course, you believe
what I told you, now, Hugh, since you've seen that the watch was in
my locker?"

Hugh did not care to fully commit himself, it seemed, judging from
the way in which he went on to say:

"We've seen you recover your watch all right, Leon; and it was in
your locker just as you said; but whether you forgot it, or left it
there on purpose, is a question I'm not prepared to settle."

Of course there was no further excuse for Hugh keeping that grip on
Leon's shoulder, so he released his hold, and the other gave a sigh
as of relief at this evidence of a change in policy on the part of
his captor.

"Say, I wish you'd do me a great favor, Hugh," Leon went on to say,
as though he believed in the old maxim that it is wise to "strike
while the iron is hot."

"As to what?" demanded the one addressed in this whining way.

"What's the use of saying anything about this business?" Leon went on
eagerly. "It certainly wouldn't do any good, and I proved to you
that I did enter here just to recover my watch, didn't I? But mebbe
it might get to my dad's ears, how I'd gone and been so careless
about looking after my property. You see, he told me that if I lost
this birthday present he'd not get me another watch till I graduated
from high school; and say, I'm beginning to lose all hope of that
ever happening in my case. But you will keep mum about it, won't
you, Hugh; just to save me from getting up against it rough with my
strict dad?"

It sounded like a reasonable request, Hugh must have thought.
Besides, no matter what the intentions of Leon may have been, there
had really been no harm done, owing to the fact of their being drawn
to the spot by discovering his skulking figure dimly outlined in the
moonlight.

Hugh considered before committing himself to making any reply. He
did not believe most of what the other so glibly declared, partly
because he knew very well that Mr. Disney was not a strict parent at
all, but a most indifferent one, or he would never have allowed his
young hopeful to go in the company of Nick Lang, and take part in
many of the other's practical jokes. Some of these had bordered on a
serious nature, like the time the electric current was shut off
abruptly when the graduation exercises were going on at night-time in
the big auditorium in the high-school building; and the ensuing utter
darkness almost created a panic among the audience, composed
principally of women and young people,