Billy Bunter's Benefit By Frank Richards - Friardale

Billy Bunter’s Benefit
By Frank Richards
“Well, look here,” said Coker, relenting a little, and quite unaware that his
pals were thinking less of a lost friendship than of lost feeds. “Look here,
I’m in the soup with this rotten book to write. It’s all your fault, as you
jolly well know. I’ve no time to write hundreds of lines— my time’s of
value, as you fellows know, if Prout doesn’t. If you like to write the book
for me—.”
“What?”
“Prout hardly looks at the lines, except to tot them up,” said Coker. “That
part’s all right. You’ve helped me with impots before, and Prout never
noticed. You needn’t be afraid of Prout. You two can write that book for
me, and save my time—.”
“Our time’s of no value,” remarked Potter, with a deep and intense
sarcasm which Coker did not even notice.
“Exactly,” agreed Coker. “But mine is, you know.”
“Oh!” gasped Greene.
“If that’s settled, all right,” said Coker, relenting still further. “I shall be
glad to get that rotten book off my hands. You take half each.”
Potter gave him a look. Greene gave him a look. Then they gave each other
a look, and walked to the door.
Coker’s friendship, or at least Coker’s unlimited supply of tuck, was worth
something. It was worth the trouble of pulling Coker’s leg, and of listening
to Coker talking about cricket. But there was a limit. The prospect of
sharing the almost endless task of writing out a whole book of Virgil was
beyond the limit. Potter and Greene walked out of the study.
“Here, where are you going?” called out Coker.
They were gone.
CHAPTER XXIV
BOOT FOR BUNTER!
BILLY BUNTER blinked up the Remove passage. He blinked down the
Remove passage. Like Moses of old, he looked this way and that way, and
there was no man! Whereupon Billy Bunter edged closer to the door of
No. 1 Study, and bent his fat head to listen at the keyhole.
This was one of Billy Bunter’s charming manners and customs which had
earned him, in the Remove, more kicks than he could have counted.
Bunter was inquisitive. He was curious. When Bunter was curious he
wanted to know. And so long as keyholes were made to doors, Bunter was
never likely to be left in the dark when he wanted to learn.
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