The moment he was out of the room, Mr Cupples got out of bed, and
crawled to the cupboard. To his mortification, however, he found that
what his landlady had said was in the main true; for the rascals had
not left a spoonful either in the bottle which he used as a decanter,
or in the store-bottle called the _tappit (crested) hen_ by way of
pre-eminence. He drained the few drops which had gathered from the
sides of the latter, for it was not in two halves as she had
represented, and crawled back to bed. A fresh access of fever was the
consequence of the exertion. It was many days before he was able to
rise.
After the morning-classes were over, Alec went to tell Mr Fraser, the
only professor whom he had not already seen, about his adventure, and
the consequences of the librarian's generous interference.
"I was uneasy about you, Mr Forbes," said the professor, "for I heard
from your friend Beauchamp that you had got into a row with the
blackguards, but he did not know how you had come off."
His friend Beauchamp! How did he know about it? And when could he have
told Mr Fraser?--But Kate entered, and Alec forgot Beauchamp. She
hesitated, but advanced and held out her hand.
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