“I don’t know. Maybe it isn’t a wrist. He’s got something wrong, though, for I heard Dave Brewster talking about it.” After a minute Kewpie returned to his grievance, and, since Laurie appeared busy with his own thoughts, he was allowed to unburden himself to his heart’s content. Ned condoled with him somewhat abstractedly. When he had taken himself out Laurie broke the silence.
“With Elk out of the game,” he said bitterly, “I’d have had my chance to-day, and then this had to happen!”
Ned might have reminded Laurie that he had only himself to blame, but he didn’t. He only said, “I’m sorry, old son.” There was sincerity in his tone, and Laurie heard it. He made no answer, however. But later, at supper, their feud was dead, and after supper, in the room, they talked enough to make up for twenty-four hours of silence. One subject, though, was not mentioned.
Sunday morning the blow fell. There was another visit to Dr. Hillman’s study. Both boys were again questioned, but their answers did not vary from those they had given on Saturday. The Doctor showed genuine regret when he made known the decision of the faculty. Laurie had been exonerated from lack of evidence against him, although it was apparent that the Doctor considered him as deserving of punishment as Ned. Ned was suspended. That meant that he would not be passed in his examinations and would have to return next year as a lower-middler again. He might, as the Doctor reminded him, study during the summer and so make the upper-middle class during the fall term, however. As the present term was so nearly at an end, the Doctor continued, Ned would be permitted to remain at school until Laurie was ready to accompany him home. The Doctor ended the interview with the suggestion that it would be a manly act on the part of the twins to reimburse Mr. Wells for the damage done to his car. Ned opened his mouth as though to say something then, but he changed his mind and closed it again very tightly. A minute later they were outside.
“Gosh, Ned, I’m sorry!” said Laurie miserably.
Ned nodded. “Thanks. It’s all right. One of us had to get it.”
“One of us?” repeated Laurie a bit blankly. “Why, yes, I suppose so, but—”
“Well, you’ve got your baseball to look after, and I haven’t anything. So it’s better they picked on me, isn’t it?”
“We—ell,” began Laurie. Then he stopped and shook his head in a puzzled way. Finally, “You’ll stick around until Thursday, won’t you?” he asked anxiously.
The other nodded. “Might as well,” he said. “I could get out now and wait for you in New York, but I don’t see any reason why I should spend all that money just to act haughty.”