“I believe it is Pembury.”
“Very well. Send him to me, will you, to-morrow at ten? Good-night. Thank you for your advice!”
Next morning the Doctor talked to Pembury about the Dominican. He praised the paper generally, and congratulated him on the success of his efforts. But he took exception to its personal tone.
“As long as you can keep on the broad round of humour and pure fun, nothing can please us more than to see you improving your time in a manner like this. But you must be very careful to avoid what will give pain or offence to any section of your schoolfellows. I was sorry to see in the present number a good deal that might have been well omitted of that kind. Remember this, Pembury, I want all you boys, instead of separating off one set from another, and making divisions between class and class, to try to make common cause over the whole school, and unite all the boys in common cause for the good of Saint Dominic’s. Now your paper could help not a little in this direction. Indeed, if it does not help, it had better not be issued. There! I shall not refer to the matter again unless you give me cause. I do not want to discourage you in your undertaking, for it’s really an excellent idea, and capitally carried out. And verbum sap, you know, is quite sufficient.”
Anthony, with rather a long face, retired from the Doctor’s presence.
A few days later the school broke up for the summer holidays.