smay and misery, we heard a window above us
stealthily opened, close to the water-pipe, and looking up beheld the
Henniker's head and yellow-and-black body suddenly thrust out.

"Batchelor and Smith--Mr Ladislaw," (here her voice rose to pretty
nearly a shriek)--"Mr Ladislaw! come at once, please--Batchelor and
Smith, running away. Mr Ladislaw, quick! Batchelor and Smith!"

We stood motionless, with no spirit left to fly, until the door was
opened, and Mr Ladislaw, Miss Henniker, and Mr Hashford, all three,
sallied out to capture us.

Among them we were dragged back, faint and exhausted, into Stonebridge
House, all thoughts of freedom, and London, effectually banished from
our heads, and still worse, with the bitter sense of disappointment
added to our other miseries.

Mr Hashford was set to watch us for the rest of the night in the empty
schoolroom. And he had an easy task. For even though he fell asleep
over it, we had no notion of returning to our old scheme. Indeed, I was
shivering so, I had no notion of anything but the cold. Jack made me
put on his coat, but it made very little difference. The form I was on
actually shook with my shivering. Mr Hashford, good soul that he was,
lent me his own waistcoat, and suggested that if we all three sat close
together--I in the middle--I might get warmer. We tried it, and when at
six o'clock that same eventful morning the servant came to sweep the
room she found us all three huddled together--two of us asleep and one
in a fever.

I have only a dim recollection of what happened during the next week or
so. I was during that time the most comfortable boy in all Stonebridge
House. For the doctor came every day, ordered me all sorts of good
things, and insisted on a fire being kept in my room, and no lessons.
And if I wished to see any of my friends I might do so, and on no
account was I to be allowed to fret or be disturbed in mind. I couldn't
help feeling half sorry for Miss Henniker being charged with all these
uncongenial tasks; but Stonebridge House depended a great deal on what
the doctor said of it, and so she had to obey his orders.

I took advantage of the permission to see my friends by requesting the
presence of Smith very frequently. But as the Henniker generally
thought fit to sit in my room at the same time, I didn't get as much
good out of my chum as I might have done. I heard he had had a very
smart flogging for his share of that eventful night's