It wasn't three weeks before Tom, and now East by his side, were
again in the awful presence. This time, however, the Doctor was not so
terrible. A few days before, they had been fagged at fives to fetch the
balls that went off the court. While standing watching the game, they
saw five or six nearly new balls hit on the top of the School. "I say,
Tom," said East, when they were dismissed, "couldn't we get those balls
somehow?"
"Let's try, anyhow."
So they reconnoitred the walls carefully, borrowed a coal-hammer from
old Stumps, bought some big nails, and after one or two attempts, scaled
the Schools, and possessed themselves of huge quantities of fives balls.
The place pleased them so much that they spent all their spare time
there, scratching and cutting their names on the top of every tower; and
at last, having exhausted all other places, finished up with inscribing
H.EAST, T.BROWN, on the minute-hand of the great clock; in the doing of
which they held the minute-hand, and disturbed the clock's economy. So
next morning, when masters and boys came trooping down to prayers, and
entered the quadrangle, the injured minute-hand was indicating three
minutes to the hour. They all pulled up, and took their time. When the
hour struck, doors were closed, and half the school late. Thomas being
set to make inquiry, discovers their names on the minute-hand, and
reports accordingly; and they are sent for, a knot of their friends
making derisive and pantomimic allusions to what their fate will be as
they walk off.
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