But Joel twisted his hands, only able to say, "Oh dear! I can"t tell, Mr. Harrow." His distress was dreadful to see.
"Well," said the under-teacher slowly, "perhaps in the morning you"ll feel better able to tell. I won"t press it now. You must get to bed, Joe," with a keen look at his face.
"Oh Mr. Harrow--would you--would you--" Joel jumped out of his seat, and over to the under-teacher"s chair.
"Would I what?" asked Mr. Harrow in perplexity, wishing very much that "Mamsie," whom he had seen on her visits to the school, were there at that identical moment.
"Would you--oh, might I unlock the--the back door?" gasped Joel, his black eyes very big with distress.
"Unlock the back door?" repeated Mr. Harrow. Then he paused a moment.
"Certainly; I"ll go with you." He got out of his chair.
"Oh, no, sir," cried Joel tumbling back, "I"ll--I"ll do it alone if I may; please, sir."
"Oh, no, Joel, that can"t ever be allowed," Mr. Harrow was saying decidedly, when steps were heard coming down the hall, and there was John, the watchman, hauling David Pepper along the dimly lighted hall to the extra gleam of the under-teacher"s room.
"I found this boy asleep on the steps," announced John, coming in with his charge.
"Why, David Pepper!" exclaimed Mr. Harrow in astonishment. Then he turned a cold glance on Joel, who flew over to Davie"s side.
"Joel!" cried David convulsively, and blinking dreadfully as he came into the light. "Oh, I"m so glad you"re safe--oh, so glad, Joey!" He hid his face on Joel"s arm, and sobbed.
"You may go, John," said the under-teacher to that individual, who kept saying, "I found that boy asleep on the steps," over and over, unable to stop himself. "And don"t say anything about this to any one. I will take care of the matter."
"All right, sir," said John, glad to be relieved of all responsibility, and touching his cap. "I found that boy asleep on the steps," he added as he took himself off.
"Now, see here." Mr. Harrow laid his hand on David"s shoulder, ignoring Joel for the time, and drew him aside. "The whole of this business must be laid before me, David. So begin."
"Oh Dave!" cried Joel, springing up to him. "Oh, sir--oh, Mr. Harrow, it was all my fault, truly it was. David only came after me. Oh Mr. Harrow, don"t make him tell."
"You go and sit down in that chair, Joel," said Mr. Harrow, pointing to it. So Joel went, and got on it, twisting miserably.
"Now, then, David."
"You see," said David, the tears still rolling down his cheeks, "that--oh dear!--Joel was gone, and--"
"How did you know Joel was gone?" interrupted the under-teacher.
"Oh dear!" David caught his breath. "Another boy told me, sir."
"Who?"
David hesitated. "Must I tell, sir?" not trusting himself to look at Joel.
"Certainly."
"Tom Beresford."
"Ugh!" Joel sprang from his chair. "He hadn"t anything to do with it, sir. Tom has been awfully good. He only told Dave."
"Go back to your chair, Joel," said Mr. Harrow. "Now, then, David, go on. So you went out with Beresford to find Joel, eh?"
"Yes, sir," said David faintly.
"Any other boy?" asked the under-teacher quickly.
"No, sir."
"Well, then, Tom is waiting out there, I suppose, now." Mr. Harrow got out of his chair.
"He didn"t have anything to do with it, sir," cried Joel wildly, and flying out of his chair again, "truly he didn"t."
"I understand." Mr. Harrow nodded. "I"m going to bring him in. Now it isn"t necessary to tell you two boys not to do any talking while I"m gone." With that he went over to a corner, took down a lantern, lighted it, and pa.s.sed out.
When he came back, both Joel and David knew quite well by Tom"s face, that the whole story was out; and Joel, who understood as well as any one that Floyd Jenkins never by any possibility could be a favorite with instructors, any more than with the boys, unless he changed his whole tactics, groaned again at thought that he had made matters worse for him.
"Now all three of you scatter to bed," was all the under-teacher said as he came in with Tom. "No talking now; get up as softly as you can. Good night."
IV OF VARIOUS THINGS
And the next day, the story which flew all over the yard, how that Joel Pepper was "put into Coventry" last night, was overtaken and set right.
"Huh! there, now you see," cried Van Whitney, coming out of his rage. He had cried so that his eyes were all swollen up, and he was a sight to behold. Percy, too miserable to say anything, and wishing he could ever cry when he felt badly, had slunk out of sight, to bear the trouble as well as he might. Now he came up bright and smiling. "Yes, now you see,"
he cried triumphantly.
"Oh, I hope that mean beggar Jenk will be expelled." There appeared to be but one voice about it.
"Well, he won"t," said Van.
"Won"t? Why not?" The boys crowded around him on the playground, all games being deserted for this new excitement. "Why not, pray tell?"
"Of course he will," said one boy decidedly. "Dr. Marks never"ll keep him after this."
"Yes he will too," roared Van, glad he could tell the news first, but awfully disappointed that it must be that Jenkins was to stay, "for Joel got Dr. Marks to promise there shouldn"t anything be done to Jenk. So there now!"
"What, not after locking that door! That was the worst." The boys, two or three of them, took up the cry, ""Twas beastly mean."
"Contemptible! Just like Jenk!" went all over the playground.
"Well, he isn"t to go," repeated Van with a sigh; "and Joel says he was as bad, because he went out at night to fight."
"Why, he had to; Jenk dared him. And he couldn"t have it out in the dormitory; you know he couldn"t, Whitney," said one of the boys in surprise.
"Oh dear! I know," said Van helplessly. "Well, Joel says it"s no matter that the racket was stolen out of his room, and--"