A FORCED CONFESSION.
There was a sarcastic smile on the dean's face as he turned to Prof.
Babbitt and asked:
"That doesn't seem to justify your charge, does it?"
"Why--why----" stammered the professor. "At first blush perhaps it
doesn't, but, don't you see, it shows that he had found the way to my
room, and the fact that he was idling away his time in Page's room
beneath ever since, is proof enough that he was waiting his chance to go
up again.
"I'm sure he got the paper, for I have taken a glance at the answers
given by him and his particular crew of friends, and I find that every
one of them passed perfect papers, and, without cheating, not more than
one of them could have answered more than one problem."
"You see, Merriwell," said the dean, "the circumstances point very
unhappily----"
"I know they do, sir," said Frank, "and I feel miserable about it, but
there's an explanation of how I and my friends have passed perfect
papers, that I'm perfectly willing to state."
"Do so, then."
Frank thereupon related Page's joke just as it happened. He told all
about the conversation he had overheard between Babbitt and Instructor
Frost, and then described how he had got his friends together and led
them in studying up the subject.
"It may be that you call that cheating," he concluded, "but you must
understand that none of us knew what problems the professor was to put
upon the paper.
"We only knew the general subject which he had chosen for the
examination, and we set to work to make ourselves solid on that subject,
and it seems that we did so."
"Why, yes," responded the dean, with a queer smile. "I must say that if
your story is correct, the professor has nothing to complain of. He
wanted to compel you to work up on points that you were weak on, and it
seems you did so.
"Of course it was a very unusual thing for you to get the warning as to
what the subject of the examination was to be, but if the professor
himself gave the warning----"
"Who would have dreamed," exclaimed Babbitt, "that a rascally student
was listening in the chimney!"
"Tut! tut!" exclaimed the dean, "don't use harsh language, professor. I
don't think the situation justifies it. According to Merriwell's story,
he was in the chimney without any idea of listening to you, and I think
any of us who can remember our student days will admit that if we had
been in the same position we would have done substantially what he did."
Prof. Babbitt bit his lip. It was not at all pleasant for him to find
that Frank had a friend in the dean, who, next to the president, is the
highest official in the college.
"All this," he muttered, "doesn't explain the fact that two examination
papers were missing!"
"True," answered the dean, "and we shall have to think that over.
Merriwell, will you step into the next room for a short time, please?"
Frank obeyed, and he felt certain that he read in the dean's eyes
perfect belief in his story.
"It'll come out right somehow," he thought, as he closed the door upon
the dean, Babbitt and Mr. Harding.
He could hear their voices in earnest conversation for fully a quarter
of an hour. They were doubtless discussing the discovery of the extra
paper upon Merriwell's desk, and Frank wondered what conclusion they
would come to about it.
Meantime, another event was taking place that led to a solution of the
mystery.
One by one the students finished their work on the examination papers
and left the hall; few of them went away from the door; the most
gathered there talking excitedly about the accusation against Merriwell.
There were some who professed to believe that Merriwell had been up to a
sharp trick, and had actually stolen the question paper, but the great
majority indignantly denied it.
There are many students who would have no scruples against cheating at
an examination, but few would think of descending so low as to commit
theft for the purpose.
Frank's friends were in the majority, and very loud in their assertions
as to his honorable conduct.
Among the first to leave the room after Frank's exit was Dismal Jones;
he stood around with his hands in his pockets saying nothing, but
looking from one to the other with a very worried expression upon his
solemn face.
Among the last to leave was Mortimer Ford. He walked through the group
with a jaunty air, as if confident that he had come out of the
examination in good order, and started for his room.
Jones tried to speak to him, but Ford simply said:
"Ah, there, Dismal, I hope you didn't get plucked," and continued on.
Dismal scowled savagely and stood for a moment looking at Ford's
retreating form, and then he turned about, and catching Diamond by the
sleeve, said:
"See here, Jack! I want to speak to you for a minute."
"What's the matter?" returned Diamond, feeling a little impatient and
provoked, for his mind was full of Frank's trouble, and he could not
think of talking of anything else.
"It's about Merriwell," whispered Jones, "and I want you and Rattleton
and Browning and Page to come here."
He withdrew to one side, and Diamond, with a mystified expression,
touched Rattleton on the shoulder and beckoned him to follow.
"What's up, Dismal?" said Rattleton.
"Get the other fellows," replied Jones.
The others were soon drawn from the group of excited students, and then
Dismal said:
"I've got the key to this whole thing, and if you fellows will help turn
it, we'll get Merriwell out of this scrape in less than no time."
The boys were too astonished to reply, and Dismal went on:
"Yesterday," he said, "a fellow came to me and after a lot of hemming
and hawing and beating about the bush, told me that he could put me onto
a way to pass Babbitt's examination perfectly; he also said that I could
give the same tip to my friends.
"I'm not letting any tips on examinations go by, you can bet on that,
and so I made him tell me what the racket was. He said he had got hold
of two copies of Babbitt's paper."
"Who was it?" exclaimed the boys, eagerly.
"Wait a minute," said Jones. "He said the printer accidentally struck
off more than was necessary, and he got the copies in that way."
"What way?"
"Oh, I don't know, I didn't ask particularly, because"--Dismal hesitated
a moment--"because, well, I'm not putting up a front for being a
preacher, or a goody-goody boy, but I didn't quite fancy taking part in
a cheat like that, and I told him so.
"Besides that, I couldn't see any reasons why he should give this favor
to me: he and I have never been chummy, and I don't believe that he got
them from the printer, either."
"Well, well, who was it?" demanded Rattleton, excitedly.
"Ford."
"Ford, of all men!"
"Yes, he was the fellow."
"It's just as Merriwell says," said Page. "Ford is crazy to lead the
class, and he will take any means for getting a paper."
"How is it going to help Merriwell?" asked Rattleton.
"You fellows must get after Ford," responded Jones, "and make him own
up. Do you remember how he passed down the aisle and asked Babbitt a
question?"
"Yes."
"And don't you remember Merriwell's papers were knocked off his desk?"
"I saw that something had happened," responded Diamond, "but I sat too
far away----"
"Well, the papers were on the floor," responded Jones, "and I'd like to
bet a dollar to a button that Ford tucked in that extra examination
paper when he picked the papers up."
The boys looked seriously at one another a moment, and then two or three
said together:
"Let's call on Ford!"
Away they went at once, and in a few minutes were at Ford's door.
"Come in," he said, when they knocked.
One of them tried the door, but found that it was locked.
"Wait a minute," called Ford, and they heard him crossing the room.
Rattleton heard the scratching of a match at the same moment. Something
seemed to go wrong with the key, for Ford fumbled at the lock for a
moment before he opened the door.
"Hello!" he said in a tone of surprise. "Come right in."
Rattleton dashed past the others, and ran to the fireplace. There was no
excuse for a fire in September, but a tiny blaze was there,
nevertheless.
Rattleton put his hand upon it instantly, to beat the flame out, and
stood up with a partially burned and charred fragment of paper in his
hand.
"What are you trying to do?" demanded Ford, indignantly.
"Dock the loor--I mean lock the door," cried Rattleton, excitedly, to
Browning.
The latter immediately closed the door, turned the key, and stood with
his back to it.
"We'll settle this thing in a hurry," continued Rattleton, shaking the
charred paper aloft; "this is a part of Babbitt's examination paper."
"Well, what of it?" asked Ford, angrily; "why shouldn't a man burn up a
piece of paper that he's got no further use for?"
"Because you left the paper you've been at work on with your answers in
the examination room!" retorted Rattleton, "and this is an extra sheet.
It shows what became of the two sheets that Babbitt missed."
Ford looked from one to another of the students and broke into a laugh.
"Well," he said, "I don't feel called upon to make any explanation to
you fellows, but as I understand it, your particular friend, Merriwell,
will have a good deal to explain."
"By all that's good," exclaimed Diamond; wrathfully, "you'll do the
explaining for him."
"Me?"
"Yes, you, you skulking hound! You had those two papers; here's Dismal
Jones, to whom you confessed to having got hold of them. You wanted
Dismal to take one, hoping that he would give it away to Frank and the
rest of us, so that if any exposure came we'd be mixed up in it. I know
your sly trick!"
Ford had turned very pale. He sank into a chair, shut his teeth
together, and muttered:
"You're doing a good deal of guesswork; but if you're trying to pick a
row go right along; I'm not afraid of you."
"We're not here to pick a row, Ford," said Page; "I'm beginning to see
through the whole thing.
"You're about the only one, except Merriwell, who knew how the chimney
in my room communicated with Babbitt's, and I remember you were coming
away from my room at one time when we were coming from dinner. You had
been up there then to steal the papers. You managed to work one of them
off on Merriwell's desk to-day. Rattleton there has got a part of the
other."
"Well, see here," said Ford. "What does it all mean? Ever since there
were colleges, students have done their best to get ahead of the
faculty, and if I've succeeded, what's the harm? It isn't hurting you
fellows, and no student ever tells on another."
He said this with a haughty air, as if to imply that they would be
beneath contempt if they should report his doings to the faculty.
"We're not going to do any tell-taleing--I mean tale-telling," blustered
Rattleton. "We're here to make you do that."
"What do you mean?"
"I tell you," said Browning, slowly, and there was a dangerous glitter
in his eyes, "I'm not above telling tales in a case like this, and if
you don't go straight to the dean and tell him the truth, I'll go and
lay the matter before him, and what's more, Master Ford, I'll give you
such a thumping that you'll carry the marks as long as you live."
Browning spoke quietly, but there was a businesslike ring in his tone
that Ford could not misunderstand.
The others were very quiet, and they looked at Ford, awaiting his
answer.
"You take a mighty high attitude," he muttered.
"Shut up," muttered Browning, savagely. "I for one won't hear any
argument about it; you've got to do what we say, or take the
consequences. And to make certain of those consequences, I'm going to
give you a licking now!"
Browning pulled off his coat, threw it upon the floor, and advanced upon
Ford. The others stood aside, their eyes glistening, and their fists
fairly itching to take a share in Ford's punishment.
As to the latter, he retreated to a corner, and placed a chair between
himself and Browning.
"Hold on," he said, huskily. "You've got the best of me because there
are so many of you----"
"I propose to lick you alone!" interrupted Browning.
"All the same," suggested Dismal Jones, slowly, "when Browning gets
through with him, I think the rest of us will take a turn one at a
time."
Ford was thoroughly frightened.
"I give it up," he stammered. "You force me to it I'll do what you say,
and I guess my standing in the class is good enough, as I never have
done anything before this----"
"Never been caught at it," interrupted Diamond, sarcastically.
"Don't waste any talk," said Browning; "he's going with us to the dean's
office now; Merriwell is probably there at this minute trying to make
Babbitt believe in a student's honor."
Saying this, Browning put on his coat and unlocked the door; then he
turned to Ford.
"Come along," he said.
Trembling like a leaf, Ford crossed the room, picked up his hat from the
table, and went out into the hall.
The other students followed closely after.
As he came to the stairway Ford made a leap. In his excitement he
probably hoped that he might be able to run away from these angry
fellows, and possibly escape making the confession that they wished him
to make.
With an angry laugh they all leaped after him and caught him as he was
two steps down the stairs.
The result was that the whole pack of them went tumbling down the flight
and landed with many a bruise in a heap at the bottom.
When they got up Browning had his strong hand clinched in Ford's collar
until the miserable rascal was almost choking.
In this way he was fairly pushed across the campus, to the great
astonishment of all the students who happened to be there at the time.
He was marched straight up to the dean's office, where the students
entered without knocking.
The dean was still talking with Babbitt and Mr. Harding.
Frank, in the adjoining room, wondered what all the commotion was about.
The dean wondered, too, and said sharply:
"Gentlemen, gentlemen, what does this mean?"
"It means, sir," said Browning, respectfully, "that an infamous outrage
has been attempted, by which an honorable student is made to suffer.
Ford will explain."
Ford did explain with many cringing appeals for mercy, and with many
protests against the violence with which the students had treated him.
The dean listened with growing indignation, while even Babbitt was
stirred to anger against his favorite student.
The upshot of the matter was that Babbitt withdrew his charges against
Frank, and even went so far as to make a sort of apology for having
suspected him.
Ford's case went before the whole faculty at its meeting that evening,
with the result that he was suspended for one year.
"I never was so relieved in my life, Merriwell," said the dean, as he
shook Frank's hand, "for if it had been proven that you had done this
thing, I am afraid I should have lost all faith in students, but----"
And there was a sly twinkle in his eye.
"I think we shall have to recommend that Prof. Babbitt stuff his chimney
with bricks and mortar, or else move to a new room."
"He needn't fear that I shall invade the chimney again," responded
Frank; "I'm only too glad that the matter has turned out so that there
is no doubt about me.
"Well," said the dean, thoughtfully, "you ought to learn some kind of a
lesson out of the experience, I suppose. Let's take it for granted,
Merriwell, that you'll give your mathematics a little more attention
this year."
Frank, smiling, assured the dean that he would do so, and there the
matter ended.
At a later time Page asked Frank why it was that he had insisted on the
fireplace being kept secret until after the examination.
"Because," said Frank, "I had got a tip there that was too valuable to
lose. If you had shown the opening to everybody, it struck me that
perhaps Babbitt would hear you. With his suspicious nature, he might
conclude at once that we had good papers because, somehow, we got into
his room and found the questions.
"As it happened, you see, the showing of the fireplace resulted in even
worse than I feared. It gave Ford his opportunity, and one of the
reasons why I insisted on studying in your room was to prevent any such
thing by having your room occupied all the time.
"That scheme failed, because Ford watched his chance and got in while we
were at dinner."
"I'll have my door fitted with a combination time-lock!" exclaimed Page;
"he could have unlocked it as it is now with a button hook."
"You'd certainly better put on a better lock if you think of keeping
pets in the chim----"
"Oh, come off, Frank! I thought I'd heard the last of that."
Frank laughed pleasantly, but from that time on he never mentioned the
subject.
"It's just as well," he said. "I think we are lucky to get out of the
affair so easily."
"Right you are," answered Browning. And then, after a pause, he
continued: "Got a letter this morning. Important news."
"Of what?" asked several.
"About the intercollegiate games to come off in New York. Friend of mine
at Princeton says they are bound to beat us."
"Not on your life!" came in a chorus; and on the moment the affair of
the examination papers was forgotten and all of the boys were talking
about the contests to come off and wondering who of the Yale students
would take part.