"I just saw it from my window," was the simple answer.

"It was done last night," went on the doctor with a look at a teacher who acted as proctor. "It was a disgraceful, vile piece of vandalism.

The guilty one will be severely punished. Doubtless you are wondering why we sent for you. It was on account of this, which was picked up by one of the janitors in front of the statue, when he discovered its fallen position this morning."

Dr. Fillmore held out to Joe the telegram our hero had received from his father the night previous!

"Is this yours?" asked the doctor.

"Ye--yes, it came to me last night. It's from my father."

"What did you do after you got it?"

"Put it in my pocket and went out to answer it. I had permission from the proctor."

"That is right," a.s.sented that official. "But I did not see you come in."

"No, I was late. The telegraph office was not open, and I had to rouse the operator."

"When did you last see this telegram?" asked the doctor.

"I missed it soon after I started, but I concluded that I had dropped it," said Joe. Then it all came to him. The school authorities believed that the telegram had dropped out of his pocket when he was at the work of overturning the statue, in which vandalism he had no hand.

"It was picked up near where the vile work went on," said the doctor bitterly. "It is evidence that even if you had no actual hand in the dastardly horseplay, that you might have witnessed it, and you can tell us who did it. That is what we now call on you to do, Matson. Tell us who did it."

"But I don't know!" cried poor Joe. "I didn't see anything of it. I got in a little late, and went at once to my room. That telegram may have dropped from my pocket at any time, someone may have picked it up and put it--I mean dropped it--as they were pa.s.sing the statue--either before or after it was pulled from the base."

"That is hardly likely," said the doctor. "I am very sorry, Matson, but I must conclude that even if you had no hand in the vandalism, that you know who did it, or suspect."

"But I don't!" cried Joe eagerly. "Someone may have put this telegram there to make it look----"

He stopped in some confusion. He never had been a "squealer," and he was not going to begin now.

"I think I know what you mean," said the proctor quietly. "You mean that some enemy of yours may have had an object in making it appear as if you had a hand in this work." He looked narrowly at Joe.

"I--I, well, it might have happened that way."

"And of the students here, whom would you regard as your enemy?" asked Dr. Fillmore quickly.

"I--I--I must refuse to answer," said Joe firmly. "It would not be fair."

"You mean you won't tell?"

"I can't, Doctor. I haven't any right to a.s.sume that the telegram came there that way. I know that I didn't pa.s.s very near the statue, either on leaving or coming back to school. The message dropped from my pocket, I'm sure of that, but the wind may have blown it near the statue."

"There was no wind last night," said the proctor severely.

"Then--then----" stammered Joe.

"That will do, Matson," said the doctor quietly, and there was sorrow in his voice. "I will not question you further. I am convinced that if you had no hand in the actual overturning of the statue, that you know something of how it was done, or who did it. Are you prepared to tell us?"

"No, sir, I am not. I--can't."

"I think I understand," said Dr. Fillmore. "Very well. Understand, we do not accuse you of anything, but under the circ.u.mstances I must put you on probation."

"Probation?" murmured Joe.

"Yes," added the proctor as the doctor turned away. "That means that you will not be allowed to leave the school grounds. You will report to your cla.s.ses and lectures as usual, but you will not be allowed to take part in athletic contests."

"Not--not baseball?" gasped Joe.

"Not baseball," replied the proctor. "I am sorry, but that is the rule for one who is on probation. When you make up your mind to make a complete confession, and tell whom you saw at the work of tearing down the statue----"

"But I didn't----" began Joe.

"That will do," interrupted the proctor gently. "You are on probation until then. And you will not be allowed to play baseball."

Joe felt his heart wildly thumping under his coat. Without a word he turned aside and went back to his room. And that is why he missed chapel that morning.

CHAPTER XXVIII

LUKE'S CONFESSION

The antic.i.p.ation of Teeter, Peaches and the others that there would be a sensation in chapel that morning was borne out. Never, in all their experience, had the boys recalled Dr. Fillmore being more bitter in his denunciation of what he characterized as "sensational vandalism."

He liked boys to have good, clean healthy fun, he said, and an occasional prank was not out of order, but this pulling the statue from its base pa.s.sed all bounds. More and more bitter the good doctor became. Perhaps part of his feeling was due to the fact that the Founder had written a book on Caesar that the head of the school considered an authority, and you remember how fond Dr. Fillmore was of the writer of the "Commentaries."

The boys looked at each other as the denunciation proceeded, and there were whispers of:

"Who did it? Why doesn't he name some one?"

The doctor came to that part in a moment.

"We are unable to say who perpetrated this act of sensational vandalism,"

he went on, "but I may say that once the students are discovered they will be instantly dismissed from Excelsior Hall--this is no place for them. I say we do not know who did it, but we have reason to suspect----"

Here the good doctor paused and there was an uneasy movement among several lads.

"We have reason to suspect that some one knows who did it, but will not tell. I am sorry to say that we have been obliged to inflict the usual punishment on this--ahem--student and he is now on probation. The usual exercises will now be held."

They went on, but it is doubtful if the lads were in a very devotional spirit. Joe's absence was at once noted, and of course it was guessed why he was not there, though being on probation did not bar one from chapel or cla.s.ses.

"By Jove!" exclaimed Tom, when they were on their way to first lectures.

"It's Joe! Who'd ever dream it?"