“Mr. Jarvis,” said Dick, looking up, “you’ve been a gentleman in this matter.  This is our signal code, signal for signal.  It’s the code on which we relied for our chance to give your team a thrashing on Saturday.  I thank you for your honesty, sir.”

“Why, I always have rather prided myself on a desire to do the manly thing,” smiled Captain Jarvis.

“May I ask how this came into your possession?” demanded Dick.

“It was in our family mail box, this morning, and I took it out on my way to school,” replied Jarvis.  “You see, the heading on the first sheet shows that the document purports to give the Gridley signals.”

“And it does give them, to a dot,” groaned Prescott, paling again.

“So I showed it to our coach, Mr. Matthews, and to some of the members of the team,” continued Mr. Jarvis.  “I would have brought this to you, in any case, and I’m heartily glad to say that every one of our fellows agreed that it was the only manly thing to do.”

“You have won the Gridley gratitude,” protested Dick.  “This code couldn’t have been tabulated by anyone but a member of our own squad.  No one else had access to this list.  There’s a Benedict Arnold somewhere in our crowd,” continued Dick, with a sudden rush of righteous passion.  “Oh, I wish we could find him.  But this typewriting, I fear, will give us no conclusive evidence.  Was the address on the envelope in which this came also typewritten?”

“No,” replied Mr. Jarvis.  “I opened this communication on the street, while on my way to school.  I tossed the envelope away.  Then I fell to studying this document.”

“You must have thought it a hoax,” smiled Dick wearily.

“I did, at first, yes,” continued the Tottenville football captain.  “In fact, I was half of that mind when I left Tottenville to come here.  But I was determined to find out the truth of the matter.  Mr. Prescott, I’m very nearly as sorry as you can be, to have to bring you this evidence that you have a sneak in Gridley High School.”

“I’d far rather have lost Saturday’s game,” choked Prescott, “than to discover that we’ve such a sneak in Gridley High School.  I’m fearfully upset.  I wish I had any kind of evidence on which to find this sneak.”

“Have you any suspicions?”

“That would be too much to say yet.”

“Of course, Mr. Prescott,” continued the Tottenville youth, “you’ll now have to revise all your signals.  It will be a huge undertaking between now and Saturday.  If you wish to postpone the game, I’ll consent.  Our coach has authorized me to say this.”

“I think not,” replied Dick, “though on behalf of the team I thank you.  I’ll have to speak to our coach, and Mr. Morton is in his classroom, occupied until the close of the school session.”

“I’ll meet you anywhere, Mr. Prescott, after school is over.”