Dr Keith instantly administered to Eden a restorative, and after receiving from Walter a hurried explanation of the circumstances, gently told the boys that they would be only in the way there, that Eden was evidently in a critical position, and that they had better return at once to their dormitories.
Walter and Henderson, when they returned, were assailed by the others with eager inquiries, to which they could only give gloomy and uncertain answers. They would not vouchsafe to take the slightest notice of Jones or Harpour, but met all their remarks with resolute silence. But before he went to sleep, Walter said, “I may as well let you fellows know that I intend to report you to Somers to-morrow.”
“Then you’ll be a damned sneak,” observed Harpour.
“It is not sneaking to prevent brutal bullying like yours, by giving others the chance of stopping it, and preventing little chaps like poor Eden, whom you’ve nearly frightened to death, from being so shamefully treated. Anyhow, sneaking, or not, I’ll do it.”
“If you do tell Somers, look out for yourself—that’s all.”
“I’m not afraid,” was the brief retort.
Harpour knew that he meant what he said, and, being now desperate, he got up half an hour earlier next morning to try and extort from him, by main force, a promise to hold his tongue about the affair of the night before. If he had at all understood Walter’s character, he might have saved himself this very superfluous trouble.
Walter was awakened by a shake from Harpour, who, with Jones, was standing by his head. He saw what was coming, for Harpour, who had a pair of braces tightly knotted in his hand, briefly opened the proceedings by saying, “Are you going to sneak about me, or not?”
“To sneak—no; to tell the head of the school—yes.”
“Then, by Jove, you shall have something worth telling; I’ll take my revenge out of you beforehand. I shall be sent away—think of that.”