As it was, they
narrowly escaped capture by some privateers from the fifth-form rooms,
who were on the lookout for the hot-water convoys, and pursued them up
to the very door of their room, making them spill half their load in the
passage.
"Better than going down again though," as Tadpole remarked, "as we
should have had to do if those beggars had caught us."
By the time that the calling-over bell rang, Tom and his new
comrades were all down, dressed in their best clothes, and he had the
satisfaction of answering "here" to his name for the first time, the
prepostor of the week having put it in at the bottom of his list. And
then came breakfast and a saunter about the close and town with East,
whose lameness only became severe when any fagging had to be done. And
so they whiled away the time until morning chapel.
It was a fine November morning, and the close soon became alive with
boys of all ages, who sauntered about on the grass, or walked round the
gravel walk, in parties of two or three. East, still doing the cicerone,
pointed out all the remarkable characters to Tom as they passed: Osbert,
who could throw a cricket-ball from the little-side ground over
the rook-trees to the Doctor's wall; Gray, who had got the Balliol
scholarship, and, what East evidently thought of much more importance,
a half-holiday for the School by his success; Thorne, who had run ten
miles in two minutes over the hour; Black, who had held his own against
the cock of the town in the last row with the louts; and many more
heroes, who then and there walked about and were worshipped, all trace
of whom has long since vanished from the scene of their fame.
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