"Oh, don't let him lick you, Frank!--don't let him lick you, pray!"

"No," I panted, with my breath coming rather short, "he isn't going to, but I'm so giddy."

"Had enough of it?" cried Burr major, and the giddiness pa.s.sed away directly as I rose and faced him.

Satisfied by the result of his last manoeuvre, he tried it again, but this time I was prepared, and, stepping on one side, I gave him, or rather my fist of itself seemed to give him, a stinging blow on the ear, which had so staggering an effect that, as he swung round and came on again, I was able to follow up my blow with three or four more, and the poor fellow went down crash.

It was his turn to look dazed and heavy now, and quite half the boys crowded round, giving me advice, bidding me, "go it," and working themselves up to a tremendous pitch of excitement.

Then we were facing each other again, with all pity and compunction gone, and, after receiving one or two blows, I forgot everything but the fact that there was something before me that I must hit, and hit it I did, my deliveries, as it happened, being quite in accordance with Lomax's teaching, which somehow came natural to me; and then I found myself standing over Burr major who was seated on the floor, and with half a dozen boys all wanting to shake hands with me at once.

"Here, I say, Burr major," cried one of his chief parasites, "ain't you going to lick old Senna now?"

I felt sorry for him, for he looked around dazed and despairing, but my blood was up again directly, as I saw the miserable cur of a fellow who had spoken go closer, double his fist, and shake it so close to Burr major's face that he tapped his nose.

"Serve you right!" he cried. "Always knocking other people about. How do you like it now?"

"You let him alone," I cried hotly.

"I shan't. Mind your own--"

"Business," I suppose he meant to say, but my fists had grown so excited by the fight that one of them flew out, and sent the miserable cur staggering against Mercer's chest.

Then I stood upon my guard, but the boy only held his hand to his face, while the others set up a cheer, and I turned to Burr major, who was still seated on the floor.

"I'm very sorry, Burr," I said apologetically. "I didn't want to knock you about so much. You'll shake hands, won't you?"

He looked up at me with rather an ugly expression upon his face, but he made no movement to take my hand, only turned away.

"Help me up, Stewart," he said huskily. "I want to go to my room and wash, and--"

"What is the meaning of all this, pray?" said a cold, harsh voice, and we all looked round to see Mr Rebble's white face just above the trap-door.

"Burr Major and Burr Junior been having it out, sir," cried half a dozen voices at once, and the colour began to burn in my cheeks as I met the usher's eye.

CHAPTER NINETEEN.

Mr Rebble stepped up into the loft, closely followed by Mr Hasnip, who stared from one to the other with a peculiar smile upon his lip.

"Fighting, eh?" said Mr Rebble. "Disgraceful! Why, d.i.c.ksee and Dean have been fighting too, and--yes--Mercer."

"Yes, sir," cried little Wilson. "Mercer and d.i.c.ksee had theirs first, then Burr major and Burr junior. Bill Dean hasn't been fighting. It was only that Burr junior gave him a wipe."

I felt as if I were the chief offender, and as I heard these words, I longed not to deliver wipes, but to have a good wash.

"Disgraceful!" exclaimed Mr Rebble. "Who began it? You, I suppose, Burr."

My first instinct was to disclaim this excitedly, but I thought it would be cowardly, so I held my tongue, leaving it to Burr major to answer.

To my surprise, though, he remained silent, and little Wilson squeaked out,--

"No, sir, please, sir, it wasn't Burr junior, sir. Eely Burr sent for Burr and Mercer to come and be licked; but," added the boy, with a malicious grin, "he hasn't licked them yet."

"Disgraceful! disgraceful!" cried Mr Rebble. "Well, the Doctor will decide what is to be done. Quick, boys, the dinner bell will.--Ah, there it goes!"

There was a hurried rush off at this, the boys being only too glad to get beyond hearing of the usher's scolding, and we who were left hurriedly scrambled on our jackets in a shamefaced way.

"This matter will have to be thoroughly investigated," said Mr Rebble; "but be quick now and make yourselves presentable. I shudder at what the Doctor would say if he saw you all in this condition. Come, Hasnip."

They both descended like pantomime demons through the trap, and we followed, Burr major going first, with his brow knit and his bruised face looking sulky and sour, while d.i.c.ksee turned to give Tom Mercer a savagely vindictive look which was not pleasant to see.

"Won't you shake hands?" I said, as my adversary was about to descend.

He gave me a quick look, but made no answer. Hodson however, spoke as we reached the stable.

"Why, Burr," he said, "I didn't know that you could fight like that."

"No," I said, "and I did not know either."

Then we hurried in and ran up to our room, where I was glad to get soap and towel to my bruised face.

"Oh, you are lucky, Tom!" I panted, as I hurriedly bent over the basin, fully expecting to be reported for coming up to the dormitory out of hours. "Why, you don't show a bit."

"Nor you neither," he replied.

"Oh!" I gasped, as I looked in the gla.s.s.

"Well, not so very much," he said.

"But--but I don't hardly know myself," I said despondently. "What a face!"

"Well, it does look rather like a m.u.f.fin," he cried.

"Ah, you may laugh," I said. "My eyes are just like they were when I was stung by a bee, and my lip's cut inside, and this tooth is loose, and--Oh dear, it's all growing worse!"

"Yes, it's sure to go on getting worse for a day or two, and then it will begin to get better. Ready?"

"Ready! No," I cried, as I listened to his poor consolation. "I'm getting horrid. I daren't go down."

"You must--you must. Come and face it out before you get worse."

"But I don't seem to have got a face," I cried, glaring out of two slits at my reflection in the gla.s.s. "It's just as if some one had been sitting on it for a week. Oh, you ugly brute!"

"So are you."

"I meant myself, of course, Tom."