Billy Bunter's Benefit By Frank Richards - Friardale

More documents

Recommendations

Info

Billy Bunter’s Benefit By Frank Richards he was wrathy was a deeper mystery. But it was clear that he was both interested and simmering with wrath. “Cheek!” repeated Coker. “Anything biting you, Coker?” inquired Harry Wharton, mildly. “Is the bitefulness terrific, my esteemed Coker?” asked Hurree Jamset Ram Singh. Coker stared round, at a crowd of juniors. “Wibley here?” he snapped. William Wibley, in an armchair with a bundle of manuscript on his knees, looked up. “Here,” he answered. “Oh, there you are,” said Coker. He pointed to the paper on the wall. “You put that cheeky rot up, did you?” “I put up that notice of rehearsal,” answered Wibley, staring at him. “What about it?” “Well, it won’t do,” said Coker. “I was told about it, and came in to see. You can wash it right out.” Every fellow in the Rag was staring at Coker now. There was quite a crowd in the Rag, after class. They all gazed at Coker. Horace Coker was well known as a fellow who never could, in any circumstances, mind his own business. But this seemed rather the limit, even for Coker of the Fifth. “Wash out our rehearsal!” repeated Wibley, blankly. “Wash out the whole thing,” said Coker. “I believe you fags dabble in amateur theatricals. I don’t mind that, You can potter about making asses of yourselves if you like. But you’re not going to do ‘Hamlet.’ The Fifthform Stage Club are doing ‘Hamlet,’ and we’re not going to have the whole thing made ridiculous by a mob of fags doing the same play.” Wibley breathed hard, and he breathed deep. Wibley could act. He really was a good actor. He could act almost half as well as he thought he could. “Hamlet” was, no doubt, rather an ambitious programme for a junior dramatic society. Still, Wibley could act. He could stage-manage. He could lick his team into shape. His “Hamlet” was going to be a success. At the very worst, it would be whole lengths ahead of anything that Coker and Co. could put up. And Coker told him that his “Hamlet” would make the whole thing ridiculous! Words failed Wibley. Coker went on: “We’re doing ‘Hamlet’ in the Fifth-form Stage Club, We’re not going to have you fags guying it.” “Guying it!” gasped Wibley, Page 50 of 161
Billy Bunter’s Benefit By Frank Richards “Do anything else you like,” continued Coker. “I don’t mind, if you want to play the goat, you young asses. But you can’t guy our show.” “So you’re doing ‘Hamlet’ too, Coker?” asked Frank Nugent. “We’re not doing ‘Hamlet’ too,” retorted Coker, “We’re doing ‘Hamlet.’ I’m taking the role of Hamlet myself—.” “Oh, my hat!” “Ha, ha, ha!” Coker glared round at laughing faces. He could not see anything amusing in his announcement of his role as Hamlet. It seemed that the Removites could! “By gum, that will be worth seeing,” remarked Vernon-Smith, “I don’t think Hamlet’s been done as a farce before: Is it your own idea, Coker?” “Ha, ha, ha!” “I don’t want any cheek,” snorted Coker. “The Fifth- form Stage Club are doing ‘Hamlet,’ You kids can’t guy the show by putting up a silly kids’ performance of the same play. So wash it out, see?” “You silly ass!” roared Wibley. “You can’t act, Coker. You can’t begin to act. You don’t know anything about it. You can’t act any more than you can play cricket, and you can’t play cricket any more than you can talk sense. Go and eat coke!” Smack! Coker was already wrathy. Wibley’s words put the lid on. A verbal reply seemed inadequate to Coker. So he smacked Wibley’s head. “Yow-wow!” spluttered Wibley. His manuscripts were scattered right and left as he jumped up. “Take that and shut up!” said Coker. “I don’t want any cheek from fags. I’ve a short way with fags, I can tell you. And—.” Coker got no further than that. He was interrupted by something like a tidal wave closing on him. Coker was a senior man, and he was so big and brawny that even prefects of the Sixth Form treated him with some tact. Smacking a fag’s head seemed a mere trifle to Coker. He did not seem prepared for what followed. Really, he might have expected it. But he hadn’t. How many hands were laid on Coker of the Fifth, he could not have calculated. They were very numerous. The Famous Five collared him as one man. Vernon-Smith and Redwing, Squiff and Peter Todd, Tom Brown and Bolsover major, all got hold. Wibley and Morgan and Mickey Desmond clutched somehow. Other fellows crowding round were unable to get a hold—there was not enough of Coker to go round. Bump! Page 51 of 161
Page 1 and 2: Billy Bunter’s Benefit By Frank R
Page 49: Billy Bunter’s Benefit By Frank R
Page 101 and 102:
Billy Bunter’s Benefit By Frank R
Page 103 and 104:
Page 105 and 106:
Page 107 and 108:
Page 109 and 110:
Page 111 and 112:
Page 113 and 114:
Page 115 and 116:
Page 117 and 118:
Page 119 and 120:
Page 121 and 122:
Page 123 and 124:
Page 125 and 126:
Page 127 and 128:
Page 129 and 130:
Page 131 and 132:
Page 133 and 134:
Page 135 and 136:
Page 137 and 138:
Page 139 and 140:
Page 141 and 142:
Page 143 and 144:
Page 145 and 146:
Page 147 and 148:
Page 149 and 150:
Page 151 and 152:
Page 153 and 154:
Page 155 and 156:
Page 157 and 158:
Page 159 and 160:
Page 161:
show all

Billy Bunter's Benefit By Frank Richards - Friardale

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?