“White!” This time there was a noticeable annoyance in his voice.
Still, no answer. Again, the principal glanced down the lines, over his glasses, and then went on with the calling of the roll.
Oh, why didn’t Tim and the others hurry? Joan pressed her face against the glass of the door where they were standing, and looked out. The path to the stone gates was deserted. Everything looked so lonesome out here in the country, at night like this. The stars blinked sleepily and peacefully, just as though they had not looked down upon the burning of the West library, and were now looking down on perhaps two runaway boys scuttling over the lonely, moonlit roads. No, Joan was confident that Alex had not deserted, had not broken the honor system. It meant too much to him, she was sure. Something must have happened to keep him from reporting at the school with the rest of the boys. Something terrible. What?
“Do any of you know anything about these two who are missing?” asked the principal, sharply.
A boy at the end of the row volunteered. “They was both with us till we got to the old hospital. Charley thought up going home across the lots ’cause it was quicker, and Alex said all right. They marched us along ahead of them, then, and we just kept on marching, like they told us to.”
“Plain case of parole breaking,” Mr. Link said to his weary-looking clerk. “I told you, Bassett, that it would never do to send them alone. I knew that honor system wouldn’t work.” His mouth became a hard, thin line. “This’ll give us a black eye with the state, I’m afraid. I’m not surprised at Charley Falls, but I thought that White boy had good stuff in him. Might have known he was too innocent looking. He was the one who advocated the honor system, and I fell for it.”
“But why didn’t they run off on the way to the fire, if they had planned to desert all along?” interpolated the clerk.
“No boy could resist the thrill of helping at a real fire,” replied the principal.
“Well, be a little lenient,” suggested Mr. Bassett. “The boys may be delayed. Perhaps they went back to help with the fire, or something. Give them until ten o’clock to report.”
The principal stroked his rough chin. “Well, all right. That’ll do for now, boys. Go to your dormitories, but don’t go to bed. We’ll have another fire drill in half an hour.”