43
The arrival of a new cadet gave them something else to think about. One rainy day when the cadets were loitering about the halls waiting for the dinner call, a young fellow in his late teens arrived at the front door of Locke Hall. He was very dark, exceedingly well dressed, and carried himself with a swaggering air. He carried a suitcase plastered with foreign labels, and a cigarette drooped2 carelessly from one corner of his mouth. Gaining the center of the main hall he looked carelessly around. The cadets were standing3 in groups laughing and talking, and finally he addressed a third-class man.
“Say, sonny,” called the newcomer. “Where do I find the sign-on-the-dotted-line room?”
Considering the fact that Bertram, the third class cadet, was at least a year older than the newcomer, the term “sonny” was something out of the way. Talk ceased instantly among the cadets and they turned to look. Mr. Bertram answered with easy courtesy.
“That is the door down there,” he said.
The new man nodded easily. “Thanks, kid. Information is appreciated, I assure you. Is the agony man inside?”
“I beg your pardon?” asked Bertram.
“Is the clerk or headmaster or whoever officiates in there?”
“I think you will find someone in there who will take care of you,” returned the upper classman.
“I hope so. Somebody had better. I usually get what I want, you know.”
Mr. Bertram didn’t know anything about it and he looked fixedly4 at the boy. Totally unabashed at the looks cast in his direction the newcomer walked into the office, where an instructor5 was sitting behind the information desk.
44
The instructor looked up as the boy placed his suitcase on the floor. “How do you do?” he said, smiling pleasantly at the visitor. “What can I do for you?”
“Oh, I don’t know,” said the boy. “Not an awful lot, I guess. My name is Vench, Raoul Vench.” He paused and waited, but Captain Chalmers said nothing.
“My name is Vench,” repeated the newcomer.
“Yes, Mr. Vench. Well, what can I do to help you?”
“Do you mean to say that you didn’t know I was coming?” demanded the new student.
Chalmers shook his head, his glance keen. “I didn’t know it. Perhaps Major Tireson did. Are you going to register with us?”
“I certainly am,” answered the boy. “My father sent your headmaster a letter and told him that I was coming. I should have thought he would tell you, so you could be on the lookout6 for me. Yes, I’m going to be a member of your cadet corps7 and I’m here to sign up. Pass over the articles and a pen, already dipped in ink, if you don’t mind.”
Captain Chalmers looked steadily8 at the boy for an instant and then his gaze wandered to the groups of cadets outside of the door. Suddenly he bit his lips to keep back a smile, a rather grim one, and then reached in the drawer of the desk, to take out some sheets of paper and a pen. With intense seriousness he dipped the pen into the ink and then looked at Vench.
45
“Not cold, are you?” he asked.
“No,” answered the boy with a stare. “Why?”
“I thought maybe you were,” returned the instructor. “You still have your hat on. And that cigarette, which will be your last for something like four years, is already burned out. As there isn’t anything in that wastebasket you might throw it in there.”
Vench looked closely at the teacher and seemed on the point of saying something, but evidently he changed his mind, for he took off his hat, threw away the cigarette and turned once more to the captain.
“What is your name, please?” asked the instructor.
“Raoul Mulroy Vench, of Murray Bay, Florida, lately from Quebec and points all over the world,” glibly9 answered the youth. “Age, 18, unmarried, nationality American citizen, though French-Canadian. How is that for a start, general?”
“That is a very good start,” gravely replied the captain. “I’m glad you recognized my rank, Mr. Vench.” He continued to write for a few minutes and then looked up. “Have you any money on you at present?”
Mr. Vench looked knowing. “I’m surprised at you, sir. I only arrive here and you want to borrow from me already! Yes, I have a few odd pennies on me. About two hundred dollars, I think.”
“Hand it over, please, Mr. Vench. At the end of the year it will be returned to you. While you are here you will be allowed just two dollars a week of it, with which you can pay your expenses.”
46
Vench threw back his head and laughed. “Two dollars!” he exclaimed. “My dear man, I was counting on that two hundred lasting11 me just for two months, and that would be stretching it. Is it a joke?”
“Not at all, Mr. Vench. Have you read over the rules of the institution? Surely you must have. You didn’t come here without knowing the rules and regulations. The cadets are busy with their studies and athletics12 and have almost no use for ready money except for cokes and sodas13. Transportation to games is furnished free and money is not strictly14 needed. You see how it is.”
“Yes, I see,” grumbled15 Vench, handing over the money. “I expected to have a good time in this place, but I see I am quite mistaken.”
Again Chalmers glanced at the groups in the hall. “I think you will have at least an interesting time here, Mr. Vench. Now the next thing for you to do is report at the medical department for examination.”
“The second nuisance, eh?” sighed Vench. “That’ll be a waste of time, officer. I’m in tip-top shape.”
“For the sake of our teams, I am very glad to hear it, Mr. Vench. However, the rules require that you go through with an examination.” Chalmers beckoned16 to a cadet in the hallway. “Will you step here a moment, Mr. Sears?”
Mr. Sears stepped up and saluted17 the instructor, who returned it. “Take Mr. Vench to the medical department,” the teacher directed.
47
“Very good, sir.” Sears turned to Vench. “Right this way, sir.”
Vench grinned and picked up his bag. “Right with you, usher18. Thanks a lot, officer.” He followed Cadet Sears down the hall, passing carelessly through the waiting throng19. Captain Chalmers looked thoughtfully after him, and then, shaking his head, resumed his work.
The cadets in the hall had remained quiet during the conversation, every word of which they had heard plainly, but now that Vench was out of earshot they began to talk.
“Hey, how do you like that!” chuckled20 Terry to the group around him.
“Well,” drawled Chipps, rubbing his chin. “I don’t just know what to think. You’ve got to give me time. This is the first time I’ve ever seen anything like that.”
“I’m afraid he’ll have a whole lot to learn,” smiled Don.
“If he lasts long enough to learn anything,” said Jim.
“All in the line of duty,” added Rhodes. “We’ll have to help him lose some of his flipness and importance. What do you say, Lieutenant21 Sommers?”
“I’d say that the spirit of the corps will have a hard time sinking into him,” said Sommers, as the bell sounded.
48
Mr. Vench was fitted out with a uniform that afternoon and little more was seen of him. But on the following day he began his career at Woodcrest, and that career furnished amusement and some annoyance22 to the cadet body. The boy was thoroughly23 spoiled and almost unbearable24. Two of the seniors and Terry tried to do the right thing by calling on him that evening, in an effort to make him feel at home. Terry returned to his room and reported in high disgust to Don and Jim.
“My gosh, what a sample of misdirected energy!” he exclaimed with a snort. “We tried to be decent to him in spite of what we saw this noon, but it was time wasted. Not that he was rude, but absolutely unbearable! Talks continually of his travels, his girl friends, who seem to swoon with grief if he doesn’t write daily, and his ability to do all of everything on the face of the earth. I’m through. I’m willing to try to be nice to any fellow who will be halfway25 human, but I draw the line on one who spends all of his time praising his own virtues26.”
“Likes himself, eh?” inquired Jim.
“No,” snapped Terry. “Bows down and worships himself. I’m afraid that boy will run aground on trouble hard.”
“And yet,” said Don, slowly. “I imagine he could be a very nice guy if he wanted to be. Maybe he’ll come out of his shell sometime.”
“I’m glad you imagine it,” retorted Terry. “That’s as far as it is likely to go.”
49
“All right, Terry,” Jim grinned. “Hadn’t you better study your history? Any man that will try and tell his teacher, as you did today, that Blucher wasn’t at the battle of Waterloo, should brush up a bit, I think.”
“Okay, kid, I will. The only thing that surprises me is the fact that Vench wasn’t there, or related to Napoleon or something else. Maybe he was, I don’t know. That fellow is thoroughly spoiled.”
“A little too much money, no doubt,” said Don. “If we give him a chance he’ll get over it.”
“Optimist!” said Terry, beginning to study.
Few if any of the cadets were inclined to take Don’s view of Cadet Vench. During the following days he made himself objectionable in every way. Even in the drill he tried to show his superiority, but Lieutenant Sommers promptly27 checked him and after due and fair consideration reported his short-comings. Major Tireson rebuked28 the unruly cadet and he had no more use for the precise lieutenant. But Sommers took great pride in the squads29 that it was his duty to drill, and the cadets, always inclined to laugh at the dignity of the fussy30 lieutenant, upheld him in his act.
Vench had few friends, and they were recruited from the weaker element of the fourth class, with whom he was very liberal. It was evident that he had more money than his allowance and it was thought that he had lied to Captain Chalmers or that he was getting it from some outside source. A small group went often to the town and ate plentifully31 between meals, but as it was not particularly the business of the cadets they commented on it among themselves and let it go at that.
50
One boast that Vench made was listened to with interest by the entire body of cadets. He was standing with the group of fourth classmen just before the study hall bell rang, and Don and Terry heard it. That morning Major Tireson had made a statement that most of the cadets thought unnecessary. He had told them that with the colonel not there, he didn’t think it was wise to plan on having their mid-term dance that year.
Several times during the year, mid-term, Christmas, and in the spring, the school held a dance. Each class usually sponsored one of these events and kept whatever profit they made. The competition was high among the four classes, each one trying to outdo the next in originality32 and cleverness. It took a good deal of ingenuity33 to plan decorations that could disguise the gym for an evening. The year before, the second-class men, who had sponsored the spring prom, had transformed the gym into a carnival34. They had even devised a revolving35 stage resembling a carrousel from which the band played.
Major Tireson, however, was firmly against holding a dance in the colonel’s absence.
“He needn’t worry,” Rhodes had said, briefly36. “Until the colonel gets back we aren’t likely to do any of the things we generally do, or have much fun.”
51
Vench was defiant37 about it. “Half the fun of going to school is having dances and picnics,” he said, in study hall. “At all the other schools I’ve been to, they have lots of them. But this stuffy38 old major vetoes it before we even have a chance to suggest it. I’ll tell you what I’m going to do. I’m going to organize the best dance this school’s ever seen. Something that will go down in the unwritten history of this academy.”
“Better wait until the colonel gets back before you do, Vench,” advised Don.
“I will not! I’ll do as I please!”
“Suit yourself,” said Don, turning away.
“I generally do. Want to be in on it, Redhead?”
“Why, I think not,” drawled Terry. “I don’t want to be dismissed from here in my very first year. And referring to the highly disrespectful way in which you speak of my blond locks, don’t you think they might shine out in the darkness and give you and your party away?”
“You guys make me sick!” growled39 Vench.
“Sorry,” said Terry. “Can I show you the way to the doctor’s office?”
Late in the afternoon Jim and Rhodes got special permission from the Officer of the Day and went to the town to buy some things. Special permission was necessary except on Saturday afternoons, and they lingered in town until the sun had set. The days were growing much shorter and it was dark when they arrived at the gate and walked up the path. None of the cadets were around and they started to cross the lawn when Rhodes pulled Jim suddenly into a clump40 of high bushes that lined the path.
52
“What’s up?” asked Jim, quickly.
“Somebody just came around Locke Hall and is going toward Clanhammer!” whispered the senior.
Jim looked in the direction indicated and saw that Rhodes was speaking the truth. A man, his form somewhat indistinct in the twilight41, was walking rapidly down the path in the direction of the silent old hall. By peering through the bushes the two cadets could watch him, and they could hear his footsteps on the gravel10. The man did not pause or look behind, but walked straight up the stone steps, inserted a key in the lock and opened the door. With a bold and confident step he went inside.
“Wonder who in the world that is?” breathed Jim.
“I couldn’t make out,” replied Rhodes. “But who ever it is, he has the key to Clanhammer Hall. There is no light in the place, so he must know his way around.”
They waited for some time, but no one appeared and the hall remained in total darkness. Rhodes looked at his watch.
“We’ll have to go,” he announced, regretfully. “We have to be in at six, you know, and it is ten of now. We have to wash for supper, so we haven’t any time to spare. I’d surely like to stay here and see who comes out.”
53
“So would I,” agreed Jim. “But we’ll have to go. If we could only see who it was!”
The two cadets returned to the building, checked in, and went to their rooms. While Jim washed he told the other two of their discovery. Terry went to the window and watched the lawn, but without discovering anything.
“We’ll see if anyone is missing from the dining hall,” Don suggested. But although they took great care to check up they could learn nothing at the evening meal. Every cadet and officer was in his place at the tables.
“That leaves us one theory,” decided42 Rhodes, a little later, as they talked it over in the boys’ room. “Either the man got back before supper or one of the cooks or the janitor43 went in there. The question is: who, besides the colonel, has a key to Clanhammer Hall?”
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1
mole
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| n.胎块；痣；克分子 | |
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drooped
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| 弯曲或下垂，发蔫( droop的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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3
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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fixedly
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| adv.固定地；不屈地，坚定不移地 | |
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instructor
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| n.指导者，教员，教练 | |
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6
lookout
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| n.注意，前途，瞭望台 | |
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corps
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| n.(通信等兵种的)部队；(同类作的)一组 | |
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steadily
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| adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地 | |
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glibly
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| adv.流利地，流畅地；满口 | |
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gravel
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| n.砂跞；砂砾层；结石 | |
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lasting
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| adj.永久的，永恒的；vbl.持续，维持 | |
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athletics
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| n.运动，体育，田径运动 | |
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sodas
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| n.苏打( soda的名词复数 )；碱；苏打水；汽水 | |
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strictly
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| adv.严厉地，严格地；严密地 | |
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15
grumbled
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| 抱怨( grumble的过去式和过去分词 )； 发牢骚； 咕哝； 发哼声 | |
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beckoned
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| v.（用头或手的动作）示意，召唤( beckon的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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saluted
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| v.欢迎，致敬( salute的过去式和过去分词 )；赞扬，赞颂 | |
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18
usher
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| n.带位员，招待员；vt.引导，护送；vi.做招待，担任引座员 | |
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throng
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| n.人群，群众；v.拥挤，群集 | |
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chuckled
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| 轻声地笑( chuckle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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lieutenant
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| n.陆军中尉，海军上尉；代理官员，副职官员 | |
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annoyance
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| n.恼怒，生气，烦恼 | |
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thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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unbearable
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| adj.不能容忍的；忍受不住的 | |
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halfway
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| adj.中途的，不彻底的，部分的；adv.半路地，在中途，在半途 | |
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virtues
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| 美德( virtue的名词复数 )； 德行； 优点； 长处 | |
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promptly
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| adv.及时地，敏捷地 | |
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rebuked
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| 责难或指责( rebuke的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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squads
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| n.（军队中的）班( squad的名词复数 )；（暗杀）小组；体育运动的运动（代表）队；（对付某类犯罪活动的）警察队伍 | |
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fussy
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| adj.为琐事担忧的，过分装饰的，爱挑剔的 | |
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plentifully
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| adv. 许多地，丰饶地 | |
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originality
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| n.创造力，独创性；新颖 | |
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ingenuity
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| n.别出心裁；善于发明创造 | |
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carnival
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| n.嘉年华会，狂欢，狂欢节，巡回表演 | |
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revolving
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| adj.旋转的，轮转式的；循环的v.（使）旋转( revolve的现在分词 )；细想 | |
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briefly
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| adv.简单地，简短地 | |
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defiant
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| adj.无礼的，挑战的 | |
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stuffy
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| adj.不透气的，闷热的 | |
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growled
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| v.（动物）发狺狺声， （雷）作隆隆声( growl的过去式和过去分词 )；低声咆哮着说 | |
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clump
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| n.树丛，草丛；vi.用沉重的脚步行走 | |
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41
twilight
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| n.暮光，黄昏；暮年，晚期，衰落时期 | |
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decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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janitor
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| n.看门人，管门人 | |
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