harlie, poor old Charlie," he was still saying, when he found himself
on the edge of a company of very indignant and excited young women.

"This must be the Class of 19--Wellington," he was thinking as he turned
to go the other way, when Margaret Wakefield in the very center of the
crowd thundered out:

"It's an outrage! A miserable, cowardly trick!"

Some of the girls were actually crying; others looked grave, while still
others conferred together in low indignant tones.

"I beg pardon, young ladies, has anything serious happened?" asked the
old gentleman, lifting his hat politely.

There was a complete silence at this unexpected interruption, and then
Margaret, ever the spokesman of her class, replied in a suspiciously
tearful tone of voice:

"We've been robbed, sir. Somebody has stolen our luncheon."

"Dear, dear!" murmured the old gentleman, looking from one face to
another with real sympathy, "dear, dear! but that was an unkind
trick--and quite a large meal, too, I imagine," he added, noting the
size of the company.

"Three hampers full," cried one girl.

"And we had worked so hard over it," cried another.

"Is this the Class of 19--Wellington?" asked the old gentleman.

"Yes, sir. We were giving the Senior Ramble."

"And while you were rambling thieves came and robbed you, eh?"

"We are disgraced," ejaculated Margaret.

"Do you suppose tramps could have done it?" Jessie asked.

"It would have been difficult to dispose of three hampers full,"
answered the old gentleman. "A tramp would have helped himself to what
he could carry and nothing more."

"Could it have been Gypsies?" suggested Judy, fired with the romantic
notion.

The old gentleman shook his head.

"I think the thieves rode in a motor car," he said. "As I crossed the
road some little time ago I saw one waiting there for no apparent
reason. I hardly noticed who was in it. Perhaps it was some of your own
classmates. In my day the boys used to play tricks like that, worse
ones, even. Exmoor was a lively place fifty years ago."

The old gentleman sighed.

"Wellington girls play tricks, too, sometimes, but not such mean ones,"
put in Margaret. "Once a girl cut the electric light wiring during an
entertainment in the gym. But even that wasn't so low as this: making a
crowd of people go hungry."

"Ah, I see," answered the old gentleman. "Well, that is scarcely to be
mentioned in the same breath with cutting wires." He paused a moment an