questioned, greatly excited.

"The news! What news?" demanded Sedgefield.

"The school flag. It's gone!"

"Gone!" they echoed, as with one voice.

Paul's mind went back with a rush to when he had entered the grounds
with Hibbert in his arms. His eyes had not deceived him, then. The flag
had really gone.

"Nonsense!" cried Sedgefield.

"Not much nonsense about it. If you don't believe me, you'd better go
and look for yourself."

The intelligence was so remarkable, that Plunger and Harry raced into
the grounds. A minute later they returned.

"Viner's quite right. It's gone," they exclaimed in a breath.

"But how--where--when?" questioned Sedgefield. "Who has taken it?"

"No one knows. It must have happened while we were on the river, so we
could know nothing about it. Somebody must have stolen up the turret
stair and got on to the roof. That's the only possible way it could be
done. The senior Forms are in a rare wax over it."

"I should think so," burst out Plunger. "What fellow can rest easy now
that our flag's been hauled down? I only wish that I had hold of the one
who did it."

"You'd give him a lesson in punting, wouldn't you, Freddy?" observed
Baldry, with a wink at those around him.

Plunger glared at Baldry. He would have brought his knuckles down on his
head, only he remembered what Baldry had done for him.

"Seriously," said Sedgefield, "it can't have walked. There's not a
fellow in Garside who would have pulled down the old flag, even for a
joke; I'm certain of that."

"And I." "And I." "And I," came in a chorus.

"A Beetle must have sneaked in. It must be the work of a Beetle."

"That's what I've been thinking," said Bember. "It's only one of those
cads could have done a sneakish trick like that."

"Supposing it is a Beetle, which of them could have done it? Which of
them could have made his way into the school without being seen, and
then got to the door in the turret?" asked Baldry.

"Mellor knows all about the building. He could easily describe
the way to any of the Beetles," said Viner. "That champion of
theirs--Wyndham--has made us eat enough dirt already. He made our picked
man turn tail"--every eye went to Paul as Viner spoke with
bitterness--"and Moncrief eat dirt. Now we've lost the flag. Really,
we're getting on. We can't sink much lower."

The atmosphere in the dormitory was getting oppressive. Every one felt
uncomfortable. That allusion to Paul was true enough. He had tur