The Guardian

ÒAll right, father.Ó

ÒOh, and work hard.Ó This by way of an afterthought.

ÒAll right, father.Ó

ÒAnd, Tom,Ó said Mrs Shearne, Òyou are sure to be comfortable at school, because I asked Mrs Davy to write to her sister, Mrs Spencer, who has a son at Eckleton, and tell her to tell him to look after you when you get there. He is in Mr DencroftÕs house, which is next door to Mr BlackburnÕs, so you will be quite close to one another. Mind you write directly you get there.Ó

ÒAll right, mother.Ó

ÒAnd look here, Tom.Ó His eldest brother stepped to the front and spoke earnestly. ÒLook here, donÕt you forget what IÕve been telling you?Ó

ÒAll right.Ó

ÒYouÕll be right enough if you donÕt go sticking on side. DonÕt forget that, however much of a blood you may have been at that rotten little private school of yours, youÕre not one at Eckleton.Ó

ÒAll right.Ó

ÒYou look clean, which is a great thing. ThereÕs nothing much wrong with you except cheek. YouÕve got enough of that to float a ship. Keep it under.Ó

ÒAll right. Keep your hair on.Ó

ÒThere you go,Ó said the expert, with gloomy triumph. ÒIf you say that sort of thing at Eckleton, youÕll get jolly well sat on, by Jove!Ó

ÒBai Jove, old chap!Ó murmured the younger brother, ÒweÕre devils in the Forty-twoth!Ó

The other, whose chief sorrow in life was that he could not get the smaller members of the family to look with proper awe on the fact that he had just passed into Sandhurst, gazed wistfully at the speaker, but realising that there was a locked door between them, tried no active measures.

ÒWell, anyhow,Ó he said, ÒyouÕll soon get it knocked out of you, thatÕs one comfort. Look here, if you do get scrapping with anybody, donÕt forget all IÕve taught you. And I should go on boxing there if I were you, so as to go down to Aldershot some day. You ought to make a fairly decent featherweight if you practise.Ó