Hugh watched the proceedings with a look of amusement, never dreaming for one moment that his desk would contain other than his usual school-books, with a judicious admixture of toffee, string, etc.
But to the lad's utter astonishment and horror, Mr. Deans, after rummaging amongst the contents of his desk, came upon the missing book, which he held up to the gaze of the whole school.
For a moment there was dead silence, and then Hugh, rising from his seat without a trace of guilt in his honest, fearless eyes, said excitedly, "I never put it there, sir! Some mean—"
"Silence!" thundered Dr. Willoughby. "This then, Rose, is the meaning of your excellent arithmetic."
The satire did not crush Hugh in the least, he only felt a burning desire to thrash somebody. The injustice of it all had aroused his wrath, and only by rigid self-control, and wholesome dread of his master combined, did he manage to keep silence.
Some of Hugh's partisans looked sorry for him, but there were not a few who bestowed contemptuous glances on the offender. In the eyes of the entire school, the high-spirited lad was humiliated, and Reg's triumph was complete.
At mid-day, Hugh's conduct was the chief topic of conversation, and Frank, whose devotion to his brother was very great, was absolutely boiling over with indignation. So much enraged was he, that he threatened to fight any one of the boys who dared cast a slur on Hugh's character in his presence. His cousin Monty being rather an adept with his fists, quite enjoyed the idea of picking a quarrel with his classmate.
"We know now why Hugh is so clever with his sums," he said, sneeringly.
"Do you?" retorted Frank. "So do I—it's because he has more brains than you and your brother put together."
"H'm, that remains to be proved," said Monty irritatingly; "but it's funny that the book should find its way to his desk. I suspect it walked there in the night."