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It would be no use, we should catch it all the worse afterwards; besides, bad as she was, the Henniker was a woman, and it would be cowardly to thrash her. "Tie up her hands and feet and gag her," suggested Philpot. Wouldn't do again. She'd get Ladislaw to help her out. "Tie up Ladislaw and Hashford too." We weren't numerous or strong enough to do it. "Let's all bolt," suggested Flanagan.
"Well?" said a voice within. The word was mildly spoken, and very unlike the snap to which we had been accustomed in former days. "It is I," said Mr Ladislaw, "and Mr Hashford." "I shall be glad if you will immediately have my door opened," was the reply. "Smith, unscrew the door at once," said Mr Ladislaw.
"I wonder why?" said Hawkesbury. "Yes, it is strange," replied Mr Hashford; "but please go to your place, Hawkesbury; Miss Henniker will return." Hawkesbury had reported this brief conversation to his fellows, and this was what had given rise to the discussion I found going on when I returned from my caning.
"Not likely, but if she does her room's far enough away. Oh! by the way, I've screwed her window already. I thought we can one of us easily smash a pane for her if she wants more ventilation." "And how about Ladislaw and Hashford?" "I'm going down, when the Henniker's safe, to ask them both to step up into the parlour. They'll probably think something's wrong, and hurry up.
"He said he did, Smith; what more do you want? Do let's pull all together." "Just what I want," said Smith. "Well," said Philpot, "I propose we lock them up in the big schoolroom." "Wouldn't it be better," said Flanagan, "to lock the Henniker up in her own room, and let Ladislaw and Hashford have the parlour? It will be more comfortable for them. There's a sofa there and a carpet.
Hawkesbury was thanked and dismissed, and then, with the assistance of Miss Henniker, Mr Hashford, and Mr Ladislaw, Smith and I were birched, and forbidden the playground for a fortnight, during which period we were required to observe absolute silence. So ended our little adventure out for a puff of free air! Among our fellows we gained little enough sympathy for our misfortunes.
I made steady progress with my arithmetic and other studies during the year, thanks to Mr Hashford, who, good fellow that he was, took special pains with me, so that at the end of the year I was pronounced competent to take a situation as an office-boy or junior clerk, or any like post to which my amiable uncle might destine me. I was not sorry to leave Stonebridge House, as you may guess.
Mr Hashford, good soul that he was, lent me his own waistcoat, and suggested that if we all three sat close together I in the middle I might get warmer. We tried it, and when at six o'clock that same eventful morning the servant came to sweep the room she found us all three huddled together two of us asleep and one in a fever.
Here was the phenomenon not only of our schoolfellow getting publicly censured, but of Mr Hashford backing up Miss Henniker, and Miss Henniker backing up Mr Hashford. Flanagan afterwards confided to me his theory of this unwonted event.
One day, I remember, we were all in class, and she for some reason quitted the room, leaving Mr Hashford in charge. Now, no one minded Mr Hashford very much. He was a good-natured fellow, who did his best to please both us and his mistress; but he was "Henpecked," we could see, like all the rest of us, and we looked upon him more as a big schoolfellow than as a master, and minded him accordingly.