FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146  
147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161   162   163   164   165   166   167   168   169   170   171   >>   >|  
that a reason?" "Of course it is." "I only wondered whether--" He did not like to say that he wondered whether he need do it his first morning. "By some means or other you must find out--of course you know already, but you must find out from the boy. I know--I have it! Where's his health certificate?" "He had forgotten it." "Just like them. Well, when he brings it, it will be signed by Mrs. Orr, and you must look at it and say, 'Orr--Orr--Mrs. Orr?' or something to that effect, and then the whole thing will come naturally out." The bell rang, and they went in for the hour of school that concluded the morning. Varden brought his health certificate--a pompous document asserting that he had not suffered from roseola or kindred ailments in the holidays--and for a long time Rickie sat with it before him, spread open upon his desk. He did not quite like the job. It suggested intrigue, and he had come to Sawston not to intrigue but to labour. Doubtless Herbert was right, and Mr. Jackson and Mrs. Orr were wrong. But why could they not have it out among themselves? Then he thought, "I am a coward, and that's why I'm raising these objections," called the boy up to him, and it did all come out naturally, more or less. Hitherto Varden had lived with his mother; but she had left Sawston at Christmas, and now he would live with Mrs. Orr. "Mr. Jackson, sir, said it would be all right." "Yes, yes," said Rickie; "quite so." He remembered Herbert's dictum: "Masters must present a united front. If they do not--the deluge." He sent the boy back to his seat, and after school took the compromising health certificate to the headmaster. The headmaster was at that time easily excited by a breach of the constitution. "Parents or guardians," he reputed--"parents or guardians," and flew with those words on his lips to Mr. Jackson. To say that Rickie was a cat's-paw is to put it too strongly. Herbert was strictly honourable, and never pushed him into an illegal or really dangerous position; but there is no doubt that on this and on many other occasions he had to do things that he would not otherwise have done. There was always some diplomatic corner that had to be turned, always something that he had to say or not to say. As the term wore on he lost his independence--almost without knowing it. He had much to learn about boys, and he learnt not by direct observation--for which he believed he was unfitted--but by sedulous imitation of
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146  
147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161   162   163   164   165   166   167   168   169   170   171   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

certificate

 

health

 
Herbert
 

Rickie

 

Jackson

 

school

 

naturally

 
wondered
 
Varden
 

intrigue


headmaster

 

guardians

 

Sawston

 
morning
 

reputed

 

parents

 

believed

 
Parents
 

unfitted

 

reason


excited

 

deluge

 

imitation

 

Masters

 

present

 

united

 
easily
 

observation

 

breach

 

sedulous


compromising

 

constitution

 

direct

 

diplomatic

 

occasions

 

things

 

corner

 

knowing

 

turned

 

pushed


learnt

 
strictly
 

honourable

 

independence

 

illegal

 
dictum
 

dangerous

 

position

 

strongly

 

pompous