“But you knew the cannons were to be discharged?”
“No, sir,” answered Ray, “not even that. It was a total surprise to us. We had no idea that masks were to be worn either.”
The professor looked at us incredulously.
“Then how came you to be identified with this party, Mr. Wendell?” asked Professor Fuller. “How is it that you, a prominent member of the Senior class, became associated with this masked company?”
“The object of our gathering last night,” said Ray, “was to regain the cannons which had been stolen by the Park College men. It was on that basis alone that I joined the party. I had no idea that there were any mischievous intentions until too late to withdraw.”
“Please recount to us what occurred, Mr. Wendell,” said Dr. Drayton.
Ray accordingly narrated the doings of the night before, while the professors listened with eager interest. When he had finished, Dr. Drayton said:
“I believe we have now all the facts before us, as far as they can be ascertained; and, while they do not by any means exculpate you, they throw a somewhat more favorable light upon your motives. You had no right, however, to take the law in your own hands, as you did in this undertaking, and you cannot free yourself from a share of the responsibility for what occurred.”
“But the cannons, sir,” urged Ray. “They were ours, and they had been stolen from us.”