"believe it! of course we don't believe it. and i do not think that the head does, either. you cheer up, old fellow! i know you were only trying to serve me; but you were silly to go without waking warren, or myself."
the speaker was ralph, and he addressed his chum charlton, who was a prisoner. a prisoner, that is, inasmuch as the head had forbidden him to go out into the playground until he had thoroughly gone into the incidents of the previous night.
it was all very well for ralph to say "cheer up," but charlton did not feel very cheerful. his sensitive nature shrank from the position in which he found himself, and his heart revolted at the wicked falsehoods which were told so calmly by both dobson and elgert. besides, he was kept in, and that afternoon he had hoped to get across to see how his father was getting on.
and though we, who know the truth, may wonder how it was that the head should do this, still, the doctor himself did not know the truth, and he could[pg 260] hardly think that two lads would tell such wicked deliberate lies; and, moreover, everything pointed to charlton being guilty.
dr. beverly had been sitting up late, deep in a learned work with which he was greatly interested, when he had heard the noise in his class-room, followed by the voice of the head monitor, calling from above, and asking what was the matter; and he had hurried out—to find charlton lying half dazed on the floor, having apparently fallen over a form and struck his head; and in his hand was ralph's examination paper.
charlton being a nervous boy, his very manner seemed guilty when the head had questioned him; and his story seemed to be false, for upon dr. beverly hurrying upstairs, elgert was found with only his trousers on, as if he had just slipped out of bed, and dobson was the same. moreover, the boys in the fifth declared that elgert was sitting up in bed when they were aroused; and even ralph and warren had to own that dobson appeared as if he had only just woke up.
and both dobson and elgert declared that they had never been downstairs, and that charlton had invented the story.
so, still under the suspicion, he was kept in, and ralph and warren seized the first opportunity of going to comfort him.
"if the head knew them as well as we do, he would not be in much doubt about things," was warren's[pg 261] verdict. "don't you worry, old chap! we know you would not do anything to harm ralph."
"i wanted to go and see my father this afternoon," sighed charlton; and ralph answered—
"never mind. i will go. tom will come with me."
"i am awfully sorry, but i cannot," the monitor put in. "i would in a minute, but i promised mother to go round for her to my aunt's, and i must not disappoint her."
"of course not," said ralph immediately. "well, i will go alone, and explain to your father, old chap; so don't you worry about that any more. i wish, though, that i could see some way of bringing this home to those two, but i confess that i don't."
"wait a bit. give them a rope long enough and they will hang themselves!" growled warren. "now, buck up, charlton, and don't let them think that you are beaten!" and with that the two had to leave their chum, and charlton felt decidedly comforted.
and, after school, tom warren went off to obey his mother's desire; and ralph, true to his promise, started on his journey to the man hiding in the old ruin away by crab tree hill; and the rest of the boys prepared to spend their time according to their own inclinations.
jimmy green and his chum tinkle had made their plans. they were going fishing. it is sometimes a matter for wonder why small boys will go fishing,[pg 262] seeing that they seldom catch any fish, and don't know what to do with them if by chance they manage to secure a few. still, that matters nothing. jimmy and tinkle were going fishing, and were busily preparing a wonderful and fearful assortment of tackle and bait. bait! they had worms several inches long, and what they called paste—a fearsome concoction of bread and clay kneaded together into little balls. and they had a landing-net. we mention this for two reasons. first, because of its size—it would have held a small salmon—and then because it was destined to aid in landing some queer fish. we may not say of what kind yet—but the point to remember is that they had the landing-net.
and jimmy green and his chum were discussing the problem of charlton's guilt, and their small minds appeared to be fully made up.
"i just believe every word he says!" declared green; and tinkle nodded his fat little head.
"so do i!" he said.
"those two chaps are awful cads—dreadful cads!" continued green, with much warmth; and again tinkle nodded. he did not believe in the exertion of talking, unless it was absolutely necessary.
"i wonder," he said slowly, as he pushed back a particularly lively worm into the bait-tin—"i wonder, jimmy, if we ought to tell what we know about that note? i often wonder that." but jimmy was still firm upon that point.
[pg 263]
"what's the good? if we had the note now we might do it. but suppose they treat us as they have treated charlton, and say they did not go there? how are we to prove it? and we let out that we have been there ourselves. it ain't no good, tinkle. i would tell if i thought it was; but it isn't, and there is no getting away from it."
"i suppose it ain't," was tinkle's regretful answer. "well, come on, jimmy! i think we have got everything we want, and we may as well have all the time we can."
"where shall we go?" inquired jimmy green.
"oh, the pool below becket weir," answered tinkle; "where elgert nearly got drowned."
"very well; come on, and let us see if we have any luck." and the two young anglers set out, little dreaming what a very queer fish they were going to catch that day.
and what of elgert and dobson? mean lads that they were, they were delighted, and congratulated themselves upon their astuteness. true, they had not got possession of ralph's papers, and had failed in so far as spoiling his chances for the medal went; but they had got charlton into fine disgrace.
it was wonderfully smart upon their parts, they thought; and, as if to add to their good fortune, dobson had a little scrap of paper brought to him by a town urchin—a message from brown of the cake-shop, to the effect that the latter had been successful[pg 264] in obtaining the "article" he had inquired about; but that the price would be seven pounds for it, cash down.
seven pounds! elgert growled at that, but the note must be got again at any cost; and so dobson was given the sum required, and dispatched upon his errand.
he wanted elgert to go with him, for company, but elgert was too cunning for that. he had kept out of the business all along, and he did not mean to be seen in it now. to be sure, he had been with dobson to inquire about it in the first place, but he had no fear that the man would betray him. dobson had done the changing, and dobson should do the buying, and bring the note back to him.
"i cannot come," he said, in answer to the boy's remonstrance. "i expect our man over with a letter from my father, and i want to stay here to get it. you must go alone. it won't take you long. hurry back, for i shall not go out until you return."
"i always have to do the work," grumbled dobson. "it is a horrid long way to go alone."
"get out! have not i found the money? and as to a long way, you don't make much fuss about that if you think that you are going to be treated to tarts. you clear off, and look sharp; and thank your lucky stars that we have got out of the mess so nicely, for i confess that i did not think that we were going to manage it!"
[pg 265]
so dobson set off, and horace elgert turned back to the playground, to await his return with what patience he could; and there the head himself came upon him, and stopped, and placed one hand upon his shoulder, looking searchingly into his face.
"i am glad that i have met you alone, elgert," the doctor said. "for i want to speak to you very seriously. i want to speak to you about charlton."
"yes, sir?" said the boy inquiringly. it was wonderful how calmly and innocently he spoke. "what about him, sir—has he owned that his story is false?"
"not so, elgert. nor am i satisfied that it is false, elgert. are you satisfied that it is?"
"why, sir, of course i am!" he answered, staring up as if unable to comprehend the head's meaning, though he knew it well enough.
"elgert, there is an old book with an old law, which says: 'thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.' in face of such a solemn command, are you still sure that charlton's story is false?"
"you don't mean to say that i and dobson were there taking those papers, do you, sir?" he queried indignantly. "ah, i see how it is! you believe his word. i don't think that quite fair, sir. consider the difference between his surroundings and mine. which will most likely speak the truth—the son of a man wanted by the police, or the son of a nobleman like my father?"
[pg 266]
"you still adhere to your statement, elgert?" said the head, taking no notice of the latter part of his speech. and elgert answered at once—
"of course i do, sir!"
"then," said the head, "i have no option but to be guided by circumstances, and they all point to charlton being guilty." and with that he turned away.
elgert felt anxious and angry. what right had the head to suspect him of telling lies, or to doubt his honour? it is wonderful how dishonourable people will talk of their honour. and suppose the head got dobson, and began to question him. he must warn the fellow to be on guard against that.
the man he expected did not come. elgert was angry. he told himself that dobson was taking double the time he need; and when at last his companion returned, he asked very shortly—
"well, have you got it?"
"yes; here it is, all safe. it is delightful to feel that danger is past!"
"a danger of your own making," retorted elgert. "a danger that i have had to pay for, and that has cost you nothing. and you look here! the head has been questioning me. he is suspicious, and preaches about false witnessing. mind what you are at if he begins on you; for if you let anything out i will pay you out for it. you had better clear off now, to be out of his way."
[pg 267]
dobson complied readily enough. the last thing he wanted was for the head to carpet him. and then horace elgert, the note safe in his pocket-book, put on his hat and went out. he was enraged that his man had not been, and was going home to give him a good rating; and he, to take a short cut, must go past becket weir, where tinkle and green had gone to fish.
