"Don"t speculate on Acton"s doings or where he picks up what he knows.
It"s too intricate."
"What a pity one can"t go and shake his hand as one would like to do. He is a marvel--this dark horse," said Phil, with genuine regret, as always when speaking of Acton.
"Our _bete noir_," said I, without winking.
"You heathen," said Phil, laughing. "That was almost a pun. But I"m afraid I"m a bit selfish in my joy about Acton. Since he"s a certainty, I can devote all my mighty mind to rackets. I don"t think there is a better pair in the place than Vercoe and self at present."
"Oh, thou modest one!"
""Toby" always finishes up "When you and Mr. Vercoe goes to Queen"s Club, Mr. Bourne, I advise you, etc." So, "Toby" evidently has no doubt who"s to go there."
"Toby" Tucker was our racket professional, and when he spotted a pair for the public-school rackets, Fenton, the master who finally chose the pair, never said "Nay." "Toby" was incorruptible. With both his little eyes fixed inexorably on merit, the greatest joys of his life were consummated when the St. Amory"s pair brought the championship home.
"Congratulate you, old man. If Acton pulls off the Aldershot and you and Vercoe the rackets--"
"If I only felt as confident on our lifting that as I do of Acton bringing off his, I"d go straightway and smother "Toby." He almost works one to death."
CHAPTER XIX
HOW THEY ""ELPED THE PORE FELLER"
As a rule, the laboratory was empty on half-holidays, and Gus used to work through his tables in solitude, when he tried a little "bottle-washing" as a change from the refereeing, but one afternoon he found no less a person than W.E. Grim, the prize f.a.g of Biffen"s, doing something very seriously with a green powder.
"Hullo, young "un! What are you footling round here for?"
"Lancaster has given me this salt to a.n.a.lyze, Todd. I think there"s copper in it."
"What have you been up to, that Lancaster has run you in? Half-holiday, too!"
"He hasn"t run me in," said Grim, sulkily. "As a special favour he"s let me come in here to work a little myself. I did a ripping chemistry paper last week, and--"
"Oh, I see. Are _you_ going to give Biffen"s another leg up, too?"
"Just as soon as you give Taylor"s one," said Grim, who, in common with all the juniors, did not fear the easy-going Todd.
"No cheek!" said Gus. "If I mixed up coal-dust and brick-dust, how"d you separate "em?"
"Ask my grandmother for a telescope, and look out the mix through the b.u.t.t end."
"Quite so," said Todd, chuckling. "I suppose you"ve given me a specimen of Biffen"s latest brand of wit. Well, don"t make too big a row in hunting for your copper, and then I"ll not chuck you out."
Grim murmured something disparaging Todd"s authority for chucking out, but Gus languidly sidled off to his own particular bench, where, out of sight of Grim, he prepared to do an afternoon"s quiet work.
Meanwhile Grim"s particular cronies, Wilson, Rogers, Sharpe, Poulett, and young Bourne, arrayed in all the glory of mud-stained footer-togs, after vainly waiting outside Biffen"s, were seeking high and low for the copper-hunting chemist, who, for many reasons, had kept his afternoon"s plan very dark. He knew only too well that his beloved chums would not hear of an afternoon"s work, and would head him off either to footer or a run round the Bender. Therefore, immediately after dinner, he had made an unostentatious exit, and reached the laboratory in safety.
"Where _is_ Grimmy?" said Sharpe.
"Dunno," said Wilson.
"Did he know of our six-a-side against Merishall"s lot?"
"Rather! Said he hoped we"d win."
"_We!_ Why, is he backing out, then?"
"Well, we"ve waited for him half an hour, and there"s no sign of him yet--look"s like it."
"What is up with him, I wonder?" said Poulett.
"Seemed rather mysterious this morning--rather stand-offish to my idea.
Perhaps, though, he"s only guzzling buns or swilling coffee somewhere.
Let"s see."
The quintette thereupon spread themselves out, but every shop was drawn blank.
"Rum!" said Rogers. "Where can the a.s.s be?"
"If we knew, Solomon, would we try to find out?" said Sharpe.
"I say, you fellows--I"ve got an idea about Grimmy. Didn"t Lancaster give him a leg-up for his chemistry the other day? Permission to footle in the lab. on half-holidays, and all the rest of it? Grim was no end c.o.c.ky over that."
"Grimmy waste a "halfer" bottle-washing! Rot! That isn"t his form, Wilson."
"If," said Poulett, impressively, "he _has_ sunk so low, we must give him an "elpin" "and, pore feller!"
"Rather. If Lancaster has put the cover over old Grimmy we must get him out somehow. Let"s adjourn to see."
The honourable five forthwith moved over to the laboratory, and Grim received his beloved cronies with hot blushes and a rather nervous manner.
"I say, you chaps, what do you want?"
"What did we want?" said Bourne, as though he"d forgotten it. "What was it, Rogers?"
"A fellow, formerly Grimmy, not a nasty bottle-washer," said Rogers, more in sorrow than in anger.
"But yesterday and Grimmy was an average back, and now he"s holding up some filthy brew to the sunlight to see how muddy it is. Oh, my great aunt!" chimed in Wilson.
"How are the mighty fallen!" gasped Sharpe.
"Look here, you fellows--" began Grim, with still more vivid blushes mantling his n.o.ble face.
""Ear, "ear! speech! speech! withdraw! apologize!"