i030'What is become of my Livy?' 'Your sister Livy, do you mean?'She pulled the shutters towards her, and left the youth in darkness. All his companions were gone. He had been sodeeply engaged in this conference, that he had not perceived their departure. He found all the world at supper, but no entreaties could prevail upon him to disclose his secret. Townsend rallied in vain. As for Archer, he was not disposed to destroy by ridicule the effect which he saw that the old woman's predictions in his favour had had upon the imagination of many of his little partisans. He had privately slipped two good shillings into the gipsy's hand to secure her; for he was willing to pay any price foranymeans of acquiring power.The watch-chain had not deceived the gipsy, for Archer was the richest person in the community. His friends had imprudently supplied him with more money than is usually trusted to boys of his age. Dr. Middleton had refused to give him a larger monthly allowance than the rest of his companions; but he brought to school with him secretly the sum of five guineas. This appeared to his friends and to himself an inexhaustible treasure.Riches and talents would, he flattered himself, secure to him that ascendency of which he was so ambitious. 'Am I your manager or not?' was now his question. 'I scorn to take advantage of a hasty moment; but since last night you have had time to consider. If you desire me to be your manager, you shall see what a theatre I will make for you. In this purse,' said he, showing through the network a glimpse of the shining treasure—'in this purse is Aladdin's wonderful lamp. Am I your manager? Put it to the vote.'It was put to the vote. About ten of the most reasonable of the assembly declared their gratitude and high approbation of their old friend, De Grey; but the numbers were in favour of the new friend. And as no metaphysical distinctions relative to the idea of a majority had ever entered their thoughts, the most numerous party considered themselves as now beyond dispute in the right. They drew off on one side in triumph, and their leader, who knew the consequence of a name in party matters, immediately distinguished his partisans by the gallant name ofArchers, stigmatising the friends of De Grey by the odious epithet of Greybeards.Amongst the Archers was a class not very remarkable for their mental qualifications; but who, by their bodily activity, and by the peculiar advantages annexed to their way of life,rendered themselves of the highest consequence, especially to the rich and enterprising.The judicious reader will apprehend that I allude to the persons called day scholars. Amongst these, Fisher was distinguished by his knowledge of all the streets and shops in the adjacent town; and, though a dull scholar, he had such reputation as a man of business that whoever had commissions to execute at the confectioner's was sure to apply to him. Some of the youngest of his employers had, it is true, at times complained that he made mistakes of halfpence and pence in their accounts; but as these affairs could never be brought to a public trial, Fisher's character and consequence were undiminished, till the fatal day when his Aunt Barbara forbade his visits to the confectioner's; or rather, till she requested the confectioner, who had his private reasons for obeying her, notto receiveher nephew's visits, as he had made himself sick at his house, and Mrs. Barbara's fears for his health were incessant.Though his visits to the confectioner's were thus at an end, there were many other shops open to him; and with officious zeal he offered his services to the new manager, to purchase whatever might be wanting for the theatre.Since his father's death Fisher had become a boarder at Dr. Middleton's, but his frequent visits to his Aunt Barbara afforded him opportunities of going into the town. The carpenter, De Grey's friend, was discarded by Archer, for having said 'lack-a-daisy!' when he saw that the old theatre was pulled down. A new carpenter and paper-hanger, recommended by Fisher, were appointed to attend, with their tools, for orders, at two o'clock. Archer, impatient to show his ingenuity and his generosity, gave his plan and his orders in a few minutes, in a most decided manner. 'These things,' he observed, 'should be done with some spirit.'To which the carpenter readily assented, and added that 'gentlemen of spirit never looked to theexpense, but always to theeffect.' Upon this principle Mr. Chip set to work with all possible alacrity. In a few hours' time he promised to produce a grand effect. High expectations were formed. Nothing was talked of but the new playhouse; and so intent upon it was every head, that no lessons could be got. Archer was obliged, in the midst of his various occupations, to perform the part of grammar and dictionary for twenty different people.'O ye Athenians!' he exclaimed, 'how hard do I work to obtain your praise!'Impatient to return to the theatre, the moment the hours destined for instruction, or, as they are termed by schoolboys, school-hours, were over each prisoner started up with a shout of joy.'Stop one moment, gentlemen, if you please,' said Dr. Middleton, in an awful voice. 'Mr. Archer, return to your place. Are you all here?' The names of all the boys were called over, and when each had answered to his name, Dr. Middleton said—'Gentlemen, I am sorry to interrupt your amusements; but, till you have contrary orders from me, no one, on pain of my serious displeasure, must go intothatbuilding' (pointing to the place where the theatre was erecting). 'Mr. Archer, your carpenter is at the door. You will be so good as to dismiss him. I do not think proper to give my reasons for these orders; but you whoknowme,' said the doctor, and his eye turned towards De Grey, 'will not suspect me of caprice. I depend, gentlemen, upon your obedience.'To the dead silence with which these orders were received, succeeded in a few minutes a universal groan. 'So!' said Townsend, 'all our diversion is over.' 'So,' whispered Fisher in the manager's ear, 'this is some trick of the Greybeards'. Did you not observe how he looked at De Grey?'Fired by this thought, which had never entered his mind before, Archer started from his reverie, and striking his hand upon the table, swore that he 'would not be outwitted by any Greybeard in Europe—no, nor by all of them put together. The Archers were surely a match for them. He would stand by them, if they would stand by him,' he declared, with a loud voice, 'against the whole world, and Dr. Middleton himself, with "Little Premium" at his right hand.'Everybody admired Archer's spirit, but was a little appalled at the sound of standing against Dr. Middleton.'Why not?' resumed the indignant manager. 'Neither Dr. Middleton nor any doctor upon earth shall treat me with injustice. This, you see, is a stroke at me and my party, and I won't bear it.''Oh, you are mistaken!' said De Grey, who was the only one who dared to oppose reason to the angry orator. 'It cannotbe a stroke aimed at "you and your party," for he does not know that youhavea party.''I'll make him know it, and I'll makeyouknow it, too,' said Archer. 'Before I came here you reigned alone; now your reign is over, Mr. De Grey. Remember my majority this morning, and your theatre last night.''He has remembered it,' said Fisher. 'You see, the moment he was not to be our manager, we were to have no theatre, no playhouse, no plays. We must all sit down with our hands before us—all for "good reasons" of Dr. Middleton's, which he does not vouchsafe to tell us.''I won't be governed by any man's reasons that he won't tell me,' cried Archer. 'He cannot have good reasons, or why not tell them?' 'Nonsense!' said De Grey. 'We shall not suspect him of caprice!' 'Why not?' 'Because we who know him have never known him capricious.' 'Perhaps not.Iknow nothing about him,' said Archer. 'No,' said De Grey; 'for that very reasonIspeak who do know him. Don't be in a passion, Archer.' 'I will be in a passion. I won't submit to tyranny. I won't be made a fool of by a few soft words. You don't know me, De Grey. I'll go through with what I've begun. I am manager, and I will be manager; and you shall see my theatre finished in spite of you, andmyparty triumphant.''Party,' repeated De Grey. 'I cannot imagine what is in the word "party" that seems to drive you mad. We never heard of parties till you came amongst us.''No; before I came, I say, nobody dared oppose you; butIdare; and I tell you to your face, take care of me—a warm friend and a bitter enemy is my motto.' 'I am not your enemy! I believe you are out of your senses, Archer!' said he, laughing. 'Out of my senses! No; you are my enemy! Are you not my rival? Did you not win the premium? Did not you want to be manager? Answer me, are not you, in one word, a Greybeard?' 'You called me a Greybeard, but my name is De Grey,' said he, still laughing. 'Laugh on!' cried the other, furiously. 'Come,Archers, follow me.Weshall laugh by-and-by, I promise you.' At the door Archer was stopped by Mr. Chip. 'Oh, Mr. Chip, I am ordered to discharge you.' 'Yes, sir; and here's a little bill——' 'Bill, Mr. Chip! why, you have not been at work for two hours!''Not much over, sir; but if you'll please to look into it, you'll see 'tis for a few things you ordered. The stuff is all laid out and delivered. The paper and the festoon-bordering for the drawing-room scene is cut out, and left yander within.' 'Yander within! I wish you had not been in such a confounded hurry—six-and-twenty shillings!' cried he; 'but I can't stay to talk about it now. I'll tell you, Mr. Chip,' said Archer, lowering his voice, 'what you must do for me, my good fellow.'Then, drawing Mr. Chip aside, he begged him to pull down some of the woodwork which had been put up, and to cut it into a certain number of wooden bars, of which he gave him the dimensions, with orders to place them all, when ready, under a haystack, which he pointed out.Mr. Chip scrupled and hesitated, and began to talk of 'the doctor.' Archer immediately began to talk of the bill, and throwing down a guinea and a half, the conscientious carpenter pocketed the money directly, and made his bow.'Well, Master Archer,' said he, 'there's no refusing you nothing. You have such a way of talking one out of it. You manage me just like a child.''Ay, ay!' said Archer, knowing that he had been cheated, and yet proud of managing a carpenter, 'ay, ay! I know the way to manage everybody. Let the things be ready in an hour's time; and hark'e! leave your tools by mistake behind you, and a thousand of twenty-penny nails. Ask no questions, and keep your own counsel like a wise man. Off with you, and take care of "the doctor."''Archers, Archers, to the Archers' tree! Follow your leader,' cried he, sounding his well-known whistle as a signal. His followers gathered round him, and he, raising himself upon the mount at the foot of the tree, counted his numbers, and then, in a voice lower than usual, addressed them thus:— 'My friends, is there a Greybeard amongst us? If there is, let him walk off at once, he has my free leave.' No one stirred. 'Then we are all Archers, and we will stand by one another. Join hands, my friends.' They all joined hands. 'Promise me not to betray me, and I will go on. I ask no security but your honour.' They all gave their honour to be secret andfaithful, as he called it, and he went on. 'Did you ever hear of such a thing as a "Barring Out," my friends?' They had heard of such a thing, but they had only heard of it.Archer gave the history of a 'Barring Out' in which he had been concerned at his school, in which the boys stood out against the master, and gained their point at last, which was a week's more holidays at Easter.16'But ifweshould not succeed,' said they, 'Dr. Middleton is so steady; he never goes back from what he has said.' 'Did you ever try to push him back? Let us be steady and he'll tremble. Tyrants always tremble when——' 'Oh,' interrupted a number of voices, 'but he is not a tyrant—is he?' 'All schoolmasters are tyrants—are not they?' replied Archer; 'and is not he a schoolmaster?' To this logic there was no answer; but, still reluctant, they asked, 'What they shouldgetby a Barring Out?' 'Get!—everything!—what we want!—which is everything to lads of spirit—victory and liberty! Bar him out till he repeals his tyrannical law; till he lets us into our own theatre again, or till he tells us his "good reasons" against it.' 'But perhaps he has reasons for not telling us.' 'Impossible!' cried Archer; 'that's the way we are always to be governed by a man in a wig, who says he has good reasons, and can't tell them. Are you fools? Go! go back to De Grey! I see you are all Greybeards. Go! Who goes first?' Nobody would gofirst. 'I will have nothing to do with ye, if ye are resolved to be slaves!' 'We won't be slaves!' they all exclaimed at once. 'Then,' said Archer, 'stand out in the right and be free.''The right.' It would have taken up too much time to examine what 'the right' was. Archer was always sure that'the right' was what his party chose to do; that is, what he chose to do himself; and such is the influence of numbers upon each other, in conquering the feelings of shame and in confusing the powers of reasoning, that in a few minutes 'the right' was forgotten, and each said to himself, 'To be sure, Archer is a very clever boy, and he can't be mistaken'; or, 'To be sure, Townsend thinks so, and he would not do anything to get us into a scrape'; or, 'To be sure, everybody will agree to this but myself, and I can't stand out alone, to be pointed at as a Greybeard and a slave. Everybody thinks it is right, and everybody can't be wrong.'By some of these arguments, which passed rapidly through the mind without his being conscious of them, each boy decided, and deceived himself—what none would have done alone, none scrupled to do as a party. It was determined, then, that there should be a Barring Out. The arrangement of the affair was left to their new manager, to whom they all pledged implicit obedience. Obedience, it seems, is necessary, even from rebels to their ringleaders; not reasonable, but implicit obedience.Scarcely had the assembly adjourned to the Ball-alley, when Fisher, with an important length of face, came up to the manager, and desired to speak one word to him. 'My advice to you, Archer, is, to do nothing in this till we have consultedyou know who, about whether it's right or wrong.' '"You know who"! Whom do you mean? Make haste, and don't make so many faces, for I'm in a hurry. Who is "You know who"?' 'The old woman,' said Fisher, gravely; 'the gipsy.' 'You may consult the old woman,' said Archer, bursting out a-laughing, 'about what's right and wrong, if you please, but no old woman shall decide for me.' 'No; but you don'ttakeme,' said Fisher; 'you don'ttakeme. By right and wrong, I mean lucky and unlucky.' 'WhateverIdo will be lucky,' replied Archer. 'My gipsy told you that already.' 'I know, I know,' said Fisher, 'and what she said about your friends being lucky—that went a great way with many,' added he, with a sagacious nod of his head, 'I can tell youthat—more than you think. Do you know,' said he, laying hold of Archer's button, 'I'm in the secret? There are nine of us have crooked our little fingers upon it, not to stir a step till we get her advice; and she has appointed me to meet her about particularbusiness of my own at eight. So I'm to consult her and to bring her answer.'Archer knew too well how to govern fools to attempt to reason with them; and, instead of laughing any longer at Fisher's ridiculous superstition, he was determined to take advantage of it. He affected to be persuaded of the wisdom of the measure; looked at his watch; urged him to be exact to a moment; conjured him to remember exactly the words of the oracle; and, above all things, to demand the lucky hour and minute when the Barring Out should begin. With these instructions Archer put his watch into the solemn dupe's hand, and left him to count the seconds till the moment of his appointment, whilst he ran off himself to prepare the oracle.At a little gate which looked into a lane, through which he guessed that the gipsy must pass, he stationed himself, saw her, gave her half-a-crown and her instructions, made his escape, and got back unsuspected to Fisher, whom he found in the attitude in which he had left him, watching the motion of the minute hand.Proud of his secret commission, Fisher slouched his hat, he knew not why, over his face, and proceeded towards the appointed spot. To keep, as he had been charged by Archer, within the letter of the law, he stoodbehindthe forbidden building, and waited some minutes.Through a gap in the hedge the old woman at length made her appearance, muffled up, and looking cautiously about her. 'There's nobody near us!' said Fisher, and he began to be a little afraid. 'What answer,' said he, recollecting himself, 'about my Livy?' 'Lost! lost! lost!' said the gipsy, lifting up her hands; 'never, never, never to be found! But no matter for that now: that is not your errand to-night; no tricks with me; speak to me of what is next your heart.'Fisher, astonished, put his hand upon his heart, told her all that she knew before, and received the answers that Archer had dictated: 'That the Archers should be lucky as long as they stuck to their manager and to one another; that the Barring Out should end in woe, if not begun precisely as the clock should strike nine on Wednesday night; but if begun in thatluckymoment, and all obedient to theirluckyleader, all should end well.'A thought, a provident thought, now struck Fisher; foreven he had some foresight where his favourite passion was concerned. 'Pray, in our Barring Out shall we be starved?' 'No,' said the gipsy, 'not if you trust to me for food, and if you give me money enough. Silver won't do for so many; gold is what must cross my hand.' 'I have no gold,' said Fisher, 'and I don't know what you mean by "so many." I'm only talking of number one, you know. I must take care of that first.'So, as Fisher thought it was possible that Archer, clever as he was, might be disappointed in his supplies, he determined to take secret measures for himself. His Aunt Barbara's interdiction had shut him out of the confectioner's shop; but he flattered himself that he could outwit his aunt; he therefore begged the gipsy to procure him twelve buns by Thursday morning, and bring them secretly to one of the windows of the schoolroom.As Fisher did not produce any money when he made this proposal, it was at first absolutely rejected; but a bribe at length conquered his difficulties: and the bribe which Fisher found himself obliged to give—for he had no pocket money left of his own, he being as muchrestrictedin that article as Archer wasindulged—the bribe that he found himself obliged to give to quiet the gipsy was half-a-crown, which Archer had entrusted to him to buy candles for the theatre. 'Oh,' thought he to himself, 'Archer's so careless about money, he will never think of asking me for the half-crown again; and now he'll want no candles for thetheatre; or, at any rate, it will be some time first; and maybe Aunt Barbara may be got to give me that much at Christmas; then, if the worst comes to the worst, one can pay Archer. My mouth waters for the buns, and have 'em I must now.'So, for the hope of twelve buns, he sacrificed the money which had been entrusted to him. Thus the meanest motives, in mean minds, often prompt to the commission of those great faults to which one should think nothing but some violent passion could have tempted.The ambassador having thus, in his opinion, concluded his own and the public business, returned well satisfied with the result, after receiving the gipsy's reiterated promise to tapthree timesat the window on Thursday morning.The day appointed for the Barring Out at length arrived;and Archer, assembling the confederates, informed them that all was prepared for carrying their design into execution; that he now depended for success upon their punctuality and courage. He had, within the last two hours, got all their bars ready to fasten the doors and window shutters of the schoolroom; he had, with the assistance of two of the day scholars who were of the party, sent into the town for provisions, at his own expense, which would make a handsome supper for that night; he had also negotiated with some cousins of his, who lived in the town, for a constant supply in future. 'Bless me,' exclaimed Archer, suddenly stopping in this narration of his services, 'there's one thing, after all, I've forgot, we shall be undone without it. Fisher, pray did you ever buy the candles for the playhouse?' 'No, to be sure,' replied Fisher, extremely frightened; 'you know you don't want candles for the playhouse now.' 'Not for the playhouse, but for the Barring Out. We shall be in the dark, man. You must run this minute, run.' 'For candles?' said Fisher, confused; 'how many?—what sort?' 'Stupidity!' exclaimed Archer, 'you are a pretty fellow at a dead lift! Lend me a pencil and a bit of paper, do; I'll write down what I want myself! Well, what are you fumbling for?' 'For money!' said Fisher, colouring. 'Money, man! Didn't I give you half-a-crown the other day?' 'Yes,' replied Fisher, stammering; 'but I wasn't sure that that might be enough.' 'Enough! yes, to be sure it will. I don't know what you areat.' 'Nothing, nothing,' said Fisher; 'here, write upon this, then,' said Fisher, putting a piece of paper into Archer's hand, upon which Archer wrote his orders. 'Away, away!' cried he.Away went Fisher. He returned; but not until a considerable time afterwards. They were at supper when he returned. 'Fisher always comes in at supper-time,' observed one of the Greybeards, carelessly. 'Well, and would you have him come inaftersupper-time?' said Townsend, who always supplied his party with readywit. 'I've got the candles,' whispered Fisher as he passed by Archer to his place. 'And the tinder-box?' said Archer. 'Yes; I got back from my Aunt Barbara under pretence that I must study for repetition day an hour later to-night. So I got leave. Was not that clever?'A dunce always thinks it clever to cheat even bysober lies.How Mr. Fisher procured the candles and the tinder-box without money and without credit we shall discover further on.Archer and his associates had agreed to stay the last in the schoolroom; and as soon as the Greybeards were gone out to bed, he, as the signal, was to shut and lock one door, Townsend the other. A third conspirator was to strike a light, in case they should not be able to secure a candle. A fourth was to take charge of the candle as soon as lighted; and all the rest were to run to their bars, which were secreted in a room; then to fix them to the common fastening bars of the window, in the manner in which they had been previously instructed by the manager. Thus each had his part assigned, and each was warned that the success of the whole depended upon their order and punctuality.Order and punctuality, it appears, are necessary even in a Barring Out; and even rebellion must have its laws.The long-expected moment at length arrived. De Grey and his friends, unconscious of what was going forward, walked out of the schoolroom as usual at bedtime. The clock began to strike nine. There was one Greybeard left in the room, who was packing up some of his books, which had been left about by accident. It is impossible to describe the impatience with which he was watched, especially by Fisher and the nine who depended upon the gipsy oracle.When he had got all his books together under his arm, he let one of them fall; and whilst he stooped to pick it up, Archer gave the signal. The doors were shut, locked, and double-locked in an instant. A light was struck and each ran to his post. The bars were all in the same moment put up to the windows, and Archer, when he had tried them all, and seen that they were secure, gave a loud 'Huzza!'—in which he was joined by all the party most manfully—by all but the poor Greybeard, who, the picture of astonishment, stood stock still in the midst of them with his books under his arm; at which spectacle Townsend, who enjoyed thefrolicof the fray more than anything else, burst into an immoderate fit of laughter. 'So, my little Greybeard,' said he, holding a candle full in his eyes, 'what think you of all this?—How came you amongst the wicked ones?' 'I don't know, indeed,' said the little boy, very gravely; 'you shut me up amongst you.Won't you let me out?' 'Let you out! No, no, my little Greybeard,' said Archer, catching hold of him and dragging him to the window bars. 'Look ye here—touch these—put your hand to them—pull, push, kick—put a little spirit into it, man—kick like an Archer, if you can; away with ye. It's a pity that the king of the Greybeards is not here to admire me. I should like to show him our fortifications. But come, my merry men all, now to the feast. Out with the table into the middle of the room. Good cheer, my jolly Archers! I'm your manager!'Townsend, delighted with the bustle, rubbed his hands and capered about the room, whilst the preparations for the feast were hurried forward. 'Four candles!—Four candles on the table. Let's have things in style when we are about it, Mr. Manager,' cried Townsend. 'Places!—Places! There's nothing like a fair scramble, my boys. Let every one take care of himself. Hallo, Greybeard! I've knocked Greybeard down here in the scuffle. Get up again, my lad, and see a little life.''No, no,' cried Fisher, 'he shan'tsupwith us.' 'No, no,' cried the manager, 'he shan'tlivewith us; a Greybeard is not fit company for Archers.' 'No, no,' cried Townsend, 'evil communication corrupts good manners.'So with one unanimous hiss they hunted the poor little gentle boy into a corner; and having pent him up with benches, Fisher opened his books for him, which he thought the greatest mortification, and set up a candle beside him. 'There, now he looks like a Greybeard as he is!' cried they. 'Tell me what's the Latin for cold roast beef?' said Fisher, exultingly, and they returned to their feast.Long and loud they revelled. They had a few bottles of cider. 'Give me the corkscrew, the cider shan't be kept till it's sour,' cried Townsend, in answer to the manager, who, when he beheld the provisions vanishing with surprising rapidity, began to fear for the morrow. 'Hang to-morrow!' cried Townsend, 'let Greybeards think of to-morrow; Mr. Manager, here's your good health.'The Archers all stood up as their cups were filled, to drink the health of their chief with a universal cheer. But at the moment that the cups were at their lips, and as Archer bowed to thank the company, a sudden shower from above astonishedthe whole assembly. They looked up, and beheld the rose of a watering-engine, whose long neck appeared through a trap-door in the ceiling. 'Your good health, Mr. Manager!' said a voice, which was known to be the gardener's; and in the midst of their surprise and dismay the candles were suddenly extinguished; the trap-door shut down; and they were left in utter darkness.'TheDevil!' said Archer. 'Don't swear, Mr. Manager,' said the same voice from the ceiling, 'I hear every word you say.' 'Mercy upon us!' exclaimed Fisher. 'The clock,' added he, whispering, 'must have been wrong, for it had not done striking when we began. Only, you remember, Archer, it had just done before you had done locking your door.' 'Hold your tongue, blockhead!' said Archer. 'Well, boys! were ye never in the dark before? You are not afraid of a shower of rain, I hope. Is anybody drowned?' 'No,' said they, with a faint laugh, 'but what shall we do here in the dark all night long, and all day to-morrow? We can't unbar the shutters.' 'It's a wondernobodyever thought of the trap-door!' said Townsend.The trap-door had indeed escaped the manager's observation. As the house was new to him, and the ceiling being newly whitewashed, the opening was scarcely perceptible. Vexed to be out-generalled, and still more vexed to have it remarked, Archer poured forth a volley of incoherent exclamations and reproaches against those who were thus so soon discouraged by a trifle; and groping for the tinder-box, he asked if anything could be easier than to strike a light again.17The light appeared. But at the moment that it made the tinder-box visible, another shower from above, aimed, and aimed exactly, at the tinder-box, drenched it with water, and rendered it totally unfit for further service. Archer in a fury dashed it to the ground. And now for the first time he felt what it was to be the unsuccessful head of a party. He heard in his turn the murmurs of a discontented, changeable populace; and recollecting all his bars and bolts, and ingenious contrivances, he was more provoked at their blaming him for this one only oversight than he was grieved at the disaster itself.'Oh, my hair is all wet!' cried one, dolefully. 'Wring it then,' said Archer. 'My hand's cut with your broken glass,'cried another. 'Glass!' cried a third; 'mercy! is there broken glass? and it's all about, I suppose, amongst the supper; and I had but one bit of bread all the time.' 'Bread!' cried Archer; 'eat if you want it. Here's a piece here, and no glass near it.' 'It's all wet, and I don't like dry bread by itself; that's no feast.''Heigh-day! What, nothing but moaning and grumbling! If these are the joys ofa Barring Out,' cried Townsend, 'I'd rather be snug in my bed. I expected that we should have sat up till twelve o'clock, talking, and laughing, and singing.' 'So you may still; what hinders you?' said Archer. 'Sing, and we'll join you, and I should be glad those fellows overhead heard us singing. Begin, Townsend—Come, now, all ye social Powers,Spread your influence o'er us—Or else—Rule, Britannia! Britannia rules the waves!Britons never will be slaves.'Nothing can be more melancholy than forced merriment. In vain they roared in chorus. In vain they tried to appear gay. It would not do. The voices died away, and dropped off one by one. They had each provided himself with a greatcoat to sleep upon; but now, in the dark, there was a peevish scrambling contest for the coats, and half the company, in very bad humour, stretched themselves upon the benches for the night.There is great pleasure in bearing anything that has the appearance of hardship, as long as there is any glory to be acquired by it; but when people feel themselves foiled, there is no further pleasure in endurance; and if, in their misfortune, there is any mixture of the ridiculous, the motives for heroism are immediately destroyed. Dr. Middleton had probably considered this in the choice he made of his first attack.Archer, who had spent the night as a man who had the cares of government upon his shoulders, rose early in the morning, whilst everybody else was fast asleep. In the night he had resolved the affair of the trap-door, and a new danger had alarmed him. It was possible that the enemy might descend upon them through the trap-door. The room had been built high to admit a free circulation of air. It wastwenty feet, so that it was in vain to think of reaching to the trap-door.As soon as the daylight appeared, Archer rose softly, that he mightreconnoitre, and devise some method of guarding against this new danger. Luckily there were round holes in the top of the window-shutters, which admitted sufficient light for him to work by. The remains of the soaked feast, wet candles, and broken glass spread over the table in the middle of the room, looked rather dismal this morning.'A pretty set of fellows I have to manage!' said Archer, contemplating the group of sleepers before him. 'It is well they have somebody to think for them. Now if I wanted—which, thank goodness, I don't—but if I did want to call a cabinet council to my assistance, whom could I pitch upon?—not this stupid snorer, who is dreaming of gipsies, if he is dreaming of anything,' continued Archer, as he looked into Fisher's open mouth. 'This next chap is quick enough; but, then, he is so fond of having everything his own way. And this curl-pated monkey, who is grinning in his sleep, is all tongue and no brains. Here are brains, though nobody would think it, in this lump,' said he, looking at a fat, rolled up, heavy-breathing sleeper; 'but what signify brains to such a lazy dog? I might kick him for my football this half-hour before I should get him awake. This lank-jawed harlequin beside him is a handy fellow, to be sure; but then, if he has hands, he has no head—and he'd be afraid of his own shadow too, by this light, he is such a coward! And Townsend, why he has puns in plenty; but, when there's any work to be done, he's the worst fellow to be near one in the world—he can do nothing but laugh at his own puns. This poor little fellow that we hunted into the corner has more sense than all of them put together; but then he is a Greybeard.'Thus speculated the chief of a party upon his sleeping friends. And how did it happen that he should be so ambitious to please and govern this set, when for each individual of which it was composed he felt such supreme contempt? He had formed them into aparty, had given them a name, and he was at their head. If these be not good reasons, none better can be assigned for Archer's conduct.'I wish ye could all sleep on,' said he; 'but I must waken ye, though you will be only in my way. The sound of myhammering must waken them; so I may as well do the thing handsomely, and flatter some of them by pretending to ask their advice.'Accordingly, he pulled two or three to waken them. 'Come, Townsend, waken, my boy! Here's some diversion for you—up! up!''Diversion!' cried Townsend; 'I'm your man! I'm up—up to anything.'So, under the name ofdiversion, Archer set Townsend to work at four o'clock in the morning. They had nails, a few tools, and several spars, still left from the wreck of the playhouse. These, by Archer's directions, they sharpened at one end, and nailed them to the ends of several forms.All hands were now called to clear away the supper things, and to erect these forms perpendicularly under the trap-door; and with the assistance of a few braces, achevaux-de-frisewas formed, upon which nobody could venture to descend. At the farthest end of the room they likewise formed a penthouse of the tables, under which they proposed to breakfast, secure from the pelting storm, if it should again assail them through the trap-door. They crowded under the penthouse as soon as it was ready, and their admiration of its ingenuity paid the workmen for the job.'Lord! I shall like to see the gardener's phiz through the trap-door, when he beholds the spikes under him!' cried Townsend. 'Now for breakfast!' 'Ay, now for breakfast,' said Archer, looking at his watch; 'past eight o'clock, and my town boys not come! I don't understand this!'Archer had expected a constant supply of provisions from two boys who lived in the town, who were cousins of his, and who had promised to come every day, and put food in at a certain hole in the wall, in which a ventilator usually turned. This ventilator Archer had taken down, and had contrived it so that it could be easily removed and replaced at pleasure; but, upon examination, it was now perceived that the hole had been newly stopped up by an iron back, which it was impossible to penetrate or remove.'It never came into my head that anybody would ever have thought of the ventilator but myself!' exclaimed Archer, in great perplexity. He listened and waited for his cousins; but no cousins came, and at a late hour the company wereobliged to breakfast upon the scattered fragments of the last night's feast. That feast had been spread with such imprudent profusion, that little now remained to satisfy the hungry guests.Archer, who well knew the effect which the apprehension of a scarcity would have upon his associates, did everything that could be done by a bold countenance and reiterated assertions to persuade them that his cousins would certainly come at last, and that the supplies were only delayed. The delay, however, was alarming.Fisher alone heard the manager's calculations and saw the public fears unmoved. Secretly rejoicing in his own wisdom, he walked from window to window, slily listening for the gipsy's signal. 'There it is!' cried he, with more joy sparkling in his eyes than had ever enlightened them before. 'Come this way, Archer; but don't tell anybody. Hark! do ye hear those three taps at the window? This is the old woman with twelve buns for me. I'll give you one whole one for yourself, if you will unbar the window for me.''Unbar the window!' interrupted Archer; 'no, that I won't, for you or the gipsy either; but I have heard enough to get your buns without that. But stay; there is something of more consequence than your twelve buns. I must think for ye all, I see, regularly.'So he summoned a council, and proposed that every one should subscribe, and trust the subscription to the gipsy, to purchase a fresh supply of provisions. Archer laid down a guinea of his own money for his subscription; at which sight all the company clapped their hands, and his popularity rose to a high pitch with their renewed hopes of plenty. Now, having made a list of their wants, they folded the money in the paper, put it into a bag, which Archer tied to a long string, and, having broken the pane of glass behind the round hole in the window-shutter, he let down the bag to the gipsy. She promised to be punctual, and having filled the bag with Fishers twelve buns, they were drawn up in triumph, and everybody anticipated the pleasure with which they should see the same bag drawn up at dinner-time. The buns were a little squeezed in being drawn through the hole in the window-shutter, but Archer immediately sawed out a piece of the shutter, and broke the corresponding panes in each of the other windows, to preventsuspicion, and to make it appear that they had all been broken to admit air.What a pity that so much ingenuity should have been employed to no purpose!It may have surprised the intelligent reader that the gipsy was so punctual to her promise to Fisher, but we must recollect that her apparent integrity was only cunning; she was punctual that she might be employed again, that she might be entrusted with the contribution which, she foresaw, must be raised amongst the famishing garrison. No sooner had she received the money than her end was gained.Dinner-time came; it struck three, four, five, six. They listened with hungry ears, but no signal was heard. The morning had been very long, and Archer had in vain tried to dissuade them from devouring the remainder of the provisions before they were sure of a fresh supply. And now those who had been the most confident were the most impatient of their disappointment.Archer, in the division of the food, had attempted, by the most scrupulous exactness, to content the public, and he was both astonished and provoked to perceive that his impartiality was impeached. So differently do people judge in different situations! He was the first person to accuse his master of injustice, and the least capable of bearing such an imputation upon himself from others. He now experienced some of the joys of power, and the delight of managing unreasonable numbers.'Have not I done everything I could to please you? Have not I spent my money to buy you food? Have not I divided the last morsel with you? I have not tasted one mouthful to-day! Did not I set to work for you at sunrise? Did not I lie awake all night for you? Have not I had all the labour and all the anxiety? Look round and seemycontrivances,mywork,mygenerosity! And, after all, you think me a tyrant, because I want you to have common sense. Is not this bun which I hold in my hand my own? Did not I earn it by my own ingenuity from that selfish dunce (pointing to Fisher), who could never have gotten one of his twelve buns, if I had not shown him how? Eleven of them he has eaten since morning for his own share, without offering any one a morsel; but I scorn to eat even what is justly my own, when I see so manyhungry creatures longing for it. I was not going to touch this last morsel myself. I only begged you to keep it till supper-time, when perhaps you'll want it more, and Townsend, who can't bear the slightest thing that crosses his own whims, and who thinks there's nothing in this world to be minded but his own diversion, calls me atyrant. You all of you promised to obey me. The first thing I ask you to do for your own good, and when, if you had common sense, you must know I can want nothing but your good, you rebel against me. Traitors! fools! ungrateful fools!'Archer walked up and down, unable to command his emotion, whilst, for the moment, the discontented multitude was silenced.'Here,' said he, striking his hand upon the little boy's shoulder, 'here's the only one amongst you who has not uttered one word of reproach or complaint, and he has had but one bit of bread—a bit that I gave him myself this day. Here!' said he, snatching the bun, which nobody had dared to touch, 'take it—it's mine—I give it to you, though you are a Greybeard; you deserve it. Eat it, and be an Archer. You shall be my captain; will you?' said he, lifting him up in his arm above the rest.'I like you now,' said the little boy, courageously; 'but I love De Grey better; he has always been my friend, and he advised me never to call myself any of those names, Archer or Greybeard; so I won't. Though I am shut in here, I have nothing to do with it. I love Dr. Middleton; he was never unjust tome, and I daresay that he has very good reasons, as De Grey said, for forbidding us to go into that house. Besides, it's his own.'Instead of admiring the good sense and steadiness of this little lad, Archer suffered Townsend to snatch the untasted bun out of his hands. He flung it at a hole in the window, but it fell back. The Archers scrambled for it, and Fisher ate it.Archer saw this, and was sensible that he had not done handsomely in suffering it. A few moments ago he had admired his own generosity, and though he had felt the injustice of others, he had not accused himself of any. He turned away from the little boy, and sitting down at one end of the table, hid his face in his hands. He continued immovable in this posture for some time.'Lord!' said Townsend; 'it was an excellent joke!' 'Pooh!' said Fisher; 'what a fool, to think so much about a bun!' 'Never mind, Mr. Archer, if you are thinking about me,' said the little boy, trying gently to pull his hands from his face.Archer stooped down and lifted him up upon the table, at which sight the partisans set up a general hiss. 'He has forsaken us! He deserts his party! He wants to be a Greybeard! After he has got us all into this scrape, he will leave us!''I am not going to leave you,' cried Archer. 'No one shall ever accuse me of deserting my party. I'll stick by the Archers, right or wrong, I tell you, to the last moment. But this little fellow—take it as you please, mutiny if you will, and throw me out of the window. Call me traitor! coward! Greybeard!—this little fellow is worth you all put together, and I'll stand by him against any one who dares to lay a finger upon him; and the next morsel of food that I see shall be his. Touch him who dares!'The commanding air with which Archer spoke and looked, and the belief that the little boy deserved his protection, silenced the crowd. But the storm was only hushed.No sound of merriment was now to be heard—no battledore and shuttlecock—no ball, no marbles. Some sat in a corner, whispering their wishes that Archer would unbar the doors and give up. Others, stretching their arms, and gaping as they sauntered up and down the room, wished for air, or food, or water. Fisher and his nine, who had such firm dependence upon the gipsy, now gave themselves up to utter despair. It was eight o'clock, growing darker and darker every minute, and no candles, no light, could they have. The prospect of another long dark night made them still more discontented.Townsend, at the head of the yawners, and Fisher, at the head of the hungry malcontents, gathered round Archer and the few yet unconquered spirits, demanding 'How long he meant to keep them in this dark dungeon? and whether he expected that they should starve themselves for his sake?'The idea ofgiving upwas more intolerable to Archer than all the rest. He saw that the majority, his own convincing argument, was against him. He was therefore obliged to condescend to the arts of persuasion. He flattered some with hopes of food from the town boys. Some he reminded oftheir promises; others he praised for former prowess; and others he shamed by the repetition of their high vaunts in the beginning of the business.It was at length resolved that at all events theywould hold out. With this determination they stretched themselves again to sleep, for the second night, in weak and weary obstinacy.Archer slept longer and more soundly than usual the next morning, and when he awoke, he found his hands tied behind him! Three or four boys had just got hold of his feet, which they pressed down, whilst the trembling hands of Fisher were fastening the cord round them.With all the force which rage could inspire, Archer struggled and roared to 'his Archers!'—his friends, his party—for help against the traitors. But all kept aloof. Townsend, in particular, stood laughing and looking on. 'I beg your pardon, Archer, but really you look so droll. All alive and kicking! Don't be angry. I'm so weak, I cannot help laughing to-day.'The packthread cracked. 'His hands are free! He's loose!' cried the least of the boys, and ran away, whilst Archer leaped up, and seizing hold of Fisher with a powerful grasp, sternly demanded 'What he meant by this?''Ask my party,' said Fisher, terrified; 'they set me on; ask my party.''Your party!' cried Archer, with a look of ineffable contempt; 'you reptile!—yourparty? Can such a thing asyouhave a party?''To be sure!' said Fisher, settling his collar, which Archer in his surprise had let go; 'to be sure! Why not? Any man who chooses it may have a party as well as yourself, I suppose. I have nine Fishermen.'At these words, spoken with much sullen importance, Archer, in spite of his vexation, could not help laughing. 'Fishermen!' cried he, 'Fishermen!' 'And why not Fishermen as well as Archers?' cried they. 'One party is just as good as another; it is only a question which can get the upper hand; and we had your hands tied just now.''That's right, Townsend,' said Archer, 'laugh on, my boy! Friend or foe, it's all the same to you. I know how to value your friendship now. You are a mighty good fellow when the sun shines; but let a storm come, and how you slink away!'
i030'What is become of my Livy?' 'Your sister Livy, do you mean?'
'What is become of my Livy?' 'Your sister Livy, do you mean?'
She pulled the shutters towards her, and left the youth in darkness. All his companions were gone. He had been sodeeply engaged in this conference, that he had not perceived their departure. He found all the world at supper, but no entreaties could prevail upon him to disclose his secret. Townsend rallied in vain. As for Archer, he was not disposed to destroy by ridicule the effect which he saw that the old woman's predictions in his favour had had upon the imagination of many of his little partisans. He had privately slipped two good shillings into the gipsy's hand to secure her; for he was willing to pay any price foranymeans of acquiring power.
The watch-chain had not deceived the gipsy, for Archer was the richest person in the community. His friends had imprudently supplied him with more money than is usually trusted to boys of his age. Dr. Middleton had refused to give him a larger monthly allowance than the rest of his companions; but he brought to school with him secretly the sum of five guineas. This appeared to his friends and to himself an inexhaustible treasure.
Riches and talents would, he flattered himself, secure to him that ascendency of which he was so ambitious. 'Am I your manager or not?' was now his question. 'I scorn to take advantage of a hasty moment; but since last night you have had time to consider. If you desire me to be your manager, you shall see what a theatre I will make for you. In this purse,' said he, showing through the network a glimpse of the shining treasure—'in this purse is Aladdin's wonderful lamp. Am I your manager? Put it to the vote.'
It was put to the vote. About ten of the most reasonable of the assembly declared their gratitude and high approbation of their old friend, De Grey; but the numbers were in favour of the new friend. And as no metaphysical distinctions relative to the idea of a majority had ever entered their thoughts, the most numerous party considered themselves as now beyond dispute in the right. They drew off on one side in triumph, and their leader, who knew the consequence of a name in party matters, immediately distinguished his partisans by the gallant name ofArchers, stigmatising the friends of De Grey by the odious epithet of Greybeards.
Amongst the Archers was a class not very remarkable for their mental qualifications; but who, by their bodily activity, and by the peculiar advantages annexed to their way of life,rendered themselves of the highest consequence, especially to the rich and enterprising.
The judicious reader will apprehend that I allude to the persons called day scholars. Amongst these, Fisher was distinguished by his knowledge of all the streets and shops in the adjacent town; and, though a dull scholar, he had such reputation as a man of business that whoever had commissions to execute at the confectioner's was sure to apply to him. Some of the youngest of his employers had, it is true, at times complained that he made mistakes of halfpence and pence in their accounts; but as these affairs could never be brought to a public trial, Fisher's character and consequence were undiminished, till the fatal day when his Aunt Barbara forbade his visits to the confectioner's; or rather, till she requested the confectioner, who had his private reasons for obeying her, notto receiveher nephew's visits, as he had made himself sick at his house, and Mrs. Barbara's fears for his health were incessant.
Though his visits to the confectioner's were thus at an end, there were many other shops open to him; and with officious zeal he offered his services to the new manager, to purchase whatever might be wanting for the theatre.
Since his father's death Fisher had become a boarder at Dr. Middleton's, but his frequent visits to his Aunt Barbara afforded him opportunities of going into the town. The carpenter, De Grey's friend, was discarded by Archer, for having said 'lack-a-daisy!' when he saw that the old theatre was pulled down. A new carpenter and paper-hanger, recommended by Fisher, were appointed to attend, with their tools, for orders, at two o'clock. Archer, impatient to show his ingenuity and his generosity, gave his plan and his orders in a few minutes, in a most decided manner. 'These things,' he observed, 'should be done with some spirit.'
To which the carpenter readily assented, and added that 'gentlemen of spirit never looked to theexpense, but always to theeffect.' Upon this principle Mr. Chip set to work with all possible alacrity. In a few hours' time he promised to produce a grand effect. High expectations were formed. Nothing was talked of but the new playhouse; and so intent upon it was every head, that no lessons could be got. Archer was obliged, in the midst of his various occupations, to perform the part of grammar and dictionary for twenty different people.
'O ye Athenians!' he exclaimed, 'how hard do I work to obtain your praise!'
Impatient to return to the theatre, the moment the hours destined for instruction, or, as they are termed by schoolboys, school-hours, were over each prisoner started up with a shout of joy.
'Stop one moment, gentlemen, if you please,' said Dr. Middleton, in an awful voice. 'Mr. Archer, return to your place. Are you all here?' The names of all the boys were called over, and when each had answered to his name, Dr. Middleton said—
'Gentlemen, I am sorry to interrupt your amusements; but, till you have contrary orders from me, no one, on pain of my serious displeasure, must go intothatbuilding' (pointing to the place where the theatre was erecting). 'Mr. Archer, your carpenter is at the door. You will be so good as to dismiss him. I do not think proper to give my reasons for these orders; but you whoknowme,' said the doctor, and his eye turned towards De Grey, 'will not suspect me of caprice. I depend, gentlemen, upon your obedience.'
To the dead silence with which these orders were received, succeeded in a few minutes a universal groan. 'So!' said Townsend, 'all our diversion is over.' 'So,' whispered Fisher in the manager's ear, 'this is some trick of the Greybeards'. Did you not observe how he looked at De Grey?'
Fired by this thought, which had never entered his mind before, Archer started from his reverie, and striking his hand upon the table, swore that he 'would not be outwitted by any Greybeard in Europe—no, nor by all of them put together. The Archers were surely a match for them. He would stand by them, if they would stand by him,' he declared, with a loud voice, 'against the whole world, and Dr. Middleton himself, with "Little Premium" at his right hand.'
Everybody admired Archer's spirit, but was a little appalled at the sound of standing against Dr. Middleton.
'Why not?' resumed the indignant manager. 'Neither Dr. Middleton nor any doctor upon earth shall treat me with injustice. This, you see, is a stroke at me and my party, and I won't bear it.'
'Oh, you are mistaken!' said De Grey, who was the only one who dared to oppose reason to the angry orator. 'It cannotbe a stroke aimed at "you and your party," for he does not know that youhavea party.'
'I'll make him know it, and I'll makeyouknow it, too,' said Archer. 'Before I came here you reigned alone; now your reign is over, Mr. De Grey. Remember my majority this morning, and your theatre last night.'
'He has remembered it,' said Fisher. 'You see, the moment he was not to be our manager, we were to have no theatre, no playhouse, no plays. We must all sit down with our hands before us—all for "good reasons" of Dr. Middleton's, which he does not vouchsafe to tell us.'
'I won't be governed by any man's reasons that he won't tell me,' cried Archer. 'He cannot have good reasons, or why not tell them?' 'Nonsense!' said De Grey. 'We shall not suspect him of caprice!' 'Why not?' 'Because we who know him have never known him capricious.' 'Perhaps not.Iknow nothing about him,' said Archer. 'No,' said De Grey; 'for that very reasonIspeak who do know him. Don't be in a passion, Archer.' 'I will be in a passion. I won't submit to tyranny. I won't be made a fool of by a few soft words. You don't know me, De Grey. I'll go through with what I've begun. I am manager, and I will be manager; and you shall see my theatre finished in spite of you, andmyparty triumphant.'
'Party,' repeated De Grey. 'I cannot imagine what is in the word "party" that seems to drive you mad. We never heard of parties till you came amongst us.'
'No; before I came, I say, nobody dared oppose you; butIdare; and I tell you to your face, take care of me—a warm friend and a bitter enemy is my motto.' 'I am not your enemy! I believe you are out of your senses, Archer!' said he, laughing. 'Out of my senses! No; you are my enemy! Are you not my rival? Did you not win the premium? Did not you want to be manager? Answer me, are not you, in one word, a Greybeard?' 'You called me a Greybeard, but my name is De Grey,' said he, still laughing. 'Laugh on!' cried the other, furiously. 'Come,Archers, follow me.Weshall laugh by-and-by, I promise you.' At the door Archer was stopped by Mr. Chip. 'Oh, Mr. Chip, I am ordered to discharge you.' 'Yes, sir; and here's a little bill——' 'Bill, Mr. Chip! why, you have not been at work for two hours!''Not much over, sir; but if you'll please to look into it, you'll see 'tis for a few things you ordered. The stuff is all laid out and delivered. The paper and the festoon-bordering for the drawing-room scene is cut out, and left yander within.' 'Yander within! I wish you had not been in such a confounded hurry—six-and-twenty shillings!' cried he; 'but I can't stay to talk about it now. I'll tell you, Mr. Chip,' said Archer, lowering his voice, 'what you must do for me, my good fellow.'
Then, drawing Mr. Chip aside, he begged him to pull down some of the woodwork which had been put up, and to cut it into a certain number of wooden bars, of which he gave him the dimensions, with orders to place them all, when ready, under a haystack, which he pointed out.
Mr. Chip scrupled and hesitated, and began to talk of 'the doctor.' Archer immediately began to talk of the bill, and throwing down a guinea and a half, the conscientious carpenter pocketed the money directly, and made his bow.
'Well, Master Archer,' said he, 'there's no refusing you nothing. You have such a way of talking one out of it. You manage me just like a child.'
'Ay, ay!' said Archer, knowing that he had been cheated, and yet proud of managing a carpenter, 'ay, ay! I know the way to manage everybody. Let the things be ready in an hour's time; and hark'e! leave your tools by mistake behind you, and a thousand of twenty-penny nails. Ask no questions, and keep your own counsel like a wise man. Off with you, and take care of "the doctor."'
'Archers, Archers, to the Archers' tree! Follow your leader,' cried he, sounding his well-known whistle as a signal. His followers gathered round him, and he, raising himself upon the mount at the foot of the tree, counted his numbers, and then, in a voice lower than usual, addressed them thus:— 'My friends, is there a Greybeard amongst us? If there is, let him walk off at once, he has my free leave.' No one stirred. 'Then we are all Archers, and we will stand by one another. Join hands, my friends.' They all joined hands. 'Promise me not to betray me, and I will go on. I ask no security but your honour.' They all gave their honour to be secret andfaithful, as he called it, and he went on. 'Did you ever hear of such a thing as a "Barring Out," my friends?' They had heard of such a thing, but they had only heard of it.
Archer gave the history of a 'Barring Out' in which he had been concerned at his school, in which the boys stood out against the master, and gained their point at last, which was a week's more holidays at Easter.16'But ifweshould not succeed,' said they, 'Dr. Middleton is so steady; he never goes back from what he has said.' 'Did you ever try to push him back? Let us be steady and he'll tremble. Tyrants always tremble when——' 'Oh,' interrupted a number of voices, 'but he is not a tyrant—is he?' 'All schoolmasters are tyrants—are not they?' replied Archer; 'and is not he a schoolmaster?' To this logic there was no answer; but, still reluctant, they asked, 'What they shouldgetby a Barring Out?' 'Get!—everything!—what we want!—which is everything to lads of spirit—victory and liberty! Bar him out till he repeals his tyrannical law; till he lets us into our own theatre again, or till he tells us his "good reasons" against it.' 'But perhaps he has reasons for not telling us.' 'Impossible!' cried Archer; 'that's the way we are always to be governed by a man in a wig, who says he has good reasons, and can't tell them. Are you fools? Go! go back to De Grey! I see you are all Greybeards. Go! Who goes first?' Nobody would gofirst. 'I will have nothing to do with ye, if ye are resolved to be slaves!' 'We won't be slaves!' they all exclaimed at once. 'Then,' said Archer, 'stand out in the right and be free.'
'The right.' It would have taken up too much time to examine what 'the right' was. Archer was always sure that'the right' was what his party chose to do; that is, what he chose to do himself; and such is the influence of numbers upon each other, in conquering the feelings of shame and in confusing the powers of reasoning, that in a few minutes 'the right' was forgotten, and each said to himself, 'To be sure, Archer is a very clever boy, and he can't be mistaken'; or, 'To be sure, Townsend thinks so, and he would not do anything to get us into a scrape'; or, 'To be sure, everybody will agree to this but myself, and I can't stand out alone, to be pointed at as a Greybeard and a slave. Everybody thinks it is right, and everybody can't be wrong.'
By some of these arguments, which passed rapidly through the mind without his being conscious of them, each boy decided, and deceived himself—what none would have done alone, none scrupled to do as a party. It was determined, then, that there should be a Barring Out. The arrangement of the affair was left to their new manager, to whom they all pledged implicit obedience. Obedience, it seems, is necessary, even from rebels to their ringleaders; not reasonable, but implicit obedience.
Scarcely had the assembly adjourned to the Ball-alley, when Fisher, with an important length of face, came up to the manager, and desired to speak one word to him. 'My advice to you, Archer, is, to do nothing in this till we have consultedyou know who, about whether it's right or wrong.' '"You know who"! Whom do you mean? Make haste, and don't make so many faces, for I'm in a hurry. Who is "You know who"?' 'The old woman,' said Fisher, gravely; 'the gipsy.' 'You may consult the old woman,' said Archer, bursting out a-laughing, 'about what's right and wrong, if you please, but no old woman shall decide for me.' 'No; but you don'ttakeme,' said Fisher; 'you don'ttakeme. By right and wrong, I mean lucky and unlucky.' 'WhateverIdo will be lucky,' replied Archer. 'My gipsy told you that already.' 'I know, I know,' said Fisher, 'and what she said about your friends being lucky—that went a great way with many,' added he, with a sagacious nod of his head, 'I can tell youthat—more than you think. Do you know,' said he, laying hold of Archer's button, 'I'm in the secret? There are nine of us have crooked our little fingers upon it, not to stir a step till we get her advice; and she has appointed me to meet her about particularbusiness of my own at eight. So I'm to consult her and to bring her answer.'
Archer knew too well how to govern fools to attempt to reason with them; and, instead of laughing any longer at Fisher's ridiculous superstition, he was determined to take advantage of it. He affected to be persuaded of the wisdom of the measure; looked at his watch; urged him to be exact to a moment; conjured him to remember exactly the words of the oracle; and, above all things, to demand the lucky hour and minute when the Barring Out should begin. With these instructions Archer put his watch into the solemn dupe's hand, and left him to count the seconds till the moment of his appointment, whilst he ran off himself to prepare the oracle.
At a little gate which looked into a lane, through which he guessed that the gipsy must pass, he stationed himself, saw her, gave her half-a-crown and her instructions, made his escape, and got back unsuspected to Fisher, whom he found in the attitude in which he had left him, watching the motion of the minute hand.
Proud of his secret commission, Fisher slouched his hat, he knew not why, over his face, and proceeded towards the appointed spot. To keep, as he had been charged by Archer, within the letter of the law, he stoodbehindthe forbidden building, and waited some minutes.
Through a gap in the hedge the old woman at length made her appearance, muffled up, and looking cautiously about her. 'There's nobody near us!' said Fisher, and he began to be a little afraid. 'What answer,' said he, recollecting himself, 'about my Livy?' 'Lost! lost! lost!' said the gipsy, lifting up her hands; 'never, never, never to be found! But no matter for that now: that is not your errand to-night; no tricks with me; speak to me of what is next your heart.'
Fisher, astonished, put his hand upon his heart, told her all that she knew before, and received the answers that Archer had dictated: 'That the Archers should be lucky as long as they stuck to their manager and to one another; that the Barring Out should end in woe, if not begun precisely as the clock should strike nine on Wednesday night; but if begun in thatluckymoment, and all obedient to theirluckyleader, all should end well.'
A thought, a provident thought, now struck Fisher; foreven he had some foresight where his favourite passion was concerned. 'Pray, in our Barring Out shall we be starved?' 'No,' said the gipsy, 'not if you trust to me for food, and if you give me money enough. Silver won't do for so many; gold is what must cross my hand.' 'I have no gold,' said Fisher, 'and I don't know what you mean by "so many." I'm only talking of number one, you know. I must take care of that first.'
So, as Fisher thought it was possible that Archer, clever as he was, might be disappointed in his supplies, he determined to take secret measures for himself. His Aunt Barbara's interdiction had shut him out of the confectioner's shop; but he flattered himself that he could outwit his aunt; he therefore begged the gipsy to procure him twelve buns by Thursday morning, and bring them secretly to one of the windows of the schoolroom.
As Fisher did not produce any money when he made this proposal, it was at first absolutely rejected; but a bribe at length conquered his difficulties: and the bribe which Fisher found himself obliged to give—for he had no pocket money left of his own, he being as muchrestrictedin that article as Archer wasindulged—the bribe that he found himself obliged to give to quiet the gipsy was half-a-crown, which Archer had entrusted to him to buy candles for the theatre. 'Oh,' thought he to himself, 'Archer's so careless about money, he will never think of asking me for the half-crown again; and now he'll want no candles for thetheatre; or, at any rate, it will be some time first; and maybe Aunt Barbara may be got to give me that much at Christmas; then, if the worst comes to the worst, one can pay Archer. My mouth waters for the buns, and have 'em I must now.'
So, for the hope of twelve buns, he sacrificed the money which had been entrusted to him. Thus the meanest motives, in mean minds, often prompt to the commission of those great faults to which one should think nothing but some violent passion could have tempted.
The ambassador having thus, in his opinion, concluded his own and the public business, returned well satisfied with the result, after receiving the gipsy's reiterated promise to tapthree timesat the window on Thursday morning.
The day appointed for the Barring Out at length arrived;and Archer, assembling the confederates, informed them that all was prepared for carrying their design into execution; that he now depended for success upon their punctuality and courage. He had, within the last two hours, got all their bars ready to fasten the doors and window shutters of the schoolroom; he had, with the assistance of two of the day scholars who were of the party, sent into the town for provisions, at his own expense, which would make a handsome supper for that night; he had also negotiated with some cousins of his, who lived in the town, for a constant supply in future. 'Bless me,' exclaimed Archer, suddenly stopping in this narration of his services, 'there's one thing, after all, I've forgot, we shall be undone without it. Fisher, pray did you ever buy the candles for the playhouse?' 'No, to be sure,' replied Fisher, extremely frightened; 'you know you don't want candles for the playhouse now.' 'Not for the playhouse, but for the Barring Out. We shall be in the dark, man. You must run this minute, run.' 'For candles?' said Fisher, confused; 'how many?—what sort?' 'Stupidity!' exclaimed Archer, 'you are a pretty fellow at a dead lift! Lend me a pencil and a bit of paper, do; I'll write down what I want myself! Well, what are you fumbling for?' 'For money!' said Fisher, colouring. 'Money, man! Didn't I give you half-a-crown the other day?' 'Yes,' replied Fisher, stammering; 'but I wasn't sure that that might be enough.' 'Enough! yes, to be sure it will. I don't know what you areat.' 'Nothing, nothing,' said Fisher; 'here, write upon this, then,' said Fisher, putting a piece of paper into Archer's hand, upon which Archer wrote his orders. 'Away, away!' cried he.
Away went Fisher. He returned; but not until a considerable time afterwards. They were at supper when he returned. 'Fisher always comes in at supper-time,' observed one of the Greybeards, carelessly. 'Well, and would you have him come inaftersupper-time?' said Townsend, who always supplied his party with readywit. 'I've got the candles,' whispered Fisher as he passed by Archer to his place. 'And the tinder-box?' said Archer. 'Yes; I got back from my Aunt Barbara under pretence that I must study for repetition day an hour later to-night. So I got leave. Was not that clever?'
A dunce always thinks it clever to cheat even bysober lies.How Mr. Fisher procured the candles and the tinder-box without money and without credit we shall discover further on.
Archer and his associates had agreed to stay the last in the schoolroom; and as soon as the Greybeards were gone out to bed, he, as the signal, was to shut and lock one door, Townsend the other. A third conspirator was to strike a light, in case they should not be able to secure a candle. A fourth was to take charge of the candle as soon as lighted; and all the rest were to run to their bars, which were secreted in a room; then to fix them to the common fastening bars of the window, in the manner in which they had been previously instructed by the manager. Thus each had his part assigned, and each was warned that the success of the whole depended upon their order and punctuality.
Order and punctuality, it appears, are necessary even in a Barring Out; and even rebellion must have its laws.
The long-expected moment at length arrived. De Grey and his friends, unconscious of what was going forward, walked out of the schoolroom as usual at bedtime. The clock began to strike nine. There was one Greybeard left in the room, who was packing up some of his books, which had been left about by accident. It is impossible to describe the impatience with which he was watched, especially by Fisher and the nine who depended upon the gipsy oracle.
When he had got all his books together under his arm, he let one of them fall; and whilst he stooped to pick it up, Archer gave the signal. The doors were shut, locked, and double-locked in an instant. A light was struck and each ran to his post. The bars were all in the same moment put up to the windows, and Archer, when he had tried them all, and seen that they were secure, gave a loud 'Huzza!'—in which he was joined by all the party most manfully—by all but the poor Greybeard, who, the picture of astonishment, stood stock still in the midst of them with his books under his arm; at which spectacle Townsend, who enjoyed thefrolicof the fray more than anything else, burst into an immoderate fit of laughter. 'So, my little Greybeard,' said he, holding a candle full in his eyes, 'what think you of all this?—How came you amongst the wicked ones?' 'I don't know, indeed,' said the little boy, very gravely; 'you shut me up amongst you.Won't you let me out?' 'Let you out! No, no, my little Greybeard,' said Archer, catching hold of him and dragging him to the window bars. 'Look ye here—touch these—put your hand to them—pull, push, kick—put a little spirit into it, man—kick like an Archer, if you can; away with ye. It's a pity that the king of the Greybeards is not here to admire me. I should like to show him our fortifications. But come, my merry men all, now to the feast. Out with the table into the middle of the room. Good cheer, my jolly Archers! I'm your manager!'
Townsend, delighted with the bustle, rubbed his hands and capered about the room, whilst the preparations for the feast were hurried forward. 'Four candles!—Four candles on the table. Let's have things in style when we are about it, Mr. Manager,' cried Townsend. 'Places!—Places! There's nothing like a fair scramble, my boys. Let every one take care of himself. Hallo, Greybeard! I've knocked Greybeard down here in the scuffle. Get up again, my lad, and see a little life.'
'No, no,' cried Fisher, 'he shan'tsupwith us.' 'No, no,' cried the manager, 'he shan'tlivewith us; a Greybeard is not fit company for Archers.' 'No, no,' cried Townsend, 'evil communication corrupts good manners.'
So with one unanimous hiss they hunted the poor little gentle boy into a corner; and having pent him up with benches, Fisher opened his books for him, which he thought the greatest mortification, and set up a candle beside him. 'There, now he looks like a Greybeard as he is!' cried they. 'Tell me what's the Latin for cold roast beef?' said Fisher, exultingly, and they returned to their feast.
Long and loud they revelled. They had a few bottles of cider. 'Give me the corkscrew, the cider shan't be kept till it's sour,' cried Townsend, in answer to the manager, who, when he beheld the provisions vanishing with surprising rapidity, began to fear for the morrow. 'Hang to-morrow!' cried Townsend, 'let Greybeards think of to-morrow; Mr. Manager, here's your good health.'
The Archers all stood up as their cups were filled, to drink the health of their chief with a universal cheer. But at the moment that the cups were at their lips, and as Archer bowed to thank the company, a sudden shower from above astonishedthe whole assembly. They looked up, and beheld the rose of a watering-engine, whose long neck appeared through a trap-door in the ceiling. 'Your good health, Mr. Manager!' said a voice, which was known to be the gardener's; and in the midst of their surprise and dismay the candles were suddenly extinguished; the trap-door shut down; and they were left in utter darkness.
'TheDevil!' said Archer. 'Don't swear, Mr. Manager,' said the same voice from the ceiling, 'I hear every word you say.' 'Mercy upon us!' exclaimed Fisher. 'The clock,' added he, whispering, 'must have been wrong, for it had not done striking when we began. Only, you remember, Archer, it had just done before you had done locking your door.' 'Hold your tongue, blockhead!' said Archer. 'Well, boys! were ye never in the dark before? You are not afraid of a shower of rain, I hope. Is anybody drowned?' 'No,' said they, with a faint laugh, 'but what shall we do here in the dark all night long, and all day to-morrow? We can't unbar the shutters.' 'It's a wondernobodyever thought of the trap-door!' said Townsend.
The trap-door had indeed escaped the manager's observation. As the house was new to him, and the ceiling being newly whitewashed, the opening was scarcely perceptible. Vexed to be out-generalled, and still more vexed to have it remarked, Archer poured forth a volley of incoherent exclamations and reproaches against those who were thus so soon discouraged by a trifle; and groping for the tinder-box, he asked if anything could be easier than to strike a light again.17The light appeared. But at the moment that it made the tinder-box visible, another shower from above, aimed, and aimed exactly, at the tinder-box, drenched it with water, and rendered it totally unfit for further service. Archer in a fury dashed it to the ground. And now for the first time he felt what it was to be the unsuccessful head of a party. He heard in his turn the murmurs of a discontented, changeable populace; and recollecting all his bars and bolts, and ingenious contrivances, he was more provoked at their blaming him for this one only oversight than he was grieved at the disaster itself.
'Oh, my hair is all wet!' cried one, dolefully. 'Wring it then,' said Archer. 'My hand's cut with your broken glass,'cried another. 'Glass!' cried a third; 'mercy! is there broken glass? and it's all about, I suppose, amongst the supper; and I had but one bit of bread all the time.' 'Bread!' cried Archer; 'eat if you want it. Here's a piece here, and no glass near it.' 'It's all wet, and I don't like dry bread by itself; that's no feast.'
'Heigh-day! What, nothing but moaning and grumbling! If these are the joys ofa Barring Out,' cried Townsend, 'I'd rather be snug in my bed. I expected that we should have sat up till twelve o'clock, talking, and laughing, and singing.' 'So you may still; what hinders you?' said Archer. 'Sing, and we'll join you, and I should be glad those fellows overhead heard us singing. Begin, Townsend—
Come, now, all ye social Powers,Spread your influence o'er us—
Come, now, all ye social Powers,Spread your influence o'er us—
Or else—
Rule, Britannia! Britannia rules the waves!Britons never will be slaves.'
Rule, Britannia! Britannia rules the waves!Britons never will be slaves.'
Nothing can be more melancholy than forced merriment. In vain they roared in chorus. In vain they tried to appear gay. It would not do. The voices died away, and dropped off one by one. They had each provided himself with a greatcoat to sleep upon; but now, in the dark, there was a peevish scrambling contest for the coats, and half the company, in very bad humour, stretched themselves upon the benches for the night.
There is great pleasure in bearing anything that has the appearance of hardship, as long as there is any glory to be acquired by it; but when people feel themselves foiled, there is no further pleasure in endurance; and if, in their misfortune, there is any mixture of the ridiculous, the motives for heroism are immediately destroyed. Dr. Middleton had probably considered this in the choice he made of his first attack.
Archer, who had spent the night as a man who had the cares of government upon his shoulders, rose early in the morning, whilst everybody else was fast asleep. In the night he had resolved the affair of the trap-door, and a new danger had alarmed him. It was possible that the enemy might descend upon them through the trap-door. The room had been built high to admit a free circulation of air. It wastwenty feet, so that it was in vain to think of reaching to the trap-door.
As soon as the daylight appeared, Archer rose softly, that he mightreconnoitre, and devise some method of guarding against this new danger. Luckily there were round holes in the top of the window-shutters, which admitted sufficient light for him to work by. The remains of the soaked feast, wet candles, and broken glass spread over the table in the middle of the room, looked rather dismal this morning.
'A pretty set of fellows I have to manage!' said Archer, contemplating the group of sleepers before him. 'It is well they have somebody to think for them. Now if I wanted—which, thank goodness, I don't—but if I did want to call a cabinet council to my assistance, whom could I pitch upon?—not this stupid snorer, who is dreaming of gipsies, if he is dreaming of anything,' continued Archer, as he looked into Fisher's open mouth. 'This next chap is quick enough; but, then, he is so fond of having everything his own way. And this curl-pated monkey, who is grinning in his sleep, is all tongue and no brains. Here are brains, though nobody would think it, in this lump,' said he, looking at a fat, rolled up, heavy-breathing sleeper; 'but what signify brains to such a lazy dog? I might kick him for my football this half-hour before I should get him awake. This lank-jawed harlequin beside him is a handy fellow, to be sure; but then, if he has hands, he has no head—and he'd be afraid of his own shadow too, by this light, he is such a coward! And Townsend, why he has puns in plenty; but, when there's any work to be done, he's the worst fellow to be near one in the world—he can do nothing but laugh at his own puns. This poor little fellow that we hunted into the corner has more sense than all of them put together; but then he is a Greybeard.'
Thus speculated the chief of a party upon his sleeping friends. And how did it happen that he should be so ambitious to please and govern this set, when for each individual of which it was composed he felt such supreme contempt? He had formed them into aparty, had given them a name, and he was at their head. If these be not good reasons, none better can be assigned for Archer's conduct.
'I wish ye could all sleep on,' said he; 'but I must waken ye, though you will be only in my way. The sound of myhammering must waken them; so I may as well do the thing handsomely, and flatter some of them by pretending to ask their advice.'
Accordingly, he pulled two or three to waken them. 'Come, Townsend, waken, my boy! Here's some diversion for you—up! up!'
'Diversion!' cried Townsend; 'I'm your man! I'm up—up to anything.'
So, under the name ofdiversion, Archer set Townsend to work at four o'clock in the morning. They had nails, a few tools, and several spars, still left from the wreck of the playhouse. These, by Archer's directions, they sharpened at one end, and nailed them to the ends of several forms.
All hands were now called to clear away the supper things, and to erect these forms perpendicularly under the trap-door; and with the assistance of a few braces, achevaux-de-frisewas formed, upon which nobody could venture to descend. At the farthest end of the room they likewise formed a penthouse of the tables, under which they proposed to breakfast, secure from the pelting storm, if it should again assail them through the trap-door. They crowded under the penthouse as soon as it was ready, and their admiration of its ingenuity paid the workmen for the job.
'Lord! I shall like to see the gardener's phiz through the trap-door, when he beholds the spikes under him!' cried Townsend. 'Now for breakfast!' 'Ay, now for breakfast,' said Archer, looking at his watch; 'past eight o'clock, and my town boys not come! I don't understand this!'
Archer had expected a constant supply of provisions from two boys who lived in the town, who were cousins of his, and who had promised to come every day, and put food in at a certain hole in the wall, in which a ventilator usually turned. This ventilator Archer had taken down, and had contrived it so that it could be easily removed and replaced at pleasure; but, upon examination, it was now perceived that the hole had been newly stopped up by an iron back, which it was impossible to penetrate or remove.
'It never came into my head that anybody would ever have thought of the ventilator but myself!' exclaimed Archer, in great perplexity. He listened and waited for his cousins; but no cousins came, and at a late hour the company wereobliged to breakfast upon the scattered fragments of the last night's feast. That feast had been spread with such imprudent profusion, that little now remained to satisfy the hungry guests.
Archer, who well knew the effect which the apprehension of a scarcity would have upon his associates, did everything that could be done by a bold countenance and reiterated assertions to persuade them that his cousins would certainly come at last, and that the supplies were only delayed. The delay, however, was alarming.
Fisher alone heard the manager's calculations and saw the public fears unmoved. Secretly rejoicing in his own wisdom, he walked from window to window, slily listening for the gipsy's signal. 'There it is!' cried he, with more joy sparkling in his eyes than had ever enlightened them before. 'Come this way, Archer; but don't tell anybody. Hark! do ye hear those three taps at the window? This is the old woman with twelve buns for me. I'll give you one whole one for yourself, if you will unbar the window for me.'
'Unbar the window!' interrupted Archer; 'no, that I won't, for you or the gipsy either; but I have heard enough to get your buns without that. But stay; there is something of more consequence than your twelve buns. I must think for ye all, I see, regularly.'
So he summoned a council, and proposed that every one should subscribe, and trust the subscription to the gipsy, to purchase a fresh supply of provisions. Archer laid down a guinea of his own money for his subscription; at which sight all the company clapped their hands, and his popularity rose to a high pitch with their renewed hopes of plenty. Now, having made a list of their wants, they folded the money in the paper, put it into a bag, which Archer tied to a long string, and, having broken the pane of glass behind the round hole in the window-shutter, he let down the bag to the gipsy. She promised to be punctual, and having filled the bag with Fishers twelve buns, they were drawn up in triumph, and everybody anticipated the pleasure with which they should see the same bag drawn up at dinner-time. The buns were a little squeezed in being drawn through the hole in the window-shutter, but Archer immediately sawed out a piece of the shutter, and broke the corresponding panes in each of the other windows, to preventsuspicion, and to make it appear that they had all been broken to admit air.
What a pity that so much ingenuity should have been employed to no purpose!
It may have surprised the intelligent reader that the gipsy was so punctual to her promise to Fisher, but we must recollect that her apparent integrity was only cunning; she was punctual that she might be employed again, that she might be entrusted with the contribution which, she foresaw, must be raised amongst the famishing garrison. No sooner had she received the money than her end was gained.
Dinner-time came; it struck three, four, five, six. They listened with hungry ears, but no signal was heard. The morning had been very long, and Archer had in vain tried to dissuade them from devouring the remainder of the provisions before they were sure of a fresh supply. And now those who had been the most confident were the most impatient of their disappointment.
Archer, in the division of the food, had attempted, by the most scrupulous exactness, to content the public, and he was both astonished and provoked to perceive that his impartiality was impeached. So differently do people judge in different situations! He was the first person to accuse his master of injustice, and the least capable of bearing such an imputation upon himself from others. He now experienced some of the joys of power, and the delight of managing unreasonable numbers.
'Have not I done everything I could to please you? Have not I spent my money to buy you food? Have not I divided the last morsel with you? I have not tasted one mouthful to-day! Did not I set to work for you at sunrise? Did not I lie awake all night for you? Have not I had all the labour and all the anxiety? Look round and seemycontrivances,mywork,mygenerosity! And, after all, you think me a tyrant, because I want you to have common sense. Is not this bun which I hold in my hand my own? Did not I earn it by my own ingenuity from that selfish dunce (pointing to Fisher), who could never have gotten one of his twelve buns, if I had not shown him how? Eleven of them he has eaten since morning for his own share, without offering any one a morsel; but I scorn to eat even what is justly my own, when I see so manyhungry creatures longing for it. I was not going to touch this last morsel myself. I only begged you to keep it till supper-time, when perhaps you'll want it more, and Townsend, who can't bear the slightest thing that crosses his own whims, and who thinks there's nothing in this world to be minded but his own diversion, calls me atyrant. You all of you promised to obey me. The first thing I ask you to do for your own good, and when, if you had common sense, you must know I can want nothing but your good, you rebel against me. Traitors! fools! ungrateful fools!'
Archer walked up and down, unable to command his emotion, whilst, for the moment, the discontented multitude was silenced.
'Here,' said he, striking his hand upon the little boy's shoulder, 'here's the only one amongst you who has not uttered one word of reproach or complaint, and he has had but one bit of bread—a bit that I gave him myself this day. Here!' said he, snatching the bun, which nobody had dared to touch, 'take it—it's mine—I give it to you, though you are a Greybeard; you deserve it. Eat it, and be an Archer. You shall be my captain; will you?' said he, lifting him up in his arm above the rest.
'I like you now,' said the little boy, courageously; 'but I love De Grey better; he has always been my friend, and he advised me never to call myself any of those names, Archer or Greybeard; so I won't. Though I am shut in here, I have nothing to do with it. I love Dr. Middleton; he was never unjust tome, and I daresay that he has very good reasons, as De Grey said, for forbidding us to go into that house. Besides, it's his own.'
Instead of admiring the good sense and steadiness of this little lad, Archer suffered Townsend to snatch the untasted bun out of his hands. He flung it at a hole in the window, but it fell back. The Archers scrambled for it, and Fisher ate it.
Archer saw this, and was sensible that he had not done handsomely in suffering it. A few moments ago he had admired his own generosity, and though he had felt the injustice of others, he had not accused himself of any. He turned away from the little boy, and sitting down at one end of the table, hid his face in his hands. He continued immovable in this posture for some time.
'Lord!' said Townsend; 'it was an excellent joke!' 'Pooh!' said Fisher; 'what a fool, to think so much about a bun!' 'Never mind, Mr. Archer, if you are thinking about me,' said the little boy, trying gently to pull his hands from his face.
Archer stooped down and lifted him up upon the table, at which sight the partisans set up a general hiss. 'He has forsaken us! He deserts his party! He wants to be a Greybeard! After he has got us all into this scrape, he will leave us!'
'I am not going to leave you,' cried Archer. 'No one shall ever accuse me of deserting my party. I'll stick by the Archers, right or wrong, I tell you, to the last moment. But this little fellow—take it as you please, mutiny if you will, and throw me out of the window. Call me traitor! coward! Greybeard!—this little fellow is worth you all put together, and I'll stand by him against any one who dares to lay a finger upon him; and the next morsel of food that I see shall be his. Touch him who dares!'
The commanding air with which Archer spoke and looked, and the belief that the little boy deserved his protection, silenced the crowd. But the storm was only hushed.
No sound of merriment was now to be heard—no battledore and shuttlecock—no ball, no marbles. Some sat in a corner, whispering their wishes that Archer would unbar the doors and give up. Others, stretching their arms, and gaping as they sauntered up and down the room, wished for air, or food, or water. Fisher and his nine, who had such firm dependence upon the gipsy, now gave themselves up to utter despair. It was eight o'clock, growing darker and darker every minute, and no candles, no light, could they have. The prospect of another long dark night made them still more discontented.
Townsend, at the head of the yawners, and Fisher, at the head of the hungry malcontents, gathered round Archer and the few yet unconquered spirits, demanding 'How long he meant to keep them in this dark dungeon? and whether he expected that they should starve themselves for his sake?'
The idea ofgiving upwas more intolerable to Archer than all the rest. He saw that the majority, his own convincing argument, was against him. He was therefore obliged to condescend to the arts of persuasion. He flattered some with hopes of food from the town boys. Some he reminded oftheir promises; others he praised for former prowess; and others he shamed by the repetition of their high vaunts in the beginning of the business.
It was at length resolved that at all events theywould hold out. With this determination they stretched themselves again to sleep, for the second night, in weak and weary obstinacy.
Archer slept longer and more soundly than usual the next morning, and when he awoke, he found his hands tied behind him! Three or four boys had just got hold of his feet, which they pressed down, whilst the trembling hands of Fisher were fastening the cord round them.
With all the force which rage could inspire, Archer struggled and roared to 'his Archers!'—his friends, his party—for help against the traitors. But all kept aloof. Townsend, in particular, stood laughing and looking on. 'I beg your pardon, Archer, but really you look so droll. All alive and kicking! Don't be angry. I'm so weak, I cannot help laughing to-day.'
The packthread cracked. 'His hands are free! He's loose!' cried the least of the boys, and ran away, whilst Archer leaped up, and seizing hold of Fisher with a powerful grasp, sternly demanded 'What he meant by this?'
'Ask my party,' said Fisher, terrified; 'they set me on; ask my party.'
'Your party!' cried Archer, with a look of ineffable contempt; 'you reptile!—yourparty? Can such a thing asyouhave a party?'
'To be sure!' said Fisher, settling his collar, which Archer in his surprise had let go; 'to be sure! Why not? Any man who chooses it may have a party as well as yourself, I suppose. I have nine Fishermen.'
At these words, spoken with much sullen importance, Archer, in spite of his vexation, could not help laughing. 'Fishermen!' cried he, 'Fishermen!' 'And why not Fishermen as well as Archers?' cried they. 'One party is just as good as another; it is only a question which can get the upper hand; and we had your hands tied just now.'
'That's right, Townsend,' said Archer, 'laugh on, my boy! Friend or foe, it's all the same to you. I know how to value your friendship now. You are a mighty good fellow when the sun shines; but let a storm come, and how you slink away!'