"It's a' their wyte, the baad boys! She never did the like afore. They hae ruined her temper," he said, as he left the school, following Juno, which was tugging away at the string as if she had been a blind man's dog.
"Well, what have you to say for yourself, William?" said Malison.
"She began 't, sir."
This best of excuses would not, however, satisfy the master. The punishing mania had possibly taken fresh hold upon him. But he would put more questions first.
"Who besides you tortured the poor animal?"
Curly was silent. He had neither a very high sense of honour, nor any principles to come and go upon; but he had a considerable amount of devotion to his party, which is the highest form of conscience to be found in many.
"Tell me their names, sir?"
Curly was still silent.
But a white-headed urchin, whom innumerable whippings, not bribes, had corrupted, cried out in a wavering voice:
"Sanny Forbes was ane o' them; an' he's no here, 'cause Juno worried him."