And look at the damage that will be done in the
meanwhile."

"Well, it can't be helped," and Bruce and Reddy strolled away, not
altogether happy.

"Tom, old man!" exclaimed Jack, slipping his arm about his chum,
"what's got into you, anyhow?"

"Nothing, Jack."

"Then why don't you come back at Heller and make him out the
prevaricator he is?"

Tom did not answer.

"Aren't you going to say anything?" demanded Jack. "Are you going to
keep quiet about that sweater?"

"I am afraid I'll have to," said Tom quietly, as he turned aside. "But
if you fellows think------"

"Say, if you intimate such a thing as that we believe you guilty I'll
punch your face!" cried Jack, with a laugh, in which there was no
mirth. "Won't we, Bert?"

"We sure will! Now come on to Latin class;" and with their arms still
about their chum, showing their loyalty to him in his time of trouble,
the boys passed on across the campus, followed by many eyes.

CHAPTER XVI

TOM SEEKS CLEWS

"Well, Tom, what's the answer; anyhow?"

"Don't talk about it if you don't want to."

Thus Jack and Bert spoke as they entered their room with their chum
shortly before luncheon on the day of the sensational disclosures in
chapel.

Tom looked at his two friends, and then sank down rather wearily in a
chair.

"I don't mind talking about it," he said, with an attempt at a smile.
"In fact I was going to propose it myself. I've got some hard work
ahead of me."

"What kind?" asked Jack quickly. "Let us help you."

"Sure," chimed in Bert. "Count on us, Tom. What are you going to do?"

"Clear my name, that's what I going to do. And I've got a hard job
ahead of me."

"Not with us to help you!" exclaimed Jack.

"That's the worst of it," spoke Tom ruefully. "You fellows can't help
me."

"Why not, I'd like to know," came from Bert quickly.

"Well, there are certain reasons. Look here, fellows, I'd tell you in
a minute, if I could, but I can't. I'm bound to silence in a way, and
I can't speak as I'd like to."

"But surely it oughtn't to be so hard for you to clear your name,"
insisted Jack. "All you've got to do is to prove that you weren't near
the farm at the time the horses were poisoned, nor were you when the
stacks caught fire. That ought to be easy."

"And surely you can show that if it wasn't you wearing that sweater, at
the time the farmer saw you, it was someone else," went on Bert. "It
was someone else; wasn't it, Tom?"