Everything seemed plain enough in a moment, and he understood why it was suspected that he had known something about the affair. Immediately he resolved to face Bentley in the matter and force the fellow to exonorate him. He hurried straight to Leon’s home, but Mrs. Bentley, a pale-faced, worried-appearing woman, announced that her son had not appeared since school that afternoon.
As Don was departing he found himself again confronted by Simeon Drew, who had followed him without his knowledge. The officer looked at him in a stern, accusing manner that was also full of triumph.
“I kinder jedged you’d hurry to tell t’other feller all about it,” he said. “Now, you kin see you might as well own up.”
“I’ll never own up to a thing I did not do!” cried Don. “You can’t make me, either! If Leon Bentley says I had anything to do with that business, he lies!”
“All right,” grinned the man. “He’ll hev a chanct to tell his story purty soon. You better go hum and keep still.”
Don went home, fully resolved to find his father and make a full confession of everything. Unfortunately, Dr. Scott was not there, having been called on a very serious case, and it was possible that he might not return until late at night.
Restless and excited, his face flushing and paling by turns, Don found himself unable to eat much supper, which convinced his aunt that a serious illness threatened him.
“It’s that dreadful football,” she asserted, positively. “You’re all worked up over it. I knew it would make you sick, and I told Lyman so. There’s no sense in you’re staving yourself to pieces morning, noon and night the way you’ve been doing for the last three weeks.”
Don might have told her everything then, but it was hard enough to have to tell it to his father, and he thought it useless to distress his aunt over a matter she could not remedy. After supper he went out into the village and tried to find Bentley, but it was a long time before he met any one who could give him any information concerning the young rascal.
The doctor’s son was not dull, even though he had been deceived by the crafty Leon, and, in thinking the whole matter over, he was assailed by a doubt concerning the genuineness of the portion of a letter that Bentley claimed to have found beneath Renwood’s desk.