“And I do not oppose the remand,” said Dr Jolliffe. “I am perfectly convinced of the boy’s complete innocence; but in his interest I should like the matter to be gone into further, now the accusation has once been made.”
“Very good; this day week, then. And I will take your bail for his appearance, Dr Jolliffe.”
And it being so arranged, everybody went home through the snow; and the police took up a wrong scent altogether, that, namely, of the gang that had been taking game in another part of the preserves earlier in the night, and to which it was somewhat naturally supposed the other two belonged. And one of them was traced, and a reward, together with impunity, was offered to him if he would turn queen’s evidence, and say who had struck down the keeper. But the man, of course, could tell nothing about it.
As for Tom Buller, he went back to his lessons as usual, and was a hero. It was something novel to have a fellow out of prison on bail at Weston, and the boys racked their brains for some evidence in his favour. His flogging was put off sine die, for the doctor felt it unjust to deal with his case scholastically while the question of his punishment by the laws of the country was still pending. The only boy who thought of anything practical was Smith, “Old Algebra,” as they called him. He went up privately to Mr Rabbits one day and said, “I beg your pardon, sir, but might I speak to you for a moment?”
“Certainly, Smith,” said Mr Rabbits; “what is it?”
“When you saw Buller getting in at the window by the light of your magnesium wire, did you notice his skates?”
“Bless me!” cried Mr Rabbits; “now you mention it, I think—nay, I am sure I did. They were hanging round his neck. To be sure; why, that tends to corroborate his assertion that he went skating.”
“Will it not be enough to clear him, sir?”
“Well, not quite, I fear. You see, they may say that he might have started to go skating, and met with this poacher, and gone off with him out of curiosity. But still it is worth something, and I shall make a point of appearing before the magistrate and giving evidence on the point. It was a very good idea of yours—very.”
When the snow ceased, the boys took brooms with them to the gravel-pits and cleared a space, which grew larger every time they went to skate on it, some of the hangers-on of the school helping forward the work for what coppers and sixpences they could pick up. But they were lazy, loafing dogs, and the boys did most of it for themselves. Buller did not go to the ice any more, however; though not expressly forbidden, he thought the doctor would not like it; it would look as if he did not take his position seriously enough. It was for the sake of skating that he had broken out at night and got into this scrape, and so now he would deny himself.