Mr Spence was a master with a great deal of sympathy and a highlydeveloped sense of duty. It was the combination of these two qualitieswhich made it so difficult for him to determine on a suitable course ofaction in relation to Sheen's out-of-bounds exploits. As a privateindividual he had nothing but admiration for the sporting way in whichSheen had fought his up-hill fight. He felt that he himself in similarcircumstances would have broken any number of school rules. But, as amaster, it was his duty, he considered, to report him. If a masterignored a breach of rules in one case, with which he happened tosympathise, he would in common fairness be compelled to overlook asimilar breach of rules in other cases, even if he did not sympathisewith them. In which event he would be of small use as a master.
On the other hand, Sheen's case was so exceptional that he might verywell compromise to a certain extent between the claims of sympathy andthose of duty. If he were to go to the headmaster and state baldly thatSheen had been in the habit for the last half-term of visiting anup-river public-house, the headmaster would get an entirely wrong ideaof the matter, and suspect all sorts of things which had no existencein fact. When a boy is accused of frequenting a public-house, thehead-magisterial mind leaps naturally to Stale Fumes and the DrunkenStagger.
So Mr Spence decided on a compromise. He sent for Sheen, and havingcongratulated him warmly on his victory in the Light-Weights, proceededas follows:
"You have given me to understand, Sheen, that you were taught boxing byBevan?""Yes, sir.""At the 'Blue Boar'?""Yes, sir.""This puts me in a rather difficult position, Sheen. Much as I dislikedoing it, I am afraid I shall have to report this matter to theheadmaster."Sheen said he supposed so. He saw Mr Spence's point.
"But I shall not mention the 'Blue Boar'. If I did, the headmastermight get quite the wrong impression. He would not understand all thecircumstances. So I shall simply mention that you broke bounds by goingup the river. I shall tell him the whole story, you understand, andit's quite possible that you will hear no more of the affair. I'm sureI hope so. But you understand my position?""Yes, sir.""That's all, then, Sheen. Oh, by the way, you wouldn't care for a gameof fives before breakfast tomorrow, I suppose?""I should like it, sir.""Not too stiff?""No, sir.""Very well, then. I'll be there by a quarter-past seven."* * * * *Jack Bruce was waiting to see the headmaster in his study at the end ofafternoon school.
"Well, Bruce," said the headmaster, coming into the room and layingdown some books on the table, "do you want to speak to me? Will yougive your father my congratulations on his victory. I shall be writingto him tonight. I see from the paper that the polling was very even.
Apparently one or two voters arrived at the last moment and turned thescale.""Yes, sir.""It is a most gratifying result. I am sure that, apart from ourpolitical views, we should all have been disappointed if your fatherhad not won. Please congratulate him sincerely.""Yes, sir.""Well, Bruce, and what was it that you wished to see me about?"Bruce was about to reply when the door opened, and Mr Spence came in.
"One moment, Bruce," said the headmaster. "Yes, Spence?"Mr Spence made his report clearly and concisely. Bruce listened withinterest. He thought it hardly playing the game for the gymnasiummaster to hand Sheen over to be executed at the very moment when theschool was shaking hands with itself over the one decent thing that hadbeen done for it in the course of the athletic year; but he toldhimself philosophically that he supposed masters had to do thesethings. Then he noticed with some surprise that Mr Spence was puttingthe matter in a very favourable light for the accused. He was avoidingwith some care any mention of the "Blue Boar". When he had occasion torefer to the scene of Sheen's training, he mentioned it vaguely as ahouse.
"This man Bevan, who is an excellent fellow and a personal friend of myown, has a house some way up the river."Of course a public-house _is_ a house.
"Up the river," said the headmaster meditatively.
It seemed that that was all that was wrong. The prosecution centredround that point, and no other. Jack Bruce, as he listened, saw his wayof coping with the situation.
"Thank you, Spence," said the headmaster at the conclusion of thenarrative. "I quite understand that Sheen's conduct was very excusable.
But--I distinctly said--I placed the upper river out of bounds....Well,I will see Sheen, and speak to him. I will speak to him."Mr Spence left the room.
"Please sir--" said Jack Bruce.
"Ah, Bruce. I am afraid I have kept you some little time. Yes?
"I couldn't help hearing what Mr Spence was saying to you about Sheen,sir. I don't think he knows quite what really happened.""You mean--?""Sheen went there by road. I used to take him in my motor.""Your--! What did you say, Bruce?""My motor-car, sir. That's to say, my father's. We used to go togetherevery day.""I am glad to hear it. I am glad. Then I need say nothing to Sheenafter all. I am glad....But--er--Bruce," proceeded the headmaster aftera pause.
"Yes, sir?""Do you--are you in the habit of driving a motor-car frequently?""Every day, sir. You see, I am going to take up motors when I leaveschool, so it's all education."The headmaster was silent. To him the word "Education" meant Classics.
There was a Modern side at Wrykyn, and an Engineering side, and also aScience side; but in his heart he recognised but one Education--theClassics. Nothing that he had heard, nothing that he had read in thepapers and the monthly reviews had brought home to him the spirit ofthe age and the fact that Things were not as they used to be so clearlyas this one remark of Jack Bruce's. For here was Bruce admitting thatin his spare time he drove motors. And, stranger still, that he did itnot as a wild frolic but seriously, with a view to his future career.
"The old order changeth," thought the headmaster a little sadly.
Then he brought himself back from his mental plunge into the future.
"Well, well, Bruce," he said, "we need not discuss the merits anddemerits of driving motor-cars, need we? What did you wish to see meabout?""I came to ask if I might get off morning school tomorrow, sir. Thosevoters who got to the poll just in time and settled the election--Ibrought them down in the car. And the policeman--he's a Radical, andvoted for Pedder--Mr Pedder--has sworn--says I was exceeding thespeed-limit."The headmaster pressed a hand to his forehead, and his mind swam intothe future.
"Well, Bruce?" he said at length, in the voice of one whom nothing cansurprise now.
"He says I was going twenty-eight miles an hour. And if I can get tothe Court tomorrow morning I can prove that I wasn't. I brought them tothe poll in the little runabout.""And the--er--little runabout," said the headmaster, "does not travelat twenty-eight miles an hour?""No, sir. It can't go more than twenty at the outside.""Very well, Bruce, you need not come to school tomorrow morning.""Thank you, sir."The headmaster stood thinking....The new order....
"Bruce," he said.
"Yes, sir?""Tell me, do I look very old?"Bruce stared.
"Do I look three hundred years old?""No, sir," said Bruce, with the stolid wariness of the boy who fearsthat a master is subtly chaffing him.
"I feel more, Bruce," said the headmaster, with a smile. "I feel more.
You will remember to congratulate your father for me, won't you?"* * * * *Outside the door Jack Bruce paused in deep reflection. "Rum!" he saidto himself. "Jolly rum!"* * * * *On the senior gravel he met Sheen.
"Hullo, Sheen," he said, "what are you going to do?""Drummond wants me to tea with him in the infirmary.""It's all right, then?""Yes. I got a note from him during afternoon school. You coming?""All right. I say, Sheen, the Old Man's rather rum sometimes, isn'the?""What's he been doing now?""Oh--nothing. How do you feel after Aldershot? Tell us all about it.
I've not heard a word yet."
The End
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