"Norris," he said, "I have been shocked at what has happened more than at anything which has occurred to me during my head-mastership of Westminster. I may tell you that everything is discovered. Now I leave it to you to make a full and frank confession."
Frank was thunderstruck. So in some way his breaking out of bounds had become known to the headmaster. The tailor must have turned traitor and peached after having received his money.
For a minute he stood silent and confounded, while Dr. Litter looked at him gravely.
"I acknowledge, sir," Frank began, "that I broke out of bounds to go to a Chartist meeting, and that I got into a row there. I am very sorry now, but I really meant no harm by it; it was a foolish lark."
"And is that all you have to confess?" Dr. Litter said quietly.
"Yes, sir," Frank said in surprise, "I don't know that there's anything else for me to say."
"You have not come to the most serious part of it yet," the Doctor said.
"I don't know what you mean, sir," Frank said, more and more astonished.
"Yes, sir, I broke a man's nose in the fight, but I did it in self-defence."
"And you paid him ten pounds to prevent his coming to me," the Doctor said.
"I acknowledge that I did so, but I don't see there was any harm in that."
"And where did you get the ten pounds from?" the Doctor asked slowly.
"It was sent to me in an envelope," Frank replied.
"Norris," the Doctor said sternly, "you stole that note from my table."
Frank stepped back as if struck, the blood left his face, and he stood deadly pale.
"Stole it!" he repeated, in a low, wondering tone.
"Yes," the Doctor repeated, "stole it from my table when I left the room."
"It is a lie!" Frank exclaimed, in a burst of passion; "it is a lie, sir, whoever said it."
Without replying to the outburst, the Doctor touched a bell which stood on the table, and a junior waiting outside entered.
"Tell Mr. Wire and Mr. Richards I wish to speak to them."
Not a word was spoken in the library until the under-masters entered. A thousand thoughts passed rapidly through Frank's brain. He was bewildered, and almost stupefied by this sudden charge, and yet he felt how difficult it would be to clear himself from it. The under-master and Frank's house-master entered.