CHAPTER VI

SCHOOL CONFLICTS

THE advent of five lads, each bearing the surname of "Rose," was a matter of mingled interest and amusement at the County Grammar School on the day of the commencement of the September term.

The school was situated about five miles from Linwell, and therefore it necessitated the lads dining at school. To avoid the long walk and to ensure punctuality, Mrs. Rose took three railway season-tickets for her boys, and as Mrs. Wilfrid did the same, the lads came into very frequent contact.

Reg's open avoidance and supercilious manner so aggravated Hugh that on the first morning at school he had a keen desire to "have it out" with him. But acting on his mother's counsel, he restrained his temper, and contented himself by returning Reg's cold stare with interest. It chanced that Hugh and Reg were placed together in the same form, Frank and Monty in the next one lower, whilst Ronnie found himself in the class for very little boys, a fact which did not trouble him in the least. Although he was very backward in his lessons, he was of such a sociable temperament that it more than compensated for his want of knowledge. He made friends with wonderful rapidity, and in a very short space of time he came to the conclusion that school was a very "jolly place" after all.

A month passed away, and nut-brown October took the place of ripe September. The leaves, of gold and crimson, were falling in prodigal luxuriance, whilst on their stems the few remaining autumn flowers shivered tremulously as though they heard in the distance the footsteps of King Winter.

Mrs. Rose, as in duty bound, duly paid her call at York House, which same, after a short lapse of time, was returned in proper form. Beyond these acts of courtesy there had been no great advance on either side save for the friendship which existed between Ronald and Gwennie, which, despite their occasional quarrels, grew and flourished.

Mrs. Wilfrid had given gracious permission for the children at The Gables to continue to make use of the meadow, but Ronnie and Elsie were the only two who had at present taken advantage of the offer.

During his first month at school, Hugh had shown a decided talent for arithmetic, and had more than once earned the praise of his master, whose name was Mr. Deans.

Reg, who was not particularly clever at anything, was intensely jealous, not only of Hugh's superior abilities, but of his popularity; and he sought out a way by which to humiliate Hugh in the eyes of the whole school.

The latter by his love of fun and sport soon won for himself many friends and admirers, and this fact was gall and bitterness to Reg, who, ere his first week at school was out, had earned for himself the title of "Thorny Rose."

One morning the head-master, the Rev. Dr. Willoughby, took his place at his desk with a heavy frown on his brow, which was a sure token that some one had offended.

After he had touched the bell for silence, he spoke a few sharp decisive words, to the effect that a key to a certain book of arithmetic was missing.

"I trust I am dealing with gentlemen," said he with awful solemnity, "and that not one of you would be guilty of such a mean action as to make use of any such book to assist you with your work."

"Boys in the Third Form," he added, with a keen, searching glance at the faces of the lads, "give up the keys of your desks. I desire Mr. Deans to search for the missing book."

Why the Third Form should be thus adjured did not transpire, but the fact of the matter was, that the day previously Mr. Deans had made inquiries for the self-same key, and Reginald Rose had volunteered the information that he had seen it in the hands of his cousin Hugh.

The keys were at once given into Mr. Deans' keeping. As it happened two of them were exactly alike, a fact of which only Reg was cognizant.

Hugh watched the proceedings with a look of amusement, never dreaming for one moment that his desk would contain other than his usual school-books, with a judicious admixture of toffee, string, etc.

But to the lad's utter astonishment and horror, Mr. Deans, after rummaging amongst the contents of his desk, came upon the missing book, which he held up to the gaze of the whole school.

For a moment there was dead silence, and then Hugh, rising from his seat without a trace of guilt in his honest, fearless eyes, said excitedly, "I never put it there, sir! Some mean—"

"Silence!" thundered Dr. Willoughby. "This then, Rose, is the meaning of your excellent arithmetic."

The satire did not crush Hugh in the least, he only felt a burning desire to thrash somebody. The injustice of it all had aroused his wrath, and only by rigid self-control, and wholesome dread of his master combined, did he manage to keep silence.

Some of Hugh's partisans looked sorry for him, but there were not a few who bestowed contemptuous glances on the offender. In the eyes of the entire school, the high-spirited lad was humiliated, and Reg's triumph was complete.

At mid-day, Hugh's conduct was the chief topic of conversation, and Frank, whose devotion to his brother was very great, was absolutely boiling over with indignation. So much enraged was he, that he threatened to fight any one of the boys who dared cast a slur on Hugh's character in his presence. His cousin Monty being rather an adept with his fists, quite enjoyed the idea of picking a quarrel with his classmate.

"We know now why Hugh is so clever with his sums," he said, sneeringly.

"Do you?" retorted Frank. "So do I—it's because he has more brains than you and your brother put together."

"H'm, that remains to be proved," said Monty irritatingly; "but it's funny that the book should find its way to his desk. I suspect it walked there in the night."

A group of lads, Reg amongst the number, gathered round the angry lads. Hugh in another part of the playground was doing his utmost to comfort Ronnie, whose distress at his brother's disgrace was unbounded.

A sudden thought flashed into Frank's mind, and without pausing to reflect, and scarcely crediting his own words, he said, "Hugh never put the book in his desk, I know. It's far more likely that Reg out of jealous spite hid it there himself."

Monty was beside himself with rage at these words, but they had struck home to Reg, for he turned visibly paler.

"If Reg did such a mean thing as that, I'd break every bone in his body," said the young pugilist; "but as he didn't, I'll make you suffer for your words."

And with his clenched fist Monty struck Frank a blow in his face. With interest Frank returned it, but his adversary being considerably stronger, the lad soon had the worst of it, and before Hugh could interpose, Frank was the possessor of a black eye, a bleeding face, and torn garments.

Monty Rose, after the first flush of victory was over, was considerably disturbed by his opponent's wretched appearance. For this breach of discipline, both lads were severely reprimanded. Frank was placed in the care of the housekeeper, who dressed his wounds and soothed him to such an extent that in the course of an hour or two, he did not feel so very much the worse for his conflict.

But the three Lancastrians felt heavy-hearted at the idea of facing the loving, tender mother who always awaited their home-coming with smiles of welcome. Alas! They had suffered a great reverse that day, and the "Yorkists" ignobly triumphed over their discomfiture.

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