as he entered.

"Good-evening, boys," he said. "I--er--I wonder if I might speak to you
just a moment, Edwards."

"Certainly, sir."

"I'll get out, Mr. Daley," said Tom, rising.

"Er--well, if you don't mind, Hall; just for a minute. Thank you so
much."

Tom went out, closing the door behind him, and Mr. Daley cleared his
throat.

"Will you sit down, sir?" asked Steve.

"Er--thanks, yes, just for a minute. I--er--I believe you called this
evening when I was out, Edwards."

"Yes, sir, about eight."

"Yes, yes. Sorry I was not in. I wonder if--if you happened to see a
blue-book on my table when you were there, Edwards."

"Yes, sir, there was one there," replied Steve after an instant's
hesitation.

"Ah, then Upton was not mistaken. He says he left one. Unfortunately, I
am not able to find it, Edwards. You--er--you don't happen to know where
it is, Edwards?"

"I, sir!" Steve's tone was incredulous. "Why, no, Mr. Daley. It was on
the table when I left, and----"

"Er--just a moment!" Mr. Daley held up a hand, smiling nervously. "I
don't mean to suggest that you carried the book off intentionally,
Edwards, but it occurred to me that possibly you might have--er--taken
it up by mistake, absentmindedly, so to say, and--er--brought it up here
with you."

"No, sir, I didn't." Steve looked at the instructor questioningly. "I
don't see why you'd imagine that, sir, either."

"Er--well, I knew--that is, someone told me that you were in my room,
Edwards, and I thought--that possibly--quite by accident--you
had--er----"

"I was in your room, Mr. Daley, and I waited two or three minutes for
you; maybe longer; and the blue-book was on the table when I went in and
it was there when I came out."

"You--you had a blue-book in your hand, however, did you not, when
you--er--left?"

"A blue-book? No, sir."

"Oh! That is strange, Edwards. You are certain you didn't take down a
blue-book of your own and bring it back again?"

"Absolutely sure, sir."

"But--er--someone saw you leave my room, Edwards, with a blue-book in
your hand."

Steve flushed and his voice held an angry tremor as he answered:
"Someone was mistaken, Mr. Daley, whoever he was. Seems to me, sir, if
the book is missing, you'd better ask that 'someone' about it."

"Um; yes; maybe." Mr. Daley blinked embarrassedly. "I--er--I thought
that perhaps you had brought down your French composition and had
possibly, in leaving, taken up Upton's book with you