Something warned the fellow not to open the envelope there. He took it to his room, where he read the letter. It was from Dr.
Thornton, and said only:
_"You are directed to appear before the Board of Education at its stated weekly meeting to-night. This is urgent, and you are warned not to fail in giving this summons due heed."_
In an instant Phin was white with fear. His legs trembled under him, and cold sweat stood out on his neck, face and forehead.
For some moments the young man acted as though in danger of collapse.
Then he staggered over to the tap at his washbowl, and gulped down a gla.s.s of water. He paced the room restlessly for a long time, and finally went over and stood looking out of the window.
"Young man," he said to himself severely, "you"ve got to brace, and brace hard. If you haven"t any nerve, then getting square is too strenuous a game for you? Now, what can that gang prove?
They can suspect, and they can charge, but my denial is fully as good as any other man"s affirmation. Go before the Board of Education? Of course I will. And I"ll make any accuser of mine look mighty small before that august board of local duffers!"
Brave words! They cheered the young miscreant, anyway. Phin ate his supper with something like relish. Afterwards he set out for the High School building, in which the Board had its offices.
Nor did his courage fail him until he had turned in through the gate.
A young man, whistling blithely, came in behind him. It was d.i.c.k Prescott, erect of carriage, and brisk and strong of stride, as becomes a young athlete whose conscience is clear and wholesome.
"Hullo, Prescott, what are you doing around here to-night?" hailed Drayne.
But d.i.c.k seemed not to have heard. Not a note did he drop in the tune that he was whistling. Springing up the steps ahead, d.i.c.k vanished behind the big door.
"Oh, of course he goes here to-night," thought Phin, with sudden disgust. "Prescott scribbles for "The Blade" and the Board of Education is one of his stunts each week."
CHAPTER VI
One of the Fallen
For a few moments Drayne hung about outside, irresolute. Then his native shrewdness a.s.serted itself.
"Not to go in, after having been seen here in the yard would be to confess whatever anyone wants to charge," muttered Phin. "Of course I"ll go in. And I"ll just stand there and look more and more astounded every time that anyone says anything. Bra.s.s, Phin---bra.s.s! Oh, I"d like to see anyone down me!"
So, with all the swagger he could put on, this young Benedict Arnold of the school stepped into the Board room. As he entered, the clerk of the Board hastened toward him.
"Step into this anteroom at the side, Mr. Drayne, until you"re called," the clerk directed. "There will be some routine business to be transacted first. Then, I believe, the Board has a few questions it desires to ask you."
Left by himself, the young man began to be a good bit frightened.
He was brave enough in matters requiring only physical courage.
But in this instance the culprit knew that he had been guilty of a contemptibly mean act, and the knowledge of it made a moral coward of him.
"What are they doing? Trying to sentence, me to solitary confinement?"
wondered the young man, when minute after minute went by without any call for him. In the Board room he could hear the droning of voices.
"And that d.i.c.k Prescott is out there, sitting at a reporter"s table, ready to take in all that happens," muttered Phin savagely.
"Won"t he enjoy himself, though?"
At last it seemed to Phin as though a hush fell over those in the next room. But it was only that voices had been much lowered.
Then a door opened, the clerk looking in and calling:
"Mr. Drayne, will you come before the Board now?"
Phin pa.s.sed into the larger apartment. Seated in one chair was Dr. Thornton; in another chair Mr. Morton. And d.i.c.k Prescott was there, but gathering up his writing materials as though about to go.
The chairman waited in silence until Prescott had pa.s.sed out of the Board room. After the clerk had closed the door the chairman announced:
"The Board is now in executive session. Dr. Thornton, we will listen to the matter which we understand you wish to bring before us for consideration."
Composedly Dr. Thornton stepped to the edge of the table, standing there, resting his left hand on the table as he began to speak.
In simple words, without any visible emotion, the High School princ.i.p.al stated what he understood of the receipt of copies of the football signal code by the captains of rival football elevens.
Next Mr. Morton took the stand, so to speak, and went much more into detail. He told what the reader already knows, producing several of the copies returned by the honorable captains of other school teams.
Then Mr. Morton put in evidence, with these copies of the code, copies of business letters received from Drayne"s father, and presumably written on the Drayne office machine.
"If you examine these exhibits, gentlemen, I think you will agree that the betrayed code and the business letters were written on one and the same machine. The use of the magnifying gla.s.s makes it even more plain."
Then Mr. Morton sat down.
"Now, young Mr. Drayne, what have you to say?" demanded the presiding officer.
"Why should I say anything, sir?" demand Drayne, with an impudent a.s.sumption of swaggering ease.
"Then you admit the truth of the charges, Mr. Drayne?"
"I do not."
"Then you must really have something to say."
"I have heard a charge made against me. I am waiting to have it proved."
"Do you admit," asked the presiding officer, "that these copies of the code were written on your father"s office machine?"
"I do not, sir. But, if it be true, is that any proof that I made those copies of the signal code? Is it argued that I alone have access to the typewriter in my father"s office. For that matter, if I have an enemy in the High School and I must have several---wouldn"t it be possible for that enemy, or several of them, to slyly break into my father"s office and use that particular typewriting machine?"
This was confidently delivered, and it made an undoubted impression on at least two or three members of the Board. But now Mr. Morton broke in, quietly:
"I thought some such attempt as this might be made. So I waited until I saw what the young man"s line of defense might be. Here is an envelope in which one of the copies was received by the captain of a rival football team. You will note that the sender, while understanding something about the use of a type machine, was plainly a novice in directing an envelope on the typewriter.
So he addressed this envelope in handwriting. Here is the envelope in question, and here is one of Mr. Drayne"s school examination papers, also in his own handwriting. I will ask the members of the Board to examine both."
There was silence, while the copies pa.s.sed from hand to hand, Drayne losing color at this point.
"Be bra.s.sy!" he whispered to himself. "You"ll pull through, Phin, old boy."
"I am sorry to say, Mr. Drayne, that the evidence appears to be against you," declared the chairman slowly.