Chapter I: Front Matter

ACTON'S FEUD

A PUBLIC SCHOOL STORY

BY
FREDERICK SWAINSON

1901

WITH TWELVE ILLUSTRATIONS

LONDON
GEORGE NEWNES, LIMITED
SOUTHAMPTON STREET, STRAND
1901

AD MATREM

CONTENTS

CHAPTER

I. THE FOUL 1

II. THE PENALTY 8

III. THE REGENERATION OF BIFFEN'S HOUSE 15

IV. BIFFEN'S PROGRESS 22

V. COTTON AND HIS JACKAL 27

VI. THE LAST CAP 36

VII. THANKS TO ACTON 49

VIII. BIFFEN'S CONCERT 57

IX. THE END OF TERM 65

X. THE YOUNG BROTHER 75

XI. TODD PAYS THE BILL 88

XII. RAFFLES OF ROTHERHITHE 93

XIII. "EASY IS THE DOWNWARD ROAD" 99

XIV. IN THE STABLE 106

XV. GRIM'S SUSPICIONS 112

XVI. TODD "FINDS HIMSELF" 119

XVII. RAFFLES' BILL 126

XVIII. HODGSON'S QUIETUS 133

XIX. HOW THEY "'ELPED THE PORE FELLER" 138

XX. ACTON'S TRUMP CARD 146

XXI. LONDON AND BACK 156

XXII. THE PENFOLD TABLET FUND 161

XXIII. BOURNE _v._ ACTON 170

XXIV. A RENEWED FRIENDSHIP 179

XXV. A LITTLE ROUGH JUSTICE 187

XXVI. THE MADNESS OF W.E. GRIM 194

XXVII. CONCERNING TODD AND COTTON 204

XXVIII. ACTON'S LAST MOVE 209

XXIX. WHY BIFFEN'S LOST 215

XXX. THE END OF THE FEUD 225

ACTON'S CHRISTMAS

I. SNOWED UP 237

II. OVER THE FELLS 248

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

ACTON DROPPED TO THE GROUND LIKE A BLUDGEONED DOG Frontispiece

PHIL WALKED DOWN THE STEPS WITHOUT A FRIENDLY CHEER 40

ACTON JUST REACHED IT WITH HIS HEAD 50

AS THE TRAIN MOVED, GRIM SAID, "THREE CHEERS!" 74

ACTON THREW HIM INTO THE SNOW-HEAP 78

A LITTLE YELLOW, EAR-TORN DOG BUSTLED OUT OF SOME SHED 94

"I'M GOING TO HAVE THE SEVEN TEN, OR SHOW YOU UP" 128

THE GREEN POWDER UNDERWENT SOME WEIRD EXPERIMENTS 142

HE PUSHED UP HIS WINDOW AND CRAWLED THROUGH 160

"CUT, YOU MISERABLE PUPPY" 172

HE GAVE ME A LONG, STEADY LOOK OF HATRED 204

AS THE HORSES WHIRLED PAST, HE CLUTCHED MADLY AT THE LOOSE REINS 226