“Just what I was thinking,” agreed Ned. “I don’t see, though, how we can prove anything against either of them. Look here, son, I guess the best thing we can do is see Johnny and tell him all about it. After that it will be up to the faculty. Come on!”
They had to wait some time for an audience, but finally they were facing the Doctor, and Ned, as spokesman, was saying very earnestly: “Neither Laurie nor I was out of our room after ten o’clock Friday night, sir. Somebody did come in our window, though, and woke us up. I thought it was Laurie and he thought it was me, and that’s why I didn’t want to answer your question, sir.”
Now, nothing could have been clearer and simpler than that and yet, when Ned had finished, the principal blinked behind his spectacles, gazed a moment in silence, and then waved a hand.
“Sit down, boys,” he said. “Now, Edward I think you’d better say that all over again.”
CHAPTER XXIV
MR. GOUPIL CALLS
After practice that afternoon Laurie returned to the room to find Ned engaged in sorting things out preparatory to packing up. When Laurie entered, however, the other paused in his effort to stuff more rubbish into an already overloaded waste-basket and announced in triumph, “We had it right, partner!”
“Elk Thurston?”
“Elk and Jim Hallock. Elk’s just left here.”
“Left here? You mean he was in to see you?”