"Understand," observed Poulett, as he washed away some acid stains from
his bare knees, "that Grimmy is not ashamed of his black-lead and
rhubarb hunt."
"Why those vivid blushes, then?"
"We never bargained that old Grim would copy that Fifth Form ass, Todd,
and chum up with Lancaster, did we?"
"What did you say about Todd?" inquired Grim, suavely.
"Said he was an ass."
"A what?"
"An ass, a jackass, a howling jackass!" cried Poulett, _crescendo_.
"How?"
"Remember Corker pitching into him? Said he wasn't fit for a decent
nursery, and Toddy had his mouth open all the time."
[Illustration: THE GREEN POWDER UNDERWENT SOME WEIRD EXPERIMENTS]
"Bully Cotton has given Toddy up. Toddy was too big an ass even for
Cotton," remarked Wilson.
"He looks fairly intelligent," observed Grim, in a gentle whisper.
"So did you, almost, till you started fooling like this."
Grim artistically kept the conversation on Todd, and Gus learned how
like an ass each individual of the quintette thought him. He smiled
gently at Grim's astuteness in paying him out so neatly for his previous
friendly remarks about chucking out. When the first stroke of the
roll-call bell reached the laboratory he emerged solemnly and with state
from his retreat, and stalked quietly through the knot of his outspoken
critics, who were instantly besieged by a variety of emotions. He closed
the laboratory door after him, and, when he saw the key outside, the
temptation to repay the left-handed compliments of Poulett and Co.
Pages:
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132