Ex Libris 
 C. K. OGDEN
 
 IN CARRINGTON'S DUTY-WEEK
 
 IN CARRINGTON'S 
 DUTY-WEEK 
 
 A PRIVATE SCHOOL EPISODE 
 
 BY 
 
 JOHN GAMBRIL NICHOLSON 
 
 LONDON 
 JOHN OUSELEY LTD. 
 
 FLEET LANE, FARRINGDON STREET, E.G.
 
 OF W. A. M. 
 
 Unmarked by him his days of boyhood pass, 
 His golden days unvexed of sighs and tears ; 
 But he shall see them in the coming years 
 
 Reflected clearly in my memory's glass : 
 
 For him they bloom and wither as the grass ; 
 Their matchless melody he no more hears 
 Than he can comprehend my hopes and fears, 
 
 Or why I cannot always smile, alas ! 
 
 But he will like to hear what I can tell 
 Some day when time has strengthened sympathies 
 About his misty schoolboy memories ; 
 And then perchance, enlightened by their spell, 
 Will understand it all, and say, " How well 
 You must have loved me to remember this \ !J 
 
 J. G. N, 
 1892 
 
 1824732
 
 CONTENTS 
 
 PAGE 
 
 PROLOGUE . . . . .11 
 
 CHAPTER 
 
 I. SUNDAY ..... 14 
 II. MONDAY . . . . .38 
 
 III. TUESDAY ..... 63 
 
 IV. WEDNESDAY . . . .94 
 V. THURSDAY . . . . .113 
 
 VI. FRIDAY ..... 149 
 VII. SATURDAY . . . . .171
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 PROLOGUE 
 
 MR CARRINGTON was entirely responsible 
 for the whole affair, so he may be fitly 
 allowed to explain in his own words why 
 he, so to speak, threw Mason and Burrell 
 into one another's arms. 
 
 " Oh, Roper ! just a minute ! " 
 
 Mr Roper was in the act of closing the 
 door behind him as he went out. He turned 
 back and stood on the threshold, with his 
 hand on the handle. 
 
 " I forgot to tell you something," con- 
 tinued Carrington. 
 
 " Well, come on then ; it'll be Sunday 
 morning in exactly two minutes," and Roper 
 consulted his watch. 
 
 " Oh, it won't take one to tell. What 
 do you think I've done to that new boy, 
 Burrell ? "
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 "Don't know. Not marked him 
 already ? " 
 
 " Oh, no. I've handed him over to 
 Mason." 
 
 Carrington looked at his colleague in- 
 quisitively to note how he received the 
 announcement, but Roper merely lifted 
 his eyebrows. 
 
 "What for?" he asked. 
 
 " Experiment ! " replied Carrington, 
 knocking the ashes out of his pipe. "While 
 I was talking to the new boy about his 
 books just before bed-time, Master Coley 
 turned up, so I asked for fun if they knew 
 each other." 
 
 " Why, of course they do, since Burrell's 
 gone to Number Thirteen." 
 
 "Yes, I'd forgotten that at first. 
 Burrell said, ' Not very well,' all the same. 
 So I formally introduced them and said, 
 with a great affectation of gravity, that 
 Coley must look after the new chap's in- 
 terests, now he's lost his old chum." 
 
 "Ah, I don't know what'll become of 
 Coley without Lloyd."
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 "That's what I thought; I said I'd 
 ask him in a week's time how he'd carried 
 out my behests, and sent them up together. 
 They both took me to be in deadly earnest." 
 
 " Well, if you ask me, I say he won't 
 make another Lloyd of this new boy ; 
 he's too volatile to suit Coley, from what 
 I've seen of the young man." 
 
 Roper turned to go. 
 
 " Oh, Mason's full of life, too ; more 
 so than you think. Well, good-night, if 
 you're bent on going." 
 
 Then Carrington returned to his book, 
 and rolled a cigarette, just to finish up 
 with, soon forgetting these two boys on 
 whom he had jocularly enjoined the duty 
 of a week's chumming.
 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 SUNDAY 
 
 "HAVEN'T we got to get up now, Mason ? " 
 
 Burrell was looking at his watch which 
 hung on the bedstead-rail over his head. 
 Mason was occupying himself in pulling 
 up the blind of the window in his corner ; 
 he could reach the cord without even sitting 
 up in bed, but the blind came down every 
 time he pulled it up. 
 
 " Oh, don't you disturb yourself just 
 yet," he answered, giving up his fruitless 
 efforts, and drawing the sheets over his 
 shoulders. 
 
 " But it's past eight," remonstrated the 
 new boy. 
 
 "Well, never mind; the bell hasn't 
 rung, or I should have heard it. It takes 
 more than two mornings to get into the 
 good old habits." 
 
 " What, of being punctual with the bells,
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 Coley ? " inquired a third boy who had 
 awoke to the situation. 
 
 " So it seems," replied Coley. " I didn't 
 mean that, all the same ; I meant of 
 sleeping through the beastly row that bell 
 makes." 
 
 " Pull up the blind, Coley." 
 
 " Oh, I can't fag ; it won't stay up : 
 gone wrong in the holidays like everything 
 else. Here, Lewis, wake up and draw 
 that blind of yours." 
 
 Mason^accompanied his command with| ! a 
 pillow, which effectually roused the boy 
 who slept near the other window. 
 
 " Shut up, Coley ! " he grumbled, lazily 
 shoving the missile down on the floor. 
 
 " Well, I'll show you it's a fine morning, 
 anyhow," said Coley, dragging at the cord 
 once more, and holding on to it a second 
 or two. " There, you see ! Prime, ain't 
 it?" 
 
 It was a sunny morning, and things 
 
 looked very bright outside ; the trees in the 
 
 school garden were fresh and green in their 
 
 early Spring foliage, and the blue sky was 
 
 15
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 flecked with fleecy white cloudlets, driven 
 across it at a good pace by the breeze. 
 Some birds twittered loudly under the eaves. 
 There was just time to take a peep at all 
 this before the boy's effort expired, and down 
 came the blind again. 
 
 " Shall I fix it ? " 
 
 Burrell asked the question, and, without 
 waiting for any answer, tumbled out and 
 went across to the window. 
 
 " How beastly energetic ! It's awfully 
 good of you, really," drawled a big boy, 
 whose bed stood next to Burrell's. 
 
 " Here, I say, mind my Sunday shirt, 
 will you ? " cried Mason, as Burrell pre- 
 pared to clamber on the chair at his 
 bedside. 
 
 " All right, I won't stand on it," said the 
 operator, and he got on the edge of the 
 chair, and stood on tip-toe to reach the 
 catch at the top of the blind-cord. Coley 
 watched the proceeding lazily for a moment; 
 then sprang up with a cry of : 
 
 " Look out, Burrell." 
 
 The boy on whom Coley 's pillow had 
 
 16
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 descended had summoned up sufficient 
 energy to hurl it at Burrell's head ; warned 
 by the cry he turned and saw it coming, 
 tried to duck, and slipped off the edge of 
 the chair, bringing Coley down with him 
 in his fall, while the refractory blind clat- 
 tered down also, with more noise than 
 ever. 
 
 The other four boys roared. Burrell 
 regained his feet and began apologising. 
 " I'm awfully sorry, Mason ! " 
 Coley was lying atop of the pillow, 
 which he had caught just before it reached 
 his new chum, and taken down beneath him. 
 Now he raised it up, and stood a moment 
 in very determined attitude, with his lips 
 compressed. Lewis was shielding himself 
 with his arm, and giving expression to his 
 usual remonstrance, " Shut up ! Shut up, 
 will you ! " But Coley contented himself 
 after all with plumping the pillow down in 
 its proper place at the head of his own 
 bed, and getting back between the sheets 
 again. Burrell was left to do the same, 
 and to settle within his own mind the 
 
 B I 7
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 cause of the sudden cessation of hostilities, 
 which took him by surprise as much as the 
 commencement of them had done. He 
 fixed up the blind successfully this time, 
 and was getting down to the ground before 
 anyone had spoken another word. Then 
 it was Coley who broke the silence. 
 
 " Look there now ! " 
 
 He was examining his precious shirt 
 as he lay half in, half out of bed, and 
 ruefully held out a creased cuff for Burrell's 
 inspection. At that moment the bell rang, 
 and he turned out in search of his socks 
 with a melo-dramatic threat of, " I'll murder 
 you, Lewis ! " One other boy got out at 
 the same time ; that was Thorn, the 
 prefect of the room. The prefects, as 
 Burrell soon discovered, were on the whole 
 worse than useless. Having punitive 
 powers, they yet seemed to have mutually 
 agreed never to exert them ; consequently, 
 their influence, as Uncle Remus would 
 have said, " was powerful lacking." In 
 Number Thirteen, Thorn was not altogether 
 a failure ; he set an excellent example, 
 
 18
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 though it was seldom backed up by any 
 show of authority. Burrell was astonished 
 to see that Lewis was allowed to spend 
 twenty minutes more in bed, and scramble 
 into his clothes in the last five he often 
 did it himself in after days ! 
 
 When the second bell rang, Coley and 
 Burrell went down together. 
 
 " Come down and put your boots on," 
 suggested the pioneer. " We've loads of 
 time, and there's such a crush at the boot- 
 holes after breakfast. Besides, then you're 
 ready to get off at once if you want to 
 walk before Church-assembly. I almost 
 always go out then ; there's nothing else 
 to do except write home ; lots of chaps 
 do that, but I shall get my letter done after 
 tea to-day, as we're not allowed out yet 
 in the evening." 
 
 " But you asked me for before dinner," 
 said Burrell. 
 
 " Yes, I know; I forgot I shouldn't have 
 to write my letter first thing. You'd better 
 corne with me both times. After dinner I'm 
 planned with Victor Limehouse, so I can't
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 promise you that period. I've got all my 
 afternoon periods planned already. Look 
 here ! " 
 
 They had been in undisputed possession 
 of the boot-room, but as Burrell glanced 
 over a page of Coley's pocket-book several 
 more boys came in. One of them said, 
 " Carrington's gone in ! " Whereat every- 
 body scuttled upstairs. 
 
 " He'll give marks if we're late ; nobody 
 else would to-day, though," explained Coley. 
 
 " But we were called late," said Burrell. 
 
 " Ah, yes ; but Carrington rung the 
 second bell, and that means just five 
 minutes, and not a second over, with him." 
 
 When the two boys entered the school- 
 room, Mr Carrington was on the dais, and 
 his eye on the clock. Mason and Burrell 
 had no time to spare, but were just safe, 
 and the new boy turned down to the desk 
 he was occupying for the time being, at 
 the very bottom of the room. Coley sat 
 in the third row from the front, and went 
 to his place with a downward glance at 
 his feet : had his laces been untied he 
 
 20
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 would have been sent back, and that 
 would almost certainly mean a mark at 
 this critical moment. His boots were all 
 right ; they usually were, but he had 
 been so busy chatting to his new chum, 
 that he wasn't sure about them for once. 
 As he lifted his eyes, in squeezing to his 
 seat, he saw an amused look flicker over 
 Mr Carrington's face for half-a-second. 
 Coley didn't quite know what it meant ; 
 at any rate, it would be safe to smile ; 
 so he smiled. Next minute it was, "Shut 
 the door, Paul!" 
 
 The boy sitting nearest the door rose and 
 shut it reluctantly ; he saw two late- 
 comers scurrying round the corner of the 
 corridor, and would fain have given them 
 a chance. Just as the door closed, they 
 reached it, and before Paul had sat down 
 again came in, trying to look as if they'd 
 never run a step in their lives. But Mr 
 Carrington's pencil was making cabalistic 
 marks in his red book which would identify 
 them when the detention-list was being 
 made up at dinner-time on Monday. One
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 of the new-comers was the elder Limehouse ; 
 he took the trouble to remark in a defer- 
 ential tone, " Bell rang late, sir ; " but his 
 face, as he went to his seat, showed that 
 he knew he had wasted his labour. There 
 were five or six more to come, and almost 
 as soon as all were in, the gong sounded, 
 and " Silence ! " was called. Then they 
 passed out, form by form, to breakfast. 
 The master moved down as the rows of 
 desks emptied, till he stood in the middle 
 of the room opposite the door, where he 
 could get a back-view of the boys going in 
 single-file along the corridor. There was a 
 prefect stationed outside, but some of the 
 prefects needed a little support in this 
 way. Burrell was the very last boy oat, 
 and as Mr Carrington followed close on 
 his heels, the master gave him a gentle 
 recognition of their over-night conversa- 
 tion, in the shape of a hand laid on the back 
 of the boy's neck, helping him along with a 
 mild squeeze. Burrell did not feel called 
 upon to speak, as he was not addressed ; 
 besides, it was " silence," and this might
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 be a trap to catch a greenhorn ! So he 
 held his voluble tongue for once. 
 
 Once in the dining-hall, he made his way 
 to Mr Shields's table, and took a seat beside 
 Mason; he had sat at that table, though 
 not next his new chum, at every meal so 
 far, and this time the chair had been kept 
 vacant for him. But it would not be for 
 long ; the rule was to sit according to age, 
 and the new boys were daily expecting 
 enquiries as to the day and year of their 
 birth. 
 
 They were not allowed to talk until 
 after prayers ; most of them had their 
 Bibles with them, and were finding the 
 place. On Sundays there was always a 
 Psalm, the verses being read by the Head 
 and the boys alternately ; on other days 
 the Head had it all to himself. Burrell 
 had no Bible, but Coley pushed his along 
 so that they could both look on. Then 
 Mr Rochester came in, fairly late as was 
 usual on Sundays, and went to the high- 
 table. When the reading began, Burrell 
 discovered that his chum's Bible was the 
 23
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 revised version, and the Head's was the 
 authorised ; so that neither of those two 
 boys, at any rate, took much part in the 
 reading. Nor did very many of the others ; 
 Mr Carrington kept them going or there 
 would have been nobody to get the alternate 
 verses started. 
 
 Almost before they were up again, after 
 the prayers, Coley had commenced chatter- 
 ing, and the two neighbours kept up a 
 lively conversation during the meal. Boys 
 went out when they had finished, and on 
 week-days some of them were in a terrible 
 hurry, but on Sundays nobody profited 
 much by getting out, and everybody liked 
 to wait for the letters. The prefect for 
 the week fetched them from the Head's 
 table, and distributed them. This Sunday 
 the post-bag was not so heavy as usual, 
 as the fellows had only come back two days 
 before. Still, Burrell had one from his 
 mother, and put it in his pocket to read at 
 his leisure. 
 
 After breakfast, " Sunday-books " were 
 given out in the library, but our two friends 
 24
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 decided that they wanted no literature 
 that day ; and five minutes after coming 
 out of the hall they were off to the shore. 
 Here they had a stroll along the margin 
 of the water till it was time to go back for 
 Church-assembly ; at least half the fellows 
 in the Upper School were on the beach, and 
 the other half, roughly speaking, might have 
 been found in the woods. 
 
 " Look at my shoes," said Burrell rue- 
 fully, as they came back up the hill. 
 
 " Pooh ! it doesn't matter," replied Coley. 
 " I'm wondering how you're to walk with 
 me to Church ; I'm in the first division, 
 and if you sit right down at the bottom 
 of the schoolroom, you'll get out with the 
 second. You'd better ask Carrington 
 which division you're in. Or shall I ? " 
 
 Burrell deputed his friend to the knotty 
 question, but they went to the masters' 
 room together. Coley asked, and Mr Car- 
 rington only sent him out with, " Don't 
 you worry yourself, my son. I'll settle it." 
 
 And after the bell had rung for the 
 assembly, and every boy was in his place, 
 25
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 the master walked down the room ; and, 
 while critically scanning hats, boots, gloves 
 and the like, said to each of the new boys, 
 " First division ! " " Second division ! " ac- 
 cording to the height of the boy. So Burrell 
 was able to go, when the first division was 
 ordered off, and Mr Roper made no ob- 
 jection that morning to his walking with 
 Mason though the new-comer was half-a- 
 head shorter than his comrade. 
 
 The School sat at the very back of the 
 Church, occupying about ten rows of chairs 
 on both sides of the aisle, and there was 
 nothing to interest them during the service, 
 except a small boy going to sleep in the 
 front row, and the Head trotting down the 
 aisle after taking up his collection-bag. The 
 little man had a ludicrous habit of pumping 
 the air with his right arm as he walked, 
 and Coley nudged and winked till Burrell 
 observed it and grinned. 
 
 They had to march up to School again 
 
 in rank, and then there was a general rush 
 
 for grub. Boys stood about just inside 
 
 the gates with mouths full ; they were 
 
 26
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 forbidden to go out eating. At last the 
 two chums were fairly filled with a mixture 
 of their respective tuck, and went to the 
 woods. They had to scamper back like 
 hares to be in time for dinner-assembly, 
 the bell ringing when they were a quarter 
 of a mile away. But it was done safely, 
 and if they had no time to go below for a 
 wash, it didn't much matter ; most of them 
 were used to doing without it. Coley had, 
 like many boys, a brush in his desk, and 
 under cover of the lid uplifted he managed 
 to smooth his hair without being nabbed by 
 Carrington. Tf^ 
 
 After dinner, Burrell stayed in, waiting 
 until the senior Bible-class came on. Coley 
 had impressed upon him the great advan- 
 tage of being in this class ; while the juniors 
 were in, after breakfast, he had been free 
 to wander about ; but while the seniors 
 were in, the unfortunate juniors were under 
 supervision. Burrell would have liked to 
 write his letter home before class, but saw 
 nobody else doing so ; he therefore mouched 
 about the Fifth class-room trying to make the 
 27
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 acquaintance of some of the chaps. Jimmy 
 Limehouse was showing his holiday photo- 
 graphs, and later on Blackhurst brought 
 his out, which were a much superior 
 set. 
 
 At tea Coley and Burr ell had a good 
 time ; both took in full jampots which 
 came out empty, and both did a large 
 amount of excited conversation. At tea, 
 prefects sat at the top of the tables 
 instead of masters, the latter being at the 
 Head's table, for Mr Rochester never came 
 in to tea. He was supposed to come in to 
 take prayers, though, before they dispersed, 
 and on Sundays he rarely missed the duty. 
 While tea progressed there was a good 
 deal of noise ; the prefects were very lax 
 in singling out offenders, and the diffi- 
 culty of doing it from the high-table was 
 extraordinary. The boys knew this. 
 
 " Do you see ? " Coley explained to 
 Burrell, who was looking up the hall, 
 " every one of those masters is ready to 
 speak to Gerrans if he can spot a boy's 
 voice, and yet not one of us gets spotted. 
 28
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 The only thing Gerrans can do is to 
 silence the whole lot, and he won't do that 
 to-night. He's got Pinky, though ! " 
 
 A small youth was slowly going up to 
 the dais from the table nearest it, and 
 stood beside Mr Gerrans with downcast 
 eyes, while the master questioned him. 
 Whatever his answers were, they gave 
 immense amusement to the whole staff, 
 and our two friends judged by the appear- 
 ance of those masters who sat with their 
 faces to the boys that their efforts to re- 
 press laughing were costing them something. 
 But Gerrans was, outwardly, grave as a 
 judge, and though a tentative smile once 
 flickered round the corners of " Pinky 's " 
 mouth, it didn't last long. Between the 
 intervals of buttering his toast (as his 
 manner was) the master delivered sentence, 
 and " Pinky " retired to a corner of the 
 room with his face to the wall, and re- 
 mained there until prayer-time. 
 
 " See how riled Thorn looks ? " asked 
 Coley, designating with a motion of his 
 head the prefect of their bedroom, who 
 29
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 presided that evening at the small boys' 
 table. 
 
 " What for ? " asked Burrell. 
 
 " Why, he ought to have spoken to that 
 kid, and saved Gerrans from having to inter- 
 fere. It would have saved the young 'un two 
 marks, I'll bet. But they never think of 
 that." 
 
 " Who's the boy ? " Burrell inquired. 
 
 " Oh, only F. C. Brown ; he's always in 
 trouble. And yet he's the most innocent- 
 looking kid in the school. At any rate, 
 he's a grand little bat for his size ; he'll 
 be down for second nets this term if he gets 
 his rights." 
 
 Their conversation drifted into the chan- 
 nel indicated, till Gerrans rang the bell. 
 Then they produced their Bibles and stop- 
 ped talking. The prefects went to their 
 seats at the first table and the masters 
 took the places they vacated, except when 
 the master wasn't staying, when he went out 
 at the upper door and " his prefect " re- 
 mained in possession generally looking 
 very much injured. At Wright's table 
 3
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 no change was made, Mr Shields going out 
 when the bell rang. His deputy was trying 
 not to see his charges, and Coley thought 
 it quite safe to whisper, " Old Shields 
 is an awful slacker." It was very skil- 
 fully done, with an eye fixed on Mr Gerrans 
 who still stood on the dais, and who 
 didn't see it this time. Then, Mr Rochester 
 came in with a tribe of his children ; and 
 Mr Gerrans, relieved from the possible duty 
 of chaplain, came down to his table, his 
 prefect quietly vacating the seat and going 
 to his own. 
 
 In ten minutes, the boys were passing 
 out, table by table, and Mason andBurrell 
 retired to their desks in the big school- 
 room, and wrote their letters till Church- 
 assembly came on. Then the general cry 
 was " It's coats ! " and with a great deal 
 of grumbling and mumbling everybody 
 went down to fetch up his coat from the 
 room below, opining that " Carrington was 
 an ass." As Mr Carrington had received 
 word on the subject from Mrs Rochester 
 he didn't care what the fellows thought as 
 31
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 he went in, top-hat in hand, to take as- 
 sembly ; nor what they said, so long as it 
 didn't reach his ears. 
 
 The morning performance was repeated, 
 and the boys marched off in two long files ; 
 through the avenue of young saplings, 
 now wearing their tenderest green, and 
 out upon the quiet road. There was even- 
 ing light over the western hills, and the 
 peaceful stillness was broken only by the 
 regular tramp-tramp of the boys' feet, 
 and the monotonous call of the single bell 
 that the village could boast. Burrell must 
 have fallen into a dreamy mood ; perhaps 
 he was contrasting the present calm with 
 the stir of a Lancashire cot ton -town on a 
 Sunday evening its streets thronged with 
 people, not all church or chapel-goers, 
 and its twenty steeples rocking with the 
 clamour of bells. A sharp order of " Bur- 
 rell, keep step ! " recalled him to his sur- 
 roundings, and he fell to admiring the 
 shiny shoes of Phil Lewis, who walked 
 immediately in front of him. Some boy 
 in that quarter was talking to his neigh- 
 s'
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 bour in a subdued murmur without being 
 observed, so the new-comer ventured to ask 
 Coley quietly : 
 
 " What time do we get out ? " 
 His chum only gave him at the time a 
 side-glance fraught with meaning, but later 
 on found an opportunity to ejaculate, 
 "Half-past eight you'll get marked," all 
 in a breath. 
 
 On the return journey, dusk as it had 
 become, there was almost if not quite 
 the same silence observed ; the masters 
 were in the habit of keeping the whole 
 division in on a Monday for any disorder 
 in the Sunday night darkness, and nobody 
 risked anything on this occasion. They 
 made up for it at supper ; a bell-like chime 
 was rung upon all the glasses in the hall 
 until Mr Carrington followed in at the 
 tail of the long file, and relieved his un- 
 lucky prefect. And after grace was said 
 the conversation was " full and high " 
 for ten minutes ; but each table hushed 
 up a little as the master passed it in his 
 patrol of the hall, and his amused affability, 
 c 33
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 as he spoke to one and another boy on 
 his way, showed that he was not in the 
 least concerned to stop the animated 
 chatter. They all filed out in excellent 
 order and perfect silence when he touched 
 the bell on the high-table and "returned 
 thanks," and he stood a minute at the door 
 of the masters' room to watch them fetch 
 out their hats from the schoolroom, dimly 
 lighted by one solitary burner at the lower 
 end. Nobody said " Good-night," as they 
 were all supposed to be silent till they were 
 safely inside the bedroom doors, but com- 
 rades contrived to go upstairs in pairs 
 as a kind of protest. 
 
 Carrington was not on dormitory-duty ; 
 Roper was, and his voice was heard in the 
 corridor just as his colleague flung himself in- 
 to a chair, glad to get the hated Sunday-duty 
 over. Victor Limehouse, the library monitor, 
 was poking round the schoolroom collect- 
 ing the "Sunday books" of certain slackers 
 who had left them lying on their desks. 
 
 " Now, Limehouse, can't you hurry up ? " 
 cried Mr Roper down the corridor. 
 
 34
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 His voice had an irritated, nasal twang 
 which showed he was impatient at having 
 dormitory-duty to do. 
 
 The boy went bustling round in the 
 obscurity with his arms full of books up 
 to the chin. He was whistling softly to 
 himself, and had nothing apparently to say. 
 
 The master advanced to the door, looked 
 in, and said snappishly, " Why don't you 
 speak when you're spoken to ? I'm not 
 going up till I've seen you out of here. 
 There's a whole landing neglected while 
 I look after you." 
 
 " I'm just coming, sir ; I'm being as 
 quick as I can." 
 
 Limehouse spoke in rather a nonchalant 
 tone, and Roper waxed furious. Turning 
 on his heel, he left the boy behind, saying 
 angrily, " Well, you'll be marked if you're 
 not up before me, so there ! " 
 
 Limehouse had gathered all the books, but 
 had to go down to the bottom of the room 
 to turn out the gas. Mr Carrington stepped 
 out of his quarters into the schoolroom, 
 where the boy was muttering, " Well, I 
 35
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 shan't be, so there ! " Roper had not 
 hurried off by any means, but he was 
 going up the stairs. His colleague said 
 quickly, " I'll put that light out, Victor ; 
 you be off," and with a rapid step he passed 
 the book-laden fellow and put out the 
 light. 
 
 " Shall I look after those books ? " he 
 suggested. 
 
 Victor's smile was lost in the darkness, 
 but his voice was light as he replied, " Oh, 
 don't bother, sir ; I've got to be marked 
 to-night." 
 
 Carrington, however, insisted on taking 
 off the top of the pile, whereupon the boy's 
 chin came down several inches, and he 
 really did quicken his steps along the 
 corridor, but he wouldn't leave the job. 
 He bundled the books into the cupboard 
 dexterously, gave a hurried look round, 
 locked the door of the book-case, and took 
 his sturdy self off with a cheery, " Good- 
 night, sir." 
 
 Mr Roper gave him the mark as soon as 
 he reached his dormitory-door, and Victor 
 36
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 took it without demur ; some days he might 
 have objected strenuously, but to-night 
 he contented himself with declaring, when 
 the master walked off, 
 
 " Carrington tried to save me that mark, 
 and I wouldn't let him. I shall get one 
 every Sunday night when Roper's on this 
 landing ! " 
 
 " I'll help you if you like," said Jimmy. 
 
 " Well, you can try to get leave," said 
 his brother. 
 
 Mr Carrington's action passed quite with- 
 out notice ; he was Coley's patron, for 
 one thing, and Coley got shirty when his 
 patron was discussed from either point of 
 view. 
 
 Victor was in bed before some of the 
 others, and Mr Roper was able to get the 
 light out at 9.15 sharp, so that he went off 
 punctually to his pressing engagement, what- 
 ever it was. Then the boys talked till 10, 
 when Thorn came to bed ; at 10.15 talking 
 had to cease, and Burrell, at any rate, 
 didn't transgress the rule ; he was asleep 
 first of all. 
 
 37
 
 CHAPTER II 
 
 MONDAY 
 
 THE bell rang at half-past seven next 
 morning, and in Number Thirteen there 
 was some little jubilation over it. It 
 had been a matter of speculation the night 
 before what time it would ring. In the 
 Summer-term there was school from seven 
 till eight, but on very few occasions had the 
 boys been let in for it on the first Monday 
 morning. 
 
 Jimmy Limehouse and Lewis both con- 
 sulted their watches as soon as the first 
 tinkle made itself heard. Lewis's was under 
 his pillow, but the youngster's hung over 
 his head on the bed-rail, so it was Jimmy's 
 voice which announced the time. 
 
 " Keep you hair on ! " he cried, in a 
 tone of immense satisfaction ; "it's half- 
 past seven." 
 
 Then he nestled down again, and courted 
 38
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 sleep once more, as if he had another hour 
 to slumber. 
 
 " Good biz./' murmured Victor from his 
 bed, next Burr ell's ; but gave no other 
 sign of action. 
 
 "I told you so, Mason," said Lewis 
 triumphantly. " Old Tom hasn't got a time- 
 table out for morning school." 
 
 " I suppose it will be the last day of grace, 
 though," said the new boy. 
 
 " Oh, I shouldn't wonder if we get till 
 next week," answered Lewis drowsily. 
 
 " Pull up your blind, Phil," ejaculated 
 Coley at that juncture ; and Lewis looked 
 across hastily, perhaps expecting Coley's 
 pillow as before. Then he lazily stretched 
 out an arm to the cord, and up went the 
 blind with a jerk quite sufficient to account 
 for faulty catches. 
 
 It was not so fine a morning as the 
 previous one, but the garden looked fresh 
 and bright, and everybody seemed in fair 
 spirits. The dressing went on in much 
 the same fashion as on Sunday, but the 
 assembly-bell found even the two chums 
 
 39
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 unready, and they had to pack up their 
 Sunday suits in the wrappers at high speed. 
 But a great deal can be done in five minutes, 
 as Lewis was engaged in demonstrating, 
 and Coley and his protege were in the 
 schoolroom before Mr Carrington. There 
 was actually nobody late this morning, and 
 the master on duty looked very comfortable 
 as he said " Shut the door, Paul ! " with 
 every seat occupied. Most boys held the 
 theory that it rejoiced the masters to get 
 a long mark-list, but boys are not physio- 
 gnomists. 
 
 Before they passed along to the dining- 
 hall, Mr Carrington announced that Mr 
 Gerrans wanted all the new boys in Mr 
 Beach's class-room after breakfast. After 
 prayers were over Coley interpreted : 
 
 " Of course, that's to get your ages ; 
 this is the last time you'll sit by me. Gerrans 
 will read out the age-order, I expect, in 
 dinner-assembly, and you'll be on Carring- 
 ton's table most likely." 
 
 " Can't I give my age so as to keep here ? " 
 asked Burrell. 
 
 4 o
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 Coley opened his eyes wide at the pro- 
 posal. 
 
 " No, it's no good doing that/' said he ; 
 " you'll have to write your name and birth- 
 day in the Head's book soon, and you 
 must put it right there. They wouldn't 
 agree, you see ! " 
 
 " I don't suppose they ever compare," 
 suggested Burreil. 
 
 But Coley opined that it would never do. 
 He went on to say that he was concerned 
 himself in the general movement. 
 
 " I hope I don't get shoved up just by 
 Shields' s elbow ; it's jolly down this end, 
 right away from him. But so many of the 
 new chaps are kids, there's bound to be 
 a good push-up for this table." 
 
 "It's no use your hurrying over break- 
 fast," said Coley, later on, as he noticed 
 his neighbour trying to keep pace with him. 
 " You can't get away, as you've to go to 
 Gerrans ; and he won't be out for ages 
 yet. You see, there isn't a single master 
 who's begun so far ! It's an awful swindle 
 when you have to go to them after break- 
 41
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 fast ; it means any time ; you never can 
 tell exactly." 
 
 The new boy found it rather a nuisance : 
 he went to the class-room appointed, and 
 watched the fellows on the upper field at 
 play. There was football still going on at 
 one end, about a dozen enthusiasts shooting 
 at a goal not yet taken down. But the 
 majority were playing cricket with a great 
 deal of noise ; they had an innings in turn, 
 going in in the order of their appearances 
 on the field ; and as batches of threes and 
 fours came through the gate at once, it 
 was a question of priority which needed a 
 great deal of settlement. Burrell cared 
 little for the footer, but he watched the 
 cricket with keen glances. It was the 
 first time the things had been out, and no- 
 body was shaping much, but he had been 
 playing during the holidays, and was long- 
 ing for a smack, even on that truly awful 
 wicket ! However, he hadn't yet been 
 down for his boots, fearing to keep Gerrans 
 waiting, and he resigned himself with a sigh 
 to the loss of this playtime. At any rate 
 42
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 the other new boys were in the same 
 boat. 
 
 At last Gerrans came in, at about ten 
 minutes to nine, and took names and ages 
 in a very business-like fashion. Then, while 
 they were putting their boots on, the bell 
 rang, and it took Burrell all his time to get 
 ready for school. 
 
 Outside he heard a good many exclama- 
 tions of " Assembly ! Assembly ! " and 
 found all the boys going to the schoolroom 
 instead of to their classrooms. The Head 
 was coming to read out the new class-lists, 
 and perhaps to put up a new time-table. 
 Carrington was stroking the assembly into 
 order, while the remainder of the staff 
 were waiting, capped and gowned, for the 
 Head's appearance. They enjoyed this 
 little performance as much as the boys ; 
 who, for their part, rejoiced to see the hand 
 of the clock leaving nine minute after 
 minute behind. " Wasting time grandly ! " 
 they chuckled to one another. 
 
 One of the principal topics of interest 
 was the reading of the rules, which had not 
 
 43
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 yet been done. There had been a promise 
 of years' standing on the part of " Old 
 Tom " to give a printed copy to every boy, 
 and it had become by this time a standing 
 joke against the Head. They were never 
 forthcoming, and his stock of excuses for 
 the delay must be (so thought his masters 
 and boys) almost exhausted ! 
 
 At twelve minutes past nine he sailed 
 along the corridor his long gown floating 
 and his right arm pumping the air. The 
 masters came inside, and formed a little 
 group just within the door. The class- 
 lists were read, and Gerrans superintended 
 while the boys quietly took the order 
 assigned to them. Nothing was said ; 
 much was to be divined, however, from 
 action and look. Cherished window-seats 
 were given up with reluctance by some and 
 triumphantly appropriated by their for- 
 tunate successors. Neighbours parted from 
 one another with regret or relief, as the 
 case might be. New-comers came up 
 timidly from the desks at the back to take 
 for the first time their proper position in 
 
 44
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 the School. Boys who had expected a 
 remove and failed to get it showed their 
 disgust in their faces. No books were 
 transferred at present : all that had to be 
 done out of schooltime. 
 
 Mason's destiny was nowise remarkable ; 
 he remained in the same form and in much 
 the same position in it. He had to move 
 two places only from his seat of last term, 
 and there was no bitterness of parting 
 just then for him. That had been under- 
 gone in the closing assembly of the previous 
 term, when his bosom-chum Lloyd had 
 sat beside him for the last time. 
 
 Burrell took a very fair position for his 
 age and size : he was ten months younger 
 than Coley, and not nearly of the same 
 mental calibre ; but he had been well- 
 taught and had done best of the new boys 
 in his preliminary examination. He was 
 placed at the tail-end of his form, which 
 was fourteen strong under the new arrange- 
 ment. 
 
 Presently it was all settled, and the 
 Head turned to the subject of rules. No- 
 45
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 body expected for a single moment that 
 there would be anything for them except 
 an excuse. They were not disappointed. 
 
 "I had intended," quoth the Head, 
 sapiently, " to give a printed copy of the 
 rules to each boy, but the time-table has 
 caused unusual trouble this Term, and I 
 have been obliged to leave other matters, 
 in order to work it out." 
 
 This announcement caused almost unani- 
 mous mirth, expressed, of course, by glances 
 and smiles only. The more mischievous 
 or more confident of the fellows ventured 
 to endeavour to catch the eye of a respon- 
 sive master, but the staff were, for the most 
 part, hiding their faces behind caps or 
 looking on the ground with twitching 
 lips. Coley was bold enough to look at 
 Mr Carrington, but only received a severe 
 shake of the head a motion belied by the 
 master's twinkling eyes. 
 
 Meanwhile, the reading of the rules was 
 
 progressing ; old stagers knew them by 
 
 heart, and some had written out many 
 
 thousand times, in the days of the old 
 
 46
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 regime, such examples as "No disorder 
 of any kind is permitted in the class-rooms, 
 or corridors, or on the stairs." To Burrell 
 it all seemed very stupid ; how could he 
 be expected to comprehend, to say nothing 
 of remembering, about two dozen restric- 
 tions, some of which were bound to go in at 
 one ear and out at the other ? For example, 
 " On Sundays, bells are rung at the follow- 
 ing times, etc., etc." It seemed to him 
 that this much-promised copy in print 
 would have been of far greater service to 
 him. 
 
 A short talk followed (" Quite a young 
 jaw to-day," was Victor's comment on it 
 afterwards), in the course of which the 
 subject of prefects cropped up, and the 
 whole of that august body looked supremely 
 miserable. Ere it all came to a conclusion, 
 the Head had said five times that he had 
 been " exceedingly annoyed," and the hands 
 of the clock had wandered round to nine- 
 fifty. Then the forms dispersed to begin 
 with the second period's work, and there 
 was much discussion of the new time-table 
 47
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 in the corridor, the head-boy of each form 
 being supplied with the only copy which 
 would be at their disposal till they could 
 cluster round the notice-board at the side 
 of the Head's desk. 
 
 There was a break in the work at 10.45, 
 and everybody blundered out for a breath 
 of air, a bun, and a game of tip-and-run, 
 all taken together. A baker's boy came 
 up daily at this time with a basketful of 
 grub, going back in ten minutes with his 
 basket empty, and his pocket full of pence. 
 If " Simple Simon " had no penny, the 
 " pieman " was not above taking stamps in 
 payment a very reprehensible practice of 
 which the School authorities knew nothing. 
 
 Coley was out later than Burrell, and 
 found his chum on the field, watching the 
 apology for cricket. 
 
 " Aren't you playing ? " he asked, with 
 a great bite at his bun. 
 
 " No fear," mumbled Burrell, whose 
 mouth was full ; " not at that rot." 
 
 " Well, it's poor fun, of course, but I'm 
 going to try to get a knock." 
 4 8
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 Coley was soon lucky enough to run a 
 man out, and had his one knock, and no 
 more. Wickets fell at the rate of four or 
 five per minute with sixty fellows fielding. 
 The bell rang all too soon, and as the two 
 boys walked in together, Coley collared the 
 new-comer once more. 
 
 " How'd you get on ? " he asked ; and 
 then, almost while Burrell was beginning 
 an answer, proceeded to talk about some- 
 thing else. 
 
 " You ought to have been here last 
 term," he declared. " The buns used to 
 come to the bottom of the field, and we 
 bought them through the railings. It saved 
 the boy a long walk up to the back door, 
 and was jolly convenient for us. The Head 
 stopped it, though." 
 
 " Why ? " 
 
 " Oh, some rot or other. He said it 
 was a wild-beast show, and that the village 
 people would be coming round every morn- 
 ing at feeding-time, to see the savage 
 creatures fed through the bars." 
 
 Burrell laughed; it amused him a good bit. 
 
 D 49
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 "Well," he said; "it doesn't much 
 matter as long as we get them somehow." 
 
 " I never used to want any at first," 
 said Coley, " but I soon found out that you 
 can't get through the morning without 
 some grub." 
 
 " You could if you had more breakfast." 
 
 " Yes, but a fellow's in a hurry at break- 
 fast ; it saves the Head's pocket grandly, 
 doesn't it ? " 
 
 " What ? " 
 
 " Why, letting us go out of the hall at 
 breakfast when we like ! " 
 
 Burrell smiled again ; he hadn't heard 
 all this sort of thing before, as he was fresh 
 from home ; and Mr Carrington thought 
 the two boys were getting along very well 
 as he watched them from the window. 
 Coley's somewhat sober face showed con- 
 siderable animation ; Burr ell's merrier 
 physiognomy was all smiles. They parted 
 in the corridor with a friendly charge, 
 which drove Burrell into the wall perilously 
 near the glass-panelled door of the masters' 
 room. 
 
 5
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 School was over at twelve-thirty on Mon- 
 days, Wednesdays and Fridays ; on the 
 other three days it began at nine-fifteen 
 and continued till a quarter to one. This 
 morning Coley was detained in Mr Beach's 
 class-room the place par excellence for 
 getting detained in and Burrell went to 
 the field to make his debut at cricket. In 
 these matters a new-comer always had a 
 fair show, and Lance Rochester at once 
 asked him to bowl at the lower end. There 
 were three balls going ; a batsman at either 
 end ; no runs were being scored, but 
 when you were out (caught or bowled) 
 you came out. By this time, some of the 
 smaller boys had set up their wickets near 
 the wall ; there were not more than a 
 dozen boys at the senior pitch (if " pitch " 
 it could be called), and the " field " con- 
 sisted of one man on the on side and two 
 on the off. Had there been even one 
 bowler to each ball there would have been 
 three at each end, but as several boys were 
 " going shags," there was a little group of 
 at least five behind each wicket. Burrell 
 51
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 did not lack perception, but it was very 
 difficult for him to know when he was 
 expected to deliver his ball and when to 
 refrain ; to say nothing of the difficulty 
 of confining his attention to the one which 
 had been thrown to him by Lance. He 
 only bowled three balls in five minutes, 
 and then gave the ball back to its owner, 
 preferring to go and field at cover-point 
 and mid-on, where he soon found some work 
 to do, and did it as well as the rough ground 
 permitted. 
 
 Before it came to his turn to go in, he had 
 made a catch, and had nearly brought off 
 another really difficult one by a capital 
 effort. His batting came at the lower end, 
 and he did not care to take off his coat as 
 he received the bat, for he felt it very 
 unlikely that he could stop little Graiseley 
 long. This small boy (who was not, it is 
 true, so juvenile as he appeared) was 
 slinging them down the hill with disastrous 
 results, but the new boy had two or three 
 very much over-pitched to begin with, and 
 soon felt at home. He was in fair practice 
 52
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 already, for he had played almost every 
 day for the past fortnight, so that when 
 his chum came running through the gate 
 it was to see Burrell make a very neat 
 low off-drive which he had the privilege of 
 fielding. Before that ball was returned, 
 however, the innings came to an end, 
 and Burrell had his right thumb in his 
 mouth. He had been caught off it behind 
 the wicket. 
 
 Coley joined him as he returned to his 
 former position, and condoled. 
 
 " Rotten wicket, isn't it ? There hasn't 
 been a blade of grass in the middle here 
 ever since I can remember." 
 
 "I shouldn't mind that," Burrell re- 
 torted, "if it was level ; but look at 
 that ! " 
 
 He pointed with his left hand to a spot 
 near one end, where a stone of quite fair 
 size was protruding from the earth. 
 
 " You must get put down for nets," said 
 
 Coley ; " there's always a decent pitch on 
 
 the upper field, and some good bowling 
 
 to play. I'm sure to be down for second 
 
 53
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 eleven practice ; I was in the second all 
 last season/' 
 
 Then he held forth on the two elevens 
 and their prospects, and when they were 
 not actively fielding they talked constantly 
 till it was Coley 's turn to bat. Mr Gerrans 
 had turned up by that time, and was 
 bowling easy-looking lobs from the lower 
 end, one of which Coley very soon spooned 
 back to the bowler in playing forward 
 with stiff arms the fatal stiff arms that 
 had long kept him out of the first 
 eleven 
 
 In dinner-assembly Mr Gerrans appeared, 
 and read out the new order for sitting in 
 hall. Coley was disgusted ; fate placed 
 him precisely where he had not wished to 
 go, and he turned round in his seat after 
 grace and made a grimace as he caught 
 Burr ell's eye. His quondam neighbour had 
 fared better, and was about as far from 
 his master (Mr Carrington) as the length 
 of the tables permitted. There was one 
 boy between himself and the window, 
 a boy called Johnson,^ in his own form. 
 
 54
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 On his right was Brand, a merry fellow 
 in the Fifth Commercial, who lent him an 
 illustrated paper at dinner. 
 
 There was a free hour after dinner, except 
 for the boys on the mark-list. A fair 
 number of names graced the page ; Monday's 
 list was a record of forty-eight hours, and 
 Sunday, moreover, was always prolific of 
 marks. F. C. Brown headed the day's 
 list with three ; he had beaten record the 
 previous term with one hundred and thirty- 
 nine. His great fault was that he was 
 always found out ; his ill-luck was pro- 
 verbial ; nobody had ever known Pinky 
 to escape anything. He looked very peni- 
 tent as Burrell saw him during the reading 
 of the list his head bent, his long lashes 
 drooping over his splendid eyes ; but one 
 minute later he was barging round the de- 
 tention-room pending Carrington's arrival, 
 and, of course, was spotted and awarded 
 " extra time." 
 
 Burrell wanted to play cricket again, 
 and had three innings in less than an hour. 
 About a quarter past three Coley lounged 
 55
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 into the field, and leaned back on the wire 
 railings. His chum was made aware of his 
 presence by hearing a voice from the masters' 
 room window, crying out : 
 
 " Mason. Get off that wire ! " 
 
 So he joined him at the top of the field, 
 and they lolled against the gate, eating 
 apples which Coley produced from his 
 pocket. Just then Mr Carrington came 
 out and joined them. 
 
 " Just out of marks, sir ? " asked 
 Coley. 
 
 " Yes, only just ; plenty of extra time 
 to-day." 
 
 " How long can you keep in ? " inquired 
 Burrell. The query was not fitted for 
 Coley, but the look which accompanied 
 it was, so he saved the master the trouble of 
 replying. 
 
 " Only thirty minutes for marks ; fifteen 
 extra for extra time." 
 
 Burrell wanted to ask if Victor had in- 
 curred any additional penalty, as he had 
 arrived on the field only just before Mr 
 Carrington, but he refrained. 
 56
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 " I see you're on my table, Burrell," 
 the master remarked. 
 
 " Yes, sir." 
 
 " Rather out of my reach, though." 
 
 " Yes, sir." 
 
 " You managed to amuse yourself to- 
 day." 
 
 " Yes, sir." 
 
 "If you care about books, you'll get 
 through a good deal of reading at dinner." 
 
 " Yes, sir." 
 
 Carrington turned his attention to the 
 other boy. 
 
 " What are you reading, Coley ? " 
 
 " One of Stevenson's, sir ; ' Catriona/ 
 a sequel to ' Kidnapped.' ' 
 
 " Yes, I know. You like Stevenson ? " 
 
 " I didn't care for ' The Master of Ballan- 
 trae,' sir." 
 
 " Well, it's not meant primarily for boys. 
 What did you get through in the holidays ? " 
 
 " Nothing, sir." 
 
 " Nothing at aU ? " 
 
 " No, sir ; there's plenty to do without 
 reading. If it wasn't for the School lib- 
 57
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 rary I shouldn't know much about 
 books." 
 
 " And the waiting for the second helpings 
 at dinner ? " 
 
 " Yes, sir." 
 
 " Well, there's some consolation in that, 
 then." 
 
 Coley kicked the turf into a hole with his 
 heel. The long periods of waiting at dinner 
 were a sore point with everybody. Masters 
 did the carving, and had to eat their own 
 food between the serving of the first and 
 second portions ; they made all possible 
 haste, but dinner lasted a full hour as a 
 rule. Carrington turned to cricket. 
 
 " Lance has asked me for the election 
 after prep." 
 
 " Oh, yes, sir ; and we're not going to let 
 new boys vote in future." 
 
 "Quite right, too. Who's to be cap- 
 tain ? " 
 
 " Thorn, I expect, sir. Some fellows 
 want Graiseley." 
 
 " Oh, no. He's too small. Lance ought 
 to be nominated." 
 
 58
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 " He won't be, sir. And he wouldn't 
 get two votes it he were." 
 
 " Well, it's too bad, Mason ! I shall be 
 disgusted if he's left off all the committees. 
 Our senior prefect, and a good sportsman." 
 
 " He's not popular, sir." 
 
 Carrington was about to reply, " Because 
 he's his father's son ; it's a shame," 
 but he kept his thought unspoken and 
 went off somewhat wearily to ring the bell ; 
 he had had just five minutes to himself 
 since nine o'clock. 
 
 The elections after prep, were very in- 
 teresting to Burrell, though a new ordi- 
 nance debarred his participation in the 
 ballot. The prefects came in at twenty 
 minutes to nine and brought the necessary 
 strips of paper ; these had been prepared 
 presumably during their prep. Mr Car- 
 rington explained, while they distributed the 
 papers, that the three pieces each boy 
 received were for the reception of names 
 for the committees of cricket, tennis and 
 library. Six boys were required for each, 
 and every voter put down hi? selected six. 
 59
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 In the case of the cricket paper one was to 
 be designated as captain. There were no 
 nominations ; Mr Carrington had wished 
 to have some, but it never had been so, 
 and he succumbed to the general feeling 
 against it. Thus small kids in the lowest 
 form were at liberty to put down the names 
 of their bosom comrades among the lower 
 boys. Some of them did it, invariably. 
 
 The whole proceeding only occupied seven 
 minutes, and three prefects went round to 
 collect the papers in their separate batches ; 
 Thorn was honoured with Carrington's cap 
 as a receptacle for the cricket papers, 
 which he had to take up. Then the prefects 
 bore the whole cargo away, and the counting 
 was delayed until after supper. Results 
 were not out before twenty to ten, but 
 every boy in the bedroom probably knew 
 them all ere he sank to rest. Carrington 
 went down to the prefects' room for his 
 cap while bed-room duty was going on, and 
 smiled to see its business-like disposition. 
 When the masters, in a noisy group, came 
 out from their supper (which they took 
 60
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 with the house-party) Roper and Carrington 
 went to the notice-board in the lobby to 
 see how things had gone. Thorn was the 
 unanimous choice as captain, and on the 
 whole the committees were well chosen. 
 Lance Rochester was on the Library Com- 
 mittee in a respectable position, but was 
 the last successful man on the Tennis, 
 and did not appear at all on the Cricket 
 list. Carrington held forth on it in the 
 masters' room, explaining that the elder 
 son of the Head the ablest boy the school 
 had ever turned out had been similarly, 
 or worse treated in days gone by. He 
 swore he would " hortate " the School on 
 the subject in morning assembly. Gerrans 
 advised him to do nothing of the kind. 
 
 In Number Thirteen there had been a 
 small rag. Lewis and young Limehouse 
 had played footer with a ball made of 
 Jimmy's stockings Lancashire v. North 
 Wales. Mr Roper had given them two 
 marks each. Still they were not vastly 
 subdued, and the whole room raised a 
 carefully repressed cheer when Thorn came 
 
 61
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 to tell them in the dark how the voting had 
 gone. He was by no means shy of publish- 
 ing his own captaincy ; it was somewhat 
 balanced by Victor's being on every com- 
 mittee and Mason on that for cricket. 
 
 But the last topic of conversation, after 
 all, was the early school next day. 
 
 "Beastly rot," grumbled Lewis, " it's 
 just the worst thing about this term 
 getting up at half-past six." 
 
 He spoke as if he really did it ! 
 
 62
 
 CHAPTER III 
 
 TUESDAY 
 
 THE bell rang at half-past six next morning, 
 and in all the bedrooms there was a con- 
 sensus of opinion on the subject ; everybody 
 thought it was " rotten." Things were 
 either " rotten " or " decent ; " there was 
 no higher praise than the latter, and no 
 medium between the two extremes. 
 
 Phil Lewis sleepily declared his one 
 consoling thought to be that he wouldn't 
 do a single scrap of work. 
 
 "Mental arithmetic! Why, I sha'n't 
 be properly awake till I hear the breakfast 
 gong," he said. 
 
 Then an idea struck him, and he called 
 out to young Limehouse 
 
 " Jim ! you said you'd finish that game 
 this morning." 
 
 Jimmy was not keen on it. 
 
 "Oh, be blowed! The ball's burst. 
 63
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 Besides Thorn will mark us again. How 
 many, Stan ? Two ? " 
 
 He asked as if he were considering whether 
 the fun would be worth the price, and 
 Victor cried : 
 
 " Don't be a young ass ! You've got 
 quite enough already for to-day." 
 
 " Don't excite yourself. I'm too sleepy 
 to turn out till the last minute." 
 
 " Roper will come round this morning," 
 observed Coley mischievously, getting his 
 trousers on. 
 
 " Not he ! " replied Jimmy scornfully. 
 
 " We'll have a slack time," said Victor ; 
 " we go to the Head for Mechanics ; he 
 won't be down this morning, you bet." 
 
 " Oh, yes, he will," contradicted Coley, 
 " he always starts off with a good 
 spurt." 
 
 " Well, look out for Prevent us, Lord, 
 then," said Jimmy. " That's the only 
 collect he knows." 
 
 " Shut up ! " said Thorn. " And get 
 up, too." 
 
 6 4
 
 In CarringtorTs Duty Week 
 
 " Going to, directly." 
 
 Coley and Burrell went down when the 
 second bell rang. It was a grand morning, 
 and they stood at the big window, behind 
 the Head's desk, and looked out over the 
 field to the sea. Then Carrington came in 
 and said, " Every boy sit down ! " That 
 was his formula. Roper had another, " Sit 
 down in your places ! " And Howitt always 
 said, " Sit down there ! " Howitt never 
 wasted words and was inordinately fond 
 of "there!"; "bell there!" "mark you, 
 there ! " were his orders. When the clock 
 struck seven Carrington's mark-book came 
 into play ; several boys were late. There 
 was no noise ; " silence " had not been 
 called, but early morning assemblies seldom 
 needed the order to be given. Almost 
 every boy had an illustrated paper in his 
 desk ; the literary pabulum of the majority 
 was " Scraps," " Comic Cuts," et hoc genus 
 omne. It drove Mr Beach wild ; the Head 
 seemed unconcerned, however. 
 
 Phil Lewis came in while the clock was 
 E 65
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 striking ; Carrington didn't mark for that. 
 A tall handsome boy in the Fifth Commerical 
 came five seconds after, just as Paul was 
 closing the door. His name went down. 
 He looked at the clock as he saw himself 
 marked, and said in affected astonishment, 
 " It isn't time, yet." Burrell was noting 
 everything from his seat about the middle 
 of the room, having nothing else to do. 
 He was surprised to hear, " I'll put you 
 down two, Adams ! " 
 
 The clock really seemed scarcely to point 
 to seven, so Burrell sought enlightenment 
 from his neighbour, Graiseley. 
 
 " What's that for ? " 
 
 " Oh, Adams is such a fool ; he always 
 says that when he's late. The clock jumps 
 back, you know." 
 
 " Jumps back ? " 
 
 " Yes, you watch it. When it strikes, the 
 hand goes back half a minute." 
 
 " Perhaps he didn't know." 
 
 Graiseley leered. 
 
 " He's had extra marks for saying the 
 
 66
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 same thing plenty of times ; he ought to 
 know/' 
 
 " I should have said it, though." 
 
 " Oh, yes ! You wouldn't be marked if 
 you did, I should, though. We know 
 you have to go by the striking. Carrington 
 isn't bad ; he lets you through if you're 
 in before the last stroke." 
 
 " Don't the other masters ? " 
 
 " No, Gerrans don't. Why don't you get 
 your chum to put you up to these things ? " 
 
 " What chum ? " asked Burrell. He had 
 a pretty fair idea, though, to whom Graise- 
 ley alluded. 
 
 " Why, Coley, of course ; you're as thick 
 as thieves, aren't you ? " 
 
 " He's in my room," explained the new 
 boy. 
 
 " You're in his, you mean ! " corrected 
 his neighbour. 
 
 About seven minutes after the hour 
 
 the Head appeared. The master on duty 
 
 always waited ten minutes after seven on 
 
 the chance of his Chief's coming down. 
 
 67
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 If he wasn't there by that time, he himself 
 said a collect and dismissed forms to their 
 respective rooms. 
 
 The fellows put their books away ; there 
 was soon perfect quietude ; then the Head 
 said : " Let us pray," with his usual 
 unctuous ponderosity. Some of the chaps 
 merely leaned over their desks, but most 
 of them knelt up on the seats to bend over. 
 Sure enough, they had the stereotyped 
 collect this morning ; and then off they 
 filed to their different masters, some of 
 whom had only just come down upon the 
 scene. 
 
 Burrell enjoyed the first hour of the day 
 very fairly : they had dictation in Shields's 
 class-room. It was downstairs ; a cold, 
 dingy room, with a little area and a grass 
 bank outside its windows. Shields pre- 
 tended to like it ; his colleagues secretly 
 admired him for making the best of things. 
 This morning he selected a piece from a 
 political " leader " ; it was very usual 
 for him to make use of the newspaper. 
 
 68
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 A question about Parliamentary procedure 
 came up ; Burrell was the only boy out of 
 the fourteen who could answer it. Shields 
 beamed upon him, and gave him a word of 
 praise, which made him very uncomfort- 
 able. Later on, Graiseley was sent to the 
 masters' room for a volume of the cyclo- 
 paedia. Shields prided himself on being 
 broadly instructive, and his cyclopaedia was 
 a standing joke. He digressed from any 
 lesson into reading extracts therefrom, under 
 very slight provocation. One day a boy 
 had said to Roper, after he had informed 
 the Matric. class of the nature of Saxon 
 coinage, " Please, sir, isn't that out of 
 Mr Shields's cyclopaedia?" 
 
 At the end of the lesson, they changed 
 books and corrected. Again Burrell came 
 in for kudos he was one of the two 
 best. After that, they spelt some words 
 they had learnt in prep., and gave the 
 meanings. There was good fun often to be 
 got out of the^examples of their use. Shields 
 on this morning asked a dull boy for a 
 6 9
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 sentence embodying the word " dactyl " 
 whose meaning was given in the book as 
 "a poetic foot/' The sentence, offered 
 amid considerable laughter, was " Shake- 
 speare had a dactyl." Most of the fellows 
 had sense enough to see the joke ; some 
 few wanted to know where it lay. 
 
 Better still, however, was little Brown's 
 effort to use " transient : passing quickly " 
 He gave his sentence thus : " That engine 
 is transient.'' And another boy caused 
 further amusement by trying to beg the 
 question in this way, when asked to illus- 
 trate the use of " furtive : stealthy " 
 " The word furtive means stealthy ! " 
 
 Despite this sort of thing, Shields kept 
 excellent order, and managed his work very 
 well. Burrell enjoyed it ; he'd been used 
 to a class of thirty-six, and to a much 
 stricter regime, combined with far less real 
 order and attention on the part of the 
 boys. 
 
 Breakfast went down well this morning, 
 but rapidly withal. Burrell polished off 
 70
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 his porridge and a cup of coffee in five min- 
 utes from the end of prayers, and was 
 playing cricket at half-past eight, so that 
 he put in nearly three-quarters of an hour 
 on the field before school. It was a joy to 
 be alive on such a morning ; the sky was 
 very blue and so was the sea ; the leaves 
 on the young trees down the sides of the 
 field were superbly and radiantly green ; 
 and the woods up the hillside behind the 
 School gave a great charm to the inland 
 prospect. Jimmy Limehouse passed along 
 outside the bottom railings with his pal Bob 
 Thorn, both carrying hand-cameras. Jimmy 
 called to Burrell, who was fielding in the 
 " country." 
 
 " Take this up to Roper, will you ? I 
 want to go down to the shore." 
 
 So Burrell received through the railings 
 a newspaper for which the youngster had 
 been to the railway bookstall, and took it to 
 the masters' room. Roper was not there, 
 but three other men, who had finished their 
 breakfast before its lawful owner, pounced 
 71
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 on the paper and immersed themselves 
 immediately in county cricket, while the 
 boy went back to his game. 
 
 During the morning " break " Burr ell 
 found that the photographer whom he had 
 befriended was in high glee at having caught 
 some snaps at a " crocodile " on the beach. 
 This sounded very extraordinary, but Bur- 
 rell was not so green as to be unaware that 
 Jimmy had in reality taken a procession 
 of school-girls on their morning parade. 
 Some upper-school boys, who ought not to 
 have shown such interest in a small kid's 
 work, were asking him already for prints off 
 the plate, which was to be developed before 
 dinner. This kind of thing had, however, 
 to be " kept dark " in other senses than the 
 photographic. 
 
 Coley walked through the village with 
 Burrell at one o'clock and informed him that 
 Jimmy was a little fool, and Victor a big one. 
 
 " They both go after girls ; it's such rot, 
 I think ! " was his dictum. 
 
 Burrell was much of the same opinion 
 72
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 just then ; particularly when Coley ex- 
 plained himself further. 
 
 "If the Head gets to know, he'll stop 
 us going on the shore, or lock up the dark- 
 room, or confiscate cameras. It isn't good 
 enough." 
 
 Neither of the two chums was a photo- 
 grapher, though Burrell was destined to be 
 bitten with the hand-camera epidemic before 
 many weeks were over. 
 
 They messed about on the railway station, 
 which was a very favourite resort of the 
 boys, till it was late. Going home by the 
 shore they saw nobody about, and Coley 
 came to the conclusion that his watch was 
 slow and the bell had rung. This con- 
 jecture received ample confirmation as they 
 went up the avenue ; the gong was actually 
 sounding for dinner. Mr Carrington saw 
 them pass the side-windows of the school- 
 room as he sent the forms out of assembly. 
 
 " You're done for," said Coley, ruefully. 
 
 " So are you, aren't you ? " asked Burrell, 
 nowise concerned. 
 
 73
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 " Yes, but I don't want to be getting you 
 marks." 
 
 " Oh, rot ; I'm bound to get some. 
 Never mind that ! " 
 
 Carrington spoke to them in the passage. 
 " I shall have to mark you. Get in to the 
 hall quick ! " 
 
 So when the day's list was read out 
 Burrell's name figured in it, but not in very 
 close proximity to his friend's. He thought 
 nothing about it, and Coley thought Mr 
 Carrington had done it on purpose ; but 
 really it was merely the exigencies of space 
 at the last minute which caused the separa- 
 tion. 
 
 Immediately after dinner, Burrell had, 
 of course, to go to " marks," in Mr Beach's 
 class-room. Carrington was already there 
 waiting with the book for which he had 
 been up to the Head. Some of the fellows 
 were a long time coming, and several 
 pleading cries of " Can't we begin, sir ? " 
 had been put up before the door could be 
 finally shut. Then it was " All hands be- 
 
 74
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 hind ! " (another individual formula) and 
 every boy stood up straight and stared 
 at the wall. There were twenty-six there 
 on this afternoon a fair average number ; 
 some of them stood between the two rows 
 of desks, because not more than twenty 
 could conveniently stand round the walls. 
 The window side was not used, to begin 
 with ; Carrington stood there, and surveyed 
 the rows of backs before him. On one side 
 of the room were shelves ; some fellows 
 liked standing there best ; they could at 
 any rate read the titles on the backs of the 
 lesson books. Two stood with their faces 
 to the door ; it had glass panels like all 
 the doors in that corridor, but the glass 
 was of a fluted description and there was 
 no seeing anything through it. The best 
 place was in the angle formed by the pro- 
 jecting fire-place ; a boy could scarcely 
 be seen at all who got well in that corner. 
 There was dead silence all round. No- 
 thing was done ; boys had merely to stand 
 up straight with hands behind ten minutes 
 75
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 for every mark. Extra time was given for 
 leaning against the wall, laughing, fidgetting ; 
 as for talking, nobody tried that with Car- 
 ington. His extra time for small 'offences 
 was always ten minutes ; some men only 
 gave five. 
 
 Burrell stood beside Coley, facing the 
 shelves ; he could see out of the nearer 
 window from the corner of his right eye, 
 and he gazed meditatively at the sunny 
 road, bordered by young rustling saplings. 
 Carrington gave Adams some extra time; 
 he had pushed his neighbour's foot. Almost 
 directly after, a boy was trying to look 
 furtively at his watch and was similarly 
 penalised. The master spoke very quietly 
 and merely said, " Extra time, so-and-so " ; 
 the other boys seldom knew what it was 
 for. This tended to repress them very 
 effectually. Before the first ten minutes 
 were over six boys had extra time, and two 
 of them had come with three marks, so 
 that Carrington was letting himself in for 
 another long detention. But it was always
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 in the first ten minutes that boys were 
 inclined to fool ; it was a rare thing for 
 extra time to be given after the first batch 
 had cleared out. Their conge came when 
 Carrington said, 
 
 " These boys have longer to stay : 
 Adams, Lee, etc." 
 
 He found it preferable not to read the 
 names of those who had done their time ; 
 they were apt to start going before he 
 reached the end of the list. Neither Bur- 
 rell's name nor Coley's was read, and they 
 went out to the back together. 
 
 " Isn't it rot ? " asked the old stager. 
 
 "Rather stale," assented Burrell. 
 
 " Wastes time so, doing nothing." 
 
 " We seemed to have more than ten 
 minutes," said Burrell. 
 
 " No, I expect it was right ; Carrington's 
 very particular. Didn't you see how busy 
 he was all the time ? " 
 
 "No. Doing what?" 
 
 " Oh, lots of things. Putting down the 
 time in the book ; and checking off the 
 77
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 boys ; and marking down the extra time ; 
 and getting ready to read out those who have 
 more than one." 
 
 " He can't watch us much." 
 
 " Oh yes, he does ; all the time. Some- 
 times you can do him, but not unless you 
 get in a good place. I've had my watch 
 out on the shelf, or hanging down in front 
 before now." 
 
 " Didn't he catch you ? " 
 
 " No, but he's caught plenty of other 
 chaps." 
 
 " What do you get ? " 
 
 " Oh, extra time, and he takes your watch. 
 I hardly ever get extra time with any of 
 the masters. Roper reads the paper; he 
 don't catch anybody." 
 
 " What were those chaps doing to- 
 day?" 
 
 " Graiseley was breathing on the glass 
 of the door ; I looked to see. I don't 
 know about the others. Gerrans is the 
 worst boss ; you have to mind yourself 
 with him." 
 
 78
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 " What's he do ? " 
 
 "Oh, comes down on you like bricks. 
 I don't know why we mind him so. He 
 never keeps on ' Stand up ! ' ' Stand 
 still ! ' ' Stop laughing ! ' like some of them 
 do. I suppose we don't do it with him. 
 He's the best master ; he gets order without 
 any punishments hardly. He did me neatly 
 once. I had my watch on the top of the 
 books in the lower shelf all the first mark. 
 When it was time for us, I just squinted 
 behind before picking it up, and he was 
 staring at me hard. So I pretended to 
 tie up my lace and then I looked again, 
 and he'd got his eye fairly on me still. So 
 I had to go and leave it." 
 
 " He'd have given you extra time if you'd 
 picked it up ? " 
 
 " Rather, and had the ticker too. So 
 I did the best thing. I came back to look 
 for it after marks, but, of course, it was 
 gone. He gave it to me the next Saturday." 
 
 The two chums then went to the field 
 and played cricket till the bell rang for 
 79
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 afternoon school. It was light enough for 
 a little game after tea, too, and three 
 masters joined in. This time they picked 
 sides and counted runs ; Gerrans bowled 
 crowds of boys out with his lobs, and 
 Roper drove a ball on to the roof of the 
 North House, where it broke a slate and 
 then rolled down into the field again. 
 It was a grand time so peaceful and 
 balmy ; the sea like glass, and not a sail 
 to be seen ; the quiet woods so very restful 
 to look at, and the sky palely blue with 
 rosy cloudlets drifting over from the west. 
 Burrell was not on Coley's side, but both 
 sides had to field right through, and they 
 were near each other. Once Burrell re- 
 marked, " Isn't it prime out here ? " 
 
 "Yes," said Coley, "but that beastly 
 prep, bell will soon spoil it all. We ought 
 to have prep, later in summer." 
 
 He got an innings, and Burrell, who 
 
 didn't, had more right to grumble. But 
 
 Coley's batting only lasted two minutes 
 
 at the outside. The new boy caught Mr 
 
 80
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 Carrington at cover-slip, and felt sorry ; 
 though it didn't make much difference, 
 as the master on duty had to go about 
 twenty past seven to see the lessons put 
 up on the boards and ring the bell. When 
 Mr Carrington went, Coley also donned 
 his coat, and so did several others who were 
 not altogether ready for prep. Carrington 
 waited for Mason and they went off to- 
 gether ; the master trying to expound 
 wrist-play, which was what his eromenos 
 sadly lacked. Then Coley offered to ring 
 the bell at the proper time and his patron 
 got the schoolroom gases going. Two poor 
 little forgotten wretches were poring over 
 " avoir " at the bottom of the schoolroom, 
 and he sent them out to say it to Mr Gerrans 
 on the field. The head boy of each form 
 was supposed to write up the lessons on 
 one of the three boards ; Carrington, how- 
 ever, always wrote his own. What the 
 boys wrote was generally pretty illegible 
 to those who sat nearest, and was quite 
 lost upon those at any distance. In fact* 
 
 F 8l
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 the boards presented a truly fearful and 
 wonderful appearance when filled with the 
 prep. work. 
 
 The bell rang, and in five bare minutes 
 boys got in from the field, took off their 
 boots, washed (or did not wash) them- 
 selves, fetched their books, ascertained 
 their work, and settled into their places. 
 How it was all done was a puzzle, but 
 hardly any boy was ever late. 
 
 For the first four minutes the schoolroom 
 was humming like a hive ; a seething 
 mob jostled, pushed and screamed between 
 the desks. It was a babel of " Lend me a 
 pen ! " " What's the work ? " " Get out of 
 the way!" "Who's got my Virgil?'' 
 " Where's the Lower Fourth lesson ? " 
 
 Boys came pelting along the corridor 
 like mad things ; not so rowdy to-night as 
 usual, for Gerrans stood perspiring outside 
 the masters' door, holding a coat and a 
 collar on his arm, and weeding out his big 
 fair moustache while he heard the two luck- 
 less kids stumble through " J'aurai, I shall 
 82
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 have . ' ' Inside the masters' room Carrin gton 
 was putting on his cap and gown in the 
 fading light and gathering a pile of books 
 under his arm ; while a small boy was 
 rummaging in a far corner for the composi- 
 tion-books of his form, asking vainly, 
 " Please, sir, which is Mr Shields's shelf ? " 
 Then the master on duty sallied forth 
 into the schoolroom, and, dazzled with 
 excess of light from the ghostly incan- 
 descent burners, roared " Every boy sit 
 down ! " Those who were nearest did so, 
 and many who could not have heard a 
 thunder-clap in that hubbub of voices 
 saw the movement and thus obtained 
 their cue. It was then twenty-nine minutes 
 past seven, and when Carrington said 
 " Silence ! " (at half-past exactly) every 
 boy was in his seat, and had to open his 
 books and shut his desk forthwith. Then 
 till half-time there was a great calm, broken 
 only by the going out of six boys to their 
 baths, and the occasional voice of the 
 master, hardly raised above a whisper, 
 83
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 as he tramped up and down the long room 
 between the rows of desks, giving what 
 little attention was required to the boys' 
 requests. The new-comers caused most 
 trouble, not having yet received their own 
 books and not possessing sense enough 
 to borrow any before prep, commenced. 
 On the previous evening Carrington had 
 declared they must provide for themselves, 
 but there was a certain amount of difficulty 
 in arranging it. Each form had two lessons 
 to do, and when one was a popular lesson 
 the whole form seemed to conspire to work 
 at that one first, leaving no spare books 
 for would-be borrowers. It was rough on 
 the master, whose prep, would have been 
 completely spoiled by all the shifts and 
 devices he had to invent unless he had 
 shown great tact and resource. There 
 never were any books forthcoming for 
 new boys the first fortnight or so ; a 
 great piece of mismanagement on the 
 Head's part. 
 
 Coley had provided his friend with the 
 84
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 necessaries this night, but BurreU had a 
 bad time all the same. He had some 
 Algebra to do of which he knew nothing, 
 and though Graiseley tried to help him 
 with signs and nods and gesticulations, 
 it was of very little use. He essayed to 
 read up the book- work, having too much 
 sense to expect (as some boys did) that, 
 with eighty boys to control, Carrington 
 would be able to come and teach him. 
 At seven minutes past eight it was " Change 
 your work ! " Then desks were opened, 
 and books changed, and after two minutes 
 of a certain degree of turmoil, things settled 
 down again till a quarter to nine, when it 
 was " Stop work ! " Then a hubbub arose 
 similar to that which preceded prep., but 
 not quite so bad, because Carrington re- 
 mained up at the Head's desk to stop 
 horseplay and bawling. He tolerated a 
 certain amount of noise ; after the strain 
 of prep, it was necessary to blow off steam, 
 and he didn't want it blown off in supper. 
 Howitt always went out of the room and 
 85
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 left it to chaos, but it wasn't wise ; the 
 row, on one such occasion, had brought 
 the Head along from his distant quarters. 
 
 Burrell was parleying with a person of 
 some importance Clements, the head boy 
 of his form, who was collecting the prep.- 
 work to take into the masters' room. 
 
 " Chuck your book over, you Burrell," 
 roared Clements, distracted by his difficulties 
 and hampered by two sets of exercise books, 
 which he was endeavouring to keep separate. 
 
 " I've done no Algebra," said Burrell. 
 
 " Never mind, man ; pass it over, con- 
 found you." 
 
 " But I want to ..." 
 
 He proceeded so far, when Graiseley 
 snatched it out of his unwilling hands 
 and sent it spinning at Clements. He 
 very cleverly butted it down with his he ad 
 upon the desk, and was stooping to add it 
 to his unwieldy load of books, when a 
 small kid shoved about a dozen of them 
 from under his arm. Clements turned with 
 a smothered exclamation ; but it was Price, 
 
 86
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 his First-form pet, who had done the damage 
 and was now putting out his tongue cheekily 
 from the safe distance of the doorway. 
 
 " All right, young Price ; I'll murder 
 you ! " shouted his erastes, his savage 
 expression changing to one of amused 
 tolerance. 
 
 " Stop that bawling, Clements," cried Car- 
 rington, coming pretty near bawling himself. 
 
 " Please, sir, he's giving cheek," ex- 
 plained Clements, thus beset on all sides. 
 
 Burrell looked round for Mason ; he, 
 however, was just then standing outside 
 the door of the masters' room, worse 
 laden than Clements, and asking two or 
 three boys to knock and open for him before 
 he found a small chap to accomplish it. 
 Burrell thought he'd go up and ask Mr 
 Carrington if he couldn't have his Algebra 
 book back till the next morning. But 
 there was no gaining the master's ear ; 
 he had four or five boys round him trying to 
 get off the marks he'd given for being late 
 from baths. 
 
 87
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 " It's no use," he was saying, " you went 
 at half-time, and you came in after I said 
 ' Stop work/ " 
 
 " But, please, sir/' argued Richards, 
 " we thought at first there wasn't any 
 hot water, and then just when we were 
 coming back " 
 
 He had said all this before ; the others 
 had already turned away and left him to 
 make his last effort alone. But it was 
 ten to nine, and, with a wave of his hand, 
 Carrington shouted " Every boy sit down ! " 
 
 Richards was much aggrieved ; he was 
 a decent fellow, in the Upper Fifth, and he 
 didn't want a mark at all. Besides, he 
 either had, or persuaded himself that he had, 
 a fair excuse, and yet he couldn't make 
 Carrington listen. So he went away in a 
 rage, consoling himself by saying, " I shall 
 go to the Head ! " His speech, however, 
 was quite inaudible ; he meant it to be, 
 for he really had no intention of an appeal 
 to a higher court. 
 
 " Silence ! " cried Carrington, and a hush 
 
 88
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 fell on the room. " Sixth ! " and the top 
 boys filed quietly out to supper. When the 
 room was half-empty out came the mark- 
 book, which he had hoped to use no more 
 that evening, and he said, " F. C. Brown, 
 I shall mark you ! " Pinky, who sat next 
 to the bottom blackboard, threw down 
 a chalky duster with a comical look of 
 despair. He had been beating it vigorously, 
 out of sight under his desk, and a cloud 
 of white dust was rising from his vicinity. 
 The pad of felt, or something of that 
 kind, was tied to the board, but the string 
 was necessarily long enough for the boy to 
 get hold of it. 
 
 As the forms filed out Carrington moved 
 down to command a view of the passage, 
 despite the fact that five prefects were 
 ranged up outside the dining-hall door. 
 When it came to the last form, he divested 
 himself of his cap and gown, and placed 
 them in the open arms of Rivers, whose 
 duty (or pleasure) it was to put down the 
 gases, and take the masters' impedimenta 
 8 9
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 into their room. He himself followed up 
 his boys closely, and relieved his deputy 
 in the hall, who had not made up his mind 
 yet as to whom he should punish for the 
 tune on the glasses. Considering that about 
 a dozen chaps were at it, it was rather a 
 serious question ! 
 
 It was Carrington's misfortune (for so 
 he felt it) to notice just as he came in that 
 Master Burrell was chucking, or pretending 
 to chuck, a pellet of bread at his vis-d-vis. 
 So our friend got his second mark, and 
 felt so glum during supper that he could 
 hardly speak a word. The mark was useful 
 in the room ; nobody needed further re- 
 proof for a considerable time after it was 
 given. When Carrington said grace before 
 meals it was his (peculiar) custom* to knock 
 on the high -table with the handle of a 
 knife ; the three or four kids nearest 
 him made a point of offering their knives 
 simultaneously as he reached the top of the 
 room. On this occasion he accepted Price's, 
 and the " Burnley slogger " was triumphant 
 90
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 over his fair-haired neighbour. Price was 
 a left-hand bat of considerable reputation, 
 aged ten. 
 
 Number Thirteen was somewhat sparsely 
 populated at nine o'clock, for Victor and 
 Coley were attending a cricket committee. 
 It was the custom to hold committee 
 meetings at bedtime, and the result was 
 disastrous to order in the bedrooms. Just 
 after lights were put out or put down, 
 instead, in certain rooms up came the 
 non-prefectorial members of a committee 
 to get to bed without supervision. On 
 this night the business was somewhat 
 lengthy, and the two Thirteeners were not 
 up till half-past nine. 
 
 " Business done : Nothing ! " quoth 
 Phil as they came in. He then proceeded 
 to get out of bed, where Mr Roper had 
 left him looking most demure, and began 
 to brush his plentiful hair by the light of 
 the gas, which Victor turned up. 
 
 " Well, you're not down for nets, if that's 
 what you mean," suggested Coley drily. 
 91
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 " Pooh ! who cares for nets ? " cried 
 Phil disdainfully. " Except goal-nets," he 
 added. 
 
 Lewis didn't play cricket, and wanted to 
 talk now about the iniquity of locking up 
 the football with which he and about six 
 of his persuasion had terrified the cricketers 
 after breakfast. But the rest were keen 
 on knowing what twenty-two boys had 
 been chosen to go to net-practice on the 
 top field. The two committee-men re- 
 called, between them, the whole list, while 
 Jimmy checked off the numbers on his 
 fingers. (It is open to question whether, 
 even jointly, they could have reproduced 
 the twenty-second prop, of Euclid's First 
 Book). Burrell heard his own name 
 mentioned with some surprise, and at his 
 faint exclamation his chum stopped to 
 comment. 
 
 " Oh, you got on easily ; Carrington 
 was the first to mention you. But it 
 doesn't mean yet, that you've got colours, 
 you know ! " 
 
 92
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 One master was always supposed to 
 attend every meeting of all committees. 
 It was always Roper or Carrington for the 
 sports committees, and, as Roper was on 
 bedroom duty, the latter had finished his 
 day's work with this additional duty. 
 He had felt it to be rather an imposition 
 when he went down, but some fun with 
 Coley, whom he had attempted to squeeze 
 flat behind the door of Shields's class-room, 
 had enlivened proceedings considerably for 
 him. 
 
 93
 
 CHAPTER IV 
 
 WEDNESDAY 
 
 BURRELL woke in the middle of a dream 
 of cricket. He was just making frantic 
 snatches at a ball composed of bread, 
 which crumbled into nothing, and slipped 
 through his fingers, when the bell broke 
 off the dream abruptly. 
 
 At most schools in England a boy wakes 
 on Wednesdays with a comfortable feeling 
 of something pleasant in store. But these 
 boys had their mid-week half on Thursday, 
 in Continental fashion. 
 
 " I think it's a very good tip," said 
 Thorn, as Burrell expressed his disgust at 
 the arrangement. 
 
 " Why ? It doesn't break up the week 
 fairly. Look what a beastly long first half ! " 
 
 "Well, then; look what a jolly short 
 last half ! " 
 
 94
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 " But we need it more in the middle," 
 urged Burrell. 
 
 Thorn smiled as he left Victor to take 
 up the discussion from his bed, where he 
 lay with his arms behind his head. The 
 prefect was the only fellow who had turned 
 out. 
 
 " My objection is that .other schools 
 have Wednesdays, and so it's beastly awk- 
 ward for fixing matches." 
 
 This was Victor's view of the matter. 
 
 " Yes, rather ! " agreed Burrell ; " how 
 do you manage it ? " 
 
 " Why, we make other schools change 
 their holiday when they want to play us." 
 
 " I wonder they do. I suppose we change 
 ours sometimes ? " 
 
 " No, never in my time. It's Dr Patti- 
 son's day for music ; we couldn't change." 
 
 "Well," remarked the new boy, "it's 
 good cheek to make other schools do it 
 every time." 
 
 " Bless you, the Head's got cheek enough 
 for anything ! " interposed Jimmy. 
 95
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 " Like some of his kids ! " added Thorn. 
 
 Jimmy presently remembered his nega- 
 tives, and leaped out of bed as he asked 
 excitedly : 
 
 " Where did you put those negs., Stan. ? " 
 
 Thorn had undertaken to see them safely 
 out of the basin in the dark-room the 
 previous night. A boy who developed 
 after tea (and Jimmy had not developed 
 until that time, after all) would leave his 
 negatives to wash during prep, and rush 
 out after prep, to take them out if he could 
 get leave. If he couldn't well, he went 
 all the same ! But Jimmy had forgotten 
 his snapshots until he was going in to 
 supper, and had begged his brother to go 
 out to them. Victor had passed the com- 
 mission on to Thorn, and his young brother 
 had been so perturbed at this piece of news, 
 which transpired just before talking ceased 
 the night before, that he wondered now 
 how he could have thought of anything 
 else upon awaking ! 
 
 " Are they all right ? " he inquired, 
 9 6
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 slily, putting on his stockings with in- 
 credible speed. 
 
 " Yes, I think so." 
 
 " Didn't you look at them, then ? " 
 
 " Scarcely ; I only just lifted them out. 
 What are they ? " 
 
 " Oh, nothing much." 
 
 Young Limehouse now breathed freely 
 until a new thought crossed his mind. 
 
 " You didn't lay them film side down ? " 
 he inquired sharply. 
 
 " No, of course not ; I stood them up on 
 their edges in the window, like Victor told 
 me to," 
 
 "Oh, that's all right. Thanks!" 
 
 Burrell had too much sense to pursue 
 the subject of these negatives at the time, 
 though he wanted to ask how they had 
 turned out. Thorn would have thought it 
 a matter to report had he known the 
 nature of them. Jimmy went out first, 
 for once in a way, this morning ; he wanted 
 to get over to the South House and secure 
 his property before early school. It 
 
 G 97
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 was Coley who recurred to the subject as 
 he and his chum went down at second 
 bell. 
 
 " Those photos will cause a row ; you 
 mark my words." 
 
 " Are they any good ? " asked Burrell. 
 
 " Yes ; Jimmy told me one of them was 
 a really good snap. And lots of the chaps 
 are after prints off them. It will soon leak 
 out." 
 
 " Oh, I daresay they'll keep them pretty 
 dark." 
 
 " No, these affairs with Miss Briggs's 
 girls always leak out ; somebody will be 
 ass enough to send one to a girl there, and 
 she'll show it round or something." 
 
 " What'll the Head do ? " 
 
 " Oh, something jolly nasty. We're 
 always having rows about those girls, and 
 losing holidays and things. I believe we 
 have our holiday on Thursday because they 
 have Wednesday." 
 
 "Well," reflected Burrell ; " it's only 
 fun!" 
 
 9 8
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 " I daresay ; but when you have to pay 
 too dear for it, it becomes very soft to try 
 it on. Jimmy is a grand little chap, and 
 yet he's awfully silly. Victor ought to 
 lick him, and instead of that he encourages 
 him." 
 
 The Head's class had to teach themselves 
 this morning ; Carrington said the collect 
 at ten past seven, and sent the boys off to 
 their masters. 
 
 Burrell had a placid morning until a 
 quarter to twelve, when his form went to 
 Mr Beach for Latin. Here he was utterly 
 discomfited over the numerals ; he had 
 prepared them the night before, but only 
 in the slipshod style which wouldn't do 
 at all under this master. So he found him- 
 self imprisoned till the bell rang at 1.25 
 .for dinner-assembly. Not that it took him 
 the additional hour to master his lesson ; 
 when he tried he could get up things of that 
 sort as soon as most fellows : but the 
 class-room was crowded with boys who 
 came in from other forms at half-past 
 
 99
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 twelve, having been "turned" in some 
 previous lesson that morning. Thus Mr 
 Beach had his hands so full that many 
 boys, like our young friend, couldn't go 
 up even when they were ready. Burrell 
 went without saying the work, and was told 
 to say it across at Mr Beach's room after 
 tea. If the grey-bearded old master, who 
 was admitted on all sides to be the best 
 teacher in the school, could have done so, 
 he would have continued to teach until the 
 crack of doom, but the dinner-bell had been 
 fixed as the limit. 
 
 After dinner, Burrell renewed his ac- 
 quaintance with the same class - room, 
 where the marks were worked off as on 
 the previous day. Again he behaved 
 himself well enough to go after ten 
 minutes of standing, and got in a good 
 innings on the field for the first time in 
 the day. 
 
 During afternoon school he went out 
 to his music-lesson. As he had not sat 
 down to a piano since the previous term, 
 
 100
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 he was nervous at first, but Dr Pattison 
 was not the man to inspire dread. His 
 cheery, fussy greeting of the new boy 
 was characteristic of him. Johnson, Bur- 
 rell's immediate predecessor on the music 
 list, had fetched him out of his class, and 
 piloted him into the music-room, which he 
 entered for the first time. 
 
 " Ah, here we are ! " exclaimed the 
 Doctor ; " well, Burrell, and how are 
 you ? " 
 
 Burrell said he was quite well. 
 
 " That's right ! Learned before, I see, 
 and brought your music too. Good boy ! 
 Now, Johnson, you be off, young man ; 
 and mind you practise that exercise like 
 a black before next Wednesday ! " 
 
 So saying he conducted the grinning boy 
 to the door by the ear, dismissed him with a 
 friendly nod, and proceeded to put his new 
 pupil through his paces. Burrell enjoyed 
 the forty minutes' lesson thoroughly, and 
 with it the list for the day terminated. Not 
 so the teacher's work ; there was singing on
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 Wednesdays after tea. When the boy 
 got back to his form (and he hunted it down 
 after a search which took him into two 
 wrong class-rooms) it was ten past five, 
 and I'm afraid he didn't do a great lot of 
 work during that period. His form was 
 let out punctually, but, coming up from 
 below, where he had gone to prepare for 
 tea, he met Mason in the corridor, who with 
 his comrades had only just escaped. The 
 gong sounded as Burrell entered the school- 
 room, but it didn't look much like a tea- 
 assembly ! Mr Carrington was there, cer- 
 tainly, but he stood in the middle of the 
 room, the top being well occupied. On 
 one side the Head had two boys up at his 
 board working something in Mechanics, 
 while the rest of the form were anxiously 
 waiting to give in their marks. On the 
 other side Mr Gerrans was bawling loudly 
 enough to wake the dead in an attempt to 
 get through a chapter of German trans- 
 lation before dismissing his form. At the 
 bottom of the room Carrington was keeping
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 what order was possible in the circumstances. 
 Every boy who was ready for tea had to sit 
 down, so Burrell and Johnson chatted about 
 music-practice. 
 
 " Half-an-hour a day," explained the 
 latter, " and always in your playtime." 
 
 " What time ? " inquired Burrell. 
 
 " Oh, different times and different 
 places. The list won't be up just yet, I 
 hope ; when it is, you'll have to look and 
 see. You might as well get a practice-book 
 to-night ; Carrington gives out stationery 
 on Wednesdays after tea." 
 
 " What's it for ? " 
 
 " Oh, you have to enter every day how 
 much you do, and the time, and the piano- 
 Then in prep, the master signs them all." 
 
 " What a fag ! " the new boy observed. 
 
 " Yes, but you'll be able to take it easy 
 some weeks. Shields only comes round 
 about twice in his duty week, and Roper 
 sometimes not at all. The deuce of it is, 
 masters swap nights sometimes, and you 
 have Gerrans or Carrington dropping on 
 103
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 you with two marks, or fixing you up for 
 the next half." 
 
 " Can't we swap ? " 
 
 " Oh, rather. I swapped my Mondays 
 and Fridays with my brother all last term. 
 It was a great score ! " 
 
 " Why ? " 
 
 " Well, you see, his practice is before 
 dinner in Beach's class-room those days, 
 and there's always work going on, so I 
 got off. My time is after tea in the South 
 House those days, where there's no getting 
 out of it." 
 
 " Didn't your brother mind ? " 
 
 " Bless you, no ; he likes playing the 
 piano. I like playing chess in the read- 
 ing-room at night and footer before 
 dinner ! " 
 
 " Well, we get our lesson in school- 
 time, anyhow," said Burrell. 
 
 " Yes, most of us ; and you needn't 
 practise the day you have your lesson. 
 That's prime ! " 
 
 By this time it was about twenty to six ; 
 104
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 tea was supposed to be at half-past five 
 the time for stopping afternoon school. 
 Of course, it was ridiculous ! The Head 
 was just locking up his desk and sailing out, 
 rattling his keys loudly. His boys began to 
 crowd round Carrington with " Go and 
 wash, sir ? " Impatiently he said " Yes," 
 or nodded his head, a dozen times in a 
 minute, endeavouring to fix his attention 
 on the rest of the room. Then he was able 
 to roar " Silence ! " which he could not do 
 before while the Head was teaching (though 
 Howitt invariably did it and passed the 
 classes out too !). The seats were now 
 fairly well filled, especially at the lower 
 end, but Gerrans's boys were just coming in 
 after their ablutions. This " getting ready 
 for tea " resolved itself, in many cases, 
 into rushing out to the box-room to get pots 
 of jam and other luxuries, which boys were 
 allowed to take in every night. On this 
 present night there would be, perhaps, 
 every third boy thus encumbered as he 
 came back to the assembly. In spite of the 
 IO S
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 opposition stream, Mr Carrington began 
 to pass the forms out. The temptation to 
 scuffle was great as those going met those 
 coming, particularly as it was quite im- 
 possible for two boys to pass one another 
 in the doorway, one half of the door being 
 seldom, if ever, folded back. Two or three 
 chaps got marks ; it was unavoidable 
 with such a rotten arrangement. At last 
 the room was empty, and, without bother- 
 ing himself about those boys not yet re- 
 turned, the master on duty retreated into 
 the adjoining room, flung himself into 
 an easy-chair without taking off his cap and 
 gown, and held forth on the annoyances 
 of his lot for the seven hundredth time, 
 while he lolled with his arms hanging 
 down to the floor a picture of limpness. 
 Most of the staff were still in the room ; 
 only one was forced to be present from 
 the very commencement of tea, and he 
 frequently came out when somebody else 
 condescended to turn up in the hall and 
 relieve him. It was often six o'clock before 
 
 106
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 the whole six were sitting down. Mr 
 Beach had tea in his own room. 
 
 Carrington had to give out books, etc., 
 after tea, and before going into the hall he 
 went to inspect the stationery cupboard. 
 There was a great demand upon him this 
 evening, later on, for materials, and it was 
 seven before he was able to lock up. The 
 list of names in the account-book was in 
 alphabetical order, and Carrington read it 
 up and down on alternate occasions. Thus 
 a boy knew if he cared to know about 
 the time to go near and make his demands. 
 
 The cupboard was on the floor, with 
 sliding doors ; Carrington stood in a corner 
 granting or refusing requests, and while 
 he plied his pencil and looked round upon 
 all things, a volunteer gave out the goods. 
 To-night it was little Price who officiated ; 
 it very often was, for he was the most 
 obliging kid imaginable, and loved dearly 
 to be of use. Gerrans delighted to tell 
 how his stockings fell about his boots in a 
 football practice, and how Price came on 
 107
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 the field with an offer of his garters ! Very 
 deftly the youngster dispensed the pens and 
 pencils, books and blotting-paper, while 
 his master recorded them in the book. 
 
 Some boys were notorious for large 
 stationery bills ; some had next to nothing 
 all the term. F. C. Brown asked for a 
 penholder and a new nib twice a week 
 regularly. Richards represented the upper 
 school almost as frequently, frankly con- 
 fessing that he ate two penholders a week ! 
 Even when at last Adams was reached, 
 the names going backwards to-night, there 
 were six or seven who had come late, and 
 Carrington was too good-natured to send 
 them away empty. Price stoutly refused 
 to accept his cong6, and remained to lock 
 up for his master, perfectly satisfied with 
 the " Thank you very much, Price," which 
 he received at the end. 
 
 Burrell was not seasoned enough to know 
 his turn wouldn't come in the first twenty 
 minutes, or to get his order executed by 
 proxy, so he lost all his after-tea play until 
 
 108
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 seven. Then Carrington rang the bell for 
 the first batch of singers. On Wednesdays 
 prep, commenced at eight, and every boy 
 had half-an-hour's singing in one of the 
 two classes. The division was made thus : 
 boys who had voices, first ; boys who had no 
 voices, second. 
 
 " Which division do I belong to, sir ? " 
 asked Burrell of Carrington, as he rang the 
 bell. 
 
 " Well, you can go in the first to-night ; 
 you shall have the benefit of the doubt ! " 
 was the reply. 
 
 All the new boys had the same benefit, 
 but in less than two minutes some of them 
 were coming back again. Burrell was 
 among these, and was rejoicing in the 
 thought of some cricket while the light 
 lasted, when he remembered his appoint- 
 ment with Mr Beach. He was passing his 
 door at the time, and he knocked and went 
 in. The master was alone, and heard the 
 numerals while he continued smoking his 
 pipe. It was soon over, and Burrell was 
 109
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 dismissed with a commendation for his 
 conduct. 
 
 " Always come when I tell you to, 
 Burrell," said Mr Beach. " I often forget, 
 but you don't ; and when I remember and 
 you don't come, I punish pretty smartly." 
 
 At last our friend was free to join his 
 chum on the field ; Coley also " had no 
 voice " ; a most untrue statement, taken 
 literally! All too soon came the second 
 bell, but as a matter of fact only one-fourth 
 of the hour had been reserved for the second 
 division. Again Burrell enjoyed the lesson ; 
 the Doctor was a magnificent conductor, 
 even of boys without voices. 
 
 " You ought to see him on speech-days," 
 said Coley, as they went across afterwards to 
 prep. " Such a spanking hood ; it makes 
 all the others look sober. And he has 
 medals, too, lots of them." 
 
 " What are they for ? " 
 
 " Oh, for conducting choirs who win 
 competitions, or something of that sort ! " 
 replied Coley. 
 
 no
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 When Burrell began to undress at nine 
 o'clock, he was able to demonstrate that he 
 hadn't played cricket without result ; two 
 of his brace-buttons were missing. 
 
 " Ask Roper for leave for the linen- 
 room," said Coley. 
 
 He did, next time Mr Roper appeared. 
 
 " Very well ; do you know where to 
 go ? " he inquired. 
 
 Burrell said he did, and Jimmy's offer to 
 pilot him was of no avail. So when the 
 boy had divested himself of his knicker- 
 bockers, and arrayed himself in his dressing- 
 gown (which was bright blue outside, lined 
 with scarlet, and of his own selection ! ) 
 he proceeded along the corridor to the linen- 
 room. Several other chaps were there on 
 the same or similar errands ; Miss Rock 
 was promising a multitude of repairs before 
 the morning, and assured Burrell of the 
 return of his knickers before he went to 
 sleep. 
 
 " How are you getting on, dear ? " she 
 asked. And though Burrell thought it
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 queer, the form of address was very home- 
 like, and forged the first link of a bond of 
 sympathy which was destined to become 
 a very happy and enduring one. He told 
 Coley with a grin when he got back to his 
 room. 
 
 " Yes ; she always calls you that," 
 said Coley ; " she calls Victor ' dear.' " 
 
 " That's nothing ! " laughed Victor, who 
 was not easily abashed. " I heard her say 
 it to Barr." 
 
 " Oh, I say ! " exclaimed two boys at 
 once. Barr was scarcely bigger than Victor 
 Limehouse, who was one of the most solid 
 customers in the school ; the great differ- 
 ence lay in their characters. Barr was a 
 cross-grained, uncouth bully. 
 
 112
 
 CHAPTER V 
 
 THURSDAY 
 
 BURRELL and his pioneer found themselves 
 both chosen for the scratch match on the 
 upper field. The teams were on the notice 
 board, and a lovely scrum was going on 
 around the spot at five minutes to seven, 
 when our two friends went out to look. They 
 knew they were down without looking ; 
 Thorn had told them he would put them 
 both in. But they enjoyed the shoving 
 first-rate, and Coley took part in an ani- 
 mated discussion which was proceeding 
 noisily. Burrell was bewildered ; what he 
 heard was something like this : 
 
 " Look there ; three masters on Thorn's 
 side ! " 
 
 " Well, you ass ; there's Gerrans and 
 Carrington on the other side." 
 
 " Oh, I say ! Gerrans and Graiseley 
 both the same side ! " 
 H 113
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 " Thorn's got all the batting, though." 
 
 " Yes, he's taken jolly good care to have 
 Limehouse and Rochester." 
 
 " There's only one new boy ; that's 
 Burrell." 
 
 " Ah, he's in Thorn's bedroom, don't 
 you see/' 
 
 " What a swindle ; I'm only about 
 fourth change with all those bowlers on 
 my side ! " 
 
 " Pinky will have to go in last." 
 
 But, after all, the discussion was much 
 less coherent than this ; the remarks being 
 made simultaneously and interspersed with 
 cries of " Mind where you're coming to ! " 
 and " Look out, will you ? " 
 
 When Mr Carrington went into assembly 
 a small boy notified the fact by shouting 
 "All in ! " through the swing-door. Then 
 they bundled in and sat down, making 
 rather more noise than was common in 
 morning assembly. Carrington had to say 
 " Too much noise ! " before the talking fell 
 to the customary whispers. 
 114
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 " You're playing/' said Graiseley to 
 BorreH. 
 
 " Yes, I know ; I wanted to." 
 
 " I didn't ; I wanted to go out with 
 Rivers. It's an awful nuisance ; every 
 blessed half taken up for cricket." 
 
 " But," said Burrell, with wide-open 
 eyes, " you're in the first eleven, aren't 
 you ? " 
 
 " Well, I don't mind matches, but these 
 practice-games are a bit too thick. There's 
 net- practice every day." 
 
 The new boy was enthusiastic, and could 
 scarcely believe that the young grumbler 
 meant what he said. If Burrell could get 
 cricket he was always happy. Graiseley, 
 however, was one of those perverse creatures 
 who are invariably injured whatever is 
 done ! His small stature, pale face, and 
 slender little legs hardly betokened the 
 sportsman that he was. He came of a 
 family who played cricket and footer by 
 instinct, taking no trouble over games, and 
 yet being shining lights at everything. His 
 "5
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 demure little mouth could grow very hard 
 at times, and altogether he was too para- 
 doxical to be easily understood by anybody. 
 Certainly Burrell had not yet fathomed 
 him, though he liked him a good deal. 
 
 When the boys came in to breakfast- 
 assembly at eight, Victor went up to Mr 
 Carrington, who immediately announced 
 to the room that the players in the after- 
 noon game were requested to roll the pitch 
 after breakfast and at eleven o'clock. 
 So Burrell dutifully went up as soon as he 
 came out of the hall, and assisted at the 
 shafts of the big roller instead of playing 
 on the lower field. There were very few 
 chaps there ; Thorn was bossing the busi- 
 ness, but not another big boy was up when 
 Burrell got there ; later on Lance Rochester 
 came. Jimmy was there as cricket-curator. 
 Lewis languidly lent a hand, though he 
 was not expected to do so ; he seized the 
 opportunity of preaching " footer all the 
 year round/' as his habit was. The small 
 fry turned up well ; Pinky Brown and Lee 
 116
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 being most energetic. At a quarter to 
 nine Mr Roper appeared, smoking his after- 
 breakfast pipe, and later on Mr Gerrans, 
 hauling a string of lower-school boys who 
 were to roll instead of saying their French 
 verb. 
 
 The bell didn't ring till ten past nine on 
 Thursdays, and the wicket had a capital 
 rolling. Burrell enjoyed it, working really 
 hard, and not merely pretending to shove, 
 as several others did. Lewis ceased to 
 hortate when the masters came, and was 
 soon dismissed by Gerrans for throwing 
 fellows' caps down just in front of the 
 roller. Mr Roper was sarcastic on the 
 subject of the committee : they certainly 
 set a poor example, for four of them never 
 came near. Burrell knew that Coley was 
 swatting, but he didn't guess that Victor 
 and Wright were playing on the lower 
 field. 
 
 It was a lovely morning, sunny and 
 breezy. Some of the atmosphere of en- 
 joyment seemed to follow them even into 
 117
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 the class-rooms. There was the indefinable 
 feeling of the half-holiday, which made 
 Thursday and Saturday mornings pass 
 quickly, both to masters and boys. Bur- 
 rell's form went to the Head for the first 
 hour, for their weekly examination. They 
 had a splendid time. Mr Rochester's re- 
 putation as a highly successful teacher was 
 certainly not made by this sort of work. He 
 pitched upon Mental Arithmetic, and in five 
 minutes found that Rivers was the most 
 incapable boy in the form. Then he 
 badgered the poor unfortunate fellow for 
 twenty minutes with a good old stock 
 question : " If I go to the Station, and buy 
 eleven return-tickets at a fare and a quarter," 
 etc. Rivers easily had six - pounds - ten 
 left out of a five-pound note ; Mental 
 Arithmetic was allied with magic in his 
 mind. The Head was excruciatingly funny. 
 Two other classes working in the school- 
 room were much amused ; and Carrington, 
 who was teaching one of them, was much 
 disgusted. He took Rivers's form in the 
 118
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 subject, and it was supremely galling to 
 him to witness the boy's discomfiture. 
 
 At the recess there was a fair muster of 
 bun-eating players at the roller, but six or 
 seven minutes was all that could be given 
 to the pitch before they were rung in again. 
 Victor was being slanged by Mr Roper for 
 slackness as they came in, when he had the 
 temerity to pick a daisy and to offer it to 
 his mentor. Roper angrily knocked his 
 hand away, and turned to Carrington with 
 an offended air. 
 
 " Why didn't you take it and stick it in 
 your coat ? " asked Carrington in a rallying 
 tone. 
 
 " Beastly cheek ! " growled Roper, clean- 
 ing his spectacles. 
 
 "Well, I wish he'd offer me a flower. 
 I'd show you how it ought to be received ! " 
 
 After recess, Burrell finished up the morn- 
 ing with drawing, going up to the drawing 
 class-room with about twenty others for an 
 hour and three-quarters. Mr O'Brien left 
 him pretty much to himself, as he was busy 
 119
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 with numbers of minutiae on this, the first 
 drawing day of Term. It was a very free- 
 and-easy lesson ; talking was tolerated up 
 to a certain point, and everybody enjoyed it. 
 Coley was doing geometrical drawings (with 
 a view, presumably, to his future engineer- 
 ing) ; he sat at a little table near one of the 
 windows. The room looked North, and 
 there was a splendid view seawards, but 
 the boys didn't look out of the windows 
 much, not caring greatly for the beauties 
 of nature. Burr ell was unable to get an 
 easel, so sat down with his freehand copy 
 at the other end of Coley 's table. Mr 
 O'Brien managed them very well, and 
 without giving marks too. This morning 
 he had given one, in the preceding class, 
 to Phil Lewis, and it was quite a topic of 
 conversation. 
 
 " Phil's got a mark from O'Brien," was 
 Coley's first contribution to a conversation 
 carried on between himself and his vis-d- 
 vis. 
 
 " What for ? "
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 " Chucking bread about ; he often does 
 it ; I'm glad he got one. Gerrans will put 
 it down two in the book, I daresay." 
 
 " Why ? " 
 
 " Oh, I don't know. He did once before. 
 O'Brien gives his marks to Gerrans after 
 school, you see." 
 
 " Do you get marks for this work ? " 
 
 " Rather ; everybody gets ten that's 
 maximum if he behaves properly. It's 
 such fun : O'Brien writes all the names 
 down on a long strip of drawing-paper 
 every day, and takes it down to Gerrans, 
 and everybody has ten ! I can't see why he 
 takes the trouble to do it. I'll bet they laugh 
 every drawing day in the masters' room." 
 
 " I suppose they count ? " said Burrell. 
 
 " I don't believe they do ; that makes it 
 funnier still. But his bad marks do, so mind 
 you don't chuckbread unless he isn't looking." 
 
 " I'm not going to ; I use india-rubber ; 
 I never saw bread used before ! " 
 
 " Well, we always have it here. Got any 
 marks for to-day ? "
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 " No, have you ? " 
 
 " Of course not ! " replied Coley, in- 
 dignantly ; " why, I only had twenty-one 
 last term ! " 
 
 " Does anybody get none ? " 
 
 " Yes, one or two chaps. Palmer never 
 gets any. It's funny about marks : you 
 always get them if you try not to ; haven't 
 you noticed it ? " 
 
 " I haven't had time to try yet," said 
 Burrell, smiling. 
 
 " No, of course not : but it is so. Now 
 there's young Bob Thorn : his pater gives 
 him a shilling when he goes home for every 
 mark he gets below the average in his 
 form. It goes on the reports." 
 
 " How do you mean ? " 
 
 " Why, the average, perhaps, is thirty ; 
 well, if he only gets twenty he has ten 
 bob. It used to be sixpence a mark, but 
 that was when Bob was in the Lower Fourth, 
 where the average is about fifty. When he 
 got into the Upper Fourth, last term, 
 where the average is only about thirty
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 (I don't believe it's as much as thirty, 
 though !) he said he must have a fresh 
 understanding with his pater, so it's been 
 a shilling since then." 
 
 " Does he ever get anything ? " 
 
 " Not he ! That's just what I was going 
 to say. He tries like bricks, and yet he's 
 generally top-scorer in his form. It isn't 
 always the most disorderly chaps who get 
 most, though." 
 
 " I expect it is generally," observed 
 Burrell. 
 
 " Well, I don't know." Coley seemed in- 
 clined for a moment to consider it philoso- 
 phically, but eventually gave it up with 
 an air of " Too much fag ! " Then he took 
 up another side of this prominent mark- 
 question, which was really the most fre- 
 quently discussed of any subject among 
 the boys, especially in the bedrooms at the 
 end of the day. 
 
 " I'll tell you this, anyhow," he volun- 
 teered ; "if once you get a bad name 
 among the masters, you're done for. Palmer 
 123
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 might do a dozen things and not get a mark, 
 and Pinky would be marked for every one 
 of the dozen." 
 
 " Hard lines ! " 
 
 " Rather ! Carrington marked Beau- 
 champ six times in one week for looking 
 at him while he said grace at dinner ! " 
 
 " Nonsense." 
 
 " It's right ! He said Beauchamp looked 
 at him in a cheeky manner." 
 
 " Well, did he ? " 
 
 " How do I know ? I don't suppose he 
 meant to at first, but I guess he did after 
 the first day or two. I should have done." 
 
 " How did it end, then ? " asked Burrell. 
 
 " Oh, Carrington's week only comes 
 once in six, and before it came round again 
 they understood each other better, I suppose. 
 It never happened again. It's often quite 
 a misunderstanding." 
 
 "Well, that's too bad: they let you 
 explain, though ? " 
 
 " Pooh ! you can't explain. Besides, 
 they often won't let you. And when they 
 124
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 do, it's no good ; you can see all the time, 
 while you're making it as clear as daylight, 
 that they don't mean to take off the marks 
 whatever you say. Then you get waxy, 
 and give cheek, and get them doubled. 
 That's what young Thorn does generally. 
 What I object to is having half -holidays 
 stopped for bad mark-lists." 
 
 " Do they do that ? " 
 
 " The Head does, sometimes. He's the 
 only one that thinks it fair. I know the 
 other masters don't ; Beach thinks it's rot, 
 I'm sure. Why shouldn't the boys who get 
 them be punished, without the others and 
 all the masters ? " 
 
 " Yes, it's not fair," agreed Burrell. 
 
 " No, it's beastly rot. So it is rot for a 
 mark to stop you from a match." 
 
 " Does it ? " 
 
 " Yes, of course. If it's an out-match 
 it does. You must stand your blooming 
 mark after dinner with the others, and the 
 very day you get it too. So if you only 
 get one mark a week, and it happens to 
 125
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 come between Friday and Saturday's dinner, 
 you're as badly off as those who get seven, 
 and are gated on half -holidays. It's lost 
 us many a match at cricket and footer, I 
 can tell you. Why should a mark be more 
 heavily punished one day than another ? " 
 
 "Why don't they have some other ar- 
 rangement ? " 
 
 " Bless you! the Head thinks it's splendid; 
 he won't alter for anybody. He don't 
 care twopence for the games, but he's an 
 ass not to see that they do more for his old 
 school than all his teaching, and the open 
 schols. we get. Once a master he's left 
 now kept a mark from Saturday till Mon- 
 day, so as to let Victor go to a footer match, 
 and the Head was in a wax about it. And 
 Roper last term went to see if he could get 
 leave to have marks before dinner one 
 Thursday, so as not to spoil our best match 
 of the season, and he said he'd never venture 
 to ask again." 
 
 " I wonder the masters mark the chaps in 
 the teams, then," observed Burrell. 
 126
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 " So do I ; I've often thought I wouldn't. 
 It would pay to let us off in such cases ; 
 they must see it would. Nobody would 
 take advantage of a let-off like that, I'm 
 sure. Or they could give a task just for 
 once." 
 
 " Perhaps they think it wouldn't be 
 fair." 
 
 " Oh, crikey, you must think they're 
 mighty conscientious ! I'm sure they don't 
 stop long to consider that ! Still, I don't 
 know." Coley's face puckered up in thought, 
 as he measured out an angle on his paper. 
 " It must be hard for a chap like Roper. 
 He fags at the ground and the practices ; 
 goes out with the teams ; does all he can 
 for the games ; and then he goes and marks 
 Victor or Graiseley or Lewis just before a 
 match, and won't take it off ! He and 
 Carrington are the best two for the games. 
 Carrington is permanent secretary, and he 
 has awful tussles with the Head before he 
 can get matches on, if there's any going 
 away early or coming back late. I believe 
 127
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 the Head bullies him awfully because he 
 sticks up for the footer and cricket." 
 
 " What a shame ! " said Burrell. 
 
 " Yes, and he lets the masters pay all 
 their own ex'es, too, when they take us to 
 play away." 
 
 " Well, they do that at most schools." 
 
 " Then it's a rotten state of things," 
 cried Coley. 
 
 His indignation had caused him to raise 
 his voice, and the master looked across 
 with a warning word. He quieted down, 
 and plied his compass and rule in silence. 
 His chum wondered whether this outburst 
 was to be accounted for by the patronage 
 Carrington was popularly supposed to bestow 
 on Coley. 
 
 Presently he resumed his conversation. 
 He had not done with marks yet. 
 
 "A long time ago the Head promised a 
 half if ever there was a day without marks, 
 and we got one once." 
 
 " Jolly good ! " 
 
 " Yes, it took some getting, I can tell 
 128
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 you. But last term we got a blank mark- 
 sheet again, and expected another holi- 
 day, and he wouldn't give it, stingy old 
 wretch ! " 
 
 " Why not ? " 
 
 " Oh, he said it wasn't an understood 
 thing that we were always to have one : 
 he only promised it once." 
 
 " What a sell for you ! " 
 
 " So it was, but you ought to have heard 
 the row it kicked up. For twenty-four 
 hours it had been " Don't get marks ! " 
 " Don't get marks ! " Everybody was re- 
 minding everybody else : we kept a sharp 
 look-out on wretched kids like F. C. Brown ; 
 and you saw it scribbled in chalk all over the 
 place, " Don't get marks ! " Well, as soon 
 as ever we came out of hall, after he'd 
 sold us that day, everyone was saying, 
 "Get marks," "Get marks!" "Get as 
 many as you can." The inscriptions were 
 altered ; we rubbed out all the " Don't "s. 
 Next day we had the record : a hundred and 
 thirty-one, I think it was. I know fifty- 
 i 129
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 five out of ninety boys in the school were 
 on the book." 
 
 " What happened ? " 
 
 " Oh, we had to work all the next 
 Thursday afternoon. But we didn't care : 
 it was splendid ! " 
 
 " Hard lines on the masters, wasn't it ? " 
 
 " Well, yes, it was ! " Coley admitted ; 
 " because, of course, they helped us to get 
 the blank page ; we couldn't possibly do it 
 if they didn't. But, of course, they knew 
 why we were so naughty after it ; they'd 
 put that down to the stingy old Head's 
 account, not ours." 
 
 Before dinner, Jimmy and Mr Roper, 
 assisted by some small fry who loved to 
 dabble in anything, marked out the wicket. 
 
 On this Thursday there were no gated 
 boys ; the previous week had only con- 
 sisted of two days, a period too short 
 to enable anybody to qualify for the 
 necessary number. Mr Carrington was only 
 too glad. 
 
 In the afternoon Burrell enjoyed himself 
 130
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 hugely until near tea-time when his head 
 began to ache. It often did after a cricket- 
 match ; perhaps the excitement caused it, 
 or the strain on the eyes. He and Coley 
 were both on Wright's side, that is, with 
 Mr Gerrans and Mr Carrington. Their 
 side went in first, and made ninety-four 
 (Gerrans 37, Graiseley 24, and Burrell 12 
 not out). Coley made two ; Mr Carring- 
 ton an unenviable duck, much to the disgust 
 of himself and his side. Coley chaffed him 
 terribly as he lolled under the tree beside 
 the scoring-box ; and Burrell came to the 
 conclusion that though at times like these 
 there was a delightful rapport between all 
 masters and boys Mr Carrington would 
 not have tolerated quite so much presump- 
 tion from any other boy on the field. 
 Burrell went in eighth wicket down, so the 
 first hour and a half of the afternoon was a 
 time of nervous ease for him. Had it 
 not been for his anxiety to do well, he would 
 have enjoyed it perfectly ; his flannels and 
 his shoes were new ; he wore a nobby 
 13*
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 canvas shirt laced up the front, and 
 he could sport a blazer, which was more 
 than most of the boys could do, as there 
 were only five of last Summer's team left 
 to wear the school colours. 
 
 The wicket crumbled badly despite the 
 rolling : there had been no rain for weeks ; 
 the grass was long, too, and spoilt boundary- 
 strokes and out-fielding alike. But nobody 
 (except, perhaps, the masters) cared much 
 for these drawbacks. Shields disposed of 
 most of BurrelTs side with his fast bumpy 
 left-hand deliveries ; in his first over he 
 bowled Carrington, who was very sick, 
 because he was about the one man who 
 could hit Shields. Thorn and Mr Roper 
 took a wicket or two each, but most of the 
 runs came from them. Mr Howitt kept 
 wicket. 
 
 Burrell batted very steadily, and, unlike 
 most of his predecessors, made some useful 
 strokes on the off-side. Mr Gerrans part- 
 nered him for a time, and the boy was very 
 much pleased with the commendations 
 132
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 that came along the wicket as he made a 
 good stroke, or refused to play at a rising 
 ball outside the off-stump. 
 
 When Thorn's side went in, runs came 
 very slowly, and it was five o'clock before 
 the seventh wicket fell at sixty odd, and the 
 game came to an undecided conclusion. 
 Mr Howitt and Mr Roper made most of 
 the runs, Thorn's ten being the only other 
 double-figures. Gerrans bowled remark- 
 ably well at one end (not the wily lobs, 
 however, which got wickets so often on the 
 practice-field), and Graiseley, though he 
 only took one wicket, kept up the other 
 end very steadily. Victor Limehouse made 
 the longest hit of the day a square-leg 
 smack into the South House garden, but 
 came out next ball. Burrell was honoured 
 with the position of cover-point to both 
 bowlers, and did very well, though he 
 grew tired towards the close. 
 
 Despite the afternoon's cricket there 
 was a pick-up side on the lower field after 
 tea. Burrell didn't play ; his head was 
 133
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 bad, and he lounged by the tennis-courts, 
 watching some of the committee-men gal- 
 lantly dragging the small roller over one of 
 the courts, while the rest mowed the grass 
 on the other court with a tiny lawn-mower, 
 supplemented by an old scythe, borrowed 
 from Daniel, the man-of -all-work. 
 
 After prep, everybody was thoroughly 
 tired, and nobody had energy enough to 
 make a row in supper. There was an 
 excellent opportunity ; for the milk, instead 
 of being put as usual in the places of the 
 boys who took it, was in two big pitchers 
 on the high-table. Carrington, to avoid a 
 fuss, took it round himself, and poured it 
 out, going along from table to table. It was 
 a job he didn't much relish, but nobody 
 could have done it more justly or more 
 expeditiously. By the time it was finished, 
 it was on the stroke of nine, and Carrington 
 touched the bell. F. C. Brown, who had 
 only just received his allowance of milk (and 
 that a short one, as it happened) tried to 
 drink it during the " returning of thanks." 
 134
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 Of course, the temptation was too much for 
 his yellow-haired little neighbour, and the 
 milk went all over Pinky 's waistcoat. So 
 that the next word to " Amen " was " F. C. 
 Brown, I shall mark you ! " And the small 
 originator of the disturbance had to go and 
 confess, " Please, sir, I made him ! " 
 Then the mark was transferred to Croydon, 
 and the honourable little chap (goodness 
 knows what else he could have anticipated !) 
 went out, when his turn came, with such 
 a rueful pout that Carrington was highly 
 amused. 
 
 In Number Thirteen there was a chat- 
 tering which sorely tried poor BurrelTs 
 nerves. His head was aching fit to split, 
 and he had it on the cool pillow in less than 
 five minutes. . . 
 
 " Seedy, Burrell ? " asked Mr Roper, 
 surprised to find anybody in bed at his first 
 visit. 
 
 " Yes, sir, I've got a beastly headache." 
 
 " Hard lines ! Well, you played a very 
 good innings this afternoon."
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 This didn't cure the throbbing in Barren's 
 head, however pleasant it was to hear- 
 It had been a trifle better during supper, 
 but running upstairs and hurrying into bed 
 had started it off again ten times worse than 
 before. Every speech, every laugh, made 
 him wince. 
 
 " Poor old chap ! " said Coley, looking at 
 the white lace very sympathetically, and 
 kicking off his slippers at the same time with 
 a great noise. 
 
 " Thorn's got some ' Eno,' " suggested 
 Lewis. He would have opened the prefect's 
 drawer, and taken it out, but Burrell 
 murmured, 
 
 " Oh, don't take it without asking ; he'll 
 be up presently." 
 
 It was a relief to get the light out, but 
 after Mr Roper had gone there was a good 
 deal of animated discussion raging round 
 such points of interest as the afternoon's 
 cricket, milk at supper, and Jimmy's photos, 
 which were on view in their untoned state 
 during the undressing. 
 136
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 At ten, when Thorn came up, nobody 
 remembered to ask for the medicine except 
 Burrell himself, and he couldn't raise suffi- 
 cient energy to bother about it. He was 
 feeling very cold, but he had lain perfectly 
 still for nearly an hour, hoping the turmoil 
 inside his head would settle down into 
 quiescence. It had not done so, however ; 
 the lighting of the gas, and Thorn's move- 
 ments (though they were anything but 
 noisy) tortured the poor fellow afresh. 
 Nobody spoke to him, fortunately ; perhaps 
 the other chaps thought he was asleep. 
 
 The light went out for the last time ; 
 talking ceased ; five boys were soon asleep, 
 but Burrell never came near it. He felt 
 horribly wakeful, and could not attain that 
 delightful incoherence of thought which 
 is the precursor of sleep, and which is so 
 hard to come at when one is trying for it. 
 The pain was in his left temple, and that 
 was a good thing, for he could only lie on 
 his right side like so many other people. 
 He put his hand out of bed, and, cooling it on 
 137
 
 In Car ringtail's Duty Week 
 
 the rail at his head, applied it to the throb- 
 bing temple. This didn't do it a scrap of 
 good ; the moving had made him worse. 
 The deep regular breathing of the other 
 boys was most irritating ; here was he 
 losing the best of the night and yet needing 
 sleep most of all. And Coley had said he'd 
 never had a headache in his life ! Well, 
 Coley must be better made than he was, 
 or took more care of himself, perhaps. 
 What a row Victor was making in the bed 
 next to him, snoring away like a pig ! 
 How the deuce had he got this cruel head- 
 ache ? Of course he'd often had them 
 before at home, but then there was his 
 mother to coddle him up and do things for 
 him. The last time he was like this, she had 
 come in when she went to bed, and he had 
 asked for a bandage for his head. She 
 tied a clean white handkerchief round it. 
 At first he was sorry because it wasn't 
 wetted with cold water or vinegar, but 
 he had gone to sleep soon after. He 
 would tie his handkerchief round now. 
 138
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 Oh dear ! Oh dear ! What a fag it was 
 to get it out of his jacket, lying on the chair 
 beside him. There ! perhaps that would 
 do it good. How long must you give a 
 thing like that to act ? Well, not less 
 than half-an-hour perhaps. Why wasn't 
 there was something to cure headache 
 instantaneously ? He believed there was ; 
 he'd seen it advertised in a paper only the 
 other day. Now, what was the stuff called? 
 Oh, dear, how stupid ! It was making 
 him worse, trying to remember like that ! 
 He wouldn't think about it. He wouldn't 
 think about anything. What a stupid old 
 head, to go on thinking when he didn't 
 want it to ! What a time he was lying 
 awake ! Everybody in the room was asleep, 
 most likely everybody in the house. Per- 
 haps he'd have to go on like this till the 
 morning ! He wished he knew what time 
 it was ; he couldn't see if he were to open 
 his eyes. And what a row his watch 
 made over his head. Darn the thing ! he 
 would wrap it in his handkerchief, which 
 139
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 might just as well come off his head it 
 wasn't doing a morsel of good. He could 
 get out and wet it. No, it was too much 
 fag. There, now he couldn't hear that 
 beastly ticking. Why, it wasn't very dark 
 after all ! Of course not ; there was the gas 
 on the landing, and the faint light came in 
 through the fan-light over the door. Then 
 Mr Carrington hadn't gone to bed yet : 
 it couldn't be more than about eleven. 
 Beastly cricket ! these matches always gave 
 him a headache. He wouldn't play again. 
 It was hard lines other boys didn't get 
 headaches. He believed there was some- 
 thing wrong with his constitution ; he'd 
 never be a strong man. But Father was 
 strong and hearty enough. Dear Father ! 
 It was a week ago to-day he said good-bye 
 to him at the station. He'd be just going 
 to bed now, and Mother too. Lilian and 
 little Walter would be fast asleep hours 
 ago. How would his bedroom look with 
 only Walter in it ? He wondered whether 
 his own bed was taken down, or was stand- 
 ee
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 ing dismantled in its corner. Confound 
 it ! if only his head would be quiet for five 
 minutes he could go to sleep. At home 
 he'd have been asleep before now. The 
 pain was worse and worse. What was 
 the use of lying so still when he never got 
 a bit better ? It was just like a beastly 
 machine beating at the inside of his brain. 
 What was it really, he wondered ? If you 
 could see into your head when it was like 
 this, what would it look like ? Just the 
 same as at any other time, he supposed. 
 What was pain, anyhow ? People talked 
 about forgetting your pain. Rot ! how 
 could anybody forget a brutal machine 
 banging the inside of your head right over 
 your eye ? What nonsense people talked ! 
 What was that verse ? With Thee con- 
 versing I forget all pain and toil and care ? 
 Ah, that was only in a hymn. Now, here 
 was Mr Carrington coming along the cor- 
 ridor. Now he would open his eyes and 
 see the gas go out. What a grand sleep 
 Victor was having ! And his mouth open, 
 141
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 too ! It would be good fun to shove some 
 soap in it. Ha ! ha ! Oh, shut up ! that 
 made his head worse. There went the gas. 
 How quietly Carrington went to bed ; you 
 couldn't hear his door shut ! It must be 
 twelve now, quite. Three mortal hours 
 of it already, and how many ? well, 
 say six and a half more. Nice and fit he 
 would be for getting up to morning school, 
 wouldn't he ? Perhaps he could stay in 
 bed, though ? But, no, he wouldn't do 
 that unless he was horribly bad. Just 
 let him fancy ; could he do Mental Arith- 
 metic like he was now ? If he went to the 
 station and bought .... Oh bother ! it 
 hurt him to try. Silly old Head, setting 
 such rotten sums. What was it first period 
 tomorrow ? Well, never mind ; there was 
 drill in the afternoon. He wondered if it 
 would be like the old drill : he used to enjoy 
 that. Graiseley said it was stupid. But 
 Graiseley said that about everything. How 
 steadily he had bowled, over after over ! 
 Dash it ; he wouldn't think about cricket 
 142
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 any more. Perhaps he could stop thinking 
 altogether now. If only he could ! Grey 
 matter yes, that's what the brain was made 
 of. What was the matter with his grey 
 matter ? Oh, how silly ; making jokes 
 with a splitting head ! No, he wouldn't 
 play so much cricket ; he'd swear he 
 wouldn't ! What was the use of going to a 
 school at the seaside, and then spending 
 all the blooming time playing cricket? 
 He'd go to the shore oftener ; and to the 
 woods sometimes. That wouldn't give him 
 a headache ! What good did it do you, 
 after you'd left school, to have played 
 such a lot of cricket ? Now, by the sea 
 you could learn heaps of useful things, 
 and in the woods, too ! What good was 
 nearly everything they did at school ? 
 Oh, but that wouldn't do ! Mother told 
 him it was silly to talk like that, and 
 showed him why. Only a week since he 
 came ; good heavens ! it seemed a month ! 
 Twelve more weeks like that ! But, after 
 all, it had gone quick ! Had he really slept
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 in this bed seven times ? Yes, eight. No, 
 not eight, he hadn't done any sleeping 
 to-night as yet. What rot ! To lie in bed 
 thinking, thinking, thinking all night ! 
 Beastly old grey matter ; it must be seeth- 
 ing about like mad. Why wouldn't it 
 be quiet ! That must be Jimmy, tossing 
 round on his bed. What a lively chap 
 he was ! And what a brown skin he had ! 
 When he blushed just now, the blood 
 rushed all over his face and he seemed to 
 steam. No wonder boys called it " smok- 
 ing " ! It must be one o'clock now. Oh, 
 dear ! five and a half more hours. It was 
 no use lying still like that ! He was warmer, 
 now, though ! He supposed he'd better 
 lie still. Perhaps, if he thought of the 
 sheep jumping through the hedge . . . No, 
 of course not ! you didn't do that when 
 your headache was keeping you awake. 
 There, now he was thinking about those 
 sheep ! Oh, he would stop it. It was very 
 quiet outside ; the trees would rustle if 
 there was any wind ; there couldn't be any. 
 144
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 It wasn't really pitch-dark now ! Why 
 not ? Perhaps the moon no, not on that 
 side of the house. What did it matter ? If 
 only his head would stop aching ! How 
 could people do anything with a bad head- 
 ache ? He supposed they had to, some- 
 times. He'd read somewhere about many 
 a soldier going into battle with a splitting 
 headache. Well, it was cruel, anyhow. 
 It was bad enough to lie still. Could he 
 have stopped that hard smack of Thorn's 
 if his head had been as bad as it was now ? 
 He wished he'd been put in earlier ; he only 
 had about six overs ; six or seven well, 
 perhaps eight, or even nine. Dash it ! 
 cricket again ! Oh, dear, oh dear ! how 
 bad his head was ! the grey matter didn't 
 seem to be settling down. It was too bad ; 
 all the night lying there suffering, and no- 
 body to pity him ! Stop a bit, though ; 
 no good getting in a wax : that wouldn't 
 improve his chance of dropping off. How 
 still he had lain all that long time ! Surely 
 he'd stop thinking soon ! He must have 
 K MS
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 eaten too much. Not at supper, certainly. 
 Well, at tea, then ? No, not anything 
 out of the way. Dinner ? that was non- 
 sense ; food digests in six hours (or was it 
 five ?) How long was it since dinner ? 
 Just about twelve hours ; more, now, 
 he expected ! How did they divide the 
 twenty-four hours ? About fifteen for wak- 
 ing ; that left nine for sleeping. He should 
 only get how many, to-night ? Perhaps 
 four and a half that was just half the 
 proper number. But some men did with 
 six ! Ah, yes men, not boys. Well, he'd 
 be a man before long ; how long ? He 
 was nearly fourteen. Well, say five years ! 
 Why, how soon ! And he hadn't begun 
 to be one yet. He wondered if he'd have 
 headaches like this when he was a man. 
 Oh, dear ! how hard it was not to get in a 
 wax. It was so abominably aggravating. 
 Perhaps he was really getting rested. Could 
 your body get rest while your brain kept on 
 thinking and throbbing like that ? He 
 must ask Father; he would know. Most 
 146
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 likely, you could get rest like that ; your 
 brain worked, anyhow, when you dreamed, 
 and yet you got rest. Some people said, 
 though, that it wasn't rest if you dreamed. 
 Well, he didn't often dream, at any rate. 
 Now, wasn't he any better ? Well, perhaps, 
 a tiny bit the least trifle. No, he didn't 
 believe he really was ; he was only trying 
 to pretend to himself. That was it. And 
 he'd just forgotten for a minute. With 
 Thee conversing I forget . . . Good-night ! 
 there was that hymn again. Talking to 
 God it meant. Saying your prayers, he 
 supposed. Well, he'd said his. Had he, 
 though ? Yes, of course : he remembered 
 now. Not very properly to be sure ! Per- 
 haps he'd better say them again. God 
 could make his head better, he supposed. 
 He wondered if he would. Oh, would 
 God please make his head stop aching, and 
 let him go to sleep ? His feet seemed 
 asleep ! What a wonder they didn't get 
 tired of being in the same position all those 
 hours. The left one was crossed over the 
 147
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 other. He would move them. Well, they 
 were warm, anyhow ! Pes, pedis, a foot, 
 masculine ; lex, legis, a law, feminine . . . 
 What a stupid photo ! a lot of girls 
 fielding a square-leg hit, too ! . . . Victor , 
 victoris, a conqueror . . . 1066 to 1087 . . 
 Jubilee year, 1887 ... 63 for seven wickets. 
 . . . The match was thus drawn, in favour 
 of Mr Burrell's XL ... Well left alone, 
 Burrell ! Well, you played a very good 
 innings this afternoon. . . Good-night, sir ! 
 What a vile row ! all in, was it ? ... Oh ! 
 that bell ! Why, dash it all, it was next 
 morning ! 
 
 I4 8
 
 CHAPTER VI 
 
 FRIDAY 
 
 I woke up well, and it was morning \ The 
 man who wrote that [God rest your sym- 
 pathetic soul, dear friend!] knew what it 
 was to wake up in the morning very far 
 from well. Burrell didn't ; so the fact that 
 his headache was completely gone didn't 
 strike him as being in the least noteworthy. 
 
 " Better, old man ? " asked Coley from 
 his corner as soon as the bell had ceased. 
 
 " Oh, yes ; I'm all right, thanks " ; 
 and Burrell tumbled out of bed quite 
 cheerfully. He had been getting rather 
 slack lately ; but, without his knowing 
 it, his vigil was having the effect of making 
 him more conscientious. It wasn't des- 
 tined to last long this improvement in 
 turning out. 
 
 " Drill to-day ! " remarked Jimmy, put- 
 149
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 ting his hand into his jacket-pocket to make 
 sure that the dangerous prints had not 
 mysteriously disappeared in the night. 
 
 " Sergeant won't come, perhaps," sug- 
 gested Victor. " First time, he sometimes 
 forgets." 
 
 Coley soon disposed of this vain hope. 
 
 " I met him in the village yesterday, and 
 he said he was coming. He said he came 
 up last Friday as far as the gate, and then 
 somebody told him it was no use ; we 
 weren't all back." 
 
 " Grand ! " exclaimed Jimmy. " I won- 
 der who it was. Do you know?" 
 
 " No ; I asked him. He said it was a 
 small boy Pinky, perhaps." 
 
 " No, I'll bet it wasn't ! " objected Victor. 
 " Pinky hasn't wit enough for that ! " 
 
 " Oh, hasn't he though ! " retorted Coley. 
 " Now I'U bet you it was Pinky! " 
 
 " Perhaps you do know, then ? " 
 
 " No ; I'll swear I don't. Only it sounds 
 just like him." 
 
 "Well," declared Victor, "it was jolly 
 150
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 decent of him, whoever it was. And it 
 was quite true, too : we aren't all back 
 yet/' 
 
 When they were going downstairs, Burrell 
 asked his chum if drill was as bad as Graise- 
 ley said. 
 
 " Oh, it's fairly rotten ! " said Coley ; 
 " Sergeant isn't much good, and he gives 
 us a lot too much ' doubling.' I believe he 
 thinks it tames us down. You can have a 
 pretty good lark as far as he's concerned." 
 
 " Doesn't he mark you ? " 
 
 " No, but a master is always out there, 
 too ; he does ! Carrington will be there 
 to-day : he won't let you talk even ! " 
 
 Graiseley had chapped hands, and showed 
 them to Burrell, as soon as the latter sat 
 down in the first assembly. 
 
 " How funny they look ! " exclaimed 
 Burrell, examining their backs, which bore 
 a kind of little war map, lined out in 
 red. 
 
 " They hurt jolly well, I can tell you ! " 
 said Graiseley, looking at them most com-
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 placently. "If I could wash in warm 
 water, they wouldn't bleed like that ! " 
 
 Burrell smiled. 
 
 " I hate washing in warm water ! " he 
 said. " You ought to put some vaseline on 
 them." 
 
 " Well, give us some, then ! " 
 
 "AU right; I will : only it's upstairs." 
 
 " Well, you can ask Carrington for leave 
 to get it." 
 
 " What, now ? " 
 
 " Yes." 
 
 So Burrell walked out of his place, and 
 asked leave to go back to his room. Car- 
 rington said, however, that he might go 
 after breakfast ; he thought that would 
 be quite soon enough. 
 
 " Old donkey ! " ejaculated Graiseley, 
 as his neighbour came back again to his 
 seat. " I knew he wouldn't let you ! " 
 
 " Why not ? " 
 
 " Oh, he don't like me ." 
 
 " But I didn't tell him it was for you ! " 
 remonstrated Burrell.
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 " You didn't ! why ever not ? " 
 
 Without waiting for an answer to what 
 Burrell considered a very ridiculous ques- 
 tion, Graiseley got a paper out of his desk 
 and began to read it. 
 
 Burrell turned to Johnson, who sat on 
 his left. 
 
 " What 's our work ? " he inquired. 
 
 " Don't know. Clements will tell you," 
 was the reply. 
 
 So Burrell leaned over, and, after some 
 little difficulty in attracting the attention 
 of Clements, the head-boy of the form, 
 managed to borrow the time-table from him, 
 and busied himself making a copy of it in 
 his pocket-book until the collect was said. 
 Before Carrington called " Silence ! " he 
 drew their attention to the fact that the 
 music time-table was up, and announced 
 that he should sign books in evening prep. 
 Burrell could not manage a peep at it until 
 breakfast-assembly, when several other boys 
 went up like himself to see how their 
 practice-times suited their convenience. 
 153
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 Price was making a great row. 
 
 " Jolly decent ! not down once for the 
 old piano ! " he vociferated. 
 
 To Burrell all pianos were as yet equal ; 
 but he soon learned which was the one to 
 which the Burnley Slogger alluded. It had 
 no pedals, and was in a class-room where 
 the practice was never impracticable ; two 
 very serious drawbacks. 
 
 " I can't think how the dickens Gerrans 
 arranges it," growled Johnson, as they 
 sat waiting to be sent in to breakfast. 
 " It isn't alphabetical ; nor according to 
 forms ; nor by ages ! " 
 
 " Which is No. 4 piano ? " asked Burrell. 
 
 "North House," replied Johnson, "it's 
 a decent one, too ! " 
 
 " I'm there after breakfast ! " remarked 
 the new boy, trying not to speak queru- 
 lously. 
 
 " Hard luck ! I hate that time ; it isn't 
 good enough. I always stay as late as I 
 can in hall on my after-breakfast morning." 
 
 " What for ? " 
 
 154
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 " Weil, you can only do about twenty 
 minutes then, if it's a nine o'clock day. 
 You can say you didn't come out of break- 
 fast till half-past eight, and you went as 
 soon as you could and practised till five 
 to nine. See ? " 
 
 " I'm going to change mine," said Bur- 
 rell confidently, as he consulted the notes 
 he had made in his pocket-book. " I shall 
 want to play cricket that time." 
 
 " Well, don't you wish you may get 
 anybody to be so soft, that's all ! " 
 
 " I'm going to try," said Burrell. 
 
 " Bet you won't manage it ! " retorted 
 Johnson. 
 
 He didn't that morning, at any rate ; 
 and he practised religiously on the North 
 House piano from 8.25 till 8.55, only 
 occasionally looking out through the win- 
 dow for a glimpse of cricket, caught between 
 the swaying branches of the trees in the 
 garden. Mr. Carrington came in while he 
 was at it ; this being the first morning of 
 practice, he was so tremendously energetic
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 as to go the round of the pianos a thing 
 seldom done by him or any other masters. 
 
 "Well, Burrell; you're at it, then?" 
 he said. 
 
 The boy could think of no reply save to 
 state that he was at it. 
 
 " Better to-day ? " the master went on, 
 coming up close, and pinching his ear. 
 
 " Yes, thank you, sir ! " 
 
 " Too much cricket ? " 
 
 " I daresay it was, sir. I often have 
 bad headaches/ 
 
 " Do you ? " 
 
 Then Carrington looked down at him with 
 a glance that the boy thought remarkably 
 searching, and after that went away with, 
 " Well, get on with your playing." 
 
 Burrell wondered how he knew about the 
 headache ; perhaps, Mr. Roper had men- 
 tioned it last night, or Coley might have 
 just told him. As he ran up and down his 
 scales, he chafed a little at having to give 
 up this precious time to them. But that 
 didn't prevent him doing his best to play 
 156
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 them correctly, and going over the hard 
 ones again and again in a praiseworthy 
 endeavour to get them right. 
 
 He got out punctually at half -past twelve ; 
 that was something to be thankful for, as 
 he had been to Mr Beach for Latin during 
 the morning. Despite the good resolutions 
 of last night he went straight to the field ; 
 and played cricket energetically till the 
 bell rang for dinner-assembly. Coming up 
 from below, he had his hair unmercifully 
 ruffled by somebody who passed him on the 
 stairs. It was Jimmy Limehouse, and 
 Burrell pursued him hotly along the corri- 
 dor. Jimmy dodged nimbly through the 
 fellows, uttering a despairing yell as he 
 found he would be collared before he could 
 get into the comparative safety of the 
 schoolroom. He was going to bolt out of 
 the swing-door, but caught a glimpse of 
 Carrington, who was already in assembly, 
 and who was coming to the schoolroom 
 door to see what the row in the corridor 
 meant. So he pulled up short, and was
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 walking in as sedately as if he'd never run 
 or screamed in all his born days. But 
 Burrell hadn't so keen a perception of 
 circumstances, and fell upon him from 
 behind, bending him back over his knee 
 and trying to put him down on the floor. 
 
 " 1 shall mark you two boys," said the 
 master, under whose very nose this was going 
 on ; and they rose, looking extremely silly. 
 Burrell felt that he was very red, partly 
 from exertion, but more perhaps from shame 
 and vexation. Jimmy was also the colour 
 of a turkey-cock ; but he generously tried 
 to shield his antagonist. 
 
 " It was my fault, sir," he said, as 
 their names went down in the pocket- 
 book. 
 
 " Oh, nonsense ! Go to your places ! " 
 was all the reply this piece of information 
 elicited. 
 
 " I began it, sir ! " he continued, as he 
 reluctantly passed into the room. 
 
 " That will do \ " cried Carrington, with 
 a voice somewhat louder than before. And 
 158
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 Jimmy, who was afraid the one mark 
 might become two, gave it up. He said 
 " Sorry ! " though, to Burrell, and quite 
 audibly, too. It was said in what might 
 have fairly been considered a cheeky tone, 
 but Carrington did not, or would not, take 
 any notice of it, and crying " Silence ! " 
 passed them out to dinner. 
 
 "I've got a mark," said Burrell to Brand 
 at table ; " when shall I have to stand it ? " 
 
 " Oh, not till after tea, I suppose. It all 
 depends on the Sergeant's coming." 
 
 " Well, he's coming then ! " 
 
 " Hope he isn't ! I wonder which div. 
 goes first. Seniors, I suppose." 
 
 Burrell couldn't enlighten him here, so 
 he turned to his other neighbours for in- 
 formation. 
 
 When he read the mark list, the Head 
 warned any boy against going off the pre- 
 mises until the question of drill was settled. 
 When they got outside, Carrington was 
 besieged with requests for information. 
 He waved everybody away, and merely
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 saying " Marks in Mr Beach's classroom/' 
 went into the masters' room. He left the 
 door open, and Burrell heard him ask 
 anxiously, 
 
 " Will this blooming Sergeant come ? " 
 
 Three or four of the other men hastened 
 maliciously to inform him that drill was 
 inevitable. It was good for the men who 
 were not on duty, because they scored an 
 extra half -hour. School commenced at four 
 on drill days, each division having forty- 
 five minutes. 
 
 " I'll begin marks, anyhow. I never 
 get a let-off ! " 
 
 And with this, Carrington came out 
 again, and ignoring a number of unnecessary 
 observations, such as " Marks, sir ? " went 
 to get at any rate a bit of the detention 
 over. 
 
 With assumed complacence and affability 
 he bustled the mark-boys round, and com- 
 menced unusually quickly. Before three 
 minutes had gone he saw the Sergeant 
 coming up the side of the field " the thin 
 1 60
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 red line," as the staff jocularly called 
 him. But he was determined to stand off 
 the first ten minutes, so he took no notice 
 of the instructor's appearance. Nor, when 
 Victor appeared and knocked at the door, 
 sent by the delighted masters' -room to 
 apprise Carrington, did the duty-master 
 yield up his victims till the first mark was 
 stood. It was so humbugging to have to 
 reckon odd minutes, and the Sergeant was 
 able to renew his acquaintance with the 
 boys in the meantime, while Pinky and Price 
 once more fondled his malacca with due 
 gravity. At last Carrington said, " All 
 with more than one mark come again after 
 tea ! " Then there was a general rush, 
 and many enquiries of " Which division 
 first, sir ? " 
 
 They took it in alternation, and Carrington 
 decided " Seniors first ! " to the disgust 
 of several seniors. Victor remonstrated, 
 pretending to remember distinctly that the 
 seniors went first on the last drill of last 
 Term. But a semi-jocular, semi-peevish 
 
 L 161
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 retort of " Shut up, Victor, you donkey ! " 
 put discussion at an end. Then, sending his 
 aggressor to ring the bell a lovely piece 
 of diplomacy lost upon Limehouse ! Car- 
 rington carried his book into the masters' 
 room, and came out again with his cap on, 
 resigned to his fate. Outside, he returned 
 the Sergeant's salute, and ordered Coley to 
 pull up the wickets from the middle of the 
 field, and pitch them to the side under the 
 wall. 
 
 " Fall in ! " cried the instructor, and some 
 of the more energetic ones proceeded to 
 divest themselves of cuffs, or coats, or 
 even waistcoats ; some, like Jack Adams, 
 turned their sleeves up above their elbows. 
 It was quite warm enough for this disrobing, 
 and no objection was raised. Then, for 
 more than forty-five minutes, the squad 
 went through its evolutions. Lewis affected 
 to be overcome with fatigue, and made 
 himself so obnoxious that Carrington had to 
 mark him. He came near being told to fall 
 out, which would have meant going to the 
 162
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 Chief. After that, all went fairly well, 
 except when in the doubling round the field 
 they ran along by the wall over the junior 
 pitch. Here some wickets were standing 
 up, and those Coley had slung across from 
 the other pitch were lying down. Of course, 
 everybody went bang over these stumps ; 
 they presented a tremendous obstacle, which 
 made great sturdy chaps reel and totter, 
 and the charge wavered like that of the 
 English at Bannockburn. But Carrington 
 wasn't going to mark anybody just because 
 the Sergeant was an ass, so he rather enjoyed 
 this episode than otherwise. He didn't 
 like the Sergeant over-much ; it had been 
 reported in the masters' room that he had 
 been heard to say there was only one 
 master at the school who could keep order ! 
 This galled everybody, including Gerrans, 
 who might have been flattered thereby 
 had he not been a fine fellow. It was bad 
 enough to have to come and keep order 
 for a drill-sergeant ! But to be so stupidly 
 misunderstood and maligned was worse. 
 163
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 The dismissal of the division rested with 
 the master ; till he rang the bell they 
 had to go on. The first division nearly 
 always got an unfair share of the ninety 
 minutes. They did on this day, but at 
 last Carrington cried to one of the juniors 
 a good many of whom were already on the 
 scene of future action to ring the bell. 
 
 " Oh, sir, what a time ! " cried Jimmy, 
 as they broke off, and he held up his watch. 
 " I'm going to try some snaps at the 
 second div. and the light's getting worse 
 every minute ! " 
 
 Richards and Wright also brought out their 
 cameras, and, what with this and the short 
 time that remained, it did not seem long to 
 Carrington before the end came, and the 
 bell was again rung for school. 
 
 After tea, the rest of the detention was 
 stood off, and it wasn't over till quite ten 
 past seven. Johnson was enchanted ; it 
 went on during his practice-time, which 
 should have been done in that room. 
 
 Burr ell was abstemious at tea and supper, 
 164
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 and wisely refused to mix sardines with 
 strawberry jam. He had some horrid Alge- 
 bra again in prep., and, though he was 
 rather more competent by this time to tackle 
 it, he came to the conclusion that the book 
 was a catchy one, and that the expressions 
 he was told to factorise had no factors. 
 He had expected to have his bath long before 
 now, but the hot water was so deficient 
 that even to-night only one or two at the 
 top of his form had their turn. 
 
 There was an out-match arranged for 
 the first eleven on the morrow ; Mr Car- 
 rington had managed to get all the May 
 fixtures away to give the pitch a chance. 
 After prep. Victor went to ask leave to stay 
 up for the committee-meeting. Mr Car- 
 rington acceded, but not very willingly. 
 
 " It ought to have been held before," 
 he said ; " why couldn't you have had it 
 after tea ? Then the team would have been 
 up before prep, and the fellows would have 
 been steady." 
 
 " Please, sir ! " cried Victor in alarm ;
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 " you haven't marked any first eleven 
 chap, have you ? " 
 
 The master smiled as he answered, 
 
 " Well, considering that you haven't 
 picked the first eleven yet, I don't know 
 but what I have ! " 
 
 He had not, though ; there had only been 
 three marks given since tea-time up till 
 then. 
 
 The Committee met at nine, and Carring- 
 ton attended it. To him the day appeared 
 interminable, and he was so cross and 
 worried when they dispersed at half-past 
 nine, that he refused to go in to supper. 
 The other men had gone in, and he sent 
 word by a servant that he wasn't coming. 
 He sat down straight away to a pile of 
 exercises that awaited him, but after ten 
 minutes the maggot seized him to go 
 upstairs, and see if any extraneous duty 
 might still be found ! There was a pretty 
 fair din going on in the rooms on his landing, 
 but on Shields's landing up above a tin- 
 whistle was discoursing popular airs, and 
 
 166
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 very well they were rendered. Carrington 
 went up and relieved Adams of the instru- 
 ment ; he didn't punish him any further, 
 except in disregarding utterly the piteous 
 appeal, " Oh, sir, you'll take care of 
 it?" 
 
 Then he descended to his own corridor, and 
 thought of going to see Number Thirteen. 
 There were several excuses ; the gas was 
 still on, showing that Coley and Victor were 
 not making any great haste into bed ; 
 he could enquire after the new boy's 
 headache ; the fellows might like to discuss 
 cricket and the coming match, as they had 
 often done before with him after he'd 
 turned out their gas ; he could enquire 
 into the state of the companionship he had 
 enjoined. But despite all these excuses, 
 he hesitated, and finally turned off to see 
 who was talking to Miss Rock in the linen- 
 room. 
 
 He found Coley there, minus his jacket 
 which was undergoing repair. The master's 
 first care was to pass the time of day with 
 167
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 the matron ; his second to order the boy 
 to be off. 
 
 " Please, sir, I'm waiting for the coat ! " 
 he remonstrated. 
 
 " No, no ! Go to bed and get that light 
 out : you're not to wait." 
 
 He backed up this command by taking 
 hold of Coley's arm, and walking him along 
 the corridor. 
 
 " And who gave you leave, I should like 
 to know ? " said Carrington. 
 
 " A prefect ! " replied Coley, smiling 
 demurely : " you didn't think I'd risk 
 a mark, did you, sir ? " 
 
 The boy was picked for the first eleven, 
 and was keen on making his debut without 
 let or hindrance. It was doubtful if he 
 were worth his place, but it was a rare thing 
 to find a committee-man who didn't get 
 in ; they were voted for on account of their 
 playing powers as a rule. 
 
 " Well, I wish I could come and see you 
 play," said his master, as Coley went into 
 his room. 
 
 168
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 " Who's going, sir ? Mr Roper ? " 
 
 " Yes, I believe so." 
 
 Then Mr Carrington went in and got the 
 two fellows to bed, and turned out the 
 light, disregarding Victor's remark that 
 Thorn would want it alight again almost 
 directly. Going out, Carrington went along 
 to the linen-room again, and stayed talking 
 to Miss Rock longer than he intended. 
 He wished he'd gone sooner, when Mrs. 
 Rochester came bristling in and spoke his 
 name with a distinct trace of displeasure 
 in her tone. Still, why the deuce shouldn't 
 he talk to the matron ? 
 
 In Number Thirteen there was congratu- 
 lation going on that the bedroom should 
 have three first eleven men. Burrell took 
 very little part in the conversation ; of 
 course he wasn't chosen he had not 
 expected to be. But he certainly had 
 expected equally little that Coley would 
 be. He had meant to ask his chum to go 
 for a long walk to the caves round the 
 headland the next afternoon, and now 
 169
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 there would be nobody for him to go with, 
 unless he took somebody about whom he 
 cared very little. It must not, however, 
 be supposed that he envied or grudged 
 Coley his place in the team ; he was the 
 last boy in the world to do that sort of 
 thing. 
 
 170
 
 CHAPTER VII 
 
 SATURDAY 
 
 IF there had been excitement over the teams 
 for Thursday's game, there was much more 
 over the composition of the first eleven in 
 the opening match of the season. The 
 choice made by the committee formed 
 the chief subject of conversation during the 
 morning. Burrell was obliged to hear a 
 good many criticisms on the inclusion of 
 Coley, but he did not see the use of cham- 
 pioning his chum, so he kept out of discus- 
 sions. 
 
 After breakfast, he was just rushing out 
 to play cricket when Jimmy accosted him. 
 
 " Would you like to help me pack the 
 bags ? " he enquired. 
 
 Burrell hesitated a moment before re- 
 plying, and answered the question indirectly 
 when he made up his mind to go. 
 171
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 " I'll come/' he said. He wanted to 
 decline, but his refusal might be construed 
 into the result of the unfortunate affray of 
 the previous morning. So he took on the 
 honour charity privilege whatever it 
 might be, and accompanied Jimmy over to 
 the " bicycle-shed." Here was kept all 
 the cricket-material, and Jimmy unlocked 
 the big box to get out what was necessary 
 for the afternoon's match. 
 
 " What do you get for this job ? " 
 asked Burrell, strapping a pair of pads 
 round each bat which the curator selected 
 from the rack. 
 
 " A bob a week," answered Jimmy. 
 
 " It's hardly worth it, is it ? " inquired 
 Burrell sarcastically. 
 
 "No, hardly. But I don't really care 
 about the money so much. It's useful, 
 but I like to be able to stay up at 
 night." 
 
 " What for ? " 
 
 " Oh, to oil the bats, and tidy up, and put 
 things away." 
 
 172
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 " But you haven't stayed up yet," ob- 
 served Burrell. 
 
 " No, because there's hardly anything in 
 use at present, and it's all bundled into the 
 prefects' room at night. But next week I 
 shall have the nets to look after, and 
 everything will be done ship-shape, or 
 Carrington won't pay me." 
 
 " Are you going for your pay this week ? " 
 ' " I don't know if I shall," said Jimmy, 
 holding two odd batting gloves in his hand, 
 and trying to reconcile his conscience to 
 sending them as a pair. " If Victor goes 
 for His reading-room pay, I shall go for 
 mine." 
 
 " You and he seem to like these jobs," 
 Burrell remarked. 
 
 " Well, we get chosen from a lot of 
 applicants. You see, we do them properly 
 that's where it is. Victor's had his 
 berth for several terms now, and knows 
 all about the work." 
 
 " But you haven't been cricket-curator 
 before ? " 
 
 173
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 " No, but Lloyd was, last summer, and I 
 used to help him. He was in our room ; 
 Coley and he were awfully thick." 
 
 " Yes, I've heard about him. So you can 
 have assistance, can you ? " 
 
 " Lloyd used to have leave for somebody 
 to help him. It takes two chaps to get nets 
 in at night, I can tell you. Often there's 
 a master to give you a hand, but you can't 
 reckon on that. Last summer Shields was 
 almost always round here at nine, but I 
 believe it was only because he wanted to 
 talk to Lloyd. He used to sit on the box 
 and chaff him all the time we were rubbing 
 in the oil." 
 
 The things were packed in two bags 
 the property of the club. Few, if any, of 
 the fellows possessed cricket-bags of their 
 own. On the present occasion they would 
 go to the match in their flannels ; it was 
 only a drive of something like five miles. 
 
 " What are you going to do ? " asked 
 Burrell, as, each carrying a bulging bag, 
 they went across the garden.
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 " What, now ! " 
 
 " No, this afternoon." 
 
 "Oh, I don't know yet. I thought I 
 might get in as scorer, but you see Jacobs 
 is a pref. so I suppose he'll go every out 
 match. I went sometimes last season. 
 Carrington gets me the job." 
 
 " Well, what are you going to do, then ? " 
 
 " I'll walk over to see the match with you 
 if you like." 
 
 " Can we ? " 
 
 " Oh, yes ; it's only about an hour's 
 fast walk, and we could see an hour's 
 cricket." 
 
 " No, I don't think I want to ! " said 
 Burrell, reflectively. 
 
 " I'll take my camera," suggested Jimmy. 
 
 He though that would be an inducement, 
 but it was no great one to Burrell. He 
 proposed as an amendment that Jimmy 
 should go with him to the caves in the 
 headland. But Limehouse wouldn't do that, 
 so until the middle of the morning Burrell 
 was without plans for the afternoon. 
 175
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 Just after recess, at a quarter past eleven, 
 the day was clouded sadly for both him and 
 Coley. Burrell's form had to go to Mr 
 Beach's room for Latin, and just as he was 
 entering the door Coley passed along the 
 corridor on his way to the schoolroom. 
 In his hand was a piece of bun, and he 
 chucked it at Burrell's head. The latter 
 ducked, and then they both made a rush 
 for the fragment. Coley 's foot slipped 
 on the tiles of the floor, and he fell full- 
 length, while his chum triumphantly secured 
 the missile, and stood over him trying to 
 get a shot at his head which he protected 
 with his arm as he scrambled up again. 
 Unluckily, Mr Beach was in his class-room, 
 and moreover, it was a trifle after time. 
 Disturbed and irritated, he came to the 
 door, and saw the two boys in the middle 
 of their contest. 
 
 " Now you two boys will be marked ! " 
 he said, testily. " Mason, I shall give you 
 two ! I'm surprised to find you so dis- 
 orderly ! " 
 
 176
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 The thunderbolt had fallen indeed ! 
 There was nothing for Burrell to do but to 
 go inside with a flaming face, while Coley 
 walked slowly along to the schoolroom, 
 very pale, with a great lump in his throat. 
 
 Neither of the boys could concentrate 
 his attention on his lessons after that, and 
 Burrell was kept in at a quarter to one. 
 His chum fared a trifle better, and was able 
 to go straight to Mr Roper at that time 
 and tell him to cross off his name. Roper 
 was exceedingly short with him. 
 
 " You ass, Coley 1 " he said, but the 
 boy's quivering lip checked any further 
 remarks, and he went away at once to 
 alter the list, and hunt up the first reserve. 
 There were two reserves picked, such a 
 contingency as the present one being thus 
 provided for. The boy was Brand, and 
 he was in Mr Beach's classroom. Roper 
 had to go . and fetch him out, Mr Beach 
 yielding him up reluctantly, and Brand 
 flying out to change with delighted alacrity. 
 Roper was hurrying the team into the 
 M 177
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 changing-room ; they were to have their 
 dinner at one, and start at half-past. 
 
 When Burrell was releasd, which was not 
 until nearly bell-time, he did not care to go 
 outside and watch the waggonette start, 
 as many of the fellows were doing. It 
 was gloriously sunshiny outside, but he 
 felt most unhappy as he took his books along 
 to the schoolroom. The first person he 
 saw there was Coley, sitting moodily at his 
 desk. Burrell went up to him diffidently, 
 but Coley turned away, and lifting up the 
 lid put his head under it in a pretended 
 search for something. So Burrell went 
 away, and wandered downstairs to get 
 ready for dinner, feeling more lugubrious 
 than before. 
 
 The team drove off with a clatter ; the 
 bell rang the remainder of the boys in, and 
 Burrell did not see any opportunity for a 
 word with his injured friend. But, after 
 dinner, while the Head was reading out 
 the marks, he looked round when their 
 two names came out together. Coley sum- 
 178
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 moned up a faint smile, which was quite 
 enough to take much of the load off the 
 younger boy's heart. 
 
 " Marks in the schoolroom ! " was the 
 order, as they came out of dinner. When 
 Burrell went in there, Coley was leaning 
 against the wall by the .top-window. He 
 still looked somewhat dejected, but not so 
 much so as before. Burrell went up and 
 stood beside him with his back to the wall, 
 too. Carrington was just coming in ; there 
 was no time for much explanation. They 
 said " Beastly sorry ! " simultaneously. 
 This seemed funny to both of them, and they 
 nearly laughed. At the same time their 
 hands chanced to meet, and prompted by a 
 common impulse, they gripped one another 
 for a second before Carrington moved them 
 all away from the windows and end walls. 
 
 Coley and Burrell stood together ; there 
 were two long rows all down the middle of 
 the room. Carrington had considered 
 thirty-seven boys too many for the class- 
 room. He himself stood in front for the 
 179
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 first ten minutes, and Burrell saw then how 
 busy he had to be with eyes and fingers to 
 get the thing into working order. He also 
 saw his glance rest on Coley and himself 
 with an unmistakable look of annoyance, 
 which he thought he understood. They 
 could all watch the hands of the clock ; 
 that was something to do, and most of them 
 did it. To have faced the other way 
 would have been to look straight out of 
 all the side- windows. Some of the boys 
 in the corridor outside wanted to come in ; 
 there would be an opportunity, perhaps, 
 when the first mark boys came out. In the 
 meantime they flattened their noses up 
 against the crinkled glass and made Price 
 laugh. Carrington gave him extra-time, 
 and then, perceiving the cause, turned to 
 open the door behind him, the delinquents 
 skedaddling instantly out of the swing- 
 door. 
 
 Burrell got off after ten minutes. Then 
 he lounged about, waiting for Coley. They 
 would be able to do the caves after all. 
 
 180
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 At last Coley got his conge likewise. Not 
 an allusion was made then to the marks. 
 
 " What are we going to do ? " asked 
 Coley. 
 
 " Go to those caves ? " suggested Burrell. 
 
 " I thought perhaps you'd like to go over 
 to the match/' said Coley. 
 
 " No, it's too far ; I never meant to. 
 Unless you want to go ? " he added, doubt- 
 fully. 
 
 "No, I don't. It's all right for those 
 fellows with their machines. I would if 
 I had one here." 
 
 "But I don't ride," said Burrell. 
 
 So they started off to the caves. They 
 were on the far side of the headland which 
 was so conspicuous a feature of the view 
 from the school windows. It was, perhaps, 
 five miles off by the road, but they didn't 
 keep to the road ; a short cut saved them 
 quite a mile, if not more. Had the tide been 
 low they could have walked by the shore, 
 and gone into the lower cave. But it was 
 too high for that, so after a great deal of 
 
 181
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 uphill work, they came to the top of the 
 cliff, and looked down its quarried side 
 from an overhanging ledge. 
 
 " It's a wonder/' remarked the pioneer, 
 " that we haven't met any of the other 
 chaps. This is a favourite place any time 
 of the year." 
 
 But to-day it seemed to be deserted by 
 every living creature, except dirty-looking 
 wiry sheep, which nibbled the short grass 
 and gazed stolidly at the two boys. 
 
 " How do we get down ? " asked Burrell. 
 
 "Oh, down that path," said Coley, 
 pointing to a scarcely discernible track on 
 their left. His companion followed him, 
 as he began to descend with the carelessness 
 born of experience. Soon he had to wait 
 for Burrell, who was progressing very slowly 
 with his heart in his mouth. Coley thought 
 he was stopping to look about him, so he 
 put in a word for the scenery. 
 
 " Grand up here, isn't it ? " 
 
 It was, certainly. A splendid expanse of 
 open sea stretched before them, the little 
 182
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 wind-raised caps of foam gleaming snowy- 
 white in the sunshine. A long way out was 
 the dark smoke-trail of a big liner whose 
 identity Coley was not able to discover, 
 as her funnels were indistinguishable at 
 that distance, even to his long-sighted eyes. 
 The coast-line that ran westward from their 
 point of view was abruptly terminated not 
 many miles away by a far more imposing 
 promontory than the one on which they 
 stood. On their right ran a longer extent 
 of coast, but this also culminated in a 
 headland, beyond which the line, when it 
 again trended out seawards, looked to the 
 boys a mere hazy streak of bluish-grey. 
 The gorse was putting out its yellow 
 blossoms all about them. Overhead a 
 few wisps of white cloud were rapidly 
 flying. The breeze was blowing stiffly off 
 the shore ; it was inconveniently strong here, 
 though they would have called it a mere 
 breath at the foot of the hill. 
 
 Before they reached the opening of the 
 cave Burrell had begun to feel the strain 
 183
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 oil the back-muscles of his legs ; he was 
 sturdy enough for anything in his build, 
 but not in such fine training as Coley, 
 who was always as hard as nails. More- 
 over, one was town-bred, the other country- 
 bred. 
 
 " Fagged ? " cried the pioneer incredu- 
 lously, as Burrell flung himself down on a 
 ledge and took out his pocket-handker- 
 chief. 
 
 " Rather," admitted Burrell. 
 
 So they rested a bit before going into the 
 cave. They couldn't get very far in, when 
 they did proceed ; it was nothing like the 
 lower cave for size and only penetrated the 
 cliff a short distance. 
 
 " I wish we could have had a low tide/' 
 said Burrell, ruefully, craning his neck to 
 look at the foot of the cliff, whence the 
 booming of the water rose up to their 
 ears. 
 
 At that moment, whether from giddiness 
 or from a slip of the foot it was hard to say, 
 he stumbled, and, before Coley could make a 
 184
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 move, was slipping down an almost per- 
 pendicular piece of the cliff in a sitting 
 posture. At first Coley was inclined to 
 laugh, and it certainly had a smack of the 
 ludicrous to see Burrell making frantic 
 clutches at the short turf as he slipped along. 
 It was only a slide of some fifteen feet, and 
 a projecting ledge brought him up safely ; 
 but the getting back again was quite another 
 thing from the descent. 
 
 " Are you hurt ? " enquired Coley, 
 anxiously. 
 
 " No, I'm all right," said Burrell, standing 
 up on his feet, and brushing his knickers 
 vigorously. 
 
 Then he essayed to get back, but all at 
 once it dawned upon them simultaneously 
 that there wasn't the slightest possibility 
 of his doing so. Then they both grew 
 rather frightened especially Burrell. 
 
 " I say, Coley, how the dickens shall I 
 get back ? " he asked querulously. 
 
 " I'm darned if I know, old chap," was 
 all Coley could say in reply. 
 185
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 It was excessively awkward, and so was 
 the long pause that ensued. The older 
 boy saw that his chum was horribly nervous, 
 and to keep up his pecker he made several 
 suggestions, which he knew to be imprac- 
 ticable. After a bit, he went to have 
 a look round, hoping he might see some 
 solution of the problem. But as soon as he 
 was out of sight, Burrell called him back. 
 
 " Have you found a place ? " cried Coley 
 hopefully, re-appearing up above. 
 
 " No. I say, don't go away. I don't 
 like staying here alone." 
 
 " Well, it's no use coming down to you, 
 is it ? " said Coley. 
 
 " Of course not." 
 
 " If only it was any other day there 
 would be men in the quarry ! " Coley 
 remarked. 
 
 " Are you sure there aren't any ? " 
 
 " Yes ; you know we didn't see any. 
 They don't work Saturday afternoons." 
 
 " Don't they leave any ropes about, or 
 anything ? " 
 
 186
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 " I don't know ; there's a hut, of course. 
 There might be some in there ; only it's 
 sure to be locked." 
 
 Coley began to think it would be worth 
 while to go and see, despite BurrelTs 
 anxiety for his presence on the spot. Of 
 course, in such predicaments, story-tellers re- 
 late that some extraordinary things have 
 been done, such as the cutting of steps with a 
 knife, etc., but if the feat had been performed 
 on the cliff-side above Burr ell's head, noth- 
 ing less than an Alpine goat could have 
 ascended such a place ! 
 
 Then the quicker of the two wits began to 
 work for the first time, and Burr ell cried, 
 
 " Why, I could get nearly up to your 
 hand if you leaned over, I believe ! " 
 
 If Coley 's arm had been about five times 
 as long as it was, he might have touched 
 Burrell's finger-tips, but it was a suggestion 
 in the right direction. 
 
 " Can't you let down your coat ? " said 
 Burrell. 
 
 Coley took off his jacket and leaned 
 187
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 over with it in his hand. The boy below 
 could get within, perhaps, four feet of it. 
 
 " Tie mine to it ! " Burrell suggested. 
 
 He divested himself of it, but durst not 
 attempt to throw it up to Coley, lest it 
 should be blown out of reach. So Coley 
 tied first his braces, and to eke them out a 
 bit of string he had in his pocket, to the 
 sleeve, but even then the impromptu rope 
 was not long enough. Burrell, however 
 had plenty of string, and he threw it up 
 fastened round his knife. Then the neces- 
 sary length was attained for Burrell to attach 
 his jacket, and Coley drew it up. 
 
 The two jackets tied together, unluckily, 
 only just reached Burr ell's outstretched 
 finger-tips, and that with Coley 's arms at 
 full extent as he lay and leaned over. 
 So much precious sleeve was wasted in 
 fastening them together. Obviously braces 
 and string, however useful as a mode of 
 communication, would not be of much use 
 if the rope was to bear any weight. So 
 another garment became imperatively ne- 
 188
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 cessary, and Coley hesitated a moment 
 between his shirt and his trousers. He 
 appealed to his chum, who at once decided 
 that the upper garment would give greater 
 length if it were only strong enough. It 
 was a linen shirt, and they both had their 
 doubts. Burrell didn't wear white shirts, 
 and his, being of flannel, might be a trifle 
 more reliable. But finally they decided 
 to try Coley 's, and he spent what seemed 
 to Burrell an interminable time in tying 
 knots. It was not the simplest thing 
 in the world ; he was surprised to find 
 how ill-adapted wearing apparel is for rope- 
 making ; by the time the knots were well 
 made the whole thing resembled a bundle 
 of clothes almost as much as a line ! While 
 he was doing it, Burrell took off his boots, 
 and threw them up, and that brought his 
 stockings prominently before his eyes and 
 his mind. They were strong and long, and 
 he pulled them off and tied them together. 
 It was safer than the shirt, the sleeves of 
 which would have assuredly given way at 
 189
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 the first heavy strain. So the rope had to be 
 reconstructed, and a very much better rope 
 it looked with this alteration. 
 
 At last everything was ready ; and after 
 much planting of his heels against stones 
 and getting a fair grip on the sleeves of 
 the uppermost jacket, Coleygave the order 
 to climb. Up came Burrell, with some little 
 difficulty and a very scared face ; clinging 
 with his hands to the rope which had a 
 brutal desire to sway, and with his toes to 
 the most salient points of the perpendicular 
 cliff. 
 
 When he had clambered into safety the 
 two boys could for the first time afford to 
 laugh. They did it. Then they felt much 
 better. Hastily they fumbled at the knots, 
 and assumed once more the garments 
 which had done such gallant service. 
 
 " It's like one day when we were bathing," 
 said Coley ; " and Lloyd tied all my things 
 into knots." 
 
 There seemed to be no end of things to 
 collect, but at last they made for home, 
 190
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 running a good bit of the way. Coley's 
 watch said half-past four when they started 
 on the homeward journey, and they heard 
 the bell for tea-assembly as they made 
 a last burst up the avenue. I am afraid if 
 they had stayed to wash-up they would 
 not have been into assembly in time. 
 They certainly did get into the schoolroom 
 just before Mr Carrington passed the forms 
 out! 
 
 The fellows who had been over on foot 
 or on cycles to see the match, had brought 
 home a rather disheartening report. Their 
 opponents had made just upon 100, and the 
 latest score put the school total at 36 for 
 five wickets. There was so much discussion 
 at tea about the cricket that neither of our 
 friends was encouraged to recount his 
 exploits to his neighbours. 
 
 The Head came in to prayers, for a won- 
 der, and while they were all kneeling down 
 Burrell almost, if not quite, dozed off into 
 slumber with his head on his arms. He 
 was tired, and there was a dreamy feeling 
 191
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 abroad. The window near him was open, 
 and the evening sun was sending long 
 slanting rays of gold across the garden, 
 where a thrush fluted melodiously in a tree 
 at the gate. The pure scented air con- 
 trasted quite curiously with the atmosphere 
 of the tea-room, impregnated with half-a- 
 dozen odours, all more or less disagreeable. 
 The Head's voice was deep and soothing, 
 and when the usual thunder of moving chairs 
 followed the benediction, Burrell did not 
 realise for quite a little time where he was. 
 He went for some more stationery after 
 tea, and then played a bit on the field. He 
 was feeling a trifle headachy again, but 
 grew better ere long. Then the eleven 
 drove up, with considerable row for a van- 
 quished team ! They had only made 77, 
 but Thorn had come off grandly with a not 
 out innings of 41, going in second wicket 
 down. Coley discussed it all without a 
 trace of resentment, and Burrell was never 
 very far from him. After they had changed 
 (they had their tea before returning) the 
 192
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 members of the team held a sort of levee 
 in different parts of the premises. 
 
 During prep, there was a small diversion. 
 Upon coming in Carrington had shut all 
 the lower openings of the windows, but had 
 been unable to find the pole to shut the upper 
 parts. The gases in the chandeliers nickered 
 in the cross-draughts from three sides of the 
 room, and at last a small boy, upon whose 
 head the cold air came down like water, 
 ventured to ask for less ventilation. 
 
 At this, indignant looks were cast upon 
 him by others, and Carrington waxed 
 wroth. These open windows were his bte 
 noire, and one or two boys always made 
 themselves very objectionable in resenting 
 the shutting of them. He knew pretty 
 well who they were, and guessed why he 
 couldn't find the window-pole. However, 
 he sent Paul to look for it in the masters' 
 room, but the boy came back empty-handed. 
 Then Carrington made a shot at a venture. 
 
 " Now, Lewis," he cried, " if you don't 
 find that window-pole in a minute-and- 
 N 193
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 a-half, I'll give you two or three 
 marks ! " 
 
 Lewis began as usual, " Please, sir ! " 
 in a most injured tone. 
 
 " Now, come on ! " said Carrington, quite 
 angry and determined. 
 
 So Lewis had to go to the side of the room, 
 and fish it out from its hiding-place on the 
 floor, where it had been carefully laid 
 before prep, began. The boy looked rather 
 silly, creeping out from under the desks 
 with the pole in his hand. Then, when the 
 windows were shut to Carrington's satis- 
 faction, and several victims had been able 
 to turn their coat-collars down, McPharlane 
 was stupid enough to open his waistcoat 
 wide, and make noises suggestive of being 
 suffocated. Carrington promptly ejected 
 him from the room with three marks as a 
 journeying-mercy ! At the end of prep, 
 when he had simmered down a little, he 
 " hortated " them a bit. 
 
 " Stuffy air won't kill you," he declared ; 
 " but draughts will. Do you think I'm 
 194
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 going to have delicate little boys who dare 
 to shiver frowned down by great lusty 
 chaps who are too thick-skinned to feel 
 a hurricane ? (Laughter). I can't stand 
 draughts myself. I'm delicate (more guf- 
 faws). So is McPharlane ; he's come here 
 because he's got no lungs to speak of ! 
 (Oh ! Oh /) After my duty-week I often 
 have neuralgia : it's all through these open 
 windows. If I stay here long enough I 
 shall lose every tooth I've got in my head. 
 I've got three upstairs now, which I'm 
 keeping in memory of Lewis, Adams & 
 Co. (Laughter). Put your books away ! 
 (Babel). 
 
 Burrell heard this speech, but missed 
 the incident which caused it. He was at 
 last favoured with a bath ! But as he had 
 to go second-turn it was almost a cold 
 one. Some of his class-mates went back 
 to wait till the next time, but Johnson and 
 Graiseley were, like himself, of opinion that 
 there's no time like the present. So 
 those three despised a retreat, and made such 
 195
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 a din over their ablutions that Mr Gerrans 
 had to go in and threaten marks. 
 
 At nine o'clock Carrington heaved a 
 deep, deep sigh of relief. His duty-week 
 was over, not to recur for another five 
 weeks. As the boys went out of supper, 
 Jimmy came up with a hand half -raised in 
 token of question, and a laconic request of 
 " Stay up, sir ? Cricket things ? " 
 
 " Yes," said the master. " And Jimmy, 
 send Coley to me ! Ask Mr Roper first, 
 mind I " 
 
 So Coley came back, having got half-way 
 up-stairs, and they two helped the curator 
 by going round collecting materials in the 
 moonlight from the field and other places. 
 Of course, in return for this, Jimmy left 
 them as much ttte-a-tete as was possible, 
 and Coley had a long tale to tell his erastes. 
 Carrington was quite content to listen, 
 and smoke his cigarette. He had nothing to 
 say, to begin with, and Coley once started 
 gave that day's history in particular, and 
 an account of the whole week in general. 
 196
 
 In Carrington's Duty Week 
 
 The stowing away of the bats and other 
 things took young Limehouse an uncon- 
 scionable time, in spite of his two coadjutors. 
 When Carrington sent them up to bed, 
 Roper met them on his descent from bed- 
 room-duty, and he was later than usual 
 that evening. 
 
 " Croydon tells me," said Roper ; " that 
 you declare you have a tooth out after every 
 duty-week ! " 
 
 Then the two pedagogues took a stroll 
 in the garden before going into supper, 
 and resumed the conversation of the previous 
 Saturday night with which this record 
 opened. 
 
 " Those boys will be chums for more than 
 a week, I prophesy," were Carrington's 
 concluding words. " But I sha'n't take 
 much credit for it ; circumstances have 
 aided and abetted me considerably ! " 
 
 FELICITER
 
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