“I’ll do the best I can,” Sam promised, “but listen to me, anyway. What I’m getting at is that, as Poke had it, if Orkney was driven out of town, we had a lot to do with the driving. We called it a good job, but was it? It was _not_! We didn’t play fair; we didn’t give him a square deal. He was entitled to the benefit of the doubt, and we always counted the doubt against him. I know, I know what you’re thinking--he _was_ a cub, and a chronic grouch, and a trouble maker; but the ugly fact remains that we accused him of a lot of things he didn’t do, and had no intention of doing. And I say, in such a case, it’s up to us to see that, at last, he gets a square deal. I don’t say it so much for his sake as for our own.” “Umph! Matter of self-respect?” queried the Shark. “Just that!” said Sam emphatically. For a moment there was silence. “But, Sam!” ventured Herman Boyd. “Aren’t you piling it on this crowd? Suppose Orkney was--er--er--os--os--what’s that word I want?” “Ostracized?” suggested Step. “That’s it--ostracized. Well, suppose that was what happened to Orkney. We didn’t do it--all. The whole school had a hand.” “That doesn’t relieve us of responsibility for our part.” “You’re right, Sam,” said Poke very soberly; for like the others he felt the influence of Sam’s earnestness. “You’re right. We’ve got some responsibility. We were boasting of it the other day, and we can’t crawfish and shirk it now. But what’s the practical thing? What can we do about it?” “That’s it! What can we do?” echoed Step and the Trojan. “We can talk, argue,” Sam explained. “We can tell people Orkney has been misjudged. We can spread everywhere the truth about Little Perrine.” “Well, I’ll go so far, gladly,” said Step. “Same here!” cried the Trojan. “Of course,” agreed Poke. The Shark was frowning slightly. “If you fellows had listened to my demonstration about the flight of the boulder, you wouldn’t have to listen now to Sam. But it’s better late than never.” “Oh, cut the crowing!” said Step testily. “Might as well--it’ll be the same story over again next time I try to put anything before you in black and white.” Step turned to Sam. “I don’t like Orkney,” he said. “I never expect to like him. But I’ll promise to help set him right with the school. If there were any way to find him and bring him back, I’d jump at the chance.” “Guess you can make that promise for the whole club!” exclaimed Poke. “Sure!” cried the Trojan. The others nodded, a bit solemnly. “Then we’ll consider it a definite agreement,” said Sam. “If any of us get a clue, a tip, a hint, the whole club will pull together in whatever may be done.” Step laughed rather vaguely and glanced at the Shark. “What are the mathematical odds against getting a clue, old Headlights? Figure ’em out for us.” The Shark’s lip curled. “Can’t! Problem’s all unknown quantities. But you may have bull luck. It’s always coming to blooming idiots.” Sam interposed in the interest of peace.