, first with
interest and then with an almost feverish anticipation--he had been
mysteriously spirited away. Now he would not even witness the great
struggle between his school and its ancient rival--to say nothing of
playing and winning his R. But there were other thoughts. What of his
father,--old Daniel Holbrook? Teeny-bits now suspected that the
telephone summons was part of a plan to entice him away from the school,
but, of course, there was a possibility that an accident had occurred
and that even now Daniel Holbrook was hovering between life and death,
and wondering why Teeny-bits did not come to him. There was still
another thought: circumstances had cast about him a cloud of suspicion
which was evident to two persons whose respect he wished to
retain,--Doctor Wells and Mr. Stevens. What would their feeling toward
him be when they learned that he had disappeared from the school without
saying a word to any one? They could arrive at only one conclusion: that
he was guilty of stealing from his schoolmates and that, fearing to face
the charges against him, he had run away like a coward. If the worst
should happen--if he should not come out alive from the predicament in
which he now found himself--his name would be remembered forever as that
of one who had neither honor nor courage.

Those thoughts seemed to Teeny-bits more than he could bear, and
suddenly a feeling of bitter rage welled up within him against the
unknown enemy who had caused him all this misery. He could not believe
that Snubby Turner had anything to do with it. The only persons in
Ridgley School whom he had reason to suspect were Bassett and Tracey
Campbell. He made up his mind that if he ever escaped from his present
predicament he would go straight to those two members of Ridgley School
and ask them point-blank if they were at the bottom of his troubles. If
they could not come forth with an answer that rang true, he would give
them both a thrashing that they would never forget. He would welcome a
chance to meet them singly or as a pair. He began to struggle at his
bonds and was soon dripping with perspiration from his efforts. After a
time he saw the uselessness of it and, almost exhausted, lay breathing
deeply the close atmosphere of the room.

The night before the "big game" at Ridgley School resembled the lull
before a storm; word had been passed as usual that the dormitories were
to be quiet and members of the school were to keep away from t