“A very silly proceeding, Harmon. Defacing the property of others is a particularly mean and contemptible form of mischief. And the fact that the Hillsport boys indulged in it was no excuse. Indeed, the appearance of your own town should have shown you how atrocious such vandalism is. I sympathize with the resentment that was felt here last fall when it was found that Hillsport had scrawled the score on our fences and walls, but I do not sympathize in the least with the motive that led you and your companions to commit the same indecency, Harmon. Another thing is that Hillsport was careful not to deface school property. Indeed, as I recall, she displayed some care in the selection of old fences and such places for her—um—decorations. In your case you seem to have tried to do as much damage as possible.”
“But we didn’t know, sir!” protested Willard again.
“And that I find hard to believe,” replied the Doctor, shaking his head. “How many times did you paint the score up?”
“Only twice. The first time on a stable or something. We looked for fences and things like that, but there weren’t any, sir. And we wanted to put it where the Hillsport fellows would be sure to see it, and finally we found that wall! It was outside the school grounds and we didn’t any of us know it was the Principal’s house. We wouldn’t have thought of doing it there if we’d known. It was just—just a joke, sir!”
“A frightfully poor one, Harmon! Who were the others with you?”
Willard dropped his gaze and a moment of silence passed. When he raised his eyes again it was to look rather miserably at the Doctor and shake his head. “I guess I oughtn’t to say, sir,” he answered in low tones.
“I shan’t insist,” said the Doctor gently. “I know how you fellows look at such things. I can’t help reflecting, however, Harmon, that your code of honor as regards matters amongst yourselves is somewhat finer than you display in other matters. You don’t hesitate, it appears, to daub black paint over a man’s brick wall, although that man has never offended you in the least, but you’re outraged at the mere thought of giving information against companions who have aided you in your offenses. Well, you shall suit yourself. I think it my duty, though, to point out to you that, in deciding on the proper punishment in your case, the question of whether you knew or did not know that you were defacing property belonging to the school and occupied by the school Principal is important. You tell me that you did now know and that the others did not know. If, as you say, you had not been in Hillsport before, I am inclined to believe what you tell me of yourself, but I cannot take your word for the others, Harmon. It seems to me extremely unlikely that one or more of them did not know whose property it was. If I knew their names I could question them and find out. As I don’t know their names I am forced to give more credence to the probabilities than to your testimony. You see, Harmon, the affair looks very much like a deliberate insult to Doctor Handley, and it certainly calls for an apology. In apologizing I’d like greatly to be able to assure him that the affair was merely a schoolboy prank and that the depredators were not aware that it was his property they were defiling. But I can’t tell him that without more evidence than your unsupported testimony affords me. Is that clear to you?”
“Yes, sir,” answered Willard unhappily.
“And you still prefer not to give me the names of the others? Remember that I shall make every effort to find out and shall doubtless succeed.”