Acton's Feud: A Public School Story Read online

  CHAPTER XXIV

  A RENEWED FRIENDSHIP

  One morning Gus was much astonished to receive a letter containing ablank sheet of notepaper enfolding a postal order for L1. This wasproperly filled in, payable to A.V.R. Todd at St. Amory's Post-office,but there was not the slightest clue as to the sender. Gus looked at theblue and white slip in an ecstasy of astonishment. Now, Gus knew that noone was aware of his bankrupt exchequer save Cotton, and he knew thatJim was not likely to have said anything about it for one or two verygood reasons, and would now keep it darker than ever. If it were knownthat Gus had been practically pilloried for being penniless by thefellow who had lifted his cash, Cotton would have heard a few fancyremarks on his own conduct which would have made his ears tingle. Guspondered over this problem of the sender until he felt giddy, but hefinally came to the conclusion that Cotton had regretted his politeattentions to an old friend, and had sent the order as a kind of _amendehonorable_. Gus instantly regretted the fervent wishes about the boilingoil and the public kicking for Jim Cotton, and he also determined to goand thank his old patron for what he was sure was his anonymous gift.

  So, after breakfast, he cashed the order and, with pockets heavier withcoin than they had been for some time, he went to Jim Cotton's room. Jimreceived him with an odd mixture of anger and shame, and when Gus handedover to him two half-crowns, Cotton in some confusion, told him to handthem over to Philips, who had initiated the subscription for the Penfoldtablet.

  "Thought you were the secretary?" said Gus.

  "No! I'm out of the boat now. Philips is the man," said Cotton, sulkily.

  "And, by the way, Jim, it wasn't half bad of you to send me that order.It was no end brickish, especially after I had left you more or less inthe lurch."

  "What order?" said Jim, looking curiously at Gus.

  "What's the good of trying to pass it off like that, old man? It couldonly be you."

  "I don't know what you're driving at. You seem to be talking rot," saidCotton, angrily, for he fancied that Gus was fooling him in some way.

  "Well, I've got an order for L1 this morning, envelope stamped St.Amory, and it could only come from some one who knew I was stumped, andyou're the only fellow who knew that, unless, indeed, you've been kindenough to tell some of the fellows."

  "I've told no one; and anyway, I didn't send the order."

  "Oh, rot!"

  "Thanks! I don't tell lies as a rule, and I say I know nothing whateverabout your order. I think you'd better cut now, instead of wasting mytime with this rotten foolery."

  "You didn't send it?" said Gus, finally, with more than a dash ofirritation in his voice at the continued boorishness of Cotton.

  "No, I tell you! Shall I get a foghorn and let you have it that way?"

  "Then, look here, Cotton. If you didn't send it, your underscoring of myname on the house list because I couldn't subscribe was the act of anarrant cad."

  Cotton winced at Gus's concise definition, but he said, "Oh, get out,you fool!"

  "Fool, or not," said Gus, becoming more angry every moment as he thoughtof his wrongs, "I'm not an underbred loafer who cleans a fellow out ofhis cash and then rounds on him because he can't pay his way. Why, aWhitechapel guttersnipe----"

  "Can't appreciate the allusion," said Jim; "I've never been toWhitechapel. But anyhow, Todd, there's the door. I think you had reallybetter go."

  "Not till I've said you're the biggest bounder in St. Amory's."

  "Now you've said it you really must go, or I'll throw you out!"

  Gus was too taken up with his own passion to notice that Cotton was alsoat about the limit of his patience, and that Jim's lips had set into agrim and ugly sneer. Todd was furiously trying to find some clinchingexpression which would quite define Jim's conduct, when that gentlemantook one stride forward and caught him by the collar. The grip, the verytouch of Cotton's fingers maddened Gus beyond all bearing. His angerbroke loose from all control; he wrenched himself out of Cotton's graspand passionately struck him on the mouth.

  Cotton turned grey with passion as bitter as Todd's and repaid Gus'sblow with interest. Gus dropped to the floor, bleeding villainously.Cotton thereupon jerked him to his feet, and threw him out of the room.

  Gus picked himself up from the corridor floor and went to his own room,his face as white as a sheet and his heart as black as ink. What Gussuffered from his passion, his shame, his hatred, and the pain of hisold friend's blow, for the next few hours words will not tell. Heattended morning school, his head in a whirl of thought. Cotton wasthere too, and, could looks have killed, Jim Cotton would not have beenin the land of the living for very long. When Merishall went, Gus waiteduntil all the form had filed out, and, still dizzy and sick, he wearilyfollowed suit and turned in at his own door. As Gus came into the roomsome one rose up and faced round to meet him, and Todd found himselfonce more face to face with Cotton.

  Now, the blow which had tumbled down Gus so heartily had, so to speak,tumbled down the striker in his own mind just as thoroughly. JimCotton's mind was not a subtle one, but the minute after he had flooredGus and shut the door on him, his better mind told him distinctly thathe was a cad. Why? Because when he struck Gus the feeling was as thoughhe had struck a cripple. Gus had doubled up under the weight of his handas though he had been a leaf. Cotton dimly felt that for a fellow of hisbuild and weight to let Gus have the full benefit of both was not fair."That is how it must feel, I suppose, to strike a girl. My fist seemsunclean," he said, in huge disgust. "I'd give Todd his three sovs. backif I could recall that blow. I wish I'd left the fool alone, and anyhow,it's my opinion I don't shine much in our little squabble. Todd has beenplaying the man since his Perry cropper, and I've been playing the cadjust because he was once useful to me and I did not want to let him go."Cotton devoted the next few hours to a little honest unselfish thinking,and the result was that he came pretty near to despising himself. "I'llgo and apologize to Gus, and if he shies the poker at my head I'm hangedif I dodge it."

  That is why Gus was received in his own room by the fellow who had solately knocked him down. Gus stared at Jim, his swollen lip tremblingwith anger and his eyes blazing with indignation.

  "I say, Gus, old man, I am an utter out-and-out cad, and I've come toapologize."

  Gus murmured something indistinctly.

  "When I knocked you down I did the most blackguardly thing that even Ihave ever done, and, you may believe me or not, I am now about disgustedwith myself. I felt that there was only one thing that I could do, andthat was to apologize."

  Jim was so obviously cut up by remorse that Gus thereupon buried thehatchet. He did not throw the poker at Jim's head, and you may besurprised to hear--or you may not--that Gus and Jim Cotton took theirafter-dinner coffee at Hooper's, as in the old time. The conversationwas _staccato_ at first, but interesting.

  "But who sent the order?" said Gus.

  "Dunno, really; but I could almost bet my boots that Taylor is thecriminal."

  "Taylor! What does he know of my affairs?"

  "Well, that beastly house list with your red raw agony column made himmost suspicious, and I believe he knows to a hair exactly how big a cadI've been."

  "Go on, old man; leave that."

  "He sucked Philips dry about the Penfold tombstone, and although he saidnothing to me personally, Philips gave me to understand that I'm not infavour with the parson. Taylor is the man who's provided your sub. forthe Penfold, take my word for it."

  "He's not half such a bad fellow, Jim."

  "No," said Jim, with an uneasy laugh; "Taylor's all right, but he'llmake me squirm when he has the chance."

  The friendship of Cotton and Todd was thus renewed and cemented--withGus's bluest blood. Gus gave Jim some good advice about the schools,which made Jim feel a bit dubious.

  "Chuck your Bohn's cribs and your keys under the grate, and show upyour own work."

  "Footle, you mean, Gus."

  "All right, footle, then. I know all our own private personal beakswoul
d rather have a fellow's own work, if of fair quality, than all theweirdest screeds from any crib whatsoever."

  Jim made the experiment, very gingerly, be it said, but did show up hisown work, and from Corker to Merishall all the beaks were civil to him.Gus's reputation as a prophet was established, for Corker himself seemedpleased with the Cottonian version of Herodotus.

  "Rather rough in parts, Cotton," said the old man, beaming on theshrinking Jim; "but at least you've not been ploughing Herodotus withthe help of your old ass, Bohn."

  Jim's effort, however, came too late to affect in any degree hisposition in the Fifth. When the lists of the Easter term were published,Cotton was the last, deservedly, of the form, but A.V.R. Todd was theseventh. This was an eye-opener to many in the form, but the result sentGus into the seventh heaven of delight. Taylor came specially intoTodd's modest sanctum to congratulate him, and Corker sent an extraspecial letter to Todd senior, saying all manner of sweet things aboutGus. He put the highest mark of his favour upon the delighted Gus byasking him to dinner--a very great honour, but a dreadful ordeal. Guswas wonderfully nervous as he commenced his soup. How do I know? Well, Ihad been asked, I believe, to give the bewildered Gus a littlecountenance. Gus went home, a day or two later, to the bosom of hisfamily, where he was treated with the utmost honour. He redeemed thewatch from the jeweller, and fulfilled his own promise to that worthyman. All through the holidays he basked in the smiles of his proudfather, and rode that gentleman's pedigree hack. Corker's highest markof appreciation was to give you a dinner; with Gus's father it was tolet you ride his own horse.