The Gold Bat Read online

  V

  MILL RECEIVES VISITORS

  Trevor's first idea was that somebody had sent the letter for ajoke,--Clowes for choice.

  He sounded him on the subject after breakfast.

  "Did you send me that letter?" he inquired, when Clowes came into hisstudy to borrow a _Sportsman_.

  "What letter? Did you send the team for tomorrow up to the sporter? Iwonder what sort of a lot the Town are bringing."

  "About not giving Barry his footer colours?"

  Clowes was reading the paper.

  "Giving whom?" he asked.

  "Barry. Can't you listen?"

  "Giving him what?"

  "Footer colours."

  "What about them?"

  Trevor sprang at the paper, and tore it away from him. After which hesat on the fragments.

  "Did you send me a letter about not giving Barry his footer colours?"

  Clowes surveyed him with the air of a nurse to whom the family baby hasjust said some more than usually good thing.

  "Don't stop," he said, "I could listen all day."

  Trevor felt in his pocket for the note, and flung it at him. Clowespicked it up, and read it gravely.

  "What _are_ footer colours?" he asked.

  "Well," said Trevor, "it's a pretty rotten sort of joke, whoever sentit. You haven't said yet whether you did or not."

  "What earthly reason should I have for sending it? And I think you'remaking a mistake if you think this is meant as a joke."

  "You don't really believe this League rot?"

  "You didn't see Mill's study 'after treatment'. I did. Anyhow, how doyou account for the card I showed you?"

  "But that sort of thing doesn't happen at school."

  "Well, it _has_ happened, you see."

  "Who do you think did send the letter, then?"

  "The President of the League."

  "And who the dickens is the President of the League when he's at home?"

  "If I knew that, I should tell Mill, and earn his blessing. Not that Iwant it."

  "Then, I suppose," snorted Trevor, "you'd suggest that on the strengthof this letter I'd better leave Barry out of the team?"

  "Satirically in brackets," commented Clowes.

  "It's no good your jumping on _me_," he added. "I've done nothing.All I suggest is that you'd better keep more or less of a look-out. Ifthis League's anything like the old one, you'll find they've all sortsof ways of getting at people they don't love. I shouldn't like to comedown for a bath some morning, and find you already in possession, tiedup like Robinson. When they found Robinson, he was quite blue both asto the face and speech. He didn't speak very clearly, but what onecould catch was well worth hearing. I should advise you to sleep with aloaded revolver under your pillow."

  "The first thing I shall do is find out who wrote this letter."

  "I should," said Clowes, encouragingly. "Keep moving."

  In Seymour's house the Mill's study incident formed the only theme ofconversation that morning. Previously the sudden elevation to the firstfifteen of Barry, who was popular in the house, at the expense ofRand-Brown, who was unpopular, had given Seymour's something to talkabout. But the ragging of the study put this topic entirely in the shade.The study was still on view in almost its original condition of disorder,and all day comparative strangers flocked to see Mill in his den, inorder to inspect things. Mill was a youth with few friends, and it isprobable that more of his fellow-Seymourites crossed the threshold ofhis study on the day after the occurrence than had visited him in theentire course of his school career. Brown would come in to borrow aknife, would sweep the room with one comprehensive glance, and depart,to be followed at brief intervals by Smith, Robinson, and Jones, whocame respectively to learn the right time, to borrow a book, and to askhim if he had seen a pencil anywhere. Towards the end of the day, Millwould seem to have wearied somewhat of the proceedings, as was provedwhen Master Thomas Renford, aged fourteen (who fagged for Milton, thehead of the house), burst in on the thin pretence that he had mistakenthe study for that of his rightful master, and gave vent to a prolongedwhistle of surprise and satisfaction at the sight of the ruins. Onthat occasion, the incensed owner of the dismantled study, taking amean advantage of the fact that he was a prefect, and so entitled towield the rod, produced a handy swagger-stick from an adjacent corner,and, inviting Master Renford to bend over, gave him six of the best toremember him by. Which ceremony being concluded, he kicked him out intothe passage, and Renford went down to the junior day-room to tell hisfriend Harvey about it.

  "Gave me six, the cad," said he, "just because I had a look at hisbeastly study. Why shouldn't I look at his study if I like? I've ajolly good mind to go up and have another squint."

  Harvey warmly approved the scheme.

  "No, I don't think I will," said Renford with a yawn. "It's such a faggoing upstairs."

  "Yes, isn't it?" said Harvey.

  "And he's such a beast, too."

  "Yes, isn't he?" said Harvey.

  "I'm jolly glad his study _has_ been ragged," continued thevindictive Renford.

  "It's jolly exciting, isn't it?" added Harvey. "And I thought this termwas going to be slow. The Easter term generally is."

  This remark seemed to suggest a train of thought to Renford, who madethe following cryptic observation. "Have you seen them today?"

  To the ordinary person the words would have conveyed little meaning. ToHarvey they appeared to teem with import.

  "Yes," he said, "I saw them early this morning."

  "Were they all right?"

  "Yes. Splendid."

  "Good," said Renford.

  Barry's friend Drummond was one of those who had visited the scene ofthe disaster early, before Mill's energetic hand had repaired thedamage done, and his narrative was consequently in some demand.

  "The place was in a frightful muck," he said. "Everything smashedexcept the table; and ink all over the place. Whoever did it must havebeen fairly sick with him, or he'd never have taken the trouble to doit so thoroughly. Made a fair old hash of things, didn't he, Bertie?"

  "Bertie" was the form in which the school elected to serve up the nameof De Bertini. Raoul de Bertini was a French boy who had come to Wrykynin the previous term. Drummond's father had met his father in Paris,and Drummond was supposed to be looking after Bertie. They shared astudy together. Bertie could not speak much English, and what he didspeak was, like Mill's furniture, badly broken.

  "Pardon?" he said.

  "Doesn't matter," said Drummond, "it wasn't anything important. I wasonly appealing to you for corroborative detail to give artisticverisimilitude to a bald and unconvincing narrative."

  Bertie grinned politely. He always grinned when he was not quite equalto the intellectual pressure of the conversation. As a consequence ofwhich, he was generally, like Mrs Fezziwig, one vast, substantialsmile.

  "I never liked Mill much," said Barry, "but I think it's rather badluck on the man."

  "Once," announced M'Todd, solemnly, "he kicked me--for making a row inthe passage." It was plain that the recollection rankled.

  Barry would probably have pointed out what an excellent andpraiseworthy act on Mill's part that had been, when Rand-Brown came in.

  "Prefects' meeting?" he inquired. "Or haven't they made you a prefectyet, M'Todd?"

  M'Todd said they had not.

  Nobody present liked Rand-Brown, and they looked at him ratherinquiringly, as if to ask what he had come for. A friend may drop infor a chat. An acquaintance must justify his intrusion.

  Rand-Brown ignored the silent inquiry. He seated himself on the table,and dragged up a chair to rest his legs on.

  "Talking about Mill, of course?" he said.

  "Yes," said Drummond. "Have you seen his study since it happened?"

  "Yes."

  Rand-Brown smiled, as if the recollection amused him. He was one ofthose people who do not look their best when they smile.

  "Playing for the first tomorrow, Barry?"

&
nbsp; "I don't know," said Barry, shortly. "I haven't seen the list."

  He objected to the introduction of the topic. It is never pleasant tohave to discuss games with the very man one has ousted from the team.

  Drummond, too, seemed to feel that the situation was an embarrassingone, for a few minutes later he got up to go over to the gymnasium.

  "Any of you chaps coming?" he asked.

  Barry and M'Todd thought they would, and the three left the room.

  "Nothing like showing a man you don't want him, eh, Bertie? What do youthink?" said Rand-Brown.

  Bertie grinned politely.