Billy Bunter's Benefit By Frank Richards - Friardale

Billy Bunter’s Benefit
By Frank Richards
The Rag was filling.
It was half-past two on Wednesday afternoon. At three o’clock precisely,
as announced, the Remove Dramatic Society were presenting “Hamlet” by
W. Shakespeare. The hour was at hand. And they looked like getting a
good house. The fellows, undoubtedly, were coming in.
It was barely possible that the weather had something to do with it.
Outside, in the quad, a light drizzle was falling. Fellows who had been
thinking of cricket, or running out their jiggers, that afternoon were not
tempted out by the weather. No doubt that helped to swell the audience
in the Rag. Anyhow, they were coming in.
Many hands had laboured at turning the Rag into a temporary theatre.
Every fellow in the Remove had helped, and many hands made light work.
The upper end of the long room was the stage. Behind it, the washinglobby
was the green-room. In front, the Rag was crowded, not to say
crammed, with forms, benches, stools, chairs, and even boxes, borrowed
from everybody everywhere, to accommodate the audience. And they
were coming in, in the most gratifying way.
Remove fellows acted as ushers to conduct the more expensive patrons to
reserved seats. Bolsover major stood at the door, taking shillings:
specially selected as the biggest fellow in the Remove, capable of dealing
promptly and efficaciously with any fags disposed to be obstreperous.
Morgan, at the battered old piano in the Rag, was ready to supply
incidental music. Hurree Jamset Ram Singh and Micky Desmond stood
prepared to handle the curtain at the signal “curtain up.” The cast were
all ready. Everything and everybody were ready. They only awaited the
boom of three from the old clock-tower.
Wibley, in the role of Hamlet, looked the part. Horatio, Laertes, Polonius,
Claudius, Rosenkrantz, Guildenstern, might have been recognised as
Remove fellows. Ophelia undoubtedly bore a close resemblance to Frank
Nugent. But Wibley was just Hamlet. At the moment, however, he did not
look like a “melancholy” Dane. He locked jubilant.
“It will be ‘House Full,’ or jolly nearly,” he said. “Who’d have thought
there were so many fellows in the school with a taste for jolly good
acting?”
“Lucky it’s raining,” remarked Bob Cherry.
“Don’t be an ass,” said Wibley.
“The rain’s got nothing to do with it. The fellows are coming in to see me
play Hamlet.”
“Oh! Ah! Yes! Quite!”
“Wibley’s the goods, you know,” remarked Smithy. “We’re only also-rans.”
“Exactly,” assented Wibley.
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