“Nobody except Carroll, the colored man who wipes the chalk off the boards. He entered the room just as I did.”
“Is this the colored man you are speaking of?”—indicating a man in the hall.
“Yes, suh. I’se Carroll, suh; I’se bin heah fo’ty yeahs, suh. Doan’ you rem’ber me, Mistah Thornton, doan’ yo’ rem’ber how I used to wait on yo’ in de ole mess hall, and how I used to bring in tobacco fo’ yo’? Doan’ you rem’ber how de commandment done about cotched yo’ smokin’ a fine cigah onct, an’ I jerked it out er yo’ mouf an’ smoked et myself?” Old Carroll chuckled at the recollection. “Golly, but yo’ wuz a fine young gemmen; yo’ is commandment now, but yo’ mus’ be easy on dese young gemmen, Mistah Thornton.”
“Carroll,” the commandant continued, ignoring the remarks of the old man, “did you see this gentleman, Mr. Moehler, follow the midshipmen out of the section room when the bell rang?”
“Yes, suh, I done see him. Mr. Osborn wuz de last young gemmen out; den, mistah, dis man come to de do’r an’ stan’ dere. I wants to go in, but Mistah Meal he stan’s in de do’rway, an’ I has to wait. Den wen Mistah Meal he goes in an’ I ask him may I rub out and he tol’ me no.”
“It’s evident nobody could have written that but you, Mr. Osborn. Carroll, did you see anybody enter the room?”
“No, suh, ’cept me an’ Mistah Meal.”
“It could have been done by none except one of this section and not one could have written it without your knowledge; and you wrote it. It’s folly for you to deny it,” continued the commandant to Ralph.
“I didn’t write it, sir,” Ralph cried out in anguish of heart, feeling the world was slipping from his feet, and bewildered at what had happened.
“Well, if you didn’t the person who did must be in the closet; Mr. Moehler has not left the room, and the windows are all shut.”