, Dick. The man is my stepfather and you can
easily see why I was agitated when I heard that he was about and then
when I met him. He has been in prison for a number of years and then my
mother was happy, safe and comfortable. His being free again made me
worry for I hoped that he never would trouble us again."

"So you would."

"Now he has gone I don't know where and we need not say any more or
think any more about him."

"But who ran off with you, Jack, and why?"

"Men I had never seen before. They were hired by some one who does not
want me to take the examinations and so lose my standing in school. It
does not really matter who they are, Dick."

"It does matter to me, Jack," said Percival, excitedly, "for if I find
out who they are they will be glad enough to leave the school
themselves. Have you no idea, Jack?"

"Oh, I have an idea, of course, but suspicion is not proof as I told you
once before so suppose we let it pass."

"Well, just as you like but that is not what I should do," returned
Dick, evidently disappointed.

"But as I am the person most interested and as that is the way I feel
about it, why not let it go at that?" and Jack smiled.

"Oh, very well, just as you like," and no more was said.

Dick told the other boys what Jack had told him of his adventures and
many of them were for making an investigation but as Dick told them that
their friend did not care for this they concluded to let the matter drop
and there it rested.

Herring and Merritt and others were suspected but nothing was said to
them and they kept away from Jack and his particular friends and it was
not long before this affair was forgotten.

The examinations continued and at the end of them when the reports were
made, Jack was found to have passed the highest of any one in his class
in all but two of his studies and within one or two of first place in
the others.

This would give him a good lead for the rest of the term and help him in
the final examinations at the end of the school year, his standing
having greatly improved since he had come to the Academy.

"You have done well, old chap," said Billy. Manners, "and I want to see
you do better yet the next time."

"I am going to try to at any rate, Billy," said Jack.

"Old Bull is getting very cranky these days," Billy added. "He is
getting to be more of a martinet than ever and would keep us drilling
from morning till night if he had his way. I fancy he thinks this is