“Oh, I suppose not,” said Murray, with slight sarcasm. “It has been my experience always to catch the innocent men. It was always the rest that were to blame. Now, since you had nothing to do with this little trouble I suppose you wouldn’t mind telling me who were the chief parties concerned, before I let you go.”
I knew that he was joking, but I could not help a slight sense of resentment at this proposition.
“Well, now, Dan,” I replied, “you don’t suppose that you are going to get any such information as that from me, do you? You don’t suppose that I am going to betray the others——”
“Oh, then you were one of them?” said Dan, still enjoying his little joke. “I supposed from what you said that you were only a spectator, and, somehow, got mixed up in the trouble.”
“I am willing to stand my share of the responsibility,” I answered.
“Well, Mr. Elder, I’m sorry you got caught. There are many worse young men in college than you, and I wish I had caught one of them instead, but as it is, I am afraid you’ll have to stand the racket.”
“All right, Dan,” I answered.
“I won’t say anything unless the faculty ask me to report, but I know they will, for there have been a good many college laws broken to-night—and a good many college windows, too, if I’m not mistaken. It’s pretty serious trouble all around, and I don’t think there’s any doubt but what the faculty will need you at their meeting to-morrow.”
“Very well, then; I suppose I’ll have to oblige them,” I answered soberly, as I thought of the possible results of that meeting.
“You can go now, Mr. Elder. I hope you’ll get off easy,” added Murray, as he took his hand from my shoulder and walked away.