“Practically these same facts,” he said, “with the additional information that they were known to Mr. Merriwell, came to me in this letter. Ordinarily, I would not have received this letter until the morning. I am not usually here at the time of the postman’s last afternoon delivery. To-day I happened to stay late. There is a distinct intimation in this letter that Mr. Merriwell willfully suppressed the facts.”
They all stared at one another.
“It looks pretty plain to me, gentlemen,” said the dean. “Some one is trying to kill two birds with one stone—hurt Taylor and Gray and make trouble for Mr. Merriwell here. Don’t you see?”
Dick saw, and he was furious. Moreover, he began to put two and two together. He remembered what Tempest had told him after Parker’s visit to his room, and it began to be apparent to him that Parker or some friends of his had renewed the fight; choosing, however, to strike through Taylor and Gray rather than through Jim Phillips, as they had done before.
“I think it will be well to let these people think they have succeeded, Mr. Merriwell,” said the dean, “for the time, at least. If we show that we know what they are doing, they will be on their guard. As it is, however, they have accomplished very little, and you may be sure that they are planning something much more likely to give you concern than this. I will announce that an investigation is to be made of this examination, and see what happens. Then, if they show their hands, you will be in a position to defeat them completely. It is never well merely to scotch a snake—it should be killed.”
Dick agreed with the dean. And, as he and Taylor went off together, he apologized to the senior for having suspected him.
“I don’t see how you could very well help it,” said the catcher. “That doesn’t worry me at all. But I’d like mighty well to know who’s after me, and what the idea is. I know there are men who don’t like me, but I never supposed they’d go as far as this. By the way, the papers I left in my room were letters—from a girl.”
Dick felt that he need no longer keep his promise of secrecy to Parker. Parker had already violated the terms he had agreed to when the promise was made, and so he told Taylor the whole story of the registered letter, and of Parker’s recent visit to his room.
“He came to get that confession, of course,” said Dick. “I was inclined to distrust him, though I hate to seem to be hard on a man who is sincerely sorry for what he has done, no matter how serious his offense may seem to be.”
“I don’t think there’s much danger of your being unjust to any one, Mr. Merriwell,” said Sam. “I’ve got good reason myself to know that. You certainly gave me more than a fair chance to straighten myself out.”