“Well, Gould,” said Crawley, “I hope that your doubts as to my story of having been robbed are set at rest.”
“I don’t know that I ever had any,” replied Gould rather sullenly; “only when a thing like that happens, and nothing can be found out, one puts it in every possible light. Saurin said you were a careless fellow about money matters, and might have mixed up the club money with your own and paid it away without knowing, and then thought you had been robbed. Of course one sees now why he put the idea about; but at the time it looked just possible, and fellows discussed it, I amongst them.”
“Well, it was not pleasant for me, as you may easily understand,” said Crawley. “However, that is all over, and we will say nothing more about it. And now, of course we will all keep our council about this business for some time. It would be breaking faith with Saurin if we let a word escape before he has left the school; because, if the doctor heard of it, he would insist on expelling him at any rate.”
“Yes; and we had better hold our tongues for our own sakes,” observed Robarts. “My father’s a lawyer, and I have heard him talk about something of the same kind. And I have a strong idea that we have just committed a crime, as that chap in the French play talked prose without knowing it.”
“What do you mean?”
“Just this, that to make terms with a thief, by which you agree not to prosecute him, is a legal offence called ‘compounding a felony.’”
This notion of Robarts, whether right or wrong, had the useful effect of sealing Gould’s lips for some time to come. It only wanted a week to the holidays, so the struggle was not so very prolonged.
Crawley went to see Edwards directly the council-board broke up, and found him nervous and depressed.
“Perhaps I had no right to speak,” he said. “It was not for me to tell. I wouldn’t; only you thought yourself under suspicion, and you have been so good to me.”
Well, Crawley could not but thank him and tell him he was quite right; but he was not able for the life of him to say so in very cordial tones.