The absence of the juniors had excited no curiosity in either house till
evening. It was a holiday, and though the rule was that even on a
holiday no boy should go "out of touch," as it was called, that is,
beyond a certain radius, without permission, it was not always enforced.
The Modern seniors had every reason to guess the object of this
prolonged absence. They had promised many things to the juniors when
they caught them. It was not surprising, while things were as warm as
they were, that the young rebels should give Fellsgarth a wide berth.
As to the Classic juniors, no one was surprised at anything they did, in
reason.
But when "call-over" came and all nine names were returned absent (in
addition to that of Rollitt and a few other habitual vagrants), fellows
began to ask where they were.
"Has any one seen Wally?" asked Yorke, who had just had the unusual
experience of making his own tea and cooking his own eggs.
"He's probably fooling about somewhere out of bounds with my fag," said
Ranger. "He'll have to catch it, Fisher, though he is your brother."
"Let him have it," said Fisher. "I'd do the same to your young brother
if I had the chance. But to change the subject, I've something to tell
you fellows that's rather awkward. That money hasn't turned up yet."
"That is awkward," said Yorke. "I wish I could help you out with it,
but I'm cleaned out."
"Oh, that's not it. Of course I'm responsible, and must get the
governor to make it good. Dear old governor, he'll do it, but he'll
pull a precious long face, and go round the house lowering the gas and
telling every one he must economise, with two such expensive sons as me
and my minor at school. It's not that, though. Dangle came over this
morning, and wanted to know what we were going to do about the accounts,
now we've dissolved the clubs; and somehow or other he's heard of the
deficiency, and wants to know all about it."
"I hope you told him," said Yorke.
"Of course I did; but he told me a lot more than I could tell him. He
thinks he knows what's become of it."
And Fisher proceeded to narrate Dangle's suspicions against Rollitt.