This morning, however, there was only one occupant when Ainger and the gentleman were ushered in. That occupant was Railsford.
"Why, Ainger," said the master, scarcely noticing the stranger, "I did not expect you here. What are you come for?"
"To report a boy."
"Which one, and for what? Is it a bad case?"
"It"s Munger, sir, for being one of the party who a.s.saulted Bickers last term."
Railsford started. And it was an odd thing that the gentleman, although his back was turned, did so too.
"How did you discover that?" said the master.
Ainger briefly explained, and the gentleman, evidently disturbed in his mind, walked to the window.
When the conference between the other two had ended the latter turned abruptly and said,--
"Excuse me, but I accidentally overheard you just now mention a matter in which I am very much interested. In fact, it is about it that I am here to see Dr Ponsford at present."
At that moment the doctor entered the room. The other two naturally gave way to the visitor, who accordingly advanced and greeted the head- master.
"Allow me to introduce myself, Dr Ponsford; I dare say you do not remember me. My name is Brans...o...b... You know, of course, the painful business on which I have come."
"I hope, Mr Brans...o...b.., your son is no worse. We should be sorry to lose him. We looked upon him as a promising boy."
The gentleman looked hard at the doctor.
"You surely say this to spare my feelings. Dr Ponsford. Of course I understand my son can never return here."
"Is that so? I am truly sorry."
"You would be the last to wish him to return to a school in which his name has been so disgraced."
It was the doctor"s turn to look astonished.
"Disgraced? Brans...o...b.. was always one of our model boys."
"Until last term," said the father.
"I don"t understand you," said the doctor.
"Surely, Dr Ponsford, you know by this time my son"s offence. I do not attempt to excuse it. He voluntarily took the only right step to take in his position by confessing."
"Pardon me," said the doctor, "but I still do not understand. What confession do you refer to?"
"Has not Mr Bickers communicated the contents of my son"s letter to him, written two days ago? He must have received it yesterday morning.
In it my boy confessed that he, a.s.sisted by two others, had been the author of the outrage on Mr Bickers last term. He is deeply repentant, and wishes by this confession to put right all the mischief which has resulted from his act. But surely Mr Bickers has shown you the letter?"
"He has neither shown me it nor mentioned it."
"Is it possible? My boy was so anxious and restless about the affair that I promised him to come down and see you; fully expecting that long before now you would have been made acquainted with everything. Would it trouble you to send for Mr Bickers?"
"Certainly," said the doctor. Then, turning to Ainger and Railsford, he said, "Would you two come again later on? and on your way, Ainger, will you ask Mr Bickers to come here?"
"Excuse me, doctor," said Mr Brans...o...b.., "but I should much prefer if these two gentlemen remained. I believe, in fact, that--although I do not know them--they have come to see you on this same business that I have."
"Perhaps, Railsford--" began the doctor, when his visitor broke in, "Railsford! Is this Railsford? Why, to be sure, now I look at you.
How ungrateful you must have thought me! but you slipped away so suddenly that day when Mrs Brans...o...b.. and I arrived, that in our excitement and anxiety we scarcely had time to look at you; much less to thank you. Indeed, it was only lately my son told me how devotedly you had tended him; and it breaks his heart now to think that you, of all persons, have suffered almost more than anybody by what he did. Surely, sir, Mr Bickers showed _you_ his letter?"
"No, I have not seen or heard of it," said Railsford. "But I know what you say your son has now confessed; and have known it since the time of his illness. Dr Ponsford, I am at liberty now to explain myself; may I do so?"
"Certainly," said the doctor sternly.
Railsford thereupon gave an account of the boy"s sudden illness, and of the accidental manner in which he had learned, from the boy"s delirious talk, of his own guilt and the guilt of his confederates.
"I could not but regard a secret so acquired as sacred," said he; "and even though by keeping it I was actually shielding criminals, I should have been a greater traitor to betray them than to shield them."
"May I say, sir," put in Ainger at this point, "that the prefects in our house last night received a confession from Munger, which corresponds exactly with what Mr Brans...o...b.. says?"
"Except that I did not mention the names of the other two culprits,"
said Mr Brans...o...b... "My son did not even name them to me."
"Munger was not so particular. He says Clipstone suggested the affair, and a.s.sisted Brans...o...b.. to carry it out; while he himself held the light and helped drag Mr Bickers into the boot-box. That was what I had come to report to you now, sir," added he to the head-master.
Dr Ponsford looked half stunned with this cascade of revelations and explanations. Then he went up to Railsford and took his hand.
"I am thankful indeed that all this has happened now--in time. A few hours more, and it would have come too late to prevent a great injustice to you, Railsford. Ainger, go for Mr Bickers, and come back with him."
Mr Bickers had a tolerable inkling of what awaited him, and when he found himself confronted with all the overwhelming evidence which was crowded that morning into the doctor"s waiting-room, he hauled down his colours without even coming to close quarters.
"Yes," said he sullenly, "I did keep back the letter. I considered it better for Grandcourt and everyone that Mr Railsford should go than that this old affair should be settled. After all, I was the person chiefly interested in it, and if I didn"t choose to do what would vindicate myself, I had a right to do so. My opinion is that there will be no peace at Grandcourt while Mr Railsford is here. If he is now to remain, I shall consider it my duty to resign."
"I hope not, Mr Bickers," said Railsford. "Now that this unhappy secret is cleared up, why shouldn"t we forget the past, and work together for the future? I promise for myself and my house to do our best."
"Thank you," said Mr Bickers dryly. "The offer is a tempting one, but it is not good enough. Good-morning."
Late that afternoon Mr Bickers drove away in the cab which had come to take Mr Railsford.
It was an occasion for rejoicing to n.o.body--for everybody agreed with Railsford that it would have been possible even yet to make a fresh start and work together for the good of the school. But, as Mr Bickers thought otherwise, no one complained of him for leaving.
Another cab came on the following day for Clipstone, whose departure was witnessed with rather more regret, because he was a good cricketer, and not quite as bad a fellow as he often tried to make out. His expulsion was a salutary warning to one or two who had looked up to him as a model--amongst them to Munger, who, transferred, with a heavy bad mark against his name, to Mr Roe"s house, thought over his former ways, and tried, as well as a cad of his temper can do, to improve them in the future.
Jason surely was making his fortune fast. For the very next day yet one more cab drove into the square, and, after a brief halt, drove away with Felgate. He left Grandcourt regretted by none, least of all by Arthur Herapath, who, with a beef-steak on his cheek and linseed poultice over his temple, whooped defiantly at the retreating cab from his dormitory window, and began to feel better and better as the rumble of the wheels gradually receded and finally lost itself in the distance.
CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT.
"DULCE DOMUM."