“No, sir, please don’t do that!” cried Mercer excitedly, “It’s such a good ferret—please don’t kill the poor thing!”
The General looked at him sharply.
“Not kill it?”
“No, sir. Please let it go.”
“To live on my rabbits, eh? There, put it in your pocket. And now, you be off with you, and if I don’t have your skins well loosened to-morrow, I’ll— You’ll see.”
He marched off in one direction, while our guard took us in the other, talking at us all the time.
“Disgraceful!” Mr Rebble said. “The Doctor will be nearly heart-broken about such a stigma upon his establishment. I don’t know what he’ll say.”
“They will be expelled, I presume,” said Mr Hasnip softly. “It is very sad to see such wickedness in those so young.”
“I’m afraid so,” replied Mr Rebble; and they kept up a cheerful conversation of this kind till we reached the school, where we were at once ordered up to our dormitory, and dropped down upon the sides of our beds to sit looking at each other.
“I say, you’ve done it now,” said Mercer at last; “and I did think we were going to have such fun.”