That indeed was bad enough, but, I argued, the lumber room was full of old cast-off shoes and bottles, and these would probably be set down as fragments of the rubbish displaced by the explosion.
Brown, however, and others to whom I spoke, failed to share my view of the slightness of the damage.
"If the fellow's found, it will be a case of the police court for him." The blood left my face as I heard the awful words.

It had never occurred to me yet that the matter was one of more than school concern.
Visions of penal servitude and a broken-hearted mother swam before my eyes.

Oh, why had I ever left the tranquil seclusion of Fallowfield for this awful place?
As soon as possible I edged quietly out of the crowd, and made my way dismally back to Sharpe's, where I met not a few of our fellows, all eager for news.
I was too sick to give them much information, and sent them to inspect for themselves while I made my way dismally to Tempest's room.
He was up, reading.
"Hullo, youngster," said he, "what's all the row about?
What was that noise in the quad, last night?
were some of your lot fooling about with fireworks ?" "Don't you know ?" gasped I, fairly taken aback with the question.

"Why, some one's been trying to blow up the gymnasium!" "What!" he exclaimed.

"Why, _I_ was there, not long before the noise.
Who's done it ?" "That's what nobody knows.