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Updated: April 30, 2025
And as the days passed, he became still more confirmed in the hope, and, with his usual sanguine temper, thought he could see already Railsford's house starting on a new career and turning its troubles to credit. Alas! Mark Railsford had rough waters still to pass through. And the house, before it was to start on its new career, had several little affairs to wind up and dispose of.
The baronet for instance, was called upon to enter for the second class of kicking the football contest, and Arthur was moved from the quarter-mile to the half-mile, because a good man was wanted there to beat Smythe, of the School-House, whereas Sherriff could very well be trusted to take care of the quarter-mile for Railsford's house.
First of all he had nearly run into the arms of Branscombe, the captain of Bickers's house, who was inconveniently prowling about at the time, probably in search of some truant of his own house. Then in doubling to avoid this danger he had dimly sighted Mr Bickers himself, taking a starlight walk on Railsford's side of the square.
A scornful look came into Railsford's face as he said, "Do you really suppose, Felgate, any good is gained by not telling the truth at once?" "The truth, sir?" said Felgate, firing up as uncandid persons always do when their veracity is questioned. "I don't understand you, sir." "You understand me perfectly," said Railsford. "You know that it is against rules for boys to smoke here."
Whether this particular "bob" had reference to Railsford's testimonial or not, the writer cannot speak positively. "We had a ripping time at our sports, and licked all the records but three. No end of a crow for us. The School's tearing its hair all over the place, and our fellows have been yelling for two days without stopping.
They resolved to make themselves a warning to good and evil-doers alike that day, and show the doctor and everyone else that the spirit was not yet knocked out of them. The half-holiday at Railsford's, as we have said, began under the new regime immediately after breakfast, and ended at one o'clock, so that the farce of morning school did not interpose to chill the ardour of the combatants.
Felgate was the prefect charged with the oversight of the Shell dormitory in Railsford's a duty he discharged by never setting foot inside their door when he could possibly get out of it. From a gastronomic point of view the boys would doubtless have done better to postpone their feast till to-morrow.
All this Arthur remembered now, and, carrying his mind a day or two further back, he recalled Mr Bickers's uninvited visit to the house Arthur had painful cause to remember it and Railsford's evident resentment of the intrusion, and the threatenings of slaughter which had been bandied about between the two houses ever since. "Why," said Arthur to himself, "it's as clear as a pikestaff.
A score at least of Railsford's subjects belonged to this noble army, and were ready to wage war with anybody or anything for a consideration. Still ascending in the scale, came a compact phalanx of Fifth-form heroes, counting some of the best athletes of the second eleven and fifteen, and yet not falling in with the spirited foreign policy so prevalent in the rest of the house.
The combined labours of Mesdames Farthing, Hastings, Wilson, and their myrmidons had barely reached a successful climax that afternoon, in the rescue of order out of the chaos which had reigned in Railsford's house, when the first contingent of the Grandcourtiers arrived in the great square.
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