That Scholarship Boy.
by Emma Leslie.
CHAPTER I.
BROTHER AND SISTER.
"I say, we"ve got a new boy at Torrington"s. Haven"t had one for ages and ages, so it"s made quite a stir among us."
"You can make stir enough when you are coming out of school," said his sister, lifting her eyes from her lessons and looking across the table.
"Who is the new boy?" she asked.
"n.o.body knows--that"s the fun," said Leonard, with a short whistle.
"Don"t you even know his name?"
"That"s just like a girl, Duffy; you"re worse than usual," said her brother, setting his elbows on the table, and nibbling the end of the pen-holder in a meditative fashion. "Of course he was properly introduced to the cla.s.s as Mr. Horace Howard."
"Howard is a nice name," commented Duffy, whose real name was Florence. "It was Aunt Lucy"s name before she was married, you know."
No, I don"t know. I may have heard it, but the name"s nothing. I don"t suppose his father was hanged!" said her brother.
"Perhaps he is some distant relative of the Duke of Norfolk? though auntie says she has nothing to do with those Howards."
A mocking laugh greeted this suggestion. "Go on, Duffy, let us have some more of your wisdom."
"I don"t see what there is to laugh at, Len, and I am sure I don"t want to hear about the new boy," said his sister indignantly, and she turned to her lessons once more.
This brought a fusillade of paper pellets from the student sitting opposite. She bore it patiently for a minute or two, and then angrily demanded why he did not get on with his lessons and let her do the same, and threatened to ring the bell.
"Don"t be a bigger duffer than you are, Flo. You can"t help being a girl, I know; but I"m willing to help you all I can out of a girl"s foolishness. Only a girl would talk of ringing the bell, and making a row, because she can"t have all her own way. Come now, I want to talk to you about the new boy, and we can finish the lesson afterwards."
"But you say you don"t know anything about him, and so there"s nothing to talk about," said his sister.
"Yes, that"s just it. Why shouldn"t the fellow tell us who his people are, where he comes from, and what he"s going to do with himself by-and-by?"
It was his sister"s turn to laugh now. "What queer notions boys have!"
she exclaimed. "I suppose you expect a new scholar to come and say, "My father is a doctor, or a lawyer, and we have three servants at our house," as soon as the master has introduced him to the cla.s.s."
A ball of paper was levelled at Duffy"s head for this remark. "Who said he was to do it the first day or the second day? But when a fellow has been there nearly a fortnight you expect to hear something about who he is."
"But suppose he don"t choose to tell you, what then?"
"Yes, that"s it. How are we going to make him? What would you do, Duffy? That"s what I want to know."
"Oh, I"m only a girl," said Duffy with a laugh. "I can"t be expected to understand boys" affairs like that."
"Yes, you do--that"s just what girls do understand. We can"t have a good stand up fight, which is the way we generally settle things."
"Why not? If the new boy won"t do as the rest tell him, then fight it out, if he won"t give in!"
Leonard heaved a sigh of despair. "There never was anything half so stupid as a girl!" he exclaimed. "Do you think if it was anything we could settle off-hand like that I should ask you about it?"
"Well, tell me what it is, and I"ll help you if I can. What is the new boy like?" she asked.
"Oh, like most other fellows, I suppose, or at least he was the first day, I know, for I took particular notice as he came into the cla.s.s; but the last day or two he has come in a jacket that ought to have gone to the rag-bag three months ago, and----"
"But his jacket can"t hurt you," interrupted his sister, "you don"t have to wear it."
"You stupid duffer! don"t he go to Torrington"s, I tell you, and haven"t we got to stand up for the honour of the school?"
"Who--the boys or the head master?" asked Duffy innocently.
"Why, all of us, to be sure, and we mean to do it too. Why, Torrington"s is as good as Eton."
"Oh yes, of course it"s a good school," admitted Duffy.
"Yes, and we mean to keep it so; we don"t mean to have any cads among us."
"Is the new boy a cad, then?" asked his sister.
"He can"t be anything else, if the story Bob Taylor has heard is true.
He brought it to school yesterday, and says he knows it is a fact That the new fellow is a scholarship boy from one of those low board schools in Middleton, and that he walks back to the town every day."
"What is a scholarship boy?" asked Duffy.
"Why, a poor beggar who can"t afford to pay his own schooling, and so the County Council pay it for him."
"What a shame!" exclaimed the young lady indignantly. "Mamma was saying only yesterday how much our schooling cost. Why don"t the County Council pay for us, especially as father has something to do with it?"
Leonard shook his head. He either did not know or did not choose to tell his sister the conditions upon which County Scholarships were granted. He merely remarked, "You"re a dreadful duffer about some things, Flo. But you could tell us what girls would do if their school was going to be dragged down."
But Florence shook her head. "I don"t know what we should do," she said, "because I am not one of the elder girls, and we juniors don"t count for much; but if the girl weren"t nice I should not speak to her or help her with her lessons or anything."
"Oh, the beggar don"t want any help with _his_ lessons. He has climbed to the top of the cla.s.s, and hooked Taylor out of his place already.
And old Mason actually had the cheek to tell us to-day that we should have to pay a good deal more attention to our home work, or else Howard would carry off all the prizes by-and-by. I should like to see him do it," he added.
"No, you wouldn"t; and so you had better get on with your lessons now," said the young lady practically.
"No, no! let"s settle this first. You haven"t told me what a girl"s way would be with a fellow like this Howard."
"Why, if he isn"t nice, don"t speak to him. Of course you can"t help it if he does his lessons better than you do, or you must work at them a little more carefully, I suppose, if you mean to get ahead of him in the cla.s.s and take some of the prizes!"
"Oh, prizes be bothered!" exclaimed Leonard crossly, for his sister"s advice had not pleased him at all. "I tell you we want to get rid of the fellow if we can. Taylor says the head master ought to have refused to take a scholarship boy."
"Perhaps father could interfere," said Florence. "He has a good deal to do with the Council."