murmured Ben.

"He does, and all the others in the crowd, too. He thinks it's a plot
to get square because he wouldn't give Phil his dinner money back."

"I had nothing to do with it," declared Phil, stoutly.

"Nor I," added Ben.

"Well, I am sure I wasn't in it," said Dave. "I didn't dream of such a
thing."

"Nor did I," added Roger and some others.

The news soon spread through several dormitories, and the boys
discussed the startling happening in whispers. Phil was greatly
disturbed.

"I didn't do it, but I know he'll try to fasten it on me," he told
Dave. He did not add that he had written to his father about the
affair of the feast and his parent had sent a warning letter back,
ordering his son to have nothing more to do with Jason Sparr.

The next morning the news was all over the school. Nat Poole heard of
it, and he and some of his cronies declared it as their opinion that
Phil and some others were to blame. This brought on a fistic encounter
between Ben and the money-lender's son, and the latter got a black eye
in consequence.

"You sha'n't say I did it--or had anything to do with it," said Ben,
when Nat backed away, having had enough of the battle.

"Humph! just wait till the law has its say!" retorted Nat. "Then maybe
you'll get what is coming to you!"

Some of the boys wanted to go to town--to see the damaged hotel--but
Doctor Clay would not permit this. In the meantime the wreckage was
being cleared away, and the authorities and Jason Sparr were doing
their best to locate the author or authors of the crime.

Then came a great surprise, in the shape of a letter delivered in a
mysterious way to the hotel-keeper. He was seated in the hotel office
in the evening, talking to one of the town constables, when a missive
was hurled at him through an open window. He dodged at first, fearing
more dynamite, but when he saw it was only a letter, he picked it up
and turned it over. It was addressed to him and marked "Private and
Personal."

"Wonder what this is?" he mused, and walked over to the light to read
the letter. It was written on a single sheet of paper, in lead pencil,
and evidently in a disguised hand. It contained but a few lines, as
follows:

"If you want to catch the fellows who blew up your hotel have
these boys of Oak Hall school arrested at once, Philip Lawrence,
Benj. Basswood, David Porter, Roger Morr, and Joseph Beggs. They
were together when it was done, and one or more of