, clean
bedroom, and realised that we had only been locked up in the other place
while the maids came to make the beds. "I was all screwed up tight, and
would have taken my caning without so much as a squeak. Couldn't you?"

"I don't know," I said, "but I felt ready to go on with it, and now I
suppose we shall have to wait."

To our great disgust, we did have to wait hour after hour. We heard the
fellows go out from school, and their voices came ringing through the
clear summer air, and then we heard them come in to dinner; but we were
not called down, nothing was sent up to us, and, though we kept watch at
the window looking down into the shrubbery, there was no sign of the
cook, and the kite string remained unused.

"But she's sure to come some time," said Mercer. "She won't let old Reb
starve us. Hi! look there. Old Lomax. There he goes."

Sure enough, the old sergeant marched down the road, and we watched till
he was out of sight, but he did not see us.

"I wonder what he thought when we did not go for our lesson this
morning," I said.

"Oh, he had heard of it, safe," cried Mercer. "Hark, there they go out
from dinner. I say, I'm getting tired of this. They must have us down
soon."

But quite an hour passed away, and we stood sadly looking out at the
beautiful view, which never looked more attractive, and we were trying
to make out where the hammer pond lay among the trees, when I suddenly
nipped Mercer's arm, and we began to watch a light cart, driven by a
grey-haired gentleman, with a groom in livery with a cockade in his hat
seated by his side, and a big dark fellow in velveteen behind.

"Is he coming here?" whispered Mercer, as we drew back from the window.

We knew he must be, and, peering from behind the white window-curtains,
we saw the great fiery-looking roan horse turn at a rapid trot through
the open gates, then the wheels of the light, cart seemed to be pulled
up at the front entrance, where we saw the groom spring down, and heard
the jangle of the big front door bell.

Then we sat down on our chairs by the heads of our beds and waited, and
not long, for we soon heard steps on the stairs.

"It's coming now," said Mercer, drawing a long breath.

"Yes, it's coming now," I echoed softly, as a curious sensation of dread
ran through me, and directly after the door was unlocked, and Mr Rebble
appeared.

"Now, young gentlemen," he said, with a perfectly satisfied air, "the
Doctor will