"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! ............