"That disposes of all the ordinary business. The only other matter is a
personal question adjourned from our last meeting."
Whereupon everyone settled himself in his place expectantly. Mr
Bickers rose briskly and made his speech.
"Mr Roe and gentlemen," said he, "I am sorry once again to trouble the
meeting with the affairs of so very unimportant a person as myself, and
I can only repeat what I have said before, and what I have a right to
take credit for, that my only motive in doing so is my clear duty to
Grandcourt, and the removal from a large number of innocent boys of a
stigma under which they at present suffer."
Here someone said, "Hear, hear," and everybody agreed that Mr Bickers
had begun well.
"In February last," continued he, "I was unfortunate enough to meet with
some personal violence while passing the door of an adjoining house in
the dark, I was seized from behind, enveloped in a sack, which was tied
over my head and shoulders, in a manner which both gagged me and
rendered me powerless to move my arms. My _feet_ were also tied
together, and in this condition I was dragged into a cupboard under the
stairs and there left for the night. My impression is that two or three
strong persons were engaged in the outrage, although the pinioning was
performed by only one. I was released in the morning by my colleague in
whose house I had been attacked, who, with his senior boys, untied my
hands, and expressed himself as greatly astonished and indignant at what
had befallen me. I fully believed at the time these protestations on my
colleague's part were sincere."
Here Mr Bickers was beginning to get aggressive, and the backs of one
or two of Railsford's friends, particularly monsieur's back, went up.
"That same morning, gentlemen, the doctor came and challenged the house
to produce the offender or offenders. Every boy in the house was called
over and questioned separately; said each one denied not only that he
had done it himself, but that he had any knowledge of who had. Every
member of the house, except the master of the house, was thus
questioned. The master was not challenged.
"The house was disgraced by the doctor; and from that time to this the
secret has been carefully kept. But capital has been made out of the
supposed misfortune of the house to set on foot several ambitious
schemes which depended for their success on the continued isolation of
the house from the rest of the school.
"The master of the house was a prime mover in these schemes, and in
consequence decidedly interested in preserving the new state of affairs.
"Now, gentlemen, you may ask why I make all this preamble--"
"Hear, hear!" from monsieur, and "Order, order!" from the chairman.
"I do so because I feel I have no right to take for granted that you all
know what is nevertheless a notorious fact in Grandcourt.
"Now, gentlemen, it appears that my colleague's acquiescence in the
disgrace of his house was not shared by some of his boys; certainly not
by one--whose name I am not at liberty to mention--but whom I can speak
of honourably, as being actuated by disinterested motives in securing
justice to myself--which is a matter of small moment--and in removing a
slur from the good name of Grandcourt.
"This boy took the trouble to make some inquiries shortly after the
event, and succeeded in getting together some evidence, which, when I
produce it, I think will convince you that little doubt remains as to
the identity of the real culprit. I should have preferred if my
informant might have been present here to state his own case, but he is
naturally reluctant to come forward. He has, however, described to me
what the nature of his evidence is; and I have his full authority for
making use of that information now.
"In the first place, he claims to have found the sack in which I was
enveloped, and which was left on the floor of the cupboard where I had
been imprisoned, after my release. This sack, he tells me, bears the
initials M.R., which correspond with the initials of the--"
"Midland Railway," dryly observed Grover amid some smiles, which roused
Mr Bickers considerably.
"No, sir--the initials M.R. correspond with the name of the master of
the house in which I was assaulted. They belong to Mark Railsford."
Railsford sat with his lips drawn contemptuously during this
announcement, which failed to make the impression on the meeting
generally which the speaker had expected. But he went on.
"In the second place, he found that the door, which closes by itself
when not propped open, had been held open by a twisted piece of paper,
which, on being unrolled, was found to be part of a newspaper, addressed
to Mark Railsford, Esquire, Grandcourt."
This made rather more impression than the last; except on Railsford, who
still faced his accuser scornfully.
"In the third place, a match-box was discovered on the ledge above the
door, placed there, to judge by its freedom from dust, very recently. I
ask you to notice three things in connection with this, gentlemen. A
match was struck while I was being dragged into the cupboard; a match
found on the floor that morning corresponds exactly with the matches in
the box placed up on the ledge; and finally, the height of that ledge
from the ground shows that it could only have been placed there by
someone over six feet high; and the only person of that height in the
house is the master, Mr Mark Railsford."
A dead silence followed this, and masters present wondered how Railsford
could still sit so indifferent and unmoved.
"Now, gentlemen," continued Mr Bickers, after having allowed a due
interval for this last shot to go home, "I should not be justified in
repeating these assertions unless I were also prepared to lay before you
the proofs on which those assertions are based. I therefore requested
my informant to let me have these. He has done this, and this
parcel,"--here he took up a brown-paper parcel from the seat beside
him--"containing the articles I have mentioned, was placed in my hands
just as I came to this meeting. I have not even examined them myself,
so that I am sure you will do me the credit of believing that when I
place them just as they are in your hands, Mr Chairman, I cannot be
charged with having tampered with my evidence in any way."
Here he handed the parcel up to Mr Roe, amid dead silence.
"Had you not better open it yourself?" asked the chairman, who evidently
did not like the business.
"No, sir; I request you will do so, and that Mr Railsford will confront
the contents first in your hands, not mine."
"There is a letter here addressed to you," said Mr Roe.
"Please read that also," said Mr Bickers, declining to take it.
Mr Roe knitted his brow and tore open the envelope.
His brows went up with a start as his eyes fell on the opening words.
He read the letter through, and then, turning to Mr Bickers, said,
"This letter is not intended for reading aloud, Mr Bickers."
"Yes it is. I insist on your reading it, Mr Chairman."
"If you insist, I will do it; but I think you would be wiser to put it
in your pocket."
"Read it, Mr Chairman," repeated Mr Bickers excitedly.