This confession would have been a great comfort to the Carlings, for they had taken especial pains and made this trip for the sole purpose of seeing Dick. What they had to say concerned Charlie Ladue. It is not to be supposed that they would be so concerned about the acts of Charlie Ladue, if he were the only one. But his acts would involve Sally, sooner or later, and, so long as that was inevitable, it had better be sooner. In fact, the sooner the better. And, each of the Carlings knowing a thing or two, as was to be expected of them, they had had a long deliberation on the subject, only the night before. "S--s--ssomeb--b--body ought t--to kn--n--now ab--bout it," Harry observed. "I w--w--wouldn't b--bother m--myself ab--b--out wh--wh--what t--that l--l--lemon of a k--kid d--did 'f--f it w--wasn't for S--S--Sally. D--d--don't l--like t--to b--be the one t--to t--tell on h--h--him, b--but wh--wh--who d--does? Wh--wh--who'll we t--tell? Th--that's the q--q--question." "C--c--can't t--tell S--S--Sally," Horry remarked. "C--c--course we c--c--can't," Harry replied scornfully. "An--ny f--f--fool'd kn--n--now th--that." "N--n--nor P--P--Patty," Horry remarked further. They both grinned. Harry did not think the observation worthy of a reply. "M--m--might t--tell D--D--Doc--Doc--tor S--S--San--n--damn it. You kn--now." Harry nodded. He did not care to try the name. They both knew. "N--no," he said. "D--D--Dick?" The name came from Horry's lips with the force of an explosion. "D--D--Dick's n--no g--good," Harry replied gloomily. "G--goin' t--to be m--m--married 'n a l--little m--more'n a w--w--week." They both relapsed into silence. After some minutes of silence, Horry heaved a sigh. "N--n--no use," he said. "It's D--D--Dick. C--c--can't th--think of an--nybody else. I'm g--g--goin' d--down to--m--m--morrow. C--c--come b--back s--same d--day; 'll--ll--ll y--you go?" Harry nodded. "'R--r--right," he said. The Carlings were to graduate within a week, which explains their anxiety to get back. Horry rose. Their deliberations were ended. "Th--that d--d--damned f--f--fool m--m--must ha--ha--have d--dropped m--m--more'n f--f--fif--f--teen hundred 'n n--numbers--s--seven th--th--this y--year. I w--wonder wh--wh--whose?" Horry's information was surprisingly accurate. "G--guess it's P--P--Patty's," Harry observed. Accordingly they went down to see Dick. Their story was shot off at him in little puffs, like a bunch of firecrackers. Dick, being diverted by the manner of telling and being much concerned about his engagement with Henrietta, did not take it all in, perhaps, and if he forgot all about it during the next ten days, he is to be excused. CHAPTER XVII