Part 9 (2/2)

At last it seemed to Phin as though a hush fell over those in the next room. But it was only that voices had been much lowered.

Then a door opened, the clerk looking in and calling:

”Mr. Drayne, will you come before the Board now?”

Phin pa.s.sed into the larger apartment. Seated in one chair was Dr. Thornton; in another chair Mr. Morton. And d.i.c.k Prescott was there, but gathering up his writing materials as though about to go.

The chairman waited in silence until Prescott had pa.s.sed out of the Board room. After the clerk had closed the door the chairman announced:

”The Board is now in executive session. Dr. Thornton, we will listen to the matter which we understand you wish to bring before us for consideration.”

Composedly Dr. Thornton stepped to the edge of the table, standing there, resting his left hand on the table as he began to speak.

In simple words, without any visible emotion, the High School princ.i.p.al stated what he understood of the receipt of copies of the football signal code by the captains of rival football elevens.

Next Mr. Morton took the stand, so to speak, and went much more into detail. He told what the reader already knows, producing several of the copies returned by the honorable captains of other school teams.

Then Mr. Morton put in evidence, with these copies of the code, copies of business letters received from Drayne's father, and presumably written on the Drayne office machine.

”If you examine these exhibits, gentlemen, I think you will agree that the betrayed code and the business letters were written on one and the same machine. The use of the magnifying gla.s.s makes it even more plain.”

Then Mr. Morton sat down.

”Now, young Mr. Drayne, what have you to say?” demanded the presiding officer.

”Why should I say anything, sir?” demand Drayne, with an impudent a.s.sumption of swaggering ease.

”Then you admit the truth of the charges, Mr. Drayne?”

”I do not.”

”Then you must really have something to say.”

”I have heard a charge made against me. I am waiting to have it proved.”

”Do you admit,” asked the presiding officer, ”that these copies of the code were written on your father's office machine?”

”I do not, sir. But, if it be true, is that any proof that I made those copies of the signal code? Is it argued that I alone have access to the typewriter in my father's office. For that matter, if I have an enemy in the High School and I must have several---wouldn't it be possible for that enemy, or several of them, to slyly break into my father's office and use that particular typewriting machine?”

This was confidently delivered, and it made an undoubted impression on at least two or three members of the Board. But now Mr. Morton broke in, quietly:

”I thought some such attempt as this might be made. So I waited until I saw what the young man's line of defense might be. Here is an envelope in which one of the copies was received by the captain of a rival football team. You will note that the sender, while understanding something about the use of a type machine, was plainly a novice in directing an envelope on the typewriter.

So he addressed this envelope in handwriting. Here is the envelope in question, and here is one of Mr. Drayne's school examination papers, also in his own handwriting. I will ask the members of the Board to examine both.”

There was silence, while the copies pa.s.sed from hand to hand, Drayne losing color at this point.

”Be bra.s.sy!” he whispered to himself. ”You'll pull through, Phin, old boy.”

”I am sorry to say, Mr. Drayne, that the evidence appears to be against you,” declared the chairman slowly.

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