"tap, tap, tap,"
The little schoolhouse and residence in the scrub was lighted brightly in the midst of the"close", solid blackness of that moonless December night, when the sky and stars were smothered and suffocated by drought haze.
It was the evening of the school children's"Feast". That is to say that the children had been sent, and"let go", and the younger ones"fetched"through the blazing heat to the school, one day early in the holidays, and raced-sometimes in couples tied together by the legs-and caked, and bunned, and finally improved upon by the local Chadband, and got rid of. The schoolroom had been cleared for dancing, the maps rolled and tied, the desks and blackboards stacked against the wall outside. Tea was over, and the trestles and boards, whereon had been spread better things than had been provided for the unfortunate youngsters, had been taken outside to keep the desks and blackboards company.
On chairs running end to end along one side of the room sat about twenty more or less blooming country girls of from fifteen to twenty odd.
On the rest of the chairs, running end to end along the other wall, sat about twenty more or less blooming chaps.
It was evident that something was seriously wrong. None of the girls spoke above a hushed whisper. None of the men spoke above a hushed oath. Now and again two or three sidled out, and if you had followed them you would have found that they went outside to listen hard into the darkness and to swear.
"tap, tap, tap."
The rows moved uneasily, and some of the girls turned pale faces nervously towards the side-door, in the direction of the sound.
"tap-tap."
The tapping came from the kitchen at the rear of the teacher's residence, and was uncomfortable suggestively of a coffin being made: it was also accompanied by a sickly, indescribable odour-more like that of warm cheap glue than anything else.
In the schoolroom was a painful scene of strained listening. Whenever one of the men returned from outside, or put his head in at the door, all eyes were fastened on him in the flash of a single eye, and then withdrawn hopelessly. At the sound of a
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