when he ran to the dormitory. 'If it is valuable I'll sell it for - well, Darbishire says a hundred pounds - for ten shillings, maybe. So I'll have money to buy Venables his cake and I'll leave some money to buy a newer edition of the book.' He read the price: four-and-sixpence. 'What will Mr Penberton say if I come into class without my Latin Grammar? So I will have to buy a newer edition of the book.'
He was near the door of the dormitory when he heard a voice.
'Come here, Jennings.' It was the Headmaster.
It was too late to hide the Latin book.
'Do you know, Jennings, that your dormitory light were put out five minutes ago?'
Jennings said something, which could mean 'Yes-sir' or 'No-sir'
'Then I don't understand, Jennings, why you are not in bed.'
'I went to my classroom to get a book, sir.'
'And how are you going to read it in the dark?' asked the Headmaster. But at that moment he looked at the book, which Jennings was holding, and his expression changed. 'Grimshaw's Latin Grammar! Well, well, Jennings, I must say that I am surprised. Does this mean that you have at last decided to begin to learn Latin?'
'Oh, I don't know, sir. I... I... I was going to look through it before lights were out if there was time. Or maybe in the morning, before I get up, sir.'
'Very good, Jennings. You have left it too late for this evening, but I think that there is no better thing than to read A Latin Grammar in the morning. It's a very valuable book.'
'Yes, sir. Do you mean that it's a rare book, sir?'
'I mean that it's very difficult to get it. I ordered some copies many months ago, but I haven't yet got them,' answered the Headmaster. 'A very interesting man - Mr Grimshaw. I attended his lectures at the university.'
Jennings opened his eyes wide in surprise. 'You... you've seen him, sir?'
'Very often.'
'Mr Grimshaw must be a hundred and fifty years old,' THOUGHT Jennings. 'No wonder he was interesting.'
'It says here, sir,' Jennings pointed to the first page, 'that he wrote the book in 1852.'
Mr Pemberton looked at the page.
'No, Jennings. MCMLXII is - well, try to read it yourself. Good night.'
The Headmaster went away. 'He is a good boy, that Jennings,' he thought on the way to his room. 'Of course it was silly of him to make a mistake of a hundred years when he was translating the Roman numerals. But after he knows his Latin grammar he will understand. No, he isn't a bad boy, that Jennings.'
Jennings hurried into his dormitory. It was dark there. But Darbishire was not sleeping. He was waiting for his friend.
'Have you got it, Jen?' he asked in a whisper.
'Yes, you are quite right. The Headmaster says that it's a rare and valuable book.'
'Did he say that?'
'He used other words, but that's what he meant. And I think it's very old because the author is dead.'
'How do you know he is dead?'
'It says so in the book, it calls him a Late Lecturer.'
'That's nothing. Maybe it means that he was usually late for his lectures.'
'I'm sure it doesn't mean that,' said Jennings. 'I'm sure 'late' means 'dead' here.'
'But how could a dead man write a book?'
'Well? Maybe he wasn't dead when he wrote it, but he is dead now.'
'Maybe,' said Darbishire.
'So first thing tomorrow we'll decide how we can get a lot of money for it.'
But Darbishire did not answer. He was already sleeping.
Chapter Twelve
Jennings and Darbishire try to sell books
The next morning Jennings was sitting at his breakfast with a sad face. 'There is no second-hand bookshop nearer then Dungambury,' thought Jennings, 'and Mr Carter will never give Darbishire and me permission to go so far. And if we can reach Dunhambury, shall we find a second-hand bookshop where we can sell the book for a hundred pounds or.. ten shillings?'
He was going to talk to Darbishire, when Venables spoke from the other side of the table.
'Don't forget my prize, Jennings. Remember, it has to be something good.'
'Yes, what's it going to be?' asked Atkinson.
'I can't tell you yet,' said Jennings, 'because... well, because I haven't got it yet. But it's all right. I'm going to sell my Latin book and buy something for the money.'
'Sell you Latin book!' The boys were surprised.
'Yes, it costs a lot of money, maybe a hundred pounds, because it's a rare first edition.'
'But what will you use in class?' asked Temple.
'Oh, that's all right. The Headmaster won't know because I shall buy a newer edition.'
There was no football game that Saturday and the boys could get permission to go to the village and buy sweets there at the little house that had a notice in the window. Home-made Cakes and Bicycles Repaired.
Jennings and Darbishire had other plans. But before they went out of the school yard they heard footsteps behind hem. They turned round and saw Venables. In his hand he carried his Grimshaw's Latin Grammar.
'Wait a minute,' he said. 'Are you going to Dunhambury?'
'Ssh! Don't speak so loudly!' said Jennings. 'If Mr Carter knows that we are going so far there will be... I don't know what there will be.'
'It's about these Latin books,' Venables said in a whisper. 'Mine is a first edition too. So I wondered if you could take it with you.'
'I don't advise you to sell yours,' said Darbishire. 'Jennings is selling his because he has to buy you a big cake.'
'But I want to sell mine, too. Please, Jennings, take it,' said Venables.
Jennings thought for a moment. If he could sell one book, he could sell two books at the same time.
'All right,' he said.
'Thank you very much,' smiled Venables. 'But, please, buy a newer edition before you sell the old book. The Headmaster will be very angry if I haven't got a book for his class on Monday.'
Jennings and Darbishire hurried to the bus stop. They had very little time. It was a long way to Dunhambury, and they had to be back at school by half past four.
For a quarter of an hour they waited at the bus stop. At last a bus came, and soon they arrived at Dunhambury.
For some time they could not find a bookshop. They saw all kinds of shops, but not a bookshop.
'There must be a bookshop in the town,' Darbishire said.
'But, maybe these people have no time to read books,' said Jennings.
'Shall we ask?'
'Whether they are too busy to read?'
'No, you silly! Shall we ask where a bookshop is?'
'Better not. Nobody must know that the pupils of Linbury Court Boarding School have come here to sell rare and valuable books, because...' Jennings stopped and looked at his friend. 'Why do you still have your school cap on, Darbi?'
'I'm sorry,' said Darbishire. He took off his school cap and put it in his pocket.
