A murmur of applause followed, but a heavy rap on the desk silenced it, and Mr. Bernard continued:--
"I am sorry to add, that unless the guilty boy is manly enough to save him by confessing his guilt, Chester must lose his fortnight in camp."
An audible "Oh no!" followed this. But Joe's voice did not join in the murmur; he only bent a little lower over his book, and looked steadily at the page without seeing a word upon it.
"You are dismissed."
The bell gave the signal for each class, and the boys passed out in an orderly way; but once outside there was a shout, "Chester! Chester!"
As soon as he appeared he was seized by the crowd and borne on the shoulders of his comrades to the centre of the playground, where all began cheering and scolding him in the same breath.
"If any fellow is mean enough to keep still and let you bear the punishment, he ought to be told on! I wouldn't keep his secret for him!" exclaimed one of the older boys.
"I declare I didn't know we had such a mean fellow among us!" said another.
"He must feel about the size of a dried pea about this time."
"But he won't be mean enough to let you stay behind and go himself to camp out," said Fred Wurden, one of the quiet boys.