.

"I acknowledge that I did so, but I don't see there was any harm in
that."

"And where did you get the ten pounds from?" the Doctor asked slowly.

"It was sent to me in an envelope," Frank replied.

"And who sent it to you?"

"I don't know, sir."

"Norris," the Doctor said sternly, "you stole that note from my table."

Frank stepped back as if struck, the blood left his face, and he stood
deadly pale.

"Stole it!" he repeated, in a low, wondering tone.

"Yes," the Doctor repeated, "stole it from my table when I left the
room."

"It is a lie!" Frank exclaimed, in a burst of passion; "it is a lie,
sir, whoever said it."

Without replying to the outburst, the Doctor touched a bell which stood
on the table, and a junior waiting outside entered.

"Tell Mr. Wire and Mr. Richards I wish to speak to them."

Not a word was spoken in the library until the under-masters entered. A
thousand thoughts passed rapidly through Frank's brain. He was
bewildered, and almost stupefied by this sudden charge, and yet he felt
how difficult it would be to clear himself from it. The under-master and
Frank's house-master entered.

"I have sent for you, gentlemen, on a most painful business," Dr. Litter
said. "I mentioned to you, Mr. Wire, a week since, that I had lost a
ten-pound note. I placed it on the table here, during the morning
lesson, with my keys and pencil. I was called out of the room for half
an hour. When school was over I put the things back in my pocket, but it
was not until the afternoon that I missed the note. Thinking it over, I
could not recall taking it up with the other things from the table; but
of this I could not be positively certain. As I told you, I could not
for a moment believe that any of the boys of my form could have taken
it, and I could only suppose that I had dropped it between the School
and my house.

"As it happened, I had only got the note the day before from my bankers,
and had therefore no difficulty in obtaining the number. I gave notice
at the Bank of England at once that the note had been lost, and
requested them to obtain the name and address of the presenter, should
it be brought in. It was presented yesterday by a man who, after being
questioned, said he was a tailor, living in Bermondsey. As I was
determined to follow the matter up, I saw the Superintendent of Police,
and a policeman was sent across to him. The man said that he had been
seriously injured by one of my boys at a