Chapter 2

David clenched his hands tightly. The net and flying balls spun all together inextricably before his eyes as he strained them to see Joe's brilliant returns. This was the deciding set, as the cup was to go to the winners of two sets out of three.

Joel's last serve was what finished it; the ball flashing by Tom with such impetus, that even the St. Andrew's champion said he couldn't ever have returned it.

Everybody drew a long breath, and then the crowd rushed and converged to Joel; surrounded him, fighting for first place, the fortunate ones tossing him up to their shoulders to race him in triumph around the yard.

"Take Ricket!" screamed Joel, red in the face. "Take him!" he roared. "He beat too, as much as I." So a second group seized Fred; and up he went to be trotted after, the crowd swarming alongside, yelling, tumbling over each other,--gone perfectly wild; Joe waving the cup, thrust into his hand, which would be kept by the winners for a year.

* * * * *

It was the middle of the night. Davie, flushed with the happiest thoughts, had peacefully settled to dreams in which Mamsie and Grandpapa, and Polly and Jasper, and all the dear home people, were tangled up. And Phronsie seemed to be waving a big silver cup, and piping out with a glad little laugh, "Oh, I am so glad!" And now and then the scene of operations flew off to the little brown house, that it appeared impossible to keep quite out of dreamland. Some one gripped him by the arm.

"Oh, what is it, Joe?" David flew up to a sitting posture in the middle of his bed.

"It isn't Joe. Get up as quick as you can."

David, with a dreadful feeling at his heart, tumbled out of bed. "_Isn't Joe!_" he found time to say, with a glance in the darkness over toward Joel's bed.

"Hurry up, don't stop to talk." The voice was Tom Beresford's. "Get on your clothes."

Meantime he was scuffing around. "Where in time are your shoes?" But David already had those articles, and was pulling them on with hasty fingers. "Oh, tell me," he couldn't help crying; but "Hurry up!" was all he got for his pains. And at last, after what seemed an age to Tom, David was piloted out into the hall, with many adjurations to "go softly," down the long flight of stairs. Here he came to a dead stop. "I can't go another single step, Tom," he said firmly, "unless you tell me what you want me for. And where is Joel?" he gasped.

"Oh, bother! in another minute you'd have been outside, and then it would be safe to tell you," said Tom. "Well, if you will have it, Dave, Joe's finishing up that business with Jenk, and you're the only one that can stop it. Now don't keel over."

David clung to the door, which Tom had managed to open softly, and for a minute it looked as if Beresford would have his hands full without in the least benefiting Joel. But suddenly he straightened up. "Oh, tell me where he is," he cried, in a manner and voice exactly like Polly when she had anything that must be done set before her. And clear ahead of his guide when Tom whispered, "Down in the pine grove," sped Davie on the very wings of the wind.

"Gracious! Joel is nothing to Dave as a sprinter," said Tom to himself, as his long legs got him over the ground in the rear.

The two boys hugged the shadow of the tall trees and dashed across the lawn to the shrubbery beyond. Then it was but a breathing space, and a few good leaps to the depths of the pine grove. In the midst of this were two figures, busily engaged in the cheerful occupation of fisticuffing each other till the stronger might win.

"_Joel!_" called David hoarsely, his breath nearly spent as he dashed up.

Joel, at this, wavered, and turned. Seeing which, his antagonist dealt him a thwack that made his head spin, and nearly lost him his footing.

"That was mean, Jenk!" exclaimed Beresford, dashing up in time to see it. "You took advantage when Joe was off guard," he cried hotly.

"No such thing," roared Jenk, losing his head at what now seemed an easy victory, "and I'll settle with you when I get through with Joe, for being such a mean sneak as to turn tell-tale, Tom."

"All right," said Tom coolly. "Go it, Joe, and pay him up. You've several scores to settle now."

"Joel," gasped Davie. "Oh Mamsie!" He could get no further.

Joel's hands, out once more in good fighting trim, wavered again, and sank helplessly down to his side.

"Oh dear!" Tom groaned in amazement.

"Hoh--hoh! you see how easy I could whip him," laughed Jenkins, raining down blows all over Joel's figure, who didn't offer to stir.

"See here you!" Tom fairly roared it out, perfectly regardless of possible detection. "You beastly coward!" And he jumped in between Joel and his antagonist. "You may settle with me now if you like."

"Stop, Tom." Joel seized him from behind. Tom, in a fury, turned to see his face working dreadfully, while the brown hands gripped him tightly. "I forgot--Mamsie wouldn't--like--you mustn't, Tom. If you do, I'll scream for John," he declared suddenly.

John, the watchman, being the last person whom any of Dr. Marks' boys desired to see when engaged in a midnight prank, Beresford backed away slowly from Jenkins, who was delighted once more at the interruption, and fastened his gaze on Joel. "Well, I never did, Pepper!" he brought himself to say.

"Tom," said David brokenly, and getting over to him to seize his hand, "don't you know our Mamsie would feel dreadfully to see Joel doing any such thing? Oh, she would, Tom," as Beresford continued to stare without a word.

"Not to such a miserable beggar." Tom at last found his tongue, and pointed to Jenk.

"Oh, yes, she would. It's just as bad in Joel," said Davie, shaking his head. Joel turned suddenly, took two or three steps, then flung himself down flat on his face on the pine needles.

"Well, get up," said Tom crossly, running over to him. "John will maybe get over here, we've made so much noise. Hurry up, Joe, we must all get back."

Joel, thus adjured, especially as David got down on the ground, to put his arms around the shaking shoulders, got up slowly. Then they turned around to look for Jenkins. He was nowhere to be seen.

"Little coward!" exclaimed Tom between his teeth. "Well, we'll have to skin it as best we may back. _Here comes John!_"

They could see his lantern moving around among the trees; and dashing off, taking the precaution to hug the shadow of the trees again, they soon made the big door to the dormitory. Tom reached it first, and turned the knob. "It's locked," he said. "The mean, beastly coward has locked us out."

III A NARROW ESCAPE

Joel, in such an emergency, wiped his black eyes and looked up sharply. David sank on the upper step.

"Oh, no, Tom," cried Joel, crowding in between Beresford and the door, "it can't be. Get out of the way; let me try."

"It is--it is, I tell you," howled Tom in what was more of a whine, as he kept one eye out for John and his lantern. "The mean sneak has got the best of us, Joe." He set his teeth hard together, and his face turned white.

Joe dropped the doorknob, and whirled off the steps.

"Julius Caesar! where are you going?" began Tom, as Joel disappeared around the corner of the dormitory.

"He's gone to see if John is coming, I suppose," said Davie weakly.

Tom, preferring to see for himself, skipped off, and disappeared around the angle. "Oh--oh!" was what David heard next, making him fly from his step to follow in haste.

What he saw was so much worse than all his fears as Tom gripped his arm pointing up over his head, that he screamed right out, "Oh Joe, come back, you'll be killed!"

"He can't come back," said Tom hoarsely. "He'd much better go on." Joel, more than halfway up the lightning conductor, was making good time shinning along. He turned to say, "I'm all right, Dave," as a window above them was thrown up, and a head in a white nightcap was thrust out.

"It's all up with him now; there's old Fox," groaned Tom, ducking softly back over the grass. "Come on, Dave."

But David, with clasped hands and white face, had no thought of deserting Joel.

The person in the window, having the good sense to utter no exclamation, waited till Joel was up far enough for her to grasp his arm. Then she couldn't help it as she saw his face.

"_Joel Pepper!_"

"Yes'm," said Joel, turning his chubby face toward her. "I knew I could get up here; it's just as easy as anything."

Mrs. Fox set her other hand to the task of helping him into the dimly lighted hall, much to Joel's disgust, as he would much have preferred to enter unassisted. Then she turned her cap-frills full on him, and said in a tone of great displeasure, "What _is_ the meaning of all this?"

"Why, I had to go out, Mrs. Fox."

"Why?"

"Oh--I--I--had to."

She didn't ask him again, for the matron was a woman of action, and in all her dealings with boys had certain methods by which she brought them to time. So she only set her sharp eyes, that Dr. Marks' pupils always called "gimlets," full upon him. "Go to your room," was all she said.

"Oh Mrs. Fox," cried Joel, trying dreadfully to control himself, and twisting his brown hands in the effort, "I--I--had to go. Really I did."

"So you said before. _Go to your room._" Then a second thought struck her. "Was any other boy with you?" she demanded suddenly.

Joel gave a sharp cry of distress as he started down the hall, revolving in his mind how he would steal down and unlock the door as soon as the matron had taken herself off.

"Here, stop--come back here! Now answer me--yes or no--was any other boy with you?" as Joel stood before her again.

Joel's stubby black curls dropped so that she couldn't see his face. As there was no reply forthcoming, Mrs. Fox took him by the arm. "You needn't go to your room, Joel," she said sharply. "You may go to Coventry."

"Oh Mrs. Fox," Joel burst out, "don't--don't send me there."

"A boy who cannot answer me, is fit only for Coventry," said Mrs. Fox with great dignity, despite the nightcap. "Wait here, Joel. I will get my candle, and light you down." She stepped off to a corner of the hall, where she had set the candlestick on a table, when startled by the noise outside. "Now we will go."

It was impossible that all this confusion should not awake some of the boys in the hall; and by this time there was much turning on pillows, and leaning on elbows, and many scuttlings out of bed to listen at doors opened a crack, so that nearly every one of the occupants, on that particular hall soon knew that "old Fox" had Joel Pepper in her clutches, and that he was being led off somewhere.

And at last Joel let it out himself. "Oh Mrs. Fox--dear Mrs. Fox, _don't_ make me go to Coventry," he roared. He clutched her wrapper, a big, flowered affair that she wore on such nocturnal rambles, and held it fast. "I'll be just as good," he implored.

"Coventry is the place for you, Joel Pepper," said Mrs. Fox grimly; "so we will start."

Meanwhile David, holding his breath till he saw, in the dim light that always streamed out from the dormitory hall where the gas was left turned down at night, that Joel was safely drawn in to shelter, frantically rushed around to the big door, in the wild hope that somehow admittance would be gained. "Joe will come by and by," he said to himself, sinking down on the steps.

"We're done for," said Tom's voice off in the distance.

"Oh Tom, are you there?" cried Davie, straining his eyes to catch a glimpse.

"Hush!" Tom poked his head out from a clump of shrubbery. "Don't you dare to breathe. I tell you, Dave, our only hope is in staying here till morning."

"Oh dear me!" exclaimed David in dismay.

"Oh dear me!" echoed Tom in derision. It was impossible for him to stop talking, he was so keyed up. "It's paradise, I'm sure, compared to being in old Fox's grip."

This brought David back to Joel's plight, and he sighed dismally, and leant his head on his hands. How long he sat there he couldn't have told. The first thing he did know, a big hand was laid on his shoulder, and a bright glare of light fell full on his face.

"Oh my soul and body!" cried John, the watchman, bending over him, "if here ain't one of th' boys dead asleep on the doorsteps!"

"Little goose, to sit there!" groaned Tom, huddling back into his bushes. "Now it's all up with him. Well, I'll save my skin, for I don't believe those boys will tell on me."

"Coventry" was a small square room in the extension, containing a bed, a table, and a chair, where the boys who were refractory were sent. It was considered a great disgrace to be its inmate. They were not locked in; but no boy once put there was ever known to come out unless bidden by the authorities. And no one, of course, could speak to them when they emerged from it to go to recitations, for their lessons must be learned in the silence of this room. Then back from the class-room the culprit must go to this hated place, to stay as long as his misdemeanor might seem to deserve.

It was so much worse punishment than a flogging could possibly be, that all Dr. Marks' boys heard "Coventry" with a chill that stopped many a prank in mid-air.

But Joel didn't get into "Coventry" after all, for at the foot of the stairs, another candle-beam was advancing; and back of it was the thin, sharp face of Mr. Harrow, one of the under-teachers.

"Oh Mr. Harrow," screamed Joel, breaking away from the matron, to plunge up to him, "she's going to put me into Coventry. Oh, don't make me go there; it will kill my Mamsie, and Polly."

"Hey?" Mr. Harrow came to a sudden stop, and whirled the candlestick around to get a better view of things. "What's this, Mrs. Fox? And _Joel Pepper_, of all boys!"

"I know it," said Mrs. Fox, her candlestick shaking in an unsteady hand. "Well, you see, sir, I was going upstairs to see if little Fosdick had blankets enough; it's turned cold, and you know he's had a sore throat, and----"

"Well, come to the point, Mrs. Fox," said the teacher, bringing her up quickly. Joel clung desperately to his hand, shaking violently in every limb.

"Oh, yes, sir--well, and I heard a noise outside, so I bethought me to look, and there was this boy climbing up the lightning conductor."

"Up the lightning conductor?" echoed Mr. Harrow.

"Yes, sir,"--Mrs. Fox's cap-frills trembled violently as she nodded,--"Joel Pepper was climbing up the lightning conductor, sir. And I thought I should have dropped to see him, sir."

The under-teacher turned and surveyed Joel. "Well, I think, Mrs. Fox," he said slowly, "if he's been over that lightning conductor to-night, we won't put him in Coventry."

"He wouldn't answer when I asked him if any other boys were there," said the matron, a dull red spot coming on either cheek.

"That's bad--very bad," said Mr. Harrow. "Well, I'll take Joel under my care. Do you go to bed, Mrs. Fox."

It was all done in a minute. Somehow Mrs. Fox never quite realized how she was left standing alone. And as there really wasn't anything else for her to do, she concluded to take the under-teacher's advice.

"Now, Joel,"--Mr. Harrow looked down at his charge,--"you seem to be left for me to take care of. Well, suppose you come into my room, and tell me something about this affair."

Joel, with his heart full of distress about David and Tom, now that the immediate cause of alarm over his being put into "Coventry" was gone, could scarcely conceal his dismay, as he followed Mr. Harrow to his room. He soon found himself on a chair; and the under-teacher, setting his candlestick down, took an opposite one.

"Do you mind telling me all about this little affair of yours, Joe?" said Mr. Harrow, leading off easily. His manner, once away from the presence of the matron, was as different as possible; and Joel, who had never met him in just this way, stared in amazement.

"You see, Joe," the under-teacher went on, and he began to play with some pencils on the table, "it isn't so very long ago, it seems to me, since I was a boy. And I climbed lightning conductors too. I really did, Joel."

Joel's black eyes gathered a bright gleam in their midst.

"Yes, and at night, too," said the under-teacher softly, "though I shouldn't want you to mention it to the boys. So now, if you wouldn't mind, Joel, I should really like to hear all about this business of yours."

But Joel twisted his hands, only able to say, "Oh dear! I can't tell, Mr. Harrow." His distress was dreadful to see.

"Well," said the under-teacher slowly, "perhaps in the morning you'll feel better able to tell. I won't press it now. You must get to bed, Joe," with a keen look at his face.

"Oh Mr. Harrow--would you--would you--" Joel jumped out of his seat, and over to the under-teacher's chair.

"Would I what?" asked Mr. Harrow in perplexity, wishing very much that "Mamsie," whom he had seen on her visits to the school, were there at that identical moment.

"Would you--oh, might I unlock the--the back door?" gasped Joel, his black eyes very big with distress.

"Unlock the back door?" repeated Mr. Harrow. Then he paused a moment. "Certainly; I'll go with you." He got out of his chair.

"Oh, no, sir," cried Joel tumbling back, "I'll--I'll do it alone if I may; please, sir."

"Oh, no, Joel, that can't ever be allowed," Mr. Harrow was saying decidedly, when steps were heard coming down the hall, and there was John, the watchman, hauling David Pepper along the dimly lighted hall to the extra gleam of the under-teacher's room.

"I found this boy asleep on the steps," announced John, coming in with his charge.

"Why, David Pepper!" exclaimed Mr. Harrow in astonishment. Then he turned a cold glance on Joel, who flew over to Davie's side.

"Joel!" cried David convulsively, and blinking dreadfully as he came into the light. "Oh, I'm so glad you're safe--oh, so glad, Joey!" He hid his face on Joel's arm, and sobbed.

"You may go, John," said the under-teacher to that individual, who kept saying, "I found that boy asleep on the steps," over and over, unable to stop himself. "And don't say anything about this to any one. I will take care of the matter."

"All right, sir," said John, glad to be relieved of all responsibility, and touching his cap. "I found that boy asleep on the steps," he added as he took himself off.

"Now, see here." Mr. Harrow laid his hand on David's shoulder, ignoring Joel for the time, and drew him aside. "The whole of this business must be laid before me, David. So begin."

"Oh Dave!" cried Joel, springing up to him. "Oh, sir--oh, Mr. Harrow, it was all my fault, truly it was. David only came after me. Oh Mr. Harrow, don't make him tell."

"You go and sit down in that chair, Joel," said Mr. Harrow, pointing to it. So Joel went, and got on it, twisting miserably.

"Now, then, David."

"You see," said David, the tears still rolling down his cheeks, "that--oh dear!--Joel was gone, and--"

"How did you know Joel was gone?" interrupted the under-teacher.

"Oh dear!" David caught his breath. "Another boy told me, sir."

"Who?"

David hesitated. "Must I tell, sir?" not trusting himself to look at Joel.

"Certainly."

"Tom Beresford."

"Ugh!" Joel sprang from his chair. "He hadn't anything to do with it, sir. Tom has been awfully good. He only told Dave."

"Go back to your chair, Joel," said Mr. Harrow. "Now, then, David, go on. So you went out with Beresford to find Joel, eh?"

"Yes, sir," said David faintly.

"Any other boy?" asked the under-teacher quickly.

"No, sir."

"Well, then, Tom is waiting out there, I suppose, now." Mr. Harrow got out of his chair.

"He didn't have anything to do with it, sir," cried Joel wildly, and flying out of his chair again, "truly he didn't."

"I understand." Mr. Harrow nodded. "I'm going to bring him in. Now it isn't necessary to tell you two boys not to do any talking while I'm gone." With that he went over to a corner, took down a lantern, lighted it, and passed out.

When he came back, both Joel and David knew quite well by Tom's face, that the whole story was out; and Joel, who understood as well as any one that Floyd Jenkins never by any possibility could be a favorite with instructors, any more than with the boys, unless he changed his whole tactics, groaned again at thought that he had made matters worse for him.

"Now all three of you scatter to bed," was all the under-teacher said as he came in with Tom. "No talking now; get up as softly as you can. Good night."

IV OF VARIOUS THINGS

And the next day, the story which flew all over the yard, how that Joel Pepper was "put into Coventry" last night, was overtaken and set right.

"Huh! there, now you see," cried Van Whitney, coming out of his rage. He had cried so that his eyes were all swollen up, and he was a sight to behold. Percy, too miserable to say anything, and wishing he could ever cry when he felt badly, had slunk out of sight, to bear the trouble as well as he might. Now he came up bright and smiling. "Yes, now you see," he cried triumphantly.

"Oh, I hope that mean beggar Jenk will be expelled." There appeared to be but one voice about it.

"Well, he won't," said Van.

"Won't? Why not?" The boys crowded around him on the playground, all games being deserted for this new excitement. "Why not, pray tell?"

"Of course he will," said one boy decidedly. "Dr. Marks never'll keep him after this."

"Yes he will too," roared Van, glad he could tell the news first, but awfully disappointed that it must be that Jenkins was to stay, "for Joel got Dr. Marks to promise there shouldn't anything be done to Jenk. So there now!"

"What, not after locking that door! That was the worst." The boys, two or three of them, took up the cry, "'Twas beastly mean."

"Contemptible! Just like Jenk!" went all over the playground.

"Well, he isn't to go," repeated Van with a sigh; "and Joel says he was as bad, because he went out at night to fight."

"Why, he had to; Jenk dared him. And he couldn't have it out in the dormitory; you know he couldn't, Whitney," said one of the boys in surprise.

"Oh dear! I know," said Van helplessly. "Well, Joel says it's no matter that the racket was stolen out of his room, and--"

"No matter!" ejaculated the boys, a whole crowd of them swarming around him, "well, if that isn't _monstrous_!"

"Oh, Joel's afraid that Dr. Marks will expel Jenk," Percy, very uncomfortable to have Joel blamed, made haste to say. "Don't you see?"

"Well, he ought to be turned out," declared one boy decidedly. "Never mind, we'll make it so hot for that Jenk, he'll want to go."

"No, you mustn't," declared Percy, now very much alarmed. "Oh, no, you mustn't, Hobbs; because, if you do, Joel won't like it. Oh, he'll be so angry! He won't like it a bit, I tell you," he kept saying.

The idea of Joel's not liking it, seemed to take all the fun out of the thing; so Hobbs found himself saying, "Well, all right, I suppose we've got to put up with the fellow then. But you know yourself, Whitney, he's a mean cad."

There seemed to be but one opinion about that. But the fact remained that Jenkins was still to be one of them, to be treated as well as they could manage. And for the next few days, Joel had awfully hard work to be go-between for all the crowd, and the boy who had made it hard for him.

"You'll have to help me out, Tom," he said more than once in despair.

"Pretty hard lines," said Tom. Then the color flew all over his face. "I suppose I really ought, for you know, Pepper, I told you I wanted at first that you should lose your racket."

"Never mind that now, Tom," said Joel brightly, and sticking out his brown hand. "You've been awfully good ever since."

"Had to," grunted Tom, hanging to the hand, "when I saw how mean the beggar was."

"And but for you I should never have found the racket, at least not in time." Joel shivered, remembering the close call he had had from losing the game.

Tom shivered too, but for a different cause. "If I hadn't told him, I'd always have hated myself," he thought.