“Yes,” said Eric, starting up with sudden energy; “he shall forgive us—­you at any rate.  I will not leave him till he does.  Cheer up, Charlie, cheer up, and come along.”

Filled with an irresistible impulse, he pushed Carter aside, and sprang down stairs three steps at a time, with Wildney following him.  They went straight for the Doctor’s study, and without waiting for the answer to their knock at the door, Eric walked up to Dr. Rowlands, who sate thinking in his arm-chair by the fire, and burst out passionately, “O sir, forgive us this once.”

The Doctor was completely taken by surprise, so sudden was the intrusion, and so intense was the boy’s manner.  He remained silent a moment from astonishment, and then said with asperity—­

“Your offence is one of the most dangerous possible.  There could be no more perilous example for the school, than the one you have been setting, Williams.  Leave the room,” he added, with an authoritative gesture, “my mind is made up.”

But Eric was too excited to be overawed by the master’s manner; an imperious passion blinded him to all ordinary considerations, and, heedless of the command, he broke out again—­

“O sir, try me but once, only try me.  I promise you most faithfully that I will never again commit the sin.  O sir, do, do trust me, and I will be responsible for Wildney too.”

Dr. Rowlands, seeing that in Eric’s present mood he must and would be heard, unless he were ejected by actual force, began to pace silently up and down the room in perplexed and anxious thought; at last he stopped and turned over the pages of a thick school register, and found Eric’s name.

“It is not your first offence, Williams, even of this very kind.  That most seriously aggravates your fault.”

“O sir! give us one more chance to mend.  O, I feel that I could do such great things, if you will be but merciful, and give me time to change.  O, I entreat you, sir, to forgive us only this once, and I will never ask again.  Let us bear any other punishment but this.  O sir,” he said, approaching the doctor in an imploring attitude, “spare us this one time for the sake of our friends.”

The head-master made no reply for a time, but again paced the room in silence.  He was touched, and seemed hardly able to restrain his emotion.

“It was my deliberate conclusion to expel you, Williams.  I must not weakly yield to entreaty.  You must go.”

Eric wrung his hands in agony.  “O, sir, then, if you must do so, expel me only, and not Charlie, I can bear it, but do not let me ruin him also.  O I implore you, sir, for the love of God do, do forgive him.  It is I who have misled him;” and he flung himself on his knees, and lifted his hands entreatingly towards the Doctor.

Dr. Rowlands looked at him—­at his blue eyes drowned with tears, his agitated gesture, his pale, expressive face, full of passionate supplication.  He looked at Wildney, too, who stood trembling with a look of painful and miserable suspense, and occasionally added his wild word of entreaty, or uttered sobs more powerful still, that seemed to come from the depth of his heart.  He was shaken in his resolve, wavered for a moment, and then once more looked at the register.