“Now the evidence of Pietrie and Carter is of no use, because Carter himself admitted that boys often enter the room by the window; a fact to which we shall have to allude again.

“We admit the evidence about the ink and wafers.  But it is rather strange that Barker should know about the wafers, since neither I, nor any other friend of Williams, often as we have sat by him when writing letters, have ever observed that he possessed any like them.”

Several boys began to look at Barker, who was sitting very ill at ease on the corner of a form, in vain trying to appear unconcerned.

“There is another fact which no one yet knows, but which I must mention.  It will explain Williams’ agitation when Dr. Rowlands read out the words on that paper; and, confident of his innocence, I am indifferent to its appearing to tell against him.  I myself once heard Williams use the very words written on that paper, and not only heard them, but expostulated with him strongly for the use of them.  I need hardly say how very unlikely it is, that remembering this, he should thus publicly draw my suspicions on him, if he meant to insult Mr. Gordon, undiscovered.  But, besides myself, there was another boy who accidentally overheard that expression.  That boy was Barker.

“I have to bring forward a new piece of evidence which at least ought to go for something.  Looking at this half-sheet of note-paper, I see that the printer’s name on the stamp in the corner is ‘Graves, York.’  Now, I have just found that there is no paper at all like this in Williams’ desk; all the note-paper it contains is marked ‘Blakes, Ayrton.’

“I might bring many witnesses to prove how very unlike Williams’ general character a trick of this kind would be.  But I am not going to do this.  We think we know the real offender.  We have had one trial, and now demand another.  It is our painful duty to prove Williams’ innocence by proving another’s guilt.  That other is a known enemy of mine, and of Montagu’s, and of Owen’s.  We therefore leave the charge of stating the case against him to Duncan, with whom he has never quarrelled.”

Russell sat down amid general applause; he had performed his task with a wonderful modesty and self-possession, which filled every one with admiration, and Eric warmly pressed his hand.

The interest of the school was intensely excited, and Duncan, after a minute’s pause, starting up, said—­“Williams has allowed his desk to be brought in and examined.  Will Barker do the same?”

The real culprit now saw at once that his plot to ruin Eric was recoiling on himself.  He got up, swore and blustered at Russell, Duncan, and Williams, and at first flatly refused to allow his desk to be brought.  He was, however, forced to yield, and when opened, it was immediately seen that the note-paper it contained was identical with that on which the words had been written.  At this he affected to be perfectly unconcerned, and merely protested against what he called the meanness of trying to fix the charge on him.