“Very well, then,” the prefect said, “I suppose you both may go, too, but it's only another weakness on my part, letting small boys out all day. You big boys must take care of them.”
“Whoop,” shouted Ernest vociferously, and even the disconsolate Henning smiled at Ernest's resemblance in voice and manner to Claude, his brother, especially under stress of any pleasurable excitement.
“Of course I will set about investigating this money matter at once,” resumed Mr. Shalford, “and you six here had better keep the whole matter a secret, at least for a time.”
This injunction was useless. The prefect, this time, had reckoned without his host. At his own exclamation of surprise at the discovery of the theft, several boys who were in the large playroom, crowded around the door, unobserved by the prefect, whose back was toward them. Already the fact was known in the yard to some extent. Already had little excited groups begun to discuss the startling event.
CHAPTER X
A Day's Adventure
MR. SHALFORD at once told the President of the theft, and what he had arranged for Henning. The head of the college agreed with the prefect in thinking that a day's outing for Roy would be the best distraction he could get. A change of scenery and of faces would be beneficial, and prevent the unfortunate boy's mind from dwelling too morbidly on his misfortune while the event was still fresh.
“Why, why, why! What's this? Boys out of bounds? Where are you going? Dear me, dear me,”