“Not by a blamed sight!” came vehemently from the lips of the Virginian. “You are not the only one to blame! We are all to blame!”
“That’s so,” said the voice of Harry Rattleton.
“Merriwell was the one who originated the scheme,” said Danny Griswold. “If it hadn’t been for him——”
A grating exclamation broke from Diamond’s lips.
“Don’t play the coward now, Gris!” he snarled. “Shoulder your part of the blame! You are in it, just the same as the rest of us.”
Then, in gloomy silence, they pulled back against the stream to the place where they had found the boat. There Browning was waiting for them. He questioned them eagerly, fearfully, but their silence was the answer he had feared.
Half an hour later they were far from the spot, sitting in the back room of a certain student’s resort. Frank had emptied the water from his shoes, and now he was drying his trousers. He had drawn on his coat over his wet clothes.
Very few words passed between them. Griswold was frightened, Browning was dejected, Rattleton was desperate, and Diamond was defiant. Frank seemed to be thinking deeply.
After a long time, Bruce asked:
“What is to be done, Merry?”