The silence enveloping the chapel was so intense that the fall of a pin would have sounded loud.
Realizing that such a situation could not be tolerated, the principal at last exclaimed:
“Dawson, I am surprised that you should assume such an attitude in this matter.
“For obvious reasons, I cannot enter into an argument with you as to the source of my information. I will say, however, that I consider my authority reliable.
“It grieves me more than I can express to think that any of my boys should so far forget themselves in their sport as to do damage to the school’s property.
“I shall go to my office directly after I have dismissed chapel, and I shall expect those boys who took part in the breaking of the apparatus to come to me and confess.
“Chapel is dismissed.”
Instantly there was a hum of excited voices as the boys and girls filed from the assembly room where the chapel exercises were held.
Instead of going to their class rooms, however, the members of the Pi Eta society filed out of the schoolhouse and gathered about their leader who had challenged the principal.
“Did any Pi Eta smash the apparatus?” asked Dawson. “If he did, for the good of the society he must go to Larmore and take his medicine. I want to be sure of my facts before I take any further action.”