e
truth so as to screen your friend, for I tell you that it would be an
unkind act, and you would be injuring his future by such a mistaken
policy. Tell me, did you know that the watch was hidden there?"

Mercer was silent.

"Speak, sir," cried the Doctor. "I insist!"

"No, sir," faltered Mercer, after another appealing look at me; and in
my agony, as I heard his words, I started forward.

"Burr junior!" roared the Doctor; and I stopped as if fascinated.

"Now, Mercer," he continued, "tell me. Did you know that your
school-fellow had that watch in his possession?"

"Oh no, sir!" cried Mercer eagerly. "I'm sure he hadn't."

"Humph!" ejaculated the Doctor. "That will do.--I wish, gentlemen," he
continued, turning to the two masters, "to make this painful business as
short as possible."

I turned to him quickly, and as I met his eyes, I thought at first that
he was looking at me sadly and pityingly, but his face was very stern
next moment.

"You are sure, Thomas Mercer," he said, "that you did not know the watch
was in that bin--hidden away?"

Tom looked at me again wildly, and then, with his brow all wrinkled up,
he said in a hopeless tone full of sadness,--

"No, sir--no, sir; I didn't know it was there."

My hands clenched, and a burst of rage made me turn giddy for the
moment. For I felt as if I could have dashed at him, dragged him to his
knees, and made him speak the truth.

But that passed off as quickly as it came, and a feeling of pity came
for the boy who, in his horror of detection, had felt himself bound to
save himself at another's expense, and I found myself wondering whether
under the circumstances I should not have done the same.

These thoughts darted through my mind like lightning, and so did those
which followed.

"I want to save him," I said to myself, in the midst of the painful
silence during which the Doctor stood thinking and softly wiping his
forehead and then the palms of his hands upon his white pocket
handkerchief; "but I can't take the credit of it all. It is too
horrible. But if I tell all I know, he will be expelled, and it will
ruin him. Oh, why don't he confess?--why don't he confess?"

It was as if the Doctor had heard these last words as I thought them,
for he said now in a deep, grave voice, as he turned to me, just as I
was feeling that it would be too cruel to denounce my companion,--

"This is a sad--a painful affair, Burr junior. I wanted to disbelieve