After all he had gone through that night, it disturbed Fenn verylittle to find on the following morning that the professionalcracksman had gone off with one of the cups in his study. Certainly,it was not as bad as it might have been, for he had only abstractedone out of the half dozen that decorated the room. Fenn was a finerunner, and had won the "sprint" events at the sports for two yearsnow.
The news of the burglary at Kay's soon spread about the school. Mr Kaymentioned it to Mr Mulholland, and Mr Mulholland discussed it at lunchwith the prefects of his house. The juniors of Kay's were among thelast to hear of it, but when they did, they made the most of it, tothe disgust of the School House fags, to whom the episode seemed inthe nature of an infringement of copyright. Several spiritedby-battles took place that day owing to this, and at the lower end ofthe table of Kay's dining-room at tea that evening there could be seenmany swollen countenances. All, however, wore pleased smiles. They hadproved to the School House their right to have a burglary of their ownif they liked. It was the first occasion since Kennedy had become headof the house that Kay's had united in a common and patriotic cause.
Directly afternoon school was over that day, Fenn started for thetown. The only thing that caused him any anxiety now was the fear lestthe cap which he had left in the house in the High Street might riseup as evidence against him later on. Except for that, he was safe. Theheadmaster had evidently not remembered his absence from the festiveboard, or he would have spoken to him on the subject before now. If hecould but recover the lost cap, all would be right with the world.
Give him back that cap, and he would turn over a new leaf with arapidity and emphasis which would lower the world's record for thatperformance. He would be a reformed character. He would even go to theextent of calling a truce with Mr Kay, climbing down to Kennedy, andoffering him his services in his attempt to lick the house into shape.
As a matter of fact, he had had this idea before. Jimmy Silver, whowas in the position--common at school--of being very friendly with twopeople who were not on speaking terms, had been at him on the topic.
"It's rot," James had said, with perfect truth, "to see two chaps likeyou making idiots of themselves over a house like Kay's. And it's allyour fault, too," he had added frankly. "You know jolly well youaren't playing the game. You ought to be backing Kennedy up all thetime. Instead of which, you go about trying to look like a Christianmartyr--""I don't," said Fenn, indignantly.
"Well, like a stuffed frog, then--it's all the same to me. It'sperfect rot. If I'm walking with Kennedy, you stalk past as if we'dboth got the plague or something. And if I'm with you, Kennedysuddenly remembers an appointment, and dashes off at a gallop in theopposite direction. If I had to award the bronze medal for drivellinglunacy in this place, you would get it by a narrow margin, and Kennedywould be _proxime_, and honourably mentioned. Silly idiots!""Don't stop, Jimmy. Keep it up," said Fenn, settling himself in hischair. The dialogue was taking place in Silver's study.
"My dear chap, you didn't think I'd finished, surely! I was onlytrying to find some description that would suit you. But it's no good.
I can't. Look here, take my advice--the advice," he added, in themelodramatic voice he was in the habit of using whenever he wished toconceal the fact that he was speaking seriously, "of an old man whowishes ye both well. Go to Kennedy, fling yourself on his chest, andsay, 'We have done those things which we ought not to have done--' No.
As you were! Compn'y, 'shun! Say 'J. Silver says that I am a rotter. Iam a worm. I have made an ass of myself. But I will be good. Shake,pard!' That's what you've got to do. Come in."And in had come Kennedy. The attractions of Kay's were small, and heusually looked in on Jimmy Silver in the afternoons.
"Oh, sorry," he said, as he saw Fenn. "I thought you were alone,Jimmy.""I was just going," said Fenn, politely.
"Oh, don't let me disturb you," protested Kennedy, with winningcourtesy.
"Not at all," said Fenn.
"Oh, if you really were--""Oh, yes, really.""Get out, then," growled Jimmy, who had been listening in speechlessdisgust to the beautifully polite conversation just recorded. "I'llforward that bronze medal to you, Fenn."And as the door closed he had turned to rend Kennedy as he had rentFenn; while Fenn walked back to Kay's feeling that there was a gooddeal in what Jimmy had said.
So that when he went down town that afternoon in search of his cap, hepondered as he walked over the advisability of making a fresh start.
It would not be a bad idea. But first he must concentrate his energieson recovering what he had lost.
He found the house in the High Street without a great deal ofdifficulty, for he had marked the spot carefully as far as that hadbeen possible in the fog.
The door was opened to him, not by the old man with whom he hadexchanged amenities on the previous night, but by a short, thickfellow, who looked exactly like a picture of a loafer from the pagesof a comic journal. He eyed Fenn with what might have been meant foran inquiring look. To Fenn it seemed merely menacing.
"Wodyer want?" he asked, abruptly.
Eckleton was not a great distance from London, and, as a consequence,many of London's choicest blackguards migrated there from time totime. During the hopping season, and while the local races were on,one might meet with two Cockney twangs for every country accent.
"I want to see the old gentleman who lives here," said Fenn.
"Wot old gentleman?""I'm afraid I don't know his name. Is this a home for old gentlemen?
If you'll bring out all you've got, I'll find my one.""Wodyer want see the old gentleman for?""To ask for my cap. I left it here last night.""Oh, yer left it 'ere last night! Well, yer cawn't see 'im.""Not from here, no," agreed Fenn. "Being only eyes, you see," hequoted happily, "my wision's limited. But if you wouldn't mind movingout of the way--""Yer cawn't see 'im. Blimey, 'ow much more of it, I should like toknow. Gerroutovit, cawn't yer! You and yer caps."And he added a searching expletive by way of concluding the sentencefittingly. After which he slipped back and slammed the door, leavingFenn waiting outside like the Peri at the gate of Paradise.
His resemblance to the Peri ceased after the first quarter of aminute. That lady, we read, took her expulsion lying down. Fenn wasmore vigorous. He seized the knocker, and banged lustily on the door.
He had given up all hope of getting back the cap. All he wanted was toget the doorkeeper out into the open again, when he would proceed toshow him, to the best of his ability, what was what. It would not bethe first time he had taken on a gentleman of the same class and asimilar type of conversation.
But the man refused to be drawn. For all the reply Fenn's knockingproduced, the house might have been empty. At last, having tired hiswrist and collected a small crowd of Young Eckleton, who looked as ifthey expected him to proceed to further efforts for their amusement,he gave it up, and retired down the High Street with what dignity hecould command--which, as he was followed for the first fifty yards bythe silent but obviously expectant youths, was not a great deal.
They left him, disappointed, near the Town Hall, and Fenn continued onhis way alone. The window of the grocer's shop, with its tins ofpreserved apricots and pots of jam, recalled to his mind what he hadforgotten, that the food at Kay's, though it might be wholesome (whichhe doubted), was undeniably plain, and, secondly, that he had run outof jam. Now that he was here he might as well supply that deficiency.
Now it chanced that Master Wren, of Kay's, was down town--withoutleave, as was his habit--on an errand of a very similar nature. Waltonhad found that he, like Fenn, lacked those luxuries of life which areso much more necessary than necessities, and, being unable to gohimself, owing to the unfortunate accident of being kept in by hisform-master, had asked Wren to go for him. Wren's visit to thegrocer's was just ending when Fenn's began.
They met in the doorway.
Wren looked embarrassed, and nearly dropped a pot of honey, which hesecured low down after the manner of a catch in the slips. Fenn, onthe other hand, took no notice of his fellow-Kayite, but walked oninto the shop and began to inspect the tins of biscuits which werestacked on the floor by the counter.
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