It was late when Roy reached camp and he spoke to no one. Early in themorning he repaired to Five Oaks to "beard the lion in his den" andhave a personal interview with Mr. John Temple.
There was nothing about Mr. Temple or his house which awed Roy in theleast. He had been reared in a home of wealth and that atmosphere whichpoor Tom could not overcome his fear of did not trouble Roy at all. Hewas as much at ease in the presence of his elders as it is possible fora boy to be without disrespect, but he was now to be put to the test.
He found Mr. Temple enjoying an after-breakfast smoke on the wideveranda at Five Oaks, a bag of golf sticks beside him.
"Good morning, Mr. Temple," said Roy.
If one had to encounter Mr. John Temple at all, this was undoubtedlythe best time and place to do it.
"Good morning, sir," said he, brusquely but not unpleasantly.
"I guess maybe you know me, Mr. Temple; I'm Mr. Blakeley's boy."
Mr. Temple nodded. Roy leaned against the rubble-stone coping of theveranda.
"Mr. Temple," said he, "I came to see you about something. At first Iwas going to ask Mr. Ellsworth to do it, then I decided I would do itmyself."
Mr. Temple worked his cigar over to the corner of his mouth, looking atRoy curiously and not without a touch of amusement. What he saw was atrim, sun-browned boy wrestling with a charming little touch ofdiffidence, trying to decide how to proceed in this matter which was soimportant to him and so trifling to John Temple, but exhibiting withalthe inherent self-possession which bespeaks good breeding. He was halfsitting on the coping and half leaning against it, his browned,muscular arms pressing it on either side.
Perhaps it was the incongruity of the encounter, or perhaps his recentbreakfast and his good cigar, but he said not unpleasantly, "Liftyourself up there and sit down if you want to. What can I do for you?"
Roy lifted himself up on the coping and swung his legs from it and feltat home.
"It's about Tom Slade, Mr. Temple. I know you don't like him andhaven't much use for any of us scouts, and I was afraid if Mr.Ellsworth came to see you there might be an argument or something likethat, but there couldn't be one with me because I'm only a kid and Idon't know how to argue. But there's another reason too; I stood forTom--brought him into the troop--and he's my friend and whatever isdone for him _I_ want to do it. I'll tell you what he did--youknow, he's changed an awful lot since you knew him. I don't say afellow would always change so much but _he's_ changed an awfullot. You'd hardly believe what I'm going to tell you if you didn't knowabout his changing. It was his own father, Mr. Temple, that took Mary'spin--it wasn't Tom. I'm dead sure of it, and I'll tell you how I know.
"SOMETIMES A FELLOW is AFRAID OF A GIRL."]
"I think he went out of the room where the rest of us were that daybecause he was afraid he might see you--ashamed, you know--kind of. I'dhave felt the same way if I had thrown stones at you. Well, he wentaround the house--I don't know just why he did that--but anyway, hefound tracks there and he found a paint smudge on the window-ledgewhere the burglar climbed out. There's another smudge on the fencewhere the burglar got over. Tom tracked him and found it was his ownfather and he got the pin from him, but I suppose maybe he was afraidto come and give it to Mary. You know, sometimes a fellow is afraid ofa girl--"
John Temple smiled slightly.
"And he was afraid of you, too, I suppose, and that's where he felldown, keeping the pin in his pocket. I know it was his father because-here.I'll show you, Mr. Temple. Here's his membership card in a unionwith his name on it, and this is what I think. He stopped in the woodsand tore this up so there wouldn't be anything on him to show his nameand that was just when Tom found him. Tom wouldn't tell about itbecause it's one of our laws that a scout must be loyal. So I want togive this pin to Mary and then I want Tom to go back with me becauseit's our troop birthday pretty soon--we've been going two years and--"
"Come around and show me your smudge and your tracks," said Mr. Temple."If what you say is true you can go down in the car with me and I'llwithdraw the complaint and do what I can to have the matter expedited.You might let me have the pin."
"Couldn't I give it to Mary?"
"Yes, if she's about."
It was there in the spacious veranda that Roy handed Mary the pin andtold her exactly what Tom had asked him to say.
The chauffeur who saw Mr. Temple step into the touring car followed byRoy, carrying the golf sticks, was a little puzzled. He was still morepuzzled to hear his master making inquiries about tracking. After theyhad gone a few hundred yards he was ordered to stop and then he saw Royrun back to the house and return with two more golf sticks which hismaster had forgotten.
If John Temple had had the least recollection of that scene in his ownvacant lot in Bridgeboro, he might have recalled the prophetic words ofMr. Ellsworth, "_by our fruits shall you know us, Mr. Temple_."
Doubtless, he had forgotten that incident. The tracking business,however, interested him; he was by no means convinced, but he wassufficiently persuaded to say the word which would free Tom. Roy'sassumption of full responsibility in regard to the golf sticks amusedhim, and Roy's general behaviour pleased him more than he allowed Royto know.
He had no particular interest in the scouts, but away down in the heartof John Temple was a wish for something which he could not procure withhis check-book, and that was a son. A son like Roy would not be halfbad. He rather liked the way the boy had sat on the coping and swunghis legs.
CHAPTER XV
LEMONADE AND OLIVES