"Lucky he didn't," cried Mercer. "Oh, you are a good chap, and I'll give you the other shilling as soon as I can."

"Ay, do, master, for that chap I knows wants it badly."

"Come along, and let's shut it up safely," said Mercer.

"S'pose you let me take care of him in the tool-shed. I'll put him where he can't get out, and I shall have him ready when you come."

"Very well then," cried Mercer, "you keep him. At the High Pines, then, at seven o'clock."

"That's it, sir," said Magglin, securing the ferret in his pocket.

"Ah, good morning," said a voice; and we two turned sharply, to find that Mr Rebble and Mr Hasnip, who were out early for a const.i.tutional, had come up behind us quietly.

"Good morning, sir.--Good morning, sir," we said, and Magglin touched his cap and went off down the garden.

"Very good, Mercer. Very good, Burr junior," said Mr Hasnip blandly, as he brought his dark spectacles to bear upon us. "I like to see this, and I wish the other boys would be as industrious, and get up these lovely mornings. Been making plans with the gardener about your little gardens, I see. That's right--that's right. But, as I was saying, Rebble," he continued, turning away, "Galileo's opinion, when combined with that of Kepler and Copernicus, is all buzz-buzz-buzz--"

So the latter part of his speech sounded to us, as they went on toward the bottom of the garden.

"All buzz buzz buzz," whispered Mercer; "and that's what lots of others of those old folks' opinions sound like to me--all buzz buzz buzz in my poor head. I say, wasn't it lucky they didn't see the ferret?"

"They think we were speaking to him about gardening."

"Yes. What a game! We must go down to our gardens now, and pretend we got up early to work."

"I shan't," I said shortly. "I hate being so deceptive, and I wish you wouldn't be, Tom."

"Well, it don't sound nice, does it?" he replied thoughtfully. "But it's so easy."

"Perhaps we had better not go after the rabbits."

"Oh, but we must now. Don't you sneak back. I shall go, and n.o.body will know."

I felt doubtful, but I ended by promising.

"I say," cried Mercer suddenly, "what time is it? Oh, I do wish I had a watch! You can't see the clock from here, but my clock inside says it's breakfast-time."

"Let's go and see, then," I said, and we went toward the schoolroom.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN.

That was a most unfortunate day for me in school, for, as happens sometimes, I was wrong over one of my lessons, and was sent down, and it seemed to upset all the others, so that it was just like setting up a row of dominoes, then you touch one and it sends all the rest over.

Scold, find fault, grumble,--Mr Hasnip was just as if his breakfast had not agreed with him because he got up too early; and at last I was back in my seat, with my face burning, my head aching, and a general feeling of misery troubling me, which was made the worse by the keen enjoyment Burr major and his parasites found in triumphing over me, and coming by my place every now and then to whisper--"Poor fellow, then!--turned back--going to be caned," and the like, till I ground my teeth, clenched my fists, and sat there bent over the exercises before me, seeing nothing but the interior of Lomax's cottage, and listening to his instructions how to stop that blow and retort with another, till in imagination I could fancy myself thrashing my enemies, and making for myself a lasting peace.

"Never mind, old chap," whispered Mercer. "Rabbits to-night, and some day such a licking for old Eely and d.i.c.ksee."

The thoughts of the expedition that night were comforting, and I tried to think of the High Pines and the sandy slope with the holes where I had often seen the rabbits pop in and out, but my head ached all the same; and in spite of our half-hour in the play-field before dinner, I had no appet.i.te. During the afternoon, when my time came to go up to Mr Hasnip's desk, I felt more stupid than ever, and on casting my eyes sideways in search of a flying thought, there was Mr Rebble watching me intently.

This made me more confused, and my next answer more blundering, so that I was at last sent back to my desk in greater disgrace than ever, to find Mercer, who was always constructing something, boring the edge of his desk with a penknife, so as to make powder holes for a slate pencil cannon.

"Catching it again?" he said.

"Yes," I replied dolefully.

"Didn't say you were to stop in and study, did he?"

"No, he didn't say that."

"Oh, that's all right, then."

"But it isn't all right. He scolded me horribly."

"Pooh! what of that? Every boy gets scolded. Never mind. I say, I daresay we shall get a whole lot of rabbits. How would it be to ask cook to make us a rabbit pie of two of them."

"Nonsense!"

"Oh, would it be? We could keep it up in the bin, and go and have jolly feeds."

"Keep it up there, along with that poison stuff and nasty-smelling skins! Ugh!"

"Well, it would be queer perhaps. I didn't think of that."

"Mr Rebble's looking at you two," whispered the boy nearest, and we hurriedly went on with our work, but not for long. Mercer was too full of the coming expedition, and soon began whispering again.

"But how are we to get away?" I said. "Some one is sure to see us."

"Oh, that's easy enough," he whispered. "There's going to be a bit of a match to-night."

"But suppose they want us to field?"

"Then they'll want, for they will not be able to find us. You leave it to me."

That was a long, dreary afternoon, and tea-time seemed as if it would never arrive. When it did come round, though, with the cool air of evening my headache began to go off, and as I grew better, the excitement of the coming expedition, and the thoughts of how we were going to elude the notice of the other boys, completed the cure.

We had half an hour's walk before us, to reach the High Pines by seven, so that, as it grew near the time I began to be anxious.

We were in the schoolroom, deep in private study, and as Mercer studied, he kept on turning his eyes to gaze round the room, repeating his lessons all the while, so that he would not have looked particular if any one had been watching us, but no one was visible. Every now and then the voices of the boys in the play-field floated toward us, and we sat in momentary expectation of being seen by one of the bigger fellows, and ordered off into the field by our tyrants; but the moments still glided by, and at last Mercer thrust his book into his desk.

"Now, then," he said in a low voice, "we must make a run for it, or old Magg will think we are not coming."

"Which way are you going?" I asked.

"Right out through the garden, and by the back of the lodge. You follow me, and, whatever you do, don't look back, as if you were afraid of being seen."

It was risky work, I knew, but there was nothing to be gained by hesitating, and it seemed to me that the very boldness of our attempt helped us to a successful issue, for we went on, hearing voices from the field, and once that of the Doctor, as he was walking up and down the lawn with one of the ladies, whose light dress was seen for a few moments through the trees. Then we were out in the road, walking fast towards the General's woods, and soon after we pa.s.sed into a field, reached a copse, and Mercer uttered a faint "Hurrah!"