There followed a moment of silence--a silence that neither Andy or Dunk ever forgot. The quadrangle thief moistened his dry lips once or twice and then said hoarsely:
"Well, what are you going to do about it?"
"That's the question," spoke Andy, wearily. "What _are_ we going to do about it?"
"Are you going to deny it?" asked Dunk. "Before you answer, think what it means. An innocent man is under charges for these thefts."
Mortimer did not answer for a moment. When he did speak it was to say:
"No, I'm going to deny nothing. You have caught me. I own up. What are you going to do about it?"
"That's just it," said Dunk. "We don't know what to do about it."
Silently Mortimer began taking from his pockets several pieces of jewelry, evidently the things he had stolen from the rooms of other students.
Andy and Dunk looked at him a moment without speaking and then Andy asked:
"Why? I guess you know as well as I do. Everything is gone--dad's whole fortune wiped out. We haven't a dollar, and I had to leave Yale. We kept it quiet as long as we could. I didn't want to leave. I couldn't bear to!
"Oh, call it what you like--foolish pride perhaps, but I wanted to stay here and finish as I'd begun--with the best of the spenders. That's what I've been--a spender. I couldn't be otherwise--I was brought up that way. So, when I found I couldn't get any money any other way I began stealing. I'm not looking for sympathy--I'm telling the plain truth. I took your watch, Dunk. I took those books. I smuggled one into Link Bardon's room, hoping he'd be suspected. There's no use in saying I'm sorry. You wouldn't believe me. It's all up. You've got me right!"
He leaned forward and buried his face in his hands.
Andy and Dunk felt the lumps rising in their throats. They had to fight back the tears from their eyes. Never before had they taken part in such a grim tragedy--never again did they want to.
"You--you admit all the quadrangle thefts?" faltered Andy.
"Every one," was the low answer. "I took Carr's book and silver cup--I hid them in the closet that day you fellows caught me. I took Pulter's book, too. I was desperate--I'd take anything. I just had to have the money. I took the money Len thought he lost that night in the campus. Well, this is the end."