In Honours Cause | Page 8

They hate
to see a gentleman go by. London is getting disgraceful now."
"Never mind. There, I've seen enough of it. Let's get down to the river
again, and take a boat; it's much pleasanter than being in this noisy,
crowded place."
"Not yet. We've a better right here than a mob like that. It would be
running away."
"Why, how would they know?" said Frank merrily.
"I should know, and feel as if I had disgraced myself," replied Andrew
haughtily. "Besides, I wanted to see a gentleman."
"What, up that court?" said Frank, looking curiously at his companion.
"Yes, a gentleman up that court. There are plenty of gentlemen, and
noblemen, too, driven nowadays to live in worse places than that, and
hide about in holes and corners."
"Oh, I say, don't be so cross because a lot of idlers would not make
way."
"It isn't that," said the youth. "It half maddens me sometimes."

"Then don't think about it. You are always talking about politics. I don't
understand much about them, but it seems to me that if people obey the
laws they can live happily enough."
"Poor Frank!" said Andrew mockingly. "But never mind. You have got
everything to learn. This way."
The boy was thinking that he did not want to learn "everything" if the
studies were to make him as irritable and peppery as his companion,
when the imperative order to turn came upon him by surprise, and he
followed Andrew, who had suddenly turned into a narrower court than
the one for which he had first made, and out of the roaring street into
comparative silence.
"Where are you going?"
"This way. We can get round by the back. I want to see my friend."
The court was only a few feet wide, and the occupants of the opposing
houses could easily have carried on a conversation from the open
windows; but these occupants seemed to be too busy, for in the
glimpses he obtained as they passed, Frank caught sight of workmen in
paper caps and dirty white aprons, and boys hurrying to and fro,
carrying packets of paper.
But he had not much opportunity for noticing what business was being
carried on, for they soon reached the end of the court, where a fresh
group of men were standing listening to a speaker holding forth from
an open window, and the lad fully expected a similar scene to that
which had taken place in the main street.
But people made way here, and Andrew, apparently quite at home,
turned to the left along a very dirty lane, plunged into another court,
and in and out two or three times in silence, along what seemed to the
boy fresh from quaint old Winchester a perfect maze.
"I say, Drew," he said at last, "you must have been here before."

"I? Oh yes! I know London pretty well. Now down here."
He plunged sharply now round a corner and into the wide court he had
at first made for, but now from its northern end. So quick and sudden
was the movement made that the two lads, before they could realise the
fact, found themselves in another crowd, which filled this court from
end to end. The people composing it were principally of the rough class
they had seen grouped at the lower part, but fully half were workmen in
their shirt sleeves, many of them with faces blackened by their
occupation, while a smaller portion was well-dressed, and kept on
moving about and talking earnestly to the people around.
"Too late," said Andrew, half to himself.
"Yes; we shall have to go round and reach the street farther along," said
Frank quietly. "We don't want to push through there."
"But it's here I want to see my friend."
"Does he live in this place?"
"No; but he is sure to be there--in that house."
The lad nodded at a goodly sized mansion about half-way down the
court; and even from where they stood they could make out that the
place was crowded, and that something exciting was going on, the
crowd in the court outside being evidently listeners, trying to catch
what was said within, the murmurs of which reached the two lads' ears.
All at once there was a loud outburst of cheering, shouting, and
clapping of hands, as if at the conclusion of a speech; and this was
responded to by a roar of yells, hoots, and derisive cries from the court.
"Oh! too late--too late," muttered Andrew. "Silence, you miserable
crew!"
But where heard his words passed unnoticed, those around evidently
taking them as being addressed to the people in the great tavern.

"Let's get away--quickly, while we can," said Frank, with his lips close
to his companion's ear; but the lad shook