FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   68   69   70   71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91   92  
93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   >>   >|  
rious school notices, to which there were always affixed two or three pieces of paper containing announcements about examinations and other matters of general interest. On Saturday morning (when Eric was to give up his Georgic), the boys, as they dropped into the hall for morning school, observed a new notice on the board, and thronging round to see what it was, read these words, written on a half-sheet of paper attached by wafers to the board-- "GORDON IS A SURLY DEVIL." As may be supposed, so completely novel an announcement took them all very much by surprise, and they wondered who had been so audacious as to play this trick. But their wonder was cut short by the entrance of the masters, and they all took their seats, without any one tearing down the dangerous paper. After a few minutes the eye of the second master, Mr Ready, fell on the paper, and, going up, he read it, stood for a moment transfixed with astonishment, and then called Mr Rose. Pointing to the inscription he said, "I think we had better leave that there, Rose, exactly as it is, till Dr Rowlands has seen it. Would you mind asking him to step in here?" Just at this juncture Eric came in, having been delayed by Mr Gordon, while he rigidly inspected the imposition. As he took his seat, Montagu, who was next him, whispered-- "I say, have you seen the notice-board?" "No. Why?" "Why, some fellow has been writing up an opinion of Gordon not very favourable." "And serve him right, too, brute!" said Eric, smarting with the memory of his imposition. "Well, there'll be no end of a row; you'll see." During this conversation, Dr Rowlands came in with Mr Rose. He read the paper, frowned, pondered a moment, and then said to Mr Rose-- "Would you kindly summon the lower-school into the hall? As it would be painful to Mr Gordon to be present, you had better explain to him how matters stand." "Hulloa! here's a rumpus!" whispered Montagu; "he never has the lower-school down for nothing." A noise was heard on the stairs, and in flocked the lower-school. When they had ranged themselves on the vacant forms, there was a dead silence and hush of expectation. "I have summoned you all together," said the Doctor, "on a most serious occasion. This morning, on coming into the schoolroom, the masters found that the notice-board had been abused for the purpose of writing up an insult to one of our number, which is at once coarse and wicked
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   68   69   70   71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91   92  
93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
school
 

notice

 

Gordon

 
morning
 

masters

 
moment
 

writing

 

imposition

 

matters

 

Rowlands


whispered

 
Montagu
 

smarting

 

inspected

 

rigidly

 

delayed

 

juncture

 

memory

 

opinion

 
fellow

favourable

 

summoned

 
Doctor
 

expectation

 

vacant

 

silence

 

occasion

 
number
 

coarse

 
wicked

insult

 

purpose

 

coming

 

schoolroom

 
abused
 

ranged

 

pondered

 
frowned
 

kindly

 

summon


painful

 
conversation
 

During

 

present

 

explain

 

stairs

 

flocked

 

rumpus

 

Hulloa

 

thronging