, silent ruin it was, where only the shapes and shadows of
+those whose feet had once trodden its stone floors now seemed to lurk;
+but it was a shelter, and in Ralph went.</p>
+
+<p>"I don't care for twenty men and dogs," he said resolutely. "I am not
+going on in this rain, and I am going to have a look in this ruin."</p>
+
+<p>"But you do not think that you will find any trace of your father
+there, Ralph," protested Warren.</p>
+
+<p>"I don't, old man; I only hope for shelter. Come on. If the worst comes
+we will get on the stairs and drive off the dog with stones. Come on."</p>
+
+<p>It looked gloomy outside&mdash;it looked more gloomy within, as they passed
+in through the yawning space where once a stout oak door had been. How
+their footsteps echoed, and how great piles of damp, decaying leaves
+lay in the corners, and ugly lizards scuttled away as they went on.
+But, for all that, after the first disinclination was got over, there
+was something<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_220" id="Page_220">[Pg 220]</a></span> very exciting in wandering about the ruin, exploring
+this way and that, going down into dark, oozy places underground, or
+clambering up into the old, deserted turret above, at the no small risk
+of breaking one's neck. They wandered here and there, until at last a
+single ray of sunlight, falling through a broken casement, awoke them
+to the fact that the storm was over, and that they could get on their
+way again.</p>
+
+<p>"We had better go, Ralph," said Charlton. "I must, for think how mother
+will feel if I am not home when she expects me."</p>
+
+<p>"Well, I don't think it is much good staying," Warren added. "It seems
+impossible that your father should be about here, Ralph. That sound was
+an echo."</p>
+
+<p>"I suppose it must have been something of that sort," Ralph admitted
+reluctantly. "There seems to be no other explanation. You must forgive
+me for seeming stupid; but, you see, it&mdash;it is my father!" He stopped
+and Charlton pressed his hand sympathetically, while Warren said
+hastily&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, of course, old fellow, I understand; and I only wish that we could
+have found something out. What a stunning place this ruin would be for
+hiding in! You could play hide-and-seek about it for a week!"</p>
+
+<p>They emerged from the place, and speedily were in the public road again
+and walking, with their faces in a homeward direction. But as they went
+Ralph turned, and once again he uttered that wild signal cry; and then,
+then&mdash;was it an echo, or was it indeed a human<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_221" id="Page_221">[Pg 221]</a></span> voice?&mdash;after a pause,
+faint and low the sound came back once more&mdash;whether from earth, or
+from air, they knew not; but the cry was taken up and repeated note for note.</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_222" id="Page_222">[Pg 222]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><span>CHAPTER XXIV</span> <span class="smaller">FOR THE SAKE OF REVENGE</span></h2>
+
+<p>Now, on that very afternoon when Ralph and his two friends, on their
+visit to Crab Tree Hill, were driven by the storm to seek shelter in
+that preserve, Horace Elgert and his companion Dobson, were standing in
+close consultation.</p>
+
+<p>And a very discontented, savage, and disconcerted pair they were, for
+things did not seem to be going right with them.</p>
+
+<p>In the first place, that miserable five-pound note was still missing,
+and though the man at the cake-shop had promised that he would get it
+for them if possible, he had not yet kept his word; and while it was
+still in other hands both boys trembled with apprehensive fears.</p>
+
+<p>They quarrelled over it, too, Elgert still declaring that, as Dobson
+had changed it, he would alone be to blame, and Dobson retorting by
+saying that he would confess that he received it from Elgert.</p>
+
+<p>Then, added to this source of annoyance, there was the fact that,
+in spite of all their efforts, Ralph Rexworth was rising in his
+schoolmates' esteem, and his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_223" id="Page_223">[Pg 223]</a></span> influence, coupled with that of Warren
+and Charlton, was making itself steadily felt, to the diminution of
+their own powers.</p>
+
+<p>"It seems to me," grumbled Elgert moodily, "that the fellows look
+upon trying to give a criminal up to justice as a crime. Some of them
+actually hissed at me&mdash;and why? Just because my father lent the police
+his pony and trap! I can't make out what is coming to them."</p>
+
+<p>"They are just as down on me in the Fourth," answered Dobson. "There is
+no fun in the place now. All the kids have got to be coddled like a lot
+of babies; and if you catch one of them a smack on the head for being
+cheeky, there are a dozen fellows ready to take his part. Look how that
+little beggar Green cheeked me."</p>
+
+<p>"Well, why didn't you give him a hiding? You were afraid to, that is
+the fact."</p>
+
+<p>"Afraid yourself!" retorted Dobson angrily. "As if I should be afraid
+of him! You know that if I had done anything I should have had Rexworth
+and all his set about me, and a fellow can't take the lot of them. You
+don't care to meet Rexworth yourself, and you know it."</p>
+
+<p>A dark frown gathered upon Horace Elgert's handsome face. Ah, how that
+frown spoilt all his good looks!</p>
+
+<p>"Perhaps I don't, Dobson," he said grimly. "But there are better ways
+of getting even with Rexworth<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_224" id="Page_224">[Pg 224]</a></span> than fighting; and I mean to try them
+all. Have you seen Brown again?"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes," said Dobson.</p>
+
+<p>And Elgert went on&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Well, what did he say?"</p>
+
+<p>"Only just what he has said all along. He has not been able to get it
+yet, but he thinks that he will. I tell you, Elgert, that I believe he
+is playing with us&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"What do you mean?" cried Elgert sharply. "How playing with us?"</p>
+
+<p>"Well, he either knows more than he pretends to, or else he suspects
+something. I don't think that he means to let us have that note."</p>
+
+<p>Horace Elgert was silent for a few moments. Evidently he found that
+statement very disquieting.</p>
+
+<p>"It will be a nice mess if it is like that," he said at last. "But it
+is no good worrying over it unless it comes. I will go and see him
+myself. You are a bit of a messer when it comes to doing anything. You
+don't seem to use your wits&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"Can't use my wits to make him give me a thing which he has either not
+got or don't mean to part with," grumbled Dobson.</p>
+
+<p>"You might have used your wits to make sure that he never got it. I did
+all the dangerous part of the work, and only left you something which
+was safe and easy, and you went and bungled it!"</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, don't begin that all over again. I am sick<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_225" id="Page_225">[Pg 225]</a></span> and tired of hearing
+of it. Whenever you have nothing else to grumble about you bring that
+up. Just drop it, or don't talk at all!"</p>
+
+<p>Elgert saw that his companion was getting really cross; and though he
+despised Dobson at heart, he could not afford to quarrel with him, for
+the boy knew too much of his evil ways; so he affected to laugh at the
+angry words.</p>
+
+<p>"Don't lose your temper," he said. "I never came near such a surly
+chap! A fellow can't speak to you without your taking offence."</p>
+
+<p>"Well, then, drop it. I don't like having things thrown in my face like
+you throw that. It is done, and it can't be undone, so what is the good
+of talking of it?"</p>
+
+<p>"You will find there will be some talking about it if ever it comes to
+light," was the grim answer. And Dobson looked miserable. How he wished
+now that he had never had anything to do with the wretched business.</p>
+
+<p>"I wonder," mused Elgert, "what became of that fellow Charlton?"</p>
+
+<p>"We'd best let that alone," retorted Dobson. "We have got ourselves
+disliked quite enough over it."</p>
+
+<p>"What do I care for that? If only I knew where he was, do you think
+that I would hesitate to tell? I would do it, if it was only to spite
+Rexworth."</p>
+
+<p>"It would not hurt him," answered Dobson. "It is not his father."</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_226" id="Page_226">[Pg 226]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"No, but it is his chum's, and he would be sure to feel it. I only wish
+I knew where he was."</p>
+
+<p>"But you don't," remarked Dobson.</p>
+
+<p>"But I might find out. I only wish that I could!"</p>
+
+<p>"Talk of angels and see their wings," said Dobson; and at this
+apparently vague proverb Elgert turned excitedly.</p>
+
+<p>"Where? What do you mean? Not the man?"</p>
+
+<p>"No," answered Dobson, with a shake of the head.</p>
+
+<p>"I don't see Rexworth or Charlton." And Elgert stared round. "Bother
+it! Don't stand grinning there like a monkey. Tell me what you mean."</p>
+
+<p>"Only that there goes Charlton's mother," said Dobson, nodding in the
+direction of the common.</p>
+
+<p>"Well, what of that? We don't want his mother, do we? It is his father
+we are talking about."</p>
+
+<p>"I know that," came the calm answer. And Dobson looked very knowing. "I
+am a monkey and a silly, and I don't know what besides, but I may be
+able to think smarter than you can, Elgert. May not Charlton's mother
+lead us to Charlton's father? She is sure to know where he is, and do
+you know that since that affair she has been going to the St. Clives' a
+lot&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"How do you know?" demanded Elgert.</p>
+
+<p>"My sister told me that she has seen her go there frequently; and
+sometimes, instead of going right in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_227" id="Page_227">[Pg 227]</a></span> at the front gate she has gone in
+at the side one. That looks strange, don't it? And she was not visiting
+there before&mdash;I know that."</p>
+
+<p>Elgert pondered a while in silence, then he suddenly turned, and Dobson
+inquired where he was going.</p>
+
+<p>"To follow her. There may be something in what you say. I should hardly
+think that they would hide a convict away, but they might&mdash;some people
+do such strange things&mdash;and St. Clive don't like my father, I know. Let
+us follow her."</p>
+
+<p>"Well, it will only be to St. Clive's place. And what are we to do
+then? We can't say that she goes to see her husband because she goes
+there."</p>
+
+<p>"What did you tell me about it for, then? You looked knowing enough.
+It is not much good talking of a thing if we cannot follow it up. I am
+going after her, at any rate. You need not come if you don't want to."</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, I will come, Disagreeable!" answered Dobson. And the two boys set
+out, following the lady, who was quite unconscious of their wicked
+desires.</p>
+
+<p>And they could follow her openly and without fear, for if she had seen
+them close by her side she would have thought nothing of it. The boys
+from the school were common enough objects in the place.</p>
+
+<p>And it chanced that Mrs. Charlton was indeed going to see her poor
+husband; to try and cheer him,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_228" id="Page_228">[Pg 228]</a></span> and urge him to be hopeful and patient,
+and to tell him that presently the clouds would all vanish, and the sun
+shine out again.</p>
+
+<p>And after her the two boys went like spies, and neither Elgert nor
+Dobson thought what a wicked thing they were doing. There was with
+them the love of doing evil and causing sorrow&mdash;the delight of little,
+spiteful natures&mdash;but there was also the greater desire to cause Ralph
+Rexworth pain. That was before everything, and so on they went. And
+Mrs. Charlton, all unconscious of evil, entered the grounds of Mr. St.
+Clive's house, and as Dobson had said, she went in at the side gate.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. St. Clive had arranged that with her, so that she could go directly
+to her husband's cottage without any of the servants in the house
+knowing that she was there.</p>
+
+<p>And the boys stood at that gate undecided for a little while. The path
+was soon lost to view amidst the bushes. Elgert looked round, and then
+deliberately climbed over the gate.</p>
+
+<p>"You can stay or come," he whispered to Dobson; "I mean to go on and
+see this through." And Dobson, not without some inward fears, followed
+his example. It was delightful, this tracking a man down; it was like
+the stories of adventure, and he wanted to see the end of it.</p>
+
+<p>"Come quietly," directed Elgert in suppressed tones. "Don't make a
+noise with your feet, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_229" id="Page_229">[Pg 229]</a></span> stoop down; they might see your head over
+the bushes. That is it. Now follow me."</p>
+
+<p>Creeping along stealthily, Dobson in the rear, he followed the
+direction which Mrs. Charlton had taken, and presently the shrubberies
+ended, and there were flower beds and lawns. Clearly, it would be
+dangerous for them to go any farther if they wished to remain unseen.</p>
+
+<p>"We will stop here and watch," said he to Dobson. And the latter,
+crouching there, whispered&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Where has she gone? I don't see her anywhere."</p>
+
+<p>"She must have gone into that cottage. I would creep across and try to
+peep through the window, but I am afraid that I should be discovered;
+and if we gave them the alarm, he might be off."</p>
+
+<p>"You don't think that the man is hiding there, do you?" queried Dobson,
+trembling betwixt fear and excitement.</p>
+
+<p>Truth to tell, when he had made his suggestion, it had been merely from
+the love of talking; he had not thought really that there was anything
+in it; and now there seemed to be a very great deal.</p>
+
+<p>"I do think it," Elgert answered. "Hush! Let us watch. No one knows
+that we are here, and no one can see us. We can easily creep out the
+same way that we came. Keep still, she is coming out of the cottage!"</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_230" id="Page_230">[Pg 230]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Yes, Mrs. Charlton was coming out, and with her a poor, bent decrepit
+old gardener. But&mdash;but she held his arm, and once she pressed a kiss on
+his cheek! Horace Elgert felt his heart thrill with evil triumph. He
+saw it all now. Mr. St. Clive was keeping the man here, in the position
+of a gardener, and Mrs. Charlton came to see him!</p>
+
+<p>"We have got him now, Dobson," he whispered to his companion. "We have
+got him now, and he will not get away from the police a second time! It
+is the first step to paying Ralph Rexworth what we owe him!"</p>
+
+<div class="center"><img src="images/i230.jpg" alt="We have got him now, Dobson" /></div>
+
+<p class="bold">"<span class="smcap">'We have got him now, Dobson,' he whispered to his<br />
+companion.</span>" p. 230.</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_231" id="Page_231">[Pg 231]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><span>CHAPTER XXV</span> <span class="smaller">JUST IN TIME</span></h2>
+
+<p>"What shall we do next, Elgert?"</p>
+
+<p>Dobson whispered that question in his ear, as the two crouched in the
+shrubbery watching Mrs. Charlton and her husband.</p>
+
+<p>"Do! What a question! Get away from here, and then go straight to the
+police and give them information. They won't mention our names, and the
+fellows at the school need never know that we have had any part in it.
+We have seen enough, so come on, and mind you don't let them either see
+or hear you. I would not have them alarmed for anything."</p>
+
+<p>The two stole silently off, treading on tiptoe, walking with the
+greatest care, until once more they climbed over the gate, and stood
+safely in the roadway.</p>
+
+<p>"Thank goodness we are out of that without any trouble," said Dobson;
+and Elgert inquired, contemptuously, what danger he feared would come
+to them in the grounds.</p>
+
+<p>"Dogs," retorted Dobson tersely. "We weren't to know that there were no
+dogs loose. I thought<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_232" id="Page_232">[Pg 232]</a></span> that I heard a rustling in the bushes once, as
+though one was pushing his way towards us, and it made me turn cold.
+Well, now we are here, what next?"</p>
+
+<p>"The police, at once. How dark it is getting, and was not that thunder?"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, I reckon they are getting a smart storm not far from here. The
+police-station, is it?"</p>
+
+<p>"Of course. The man is here, we do not know how long he may remain,
+so we cannot waste time; and I am not going to let the possibility
+of getting caught in a shower prevent me from having my revenge on
+Rexworth, and making things unpleasant for these stuck-up St. Clives.
+I hate them! St. Clive himself, because he backs this Rexworth up; his
+wife, because she is so very goody-goody; and the girl, because she is
+a proud little minx, who turns up her nose at me, and&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"Ha, ha!" laughed Dobson. "Jealous because Rexworth cut you out, that
+is it! Well, I don't mind. Come on, if you are coming. The police will
+be pleased enough to know; and if there is a reward, we may as well
+have it."</p>
+
+<p>"You can take it, if you like," retorted Elgert. "I don't want their
+money. All I want is to see the man taken again, and taken there to
+prove that the St. Clives are in it."</p>
+
+<p>They turned and hurried off; and then, very cautiously, from amidst
+the laurels, there arose a little scared and indignant face&mdash;a face
+surrounded<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_233" id="Page_233">[Pg 233]</a></span> by golden hair. Irene St. Clive had seen them and heard all
+that they had said!</p>
+
+<p>She had seen them go into the shrubbery, and had wondered what tricks
+they were about to play. Her first idea was that it was something to do
+with Ralph, something to vex him; for she knew both the boys, and was
+aware that they were his enemies. So she had followed them, that she
+might see, and then warn Ralph. And then it had flashed upon her! Mrs.
+Charlton was there with her husband; and the boys were spying upon her.
+Oh, what mean, miserable boys to call themselves gentlemen, and do such
+things!</p>
+
+<p>She heard what they said when they stood in the roadway, and then she
+turned and raced indoors to tell her father; even in her dismay, she
+was thoughtful enough not to go to her mother first, lest she should be
+needlessly alarmed. Her father would know best what was to be done.</p>
+
+<p>And her tidings filled Mr. St. Clive with concern. Where could poor Mr.
+Charlton go? Where else was there for him to hide?</p>
+
+<p>He reproached himself now that he had not sent him away sooner. But Mr.
+Charlton had seemed to derive such comfort from being able to see his
+son and wife frequently, that Mr. St. Clive had allowed things to go on
+as they were, and now it might be too late!</p>
+
+<p>Yes, even with Irene's warning, too late; for the man could not go out
+just as he was. Mr. St. Clive knew full well that every hiding-place
+would be<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_234" id="Page_234">[Pg 234]</a></span> searched&mdash;that escape would be almost impossible&mdash;and he
+shrank from being the bearer of such bad tidings to the husband and
+wife.</p>
+
+<p>But it had to be done, the warning must be given, and given at once,
+and he rose, Irene following him, and went into the grounds and towards
+the cottage. His own wife was there at the moment speaking with Mrs.
+Charlton.</p>
+
+<p>And the dismay, the sorrow, that they exhibited when the tidings were
+told! The poor man must fly from here and be a wanderer again&mdash;hunted
+hither and thither, not knowing from hour to hour if he should be
+captured, not able even to get a message to his wife, or to hear how it
+fared with her and his son. It was very hard indeed.</p>
+
+<p>"You have done all that one man could to help another, sir," he said to
+Mr. St. Clive, as he held his weeping wife in his arms. "I shall never,
+never forget your kindness, nor that of your good wife and dear little
+daughter. You will be a friend to my poor wife and my boy&mdash;I feel sure
+that you will be&mdash;and now I must change this disguise, and go. To go
+as the old gardener might be more dangerous than to go as the escaped
+prisoner."</p>
+
+<p>"But where can you go? Where can you hide for the time? If you could
+only find a place, the police might come to the conclusion that the
+boys had made a mistake, and abandon the search again, so giving you
+opportunity of getting out of England.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_235" id="Page_235">[Pg 235]</a></span> So far as money can aid, you
+can count upon me, but money will be of no avail, if you cannot elude
+your pursuers, and&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>A hurrying of feet! Oh, surely the police could not be there already!
+No; a well-known shrill whistle! Ralph and his chums were coming, and
+Ralph must be told.</p>
+
+<p>Now, Warren knew nothing about Charlton's father being there, and the
+two boys had allowed their chum to come in because there was no danger;
+he would only think that it was an old gardener at work.</p>
+
+<p>But when they saw Mr. St. Clive and all the others in that little
+cottage, they stopped, and Charlton faltered out&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"What is it? Oh, what is it, father?" And so he gave away his secret to
+the monitor.</p>
+
+<p>And they told them, and Charlton stood very white, and clenched his
+fist.</p>
+
+<p>"Elgert again," he said. "Oh, I hate him! I should like to kill him."
+But his father put his hand on his arm and said, almost sternly&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"My son, such words are not for the lips of a Christian boy."</p>
+
+<p>"Well, sir, at any rate you can't blame Fred for using them," broke in
+Warren. "I know I should feel like it. They are a pair of cads, and
+deserve kicking."</p>
+
+<p>"Be quiet, Tom," chimed in Ralph. "Never mind them. The thing is what
+can we do? Where can<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_236" id="Page_236">[Pg 236]</a></span> Mr. Charlton go so that he can hide in safety for
+the time?"</p>
+
+<p>"Nowhere," said the man sadly. "There is no spot about here where I can
+be safe. I am afraid that I am losing heart," he added, "but it seems
+hopeless."</p>
+
+<p>"Never say, die, sir," cried Warren. "I know a place, a jolly place,
+where you could hide for a month; yes, even if they knew you were there
+they would not be able to get you. You could dodge them, and dodge
+them, for ever so long&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"The ruin!" cried Ralph suddenly. "Warren, you're a brick! The ruin, of
+course&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"What ruin? Where?" asked Mr. St. Clive, while the rest listened
+anxiously. "Speak quickly, lads, for time is precious." And Ralph
+explained their adventure of that afternoon, adding&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Of course, there are the dogs, but even if they scented him down he
+could shut them out; they couldn't get at him, and the very fact that
+the dogs were loose would hinder people from imagining that any one was
+hiding there. Besides, I don't believe that any people know about it. I
+didn't until to-day, and I thought that I had pretty well explored the
+country round here."</p>
+
+<p>"How am I to get to this place, boys?"</p>
+
+<p>"By following us," said Ralph. "Yes, we will all three go, and skirmish
+out one ahead of the other, so that if danger is about we can give
+warning. Never you fear, we will get there safe enough, if we have a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_237" id="Page_237">[Pg 237]</a></span>
+little start. But you will want things, even at once; light&mdash;you must
+be careful to hide that from being seen&mdash;and food, and some rugs."</p>
+
+<p>Away hurried Mrs. St. Clive and her husband and hastily procured what
+they thought would be immediate necessities, while Mr. Charlton took
+off the disguise. His rest there had done him good. He was strong and
+well, not a bit like the wearied man who had at first come there. The
+boys divided the burdens between them; and then, with last hand shakes,
+and with a parting embrace between husband and wife, Mr. Charlton
+followed the three boys from the place where he had been so kindly
+treated.</p>
+
+<p>"Won't Elgert and Dobson be precious mad!" said Warren. "It was
+fortunate for you, sir, that little Irene heard them talking."</p>
+
+<p>"It is fortunate for me that my boy has two such faithful friends
+as you and Ralph here," answered Mr. Charlton. "I feel that Heaven,
+knowing my innocence, has raised me up helpers all round."</p>
+
+<p>"That is the way, sir," said Ralph heartily. "Go on thinking that and
+you won't lose heart, and presently the truth will come to light&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"Now then, Ralph," cried Warren, interrupting him. "Send on ahead, and
+keep both your eyes open, get well on in front, and give the Fourth's
+whistle if you see any one about."</p>
+
+<p>They were now getting away from the road and on towards Stow Wood. They
+would have to go<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_238" id="Page_238">[Pg 238]</a></span> through that and then out across the common, leaving
+Great Stow on their right. It would have been shorter to have gone
+through Great Stow, but they did not dare that, there were too many
+people about.</p>
+
+<p>Away raced Charlton, pushing into the wood, and then Warren dived away
+to the right, and Ralph led Mr. Charlton directly on.</p>
+
+<p>But no warning whistle came. The storm was gathering up again, and no
+one who could avoid it was out of doors. They pushed through the wood
+and across the common, out to Crab Tree Hill; and then they circled
+the preserves, and came to the place they sought; and, as Ralph said,
+it looked as if they had been led to the spot that afternoon, in order
+that they might know where to bring Mr. Charlton.</p>
+
+<p>And into the ruin they led the way with a lighted candle, and showed
+the man all the windings and secret ways that they had found out.</p>
+
+<p>"I dare say that there are plenty more, for it is a strange old place,"
+Ralph said, "and you will be able to find them out for yourself."</p>
+
+<p>"The only thing that I see, is you cannot make a fire here. At least,
+if you did, the smoke might be seen," added Warren; and Mr. Charlton
+smiled.</p>
+
+<p>"We can do without the fire, my kind young friend," he said. "I shall
+manage here very well. But now do you all go, for you are nearly wet
+through, and I fear that you may suffer some ill effects, and you all<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_239" id="Page_239">[Pg 239]</a></span>
+look tired to death, too. Shake hands with me, and be off."</p>
+
+<p>"We shall manage to let you know soon, sir, how things go," said Ralph,
+"and we will bring more food and things. Good-bye, sir, and keep up a
+good heart."</p>
+
+<p>"Good-bye, and good-bye and God bless you, my own dear son." And the
+father and son embraced.</p>
+
+<p>Then the three lads dashed away, making for home as fast as they could;
+and though Warren wondered what his people would think of him for being
+so late, nothing could persuade him to refrain from going back to Mr.
+St. Clive's, just to see how things had gone.</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_240" id="Page_240">[Pg 240]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><span>CHAPTER XXVI</span> <span class="smaller">TOM WARREN SPEAKS HIS MIND</span></h2>
+
+<p>If ever three boys were tired and wet and cold, Ralph and his chums
+were when they once again arrived at Mr. St. Clive's; but for all
+that, they were three delighted boys, for they had succeeded in their
+mission, and Mr. Charlton was safe.</p>
+
+<p>They found that the police had been and gone, and were none the wiser
+for their visit. Mr. St. Clive had received them readily, and told them
+that he certainly had employed an old gardener, but that the man had
+left his employ only a short time before they came, and that he could
+give them no information about him.</p>
+
+<p>It was highly distasteful to an honourable gentleman like Mr. St.
+Clive even to say anything which, while strictly true, had yet the
+qualities of a lie, but in this case he was forced to do so. He could
+not give the poor man up to justice&mdash;a man whom he honestly believed to
+have been wrongly convicted&mdash;especially after having received him and
+sheltered him so long.</p>
+
+<p>But when Elgert and Dobson heard that the search was unsuccessful, oh,
+how angry they were! They<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_241" id="Page_241">[Pg 241]</a></span> had come back with the constables, and Mr.
+St. Clive turned to them and spoke very sternly.</p>
+
+<p>"So it appears that I am indebted to you two young gentlemen for this
+visit," he said. "First of all you trespass upon my grounds; then you
+take upon yourselves to give this information to the police; and now
+you have come back uninvited. Kindly oblige me by taking yourselves
+off; and understand that if I find you on my grounds again, I shall not
+have the slightest hesitation in horsewhipping the pair of you!"</p>
+
+<p>Oh, what a rage Elgert was in! To be spoken to like that! He, the
+Honourable Horace Elgert!</p>
+
+<p>He went home and told his father, and Lord Elgert rode over in a
+terrible passion to demand an explanation from Mr. St. Clive.</p>
+
+<p>But that gentleman took things very calmly, and his lordship got little
+satisfaction from him.</p>
+
+<p>"It is my belief, sir, that my son is correct, and that you have been
+harbouring a fugitive from justice!" shouted his lordship. "It is like
+you to do that. You have taken that young rascal, Rexworth, in spite of
+the knowledge that his father is a man who attempted to rob me."</p>
+
+<p>"Pardon me, Lord Elgert," answered Mr. St. Clive, "I have tried to
+repay a debt of gratitude I owe to a brave boy, who rescued my child
+from death, at the peril of his own life, because you would not take
+the trouble to have your bull properly secured. As to the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_242" id="Page_242">[Pg 242]</a></span> knowledge
+that his father tried to rob you, I know nothing of the kind."</p>
+
+<p>"I have told you so. You have my word for it," replied Lord Elgert; and
+Mr. St. Clive answered drily&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"That is a very different thing from knowing it."</p>
+
+<p>"You insult me, sir! You deliberately insult me! But be careful, or you
+shall answer for it. Make no mistake, you shall answer for it!" And
+with that, his lordship rode off in a towering rage.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. St. Clive did not trouble to tell Ralph all the unkind things which
+Lord Elgert had said, for there was nothing to be gained by causing the
+boy pain; and so, after giving them all hot cocoa, Warren and Charlton
+were sent off to their homes, and Ralph was glad to get to bed, for he
+was quite tired out.</p>
+
+<p>And then, after one of those quiet Sundays which he had got to value
+so much, he set off for school on the Monday morning, calling for
+Charlton, and meeting with Warren on the way.</p>
+
+<p>"Well, Rexworth, and how do you feel to-day?"</p>
+
+<p>Now, if Warren or Charlton had asked that question, there would have
+been nothing strange in it; but it was neither of the boys. It was Mr.
+Delermain, when the class was assembled; and Ralph, although he felt
+surprised, answered that he felt very well.</p>
+
+<p>"Ah!" said the master, and he smiled. "Well, I am glad of that, for
+to-day you have to uphold the honour of the Fourth. You will not take
+your place<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_243" id="Page_243">[Pg 243]</a></span> for lessons as usual. The examination for the Newlet is
+to-day. You are to go to the Head's class-room immediately after
+prayers."</p>
+
+<p>"Good luck to you, Rexworth," whispered Charlton, looking quite
+nervous; and Tom Warren patted him on the shoulder and added
+imploringly&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Now, mind you keep cool, Ralph&mdash;keep quite cool. Don't get flustered
+if you cannot answer every question, and don't spend too much time over
+the easy ones. Answer them first, as briefly as you can, and then go
+for the others. Keep cool, old fellow, for the honour of the Fourth."</p>
+
+<p>Certainly Ralph did feel just a trifle anxious and nervous; but he had
+worked hard, and felt pretty well grounded in his subjects, and he
+meant to do his best honestly.</p>
+
+<p>So when prayers were over, he rose and went out of the class-room,
+while the boys, thinking that the occasion admitted of it, cried out
+aloud: "Good luck to you, Rexworth! Hope that you will succeed!"</p>
+
+<p>"Jolly lot of fuss they make about that chap," sneered Dobson to the
+boy next him. "It is just a disgrace to let such a fellow as that sit
+for the Newlet."</p>
+
+<p>"Especially when a bright, intellectual fellow like Dobson does not
+go in for it!" was the answer he received; and Dobson glowered and
+muttered something about his "cheek."</p>
+
+<p>Somehow, Charlton could not get on as he ought<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_244" id="Page_244">[Pg 244]</a></span> to have done that
+morning. He was so anxious about Ralph, and he was so full of his
+father, and wondering whether he was all safe. Mr. Delermain had to
+rebuke him once or twice&mdash;he did not understand things like Warren
+did&mdash;and poor Charlton lost his place and got a bad mark; and somehow
+he could not help it, the tears would come into his eyes. Dobson saw
+it, and grinned. He sniffed, and drew his handkerchief out, pretending
+to wipe away tears and wring the water out on the floor. Mr. Delermain
+saw him, and Dobson got something to cry for. Six handers, and a bad
+mark. Dobson vowed to make Charlton suffer for it, as if it were his
+fault that he had been caned.</p>
+
+<p>And he had his chance when recess came.</p>
+
+<p>"Hallo, Elgert!" cried Dobson, as he saw his friend. "I say, I want to
+ask you a question. Who was the first gardener?"&mdash;and he winked towards
+Charlton, who was standing near.</p>
+
+<p>"Adam," was Elgert's reply; and Dobson nodded.</p>
+
+<p>"Quite right; and who was the very last one that we know anything
+about, eh?"</p>
+
+<p>"A fellow named Charlton, some relation to one of your Form, I think.
+Quite a public personage, and eagerly sought after by the police."</p>
+
+<p>Poor Charlton! His face went white, and his eyes sparkled with anger.
+Dobson saw it, and laughed mockingly. Charlton was a weakly boy, and
+the bully was by no means afraid of him.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_245" id="Page_245">[Pg 245]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Funny how some people have queer tastes," he went on. "I should have
+thought that breaking stones was no harder work than digging. By the
+way, it is breaking stones that they put convicts to, is it not?"</p>
+
+<p>"You say that to insult me?"</p>
+
+<p>Charlton spoke in low tones, and his face was very white; and Dobson
+laughed again.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, I say, you chaps, is not this a rich joke? Here is Charlton asking
+if we mean to insult him! My dear fellow, your presence is such an
+insult&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>Dobson stopped and ducked, for the maddened boy had struck so fierce a
+blow that had the bully received it, it would surely have knocked him
+down.</p>
+
+<p>"Go on, Dobson! Give him a hiding!" cried Elgert. But then Tom Warren
+pushed forward and cried out&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Drop that! Charlton, don't be stupid; and you, Dobson, if you want to
+fight, fight me."</p>
+
+<p>"I say, you fellows," said Elgert, "how much longer are we going to
+be dictated to by Tom Warren? Charlton struck the first blow. It is
+his fight, and he ought to go through with it. It is a condescension
+on Dobson's part to fight with such a fellow." And some of the boys
+murmured approval.</p>
+
+<p>"Hold hard a minute," said Warren. "Since Elgert puts it that way, we
+will see if the boot is not on the other foot. Let me see, Dobson asked
+who was the last gardener, didn't he?"</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_246" id="Page_246">[Pg 246]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"That is it, Warren!" cried some of the others. "And Charlton got mad."</p>
+
+<p>"Very well; now I will tell you why. It seems that Elgert and Dobson,
+wanting a little employment, and liking to play the part of spies and
+informers&mdash;&mdash;" Elgert started. He had no idea that Warren knew about
+that, and it was the very last thing he wished the school to hear of.
+He attempted to turn away, but Warren noticed it, and went on.</p>
+
+<p>"You had better stop, Elgert, unless you are too ashamed to let
+gentlemen see your face." And Elgert stopped, white to the lips with
+passion.</p>
+
+<p>"That is better," said the monitor. "Well, you chaps, I was saying that
+our gentlemanly friends, Messrs. Elgert and Dobson, finding it to their
+taste to play the part of spies, must needs dog the steps of a lady,
+and that lady Mrs. Charlton, under the impression that she would guide
+them to the spot where her husband was hidden.</p>
+
+<p>"Now, having played this delightful part, these refined young gentlemen
+came upon an old gardener in Mr. St. Clive's grounds, and jumped to the
+conclusion that it was the lady's husband in disguise.</p>
+
+<p>"Then they came away and quietly enough, for they had no wish to
+disturb the parties concerned. But once away, they set off as hard as
+they could go, running all the way, to the police-station, to tell the
+constables that the man they wanted was hiding at<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_247" id="Page_247">[Pg 247]</a></span> Mr. St. Clive's.
+I would mention the fact that there is a reward offered for the
+apprehension of this man; perhaps that had something to do with their
+action. And this pair of spies and informers have the impudence to
+speak of it being a condescension for one of them to fight a boy in no
+way his equal."</p>
+
+<p>"I say, Warren, it can't be true!" cried one boy in disgust. "No fellow
+at our school would be such an awful cad!"</p>
+
+<p>"Look at Elgert's face. Does that look like innocence?" answered
+Warren. "You can ask Mr. St. Clive, if you like; but you ought not to
+want to after that!" And he pointed to Horace Elgert.</p>
+
+<p>Ay, there was no mistake; he looked guilty, and he knew it was no good
+trying to deny the charge. He strove to look careless and dignified,
+and he turned away on his heel; but then a storm of hisses broke out.
+Hisses! They were hissing him! And he had once been their leader! And
+above the clamour came the shrill voices of the juniors&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Sneak! Sneak! Sneak!"</p>
+
+<p>He felt as if he must press his fingers in his ears and run, but he
+managed to maintain his slow walk, and got into the class-room, Dobson
+at his heels; and the latter asked in consternation&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"How ever did they find out?"</p>
+
+<p>"I don't know&mdash;I don't care!" was the fierce answer. "But I will pay
+them all out! And to think of Rexworth going in for the Newlet!"</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_248" id="Page_248">[Pg 248]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Won't he crow if he manages to get through!" remarked Dobson; and
+Elgert jumped up.</p>
+
+<p>"He must not get through, Dobson; somehow we must stop him."</p>
+
+<p>"That is all very well. But how can we do it?" queried Dobson, with a
+shake of his head. And Elgert replied&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Wait until morning school is over, and I will tell you."</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_249" id="Page_249">[Pg 249]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><span>CHAPTER XXVII</span> <span class="smaller">IN THE DEAD OF THE NIGHT</span></h2>
+
+<p>"I tell you that it can be done. What danger is there, if we are only
+careful not to make a noise? What a miserable coward you are, Dobson!"</p>
+
+<p>So said Horace Elgert. He and Dobson were together, and morning school
+was over. They had met that Elgert might unfold his plan for preventing
+Ralph Rexworth having any chance of gaining the Newlet medal, and
+also for getting him into disgrace by making it appear that he had
+been cribbing; and apparently Dobson did not much like the plan, and
+had been making objections which had called forth Elgert's angry
+remonstrance.</p>
+
+<p>"What danger can there be?" The question came again, when Dobson did
+not reply. "Why, you have risked more than that when we have left the
+house at night! You have thought that a lark. And now we have only to
+go to the Head's desk, and then sit in the class-room for an hour or
+so."</p>
+
+<p>"It will be awfully cold there," shivered Dobson.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_250" id="Page_250">[Pg 250]</a></span> "And just
+think&mdash;stopping for two hours, and the chance all the time that some
+one will come!"</p>
+
+<p>"Rubbish! If it is cold, put on your overcoat. You don't call it cold
+when you stand for longer than that keeping goal, with an east wind
+blowing. It is no use trying to make objections. I am determined to try
+it, and you have just got to help me."</p>
+
+<p>"I don't see how we can do it," grumbled Dobson. "I think we had better
+leave him alone. After all, it don't matter to us if he gets the medal."</p>
+
+<p>"Everything matters that advances him. Now, look here. After the exam.
+is over, all the papers are taken to the Head, and he puts them in his
+desk, and sends them to the examiners in the morning. We know that
+much."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes," assented Dobson.</p>
+
+<p>"Very well. Now, the catch of the Head's roller desk is broken. I heard
+him say yesterday that he had forgotten to send for a man to repair it.
+There the papers will be, with nothing to prevent us from getting hold
+of Rexworth's. That is easy enough. We wait till the place is quiet,
+and then go to the Head's class-room and take what we want. Then we go
+to our own class-room, and have our bicycle lamps to give us light. You
+know that I can write like Rexworth; and even if I did not, no one will
+know. The Head does not examine the papers himself, and the chap he
+sends them to would not know the difference, even if you scrawled the
+answers."</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_251" id="Page_251">[Pg 251]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"But what do you want me for?" objected Dobson. "We can't both write."</p>
+
+<p>"You sneak! You want me to do it all. Why, to keep me company, and
+to be in it as well as me. Besides, I shall want you to read me some
+answers from Grimwade. I have a copy; and I don't mean only to write
+wrong answers to some questions, but to put in extracts, so that it
+will look as if he had been using a crib&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"It will take an awful long time! He takes all day over the papers."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes; but he has got to think of the answers, and we shall not have to
+do anything of the kind. We can copy a lot of what he has written&mdash;you
+reading and I writing. Then we just take our set of papers back and put
+them with the others, and we destroy his, and who is to know a thing
+about it?"</p>
+
+<p>"I don't like it," protested Dobson. "I know that we shall get caught
+one of these days, and then we shall be expelled, and it will be all
+your fault."</p>
+
+<p>"Then you have just got to like it!" retorted Elgert; and Dobson burst
+out furiously&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, have I? Think I am going to be ordered about by you, Horace
+Elgert! Why have I got to like it, pray?"</p>
+
+<p>"Because you changed that five-pound note!"</p>
+
+<p>"But you gave it to me," retorted Dobson, changing colour, and falling
+back upon his old plea; and Elgert laughed.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_252" id="Page_252">[Pg 252]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"You prove that, if you can. You are the only one implicated in it."</p>
+
+<p>"You are a jolly mean sneak!" cried his companion; and again Elgert
+laughed, this time rather menacingly.</p>
+
+<p>"I wouldn't talk in that way if I were you, Dobson," he said. "It is a
+bit foolish to quarrel with me. Now, don't be silly, but say that you
+agree."</p>
+
+<p>"I suppose I must," was the sulky reply; "but I tell you I think it
+risky. Besides, all that we have yet done has not harmed Rexworth; but
+it has jolly well hurt us."</p>
+
+<p>"We will be more successful this time. But let us clear off, for that
+little sneak Charlton is watching us, and he may get suspicious if he
+sees us talking together."</p>
+
+<p>"Punch his head!" said Dobson. He was brave enough when it came to
+ill-treating boys weaker than himself. "He is alone; punch his head!"</p>
+
+<p>"No. You forget we should have Warren and all his gang down on us, and
+perhaps Kesterway taking the matter to the Head. Let him go for the
+time. We will have him over his father yet, and that will be better
+than giving him a licking."</p>
+
+<p>It was quite true that Charlton had seen the two together, and he was
+indeed wondering what mischief they were plotting. Ralph was still a
+prisoner over his examination papers, for until they were done he was
+not allowed to leave the class-room; and Warren<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_253" id="Page_253">[Pg 253]</a></span> was at the moment
+away, so that Charlton was alone.</p>
+
+<p>He was very anxious for Ralph's success, and perhaps that very anxiety
+made him suspicious of the two boys who were such bitter enemies of his
+chum. At any rate, Charlton determined to keep a very sharp eye upon
+the movements of Elgert and Dobson, though he was quite ignorant of any
+way in which they could harm Ralph.</p>
+
+<p>But, in spite of his watching, nothing occurred. The dinner-hour
+passed and afternoon school began, and all went smoothly; and Charlton
+managed to retrieve the loss which his anxiety had brought to him in
+the morning. And then, when the bell rang, and the boys filed out, free
+to do as they liked, until teatime, there Ralph joined them, a trifle
+tired, it is true, but very hopeful, for he felt confident that he had
+answered every question that had been given to him without making a
+huge number of mistakes.</p>
+
+<p>A general rush of Fourth Form boys occurred, and he was surrounded by a
+throng of eager questioners.</p>
+
+<p>"How did you get on, Rexworth? Was it very stiff? Could you manage it?
+How many questions did you get through?"</p>
+
+<p>These and a score of kindred questions were asked; and when Ralph
+answered that he thought he had managed all right, and that he had
+answered every question, a hearty cheer followed.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_254" id="Page_254">[Pg 254]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Hurrah for Rexworth and the Fourth!"</p>
+
+<p>Dobson and Elgert heard it, and the latter laughed quietly, and said,
+with a sneer upon his handsome face&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Go on; cheer away. You will have something to cheer for presently."</p>
+
+<p>The evening wore away&mdash;tea, and preparation, and recess, and finally
+bed; and after the usual chatter and skylarking when monitors' backs
+were turned, the boys of Marlthorpe College were all snugly in bed, the
+gas had been turned out in the dormitories, save for one faint glimmer
+at the end of each room, and silence reigned throughout the old school.</p>
+
+<p>Perhaps it was because he was so anxious for Ralph's success, perhaps
+it was that he was thinking of Dobson and Elgert, or of his poor
+father away there in that dreary ruin, but somehow Charlton could not
+get to sleep. He lay there thinking, thinking, long after the regular
+breathing from Ralph, and the occasional gurgle and snore from Warren,
+announced that his two chums were fast asleep.</p>
+
+<p>Would Ralph get the medal? Would his father ever get safely away? Or,
+better still, would he ever be proved to be innocent? Would&mdash;&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>A stealthy movement caused him to open his eyes. A boy, higher up the
+dormitory, had got out of bed; and that boy was Dobson!</p>
+
+<p>Charlton held his breath and felt himself trembling with excitement.
+Elgert and the bully had plotted<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_255" id="Page_255">[Pg 255]</a></span> something, after all, then;
+and&mdash;and&mdash;why, Dobson was dressing! And now he crept out of the
+dormitory with careful, noiseless steps!</p>
+
+<p>Then Charlton, as soon as he was gone, slipped from his bed also. At
+first he thought of rousing Ralph and Warren; but he paused. A strange
+ambition filled his heart. How lovely it would be to do this all by
+himself&mdash;to follow and see what mischief they were doing, and, if it
+was anything to harm Ralph, to frustrate their plot, alone and unaided!</p>
+
+<p>Rapidly he slipped on his clothes. At any other time he would have
+trembled at the audacity of such a deed after hours; but now he was
+filled only with the one thought of serving Ralph, and he neither
+considered the risk of being discovered, nor the seriousness of
+matching himself against two such boys as Elgert and Dobson&mdash;for he
+felt absolutely certain that Elgert would also be in this business.</p>
+
+<p>Then, in his stockinged feet, he also slipped into the corridor
+and stood listening. Where had Dobson gone? How horribly dark it
+seemed&mdash;and how cold and desolate! He stood undecided for a moment;
+then he heard a stealthy sound&mdash;and from the entrance to the Fifth he
+saw Elgert come. Ah, he had not been mistaken, then! He stepped back
+and peeped round the dormitory door. Elgert was stealing down the
+stairs, and&mdash;yes, there Dobson was awaiting him. The two glided on,
+noiseless as mice; and Charlton, his heart thumping so that it seemed
+as if the two in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_256" id="Page_256">[Pg 256]</a></span> front must hear it, creeping cautiously in the rear,
+determined to ascertain what they were going to do.</p>
+
+<p>Down, past the Fourth class-room, they groped their way, and then to
+the Head's room. The Head's room! The room in which the examination
+papers were kept!</p>
+
+<p>Charlton, crouching at the door, watched them as they lit their bicycle
+lamps and stole to the big desk at the top of the room. Then came a
+slight click and the top was rolled back, and he could see the two
+bending over the interior, searching for something.</p>
+
+<p>"Here we are!" whispered Elgert, as he took up a neat little roll of
+papers. "Mind your fingers, silly!"&mdash;and he let the top of the desk
+down with the greatest care. "You see how easy it is."</p>
+
+<p>"Best blow out the lamps until we get to the class-room," suggested
+Dobson. "Some one might see them. You never know." And Elgert, willing
+enough to take every precaution, complied.</p>
+
+<p>"We will precious soon spoil Rexworth's chances now!" he laughed
+softly; and Charlton understood&mdash;or thought that he did. They were
+going to destroy Ralph's answers, and they should not do it!</p>
+
+<p>Regardless of secrecy or of self, he sprang from the darkness; and,
+before either of the startled boys could realize what had happened, he
+had snatched that roll of paper from Elgert's grasp.</p>
+
+<p>"You sha'n't have them!" he said aloud. "You want to destroy them, and
+you shall not have them!"</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_257" id="Page_257">[Pg 257]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Charlton!" cried Elgert, in furious rage; and forgetful of all
+precaution, he struck a savage blow at him, which sent him spinning
+backwards over a form with a crash.</p>
+
+<p>"Keep quiet! You will rouse the whole school!" cried Dobson in terror.
+"Hark! I hear some one coming. Run&mdash;run, I say, or we shall be found
+here!" And Elgert, awakening to the danger of the position, glided away
+with him, as voices were heard calling and asking what was the matter.</p>
+
+<p>"What shall we do now?" groaned Dobson; but his companion answered in a
+fierce whisper&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Quick&mdash;get back to your room and pull off your clothes, as if you had
+just slipped out of bed. Be quick! Then come out on to the landing, as
+if you were only half awake. They are certain to catch him, and we must
+declare that we know nothing of it. He has the papers in his hand, and
+it is our word against his, and appearances are upon our side."</p>
+
+<p>Dobson nodded, and hastily dragging off his clothes, he sat on the edge
+of his bed, and called aloud: "Who is there?" That roused the others;
+and he asserted that he had been scared by a noise downstairs. Up
+tumbled Warren and Ralph and some more, and Charlton's bed was seen to
+be empty.</p>
+
+<p>Then the Fifth Form boys, aroused by Elgert, came out on the landing,
+only to be met by one of the masters, who quietly said that nothing was
+wrong, and directed them all to go back to bed again.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_258" id="Page_258">[Pg 258]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Nothing wrong! Go back to bed! But why was Charlton's bed empty? And
+what did that glimpse of the boy, in the custody of Kesterway, the head
+monitor, mean? Ralph looked at Warren in dismay. Whatever mischief had
+Fred Charlton been up to?</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_259" id="Page_259">[Pg 259]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><span>CHAPTER XXVIII</span> <span class="smaller">THE NEXT DAY</span></h2>
+
+<p>"Believe it! Of course we don't believe it. And I do not think that
+the Head does, either. You cheer up, old fellow! I know you were only
+trying to serve me; but you were silly to go without waking Warren, or
+myself."</p>
+
+<p>The speaker was Ralph, and he addressed his chum Charlton, who was a
+prisoner. A prisoner, that is, inasmuch as the Head had forbidden him
+to go out into the playground until he had thoroughly gone into the
+incidents of the previous night.</p>
+
+<p>It was all very well for Ralph to say "cheer up," but Charlton did not
+feel very cheerful. His sensitive nature shrank from the position in
+which he found himself, and his heart revolted at the wicked falsehoods
+which were told so calmly by both Dobson and Elgert. Besides, he was
+kept in, and that afternoon he had hoped to get across to see how his
+father was getting on.</p>
+
+<p>And though we, who know the truth, may wonder how it was that the Head
+should do this, still, the doctor himself did not know the truth, and
+he could<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_260" id="Page_260">[Pg 260]</a></span> hardly think that two lads would tell such wicked deliberate
+lies; and, moreover, everything pointed to Charlton being guilty.</p>
+
+<p>Dr. Beverly had been sitting up late, deep in a learned work with
+which he was greatly interested, when he had heard the noise in his
+class-room, followed by the voice of the head monitor, calling from
+above, and asking what was the matter; and he had hurried out&mdash;to find
+Charlton lying half dazed on the floor, having apparently fallen over a
+form and struck his head; and in his hand was Ralph's examination paper.</p>
+
+<p>Charlton being a nervous boy, his very manner seemed guilty when the
+Head had questioned him; and his story seemed to be false, for upon
+Dr. Beverly hurrying upstairs, Elgert was found with only his trousers
+on, as if he had just slipped out of bed, and Dobson was the same.
+Moreover, the boys in the Fifth declared that Elgert was sitting up in
+bed when they were aroused; and even Ralph and Warren had to own that
+Dobson appeared as if he had only just woke up.</p>
+
+<p>And both Dobson and Elgert declared that they had never been
+downstairs, and that Charlton had invented the story.</p>
+
+<p>So, still under the suspicion, he was kept in, and Ralph and Warren
+seized the first opportunity of going to comfort him.</p>
+
+<p>"If the Head knew them as well as we do, he would not be in much doubt
+about things," was Warren's<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_261" id="Page_261">[Pg 261]</a></span> verdict. "Don't you worry, old chap! We
+know you would not do anything to harm Ralph."</p>
+
+<p>"I wanted to go and see my father this afternoon," sighed Charlton; and
+Ralph answered&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Never mind. I will go. Tom will come with me."</p>
+
+<p>"I am awfully sorry, but I cannot," the monitor put in. "I would in a
+minute, but I promised mother to go round for her to my aunt's, and I
+must not disappoint her."</p>
+
+<p>"Of course not," said Ralph immediately. "Well, I will go alone, and
+explain to your father, old chap; so don't you worry about that any
+more. I wish, though, that I could see some way of bringing this home
+to those two, but I confess that I don't."</p>
+
+<p>"Wait a bit. Give them a rope long enough and they will hang
+themselves!" growled Warren. "Now, buck up, Charlton, and don't let
+them think that you are beaten!" And with that the two had to leave
+their chum, and Charlton felt decidedly comforted.</p>
+
+<p>And, after school, Tom Warren went off to obey his mother's desire; and
+Ralph, true to his promise, started on his journey to the man hiding in
+the old ruin away by Crab Tree Hill; and the rest of the boys prepared
+to spend their time according to their own inclinations.</p>
+
+<p>Jimmy Green and his chum Tinkle had made their plans. They were going
+fishing. It is sometimes a matter for wonder why small boys will go
+fishing,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_262" id="Page_262">[Pg 262]</a></span> seeing that they seldom catch any fish, and don't know what
+to do with them if by chance they manage to secure a few. Still, that
+matters nothing. Jimmy and Tinkle were going fishing, and were busily
+preparing a wonderful and fearful assortment of tackle and bait. Bait!
+They had worms several inches long, and what they called paste&mdash;a
+fearsome concoction of bread and clay kneaded together into little
+balls. And they had a landing-net. We mention this for two reasons.
+First, because of its size&mdash;it would have held a small salmon&mdash;and then
+because it was destined to aid in landing some queer fish. We may not
+say of what kind yet&mdash;but the point to remember is that they had the
+landing-net.</p>
+
+<p>And Jimmy Green and his chum were discussing the problem of Charlton's
+guilt, and their small minds appeared to be fully made up.</p>
+
+<p>"I just believe every word he says!" declared Green; and Tinkle nodded
+his fat little head.</p>
+
+<p>"So do I!" he said.</p>
+
+<p>"Those two chaps are awful cads&mdash;dreadful cads!" continued Green,
+with much warmth; and again Tinkle nodded. He did not believe in the
+exertion of talking, unless it was absolutely necessary.</p>
+
+<p>"I wonder," he said slowly, as he pushed back a particularly lively
+worm into the bait-tin&mdash;"I wonder, Jimmy, if we ought to tell what we
+know about that note? I often wonder that." But Jimmy was still firm
+upon that point.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_263" id="Page_263">[Pg 263]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"What's the good? If we had the note now we might do it. But suppose
+they treat us as they have treated Charlton, and say they did not go
+there? How are we to prove it? And we let out that we have been there
+ourselves. It ain't no good, Tinkle. I would tell if I thought it was;
+but it isn't, and there is no getting away from it."</p>
+
+<p>"I suppose it ain't," was Tinkle's regretful answer. "Well, come on,
+Jimmy! I think we have got everything we want, and we may as well have
+all the time we can."</p>
+
+<p>"Where shall we go?" inquired Jimmy Green.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, the pool below Becket Weir," answered Tinkle; "where Elgert nearly
+got drowned."</p>
+
+<p>"Very well; come on, and let us see if we have any luck." And the two
+young anglers set out, little dreaming what a very queer fish they were
+going to catch that day.</p>
+
+<p>And what of Elgert and Dobson? Mean lads that they were, they were
+delighted, and congratulated themselves upon their astuteness. True,
+they had not got possession of Ralph's papers, and had failed in so far
+as spoiling his chances for the medal went; but they had got Charlton
+into fine disgrace.</p>
+
+<p>It was wonderfully smart upon their parts, they thought; and, as if to
+add to their good fortune, Dobson had a little scrap of paper brought
+to him by a town urchin&mdash;a message from Brown of the cake-shop, to the
+effect that the latter had been successful<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_264" id="Page_264">[Pg 264]</a></span> in obtaining the "article"
+he had inquired about; but that the price would be seven pounds for it,
+cash down.</p>
+
+<p>Seven pounds! Elgert growled at that, but the note must be got again at
+any cost; and so Dobson was given the sum required, and dispatched upon
+his errand.</p>
+
+<p>He wanted Elgert to go with him, for company, but Elgert was too
+cunning for that. He had kept out of the business all along, and he did
+not mean to be seen in it now. To be sure, he had been with Dobson to
+inquire about it in the first place, but he had no fear that the man
+would betray him. Dobson had done the changing, and Dobson should do
+the buying, and bring the note back to him.</p>
+
+<p>"I cannot come," he said, in answer to the boy's remonstrance. "I
+expect our man over with a letter from my father, and I want to stay
+here to get it. You must go alone. It won't take you long. Hurry back,
+for I shall not go out until you return."</p>
+
+<p>"I always have to do the work," grumbled Dobson. "It is a horrid long
+way to go alone."</p>
+
+<p>"Get out! Have not I found the money? And as to a long way, you don't
+make much fuss about that if you think that you are going to be treated
+to tarts. You clear off, and look sharp; and thank your lucky stars
+that we have got out of the mess so nicely, for I confess that I did
+not think that we were going to manage it!"</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_265" id="Page_265">[Pg 265]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>So Dobson set off, and Horace Elgert turned back to the playground,
+to await his return with what patience he could; and there the Head
+himself came upon him, and stopped, and placed one hand upon his
+shoulder, looking searchingly into his face.</p>
+
+<p>"I am glad that I have met you alone, Elgert," the doctor said. "For
+I want to speak to you very seriously. I want to speak to you about
+Charlton."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, sir?" said the boy inquiringly. It was wonderful how calmly and
+innocently he spoke. "What about him, sir&mdash;has he owned that his story
+is false?"</p>
+
+<p>"Not so, Elgert. Nor am I satisfied that it is false, Elgert. Are you
+satisfied that it is?"</p>
+
+<p>"Why, sir, of course I am!" he answered, staring up as if unable to
+comprehend the Head's meaning, though he knew it well enough.</p>
+
+<p>"Elgert, there is an old Book with an old law, which says: 'Thou shalt
+not bear false witness against thy neighbour.' In face of such a solemn
+command, are you still sure that Charlton's story is false?"</p>
+
+<p>"You don't mean to say that I and Dobson were there taking those
+papers, do you, sir?" he queried indignantly. "Ah, I see how it is!
+You believe his word. I don't think that quite fair, sir. Consider the
+difference between his surroundings and mine. Which will most likely
+speak the truth&mdash;the son of a man wanted by the police, or the son of a
+nobleman like my father?"</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_266" id="Page_266">[Pg 266]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"You still adhere to your statement, Elgert?" said the Head, taking no
+notice of the latter part of his speech. And Elgert answered at once&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Of course I do, sir!"</p>
+
+<p>"Then," said the Head, "I have no option but to be guided by
+circumstances, and they all point to Charlton being guilty." And with
+that he turned away.</p>
+
+<p>Elgert felt anxious and angry. What right had the Head to suspect
+him of telling lies, or to doubt his honour? It is wonderful how
+dishonourable people will talk of their honour. And suppose the Head
+got Dobson, and began to question him. He must warn the fellow to be on
+guard against that.</p>
+
+<p>The man he expected did not come. Elgert was angry. He told himself
+that Dobson was taking double the time he need; and when at last his
+companion returned, he asked very shortly&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Well, have you got it?"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes; here it is, all safe. It is delightful to feel that danger is
+past!"</p>
+
+<p>"A danger of your own making," retorted Elgert. "A danger that I have
+had to pay for, and that has cost you nothing. And you look here! The
+Head has been questioning me. He is suspicious, and preaches about
+false witnessing. Mind what you are at if he begins on you; for if you
+let anything out I will pay you out for it. You had better clear off
+now, to be out of his way."</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_267" id="Page_267">[Pg 267]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Dobson complied readily enough. The last thing he wanted was for the
+Head to carpet him. And then Horace Elgert, the note safe in his
+pocket-book, put on his hat and went out. He was enraged that his man
+had not been, and was going home to give him a good rating; and he, to
+take a short cut, must go past Becket Weir, where Tinkle and Green had
+gone to fish.</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_268" id="Page_268">[Pg 268]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><span>CHAPTER XXIX</span> <span class="smaller">WHAT TINKLE AND GREEN CAUGHT</span></h2>
+
+<p>"There don't seem to be much sport," said Tinkle to Green, as they
+sat side by side on the river bank, casting longing glances at their
+floats. Tinkle's bobbed under, and he pulled up sharply&mdash;he had hooked
+a fine piece of weed, the tenth catch of the kind he had made.</p>
+
+<p>"Bother!" said Green, putting down the landing-net, which he had seized
+to be in readiness to help his friend. "I am jolly well sick of it. Let
+us drop it."</p>
+
+<p>Tinkle agreed; the rod was taken to pieces and the lines put away, and
+then the pair stood up.</p>
+
+<p>"Ugh&mdash;ah-r-r!" sighed Tinkle. "Don't it make you cramped, and&mdash;&mdash; I
+say, Green, there's a man coming, and by gum, I believe it's that
+Elgert's man&mdash;the chap we saw in the cake-shop!"</p>
+
+<p>"So it is," was Green's answer. "And look how he is sauntering. Perhaps
+he is going to meet some one."</p>
+
+<p>"Let us hide," suggested Tinkle eagerly, "in the old boathouse. We may
+hear some more secrets."</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_269" id="Page_269">[Pg 269]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Green made no objection on the score of eavesdropping; the two
+boys, bending low, darted across the towing-path, and into an old,
+dilapidated, wooden building, now fast falling to decay, that had once
+done duty as a boathouse.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, I say, here comes Elgert himself!" said Green excitedly, peeping
+through a hole. "Don't make a sound. I believe&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"Oh," interrupted Tinkle, in consternation, "they are coming in here!
+Oh, what ever shall we do?"</p>
+
+<p>"Be quiet, you silly. Hide! Down you go flat under that old boat. Hold
+up the end while I creep under; and whatever you do, don't sneeze. Mind
+the net, and&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>His words were cut short by the boat slipping from Tinkle's hands and
+extinguishing them both. They lay side by side. They were quite safe,
+for it was most unlikely that Elgert or the man would look beneath it.</p>
+
+<p>One of the planks had started, and they could hear plainly, and even
+see a good deal of the interior of the place. They did see&mdash;saw Elgert
+and the man enter; and Horace Elgert sat down on the top of that boat.</p>
+
+<p>"If I only had a pin!" muttered Green. And Tinkle dug him in the ribs
+and breathed in his ear&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Be quiet, or I will punch your head when I get you out!"</p>
+
+<p>"You are an impertinent rascal!" was Elgert's<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_270" id="Page_270">[Pg 270]</a></span> first polite remark.
+"But don't you forget the book I have, with the confession in it. It
+may get you into trouble yet."</p>
+
+<p>"And don't you forget, Mr. Horace, that it was your own father who
+put me up to it. He wanted Charlton got out of the way, and he showed
+me how to make a hundred pounds for myself, and make an innocent man
+get the blame. I haven't had a single day's peace of mind since. My
+conscience has accused me."</p>
+
+<p>"Your conscience! Where do you keep it?" laughed Elgert, while the ears
+of the two hidden boys were strained to their utmost. "A pretty sort of
+fellow you are. My father put you up to it! How can you prove that?"</p>
+
+<p>"I cannot," was the sulky answer. "He was too clever for that. I wrote
+the truth in my pocket-book&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"Like the ass you are! What good would that do to you, or to Charlton?"</p>
+
+<p>"It did no good. But it made me feel better, even to confess it like
+that. You stole the book&mdash;you, a fine gentleman! You stole it from my
+coat!"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes; it was safer in my keeping than in yours. Such things are
+dangerous if they are left lying about."</p>
+
+<p>"And you have used it as a threat to me ever since; and have ordered me
+about as if I were a dog!" was the angry retort. And Elgert laughed.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_271" id="Page_271">[Pg 271]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"I have found it useful certainly. And, my man, do you see that scar on
+the back of your hand? It was a bad cut, I think. How did you manage
+it?"</p>
+
+<p>The man, with a swift motion, put his hand in his pocket.</p>
+
+<p>"I cut it," he said. And Elgert laughed again.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes. Do you know what housebreaking is? I suppose you know nothing of
+some one who broke into the school, the beginning of this term; and
+who was found near my bed, with a pillow; it looked very much as if he
+were going to try and kill me by smothering me. I wonder what that man
+wanted. He was frightened away by one of our boys, and he cut his hand
+getting over the wall. I wonder who that man was?"</p>
+
+<p>"You know it was me. I would have done it, too, if I had not been
+found. I was frightened then, but I am not now. I am not in your power
+any more."</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, and what has happened to change things?" inquired Horace Elgert
+mockingly.</p>
+
+<p>"This," said the man fiercely. "If I have done wrong, what about you?
+There was a five-pound note stolen at your school&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"What do you know about that?" cried Elgert quickly.</p>
+
+<p>"I know that it was changed in the town by your friend; and I know that
+you and he went to buy it back, and paid far more than it was worth for
+it, and&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_272" id="Page_272">[Pg 272]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"And having got it back, there the thing ends," laughed Horace; but the
+man laughed also.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, yes, you got it back; but not before I had photographed it! I have
+the negative here, a beautiful negative that will enlarge."</p>
+
+<p>Elgert regarded him in silent fury.</p>
+
+<p>"Well," he said, altering his tone, "what do you want for it? I suppose
+you are trying to make money?"</p>
+
+<p>"My book&mdash;the one you stole. If it is just as it was when I had it,
+you shall have this; if it is torn or damaged, then I take this to the
+police."</p>
+
+<p>"You are smarter than I thought," answered Elgert blandly; but oh, in
+his heart, how he determined that in some way he would make this man
+suffer! "Well, here is the book. You can see it is not harmed."</p>
+
+<p>The man snatched the book which the boy took from his pocket, and ran
+to the door to get all the light he could, as he eagerly glanced inside.</p>
+
+<p>"It is all right," he said. "Here is the negative." And he handed it
+to Elgert. "And now you go!"&mdash;this to the book. "You have caused me
+trouble enough. Go where no one can get at you!" And, in a fit of rage,
+he threw it into the river; and then he turned back to the boy.</p>
+
+<p>"Get it again, if you can!" he laughed. "My word is as good as yours,
+now; and while you have the negative, you have not got the prints I
+took from<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_273" id="Page_273">[Pg 273]</a></span> it. You are in my power now, Mr. Horace, and you had best be
+civil, or there will be trouble." And with that he turned and hurried
+off, leaving Horace Elgert alone, white with passion and fear.</p>
+
+<p>"I need not fear him," he muttered. "It only means paying enough, and I
+shall get them. This can go, the water will soon wash the film off."</p>
+
+<p>He skimmed the negative away, but it slipped from his fingers and fell
+into shallow water. He did not trouble; in less than an hour it would
+be washed clean away. Then Horace Elgert produced a book from his
+pocket, and this he, having tied a stone to it, also threw into the
+river; then, finally, he took that dreadful banknote from his pocket,
+and, striking a match, he set it alight and watched it burn to ashes.
+Then, hands in pockets, he sauntered off, and Tinkle and Green crept
+from their refuge.</p>
+
+<p>"We must get back," said Green. "We shall be late."</p>
+
+<p>"Get back be bothered!" rejoined Tinkle eagerly. "We are going to fish
+again. Be careful. Here, hold open your book&mdash;I see one in your pocket!"</p>
+
+<p>Tinkle carefully picked up all the grey, fluffy ash of that burnt
+banknote, and placed it between the leaves.</p>
+
+<p>"My father says that banknotes have a queer ash, and we may want to
+show this. Now let us see if we can get those things out of the river.
+That negative seemed to fall close in."</p>
+
+<p>"I see it!" cried Green, pointing into the water.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_274" id="Page_274">[Pg 274]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Look, there it is, out on that patch of white sand&mdash;see, there!"</p>
+
+<p>A clever stroke or two with the landing-net, and then the little square
+of glass was in their hands. It was scratched somewhat, but unbroken.
+Tinkle laid it on the grass carefully.</p>
+
+<p>"That is one," he said. "Now let us try for the others."</p>
+
+<p>He weighted his line heavily, and started. He fished and fished, and at
+last he was rewarded&mdash;up came the pocket-book; and soon after, up came
+another book with a stone tied to it.</p>
+
+<p>"It is a crib," pronounced Tinkle. "Come on, Green; we are in an awful
+mess, and we are in for a caning, I suppose; but we have caught our
+fish, and I don't care a bit."</p>
+
+<p>The two boys raced back to the school, and they were accosted in the
+playground by Warren.</p>
+
+<p>"Hallo, you two kids! Where have you been, and how did you get into
+that state?" the monitor asked. "You are over an hour late. Have you
+seen anything of Rexworth?"</p>
+
+<p>"No, Warren. Isn't he in? We wanted him. Oh, we have got something to
+tell him!"</p>
+
+<p>"You will have something to tell the doctor," answered Warren grimly.
+"He is bound to want to know what you have been up to."</p>
+
+<p>"Don't go, Warren. Do listen to us. It concerns Rexworth and Charlton.
+We know about Elgert."</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_275" id="Page_275">[Pg 275]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"What is that?" cried Warren, turning. "What do you mean?" And the
+boys, with many "you sees" and "you knows," told their story, and
+exhibited their treasures.</p>
+
+<p>"Here, you come with me!" said Warren. "You are a pair of little
+bricks. Come with me!"</p>
+
+<p>"Where to, Warren?" they asked, as he hurried on&mdash;not in the direction
+of their room, but towards the Head's house. "Where are we going?"</p>
+
+<p>"To the Head himself. He must deal with this. Don't you be frightened.
+I don't think he will punish you for being late, after he knows what
+kept you. Come on and speak up like men!"</p>
+
+<p>"Why, Warren!" exclaimed Dr. Beverly, in mild surprise, when the
+monitor of the Fourth entered his presence, accompanied by the two
+little draggled objects. "What is this? Have these boys been in the
+river? Take them to the housekeeper at once. They are soaking wet!"</p>
+
+<p>"They won't hurt for a minute or two more. They have something to tell
+you, sir&mdash;something I thought that you ought to hear before any one
+else."</p>
+
+<p>"Indeed!" said the Head. "And what is it? Speak quickly, and let them
+go; they will catch bad colds."</p>
+
+<p>So Warren told the story for them, and placed their catch before the
+Head. And Dr. Beverly, great man as he was, shook these two happy
+juniors by the hand, and called them clever boys, and dismissed them
+to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_276" id="Page_276">[Pg 276]</a></span> revel in special tea in the matron's room after he had strictly
+enjoined both them and the monitor not to say a word of this, even to
+Charlton or Ralph Rexworth.</p>
+
+<p>But Ralph had not come home, and it was getting late now. He had been
+long enough to get to Crab Tree Hill and back twice over. What could
+have happened to Ralph Rexworth?</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_277" id="Page_277">[Pg 277]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><span>CHAPTER XXX</span> <span class="smaller">WHAT DETAINED RALPH REXWORTH</span></h2>
+
+<p>Ralph Rexworth stood in the old ruin, looking very perplexed. He could
+not find Mr. Charlton anywhere. He had whistled, and called, and
+searched, but not a trace of the hiding man could he discover.</p>
+
+<p>He felt anxious. What could it mean? Had the hiding-place been
+discovered, and his chum's unfortunate parent again been taken
+prisoner? Unless that was the case, he was at a loss to account for the
+man's absence.</p>
+
+<p>"It is no use waiting any longer," he mused, after he had searched the
+ruin through for the third time. "He has not hurt himself and fallen
+anywhere in here. He must have been alarmed, and have fled, unless he
+is taken. Poor old Fred will be horribly worried when I go back and
+tell him; but there is nothing else for me to do, and I shall be late
+back, as it is."</p>
+
+<p>He sighed. His friend's anxiety for his parent would be something like
+what he felt for his missing father. It made Ralph think of that again,
+and of the strange cry which he had heard in that place.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_278" id="Page_278">[Pg 278]</a></span> He could not
+understand that. As he stood there he felt an uncontrollable impulse to
+penetrate to that lonely house again, to risk meeting the dogs, and to
+try the effects of his call once more.</p>
+
+<p>"I am bound to be late, anyhow," he muttered, "so here goes." And he
+set off. Perhaps he might meet Charlton's father in the wood.</p>
+
+<p>But&mdash;he stopped suddenly&mdash;what did this mean? There, on the soft
+ground, were those tracks once more! Lord Elgert's lame mare had been
+here! Did that mean that Lord Elgert himself had been; or had he lent
+his trap to the police again, and had they managed to run their victim
+down?</p>
+
+<p>The tracks did not touch the ruin; they began some way from it, and
+swept round the spinny towards that lonely house. For Ralph to follow
+them was but child's play. He had hardly to slacken his pace a bit, so
+plainly the marks were to be seen on the soft, little-trodden earth.
+They guided him to the spinny&mdash;to a little path cut through it, of
+which he had been ignorant before&mdash;right up to the house itself; and
+there, standing before the open door, was Lord Elgert's trap and the
+lame mare. It was not to the ruin, but to that mysterious house that
+the trap had been driven. But why? Ah, how Ralph asked himself that
+question, and how impossible it was to find an answer to it!</p>
+
+<p>Lord Elgert seemed to have hated his father. Lord Elgert was here,
+and he had heard his father's signal<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_279" id="Page_279">[Pg 279]</a></span> in this place. Ralph, crouching
+behind the trees, uttered his old call, and then listened with almost
+breathless attention.</p>
+
+<p>Yes. There&mdash;there, muffled but indistinct, the answer came! It came
+from the house. His father was there, and his father was in Lord
+Elgert's power!</p>
+
+<p>Ralph's first impulse was to dash forward; but he paused. He must
+be cautious here. He remained hiding, waiting to see if any one had
+noticed his call, and his prudence was rewarded by seeing Lord Elgert
+himself come to the door, accompanied by the brutal-looking man whom he
+had seen before, and glance anxiously round.</p>
+
+<p>Then the two seemed to consult; and presently the man went away, to
+return with a couple of great tawny hounds, both of which he let loose.
+Ralph's heart stood still. What could he do against those fierce
+brutes? The man and Lord Elgert went in, and the dogs roamed round.
+They had not struck his scent yet; but presently they would do so, and
+then it would be a hard business for him.</p>
+
+<p>Ralph was preparing to cautiously creep away, when he heard a shout
+from the house&mdash;a cry for help, and in his father's voice! That put all
+else out of his head, and he dashed like a deer across the grass and
+into the open door of that house. His father was there; his father was
+crying for help, and he would stand by his side!</p>
+
+<p>The dogs saw, and raised a deep-voiced bay. He<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_280" id="Page_280">[Pg 280]</a></span> slammed the door and
+shut them out, then darted along in the direction of the sounds he had
+heard.</p>
+
+<p>They came from a room on the first floor and he rushed in, and
+there&mdash;there his father struggled in the grasp of Lord Elgert and
+his fierce companion. Mr. Rexworth had evidently been kept a captive
+by being bound to the wall by a stout chain; and one of his arms was
+swathed in dirty bandages, as though he was hurt.</p>
+
+<p>Whether his captors wished to bind him still more securely, or whether
+it was that they sought to convey him somewhere else, Ralph did not
+know. He saw his father with his back to the wall, brandishing a stool
+in one hand. He saw the man rush in, dodge the blow, and strike his
+father down; and then, with a cry of rage, he sprang forward, seizing a
+heavy stick that lay on the table, and struck wildly at the aggressor.
+Alas! what could one stripling like he do against two such men? They
+both turned, and Ralph received a heavy blow upon the temple; and then
+all was darkness, and he knew nothing more.</p>
+
+<p>But when he opened his eyes, where was he? What had happened? Why could
+he not move?</p>
+
+<p>He strove to rise. He felt giddy and sick, and his head ached and
+throbbed dreadfully. Why he was bound&mdash;bound hand and foot, and he was
+stretched upon the floor!</p>
+
+<p>He rolled on his side. His father lay back against<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_281" id="Page_281">[Pg 281]</a></span> the wall, but his
+chain was gone. He was only secured with a rope, in the same manner
+that Ralph was fastened. But his eyes were closed, and his face was
+very white. A dreadful fear filled the lad's mind&mdash;that he had come too
+late, that his father was really dead now.</p>
+
+<p>For a few minutes he lay still, quietly trying the strength of his
+bonds. He knew that knots hastily tied could frequently be worked
+loose; but, alas, it was a vain hope in his case! Those who had secured
+him had done their work well.</p>
+
+<p>And then suddenly he became aware of a hot, choky feeling in the air,
+and a sound of crackling. He struggled into a sitting posture, and&mdash;oh,
+horrible, horrible!&mdash;the room was full of smoke. The place was on fire,
+and he and his dear father were there, helpless and bound, left to
+perish in the flames!</p>
+
+<p>What wonder that terror claimed him for the moment? Who would not
+flinch then in such an awful position?</p>
+
+<p>"Father! Father!" he cried; but the prostrate man returned no answer.
+He lay silent, motionless. Ralph rolled over and over to his side.
+Alas, what good would that do? He managed to struggle to his feet by
+supporting himself in an angle of the room, and he gazed around. The
+smoke was growing worse&mdash;he could hardly breathe when he stood up&mdash;and
+hot puffs of air were forcing themselves through the flooring and
+whirling along the passage and through<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_282" id="Page_282">[Pg 282]</a></span> the door of the room&mdash;the door
+which was cracking and glowing red now, ready to burst into flame.</p>
+
+<p>Oh, was there no help, no succour? If only his faithful Warren or dear
+old Charlton knew of his peril, how they would come to his aid! Alas,
+they were far away, and they did not know.</p>
+
+<p>But what was that? A sound outside! A shout, and the dogs barking and
+raging more than ever, in a perfect fury of anger. Then a smashing of
+glass. Had the fire broken the windows? No. A form rising above the
+sill, a man who staggered as the hot smoke met him, and who bent down
+on all fours to creep across the room&mdash;a man who cried aloud&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Ralph Rexworth, are you here? Are you here?"</p>
+
+<p>It was Mr. Charlton; it was Mr. Charlton come to his aid. Oh, what a
+swift rush of thanksgiving filled Ralph's heart then!</p>
+
+<p>"Here, here!" he answered. "I am tied up; I cannot move. And father is
+here, too; he is senseless." And Mr. Charlton was by his side in a few
+moments.</p>
+
+<p>"Thank God you are unharmed," he said, as he drew his knife across
+the ropes that held Ralph prisoner. "I saw you enter, and I feared
+mischief; and when those two came out and drove off, I knew not what to
+think. There are two brutes of dogs there, and they prevented my trying
+to get in. Then I saw the smoke and flame, and I knew what they had
+done. I grew desperate, and made a dash for it.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_283" id="Page_283">[Pg 283]</a></span> The dogs almost got
+me, but I managed to get into a tree that grew close to the house; and
+I passed along one branch to the top of the verandah, and so worked my
+way round. It was risky, for if I had slipped those two brutes would
+have been on me in a moment."</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Charlton was not idle while he was talking. He had set Ralph free,
+and had cut the ropes that held Mr. Rexworth, who now opened his eyes
+and stared around in bewilderment.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh father, father!" cried Ralph. "Thank God that you are alive! Try
+and rouse yourself, father dear. We are in great danger. The house is
+on fire, and if we do not get away quickly we must all perish."</p>
+
+<p>"Ralph, what is it! How did you come?" the father asked vacantly. And
+Mr. Charlton shook him.</p>
+
+<p>"Never mind that now, friend!" he cried. "The fire is upon us. Ah, see
+there!"&mdash;as the door fell with a crash and a burst of flame swept in
+upon them. "We have not a moment to lose. Out you go, Ralph, and hold
+on like a limpet! Be ready to aid your father, that is all"&mdash;as Ralph
+scrambled through the window and managed to find footing on a narrow
+ledge that ran round the house. "Now, Mr. Rexworth, prove yourself
+a man. If you fall, the dogs won't give you a chance. Now, sir, for
+Heaven's sake, try!"</p>
+
+<p>"I will manage it all right, my good friend," answered Mr. Rexworth.
+The flame and smoke had<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_284" id="Page_284">[Pg 284]</a></span> recalled him to the immediate peril. "Just a
+hand through, that is all." And, summoning all his reserve of strength
+and resolution, he managed to get from the window, aided by Mr.
+Charlton in the room, and somewhat supported by Ralph behind him.</p>
+
+<p>Cautiously holding on with grim energy, the three managed to creep back
+to that point from which the rescuer had first started&mdash;the top of the
+verandah. But this was a position of great peril now; for the flames
+were breaking through it, and darting from the windows above it, and
+the melted lead of roof and gutter hissed and spluttered. It seemed
+death to go on; it was death to go back. And the two hounds below had
+followed them round, and now stood barking up at them.</p>
+
+<p>"We must risk it," panted Mr. Charlton. "Let me go first, and show you
+how to do it. If you step on the wall you can reach the branch of the
+tree in three strides. It seems very dreadful, but the peril is more
+apparent than real. Look!"</p>
+
+<p>He boldly jumped to the brickwork around which the fire darted. He took
+three quick firm steps, and was able to swing himself into the limb of
+the tree, safe from the fire's reach.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Rexworth followed by the same dangerous path. "Now, Ralph!" he
+cried. But almost as the words came the whole of the verandah, and the
+brickwork supporting it, fell in; and there Ralph was left clinging to
+that narrow protection of the wall.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_285" id="Page_285">[Pg 285]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>And the wall itself was cracking with the heat. He could not maintain
+his position for long. At any moment it might fall and cover him in its
+heated ruins.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Rexworth groaned in horror; Mr. Charlton looked on in dismay; and
+Ralph clung there, with death behind, and death above, and death&mdash;the
+worst death of all, red-eyed and lolling-tongued death&mdash;beneath
+awaiting him!</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_286" id="Page_286">[Pg 286]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><span>CHAPTER XXXI</span> <span class="smaller">THE TABLES ARE TURNED</span></h2>
+
+<p>"Ralph! Oh, my son!" cried Mr. Rexworth, as he saw the peril in which
+the brave lad stood. And the boy turned and looked at his father.</p>
+
+<p>"I cannot hold on here much longer, father," he said. "I shall have to
+drop, and take my chance with the dogs."</p>
+
+<p>"Wait&mdash;wait a moment, Ralph!" answered the agonized man. "Let me get
+down and attract their attention, and then you will have a chance."</p>
+
+<p>"Don't, don't father," implored Ralph. "What chance will you have with
+them with your arm hurt? I may manage it."</p>
+
+<p>"I will do it," volunteered Mr. Charlton; "I am uninjured. You stay
+here, sir."</p>
+
+<p>"Don't either of you do it!" cried Ralph, shifting his position a
+little so as to avoid the smoke if he could. "I am going to try and
+creep back a bit. I may find a better place."</p>
+
+<p>"It is useless, Ralph," was his father's answer. "The wall is cracking
+behind you. I can see the smoke coming through. Oh, if we only had a
+rope!"</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_287" id="Page_287">[Pg 287]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"A rope!" cried Mr. Charlton. "If a rope can aid in such an extremity,
+I can supply that; for I have kept a long one on my person in case I
+might be in need of it to escape from my own enemies."</p>
+
+<p>As he spoke he threw off his coat and waistcoat, and there, wound round
+his body, was a long but fine line, one quite long enough to serve the
+purpose of reaching to where Ralph clung, though he could not see of
+what avail it would be.</p>
+
+<p>But Mr. Rexworth saw. And, shouting to Ralph to keep up his courage and
+to look out, he threw one end of the rope&mdash;not to the boy&mdash;but up over
+another branch of the tree that was some height above them. Then he
+caught this end as it fell, and gave the other to Mr. Charlton, bidding
+him give one turn round the trunk and hold on with all his might. The
+other end he whirled round his head, and, with practised aim, he sent
+it to Ralph, who gripped at it with one hand, having to risk falling to
+earth as he did so.</p>
+
+<div class="center"><img src="images/i287.jpg" alt="With practised aim, he sent the rope to Ralph" /></div>
+
+<p class="bold">"<span class="smcap">With practised aim, he sent the rope to Ralph, who
+gripped it<br />with one hand.</span>" p. 287</p>
+
+<p>But, having got it, the rest was easy. He was able to swing across that
+fiery gulf which separated him from safety, and the next moment was
+safely beside his father, while the dogs ran to the tree and leaped
+against its trunk in vain rage. And almost at that moment the wall to
+which he had been clinging collapsed and fell in fiery ruin. A few
+moments sooner, and it would have carried the brave boy with it to his
+death.</p>
+
+<p>Safe so far, but still held prisoners by those dogs;<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_288" id="Page_288">[Pg 288]</a></span> and still with
+the flame and smoke blowing upon them. If the walls fell in their
+direction death might claim them after all.</p>
+
+<p>"If we only had some weapon to beat these brutes off with," said Mr.
+Charlton, as he looked down. But Mr. Rexworth replied&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"We had better remain here. The fire is sure to be seen, and help will
+arrive soon."</p>
+
+<p>Help! Yes, help for Ralph and his father. But what would that help mean
+to poor Mr. Charlton&mdash;what but being taken prisoner again? He sighed,
+but said nothing. He had done his best to help the boy who had helped
+him, and if that must be the price paid he would pay it.</p>
+
+<p>But Ralph had little idea of remaining perched in a tree. He saw that
+there was a weapon, and one which, in skilful hands, would prove very
+effective&mdash;one which he excelled in the use of.</p>
+
+<p>The rope was coiled in his hands, and a running noose was formed at
+one end. He crawled far out on the branch, and got a firm hold with
+his legs; then he gave his rope a whirl, and sent it flying downwards.
+And soon one of those great dogs was jerked into mid-air, and when it
+touched earth again it was dead&mdash;its neck was broken.</p>
+
+<p>They hauled it up and loosened the noose, letting the body fall heavily
+to the earth. And ere long the second animal had shared its fate, and
+there was nothing to hinder them from descending.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_289" id="Page_289">[Pg 289]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Nothing! No, that was not quite right. There was a desperate man, who
+had remained hidden, to see the result of his wicked work&mdash;a man whose
+face was dark with wrath, and whose heart was maddened with fear. For
+if these escaped unscathed, it meant the ruin of everything for him.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Charlton and Ralph had helped Mr. Rexworth to the ground, and
+either from weakness, or from the reaction of feeling, Mr. Rexworth
+staggered and sunk half swooning at the foot of the tree; while the
+other two bent over him anxiously.</p>
+
+<p>That was the chance. Lord Elgert and his brutal follower suddenly
+dashed from the shelter of the trees and rushed upon them. The man was
+armed with a rugged stick, and Lord Elgert had a heavily-loaded whip.
+It seemed as if the others were at their mercy; but Ralph's quick
+ear caught the sound of their approach, and with a cry of warning he
+started up. The others were almost upon them, and they were unarmed.
+The lad glanced around; at his feet one of the dead dogs lay; he seized
+it, he put out all his strength, and sent the heavy body direct at the
+pair, who, quite unprepared for such an unexpected assault, received it
+full in their faces.</p>
+
+<p>The man fell heavily, Lord Elgert turned and fled. And Ralph, with an
+eager cry, darted after him, rope in hand. The man who had treated his
+father thus should not escape him now.</p>
+
+<p>But now through the growth there came the crashing<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_290" id="Page_290">[Pg 290]</a></span> of heavy bodies,
+and loud shouts were raised. The fire had attracted attention, and
+people were rushing from Crab Tree village to see what was the cause.</p>
+
+<p>And not only villagers, but policemen&mdash;policemen who had patiently
+waited and watched, feeling sure that the man they wanted was still
+hiding in the locality. It was a constable who grabbed hold of Ralph's
+arm, and, pulling him up with a sudden jerk, demanded what he was doing
+and what had occasioned the fire.</p>
+
+<p>Ralph struggled. It was maddening to think that he was stopped while
+Lord Elgert was escaping. He did not stop to think that escape was next
+to impossible. He was accustomed to the ways of the wild plains, and
+there, if a man once got away, it was almost certain that no one would
+catch him again.</p>
+
+<p>"It was Lord Elgert who did it, and he is running away!" he cried. "My
+father is there. You know how he was missing, and we thought he had
+been murdered. Lord Elgert had him. He is here."</p>
+
+<p>"Whatever are you talking about, young man?" the constable demanded,
+perplexed at such a dramatic statement. But the sergeant, who had come
+up with a horse-constable interposed&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Don't stand there talking, man, see what is amiss!" The constable had
+let go of Ralph, and the mounted man had jumped from his horse. Ralph
+caught sight of a trap being driven at full speed over the moor. He
+had no need to ask who was in that. Lord Elgert<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_291" id="Page_291">[Pg 291]</a></span> was making good his
+escape. With a shout of anger and defiance, Ralph had sprung into the
+empty saddle and was off before a single man there could get over his
+surprise and hinder him.</p>
+
+<p>"There he goes, there he goes!" he shouted, pointing after the trap.
+"That is Lord Elgert, but I will ride him down!" And away he went,
+leaving the men open-mouthed.</p>
+
+<p>They found the two dead dogs, they found Mr. Rexworth, and alas! they
+found poor, patient Mr. Charlton. He might have attempted to escape,
+but he would not leave the injured man. Besides, it was no use now;
+there was nowhere else to hide, and he must be taken sooner or later.</p>
+
+<p>And after the galloping mare went Ralph, riding hard. It was
+like the old life once more&mdash;this wild gallop. He had ridden the
+half-wild broncho steeds of Texas, and he had no difficulty with this
+well-trained horse.</p>
+
+<p>On he went; on, on, near and nearer to the flying man in front. He
+saw Lord Elgert look back at him. A man against a boy! Surely the man
+need have no fear in such a contest! And yet Lord Elgert did fear. He
+had feared this boy from the very first time he had seen him in Stow
+Wood. He had feared him from the moment Ralph had cut that bullet
+from the tree, and from the time when he had heard him declare that
+he would never rest until he had solved the mystery of his father's
+disappearance. That mystery<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_292" id="Page_292">[Pg 292]</a></span> was solved, all his wicked devices were
+brought to naught, and now he was fleeing for life and for liberty,
+being hunted just as he had made the police hunt Mr. Charlton. The
+tables were being turned indeed!</p>
+
+<p>Nearer and nearer Ralph drew, and fiercer and more cruelly did the
+man lash the sides of his faithful little mare. Ralph stood up in his
+stirrups, and Lord Elgert looked at him over his shoulder. The boy had
+the rope in his hands. Ah, the very first thing he did when he had come
+to the place was to rope his black bull! Now he was going to serve him
+in the same way&mdash;to serve him as he had served the two dogs!</p>
+
+<p>Lord Elgert saw the arm of the boy sweep round his head, and he ducked.</p>
+
+<p>But Ralph had not aimed at him, he had a better plan than that. The
+noose settled over the little mare. Ralph pulled up, and braced himself
+for the shock which he knew would follow&mdash;a shock which nearly pulled
+him from his saddle. The mare went down, the trap was shattered,
+and Lord Elgert, totally unprepared&mdash;not even looking where he was
+going&mdash;was sent flying through the air to fall heavily, striking his
+temple against a rugged stump.</p>
+
+<p>Ralph was at the spot in a moment. The man was stunned and at his
+mercy. The rope had done its duty as a lasso, and was now used to bind
+Lord Elgert. Ralph felt no remorse or compunction about that. He must
+take this man to his father, and his father must declare what should
+next be done.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_293" id="Page_293">[Pg 293]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"He isn't much hurt," he muttered; "nor are you, you poor thing," he
+added, turning to the plunging mare. "There you are"&mdash;as he cut her
+free from the ruin of the trap. "Now I reckon that you can find your
+own way home, and, in the meantime, I will wait here."</p>
+
+<p>He placed his hands to his mouth, and gave his old wild call, and from
+the distance it was answered by his father. They would soon be here
+now. Ralph tethered the horse, and seated himself on the grass. Lord
+Elgert opened his eyes, and looked at him with an expression of the
+deepest hate; but Ralph little heeded that. His father was safe, and
+that was all he thought of then. Ralph Rexworth felt happier at that
+moment than he had done for many a day, and, paying no attention to his
+fallen foe, save to take care that he did not get free, he waited until
+the police, people, and Mr. Rexworth arrived upon the scene. Yes, the
+tables were turned now; and had he but known it, they were turned at
+school also.</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_294" id="Page_294">[Pg 294]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><span>CHAPTER XXXII</span> <span class="smaller">FLOGGED AND EXPELLED</span></h2>
+
+<p>"The whole school to assemble in the hall!"</p>
+
+<p>The order was received in every class-room, and masters and boys looked
+surprised. It was generally known that Ralph Rexworth had been absent
+all night, and that a message had been sent over to Mr. St. Clive's
+asking whether the boy had been detained there. It was also known that
+Charlton was in disgrace&mdash;that he had been accused of stealing Ralph's
+examination papers, for the purpose of correcting them from a crib.</p>
+
+<p>The idea was that it must be on one of these accounts that the school
+was summoned&mdash;either Ralph had got into trouble, or Charlton was to be
+punished.</p>
+
+<p>But there was no time for speculation. Into the hall the boys trooped,
+class by class&mdash;juniors, middle division, and seniors&mdash;their masters
+following, and their monitors leading the way; and there upon the
+doctor's desk an ominous object was to be seen&mdash;the school birch,
+rarely taken from its resting-place in the cupboard, rarely used, and,
+if the truth must be told, rarely needing to be used. Woe betide the
+unlucky boy who<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_295" id="Page_295">[Pg 295]</a></span> so far disgraced the honour of Marlthorpe as to render
+its presence needful, for what he got from the Head was as nothing to
+what he would receive from the angry scholars later on.</p>
+
+<p>"Silence!"</p>
+
+<p>Kesterway's voice rang out as Dr. Beverly entered and an expectant hush
+fell upon the whole school.</p>
+
+<p>"Frederick Charlton, stand out!"</p>
+
+<p>Charlton obeyed. Boys who knew how nervous he was were surprised to
+see him quite calm now. He moved forward towards the Head's desk and
+saluted; and then the Headmaster of Marlthorpe spoke.</p>
+
+<p>"Charlton, you were found in my class-room the other night, with
+Rexworth's examination papers in your hand. Tell the school your reason
+for being there!"</p>
+
+<p>The Head spoke shortly, but kindly, as if inviting the boy to be at
+ease; and Charlton told his story, and explained how he had seen Dobson
+and Elgert break open the desk.</p>
+
+<p>"The desk was unlocked. There was no need to break it open," the Head
+said; and then he turned to the other two boys, and asked them what
+they had to say.</p>
+
+<p>What they had to say indeed! Such indignant denials, and such plain
+statements that it was all up between Rexworth and Charlton.</p>
+
+<p>"Rexworth is detained, and cannot be here yet," said the Head quietly.
+"But we can proceed with this inquiry in his absence. Elgert and
+Dobson, stand out!"</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_296" id="Page_296">[Pg 296]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>And the two obeyed, ill at ease, wondering what was coming next, and
+casting suspicious looks at each other, as if each thought the other
+had turned informer.</p>
+
+<p>"Horace Elgert, did you ever see this before?" asked the Head.</p>
+
+<p>And Elgert turned white, for the doctor held out that wretched crib
+which he had thrown into the river.</p>
+
+<p>"No, sir," he answered, averting his eyes.</p>
+
+<p>And the same answer was asked of Dobson, who gave the same answer.</p>
+
+<p>"James Green! Henry Tinkle!" cried Kesterway.</p>
+
+<p>And the two small chums jumped up eagerly.</p>
+
+<p>"Explain how you became possessed of this crib," said the Head.</p>
+
+<p>Green spoke first, and Tinkle backed him up, and then a low angry hiss
+rang through the school, and Horace Elgert turned a pair of anxious,
+frightened eyes towards his companions.</p>
+
+<p>"Do you deny this story, Elgert?" asked the Head sternly.</p>
+
+<p>And the boy was silent. If those two juniors had picked up his book,
+had they picked up anything else?</p>
+
+<p>"There was a banknote missing some time ago," the Head went on. "You
+may remember that a note was found in Rexworth's pocket-book, and I
+showed how he had been the victim of a plot. The banknote that was
+stolen was never discovered; but I now know that it was changed by you,
+Dobson, at a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_297" id="Page_297">[Pg 297]</a></span> low cake shop in the town, and that afterwards it was
+bought back by you and Elgert from that man for far more than it was
+worth. That note, Elgert, you destroyed yesterday by burning it, and
+here are the ashes." And the Head produced the filmy ash still lying
+in <i>Tom Brown's Schooldays</i>. "But that note had been photographed,
+and you purchased the negative by giving to the person who held it a
+pocket-book which you had previously taken from him. The negative you
+also threw into the river, and the person you were with threw in the
+book which you had just restored to him. Do you deny these statements?"</p>
+
+<p>Still Elgert did not answer. He felt hot and cold by turns. He did not
+know where to turn his eyes. It was no use denying in the face of such
+proof.</p>
+
+<p>"You cannot answer!" the Head went on. "You, Dobson, what do you know
+of this?"</p>
+
+<p>"Oh&mdash;oh&mdash;oh!" yelled Dobson, clasping his hands, and falling upon
+his knees. "Oh, forgive me, sir! Oh, I will own up, sir! It was all
+Elgert's fault. He made me do it, sir! I never wanted to do it, sir! It
+is all true, every bit of it, sir! Oh&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"Silence!" cried the Head, in ill-disguised contempt. "No one can force
+another to do evil. You two boys have conspired together to injure
+the good name of a companion, whose only offence has been that he has
+tried to act a noble manly part amidst very difficult and adverse
+circumstances. You would have branded him a thief; and to do it you
+did not hesitate to <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_298" id="Page_298">[Pg 298]</a></span>become thieves yourselves. You have told the
+vilest lies&mdash;and you, Elgert, have done worse. It will be for other
+authorities to deal with this; but I will mention it here. You have
+allowed one of these boys&mdash;Charlton I mean&mdash;to suffer much torture
+because of his father's unhappy position. You knew that his father was
+innocent, and you held the proof of that, and&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>Then the Head stopped, for Charlton had turned very white. He had not
+known of the business of the pocket-book.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, sir," he said, "my father innocent! And he knew it, and&mdash;and&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>He put his hand to his head, and Kesterway sprang forward and caught
+him, or he would have fallen, for he fainted away; and the Head, with
+tears in his eyes, murmured&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Poor boy! Poor boy! Take him to the matron."</p>
+
+<p>They carried him out, and not one of those who had jeered at him but
+now felt sorry and ashamed, and full of anger against the two culprits,
+to whom the Head now turned again.</p>
+
+<p>"It is possible that others outside our school may have something to
+say to you about this business," he said. "That has nothing to do with
+me. I have only to deal with your offence as it touches the honour of
+the school and for that offence only the severest punishment can be
+inflicted&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>Whereat Dobson uttered a howl, and Elgert clenched<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_299" id="Page_299">[Pg 299]</a></span> his hands and
+looked desperate. The severest punishment! That was why the birch was
+there.</p>
+
+<p>"You will both be publicly flogged," continued the Head, "and then you
+will be expelled!"</p>
+
+<p>And at this a shout of approval went up. Marlthorpe was going to be
+avenged for the slight put upon its honour.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, mercy&mdash;mercy!" cried Dobson. "Oh, don't flog me, sir! I won't do
+it any more, and it was all Elgert's fault."</p>
+
+<p>Elgert looked at him in scorn. If he must be flogged, he would crave
+no mercy. He would show them that he did not care. But flogged! A gasp
+went round as the school porter and the man who kept the lodge came
+in. It was useless to resist, though Dobson kicked and struggled, and
+shouted in his anger and fear. The Head laid aside his gown, and took
+the rod; and then the sound of the hissing cuts came. Dobson was the
+first victim, and with the strokes came the yells&mdash;awful yells, for the
+Head did not spare him in the least, and Dobson plainly found himself
+in a very uncomfortable position.</p>
+
+<p>He was released at last, and then Elgert&mdash;the Honourable Horace
+Elgert&mdash;took his place. He bit his lips until the blood came, but he
+would not cry out. But oh, how he hated Ralph Rexworth then! If he
+could have hurt him&mdash;if he could have killed him, he would not have
+cared what they did to him afterwards.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_300" id="Page_300">[Pg 300]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>It was over at last. And he stood breathless, smarting, a mist before
+his eyes, until he caught sight of Tinkle's fat face; and he thought
+that Tinkle was grinning.</p>
+
+<p>Then, rage overcoming him, not thinking what he was doing, he rushed
+at the little fellow, and, had not Warren been near to prevent it, he
+would have knocked him down.</p>
+
+<p>And then, Head or no Head, Marlthorpe lost its calmness, and the boys
+sprang up, and surged forward at the two offenders&mdash;angry boys, with
+menacing eyes. Elgert's courage failed him then. He turned and ran, and
+Dobson went after him. In vain masters shouted, and the Head rang his
+bell. In vain Kesterway rushed after them. Not another monitor paid any
+attention. Out into the playground they streamed, and around it they
+chased the two boys.</p>
+
+<p>Around they went. They drove them to the small pond, and threw them in.
+They dragged them out, and hustled them, dripping and breathless, to
+the gates. The Head had no need to expel the pair.</p>
+
+<p>As Elgert and Dobson were thrown out a little party approached the
+gates; and from its number, one boy darted forward to throw himself
+between the two miserable victims and their pursuers, and that boy was
+Ralph Rexworth himself.</p>
+
+<p>"Here, I say, drop that! It is not fair!" giving Warren a shove
+backwards. "It isn't the right thing! Drop it, you fellows! And look
+out, here comes the Head!"</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_301" id="Page_301">[Pg 301]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Yes, the Head with his cane, and the masters with their canes, coming
+to insist upon order, and to show Marlthorpe that it could not be
+permitted to do just as it chose even with boys like Dobson and Elgert.
+It certainly looked as though some one was going to get caned just then.</p>
+
+<p>But Warren uttered a whoop.</p>
+
+<p>"Hallo, Ralph! Fellows, here is Rexworth turned up. Just too late to
+see the fun! You ought to have heard Dobby yell, my boy! It was lovely!"</p>
+
+<p>"Here is Rexworth!" echoed the boys.</p>
+
+<p>They pounced upon him. They grabbed arm or leg, whichever they could
+get hold of, and dragged him somehow upon their shoulders, and marched
+back triumphantly; while the Head and the masters did not know what to
+do.</p>
+
+<p>And behind Ralph came Mr. Rexworth, and Mr. St. Clive and Irene&mdash;a very
+radiant Irene&mdash;who whispered to Tom Warren that the gentleman with the
+injured arm was Ralph's father, and that he was Lord Rexworth, because
+he was the son of the old Lord Stephen, and his right name was Rexworth
+Stephen, and Ralph would be the Honourable Ralph Rexworth Stephen. She
+told it very excitedly, and Tom Warren whistled, and then yelled&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Three cheers for Ralph's father&mdash;Lord Rexworth Stephen! And three more
+cheers for the Honourable Ralph Rexworth Stephen! Come on, you fellows,
+out with it!"</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_302" id="Page_302">[Pg 302]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>What shouting and cheering there was then! And how, while Mr. Rexworth,
+as we will still call him, was talking to the Doctor, Ralph got nearly
+pulled to pieces. Why, they even forgot the birching in the excitement
+of Ralph's return. They had to hear his story, and how he had found
+his father; and then Warren explained how they had found out that Mr.
+Charlton was innocent.</p>
+
+<p>That was good news for Ralph&mdash;the best news that could possibly be&mdash;and
+escaping with Warren and Irene, he hurried across to the matron's
+house, and begged that he might see his chum.</p>
+
+<p>Charlton was all right, only he was so excited, and just a little
+inclined to cry. And he wanted to know where his father was; and when
+Ralph explained how Mr. Charlton had given himself up, he exclaimed&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, Ralph, let us go and explain! Let us go now!"</p>
+
+<p>"Come and tell my father. He will understand," said Ralph; but there
+was little need for telling.</p>
+
+<p>Already Mr. St. Clive had been informed, and he had hurried off at
+once. It would not be long before Mr. Charlton was a free man.</p>
+
+<p>And then Mr. Rexworth, seeing that there would be much to talk about,
+went back with Ralph and Irene and Charlton to Mr. St. Clive's house,
+there to tell his story, and explain how it was that he had become the
+prisoner of the man who had treated him so very cruelly.</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_303" id="Page_303">[Pg 303]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><span>CHAPTER XXXIII</span> <span class="smaller">CONCLUSION</span></h2>
+
+<p>Seated in the drawing-room at Mr. St. Clive's house, an interested
+party gathered around Mr. Rexworth to hear his story. And not only
+an interested party, but a happy one, for the trouble was gone, and
+the sun was shining for all there. It was no wonder that, even before
+stories were told, Mr. Rexworth should have said, "Let us all kneel
+and thank our Heavenly Father for His great mercy and goodness," nor
+that every heart should have been filled with devout gratitude as, with
+bent heads, they listened to the words of thanksgiving, for, like the
+psalmist of old, they could say, "God hath done great things for us,
+whereof we are glad."</p>
+
+<p>And so they sat, while Mr. Rexworth told his story, a story that had
+its moral, too, for it revealed how disobedience to a father might
+bring sore punishment afterwards.</p>
+
+<p>For, as we now know, Mr. Rexworth was the son of old Lord Stephen, and
+in his early days he had been wild and headstrong, and had frequently
+disobeyed his father's commands. And in that he had been aided<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_304" id="Page_304">[Pg 304]</a></span> by his
+cousin Elgert. For Elgert envied the young heir his position, and hoped
+to make a bad quarrel between the father and son.</p>
+
+<p>And he was successful. The quarrel came, and Mr. Rexworth had run away
+from home, dropping his name of Stephen, and going away to the wild
+plains of Texas, to indulge in the roving life for which he longed.
+But he soon found that it was not all pleasure&mdash;that hardship and
+disappointment followed, and that whether in England or away in wild
+lands, the best thing for a man was to be a follower of the Lord Jesus
+Christ.</p>
+
+<p>But he did not write to his father, for he believed that he would never
+be forgiven. And he met his wife, and married, and Ralph was born;
+and then he was content, and put all thoughts of the old home away,
+striving to bring his son up as a true Christian, even amidst their
+wild surroundings.</p>
+
+<p>But his wife, when she was dying, spoke seriously to her husband, for
+she knew the truth, and she said that their boy ought to come to his
+own; and so, because she wished it, for the first time Mr. Rexworth
+wrote home to his father.</p>
+
+<p>But Lord Stephen was dead, and his nephew reigned in his place; and
+Lord Elgert had sent a cold letter back, saying that he did not wish to
+have anything to do with a man who had broken a good father's heart,
+and that everything had been left to him.</p>
+
+<p>But with that letter there came another, one written<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_305" id="Page_305">[Pg 305]</a></span> by a faithful old
+servant, enclosing a will. Lord Stephen had made that will just before
+he died, and had entrusted it to his old retainer; so that if ever his
+son, whom he had forgiven, should come back, he should have his own
+again.</p>
+
+<p>Then Mr. Rexworth had started for England with Ralph, but he had not
+told his son anything of the business which took him there; and when at
+last they had reached Stow Ormond he had left the boy at the <i>Horse and
+Wheel</i> with old Simon, and had started off for Castle Court.</p>
+
+<p>And an angry, disappointed man was Lord Elgert when he found that his
+cousin was to take from him everything which he had schemed to gain.</p>
+
+<p>"He had nothing to say," said Mr. Rexworth, "but he looked very strange
+as I left&mdash;as if he would have liked to kill me. I had told him that
+no one knew who I really was, and that my own son was ignorant of the
+truth. It was a foolish thing to have done, for it meant that if I were
+out of the way, no one would know anything about the business which had
+brought me home.</p>
+
+<p>"It was dark and cheerless, and I was anxious to get back to you,
+Ralph, so I took the short cut through Stow Wood past the black mere;
+and just as I reached the pond I was startled by some one firing at me
+from behind a tree. The first shot missed, but the second struck my arm
+and broke the bone. It has never been properly set, and has caused me
+much pain.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_306" id="Page_306">[Pg 306]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"I must have fainted, for when I recovered my senses I was a prisoner
+in a strange place&mdash;the very house in which you found me. My cousin's
+first intention had been to kill me; but when he found that he had
+failed, his courage wavered, and he had me taken to that place and put
+that man to guard me. He promised to set me free if I would give him
+the will, but that I would not do. I had taken the precaution to leave
+that in London with a lawyer I had known in my younger days, and there
+it is now.</p>
+
+<p>"Lord Elgert's next offer was to set me free if I would sign away half
+the property to him; but that I also refused to do. The man used to
+urge him to kill me, but he seemed possessed with the fear that you,
+Ralph, would find it out if he did so.</p>
+
+<p>"Then one day when I felt very depressed and ill and on the point of
+yielding, I heard your old call, and I answered it, and I knew that you
+had in some way got on my track. And Lord Elgert found that out also,
+for yesterday he came to take me away to another hiding-place, and I
+refused to go. We struggled, and again your call came, and that made
+him desperate. The rest of the story you know, my dear boy. And now you
+must tell me how you managed to get on my track."</p>
+
+<p>So Ralph told his story, and then Mr. Charlton explained how he had,
+whilst hiding in the old ruin, become convinced that Lord Elgert held
+some one prisoner in that strange house, and on the very day<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_307" id="Page_307">[Pg 307]</a></span> when
+Ralph had gone to take his chum's message, he had stolen out to watch.
+Mr. Charlton had seen Ralph go in, and had watched until both Lord
+Elgert and his man came out; then, perplexed and fearing foul play,
+he had stood there until the flames burst out, and that sight had
+dispelled his fear of the dogs and sent him to the rescue.</p>
+
+<p>And then, when the police had arrived and had taken their prisoner
+again, Mr. St. Clive had come after him, not only with that diary,
+but with the man who had written it, and who confessed that he had
+committed the offence at the instigation of Lord Elgert, who had a
+spite against Mr. Charlton.</p>
+
+<p>The innocent man was soon set free after that, and was able to rejoin
+his wife and his son openly and without any fear.</p>
+
+<p>But Lord Elgert? Ah, that was the one thing that made Mr. Rexworth sad.
+He would have forgiven his cousin if he could, much as he had suffered
+at his hands, but the law would not allow that. Lord Elgert had been
+arrested, and the miserable Horace, together with his partner in
+disgrace, Dobson, had run away, and no one knew where they were.</p>
+
+<p>But they were found, for Mr. Dobson set a detective on their track,
+and they were brought back, a pair of sorry-looking objects, dirty and
+ragged.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Dobson immediately apprenticed his son to a firm of shipowners,
+and sent him off to sea; and Mr. Rexworth, seeing that Horace had no
+friend, did the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_308" id="Page_308">[Pg 308]</a></span> same for his nephew, hoping that in his new life
+he would become a true and good man. Ralph would have been friendly
+to Horace at their parting, but the proud boy would not accept his
+friendship. Later on they heard that he had deserted his ship when it
+got to Australia, and after that they heard no more of him.</p>
+
+<p>And so punishment overtook those who had done evil, and patience and
+truth reaped their reward at last, as they ever must in the end;
+and Ralph Rexworth was the Hon. Ralph Rexworth Stephen amongst his
+schoolfellows, for Mr. Rexworth thought that it would do him no harm to
+stay at the good doctor's school for a little while before he went to
+college.</p>
+
+<p>Yes, he was "the Honourable." Indeed, he had been the Honourable all
+the time in the true sense of the word. He did not put on any airs&mdash;our
+Ralph could not have done that if he had tried&mdash;and he and Charlton and
+honest old Tom Warren were three of the staunchest chums that ever you
+met with&mdash;always together, and all three working for the good of the
+Fourth; so that when they were promoted to the Fifth, Mr. Delermain
+said that it was one of the greatest losses he had received, and that
+the best influences in his class had all been taken away together.</p>
+
+<p>"But," some of my readers may ask, "did Ralph Rexworth win the Newlet?"
+I declare that I had nearly forgotten that. He did win it; and it will
+not be a bad idea to finish the story by having a peep at him when he
+received it.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_309" id="Page_309">[Pg 309]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Of course, that was on breaking-up day. What a lovely day that always
+is, especially when you know that you have a good report to take home,
+and some prizes to carry away with you.</p>
+
+<p>The great hall at Marlthorpe was decorated with flags, and crowded with
+visitors; while on the platform, which had been constructed at one
+end, all the boys were gathered, class by class, and in the middle of
+them was the Head's chair, and the masters' seats, and a place for the
+speakers&mdash;and there was Mr. Rexworth among the speakers!</p>
+
+<p>Well, there they all were; and the Head read his report; and they all
+clapped and shouted at the part where it said that for the second year
+in succession, Marlthorpe had the honour of carrying off the Newlet.</p>
+
+<p>"Good old Rexworth!" shouted one boy. And the Head had to cry order
+sharply; whereat Jimmy Green nudged Tinkle and said "Shut up, you
+silly!" so it must have been Tinkle who shouted.</p>
+
+<p>And then there were the speeches, and then the recitations; and Tinkle
+and Green were most wonderfully impressive in the quarrel between
+Brutus and Cassius&mdash;only just at the part where Brutus had to say "Take
+this dagger," he found he had no dagger with him; and Cassius said very
+rudely, and quite out loud, so that every one could hear it&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"You silly owl! I knew you would forget it; and I made such a lovely
+one, with silver foil for a blade."</p>
+
+<p>"Imagine the dagger," whispered Mr. Rexworth,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_310" id="Page_310">[Pg 310]</a></span> his face red with
+laughter. And the dagger being imagined, the quarrel went on, and was
+made up in the most approved fashion.</p>
+
+<p>And then, recitations over, there came a short pause&mdash;an impressive
+pause, during which small juniors pushed back their hair, and arranged
+collars and ties, and tried to look irreproachable, for prizes were
+coming&mdash;prizes!</p>
+
+<p>They began with the juniors first. That is a wise plan, because, having
+got their share, they are more likely to sit still while the upper
+classes are being dealt with. The juniors! And every one laughed and
+clapped as the little fellows walked up to the Head, so stiff and
+awkward, and saluted for all the world like penny dolls worked by a
+string, and having clutched their prizes and bobbed to the audience,
+scuttled back to their seats to have their immediate neighbours bend
+enviously over that lovely book, and take hurried glances at the
+pictures.</p>
+
+<p>The middle classes&mdash;that is the Upper Third and Lower Fourth&mdash;next.
+With them we have nothing to do, beyond saying that both Tinkle and
+Green were amongst the prize-winners and that almost before they had
+got back to their seats, they had challenged each other to mortal
+combat, because each said his book was better than the other's.</p>
+
+<p>Then the seniors&mdash;the Upper Fourth&mdash;Warren and Charlton. And each of
+them got clapped and cheered, as they richly deserved to be.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_311" id="Page_311">[Pg 311]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>And then Ralph Rexworth Stephen&mdash;how strange it sounded to hear him
+called that!&mdash;and such a burst of cheering and "Brave old Ralph!" and
+"Buck up, Ralph!" Well, the Head smiled; and for once Ralph looked
+quite foolish and nervous, and as if he would have liked to cry&mdash;it was
+so good to feel that all his schoolmates respected him!</p>
+
+<p>But his prize given, the Head took up a little case by his side and
+took from it a gold medal with blue ribbon attached to it. The Newlet
+Gold Medal, won for Marlthorpe College by Ralph!</p>
+
+<p>Talk of cheering then! It almost deafened one. And&mdash;those boys had been
+plotting together&mdash;Warren nodded and winked; and Charlton dived down
+and got something from beneath the form; and Irene suddenly appeared at
+Ralph's side with a tiny little laurel wreath, such as they crowned the
+heroes with in the olden days, when men worked for honour and not for
+gold; and while the people laughed and clapped she put it on Ralph's
+head, and at that moment Tom Warren and Charlton held up a great
+flag&mdash;Old England's Union Jack. They had thought all this out, mind
+you&mdash;the sly fellows they were; and Kesterway, the senior monitor of
+the school, shouted at the top of his voice&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Now then, fellows! Three times three for the Honourable Ralph, while
+he stands under Honour's Flag!"</p>
+
+<p>"Hurrah! Hurrah! Hurrah!"</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_312" id="Page_312">[Pg 312]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"And a whole holiday to-morrow!"</p>
+
+<p>"Hurrah! Hurrah! Hurrah!"</p>
+
+<p>And when no one was looking&mdash;a kiss from Irene for her hero!</p>
+
+<p class="center space-above">THE END</p>
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+<pre>
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Under Honour's Flag, by Eric Lisle
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+</pre>
+
+</body>
+</html>
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