The Human Boy

it be to see your own head-master do it? A "howler," of course, is the same as a "cr

f age the affair has a solemn side, especially owing to his being a Rev. and a D.D. In fact, Slade, who was with me, said the spectacle reminded him of the depths of woe beggars got into in Greek tragedies, which often wanted half a dozen gods to lug them 172o

swagger place it was. Then we all bucked up like mad, and the masters bucked up too, and gave their gowns a hitch round and their mortar-boards a cock up,

calling attention to the ventilation and discipline, and looking at the chaps as if they were dried specimens in a museum; but with fathers or women he had a playful mood and an expression known as the "parent-smile." To mothers he never talked about "pupils," but called the whole shoot of us "his lads," and beamed and fluttered his gown, like a hen with chickens flutters its wings. The masters always copied him, and to see that little brute Browne t

a pigeon followed the Doctor. He had a blue tie on with a jolly bright diamond in it, and there were small purple veins in a regular network over his cheeks, and his mustache was yellowish-gray and waxed out as sharp as pins. A lady followed him with red rims to her little eyes

s work, eh? I expect, now, my youngster will be

Lower Fourth. The 175class-room is spacious, as you see, and new. A commanding panorama of the surrounding country and our playing-fields may be en

found she had got awfully excited, and stood pointing straight at young Tomlin. He was a mere kid, at the extreme bottom of the Lower Fourth; but he happened to be my fag, so I

ook Ralph! What an astounding re

r red in the gills,

the lad?" ask

e me for being so rude as to point at him in that way," she

nt a pet dog, and got

n, you know," ex

should be dragged in now. But the kid was a very tidy sort, really--Captain of the Third Footer Eleven and a good runner. He happened to be the son of

sions. Then they admitted that the 177likeness was really most wonderful, and they both hoped Tomlin and Carlo would be great friends. Tomlin, told by the Doctor to answ

rl; but we called him Carlo, and he grew jolly waxy when he found his nickname had got to Merivale before him. He fancied himself to a most hideous extent for a

ld be a hatter in the course of years he refused to have anything to do with him. And Tomlin 178loathed Carlo, too, from the start; so instead of being

h as mice and insects. He had a square face and snubby nose, and a voice and eyes exactly similar to Tomlin's; but there was no likeness in their characters, Tomlin being a very decent kid, as I have said. Fellows barred Carlo all round, and he only had one real chum in the miserable shape of Fowle. Fowle sucked up to him a

igh near a little fir-tree which grew at the top of the drill-ground. He was a

you up to?

turpentine juice come out of this tree where I cut it yesterday, and you can st

hat you'r

t

k you're rather

you mean,

kick you for being

were the same age, so it was a perfectly

get who you're talk

I expect, then cleared out when the fighting came on. Yes, and another ancestor stabbed a friend of Wat Tyler's

ccustomed to talking to people like you, and if you thi

wallow this," said Tomlin, and he went on and licke

n the drill-ground. "I'll never forget it; I'll get my father to make old Dunston expel you; and when I'm a man I'll devote

k, I should,

re straight off to the Doctor just

efore the Doctor in his study when Carlo arrived. He was white and muddy, and slightly bloody and panting

an the Doctor. "Don't say you have met wi

for him, owing to his being a lord's son. "I've been frightfully and cruelly mangl

octor. Then he rang the bell and 182told the butler

to tear me limb from limb. I'm not strong, and I may die of it. Anyway, he ought to be expelled, and I'll write to my fat

justice will not be done, my boy. You shall yourself ac

nt for, and in abo

he continued, "furnishes a more conclusive reply to my question than could any word of yours; neverth

omlin, which was a smart thing for a kid to say

are you aware, George Tomlin, that you have 'licked' one who, in the ordinary course of nature, and subje

swered Tomlin, as though no statement

cheek before the spectacle of your scandalous achievement, it will be necessary for me--for me, your head-master, sir--to quicken the blood in your veins and bring a blush to the baser extremit

othing, but l

y what you have to say; explain why your lamentable, your unholy, your aboriginal passions led you to fall upon Viscount Westonl

" said Tomlin. "I stood right up to him, an

rd Golightly imbue his hand in the blood of--I will not say a future hatter, for I yield to no man in my respec

d he's got to, sir, o

all it be possible in a Christian land, at a Christian college for Christian lads, to find infamous boys with tigrine insti

'm not going to sneak, of course; but I--I licked

rt," declared Carlo. "You flew

od one," ans

did from the state

ate victim's nerve-centres. He is still far from calm; his ganglions are yet vibrating. This work of destruction was yours. You do not deny it, but you refuse any explanation, making instead a vague and ambiguous reference to not sneaking. No man hates the tale-bearer more than your head-master, sir, but there are occasions when the school's welfare and the protection of our little commonwealth make it absolutely necessary that offences should be reported to the ruler of that commonwealth. I have no hesitation in saying that Westonleigh saw the present incident in this light. He had no right to hush u

all human nature, and explained that chaps were not expelled for trifles. He reminded Carlo that Tomlin had an immortal soul like himself, and seemed to imply that being expelled from Merivale would ruin a chap's future in the next world as well as this one. Finally, 188he allowed

ended, excepting that a lot of fellows sent Carlo t

ul. As for the Doctor, he continued making much of Carlo and sitting on Tomlin, till one day, going into chapel, he unexpectedly patted

thought he was pa

as 189cooking a sausage for me in

d like to speak

, and told him to

m I have been flogged for licking Carlo, and caned three times since for other things, which were

hy

olly muddle. Yo

ool to go about

gles suddenly heard something and got funky, but I kept him going. We reached the tree and Steggles lighted his bull's-eye lantern, so as to collect the medlars, when suddenly out from behind the tree itself rushed a man. We hooked it like lightning, naturally, and I never saw Steggles go at such a pace in my life, and he stuck to his lantern, too; but I tripped and fell, and before I could get up the man had collared me. If you'll believe it, the man was Browne! He asked me who the o

s Steggles

d my telling the Doctor that. Steggles also says that he's got an idea which may come to something. I don't know; but he's a very cute chap. I've got to keep out of the way after prayers to-n

t Greek lesson every evening after prayers, because of special examinat

e came in with his grovelling way, pretending he was awfully sorry for hav

ounds, I dashed out and followed as quickly as possible. Presently I saw a light, and noted two figures under the medlar-tree. Fearing they might be plotting against the ho

Browne put

or. "Positively that boy's behavio

reated him as you have. I couldn't trust myself

t! Greediness, immorality, ingratitude in the person 193of one outrageous lad! I thank you, Browne. Yours was a ze

s, and went to the corner behind the book-case where canes and things were kept. He seemed to forget Slade and me, so we sat tight in the gloom outside the radius of light thro

will have to be expelled; Tomlin must go; such consistent, such inherent depravity appears ineradicable. Pruning is of no ava

he turned up. When he did come he walked boldly in; and the Doctor, who had been striding up and down like a lion at the Zoo, didn't wait for any remarks, but just went straight for him, seized

red the Doctor, giving Tomlin one between each smack. "You--would--purloin--steal--rob--the medlars--of your prece

ise, wriggled about a good deal. In fact, he shot out his legs over and over again at intervals, like

"Beast--devil! Let me go! Let me go! I neve

octor went

ase your blasphemies. Falseho

ing me, and my father'll imprison you for life for it. I wish they could ha

hen shook him off like a spider, picked up his mortar-board, whic

k another word, or I shall

called the Doctor a devil we realized the truth. Now his passion nearly choked him; he danced wi

nted like a traction-engi

the operation caused me far greater suffering than it brought to him. I am wounded--wounded to the heart--and the exertion causes and will cause me much discomfort for hours

ken it to him, but

sir, it wa

it, then?" said the Doctor, his eyebrows going up on to

lo--I mean Weston

, his mouth dropping right open in a very

s,

justice? How did you dare to watch me ignorantly torture an innocent boy, and that boy-- Go! go both of you--you, Slade,

d head; and he puffed as if he'd been running miles; and Slade said afterwards that he looked jolly frightened too. He put his face in his hands as we went out, and we heard him say something about Lord Golig

and that boy happened to be Steggles, who had been at his heels ever since he went to the Doctor. Steggles is a miserable, unwholesome thing, but his strategy certainly comes off. Once having the message, all was easy, because Steggles 199merely found Carlo, and told him the Doctor wanted him. The result was much better than even Steggles hoped; because, though the Doctor generally

out. The kid, it seemed, had sloped down to Merivale railway station after his licking, and taken a ticket right away for Golightly, and gone home by the last train 200but one that night. He never returned either, but next day his father dropped in on Doctor Dunston, and Fowle managed to hear a little of what went on through the key-hole. He said that as far as he could make out the lo

withdrawn by mutual consent, like you hear of things in Parliament sometimes. He wouldn't have gone at all, but he refused to say who was under the medlar-tree with him, and

d Street, London, when they left school; which will be very good business for him if they do. As for the Doctor, it's a peculiar fact that for a whole term after C