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I suggested, with another look in the glass. "No; you must come. If you don't, the Doctor is sure to send for you, and that will make it worse. I say!" "Well?" "People who fight used to take the spoils of the vanquished. I wish I could have taken old Dicksee's four-bladed knife, with the lancet and corkscrew to it, and you could have taken old Eely's watch."
"It is like charging your school-fellow with stealing the watch. Do you do this?" I was silent. "Mr Rebble," said the Doctor, "you came here as a gentleman to aid me in the training of these youths. Can you do anything to help me here?" "I I," said Mr Rebble huskily, "would gladly do so, sir, if I could. I wouldn't trust Dicksee's word in anything.
All went well. We practised every evening, and again for an hour before breakfast each morning, and, as I warmed up to my task, I easily stopped all Stewart's or Burr major's swiftest balls, and got to know how to deal with what Mercer called "old Dicksee's jerry sneaks." The tent came from Hastings the day before, and was set up ready, and the next day was to be the match.
I had the vaguest notions of what I had to do, but I imitated Dicksee as well as I could, as the boys stood on one side breathless with excitement, and Burr major and Mercer faced each other with their fists clenched. Then there was a due amount of sparring, followed by a few blows given and taken, and Burr major drew back and sat down on Dicksee's knee, Mercer taking his place on mine.
Mr Rebble went down on one knee and laid his hand upon Dicksee's breast; then, jumping up again, he caught Lomax by the wrist.
By that time, under our tyrant's orders, two boys had come to Dicksee's help, and had seized me by a wrist each, so that I was helpless. "Now then," continued Burr major, "we'll just see what my gentleman keeps locked up here. He's always sneaking up after something." "You let that box alone," shouted Mercer, after an ineffective struggle to get free. "Shan't.
Then I fancied concussions and dizziness, and felt blows, and rolled over upon the grass, but not off the horse, for it was all fancy; and I was just seeing in my mind's eye poor Tom Mercer going down before a heavy blow from Dicksee's fat fist, when there rang out the word, "Halt!" and the horse stopped short. Lomax strode up in his stiff military fashion, and patted the cob on the neck.
"Yes; sir," I faltered, giving quite a start now, as his words roused me as from a dream, and I felt horrified as I fully saw how guilty all this made me appear. "Take the key, Mr Rebble, if you please," continued the Doctor, looking more and more pained, as I withdrew the rusty little instrument from my pocket. "Open the bin, please, and see if Dicksee's statement is made out."
"A hobbledehoy! and he looks it, don't he? It did make him so savage when he heard, and he said he wasn't half such a hobbledehoy as old Reb was, and Dicksee said he'd go and tell." "And did he?" "Did he? You know how my nose was swelled up." "Of course." "Well, that was nothing to Dicksee's.
For it is impossible to suppose that Mr. Orchardson and Mr. Watts do not know that Mr. Leader's landscapes are like tea-trays, that Mr. Dicksee's figures are like bon-bon boxes, and that Mr. Herkomer's portraits are like German cigars. But apparently the R.A.'s are merely concerned to follow the market, and they elect the men whose pictures sell best in the City.
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