My little venture was nothing in comparison with what this would be, I thought.
My ambition was soon gratified.
Our little contretemps on the way had somewhat delayed dinner, which was already on the table on out arrival; so, without wasting any more time, Dr Hellyer marched us all in before him, still holding on to me until he had reached the top of the refectory, where, ordering me to stand up in front of his armchair, he proceeded as usual to poke the fire and then shovel on coals.
Bang! In a second, there was a great glare, and then an explosion, which brought down a quantity of soot from the old-fashioned open chimney, covering me all over and making me look like a young sweep, as I was standing right in front of the fireplace, and came in for the full benefit of it.

I was not at all frightened, however, as, of course, I had expected a somewhat similar result as soon as the coals went on.
Not so the Doctor, though.

With a deep objurgation, he sank back into his armchair, as if completely overcome.
This was Tom's opportunity, and he quickly took advantage of it.
Glancing slily down under the table, I could see him in the distance stoop beneath it and apply a match to the end of the fuse, which being a dry one at once ignited, the spluttering flame running along like a streak of lightning along the floor and up the leg of the chair on which Dr Hellyer was sitting--too instantaneously to be detected by any one not specially looking out for it, like myself.
Poof--crack--bang, went off another explosion; and up bounced Old Hellyer, as if a catapult had been applied below his seat.
You never saw such a commotion as now ensued.

Tom and I were the only ones who preserved their composure out of the whole lot in the room, although Dr Hellyer soon showed that, if startled at first, he had not quite lost his senses.
He rushed at me at once, quite certain that as I had perpetrated the former attack on his sacred person while on the way from church, I must likewise be guilty of this second attempt to make a Guy Fawkes of him; and, striking out savagely, he felled me with a weighty blow from his great fist, sending me rolling along under the table, and causing me to see many more stars than an active astronomer could count in the same space of time--but I'm sure he had sufficient justification to have treated me even worse! "You young ruffian!" he exclaimed as he knocked me down, his passion getting the better both of his scholastic judgment and academical dignity, and he would probably have proceeded to further extremities had not Tom Larkyns started up.
"Oh, please don't punish Leigh, sir," I heard him cry out as I lay on the floor, just within reach of the Doctor's thick club-soled boots, with which I believe he was just going to operate on me in "Lancashire fashion," as fighting men say.

"Please, sir, don't hurt Leigh--it was I who did it!" At this interruption, which seemed to recall him to himself, the master regained his composure in an instant.
"Get up, boy!" he said to me, gruffly, spurning me away with his foot, and then, as soon as I was once more in a perpendicular position, he ordered me, sooty as I was, to go and stand up alongside of Tom.
"Brothers in arms, hey ?" chuckled our incensed pedagogue, pondering over the most aggravating form of torture which he could administer to us in retaliation for what we had made his person and dignity suffer.