Dax was beginning to feel annoyed although he didn't know exactly why.
For one thing, he had let himself seem to be defending Mallison. It
was his craze for accuracy, of course. "I don't understand why the
parents of these boys aren't here," he was surprised to hear himself
say. "It seems to me they ought to have some kind of defense counsel if
there is going to be a trial."
The principal looked at him steadily. "Would _you_ care to act in that
capacity?"
Dax felt that he was getting redder than ever. "Have you had a doctor
examine Mallison for ... for the effects of narcotics?" he said.
"Where are these policemen you said you spoke to? Shouldn't they be
informed of your suspicions, instead of holding a kind of star chamber
inquisition? It's ... it's _medieval_!"
Mr. Lightstone glared at him in astonishment.
Dax had a sudden thought. "The chemistry lab is right over my class
room," he said. "Why couldn't the packet have fallen from there?"
"What would _they_ be doing with heroin?"
"But we don't know yet that--"
The principal interrupted him and swept his arm in a gesture of
all-inclusive condemnation. "We will in good time! But if you have
never seen guilt before, you see it now!" He looked at the startled
young faces with abhorrence. "Look at them!"
* * * * *
Dax had a curious and violent revulsion, although he hadn't followed
the line of reasoning in Lightstone's last remark. In fact, he
realized that he hadn't really heard the words. But the principal's
angry face made his hackles rise.
The principal had a menacing look. He was the most dangerous looking
thing he had ever seen. A convulsive shudder went through all of Dax's
muscles, and he leapt--straight across Mrs. Lightstone's lap, who fell
over backwards, screaming. Everyone was making loud, garbled noises,
and he was on top of Lightstone, scratching and biting.
He heard himself give a loud, warlike and triumphant yowl.
End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Tybalt, by Stephen Barr
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account