“Come into the house. My wife will be glad to see you—she’s much better than when I had to hurry for a doctor that time,” added the church man.
“We haven’t much time to spare, Mr. Pelham,” said Fred. He lowered his voice. “We came on a little business.”
“Is that so? What do you want?”
“You once said if you could do me a favor you would,” continued the owner of the Ajax.
“So I will.”
“I came to see you about that bell clapper that was brought back to the church this afternoon.”
“Ah!” Deacon Pelham’s face became a study. “Did you take it?”
“No, sir.”
“Glad to hear it. It was a scandalous piece of business. But what do you know about it?”
“I know that some of the cadets of Putnam Hall wish to hush the matter up. It was only a little joke and——”