Probably the High School boys wouldn"t have played such a prank on good old Dr. Thornton, had he still been their school chief.
But, if they had, Dr. Thornton would have admitted the joke good-humoredly and would have taken outside chaffing with a good nature that would have disarmed all wit aimed at him. Mr. Cantwell, as will be seen, lacked the saving grace of a sense of humor. He also lacked ability in handling full-blooded, fun-loving boys.
Wednesday, just before one o"clock, the princ.i.p.al electrified the a.s.sembled students by saying, in a voice that was ominously quiet and cool:
"When school is dismissed I shall be glad to have Mr. Prescott remain for a few words with me."
"Now it"s coming," thought d.i.c.k, though without any particular thrill of dismay.
He waited while the others filed out. Somehow the big building didn"t empty as fast as usual. Had Mr. Cantwell known more about boy nature he would have suspected that several of d.i.c.k"s friends had remained behind in hiding places of their own choosing.
d.i.c.k remained in his seat, coolly turning the pages of his text-book on ancient history.
"Mr. Prescott," called the princ.i.p.al sharply.
"Yes, sir," responded d.i.c.k, closing the book, slipping it into his desk, and rising as though to go forward.
"No, no; keep your seat until I am ready to speak with you, Mr.
Prescott. But it isn"t necessary to read, is it?"
"I was looking through to-morrow"s history lesson, sir," d.i.c.k replied, looking extremely innocent. "But, of course, I won"t if you disapprove."
"Wait until I come back," rapped out the princ.i.p.al, leaving the room. He went out to see that the building was being emptied of students, but of course he failed to discover that a few were hiding as nearly within earshot as they could get.
Two or three of the teachers who had remained behind now left the room. The last to go was Mr. Drake, the submaster. As he went he cast a look at d.i.c.k that was full of sympathy, though the submaster, who was a very decent man and teacher, did not by any means intend to foster mutiny in the heart of a High School boy. But Mr. Drake knew that Mr. Cantwell was not fitted either to command respect or to enforce discipline in the High School.
When Mr. Cantwell came back he and the young soph had the great room to themselves.
"Now you may come forward, Mr. Prescott," announced the princ.i.p.al, "and stand in front of the platform."
As d.i.c.k went forward there was nothing of undue confidence or any notion of bravado in his bearing. He was not one of those schoolboys who, when brought to task by authority, try to put on a don"t-care look. d.i.c.k"s glance, as he halted before the platform and turned to look at Mr. Cantwell, was one of simple inquiry.
"Mr. Prescott, you are fully informed as to the hoax that was perpetrated on me yesterday morning?"
"You mean the incident of the pennies, I think, sir?" returned the boy, inquiringly.
"You know very well that I do, young man," retorted Mr. Cantwell, rapping his desk with one hand.
"Yes, sir; I am fully informed about it."
"And you know who was at the bottom of it, too, Mr. Prescott?"
The princ.i.p.al bent upon the boy a look that was meant to make him quail, but d.i.c.k didn"t quail.
"Yes, sir," he admitted, promptly. "I know at least several that had a hand in the affair."
"And you were one of them?"
"Yes, sir," admitted the young soph, frankly. "I think I had as much to do with what you term the hoax, sir, as anyone else had."
"Who were the others?" fired the princ.i.p.al, quickly and sharply.
"I---I beg your pardon, sir. I cannot answer that."
"You can"t? Why not, Mr. Prescott?" demanded the princ.i.p.al.
Again the princ.i.p.al launched his most compelling look.
"Because, sir," answered d.i.c.k, quietly, and in a tone in which no sign of disrespect could be detected, "it would strike me as being dishonorable to drag others into this affair."
"You would consider it dishonorable?" cried Mr. Cantwell, his face again turning deathly white with inward rage. "_You_, who admit having had a big hand in what was really an outrage?"
But d.i.c.k met and returned the other"s gaze composedly.
"The Board of Education, Mr. Cantwell, has several times decided that one pupil in the public schools cannot be compelled by a teacher to bear tales that implicate another student. I have admitted my own share in the joke that has so much displeased you, but I cannot name any others."
"You _must_!" insisted the princ.i.p.al, rising swiftly from his chair.
"I regret to have to say, sir," responded Prescott, quietly, "that I shall not do it. If you make it necessary, I shall have to take refuge behind the rulings of the Board of Education on that point."
Mr. Cantwell glared at d.i.c.k, but the latter still met the gaze unflinchingly.
Then the princ.i.p.al began to feel his wrath rising to such a point that he found himself threatened with an angry outburst. As his temper had often betrayed him before in life, Mr. Cantwell, pointing angrily to d.i.c.k"s place, said:
"Back to your seat, Mr. Prescott, until I have given this matter a little more thought!"
Immediately afterward the princ.i.p.al quitted the room. d.i.c.k, after sitting in silence for a few moments, drew his history again from his desk, turned over the pages, found the place he wanted and began to read.
It was ten minutes later when the princ.i.p.al returned to the room.
He had been to one of the cla.s.s rooms, where he had paced up and down until he felt that he could control himself enough to utter a few words. Now, he came back.
"Prescott, I shall have to think over your admission before I come to any decision in the matter. I may not be able to announce my decision for a while. I shall give it most careful thought.
In the meantime, I trust, very sincerely, that you will not be caught in any more mischief---least of all, anything as serious, as revolutionary, as yesterday"s outrageous impudence. You may go, now---for to-day!"
"Very good, sir," replied d.i.c.k Prescott, who had risen at his desk as soon as Mr. Cantwell began to talk to him. As young Prescott pa.s.sed from the room he favored the princ.i.p.al with a decorous little bow.
Dave Darrin, Tom Reade, Greg Holmes, Harper and another member of the freshman cla.s.s, came out of various places of hiding.
As he went down the stairs d.i.c.k was obliged to tread heavily enough to drown out their more stealthy footfalls.
Once in the open, Harper and the other freshman scurried away, their curiosity satisfied. But, a moment later, when Mr. Cantwell looked out of the window, he was much surprised to see four members of d.i.c.k & Co. walking together, and almost out through the gate.
"Have they been within earshot---listening?" wondered the princ.i.p.al to himself, and jotted down the names of Darrin, Reade and Holmes.
The two freshmen, by their prompt departure had saved themselves from suspicion.
On Thursday nothing was said or done about d.i.c.k"s case. When Friday"s session drew toward its close young Prescott fully expected to have sentence p.r.o.nounced, or at least to be directed to remain after school. But nothing of the sort happened. d.i.c.k filed out at the week"s end with the rest.
"What do you imagine Prin. can be up to?" Dave Darrin asked, as d.i.c.k & Co. marched homeward that early Friday afternoon.
"I don"t know," d.i.c.k confessed. "It may be that Mr. Cantwell is just trying to keep me guessing."