e at an end.
Clint was assisted in first, Tom followed and then Tim and, finally, Don
was unceremoniously yanked up and through.

"Eureka!" breathed Tim. "Can you make it to your room, Tom? If you don't
want to risk it you can bunk out here on the window-seat or somewhere."

"You may have half of my bed," offered Don. But Tom was already removing
his shoes.

"If Horace hears me," he whispered, "he's got better ears than I think
he has. Good-night, fellows. We had a bully time, even if we didn't get
that rarebit!"

Tim groaned hollowly. "There! Now you've gone and reminded me that I'm
starved to death!"

"Shut up," warned Don. "Don't forget that Horace's bedroom is right
there." He nodded toward the wall. "Beat it, Tom, and don't fall over
your feet!"

The door opened soundlessly, closed again and Tom was gone. They
listened, and, although the transom was slightly open, not a creak or a
shuffle reached them. "He's all right," whispered Tim. "Me for bed,
fellows. Want to come in with me, Clint, or will you luxuriate on the
window-seat?"

"Window-seat, thanks. Got a coat or something?"

Tim pulled a comforter from the closet shelf and tossed it to him, and
quietly and quickly they got out of their clothes and sought their
couches. Ten minutes later three very healthy snores alone disturbed the
silence of Number 6.

The next morning Clint joined the others and walked unobtrusively along
the Row with them in the direction of Wendell and breakfast, but when he
reached Torrence he quite as unobtrusively slipped through the doorway
and sought his room to repair his appearance and relieve the anxiety of
Amory Byrd. And that seemed to conclude the adventure for all hands, and
Don, for one, was extremely thankful that they had escaped detection and
the punishment which would have certainly followed. But that Sunday
afternoon, while on his way to Torrence to recover a book which Leroy
Draper had borrowed in the Spring and neglected to return, he fell in
with Harry Walton and made the disconcerting discovery that he had
congratulated himself too soon. Don had no particular liking for Walton,
although he by no means held him in the disdain that Amy Byrd and some
others did, and he was a little surprised when Harry fell into step
beside him.

"Have a good time last night?" asked Harry with an ingratiating leer.

"Last night?" echoed Don vacantly. He remembered then that Lawton roomed
in Number 20 Billings, directly abov