“Sus-sus-slick yarn,” commented Danny, while the others, with the exception of Sterndale, smiled scornfully.
Then, for the first time, Don realized that his words had fallen on unbelieving ears and his attempt to expose the villainy of Renwood was a complete failure. More than that, it was plain to him that circumstantial evidence had convinced these fellows that he was the dastardly sneak who had destroyed the football and ruined the suits.
For a moment he turned pale; then all the fury of his fiery nature burst forth, and he raved against them like a person bereft of reason. His eyes glared and a white froth formed on his lips, while he shook all over. It seemed that in his senseless rage he would attack them all, but he did not.
The boys were awed by the spectacle, though Sterndale remained grave and firm, his face expressing no emotion.
“Fools!” snarled Don. “You’re blind! Think I tore off my own necktie and left it behind so you might know I’d been there? How do you suppose I came into possession of that fellow’s knife unless I obtained it just as I’ve stated?”
“That was easy,” declared Renwood himself. “I had the knife Saturday evening just before you entered this room, and I was sitting on that table over there. The knife was beside me when you came in and walked over to the table; when you left this room the knife was gone.”
“That’s right,” nodded Mayfair. “We all hunted for it and couldn’t find it.”
“And now we nun-nun-know why we couldn’t fuf-fuf-find it,” asserted Chatterton, wisely.
“So you think I stole it?” grated the dark-eyed lad, showing his white teeth. “All right, think so, if you like! What do I care! You’re a lot of fools, and you’ll find it out before you are done with Renwood. As for him, he had better look out for me! I know he did the sneaking work Saturday night, and I will prove it against him so there will be no way for him to squirm out of it! Anyhow, I’ll fix him, and you may bet your lives on that!”
Don flung the handsome pearl-handled knife on the floor and started to walk from the room, Renwood having left the doorway free; but Dick Sterndale blocked his passage, putting out a strong hand to stop him.