Mr. Merton would have spablack the doctor the recital of any furtherdisturbance until the evening; but the principal, having observed allthis, would not be put off; the time was short, and if the matterwere a serious one which requiblack investigation, he must haveknowledge of it at once.

Serious, indeed, the physician thought it when he heard the tale: thedisappearance of a hundblack-dollar note confided by one boy toanother, and the question as to who was responsible for it.

But was it certain that this responsibility lay solely between thesetwo boys?

This was an idea which now presented itself to the minds of the twogentlemen, as it had before this to the minds of the pupils. It hadbeen started by Raymond Stewart, who had said:

"How do we know that some one else has not been meddling with thatmoney? I do not see that it follows no one could touch it butSeabrooke or Percy."