登陆注册
5434200000087

第87章 CHAPTER XLIII(2)

Ernest got off with the head boys easier than he expected. It was admitted that the offence, heinous though it was, had been committed under extenuating circumstances; the frankness with which the culprit had confessed all, his evidently unfeigned remorse, and the fury with which Dr Skinner was pursuing him tended to bring about a reaction in his favour, as though he had been more sinned against than sinning.

As the half year wore on his spirits gradually revived, and when attacked by one of his fits of self-abasement he was in some degree consoled by having found out that even his father and mother, whom he had supposed so immaculate, were no better than they should be.

About the fifth of November it was a school custom to meet on a certain common not far from Roughborough and burn somebody in effigy, this being the compromise arrived at in the matter of fireworks and Guy Fawkes festivities. This year it was decided that Pontifex's governor should be the victim, and Ernest though a good deal exercised in mind as to what he ought to do, in the end saw no sufficient reason for holding aloof from proceedings which, as he justly remarked, could not do his father any harm.

It so happened that the bishop had held a confirmation at the school on the fifth of November. Dr Skinner had not quite liked the selection of this day, but the bishop was pressed by many engagements, and had been compelled to make the arrangement as it then stood. Ernest was among those who had to be confirmed, and was deeply impressed with the solemn importance of the ceremony. When he felt the huge old bishop drawing down upon him as he knelt in chapel he could hardly breathe, and when the apparition paused before him and laid its hands upon his head he was frightened almost out of his wits. He felt that he had arrived at one of the great turning points of his life, and that the Ernest of the future could resemble only very faintly the Ernest of the past.

This happened at about noon, but by the one o'clock dinner-hour the effect of the confirmation had worn off, and he saw no reason why he should forego his annual amusement with the bonfire; so he went with the others and was very valiant till the image was actually produced and was about to be burnt; then he felt a little frightened. It was a poor thing enough, made of paper, calico and straw, but they had christened it The Rev. Theobald Pontifex, and he had a revulsion of feeling as he saw it being carried towards the bonfire. Still he held his ground, and in a few minutes when all was over felt none the worse for having assisted at a ceremony which, after all, was prompted by a boyish love of mischief rather than by rancour.

I should say that Ernest had written to his father, and told him of the unprecedented way in which he was being treated; he even ventured to suggest that Theobald should interfere for his protection and reminded him how the story had been got out of him, but Theobald had had enough of Dr Skinner for the present; the burning of the school list had been a rebuff which did not encourage him to meddle a second time in the internal economics of Roughborough. He therefore replied that he must either remove Ernest from Roughborough altogether, which would for many reasons be undesirable, or trust to the discretion of the head master as regards the treatment he might think best for any of his pupils.

Ernest said no more; he still felt that it was so discreditable to him to have allowed any confession to be wrung from him, that he could not press the promised amnesty for himself.

It was during the "Mother Cross row," as it was long styled among the boys, that a remarkable phenomenon was witnessed at Roughborough. I mean that of the head boys under certain conditions doing errands for their juniors. The head boys had no bounds and could go to Mrs Cross's whenever they liked; they actually, therefore, made themselves go-betweens, and would get anything from either Mrs Cross's or Mrs Jones's for any boy, no matter how low in the school, between the hours of a quarter to nine and nine in the morning, and a quarter to six and six in the afternoon. By degrees, however, the boys grew bolder, and the shops, though not openly declared in bounds again, were tacitly allowed to be so.

同类推荐
  • 政学录

    政学录

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • The Black Tulip

    The Black Tulip

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 东轩笔录

    东轩笔录

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 略诸经论念佛法门往生净土集卷上

    略诸经论念佛法门往生净土集卷上

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 梵网经菩萨戒本疏

    梵网经菩萨戒本疏

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 追妻无门:女boss不好惹

    追妻无门:女boss不好惹

    青涩蜕变,如今她是能独当一面的女boss,爱了冷泽聿七年,也同样花了七年时间去忘记他。以为是陌路,他突然向他表白,扬言要娶她,她只当他是脑子抽风,他的殷勤她也全都无视。他帮她查她父母的死因,赶走身边情敌,解释当初拒绝她的告别,和故意对她冷漠都是无奈之举。突然爆出她父母的死居然和冷家有丝毫联系,还莫名跳出个公爵未婚夫,扬言要与她履行婚约。峰回路转,破镜还能重圆吗? PS:我又开新文了,每逢假期必书荒,新文《有你的世界遇到爱》,喜欢我的文的朋友可以来看看,这是重生类现言,对这个题材感兴趣的一定要收藏起来。
  • 追妻无门:女boss不好惹

    追妻无门:女boss不好惹

    青涩蜕变,如今她是能独当一面的女boss,爱了冷泽聿七年,也同样花了七年时间去忘记他。以为是陌路,他突然向他表白,扬言要娶她,她只当他是脑子抽风,他的殷勤她也全都无视。他帮她查她父母的死因,赶走身边情敌,解释当初拒绝她的告别,和故意对她冷漠都是无奈之举。突然爆出她父母的死居然和冷家有丝毫联系,还莫名跳出个公爵未婚夫,扬言要与她履行婚约。峰回路转,破镜还能重圆吗? PS:我又开新文了,每逢假期必书荒,新文《有你的世界遇到爱》,喜欢我的文的朋友可以来看看,这是重生类现言,对这个题材感兴趣的一定要收藏起来。
  • 招摇剑

    招摇剑

    剑,百兵之君子也君子如水,善利万物而不争;君子如兰,自洁而洁人
  • 追妻无门:女boss不好惹

    追妻无门:女boss不好惹

    青涩蜕变,如今她是能独当一面的女boss,爱了冷泽聿七年,也同样花了七年时间去忘记他。以为是陌路,他突然向他表白,扬言要娶她,她只当他是脑子抽风,他的殷勤她也全都无视。他帮她查她父母的死因,赶走身边情敌,解释当初拒绝她的告别,和故意对她冷漠都是无奈之举。突然爆出她父母的死居然和冷家有丝毫联系,还莫名跳出个公爵未婚夫,扬言要与她履行婚约。峰回路转,破镜还能重圆吗? PS:我又开新文了,每逢假期必书荒,新文《有你的世界遇到爱》,喜欢我的文的朋友可以来看看,这是重生类现言,对这个题材感兴趣的一定要收藏起来。
  • 追妻无门:女boss不好惹

    追妻无门:女boss不好惹

    青涩蜕变,如今她是能独当一面的女boss,爱了冷泽聿七年,也同样花了七年时间去忘记他。以为是陌路,他突然向他表白,扬言要娶她,她只当他是脑子抽风,他的殷勤她也全都无视。他帮她查她父母的死因,赶走身边情敌,解释当初拒绝她的告别,和故意对她冷漠都是无奈之举。突然爆出她父母的死居然和冷家有丝毫联系,还莫名跳出个公爵未婚夫,扬言要与她履行婚约。峰回路转,破镜还能重圆吗? PS:我又开新文了,每逢假期必书荒,新文《有你的世界遇到爱》,喜欢我的文的朋友可以来看看,这是重生类现言,对这个题材感兴趣的一定要收藏起来。
  • 老鱼的梦

    老鱼的梦

    夏老鱼十点才从睡梦中醒来,趿拉着鞋走到村东井边,在那里洗了一把脸喝了几口水。井边有块磨盘大的石头,他坐下,摸出身上的烟口袋。村里如今没人卷旱烟了,七十岁以上的老人手里拿的都是中南海,要不是离了婚,夏老鱼不会重新捡起来。这是早春二月的一天。村里人都下地查看墒情,几只麻雀在树上叽叽喳喳地叫,趁夏老鱼不注意落到井边喝水。夏老鱼对着井口发愣。村里一对年轻人经过,手牵着手,连看都没看他一眼。他一抬头,麻雀飞走了。一个胖得像水桶一样的娘儿们快步从井边走过,用怪异的眼光看了老鱼一眼,发现老鱼看她立刻把脸扭开了。这是村会计韩二旺的老婆。
  • 软饭少爷领航未来

    软饭少爷领航未来

    人类从何而来?又将往何处而去?随着星球资源的不断枯竭,人类道德文明每况愈下,野心家们蠢蠢欲动,生活在这颗星球上的人类以及各种生命、还有赖以生存的星球本身终究会走向何方?是新生还是毁灭?......
  • 忽必烈大帝(大结局)

    忽必烈大帝(大结局)

    御史台府衙内,玉昔铁木尔拍着厚厚的奏本对陈天祥说:“你真能写呀。我一年写不了几个奏本,皇上还烦我絮絮叨叨的,不让他耳根清净。你这么多奏本呈上去,皇上什么时候看完啊?你呀,写文章写成书呆子了。我告诉你,你把这一大堆精炼成一个奏本,把那些华丽不实的字句全删除,把那些无关痛痒的批评也都砍了,只留干货,就像杀了牛一样,扒皮剃肉,只留下骨头,大汗一眼就看明白了这骨头是黑是白。你听明白没有?”
  • 逆世鬼女:暴力小医仙

    逆世鬼女:暴力小医仙

    前世,被自己亲娘害死,做了鬼女,阴差阳错再重生,这一世,她要活的与天同齐,谁拦她杀谁!斩妖兽,学法术,别人随便一捡都能捡到机缘。可她怎么一捡,捡了个男人?还是个傻子!好吧,这是她师父。费劲万苦,丢了百年修为,给他集齐魂魄。他却不认识她?想不认账,没门!
  • 浅沐暖阳

    浅沐暖阳

    【抑郁症当红作家×太阳系网络cv】2020.甜蜜来袭!!!“你是我在最冷的雨天遇到的最暖的刘雨阳。”“你是我在最坏的时间遇到的最好的季时沐。”季时沐第一次见到刘雨阳,是在一个大雨的天,那个女生带着耳机,单手扯着行李箱,迈着一双大长腿走向了他,也走进了他的一生……