Meadowcroft continued to look from one to another. He hadn’t expected anything like this. It seemed incredible that any one of the three should be so hardened as to feel no compunction, to be unwilling to express even perfunctory regret. And to have them all dumb! He didn’t know how to proceed.
“Am I to conclude that it has been a wilful disregard of rules—a sort of brazen disobedience, as I can’t help terming it?” he demanded with a hint of bitterness, for he was terribly hurt.
No one denied even that extreme statement. Suddenly Meadowcroft turned rather fiercely to Tommy.
“Am I to conclude it has been a wilful disregard of rules?”
“Finnemore, what did you mean when you told me a fortnight since that Miss Pogany and Miss Harrow had remained away from class because it was slippery and they wished to start home early?” he demanded sharply. “Was that the truth?”
Tommy had his tongue between his teeth to keep them from chattering. By all the signs, he seemed in the throes of an ague, but the other fellows wouldn’t understand that and would think he was scared. Unable to speak, he shook his head jauntily.
“Did Miss Pogany tell you to make that excuse?”
“O no, sir, she didn’t know anything about it,” the boy cried emphatically.
“Then why did you say such a thing?” Meadowcroft demanded very sternly.