"You will be yourself ashamed of having ever suspected him before long,"
said Montagu warmly; "ay, the whole lot of you; and you are very unkind to condemn him before you are certain."
"I wish you joy of your _friend_, Duncan," sneered Barker.
"Friend?" said Duncan, firing up; "yes! he is my friend, and I'm not ashamed of him. It would be well for the school if _all_ the fellows were as honorable as Williams."
Barker took the hint, and although he was too brazen to blush, thought it better to say no more.
CHAPTER XII
THE TRIAL
"A plot, a plot, a plot, to ruin all." TENNYSON, _The Princess_.
On the Monday evening, the head boy reported to Dr. Rowlands that the perpetrator of the offence had not been discovered, but that one boy was very generally suspected, and on grounds that seemed plausible. "I admit," he added, "that from the little I know of him he seems to me a very unlikely sort of boy to do it."
"I think," suggested the Doctor, "that the best way would be for you to have a regular trial on the subject, and hear the evidence. Do you think that you can be trusted to carry on the investigation publicly, with good order and fairness?"
"I think so, sir," said Avonley.
"Very well. Put up a notice, asking all the school to meet by themselves in the boarders' room tomorrow afternoon at three, and see what you can do among you."
Avonley did as the Doctor suggested. At first, when the boys assembled, they seemed inclined to treat the matter as a joke, and were rather disorderly; but Avonley briefly begged them, if they determined to have a trial, to see that it was conducted sensibly; and by general consent he was himself voted into the desk as president. He then got up and said--
"There must be no sham or nonsense about this affair. Let all the boys take their seats quietly down the room."
They did so, and Avonley asked, "Is Williams here?"
Looking round, they discovered he was not. Russell instantly went to the library to fetch him, and told him what was going on. He took Eric's arm kindly as they entered, to show the whole school that he was not ashamed of him, and Eric deeply felt the delicacy of his goodwill.
"Are you willing to be tried, Williams," asked Avonley, "on the charge of having written the insulting paper about Mr. Gordon? Of course we know very little how these kind of things ought to be conducted, but we will see that everything done is open and above ground, and try to manage it properly."
"There is nothing I should like better," said Eric.
He had quite recovered his firm, manly bearing. A quiet conversation with his dearly loved friend and master had assured him in the confidence of innocence, and though the color on his cheek had through excitement sunk into two bright red spots, he looked wonderfully noble and winning as he stood before the boys in the centre of the room. His appearance caused a little reaction in his favor, and a murmur of applause followed his answer.
"Good," said Avonley; "who will prosecute on the part of the school?"
There was a pause. Nobody seemed to covet the office.
"Very well; if no one is willing to prosecute, the charge drops."
"I will do it," said Gibson, a Rowlandite, one of the study boys at the top of the fifth form. He was a clever fellow, and Eric liked the little he had seen of him.
"Have you any objection, Williams, to the jury being composed of the sixth form? or are there any names among them which you wish to challenge?"
"No," said Eric, glancing round with confidence.
"Well, now, who will defend the accused?"
Another pause, and Upton got up.
"No," said Eric, at once. "You were inclined to distrust me, Upton, and I will only be defended by somebody who never doubted my innocence."
Another pause followed, and then, blushing crimson, Russell got up. "I am only a Shell-boy," he said, "but if Eric doesn't mind trusting his cause to me, I will defend him, since no other fifth-form fellow stirs."
"Thank you, Russell, _I wanted_ you to offer, I could wish no better defender."
"Will Owen, Duncan, and Montagu help me, if they can?" asked Russell.
"Very willingly," they all three said, and went to take their seats by him. They conversed eagerly for a few minutes, and then declared themselves ready.
"All I have got to do," said Gibson, rising, "is to bring before the school the grounds for suspecting Williams, and all the evidence which makes it probable that he is the offender. Now, first of all, the thing must have been done between Friday evening and Saturday morning; and since the school-room door is generally locked soon after school, it was probably done in the short interval between six and a quarter past. I shall now examine some witnesses."
The first boy called upon was Pietrie, who deposed, that on Friday evening, when he left the room, having been detained a few minutes, the only boy remaining in it was Williams.
Carter, the school-servant, was then sent for, and deposed, that he had met Master Williams hastily running out of the room, when he went at a quarter past six to lock the door.
Examined by Gibson.--"Was any boy in the room when you did lock the door?"
"No one."
"Did you meet any one else in the passage?"
"No."
Cross-examined by Russell.--"Do boys ever get into the room after the door is locked?"
"Yes."
"By what means?"
"Through the side windows."
"That will do."
Russell here whispered something to Duncan, who at once left the room, and on returning, after a few minutes' absence, gave Russell a significant nod.
Barker was next brought forward, and questioned by Gibson.
"Do you know that Williams is in the habit of using a particular kind of ink?"
"Yes; it is of a violet color, and has a peculiar smell."
"Could you recognise anything written with it?"