"I dare because I dare, and because it's
true. When my brother Gerald says he knows it was Arthur Channing
helped himself to the note, he does know it. Do you think," he added,
improving upon Gerald's suggestion, "that my brother Roland could be in
the same office, and not know that he helped himself to it? He--"
It was at this unlucky moment that Roland had come up. He heard the
words, dashed the intervening boys right and left, caught hold of Mr.
Tod by the collar of his jacket, and lifted him from the ground, as an
angry lion might lift a contemptible little animal that had enraged
him. Roland Yorke was not an inapt type of an angry lion just then,
with his panting breath, his blazing eye, and his working nostrils.
"Take that! and that! and that!" cried he, giving Tod a taste of his
strength. "_You_ speak against Arthur Channing!--take that! You false
little hound!--and that! Let me catch you at it again, and I won't
leave a whole bone in your body!"
Tod writhed; Tod howled; Tod shrieked; Tod roared for mercy. All in
vain. Roland continued his "and thats!" and Gerald and the other two
absentees came leaping up. Roland loosed him then, and turned his
flashing eyes upon Gerald.
"Is it true that you said you knew Arthur Channing took the bank-note?"
"What if I did?" retorted Gerald.
"Then you told a lie! A lie as false as you are. If you don't eat your
words, you are a disgrace to the name of Yorke.
Pages:
340
341
342
343
344
345
346
347
348
349
350
351
352
353
354
355
356
357
358
359
360
361
362
363
364