There was a moment of silence, broken at length by Gil. “Going to leave!” he exclaimed. “You’re not fooling, Hope?”
“No. I took his tray up and he was writing at his desk. I told him he just must eat some supper and he said we were very kind and he would drink some tea. And then—then he was afraid he’d been a great deal of trouble to us and that he wouldn’t be that much longer as he was going to leave the school. And I said, ‘Oh, Mr. Hanks!’—just like that—and he said he was sorry to leave and—and he thanked me for bringing the tray and—and I ran out of the room because—because—” Hope’s eyes were “because” enough. The boys looked away while she dashed a wisp of a handkerchief across them. Poke whistled between his teeth, much out of tune. “I—I think it’s just—just[149] too horrid for anything!” ended Hope tremulously.
Jim stirred his feet uneasily and Gil cleared his throat as if to speak and then evidently thought better of it. Hope subsided on the arm of a porch rocker. It was Jeffrey who spoke first.
“I’m awfully sorry,” he said. “I suppose we’re all to blame to some extent.”
“If he had any grit—” began Poke.
“I’d like to punch that fellow’s head,” Jim growled.
“What fellow? Bull Gary?” asked Gil.
Jim nodded.
“What are we going to do?” demanded Hope anxiously.
“I don’t see that there’s anything we can do,” answered Gil. “I’m sorry he’s going, for he really isn’t a bad sort. But he’d never get on here because the fellows have found out that they can do just as they please with him. If he’d put his foot down hard the first day and made Bull and a few of the others walk the plank he wouldn’t have had any trouble. As it is now I guess he’s wise to quit.”
“That’s all well enough for you,” demurred[150] Jim, “but we can’t afford to lose a lodger. So, by hooky, something’s just got to be done!”
“If we went up and asked him to stay don’t you think perhaps he would?” asked Hope.
“Sure! He’d do anything to oblige us,” replied Poke ironically.
“You needn’t be sarcastic,” murmured Hope aggrievedly. “I don’t think you’ve been very nice about it anyway, Poke.”
There was a silence after this that lasted until Jeffrey, who had been staring thoughtfully into the dusk, said:
“Look here, if some one can induce Nancy to turn over a new leaf now and—er—buck up, you know, he won’t have much trouble, will he? It isn’t too late, is it?”
“I’m afraid so,” said Gil.
“I’m not,” said Poke. “But he wouldn’t do it; he doesn’t know how.”
“Do you think he’d mind if we suggested something of the sort to him?” pursued Jeffrey. The rest looked doubtful, but Hope broke out eagerly with:
“Of course he wouldn’t! He’s just as nice and—and good-natured as he can be. Let’s do it!”
But Poke hung back. “He’d probably tell[151] us to mind our own miserable business,” he objected.
“There’d be no harm in trying it,” said Jim. “Let’s all go up and tell him we’ve heard that he’s going to leave and that we’re sorry and—and—”
“And then what?” asked Poke. “Tell him he doesn’t know his business and that he’s made a mess of things?”
“Why not?” asked Jeffrey quietly. “It’s so, isn’t it?”
“If you’ll do the talking,” suggested Jim, “it’ll be all right, Jeff. What do you say, Gil?”
“Oh, I’ll go.”
“Will you, Poke?”
“Not by a long shot!”
“Oh, Poke, I think you might!” wailed Hope. “It’s partly your fault, and you know it is, and I think you might do what you can to—to help.”
“Gee, you talk as though I was to blame for everything,” Poke growled. “Anybody would think—”
“Oh, cut out the grouch,” said Gil. “Nobody’s asking you to do anything except go up there and hear Jeff talk.”
[152]
“I think you’d better do the talking,” objected Jeffrey. “You’re the oldest, Gil.”
“You can do it better. If you need help the rest of us will come to your assistance. Ready now? Know what you’re going to say?”
“Not exactly,” laughed Jeffrey, “but I guess I can stumble through with it.”
“Good!” said Jim eagerly. “Let’s go before we lose courage.”
So, Gil and Jeffrey leading and Poke ambling along behind with his hands in his pockets and a general expression of disapprobation about him, the five mounted the stairs and knocked at the door of the instructor’s room. Bidden to enter, they found Mr. Hanks at his desk, pen in hand and a pile of manuscript at his elbow. He had taken his tea, Hope observed, but nothing else on the tray had been touched. As the embassy filed into the room Mr. Hanks arose from his chair with a look of surprise and embarrassment.
“Good evening, sir,” began Jeffrey. “May we come in for a minute if you’re not too busy?”
[153]
 
They found Mr. Hanks at his desk.
[154-
155]
“Er—certainly! How do you do? Won’t you—won’t you be seated?” Mr. Hanks glanced around nervously in search of accommodations. Gil and Poke simplified matters by seating themselves on the edge of the bed, leaving the chairs for the others. Mr. Hanks laid aside the tortoise-shell spectacles he was wearing, pushed his manuscript aside, drew it back again, smiled doubtfully and subsided in his chair.
“You—er—you wanted to see me?” he asked, clearing his throat nervously.
“Yes, sir,” replied Jeffrey. “Hope has just told us, sir, that you are thinking of leaving Crofton.”
“Yes.” Mr. Hanks glanced down at his papers. “Yes, I have decided to resign,” he replied, in tones which he strove to make sound businesslike and matter-of-fact.
“We’re awfully sorry to hear it, Mr. Hanks,” said Jeffrey earnestly.
“Terribly sorry,” said Hope.
“Very,” said Gil.
“You bet,” said Jim.
Poke growled something inarticulate.
Mr. Hanks glanced around in surprise and embarrassment.
“Why—er—that’s very good of you all, very kind of you, I’m sure,” he murmured. “I—I regret the necessity of leaving, myself.[156] I was getting very fond of the school, quite attached. And this place—” he looked about the room—“suits me very well. The light is excellent, you see, and owing to the fact that my eyes are not what they used to be I have to be very particular about—er&mdas............