m all right. His mother had hinted hopefully of a
scholarship, but Roy knew his capabilities better than she did and
looked for no such honors.

Meanwhile the dormitory, full of whispers and repressed laughter for the
first few minutes of darkness, had become silent save for a snore here
and there. Roy's thoughts wandered back to the football field and to
Horace Burlen, who was lying somewhere near in the dark, and presently
his eyelids fell together and he was asleep.

How long he slept he never knew, but when he awoke suddenly to find
hands gently shaking him by the shoulders it seemed that it must be
morning. But the dormitory was still in darkness and the breathing of
the sleepers still sounded.

"Get up and don't make any noise," commanded a voice at his ear.
Sleepily, he strove to get his thoughts together. For a moment nothing
was very clear to him. Then the command was repeated a trifle
impatiently and Roy began to understand.

"What for?" he asked, temporizing.

"Never you mind. Just you do what we tell you, and mind you make no fuss
about it. There are a dozen of us here and we won't stand any nonsense."

Roy hadn't given any thought to hazing, but now he concluded that, to
use his own inelegant expression, he "was up against it." Of course, if
it was the custom to haze new boys there was no use making a fuss about
it, no use in playing baby. The only thing that bothered him was that
the speaker's voice sounded unpleasantly like Horace Burlen's and there
was no telling to what lengths that youth's dislike might lead him.
However, his companions, whoever they were, would probably see fair
play. So Roy, with a sigh, tumbled softly out of bed. He could just see
indistinct forms about him and hear their breathing.

"Hold still," said the voice, and Roy, obeying, felt a bandage being
pressed against his eyes and secured behind his head. Then, with a hand
grasping each arm, he was led silently across the floor. Down two
flights of stairs he was conducted, through the lower hall and then the
chill night air struck his face. More steps, this time the granite
flight in front of the hall, and his bare feet were treading
uncomfortably on the gravel. So far there had been no sounds from his
captors. Now, however, they began to whisper amongst themselves and,
although he couldn't hear what was being said, he gathered that they
were undecided as to where to take him. The procession halted and all
save the two who st