Blushing scarlet, and deeply agitated, the boy obeyed “The writing on the notice is exactly like yours. Do you know anything of this shameful proceeding?” “Nothing, sir,” he murmured in a low tone. “Nothing whatever?” “Nothing whatever, sir.” Dr. Rowlands’ look searched him through and through, and seemed to burn into his heart. He did not meet it, but hung his head. The Doctor felt certain from his manner that he was guilty. He chained him to the spot with his glance for a minute or two, and then said slowly, and with a deep sigh-- “Very well; I _hope_ you have spoken the truth; but whether you have or no, we shall soon discover. The school, and especially the upper boys, will remember what I have said. I shall now tear down the insulting notice, and put it into your hands, Avonley, as head of the school, that you may make further inquiries.” He left the room, and the boys resumed their usual avocation till twelve o’clock. But poor Eric could hardly get through his ordinary pursuits; he felt sick and giddy, until everybody noticed his strange embarrassed manner, and random answers. No sooner had twelve o’clock struck, than the whole school broke up into knots of buzzing and eager talkers. “I wonder who did it,” said a dozen voices at once. “The writing was undoubtedly Williams’,” suggested some. “And did you notice how red and pale he got when the Doctor spoke to him, and how he hung his head?” “Yes; and one knows how he hates Gordon.” “Ay; by the bye, Gordon set him a Georgic only on Thursday, and he has been swearing at him ever since.” “I noticed that he stayed in after all the rest last night,” said Barker. “Did he? By Jove, that looks bad.” “Has any one charged him with it?” asked Duncan. “Yes,” answered one of the group: “but he’s as proud about it as Lucifer, and is furious if you mention it to him. He says we ought to know him better than to think him capable of such a thing.” “And quite right, too,” said Duncan. “If he did it, he’s done something totally unlike what one would have believed possible of him.” The various items of evidence were put together, and certainly they seemed to prove a strong case against Eric. In addition to the probabilities already mentioned, it was found that the ink used was of a violet color, and a peculiar kind, which Eric was known to patronise; and not only so, but the wafers with which the paper had been attached to the board were yellow, and exactly of the same size with some which Eric was said to possess. How the latter facts had been discovered, nobody exactly knew, but they began to be very generally whispered throughout the school. In short, the almost universal conviction among the boys proclaimed that he was guilty, and many urged him to confess it at once, and save the school from the threatened punishment. But he listened to such suggestions with the most passionate indignation. “What!” he said, angrily, “tell a wilful lie to blacken my own innocent character? Never!”