第12章
加入书架 A- A+
点击下载App,搜索"The Longest Journey",免费读到尾

  Eachyearbegrewmoremoral,moreefficient,morelearned,moregenial。Sohowcouldhefailtobemoreloving?Hedidnotspeaktohimselfasfollows,becauseheneverspoketohimself;butthefollowingnotionsmovedintherecessesofhismind:\"Itisnotthefireofyouth。ButIamnotsurethatIapproveofthefireofyouth。Lookatmysister!Onceshehassuffered,twiceshehasbeenmostimprudent,andputmetogreatinconveniencebesides,forifshewasstoppingwithmeshewouldhavedonethehousekeeping。Irathersuspectthatitisanobler,riperemotionthatIamlayingatthefeetofMrs。Orr。\"Itnevertookhimlongtogetmuddled,ortoreversecauseandeffect。Inashorttimehebelievedthathehadbeenpiningforyears,andonlywaitingforthisgoodfortunetoasktheladytoshareitwithhim。

  Mrs。Orrwasquiet,clever,kindly,capable,andamusingandtheywereoldacquaintances。Altogetheritwasnotsurprisingthatheshouldaskhertobehiswife,norverysurprisingthatsheshouldrefuse。Butsherefusedwithaviolencethatalarmedthemboth。Heleftherhousedeclaringthathehadbeeninsulted,andshe,assoonasheleft,passedfromdisgustintotears。

  Hewasmuchannoyed。TherewasacertainMissHerritonwho,thoughfarinferiortoMrs。Orr,wouldhavedoneinsteadofher。

  Butnowitwasimpossible。HecouldnotgoofferinghimselfaboutSawston。Havingengagedamatronwhohadthereputationforbeingbrightandmotherly,hemovedintoDunwoodHouseandopenedtheMichaelmasterm。Everythingwentwrong。Thecookleft;theboyshadadiseasecalledroseola;Agnes,whowasstilldrunkwithherengagement,wasofnoassistance,butkeptflyinguptoLondontopushRickie’sfortunes;and,tocrowneverything,thematronwastoobrightandnotmotherlyenough:sheneglectedthelittleboysandwasoverattentivetothebigones。Sheleftabruptly,andthevoiceofMrs。Jacksonarose,prophesyingdisaster。

  Shouldheavertitbytakingorders?Parentsdonotdemandthatahouse—mastershouldbeaclergyman,yetitreassuresthemwhenheis。Andhewouldhavetotakeorderssometime,ifhehopedforaschoolofhisown。Hisreligiousconvictionswerereadytohand,buthespentseveraluncomfortabledayshuntinguphisreligiousenthusiasms。ItwasnotunlikehisattempttomarryMrs。Orr。Buthispietywasmoregenuine,andthistimehenevercametothepoint。HissenseofdecencyforbadehimhurryingintoaChurchthathereverenced。Moreover,hethoughtofanothersolution:

  AgnesmustmarryRickieintheChristmasholidays,andtheymustcome,bothofthem,toSawston,sheashousekeeper,heasassistant—master。Thegirlwasagoodworkerwhenonceshewassettleddown;andasforRickie,hecouldeasilybefittedinsomewhereintheschool。Hewasnotagoodclassic,butgoodenoughtotaketheLowerFifth。Hewasnoathlete,butboysmightprofitablynotethathewasaperfectgentlemanallthesame。Hehadnoexperience,buthewouldgainit。Hehadnodecision,buthecouldsimulateit。\"Aboveall,\"thoughtMr。Pembroke,\"itwillbesomethingregularforhimtodo。\"Ofcoursethiswasnot\"aboveall。\"DunwoodHouseheldthatposition。ButMr。Pembrokesooncametothinkthatitwas,andbelievedthathewasplanningforRickie,justashehadbelievedhewaspiningforMrs。Orr。

  Agnes,whenshegotbackfromthelunchinSoho,wastoldoftheplan。Sherefusedtogiveanyopinionuntilshehadseenherlover。Atelegramwassenttohim,andnextmorninghearrived。

  Hewasverysusceptibletotheweather,andperhapsitwasunfortunatethatthemorningwasfoggy。HistrainhadbeenstoppedoutsideSawstonStation,andtherehehadsatforhalfanhour,listeningtotheunrealnoisesthatcamefromtheline,andwatchingtheshadowyfiguresthatworkedthere。Thegaswasalightinthegreatdrawing—room,andinitsdepressingraysheandAgnesgreetedeachother,anddiscussedthemostmomentousquestionoftheirlives。Theywantedtobemarried:therewasnodoubtofthat。Theywantedit,bothofthem,dreadfully。Butshouldtheymarryontheseterms?

  \"I’dneverthoughtofsuchathing,yousee。WhenthescholasticagenciessentmecircularsaftertheTripos,Itorethemupatonce。\"

  \"Therearetheholidays,\"saidAgnes。\"Youwouldhavethreemonthsintheyeartoyourself,andyoucoulddoyourwritingthen。\"

  \"Butwho’llreadwhatI’vewritten?\"andhetoldherabouttheeditorofthe\"Holborn。\"

  Shebecameextremelygrave。Atthebottomofherheartshehadalwaysmistrustedthelittlestories,andnowpeoplewhoknewagreedwithher。HowcouldRickie,oranyone,makealivingbypretendingthatGreekgodswerealive,orthatyoungladiescouldvanishintotrees?Asparklingsocietytale,fullofverveandpathos,wouldhavebeenanotherthing,andtheeditormighthavebeenconvincedbyit。

  \"Butwhatdoeshemean?\"Rickiewassaying。\"Whatdoeshemeanbylife?\"

  \"Iknowwhathemeans,butIcan’texactlyexplain。Yououghttoseelife,Rickie。Ithinkhe’srightthere。AndMr。Tilliardwasrightwhenhesaidoneoughtn’ttobeacademic。\"

  Hestoodinthetwilightthatfellfromthewindow,sheinthetwilightofthegas。\"IwonderwhatAnsellwouldsay,\"hemurmured。

  \"Oh,poorMr。Ansell!\"

  Hewassomewhatsurprised。WhywasAnsellpoor?Itwasthefirsttimetheepithethadbeenappliedtohim。

  \"Buttochangetheconversation,\"saidAgnes。

  \"Ifwedidmarry,wemightgettoItalyatEasterandescapethishorriblefog。\"

  \"Yes。Perhapsthere——\"Perhapslifewouldbethere。HethoughtofRenan,whodeclaresthatontheAcropolisatAthensbeautyandwisdomdoexist,reallyexist,asexternalpowers。Hedidnotaspiretobeautyorwisdom,butheprayedtobedeliveredfromtheshadowofunrealitythathadbeguntodarkentheworld。Foritwasasifsomepowerhadpronouncedagainsthim——asif,bysomeheedlessaction,hehadoffendedanOlympiangod。Likemanyanother,hewonderedwhetherthegodmightbeappeasedbywork——

  harduncongenialwork。Perhapshehadnotworkedhardenough,orhadenjoyedhisworktoomuch,andforthatreasontheshadowwasfalling。

  \"——Andaboveall,aschoolmasterhaswonderfulopportunitiesfordoinggood;onemustn’tforgetthat。\"

  Todogood!Forwhatotherreasonarewehere?Letusgiveupourrefinedsensations,andourcomforts,andourart,iftherebywecanmakeotherpeoplehappierandbetter。Thewomanhelovedhadurgedhimtodogood!Withavehemencethatsurprisedher,heexclaimed,\"I’lldoit。\"

  \"Thinkitover,\"shecautioned,thoughshewasgreatlypleased。

  \"No;Ithinkoverthingstoomuch。\"

  Theroomgrewbrighter。Aboy’slaughterfloatedin,anditseemedtohimthatpeoplewereasimportantandvividastheyhadbeensixmonthsbefore。ThenhewasatCambridge,idlingintheparsleymeadows,andweavingperishablegarlandsoutofflowers。

  NowhewasatSawston,preparingtoworkabeneficentmachine。

  Nomanworksfornothing,andRickietrustedthattohimalsobenefitsmightaccrue;thathiswoundmighthealashelaboured,andhiseyesrecapturetheHolyGrail。

  XVII

  InpracticalmattersMr。Pembrokewasoftenagenerousman。HeofferedRickieagoodsalary,andinsistedonpayingAgnesaswell。Andashehousedthemfornothing,andasRickiewouldalsohaveasalaryfromtheschool,themoneyquestiondisappeared——ifnotforever,atalleventsforthepresent。

  \"Icanworkyouin,\"hesaid。\"Leaveallthattome,andinafewdaysyoushallhearfromtheheadmaster。

  Heshallcreateavacancy。Andoncein,westandorfalltogether。Iamresolvedonthat。\"

  Rickiedidnotliketheideaofbeing\"workedin,\"buthewasdeterminedtoraisenodifficulties。Itissoeasytoberefinedandhigh—mindedwhenwehavenothingtodo。Buttheactive,usefulmancannotbeequallyparticular。Rickie’sprogrammeinvolvedachangeinvaluesaswellasachangeofoccupation。

  \"Adoptafranklyintellectualattitude,\"Mr。Pembrokecontinued。

  \"Idonotadviseyouatpresenteventoprofessanyinterestinathleticsororganization。Whentheheadmasterwrites,hewillprobablyaskwhetheryouareanall—roundman。Boldlysayno。A

  bold’no’isattimesthebest。Takeyourstanduponclassicsandgeneralculture。\"

  Classics!AsecondintheTripos。Generalculture。AsmatteringofEnglishLiterature,andlessthanasmatteringofFrench。

  \"Thatishowwebegin。Thenwegetyoualittlepost——saythatoflibrarian。Andsoon,untilyouareindispensable。\"

  Rickielaughed;theheadmasterwrote,thereplywassatisfactory,andinduecoursethenewlifebegan。

  Sawstonwasalreadyfamiliartohim。Butheknewitasanamateur,andunderanofficialgazeitgroupeditselfafresh。Theschool,ablandGothicbuilding,nowshowedasafortressoflearning,whoseoutworksweretheboarding—houses。Thosestragglingroadswerefullofthehousesoftheparentsoftheday—boys。Theseshopswereinbounds,thoseout。HowoftenhadhepassedDunwoodHouse!Hehadonceconfuseditwithitsrival,CedarView。Nowhewastolivethere——perhapsformanyyears。Ontheleftoftheentrancealargesaffrondrawing—room,fullofcosycornersanddumpychairs:heretheparentswouldbereceived。Ontherightoftheentranceastudy,whichhesharedwithHerbert:heretheboyswouldbecaned——hehopednotoften。

  Inthehallaframedcertificatepraisingthedrains,thebustofHermes,andacarvedteakmonkeyholdingoutasalver。SomeofthefurniturehadcomefromShelthorpe,somehadbeenboughtfromMr。Annison,someofitwasnew。Butthroughoutherecognizedacertaindecisionofarrangement。Nothinginthehousewasaccidental,ortheremerelyforitsownsake。HecontrasteditwithhisroomatCambridge,whichhadbeenajumbleofthingsthatheloveddearlyandofthingsthathedidnotloveatall。

  NowthesealsohadcometoDunwoodHouse,andhadbeendistributedwhereeachwasseemly——SirPercivaltothedrawing—room,thephotographofStockholmtothepassage,hischair,hisinkpot,andtheportraitofhismothertothestudy。

  AndthenhecontrasteditwiththeAnsells’house,towhichtheirresoluteill—tastehadgivenunity。Hewasextremelysensitivetotheinsideofahouse,holdingitanorganismthatexpressedthethoughts,consciousandsubconscious,ofitsinmates。Hewasequallysensitivetoplaces。HewouldcompareCambridgewithSawston,andeitherwithathirdtypeofexistence,towhich,forwantofabettername,hegavethenameof\"Wiltshire。\"

  Itmustnotbethoughtthatheisgoingtowastehistime。Thesecontrastsandcomparisonsnevertookhimlong,andheneverindulgedinthemuntiltheseriousbusinessofthedaywasover。

  And,astimepassed,heneverindulgedinthematall。

  TheschoolreturnedattheendofJanuary,beforehehadbeensettledinaweek。Hishealthhadimproved,butnotgreatly,andhewasnervousattheprospectofconfrontingtheassembledhouse。Alldaylongcabshadbeendrivingup,fullofboysinbowlerhatstoobigforthem;andAgneshadbeensuperintendingthenumberingofthesaidhats,andtheplacingofthemincupboards,sincetheywouldnotbewantedtilltheendoftheterm。Eachboyhad,orshouldhavehad,abag,sothatheneednotunpackhisboxtillthemorrow,Oneboyhadonlyabrown—paperparcel,tiedwithhairystring,andRickieheardthefirmpleasantvoicesay,\"Butyou’llbringabagnextterm,\"andthesubmissive,\"Yes,Mrs。Elliot,\"ofthereply。Inthepassageheranagainsttheheadboy,whowasalarminglylikeanundergraduate。Theylookedateachothersuspiciously,andparted。Twominuteslaterheranintoanotherboy,andthenintoanother,andbegantowonderwhethertheyweredoingitonpurpose,andifso,whetherheoughttomind。Asthedayworeon,thenoisesgrewlouder—trampingsoffeet,breakdowns,jollylittlesquawks——andthecubicleswereassigned,andthebagsunpacked,andthebathingarrangementspostedup,andHerbertkeptonsaying,\"Allthisisinformal——allthisisinformal。Weshallmeetthehouseateightfifteen。\"

  Andso,ateightten,Rickieputonhiscapandgown,——hithertosymbolsofpupilage,nowtobesymbolsofdignity,——theverycapandgownthatWiddringtonhadsorecentlyhunguponthecollegefountain。Herbert,similarlyattired,waswaitingforhimintheirprivatedining—room,wherealsosatAgnes,ravenouslydevouringscrambledeggs。\"Butyou’llwearyourhoods,\"shecried。Herbertconsidered,andthemsaidshewasquiteright。Hefetchedhiswhitesilk,Rickiethefragmentofrabbit’swoolthatmarksthedegreeofB。A。Thusattired,theyproceededthroughthebaizedoor。Theywerealittlelate,andtheboys,whoweremarshalledinthepreparationroom,weregettinguproarious。One,forgettinghowfarhisvoicecarried,shouted,\"Cave!HerecomestheWhelk。\"Andanotheryoungdevilyelled,\"TheWhelk’sbroughtapetwithhim!\"

  \"Youmustn’tmind,\"saidHerbertkindly。\"Wemastersmakeapointofnevermindingnicknames——unless,ofcourse,theyareappliedopenly,inwhichcaseathousandlinesisnottoomuch。\"Rickieassented,andtheyenteredthepreparationroomjustastheprefectshadestablishedorder。

  HereHerberttookhisseatonahigh—leggedchair,whileRickie,likeaqueen—consort,satnearhimonachairwithsomewhatshorterlegs。Eachchairhadadeskattachedtoit,andHerbertflungupthelidofhis,andthenlookedroundthepreparationroomwithaquickfrown,asifthecontentshadsurprisedhim。SoimpressedwasRickiethathepeepedsideways,butcouldonlyseealittleblotting—paperinthedesk。Thenhenoticedthattheboyswereimpressedtoo。Theirchatterceased。Theyattended。

  Theroomwasalmostfull。Theprefects,insteadoflollingdisdainfullyinthebackrow,wererangedlikecouncillorsbeneaththecentralthrone。ThiswasaninnovationofMr。

  Pembroke’s。Carruthers,theheadboy,satinthemiddle,withhisarmroundLloyd。ItwasLloydwhohadmadethematrontoobright:

  henearlylosthiscoloursinconsequence。Thesetwoweregrownup。BesidethemsatTewson,asaintlychildinthespectacles,whohadrisentothisheightbyreasonofhisimmenselearning。

  He,liketheothers,wasaschoolprefect。Thehouseprefects,aninferiorbrand,werebeyond,andbehindcametheindistinguishablemany。Thefacesalllookedalikeasyet——exceptthefaceofoneboy,whowasinclinedtocry。

  \"School,\"saidMr。Pembroke,slowlyclosingthelidofthedesk,——\"schoolistheworldinminiature。\"Thenhepaused,asamanwellmaywhohasmadesucharemark。Itisnot,however,theintentionofthisworktoquoteanopeningaddress。Rickie,atallevents,refusedtobecritical:Herbert’sexperiencewasfargreaterthanhis,andhemusttakehistonefromhim。Norcouldanyonecriticizetheexhortationstobepatriotic,athletic,learned,andreligious,thatflowedlikeafour—partfuguefromMr。Pembroke’smouth。Hewasapractisedspeaker——thatistosay,heheldhisaudience’sattention。Hetoldthemthatthisterm,thesecondofhisreign,wasTHEtermforDunwoodHouse;thatitbehoovedeveryboytolabourduringitforhishouse’shonour,and,throughthehouse,forthehonouroftheschool。Takingawiderrange,hespokeofEngland,orratherofGreatBritain,andofhercontinentalfoes。Portraitsofempire—buildershungonthewall,andhepointedtothem。Hequotedimperialpoets。HeshowedhowpatriotismhadbroadenedsincethedaysofShakespeare,who,forallhisgenius,couldonlywriteofhiscountryas——

  \"ThisfortressbuiltbynatureforherselfAgainstinfectionandthehandofwar,Thishazybreedofmen,thislittleworld,Thispreciousstonesetinthesilversea。\"

  AnditseemedthatonlyashortladderlaybetweenthepreparationroomandtheAnglo—Saxonhegemonyoftheglobe。Thenhepaused,andinthesilencecame\"sob,sob,sob,\"fromalittleboy,whowasregrettingavillainGuildfordandhismother’shalfacreofgarden。

  Theproceedingterminatedwiththebroaderpatriotismoftheschoolanthem,recentlycomposedbytheorganist。Wordsandtunewerestillamatterfortaste,anditwasMr。Pembroke(andheonlybecausehehadthemusic)whogavetherightintonationto\"Perisheachlaggard!LetitnotbesaidThatSawstonsuchwithinherwallshathbred。\"

  \"Come,come,\"hesaidpleasantly,astheyendedwithharmoniesinthestyleofRichardStrauss。\"Thiswillneverdo。Wemustgrapplewiththeanthemthisterm——you’reastunefulas——asday—boys!\"

  Heartylaughter,andthenthewholehousefiledpastthemandshookhands。

  \"Buthowdiditimpressyou?\"Herbertasked,assoonastheywerebackintheirownpart。Agneshadprovidedthemwithatrayoffood:themealswerestillanyhow,andshehadtoflyatoncetoseeaftertheboys。

  \"Ilikedthelookofthem。\"

  \"Imeantrather,howdidthehouseimpressyouasahouse?\"

  \"Idon’tthinkIthought,\"saidRickierathernervously。\"Itisnoteasytocatchthespiritofathingatonce。Ionlysawaroomfulofboys。\"

  \"MydearRickie,don’tbesodiffident。Youareperfectlyright。

  Youonlydidseearoomfulofboys。Asyetthere’snothingelsetosee。Thehouse,liketheschool,lackstradition。LookatWinchester。LookatthetraditionalrivalrybetweenEtonandHarrow。Traditionisofincalculableimportance,ifaschoolistohaveanystatus。WhyshouldSawstonbewithout?\"

  \"Yes。Traditionisofincalculablevalue。AndIenvythoseschoolsthathaveanaturalconnectionwiththepast。OfcourseSawstonhasapast,thoughnotofthekindthatyouquitewant。

  Thesonsofpoortradesmenwenttoitatfirst。Sowouldn’titstraditionsbemorelikelytolingerintheCommercialSchool?\"heconcludednervously。

  \"Youhaveagreatdealtolearn——averygreatdeal。Listentome。

  WhyhasSawstonnotraditions?\"Hisround,ratherfoolish,faceassumedtheexpressionofaconspirator。Bendingoverthemutton,hewhispered,\"Icantellyouwhy。Owingtotheday—boys。Howcantraditionsflourishinsuchsoil?Picturetheday—boy’slife——athomeformeals,athomeforpreparation,athomeforsleep,runninghomewitheveryfanciedwrong。Thereareday—boysinyourclass,and,markmywords,theywillgiveyoutentimesasmuchtroubleastheboarders,late,slovenly,stoppingawayattheslightestpretext。Andthenthelettersfromtheparents!’Whyhasmyboynotbeenmovedthisterm?’’Whyhasmyboybeenmovedthisterm?’’Iamadissenter,anddonotwishmyboytosubscribetotheschoolmission。’’Canyouletmyboyoffearlytowaterthegarden?’RememberthatIhavebeenaday—boyhouse—master,andtriedtoinfusesomeespritdecorpsintothem。

  Itispracticallyimpossible。Theycomeasunits,andunitstheyremain。Worse。Theyinfecttheboarders。Theirpestilential,critical,discontentedattitudeisspreadingovertheschool。IfIhadmyownway——\"

  Hestoppedsomewhatabruptly。

  \"Wasthatwhyyoulaughedattheirsinging?\"

  \"Notatall。Notatall。Itisnotmyhabittosetonesectionoftheschoolagainsttheother。\"

  Afteralittletheywenttherounds。Theboyswereinbednow。

  \"Good—night!\"calledHerbert,standinginthecorridorofthecubicles,andfrombehindeachofthegreencurtainscamethesoundofavoicereplying,\"Good—night,sir!\"\"Good—night,\"heobservedintoeachdormitory。

  Thenhewenttotheswitchinthepassageandplungedthewholehouseintodarkness。Rickielingeredbehindhim,strangelyimpressed。InthemorningthoseboyshadbeenscatteredoverEngland,leadingtheirownlives。Now,forthreemonths,theymustchangeeverything——seenewfaces,acceptnewideals。They,likehimself,mustenterabeneficentmachine,andlearnthevalueofespritdecorps。Goodluckattendthem——goodluckandahappyrelease。Forhisheartwouldhavethemnotinthesecubiclesanddormitories,buteachinhisowndearhome,amongstfacesandthingsthatheknew。

  Nextmorning,afterchapel,hemadetheacquaintanceofhisclass。Towardsthathefeltverydifferently。Espritdecorpswasnotexpectedofit。ItwassimplytwodozenboyswhoweregatheredtogetherforthepurposeoflearningLatin。Hisdutiesanddifficultieswouldnotliehere。Hewasnotrequiredtoprovideitwithanatmosphere。Theschemeofworkwasalreadymappedout,andhestartedgailyuponfamiliarwords——

  \"Pan,oviumcustos,tuasitibiMaenalacuraeAdsis,OTegaee,favens。\"

  \"Doyouthinkthatbeautiful?\"heasked,andreceivedthehonestanswer,\"No,sir;Idon’tthinkIdo。\"HemetHerbertinhighspiritsinthequadrangleduringtheinterval。ButHerbertthoughthisenthusiasmratheramateurish,andcautionedhim。

  \"Youmusttakecaretheydon’tgetoutofhand。Iapproveofalivelyteacher,butdisciplinemustbeestablishedfirst。\"

  \"Ifeltmyselfalearner,notateacher。IfI’mwrongoverapoint,ordon’tknow,Imeantotellthematonce。\"

  Herbertshookhishead。

  \"It’sdifferentifIwasreallyascholar。ButIcan’tposeasone,canI?Iknowmuchmorethantheboys,butIknowverylittle。Surelythehonestthingistobemyselftothem。Letthemacceptorrefusemeasthat。That’stheonlyattitudeweshallanyofusprofitbyintheend。\"

  Mr。Pembrokewassilent。Thenheobserved,\"Thereis,asyousay,ahigherattitudeandalowerattitude。Yethere,assooften,cannotwefindagoldenmeanbetweenthem?\"

  \"What’sthat?\"saidadreamyvoice。Theyturnedandsawatall,spectacledman,whogreetedthenewcomerkindly,andtookholdofhisarm。\"What’sthataboutthegoldenmean?\"

  \"Mr。Jackson——Mr。Elliot:Mr。Elliot——Mr。Jackson,\"saidHerbert,whodidnotseemquitepleased。\"Rickie,haveyouamomenttospareme?\"

  Butthehumanistspoketotheyoungmanaboutthegoldenmeanandthepinchbeckmean,adding,\"YouknowtheGreeksaren’tbroadchurchclergymen。Theyreallyaren’t,inspiteofmuchconflictingevidence。BoyswillregardSophoclesasakindofenlightenedbishop,andsomethingtellsmethattheyarewrong。\"

  \"Mr。Jacksonisaclassicalenthusiast,\"saidHerbert。\"Hemakesthepastlive。Iwanttotalktoyouaboutthehumdrumpresent。\"

  \"AndIamwarninghimagainstthehumdrumpast。\"That’sanotherpoint,Mr。Elliot。ImpressonyourclassthatmanyGreeksandmostRomanswerefrightfullystupid,andiftheydisbelieveyou,readCtesiphonwiththem,orValeriusFlaccus。Whateveristhatnoise?\"

  \"Itcomesfromyourclass—room,Ithink,\"snappedtheothermaster。

  \"Soitdoes。Ah,yes。IexpecttheyareputtingyourlittleTewsonintothewaste—paperbasket。\"

  \"Ialwayslockmyclass—roomintheinterval——\"

  \"Yes?\"

  \"——andcarrythekeyinmypocket。\"

  \"Ah。But,Mr。Elliot,IamacousinofWiddrington’s。Hewrotetomeaboutyou。Iamsoglad。Willyou,firstofall,cometosuppernextSunday?\"

  \"Iamafraid,\"putinHerbert,\"thatwepoorhousemastersmustdenyourselvesfestivitiesintermtime。\"

  \"Butmayn’thecomeonce,justonce?\"

  \"May,mydearJackson!Mybrother—in—lawisnotababy。Hedecidesforhimself。\"

  Rickienaturallyrefused。Assoonastheywereoutofhearing,Herbertsaid,\"Thisisalittleunfortunate。WhoisMr。

  Widdrington?\"

  \"IknewhimatCambridge。\"

  \"Letmeexplainhowwestand,\"hecontinued,afterapause。

  \"Jacksonistheworstofthereactionarieshere,whileI——whyshouldIconcealit?——havethrowninmylotwiththepartyofprogress。Youwillseehowwesufferfromhimatthemasters’

  meetings。Hehasnotalentfororganization,andyetheisalwaysinflictinghisideasonothers。Itwaslikehisimpertinencetodictatetoyouwhatauthorsyoushouldread,andmeanwhilethesixth—formroomlikeabear—garden,andaschoolprefectbeingputintothewaste—paperbasket。MygoodRickie,there’snothingtosmileat。Howistheschooltogoonwithamanlikethat?Itwouldbeacaseof’quickmarch,’ifitwasnotforhisbrilliantintellect。That’swhyIsayit’salittleunfortunate。Youwillhaveverylittleincommon,youandhe。\"

  Rickiedidnotanswer。HewasveryfondofWiddrington,whowasaquaint,sensitiveperson。AndhecouldnothelpbeingattractedbyMr。Jackson,whosewelcomecontrastedpleasantlywiththeofficialbreezinessofhisothercolleagues。Hewondered,too,whetheritissoveryreactionarytocontemplatetheantique。

  \"ItistruethatIvoteConservative,\"pursuedMr。Pembroke,apparentlyconfrontingsomeobjector。\"Butwhy?BecausetheConservatives,ratherthantheLiberals,standforprogress。Onemustnotbemisledbycatch—words。\"

  \"Didn’tyouwanttoaskmesomething?\"

  \"Ah,yes。YoufoundaboyinyourformcalledVarden?\"

  \"Varden?Yes;thereis。\"

  \"Droponhimheavily。Hehasbrokenthestatutesoftheschool。

  Heisattendingasaday—boy。Thestatutesprovidethataboymustresidewithhisparentsorguardians。Hedoesneither。Itmustbestopped。Youmusttelltheheadmaster。\"

  \"Wheredoestheboylive?\"

  \"AtacertainMrs。Orr’s,whohasnoconnectionwiththeschoolofanykind。Itmustbestopped。Hemusteitherenteraboarding—houseorgo。\"

  \"ButwhyshouldItell?\"saidRickie。Herememberedtheboy,anunattractivepersonwithprotrudingears,\"Itisthebusinessofhishouse—master。\"

  \"House—master——exactly。Herewecomebackagain。Whoisnowtheday—boys’house—master?Jacksononceagain——asifanythingwasJackson’sbusiness!Ihandedthehousebacklastterminamostflourishingcondition。Ithasalreadygonetorackandruinforthesecondtime。ToreturntoVarden。Ihaveunearthedaput—upjob。Mrs。JacksonandMrs。Orrarefriends。Doyousee?Itallworksround。\"

  \"Isee。Itdoes——ormight。\"

  \"Theheadmasterwillneversanctionitwhenit’sputtohimplainly。\"

  \"ButwhyshouldIputit?\"saidRickie,twistingtheribbonsofhisgownroundhisfingers。

  \"Becauseyou’retheboy’sform—master。\"

  \"Isthatareason?\"

  \"Ofcourseitis。\"

  \"Ionlywonderedwhether——\"Hedidnotliketosaythathewonderedwhetherheneeddoithisfirstmorning。

  \"Bysomemeansorotheryoumustfindout——ofcourseyouknowalready,butyoumustfindoutfromtheboy。Iknow——Ihaveit!

  Where’shishealthcertificate?\"

  \"Hehadforgottenit。\"

  \"Justlikethem。Well,whenhebringsit,itwillbesignedbyMrs。Orr,andyoumustlookatitandsay,’Orr——Orr——Mrs。

  Orr?’orsomethingtothateffect,andthenthewholethingwillcomenaturallyout。\"

  Thebellrang,andtheywentinforthehourofschoolthatconcludedthemorning。Vardenbroughthishealthcertificate——apompousdocumentassertingthathehadnotsufferedfromroseolaorkindredailmentsintheholidays——andforalongtimeRickiesatwithitbeforehim,spreadopenuponhisdesk。Hedidnotquitelikethejob。Itsuggestedintrigue,andhehadcometoSawstonnottointriguebuttolabour。DoubtlessHerbertwasright,andMr。JacksonandMrs。Orrwerewrong。Butwhycouldtheynothaveitoutamongthemselves?Thenhethought,\"Iamacoward,andthat’swhyI’mraisingtheseobjections,\"calledtheboyuptohim,anditdidallcomeoutnaturally,moreorless。

  HithertoVardenhadlivedwithhismother;butshehadleftSawstonatChristmas,andnowhewouldlivewithMrs。Orr。\"Mr。

  Jackson,sir,saiditwouldbeallright。\"

  \"Yes,yes,\"saidRickie;\"quiteso。\"HerememberedHerbert’sdictum:\"Mastersmustpresentaunitedfront。Iftheydonot——thedeluge。\"Hesenttheboybacktohisseat,andafterschooltookthecompromisinghealthcertificatetotheheadmaster。Theheadmasterwasatthattimeeasilyexcitedbyabreachoftheconstitution。\"Parentsorguardians,\"hereputed——\"parentsorguardians,\"andflewwiththosewordsonhislipstoMr。Jackson。

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