“And what have you been doing the whole of the last day or two,” asked Gibson, quietly, “but endeavoring to fix the charge on another?”

“We have stronger evidence against you,” said Duncan, confronting him with an undaunted look, before which his insolence quailed.  “Russell, will you call Graham?”

Graham was called, and put on his honor.

“You were in the sick-room on Friday evening?”

“Yes.”

“Did you see any one get into the school-room through the side window?”

“I may as well tell you all about it.  I was sitting doing nothing in the sick-room, when I suddenly saw Barker clamber in to the school-room by the window, which he left open.  I was looking on simply from curiosity, and saw him search Williams’ desk, from which he took out something, I could not make out what.  He then went to his own place, and wrote for about ten minutes, after which I observed him go up and stand by the notice board.  When he had done this he got out by the window again, and ran off.”

“Didn’t this strike you as extraordinary?”

“No; I thought nothing more about it, till some one told me in the sick-room about this row.  I then mentioned privately what I had seen, and it wasn’t till I saw Duncan, half an hour ago, that I thought it worth while to make it generally known.”

Duncan turned an enquiring eye to Barker (who sat black and silent), and then pulled some bits of torn paper from his pocket, put them together, and called Owen to stand up.  Showing him the fragments of paper, he asked, “Have you ever seen these before?”

“Yes.  On Saturday, when the boys left the schoolroom, I stayed behind to think a little over what had occurred, feeling convinced that Williams was not guilty, spite of appearances.  I was standing by the empty fire-place, when these bits of paper caught my eye.  I picked them up, and, after a great deal of trouble, fitted them together.  They are covered apparently with failures in an attempt at forgery, viz., first, ‘Gordon is a sur—­’ and then a stop, as though the writer were dissatisfied, and several of the words written over again for practice, and then a number of r’s made in the way that Williams makes them.”

“There you may stop,” said Barker, stamping fiercely; “I did it all.”

A perfect yell of scorn and execration followed this announcement.

“What! you did it, and caused all this misery, you ineffable blackguard!” shouted Upton, grasping him with one hand, while he struck him with the other.

“Stop!” said Avonley; “just see that he doesn’t escape, while we decide on his punishment.”