Scarcely had Wyndham disappeared when a message reached him that the doctor wished to see him again.
With no doubt this time as to the purport of the summons, he obeyed.
He found Gilks standing in the doctor’s presence, where Silk had stood an hour or so earlier.
“Riddell,” said the doctor, whose face was grave, and whose voice was more than unusually solemn, “Gilks here has just been making a very serious statement about an accident that happened early in the term—the breaking of the line at the boat-race, which he confesses was his doing. I wish you to hear it.”
“Gilks told me of it just before he came to you, sir,” said the captain.
“I never expected to hear such a confession from a Willoughby boy,” said the doctor. “The honour of the whole school has suffered by this disgraceful action, and if I were to allow it to pass without the severest possible punishment I should not be doing my duty. Gilks has done the one thing possible to him to show his remorse for what has occurred. He has confessed it voluntarily, but I have told him he must leave the school to-morrow morning.”
Gilks remained where he was, with his eyes on the ground, while the doctor was speaking, and attempted no plea to mitigate the sentence against him.
“I find,” continued the doctor, “that if he tells the truth he has not been the only, and perhaps not the principal, culprit. He says he did what he did at the suggestion of Silk. Perhaps you will send for Silk now, Riddell.”
Riddell went off to discharge the errand. When he returned Gilks looked up and said, nervously, “Need I stay, sir? I don’t want to see Silk.”
The doctor looked at him doubtfully, and replied, “Yes, you must stay.”