Louis School Days | Page 9

you bully!"
"For shame, Mortimer," said Hamilton, decidedly; and coming up to
Reginald he drew him a little aside, not without a little resistance on
Reginald's part--"What's the matter, Mortimer?"
"Matter! why that they are doing all they can to hinder Louis from
knowing his lessons to-morrow. I won't stand it. He has borne enough
of it, and patiently too."
"But is that any reason you should forget that you are a gentleman?"
said Hamilton.
"My book is here, dear Reginald," said Louis, touching his brother's
shoulder.

Reginald darted a fierce glance at Ferrers, but not being able to
substantiate an accusation against him, remained silent, and, under the
eye of Hamilton and his friend Trevannion, the remainder of the
evening passed in a way more befitting the high places in the school
which the young gentlemen held; but Louis had been so much
interrupted, and was so much excited and unsettled by the noise and
unwonted scenes, that when Dr. Wilkinson came at nine to read prayers,
he had hardly prepared one of his lessons for the next day.
CHAPTER II.
Louis soon made himself a universal favorite among his school-fellows;
and, though he was pronounced by some to be a "softy," and by others
honored by the equally comprehensive and euphonious titles of
"spooney" and "muff," there were few who were not won by his gentle
good-nature, and the uniform good temper, and even playfulness, with
which he bore the immoderate quizzing that fell to his lot, as a new
boarder arrived in the middle of the half-year. If there were an errand to
be run among the seniors, it was, "Louis Mortimer, will you get me this
or that?" if a dunce wanted helping, Louis was sure to be applied to,
with the certainty in both cases that the requests would be complied
with, though they might, as was too often the case, interfere with his
duties; but Louis had not courage to say no.
In proportion, however, as our hero grew in the good graces of his
school-fellows, he fell out of those of his masters, for lessons were
brought only half-learned, and exercises only half-written, or blotted
and scrawled so as to be nearly unintelligible; and after he had been a
fortnight at school, he seemed much more likely to descend to a lower
class than to mount a step in his own. Day after day saw Louis kept in
the school-room during play-hours, to learn lessons which ought to
have been done the night before, or to write out some long imposition
as a punishment for some neglected duty that had given place to the
desire of assisting another.
Louis always seemed in a hurry, and never did any thing well. His
mind was unsettled, and, like every thing else belonging to him at

present, in a state of undesirable confusion.
There was one resource which Louis had which would have set all to
rights, but his weakness of disposition often prevented him from taking
advantage of even the short intervals for prayer allowed by the rules of
the school, and he was often urged at night into telling stories till he
dropped asleep, and hurried down by the morning bell, before he could
summon up courage to brave the remarks of his school-fellows as to his
being so very religious, &c., and sometimes did not feel sorry that there
was some cause to prevent these solemn and precious duties. I need not
say he was not happy. He enjoyed nothing thoroughly; he felt he was
not steadily in earnest. Every day he came with a beating heart to his
class, never certain that he could get through a single lesson.
One morning he was endeavoring to stammer through a few lines of
some Greek play, and at last paused, unable to proceed.
"Well, sir," said his master quietly,--"as usual, I suppose--I shall give
you only a few days' longer trial, and then, if you cannot do better, you
must go down."
"Who is that, Mr. Danby?" said a voice behind Louis, that startled him,
and turning his blanched face round, he saw Dr. Wilkinson standing
near. "Who is that, Mr. Danby?" he repeated, in a deep stern voice.
"Louis Mortimer, sir," replied Mr. Danby. "Either he is totally unfit for
this class, or he is very idle; I can make nothing of him."
Dr. Wilkinson fixed his eyes searchingly on Louis, and replied, in a
tone of much displeasure:
"If you have the same fault to find the next two days, send him into a
lower class. It is the most disgraceful idleness, Louis."
Louis' heart swelled with sorrow and shame as the doctor walked away.
He stood with downcast eyes and quivering lids, hardly able to restrain
his tears, until the class was dismissed,