"The whole school to assemble in the hall!"  
The order was received in every class-room, and masters and boys looked surprised. It was generally known that Ralph Rexworth had been absent all night, and that a message had been sent over to Mr. St. Clive's asking whether the boy had been detained there. It was also known that Charlton was in disgrace—that he had been accused of stealing Ralph's examination papers, for the purpose of correcting them from a crib.
 
The idea was that it must be on one of these accounts that the school was summoned—either Ralph had got into trouble, or Charlton was to be punished.
 
But there was no time for speculation. Into the hall the boys trooped, class by class—juniors, middle division, and seniors—their masters following, and their monitors leading the way; and there upon the doctor's desk an ominous object was to be seen—the school birch, rarely taken from its resting-place in the cupboard, rarely used, and, if the truth must be told, rarely needing to be used. Woe betide the unlucky boy who[Pg 295] so far disgraced the honour of Marlthorpe as to render its presence needful, for what he got from the Head was as nothing to what he would receive from the angry scholars later on.
 
"Silence!"
 
Kesterway's voice rang out as Dr. Beverly entered and an expectant hush fell upon the whole school.
 
"Frederick Charlton, stand out!"
 
Charlton obeyed. Boys who knew how nervous he was were surprised to see him quite calm now. He moved forward towards the Head's desk and saluted; and then the Headmaster of Marlthorpe spoke.
 
"Charlton, you were found in my class-room the other night, with Rexworth's examination papers in your hand. Tell the school your reason for being there!"
 
The Head spoke shortly, but kindly, as if inviting the boy to be at ease; and Charlton told his story, and explained how he had seen Dobson and Elgert break open the desk.
 
"The desk was unlocked. There was no need to break it open," the Head said; and then he turned to the other two boys, and asked them what they had to say.
 
What they had to say indeed! Such indignant denials, and such plain statements that it was all up between Rexworth and Charlton.
 
"Rexworth is detained, and cannot be here yet," said the Head quietly. "But we can proceed with this inquiry in his absence. Elgert and Dobson, stand out!"
 
[Pg 296]
 
And the two obeyed, ill at ease, wondering what was coming next, and casting suspicious looks at each other, as if each thought the other had turned informer.
 
"Horace Elgert, did you ever see this before?" asked the Head.
 
And Elgert turned white, for the doctor held out that wretched crib which he had thrown into the river.
 
"No, sir," he answered, averting his eyes.
 
And the same answer was asked of Dobson, who gave the same answer.
 
"James Green! Henry Tinkle!" cried Kesterway.
 
And the two small chums jumped up eagerly.
 
"Explain how you became possessed of this crib," said the Head.
 
Green spoke first, and Tinkle backed him up, and then a low angry hiss rang through the school, and Horace Elgert turned a pair of anxious, frightened eyes towards his companions.
 
"Do you deny this story, Elgert?" asked the Head sternly.
 
And the boy was silent. If those two juniors had picked up his book, had they picked up anything else?
 
"There was a banknote missing some time ago," the Head went on. "You may remember that a note was found in Rexworth's pocket-book, and I showed how he had been the victim of a plot. The banknote that was stolen was never discovered; but I now know that it was changed by you, Dobson, at a[Pg 297] low cake shop in the town, and that afterwards it was bought back by you and Elgert from that man for far more than it was worth. That note, Elgert, you destroyed yesterday by burning it, and here are the ashes." And the Head produced the filmy ash still lying in Tom Brown's Schooldays. "But that note had been photographed, and you purchased the negative by giving to the person who held it a pocket-book which you had previously taken from him. The negative you also threw into the river, and the person you were with threw in the book which you had just restored to him. Do you deny these statements?"
 
Still Elgert did not answer. He felt hot and cold by turns. He did not know where to turn his eyes. It was no use denying in the face of such proof.
 
"You cannot answer!" the Head went on. "You, Dobson, what do you know of this?"
 
"Oh—oh—oh!" yelled Dobson, clasping his hands, and falling upon his knees. "Oh, forgive me, sir! Oh, I will own up, sir! It was all Elgert's fault. He made me do it, sir! I never wanted to do it, sir! It is all true, every bit of it, sir! Oh——"
 
"Silence!" cried the Head, in ill-disguised contempt. "No one can force another to do evil. You two boys have conspired together to injure the good name of a companion, whose only offence has been that he has tried to act a noble manly part amidst very difficult and adverse circumstances. You would have branded him a thief; and to do it you did not hesitate to [Pg 298]become thieves yourselves. You have told the vilest lies—and you, Elgert, have done worse. It will be for other authorities to deal with this; but I will mention it here. You have allowed one of these boys—Charlton I mean—to suffer much torture because of his father's unhappy position. You knew that his father was innocent, and you held the proof of that, and——"
 
Then the Head stopped, for Charlton had turned very white. He had not known of the business of the pocket-book.
 
"Oh, sir," he said, "my father innocent! And he knew it, and—and——"
 
He put his hand to his head, and Kesterway sprang forward and caught him, or he would have fallen, for he fainted away; and the Head, with tears in his eyes, murmured—
 
............