No reply.
"If you don't answer my questions, I shall have to whip you; who else was going with you?"
Lester looked appealingly to Brush, then to Alexander. Aleck was writing the sentence in his book; but, when he heard Gray-beard's threat to whip Lester, he arose without finishing the last word. All eyes turned upon him, and there was a stir among the pupils.
"What is it, Alexander," asked Gray-beard, "what do you know about this strange performance?"
"Lester is not to blame, sir; I made him go out of the window, and I held the rope to let him down."
"And I helped him to do it," came from a voice in another part of the room; it was Brush, who had silently risen; "we compelled the two—we compelled Lester to go out of the window."
"You said there were two boys who were going out of the window, who was the other?" asked Gray-beard, determined to find out all the participants in the mischief.
Those of us who knew, looked toward Joel; an expression of fear stole over his face and he anxiously awaited Brush's answer.
"I did not say that, sir," he replied; "Lester was going down alone."