"Easily!" said Dick. "That printer's heart must be all aswim with the milk of human kindness. It seems he'd read about the burglary in the newspaper, which was obviously hard up for 'copy', because it mentioned us by name as co-editors of the Rag, and made far more sympathetic fuss over our loss than it did over the Head's. Well, Mr. Printer put out his hand, said how sorry he was and all that, and told me to lose no sleep—he'd do his bit in the publication department if I cared to carry on."
"Why, what a brick! Who'd have thought it from the looks of him? At first I considered him rather soapily insincere."
"You're a funny old ox, Roger—always suspicious of everybody!"
"Except of you, old sport," Roger replied. "Didn't he want a guarantee of some sort?"
"None whatever. Accepted without demur my promise to pay up in full next term. Made me blush half-way down my back by saying he could see I was the soul of honour. And I can manage it quite O.K. by the exercise of strict economy. It means mortgaging a year's allowance at least, and docking every kind of luxury, but who cares for that if the dear old Rag goes on?"
"Nobody—three cheers!" cried Roger. "Out with the ink and paper, you jolly old editor chap! I'm going to present your next number with a burlesque of the burglary, just to show the school how lightly we carry misfortune!"
CHAPTER X
The Merry Men give an Entertainment
The big room in which the speech-days and prize-distributions were held was always open to any of the Foxes who fancied themselves as entertainers. Many odd concert-parties had aired their graces there, sometimes to full "houses" at the commencement and empty chairs before the end.
Always brimful of confidence in himself, Robin Arkness had never a doubt that his variety-show would eclipse every entertainment previously staged at Foxenby.