scan the immediate area for any watch officers, they
darted across the slidewalk and into the shadows of the shrubbery.

Quickly and soundlessly, they raced across the green lawn of the
quadrangle toward the dormitory where the _Capella_ unit was quartered.
Once they sprawled headlong on the turf and lay still as a watch officer
suddenly appeared out of the darkness at the base of the Tower of
Galileo. But he walked past without seeing them and they continued on
across the quadrangle.

Reaching another clump of shrubbery right opposite the _Capella_ unit's
dormitory, the boys stopped and discussed their final move.

"This is getting ridiculous," whispered Roger. "I shouldn't have let you
two come with me. But I'm going the rest of the way myself."

"We came this far, Roger," asserted Tom. "We'll go the rest of the way
and help you explain."

"And you've got a space-blasting lot to explain."

The three cadets whirled as a familiar voice snarled out of the darkness
behind them. They saw three figures, all in cadet uniforms, wearing the
insigne of the _Capella_ unit. In the forefront was Tony Richards
scowling angrily.

"Tony!" gasped Tom. "What are you doing out here?"

"We were on our way over to your dorm, Corbett," growled Tony Richards.
"We saw you three sneaking across the quadrangle."

"Coming to pay us a visit, fellas?" asked Roger blandly.

"You know blasted well why we were coming," snapped McAvoy, the second
member of the _Capella_ crew.

Davison, the third member of the unit, stepped forward. "Give us back
our study spools," he demanded.

"Take it easy," said Tom in a calm voice. "We were bringing them back to
you."

"I'll bet," snapped McAvoy.

"Relax," growled Astro. "Tom said we were returning them. We admit it
was a dirty trick, but you haven't lost much time. Half an hour maybe."

"Don't try to cover for Manning, Astro," said Tony heatedly. "It's a
shame you two guys are stuck with a bad rocket like Manning in your
unit."

"Bad rocket!" exclaimed Roger.

"Now, wait a minute, Tony," Tom said, advancing toward the
broad-shouldered cadet. "We are returning the spools, and we apologize
for yanking them from the Earthworm. But that doesn't mean we'll listen
to that kind of talk about Roger."

"He stole them, didn't he?" retorted Davison.

Roger stepped forward. "Davy, my boy," he said in a low controlled tone,
"I don't like that remark. I've got a notion to make you eat that word."

"I