n of the whole school, it was small wonder if he felt
bewildered and sniffed treachery.

"Mr Webster," said Mansfield, "Pledge, here, has just been publicly
accusing three boys of theft. He says they have robbed you, and we want
you to hear his statement and tell us if it is true. Please repeat what
you have to say, Pledge, in Mr Webster's hearing."

The stationer, with inquiring face, turned to Pledge, who, despite some
vague doubts which were beginning to disturb his confidence, smiled
affably and said--

"Oh, sorry to bring you up, Mr Webster, just at your busy time, but I
was telling my friends here about that little affair of the pencil-case,
you know, which was stolen from you; and as they don't seem inclined to
believe me, I thought the best thing would be for you to tell them about
it yourself."

The countenance of the bookseller underwent a marvellous transformation
as the speech proceeded. When Pledge had ceased, he exclaimed--

"Pencil-case! Why, bless you, Mr Pledge, I found that a fortnight
ago!"

This announcement was the signal for a howl such as Templeton had rarely
heard. The pent-up scorn of an afternoon broke out against the accuser
as he stood there, pale and stupefied, staring at Webster.

It was all Mansfield could do to restore order. The gust had to blow
itself more than half out before even he was heeded.

"Look here, you fellows," said he, "don't let us lose our heads. We
want to hear the rights and wrongs of the case fairly. Hadn't you
better wait till that's done before you turn the place into a bear-
garden?"

The rebuke told, and the meeting relapsed into silence.

"You never told me that," snarled Pledge. "You've been fooling me."

"You never asked me. Mr Richardson knew; he was in the shop just after
I found it."

"Of course he was," sneered Pledge.

"He needn't have been, if that's what you mean. He'd nothing to do with
it. Bless you, it's an old story now; I'd almost forgotten it."

"You forgot, too, that you asked me to recover it for you; and you let
me go on while all the time you had it."

"You offered to get it back. I never asked you. You said you had an
interest in the young gentlemen."

"And you never thought it worth while to tell me the thing had turned
up?"

"I told Mr Richardson, and said I was sorry for the fright he and his
two friends had had. It never struck me you'd go on bothering about it,
or I'd have told you. Fact of the matter