Page:The Rival Pitchers.djvu/127

Rh "Now, yes, sir."

Without a look at his chums Tom went out and to the office. He was afraid lest he might betray the secret he feared would be disclosed at any moment—the secret of the coil of wire.

"Mr. Parsons," began Proctor Zane slowly when the door had closed behind Tom, "there has been a serious accident to-night."

Tom bowed. He could not trust his voice.

"Two students were badly hurt and the results may be lasting. They are only just now out of danger."

Once more Tom bowed. He could not speak. The beating of his heart was choking him.

"As a rule," went on the proctor judicially, "I take no notice of the—er—the affairs between the different classes or student bodies. But this time I am obliged to. Dr. Churchill and myself have made an examination of the pavilion where this outrage occurred. We discovered the wires running from the electric light circuit to the hand rail. We discovered where a spring connection had been made, so that, by the burning away of a fuse, the parts of the spring closed, the wires came in contact and the current filled the hand rail. We also discovered something else."

He paused, and Tom, for the first time, looked the proctor full in the face. Mr. Zane held out a small object.