CHAPTER XIIA PRISONER
The fatal power and tenacity of proctor Murray’s grasp was known to every student of Belmont College, if not by personal experience, at least by reputation. From the moment I discovered that it was his hand upon my shoulder, I realized that further resistance would be worse than useless, so I stood perfectly still, and endeavored to accept the situation calmly. Still holding me firmly with one hand, he coolly scratched a match with the other, held it close to my face for an instant, and then extinguished it.
“Oh, it’s you, is it, Mr. Elder?” he said. “This is the first time I ever caught you in a scrape.”
“Yes, Dan,” I answered, “and no one regrets it more than I do. If I could have had only fifteen seconds’ more start, I’ll venture to say you never would have caught me.”
“Perhaps not,” he said, with a short laugh, “but here you are all the same. You’re a Junior, Mr. Elder. That’s pretty late in your college life to be out on a spree.”
“I own that, Dan, and the worst of it is that I never knew there was going to be any mischief until I found myself in the midst of it——”
“Oh, I suppose not,” said Murray, with slight sarcasm. “It has been my experience always to catch the innocent men. It was always therestthat were to blame. Now, since you had nothing to do with this little trouble I suppose you wouldn’t mind telling me who were the chief parties concerned, before I let you go.”
I knew that he was joking, but I could not help a slight sense of resentment at this proposition.
“Well, now, Dan,” I replied, “you don’t suppose that you are going to get any such information as that from me, do you? You don’t suppose that I am going to betray the others——”
“Oh, then you were one of them?” said Dan, still enjoying his little joke. “I supposed from what you said that you were only a spectator, and, somehow, got mixed up in the trouble.”
“I am willing to stand my share of the responsibility,” I answered.
“Well, Mr. Elder, I’m sorry you got caught. There are many worse young men in college than you, and I wish I had caught one of them instead, but as it is, I am afraid you’ll have to stand the racket.”
“All right, Dan,” I answered.
“I won’t say anything unless the faculty ask me to report, but I know they will, for there have been a good many college laws broken to-night—and a good many college windows, too, if I’m not mistaken. It’s pretty serious trouble all around, and I don’tthink there’s any doubt but what the faculty will need you at their meeting to-morrow.”
“Very well, then; I suppose I’ll have to oblige them,” I answered soberly, as I thought of the possible results of that meeting.
“You can go now, Mr. Elder. I hope you’ll get off easy,” added Murray, as he took his hand from my shoulder and walked away.
I started for my room, but before I had taken three steps an idea occurred to me.
“Hullo, Dan!” I called after Murray’s receding figure. He stopped.
“Well, what is it, Mr. Elder?”
“When you are asked to report to-morrow, would you mind saying in my favor that I wore no mask?”
“Hullo! So the rest wore masks, did they?” exclaimed Murray gruffly. “That won’t help matters any.”
I saw the fatal mistake I had made, and I could have bitten my tongue off for speaking. I was so out of patience with myself that I turned abruptly and dashed up stairs to my room, where I threw myself on my sofa and brooded for half an hour in mortified silence.
It seemed, then, that Dan Murray had not known that the other fellows wore masks. It was probable that he did not arrive on the scene till quite late, and was unable to scrutinize any one closely except myself. Of course if I had kept silent the fact that masks were used would not have been known, but,now that I had betrayed it, the affair immediately took on a far more serious aspect.
“It is too bad,” I thought bitterly, “and yet how could I help it? It never occurred to me that Dan had not noticed the masks.”
One consideration alone arose to console me in my self recrimination, and that was rather a poor sort of consolation.
“After all,” I said, “since I am the only one caught to-night, none suffers by it except myself. I only made matters worse for myself by saying anything about the masks.”
Concerning the nature of the results of the night’s adventures I could only surmise; but now that the excitement was over and I could look at the matter soberly, I felt grave doubts arising in my mind. The spirit in which most of the fellows had acted had been one of open defiance of college laws, so I had no reason to doubt that the faculty would view the affair very seriously. Wearing masks and blowing horns had always been regarded as an indication of the most disorderly spirit, and had usually been met by the severest penalties, in the form of suspension from college for some time, and in one or two cases outright expulsion. My uneasiness rapidly increased as my mind dwelt on the possible fate awaiting me.
“It’s all Percy Randall’s fault,” I exclaimed impatiently. “Confound him and his mischievous pranks! If we had gone quietly to our rooms after setting the cannons in place, or had contented ourselveswith three cheers, all would have been well. As it is now, I don’t know what is to become of me.”
I passed an anxious and almost sleepless night on the sofa where I had flung myself when I entered. As the hours dragged slowly along, the condition of my nerves scarcely improved, and by the time the first gray streaks of dawn appeared, I had worried myself into a state bordering on distraction. My bones were aching from insufficient rest, and my head was burning and feverish.
I rose about seven o’clock, and, bathing my face, redressed myself, and waited impatiently for the breakfast hour. I was anxious to get away from myself, to find something to do or some one to talk to—anything but the long, lonely silence of the past few hours. I left my room as soon as I heard the first signs of life about the building, and went over to my eating club. On the way I noticed that nearly every window on the first floor of Burke and Colver Halls had been shattered by the cannons the night before—a fact that scarcely contributed to lessen my anxiety.
To my great relief I found Tony Larcom before me at the club. Tony looked as if he had slept scarcely more than I, but he was bright and cheerful as usual. He looked at me curiously.
“See here, Harry,” said he, “you don’t want to carry around such a guilty face as that to-day. You’ll be arrested on suspicion.”
“It’s too late now,” I answered, “because I’ve alreadybeen caught. I fell into Dan Murray’s clutches last night.”
Instantly Tony was all concern.
“Oh, thunder, Harry, that’s too bad!” he exclaimed, putting his hand on my shoulder. “Really, I’m awfully sorry about that. I heard a rumor that somebody had been caught, but I thought it was surely one of Percy Randall’s select band—and it would have served them right, too; but to think thatyougot caught. Oh, that was hard luck.”
I thought so myself, but to hear some one else say so did me good, and Tony’s sympathy was so genuine that my spirits improved somewhat under it.
I determined to say nothing about my capture to any one else, knowing well that it would become known quickly enough when the faculty took action in the matter. Whatever action they contemplated, I received no advice concerning it during the morning or early afternoon, and the day was, therefore, a period of uneasy suspense to me. Without Tony Larcom and his unfailing good humor for companionship I do not know what I would have done. I never appreciated his friendship so much as then.
All doubt was dispelled from my mind when, at the close of the afternoon recitation, Mr. Dikes, who stood just by the door as my classmates filed out, touched me on the shoulder, and beckoned me to one side.
“The faculty wish to see you at their meeting in the main college office, Mr. Elder.”
“All right, Mr. Dikes,” I answered with all the calmness I could summon. “I am ready.”
“If you will step into my office,” he said, “I will let you know when they want you.”
As I started after Mr. Dikes, I felt some one touch me. It was Tony Larcom.
“I wish you good luck, old fellow,” he said, hastily pressing my arm. “Keep up your spirits, and don’t let them rattle you.”
I nodded my thanks, and followed Mr. Dikes into his office.