Fisher and Denton made a chair of their hands for him, and so the procession went on.
A cart was in waiting at the foot of the slope, filled with warm wraps and other restoratives, and in less than two hours the whole party was safe inside the walls of Fellsgarth.
Hot baths, blankets, food, and a little physic, succeeded in a very few days in restoring the invalided truants to their sorrowing class-mates. Fisher minor was the only member of the party about whom any serious uneasiness existed, and he, thanks to a wiry constitution and a rooted dislike to do what nobody else did, got off with a bad cold, which detained him in his house for a fortnight.
Rollitt, as might have been expected, vanished to his own quarters as soon as he had deposited his precious burden into Mr Wakefield’s charge. No one heard of his having been to the top. To Fisher’s thanks he returned a grumpy “Not at all.” And the curious inquiries of others he met by shutting his door and saying “Get out” to any one who entered.
As might be expected also, the Modern seniors were baulked, after all, of their promised vengeance on the rebels. On the contrary, while the fags were making merry on chicken and toasting their toes at the roaring fire in the sanatorium, Clapperton, Brinkman, and Dangle were hauled up into the presence of the head-master, and there seriously reprimanded for the damage done to one of the doors in Mr Forder’s house, and cautioned not to let such a breach of discipline happen again, under a pain of severer penalties.
“If you are unable to keep order in your own house,” said the doctor cuttingly, “your duty is to report the matter to me, and I will deal with it. Remember that another time.”
This incident did not tend to smooth the ruffled plumes of the discomfited heroes.
Still less did another little rebuff, which happened a few days later.
Corder had taken advantage of the general excitement attending the escapade of the juniors to return to his own quarters and attempt once more to resume the privileges of ordinary civilised life. He only partially succeeded. Two or three boys, among whom was Fullerton, who were getting sick of the present state of affairs and longing for football once more, had begun seriously to doubt what advantage was coming to themselves or any one else by the strike. Among these Corder found a temporary shelter. But the authority of the seniors still controlled the general public opinion of the house, and the life of the boycotted boy was still only half tolerable.
At the first attempt at violence, however, Corder walked across to his Classic allies, and took up his quarters in their study, where he remained all day.