That was not all. Next morning he sat next to Calder, a Classic boy, in Hall, and asked him if he could keep a secret. Oh yes, Calder could keep any amount of secrets. Then Wilcox told him the same story that he had confided to Underwood, only adding that the amount in question was said to be several pounds.
Calder hazarded the names of several boys; but Wilcox shrugged his shoulders at them all.
“You’d better not ask me,” he said; “it will only get out and make trouble.”
“Oh! but I promise I wouldn’t tell a soul,” said Calder.
“I can’t tell you, though. But I’ll tell you this. You’d never guess the fellow had had as much in his pocket all his life.”
“What—do you mean Rollitt?”
“I can’t tell you, I say. I’m not at liberty to mention names.”
The rumour thus admirably started went on merrily.
Before nightfall it was known in half a dozen Modern studies that the Club funds had been robbed of £10 or £12 by a Classic boy, and that he was being shielded by his own seniors. On the Classic side four or five fellows whispered to one another that Rollitt had been caught in the act of stealing money out of Fisher major’s rooms a day or two ago.
Presently, one enterprising gossip sent the story of Widow Wisdom’s boat rolling in and out with the rumour of the stolen money. Encouraged by that, some one else hinted that there had been deficiencies last term as well as this; and in and out with the new story was started the report that last term Rollitt had set up with a fishing-tackle and book of flies worth ever so much.