by Oliver Optic
CHAPTER VII.
IN WHICH ERNEST ATTENDS THE TRIAL OF BILL POODLES AND DICK PEARL.
I confess that I was appalled at the boldness and daring of myfellow-students, who had actually taken possession of the ParkvilleLiberal Institute, and purposed to mete out justice to me and to BillPoodles. There was a certain kind of solemnity in the proceedings,which was not without its effect upon me. My companions werethoroughly in earnest, and the affair was not to be a farce.
Mr. Parasyte, after prayer, had made a statement to the students inregard to the unpleasant event of the day, in which he represented meas a contumacious offender, one who desired to make all the trouble hecould; an obstinate, self-willed fellow, whose example was dangerousto the general peace, and who had refused to be guided by reason andcommon sense. He told the students that he had even offered to pay formy boat--a concession on his part which had had no effect in softeningmy obdurate nature. He appealed to them to sustain the discipline ofthe Parkville Liberal Institute, which had always been celebrated as aremarkably orderly and quiet establishment. He then added that heshould consult my uncle in regard to me, and be guided in some measureby his judgment.
The students heard him in silence; but Bob Hale assured me that it waswith compressed lips, and a fixed determination to carry out the planwhich had been agreed upon while the boys were watching the chase onthe lake, and which had not been modified by the wilful destruction ofthe Splash.
I glanced around at my fellow-students as I entered the hall; andthough they smiled as their gaze met mine, there was a look ofearnestness and determination which could not be mistaken. HenryVallington, the chairman, judge, or whatever the name of his officewas, had the reputation of being the steadiest boy in the school. Itwas understood that he intended to become a minister. He was abouteighteen, and was nearly fitted to enter college. He never joined inwhat were called the "scrapes" of the Institute, but devoted himselfwith the closest attention to his studies. He was esteemed andrespected by all who knew him; and when I saw him presiding over thisirregular assemblage, I could not help regarding the affair as muchmore serious than it had before seemed, even to me, the chief actortherein.
Poodles and Pearl, I learned, had been captured in their rooms, anddragged by sheer force into the school-room, to be examined on thecharges to be preferred against them. Poodles looked timid andterrified, while Pearl was dogged and resolute.
"Thornton," said Henry Vallington, as my conductors paused before thejudge, "I have sent for you in order that we may ascertain the truthof the charges brought against you by Mr. Parasyte. If you provokedthe quarrel to-day noon with Poodles, it is no more than fair andright that you should make the apology required of you. If you didnot, we intend to stand by you. Have you anything to say?"
"I wish to say, in the first place, that, guilty or innocent, I amwilling to submit to whatever penalty the principal imposes upon me."
"That is very well for you, but it won't do for us," interposed thejudge. "If such gross injustice is done to one, it may be to another.We act in self-defence."
"I don't know what you intend to do; but I am opposed to anydisorderly conduct, and to any violation of the rules of theInstitute."
"We know you are, Thornton; and you shall not be held responsible forwhat we do to-night. If you are willing to tell us what you know aboutthis affair, all right. If not, we shall go on without you."
"I am willing to tell the truth here, as I have done to-day. As thereseems to be some mistake in regard to what transpired between Mr.Parasyte and myself, up stairs, I will state the facts as theyoccurred. He agreed to pay for my boat on condition that I wouldapologize, privately, to Poodles, and publicly to the principal. Ioffered to apologize to Mr. Parasyte, but not to Poodles, who was theaggressor in the beginning. I told him, if Poodles would perform halfthe examples now, I would make the apology to him."
"That's it!" shouted half a dozen boys.
"Order!" interposed the judge, sternly.
"I think that would be a good way to prove that Poodles did or did nottell the truth, when he said he had performed the examples,"interposed Bob Hale.
"Capital!" added Tom Rush.
"I approve the method; but let us have no disorder," repliedVallington. "Conduct Poodles to the blackboard."
The custodians of the culprit promptly obeyed this order, and led himto the blackboard, which was cleaned for immediate use. Theschool-room was well lighted, and the expression on the faces of allcould be distinctly seen.
"Poodles, we desire to have justice done to all," said Vallington,when the culprit had taken his place at the blackboard. "You shallhave fair play in every respect. You shall have a chance to provethat you were right, and Thornton wrong."
"Well, I was right," replied Poodles.
"Did you perform all the examples on your paper without any help?"
"Of course I did."
"Then of course you know how to perform them. Here is an examinationpaper. If you can perform five of the ten examples you shall beacquitted."
"Perhaps I don't choose to do them," said Poodles, looking around forsome way to escape his fate.
"Are you not willing that the truth should come out?"
"I told the truth to-day."
"All right, if you did. You surely will not object to _prove_ that youdid. You shall have fair play, I repeat."
"Suppose I don't choose to do them?" asked Poodles, doubtfully.
"Then we shall take it for granted that you did not do them, as youdeclared on your paper."
"You can take it for granted, then, if you like," answered Poodles, ashe dropped the chalk.
"You refuse to perform the examples--do you?" demanded Vallington,sternly.
"Yes, I do."
"Then you may take the consequences. Either you shall be expelled fromthe Institute, or at least fifty of us will petition our parents totake us from this school. We have done with you."
Bill Poodles smiled, and was pleased to get off so easily; but Inoticed that Dick Pearl turned pale, and looked very much troubled. Hewas a relative of Mr. Parasyte, and it was generally understood thathe was a free scholar, his parents being too poor to pay his board andtuition. While he expected to be ducked in the lake, or subjected tosome personal indignity, after the manner in which boys usually treatsuch cases, his courage was good. Now, it appeared that the boyssimply intended to have Poodles expelled, or to ask their parents andguardians to remove them; and as most of the students were fromfourteen to eighteen years of age, they would probably have influenceenough to effect their design.
"Pearl," said the judge, while the other culprit was apparently stillattempting to figure out the result of the trial.
"I'm here," replied Pearl.
"We are entirely satisfied that Poodles had some assistance inperforming his examples. It is believed that you gave him thatassistance. If you did, own up."
"Who says I helped Poodles?"
"I say so, for one," added the judge, sharply.
"Can you prove it?"
"I will answer that question after you have confessed or refused toconfess. You shall have fair play, as well as Poodles. If you wish toput yourself right on the record, you can do so; if not, you shallleave, or we will."
Pearl looked troubled. He was under very great obligations to Mr.Parasyte. If he denied that he had helped Poodles, and it was thenproved against him, the boys would insist that he should be expelled.If he stood out, he must either be expelled or the Institute be brokenup. He did not appear willing to take such a responsibility.
"You can do as you please, Pearl; but tell the truth, if you sayanything," continued Vallington.
"I did help Poodles," said he, looking down at the floor.
"How much did you help him?"
"I lent him my examination paper, and he copied all the solutions uponhis own."
"And after that you were willing to declare that you had not assistedany one?" demanded the judge, with a look of supreme contempt on hisfine featur
es.
"I had not helped any one _when_ I signed my paper."
"Humph!" exclaimed Vallington, with a withering sneer. "That is themeanest kind of a lie."
"I didn't mean to assist him; he teased me till I couldn't helpmyself," pleaded Pearl.
A further examination showed that Poodles had browbeaten andthreatened him; and we were disposed to palliate Pearl's offence, inconsideration of his poverty and his dependent position, after he hadconfessed his error.
"Are you willing to make this acknowledgment to Mr. Parasyte?" askedthe judge, in a tone of compassion.
"I don't want to; but I will. I suppose he will send me home then,"replied the culprit.
"We will do what we can for you," added the judge.
Pearl had been a pretty good fellow among the boys, was generallypopular, and all were sorry for him. But his confession in a mannerabsolved him, and the students heartily declared that they would standby him.
"Our business is finished," said Vallington, "unless Poodles hassomething more to say."
Poodles had listened with consternation to the confession of Pearl,and he now appeared to be dissatisfied with himself rather than withthe court.
"I didn't think Dick Pearl would let on in that way," said he, castinga reproachful glance at his fellow-culprit.
"He has told the truth. If he had not confessed, we could have provedthat he helped you," added Vallington. "I have seen the six papersthat were all right myself. Pearl performed the third example in avery peculiar and roundabout way; and Poodles had it in the same way,while the other did it by the most direct method."
"I suppose it's of no use to stand out now," said Poodles, timidly.
"Will you confess now?"
"I will, if it will do any good."
"If you will tell the truth to Mr. Parasyte, that is all we want. Thefellows haven't anything against you. Will you do so?"
"I will if you say I shall not be expelled," whined Poodles.
"I can only say that we will not ask for your expulsion. I supposethere is no danger of Mr. Parasyte expelling _you_," added the judge,with a dry humor, appreciated by all the students.
"Mr. Parasyte!" exclaimed one of the sentinels at the door.
There was an attempt on the part of the principal to pull the dooropen, but it was well secured upon the inside.
"Let him in," said the judge.
The door opened, and Mr. Parasyte entered the school-room.