The Cock-House at Fellsgarth | Page 3

dinner after all! His second was a cunning device for getting out of the
dilemma.
"I thought you'd begin to laugh soon," said he to D'Arcy. "I knew you
couldn't keep it up."
D'Arcy turned very red in the face and glared at this audacious
youngster in deserved wrath.
"What do you mean, you young ass? You know you've swallowed it

all."
"He swallowed all the grub anyhow," said another.
"No, I've not," said Master Ashby. "I'd have another go-in now. I knew
he'd have to laugh in the end."
It was hopeless to deal seriously with a rebel of this sort. D'Arcy tried
to ride off on the high horse; but it was not a very grand spectacle, and
Ashby, munching up the remains of his roll, was generally held to have
scored. The relief with which he hailed the discovery of his mistake
was so genuine, and the good spirits and appetite the incident put into
him were so imperturbable, as to disarm further experiment at his
expense, and he was left comparatively free to enjoy the noise and
imbibe his first impression of Fellsgarth in his own way.
The other new boy, meanwhile, was not altogether without his
difficulties.
Fisher minor, to which name this ingenuous young gentleman answered,
would probably have been the first to pour contempt on the verdure of
his companion. He had come up to Fellsgarth determined that, in
whatever respect he failed, no one should lightly convict him of being
green. He had wormed out of his brother in the Sixth a few hints of
what was considered the proper thing at Fellsgarth, and these, with the
aid of his own brilliant intellect and reminiscences of what he had read
in the books, served, as he hoped, both to forewarn and forearm him
against all the uncomfortable predicaments into which the ordinary new
boy is apt to fall.
It must be confessed that as he sat and listened to the noise, and marked
how little Fellsgarth appeared to recognise his existence, he felt a trifle
uneasy and nervous. He wasn't sure now that he knew everything. All
these fellows seemed to be so thoroughly at home, and to know so
exactly what to do; he wished he could do the same.
He wished, for instance, he could spin a fork round with his first finger
and thumb while he talked, as Yorke, the captain, was doing. He did

once privately try, while he was not talking, but it was a dismal failure.
The fork fell with a great clatter to the floor and attracted general
attraction his way. He picked the weapon up with as easy an air as he
could assume, whistling sotto voce to himself as he did it, so as to
appear unconcerned.
"Look out, I say; you mustn't whistle at meal-times, it's bad manners,"
said a voice at his side.
He turned round and perceived a pleasant-looking youth of the species
junior, in a red tie and wrist studs to match.
This youth evidently knew what was what at Fellsgarth; and a further
glance at him convinced Fisher minor that he had met him in a good
hour. For all dinner-time he had been exercised as to whether it was the
thing to wear the jacket opened or buttoned. Yorke wore his buttoned,
so did a good many of the Sixth; and Fisher minor had consequently
buttoned up too. But his new friend, who was pronounced in all his
ways and evidently an authority on etiquette, wore his open. Fisher
minor therefore furtively slipped his fingers down and opened his coat.
"You're a new kid, I suppose," said he of the red necktie.
"Yes, I'm Fisher minor."
"What, son of Fisher the boat-builder? I didn't know he had one so old."
"No, oh no. That's my brother up there, talking to the Dux."
"The who? I don't see any ducks."
"I mean Yorke, you know, the captain."
"Why ever do you call him ducks? You'd better let him catch you
calling him names like that. Oh, you're a brother of old Fisher? You
look it."
Fisher minor was alarmed at the tone in which this observation was
made. It seemed to imply that Fisher major was not quite all that could

be desired, and yet the younger brother did not exactly know what it
was in the elder which called for repudiation. However, he was spared
the pain of deciding by a new voice on his other side.
"What's that, Wally? Does this kid say he belongs to Fisher? Oh, my
stars, what form we're coming to!"
Fisher minor glanced round, and experienced a shock as he did so.
For the new speaker was so like the last that he was tempted to suppose
the latter had suddenly changed seats and