found the wallet in the pocket of my pantaloons?" asked Hector,
slowly.

"Yes. There can be no doubt about that."

"Who put it there?" demanded Hector, quickly.

Socrates Smith was staggered, for he had not expected this query from
the accused.

"Who put it there?" he repeated.

"Yes, sir," continued Hector, firmly. "If the matter is as you state it,
some one has been mean enough to put the wallet into my pocket in order
to implicate me in a theft."

"Of course you put it there yourself, Roscoe. Your defense is very
lame."

Hector turned round to his fellow-scholars.

"Boys," he said, "you have heard the charge that has been made against
me. You know me pretty well by this time. Is there any one of you that
believes it to be true?"

"No! No!" shouted the boys, with one exception. Jim Smith was heard to
say distinctly, "I believe it!"

"Silence in the school!" shouted Socrates. "This is altogether
irregular, and I won't have it."

Hector turned to the principal, and said, calmly:

"You see, Mr. Smith, that, in spite of your proof, these boys will not
believe that your charge is well founded."

"That is neither here nor there, Roscoe. Will anyone step up and prove
your innocence?"

There was another sensation. In the second row back a boy was seen to
rise.

"Mr. Smith," said Ben Platt, "I can prove Roscoe's innocence!"

CHAPTER XX. HECTOR GAINS A VICTORY.

There were two persons on whom Ben Platt's declaration made a profound
impression. These were Jim Smith and his uncle, the learned Socrates.
The latter was surprised, for he was fully persuaded that the charge
he had made was a true one, and Hector was a thief. As for Jim, his
surprise was of a very disagreeable nature. Knowing as he did that, he
himself had taken the money, he was alarmed lest his offense was to
be made known, and that the pit which he had digged for another should
prove to be provided for himself.

Socrates was the first to speak after taking time to recover himself
from his surprise.

"This is a very extraordinary statement, Platt," he said. "You say you
can prove Roscoe's innocence?"

"Yes, sir," answered Platt, firmly.

"I wish no trifling here, sir," said the principal, sharply. "I myself
found the wallet in Roscoe's pocket."

"Yes, sir," answered Ben Platt, "I know it was there."

"You knew it was there!" repeated Socrates. "How did you know it was
there?"

"Because I saw it put in."

Here Jim Smith's