was rolled in, and the
engine was covered with a tarpaulin brought from the boathouse.

During the time that all this was being done, one student of Brill had
kept to himself, even though greatly interested in what was going on.
This was Dudd Flockley, the dudish youth who had once been the crony of
Jerry Koswell and Bart Larkspur. There was a sneer on his handsome face.

"Great work, eh, Dudd?" said Bob Grimes, one of the students, in
passing.

"I don't know what you mean," returned Flockley, coolly.

"Oh, yes you do, Dudd," retorted the other. "But I suppose it's sour
grapes for you," he added pointedly, for he was a friend to the Rovers
and knew something about the troubles of the past.

"Bah!" came from Dudd Flockley, and he turned and hurried away. "Now
those Rover boys have come back I suppose they'll try to lord it over
everybody, just as they did before. How I hate them! I wish I could do
something to get them in a hole!" He had forgotten completely the
kindness the Rover boys had shown him, and how they had gone to the head
of the college and pleaded for him, so that he had been allowed to
remain at Brill. Perhaps Flockley was not as wicked at heart as his
former college cronies, Larkspur and Koswell, but he was equally
ungrateful.

Soon the Rover boys and their chums were up in the dormitory where they
had their rooms. As before, Tom and Sam were together, in Number 25,
with Dick and Songbird in Number 26, and Stanley and the others not far
off.

"Home again!" sang out Tom, as he dropped in an easy chair. "My, but
this looks natural!" he added, glancing around.

"I want to tell you something," said Stanley, who had followed the three
brothers and Songbird into one of the rooms. "Maybe we'd better shut the
door," he added, significantly.

"Yes, he's got news," added Songbird. "Say, it beats the nation how some
fellows hold a grudge," he went on.

"What's the trouble now?" demanded Dick, quickly.

"Day before yesterday I was over to Ashton," answered Stanley, after the
door to the room had been closed and locked. "I went by the upper road
and I had to pass that new roadhouse, the place called the Red
Horseshoe. Well, who was sitting on the piazza but Jerry Koswell and
Bart Larkspur. They had been having a gay time, I guess, and both were
talking loudly. When they saw me they called to me to stop, and then
they asked me if you fellows had come back to Brill."

"What did you tell them?" asked Tom.