Burr Junior Part 68

The Doctor took the watch, glanced at the letters, and laid it down.

"Yes," he said sadly, "that is quite right.--Mercer!" Tom started as if he had received a blow, and looked wildly from one to the other.

"Come here."

"Oh, poor, poor Tom!" I sighed to myself, and I looked at him pityingly, while he glanced at me.

"Hah!" e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed the Doctor; "there seems to be some understanding between you. Now, sir, that bin has been used by you for some time, has it not, for your collection?"

"Yes, sir," faltered Mercer.

"You and Burr junior have, I noticed, always been companions."

"Yes, sir."

"He joined you in collecting natural history objects?"

"Yes, sir; a little."

"Could he obtain access to that bin when he wished? Had he a key?"

"He could always get the key, sir, when he liked." The Doctor sighed, and there was silence once more, while I glanced at Mercer wildly, and if he could have read my eyes, he would have known that they said, "Speak out now. Confess, and ask the Doctor to forgive you for giving way to this terrible piece of covetousness."

"Now," said the Doctor, and we both started at the firm, sonorous tones, "speak out frankly, sir. This is no time for trying to conceal the 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!" e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed 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 pa.s.sed 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 circ.u.mstances 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 in your guilt, I wanted to feel that there was no young gentleman in my establishment who could stoop to such a piece of base pilfering; but the truth is so circ.u.mstantially brought home through the despicable meanness of a boy of whose actions I feel the utmost abhorrence, that I am bound to say to you that there is nothing left but for you to own frankly that you have been led into temptation--to say that you bitterly repent of what you have done, and throw yourself upon my mercy. Do this at once, boy, for the sake of those at home who love you."

I felt my face twitch at these words and the picture they evoked, and then, numbed as it were, I stood listening, slightly buoyed up by the feeling that Mercer would speak directly and clear me.

"You were entrusted to my care, Burr junior," continued the Doctor, "as a youth who was in future to enter upon one of the most honourable of careers, that of a soldier; but now that you have disgraced yourself like this--"

"No, no, sir!" I cried. "Don't--pray don't think I took the wretched watch!"

There was so much pa.s.sionate agony in my voice that the Doctor paused for a few moments, before, in the midst of the solemn silence which ensued, he said coldly,--

"Do you deny that you took the watch?"

"Yes, yes. Indeed, indeed I did not take it, sir!" The Doctor sighed.

"Do you deny that you were seen by d.i.c.ksee this morning with the watch in your hands?"

"No, sir; that is true," I said, with a look at Mercer, who hung down his head.

"Then I am bound by the statements that have been made, painful as it is to me, to consider that in a moment of weak impulse you did this base thing. If I am wrong, Heaven forgive me, for _humanum est errare_. The truth, however, seems too clear."

"I--I found it there," I panted.

The Doctor shook his head.

"It is like charging your school-fellow with stealing the watch. Do you do this?"

I was silent.

"Mr Rebble," said the Doctor, "you came here as a gentleman to aid me in the training of these youths. Can you do anything to help me here?"

"I--I," said Mr Rebble huskily, "would gladly do so, sir, if I could.

I wouldn't trust d.i.c.ksee's word in anything. He is as pitiful and contemptible a boy as ever came under my charge, but I am afraid he has spoken the truth here."

"I fear so," said the Doctor. "Mr Hasnip, you have--been but a short time among us, still you have learned the disposition of the pupils.

Can you help me--help us?--for it is terrible to me to have to pa.s.s judgment in such a case."

"Doctor Browne," cried Mr Hasnip warmly, and I saw the tears start to his eyes, "I would give anything to be able to say it is all a mistake."

"But you feel that you can not?"

Mr Hasnip shook his head, and turned away to hide the working of his face, while I stood wondering at the feeling he displayed.