He was placed on the idle list for the
whole half year, and on perpetual detentions; his bounds were
curtailed; he was to attend Junior callings-over; in fact he was so
hemmed in with punishments upon every side that it was hardly possible
for him to go outside the school gates. This unparalleled list of
punishments inflicted on the first day of the half year, and
intended to last till the ensuing Christmas holidays, was not
connected with any specified offence. It required no great
penetration, therefore, on the part of the boys to connect Ernest with
the putting Mrs. Cross's and Mrs. Jones's shops out of bounds.
Great indeed was the indignation about Mrs. Cross, who, it was
known, remembered Dr. Skinner himself as a small boy only just got
into jackets, and had doubtless let him have many a sausage and mashed
potatoes upon deferred payment. The head boys assembled in conclave to
consider what steps should be taken, but hardly had they done so
before Ernest knocked timidly at the headroom door and took the bull
by the horns by explaining the facts as far as he could bring
himself to do so. He made a clean breast of everything except about
the school list and the remarks he had made about each boy's
character.
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