The Doctor seeing their confusion, called upon Greene, who was the eldest boy, to explain the cause of it; but Greene was silent. "What is the reason of this disturbance?" he again asked. "I insist upon knowing. Some one tell me immediately."
Henry, who was not at all desirous of informing Dr. Harris of the affair, would now willingly have made his retreat, had not little Ned, with some others, stepped forward at the time, which reminded him it was their cause, and not his own, that he was to plead. The master now mentioned his name, and demanded of him the cause of the riot. He therefore plainly stated the case, and told every thing connected with it; and when he had finished, many a little boy took courage to tell his piteous tale, of what he had lost by the tyranny of the elder scholars, and begged their master would prevent it in future.
"As to the cakes," said little Ned, (taking off the hairy cap he used to wear, and looking at Dr. Harris as seriously as his little merry face would allow,) "as to the cakes, I'll be bound to say, there are as many in their boxes as would fill a cake-shop."
The boxes were immediately searched, and although not quite so many were found as little Ned supposed, yet there were sufficient to convince their master of the truth of the statement he had just heard. He therefore gave them a severe punishment, in the presence of the little boys whom they had been so long in the habit of ill-treating; and distributed all the apples, sweetmeats, and other things which he found, including about seven hundred marbles, to the joyous crowd, who were congratulating each other upon their victory.
[CHAP. III.]
Henry and George now stood very high in the estimation of the great majority of their school-fellows. They were caressed, honoured, and looked upon as their first boys; while Greene and his friends were treated with contempt and derision. They had no longer the power to command and overawe the rest, with a blow or a black look. Their power had ceased; but, unfortunately, the chastisement they had received, instead of convincing them of their error, had only roused their evil dispositions; and they now anxiously looked for an opportunity to avenge the punishment they had received, through the interference of Henry Wardour, against whom, in particular, they had an inveterate spite. Nor did they long wish in vain; for, in a very short time, another occurrence took place, of a far more serious nature, and which had nearly thrown Henry into a severe illness. It was nothing less than a suspicion of theft. His bed-fellow, whose name was Scott, when he arose one morning, discovered that his box had been broken open, and his purse, which had contained a new sovereign and two or three shillings, had been emptied of its contents, and then replaced under his Sunday clothes. Scott missed the money while looking for some trifling article in his box; and having mentioned the thing, the boys collected round him to hear his account of the matter. There were also some boys who came out of another room up stairs, and among them Greene and Walker, who, having heard what Scott had to say, at once declared, that it was impossible for any one but the boy who slept in the same room, to have stolen the money.
George, who heard this direct charge against his friend Henry, instantly fired up, and, in his passion, flew upon Greene, who had made the charge, and struck him; when a scuffle ensued, the noise of which brought out Dr. Harris, who, upon hearing an account of the loss from Scott, told him that he was very likely to have mislaid the money somewhere; and that he had no doubt but that, if he made search for it, he would soon find it. George, with whom he was extremely angry for his rashness in striking Greene, was immediately ordered into the school-room, and punished by having a long lesson given him to learn. Before he went, he turned round to Dr. Harris, and said that he was sorry for having struck Greene; but he should have been ashamed of himself, if he had stood quietly by, and heard his friend accused in his absence, of so shameful a crime. "I am sure," he added, with his usual vehemence, his face reddening, and his hand closely clenched, "that Henry is not guilty; and Greene ought to be ashamed of himself, for making such a charge against him."