Stalky & Co: Large Print

In summer all right-minded boys built huts in the furze-hill behind the College-littlelairs whittled out of the heart of the prickly bushes, full of stumps, odd root-ends, andspikes, but, since they were strictly forbidden, palaces of delight. And for the fifth summerin succession, Stalky, McTurk, and Beetle (this was before they reached the dignity of astudy) had built like beavers a place of retreat and meditation, where they smoked.Now, there was nothing in their characters as known to Mr. Prout, their house-master, atall commanding respect; nor did Foxy, the subtle red-haired school Sergeant, trust them.His business was to wear tennis-shoes, carry binoculars, and swoop hawklike upon evilboys. Had he taken the field alone, that hut would have been raided, for Foxy knew themanners of his quarry; but Providence moved Mr. Prout, whose school-name, derived fromthe size of his feet, was Hoofer, to investigate on his own account; and it was the cautiousStalky who found the track of his pugs on the very floor of their lair one peaceful afternoonwhen Stalky would fain have forgotten Prout and his works in a volume of Surtees and anew briar-wood pipe. Crusoe, at sight of the footprint, did not act more swiftly than Stalky.He removed the pipes, swept up all loose match-ends, and departed to warn Beetle andMcTurk.But it was characteristic of the boy that he did not approach his allies till he had met andconferred with little Hartopp, President of the Natural History Society, an institution whichStalky held in contempt, Hartopp was more than surprised when the boy meekly, as heknew how, begged to propose himself, Beetle, and McTurk as candidates; confessed to along-smothered interest in first-flowerings, early butterflies, and new arrivals, andvolunteered, if Mr. Hartopp saw fit, to enter on the new life at once. Being a master, Hartopp was suspicious; but he was also an enthusiast, and his gentle little soul had beengalled by chance-heard remarks from the three, and specially Beetle. So he was gracious tothat repentant sinner, and entered the three names in his book