"When I look about me in this schoolroom," concluded Mr. Abinger somewhat hastily, as he beamed upon the serried ranks before him, "and when I see the future generals and admirals, bishops and statesmen, lawyers and physicians of high standing--men of mark in every sphere--even Peers of the Realm itself--who hear me now, whom I myself am about to hear in my turn--when I dip into your futures far as human eye can see--then I realise afresh the very wide responsibility--the--the imperial importance--of these visits to this school!
There might have been applause; a certain amount of sly merriment there was; but Mr. Thrale prevented the one, and cut the other mighty short, by sternly summoning the Upper Fourth.
There was a scraping and shambling of feet in the rows behind the Middle Remove, and up to the platform trooped the pioneer force. Jan could only think of the narrowness of his escape--he had heard that the forms were called up in any order--and he was wondering whether there was so much to fear after all, from such a perfect gentleman and jolly old boy, when Evan Devereux passed quite close to him with the other pioneers. And Evan's ears were red to the tip--Evan who looked neat and dapper enough to stand up before the world--Evan who was a gentleman if there was one in the school!
The Upper Fourth huddled together on the platform, each boy with a fat blue volume of Hans Christian Andersen open at the fatal place. Then, at a sign from the Head Master, the captain of the form took a step forward, threw out his chest like a man, and plunged into the middle of one of the tales with a couple of sentences that made the rafters ring. The professor stood smiling his approval at the intrepid youth's side, and Mr. Thrale nodded his head as he called for the second boy in form's order. The successful performer sidled to the end of an empty bench immediately below the platform, and sat down against the wall. His place was taken by one bent on following his good example, but in too great a hurry to get it over. "'A myrtle stood in a pot in the window,'" he had begun in a breath, when the Head Master exclaimed "Three o'clock!" in portentous tones, and the second performer melted from the platform like a wraith.