“I’m afraid you’ll have to, Burtis. This sheet of paper contains a full explanation of our signals for the Broadwood game, the original signals, you understand. It was sent to someone at Broadwood and got to the hands of the captain. He returned it to Merriwell. Now you see some explanation is necessary, Burtis.” “But I only made the diagram. It was before we learned the new signals, Mr. Payson.” “This other chap, whose name you won’t tell, took this paper away with him when he left?” “Yes, sir. I never thought――――” “And you did not tell him afterwards about the signals for the Broadwood game?” “No, sir. We never spoke of the thing again.” “And you say this is not your writing?” “No, sir; it isn’t.” “And you know nothing more of this than you’ve told us, Burtis?” “I really don’t. I’m awfully sorry I made that diagram, but――he said――――” “This other fellow?” “Yes, sir. He said he wanted to work out a better system, and asked me to explain the one we were using then. That was all there was to it, Mr. Payson.” Payson frowned. “I’m very much inclined to believe you, Burtis,” he said kindly, “but you must see that until this matter is cleared up you can’t――er――very well accept the captaincy. If I were you I’d see that other fellow right away and get him to tell what he knows, Burtis.” “Yes, sir. And――and am I to――to tell them that I can’t be captain, sir?” “No, that isn’t necessary. I think――Hello, Davis! Want to see me?” “Why, yes, I guess so, Mr. Payson. Are you talking about that business of the signals? Because if you are I can clear that up in a jiffy.” “Well, for goodness sake, do it!” ejaculated Payson. “What do you know?” “I know the whole story,” replied Perky importantly. “Here’s how it was. Cotton got Burtis to make that diagram for him. Then he sneaked into the gym that night we were having signal drill――I told you I saw someone, but you wouldn’t believe me!――and got the signals. Maybe he was there another time, but he doesn’t own to it.” “Then he acknowledges this?” asked Merriwell. “Sure! He had to; I made him!” “How did you get hold of it, Perky?” “Did a little detective work. Got a clue from George Kirk just by accident. Kirk saw Cotton and that fellow Gibson together in Greenburg the day he came back from the golf match with Broadwood. I put two and two together, found that Cotton was at Broadwood two years ago, and then went and told him I knew all about it. He thought I did and ’fessed up.” “Where is he now?” asked Merriwell angrily. Perky shrugged his shoulders. “Search me,” he said. “He left here this morning. That’s all I know!”