Part 20 (1/2)
”Did you play?”
”No, sir. I can't.”
”Drink beer?”
”I belong to the Lodge;” and Jack stood as erect as any little soldier who ever marched under a temperance banner, and fought for the cause none are too young nor too old to help along.
”I was sure of that. Then what took you there, my boy?”
The question was so kindly put that Jack forgot himself an instant, and blurted out,--
”I only went to pay him some money, sir.”
”Ah, how much?”
”Two seventy-five,” muttered Jack, as red as a cherry at not being able to keep a secret better.
”Too much for a lad like you to owe such a fellow as Jerry. How came it?” And Mr. Acton looked disturbed.
Jack opened his lips to speak, but shut them again, and stood looking down with a little quiver about the mouth that showed how much it cost him to be silent.
”Does any one beside Jerry know of this?”
”One other fellow,” after a pause.
”Yes, I understand;” and Mr. Acton's eye glanced at Joe with a look that seemed to say, ”I wish he'd held his tongue.”
A queer smile flitted over Jack's face, for Joe was not the ”other fellow,” and knew very little about it, excepting what he had seen when he was sent on an errand by Mr. Acton on Friday.
”I wish you would explain the matter, John, for I am sure it is better than it seems, and it would be very hard to punish you when you don't deserve it.”
”But I do deserve it; I've broken the rule, and I ought to be punished,”
said Jack, as if a good whipping would be easier to bear than this public cross-examination.
”And you can't explain, or even say you are sorry or ashamed?” asked Mr.
Acton, hoping to surprise another fact out of the boy.
”No, sir; I can't; I'm not ashamed; I'm not sorry, and I'd do it again to-morrow if I had to,” cried Jack, losing patience, and looking as if he would not bear much more.
A groan from the boys greeted this bare-faced declaration, and Susy quite s.h.i.+vered at the idea of having taken two bites out of the apple of such a hardened desperado.
”Think it over till to-morrow, and perhaps you will change your mind.
Remember that this is the last week of the month, and reports are given out next Friday,” said Mr. Acton, knowing how much the boy prided himself on always having good ones to show his mother.
Poor Jack turned scarlet and bit his lips to keep them still, for he had forgotten this when he plunged into the affair which was likely to cost him dear. Then the color faded away, the boyish face grew steady, and the honest eyes looked up at his teacher as he said very low, but all heard him, the room was so still,--
”It isn't as bad as it looks, sir, but I can't say any more. No one is to blame but me; and I couldn't help breaking the rule, for Jerry was going away, I had only that time, and I'd promised to pay up, so I did.”