magine why he was doing it, I couldn't suspect him."

Doctor Wells' comment was short. "You did right. A suspicious nature is
one of the meanest things in the world." Again the Head was silent for a
time and then the expression of his face changed. "Now about this
Chinese business," he said; "I can understand the motive that was behind
spiriting you away, but when I come to the rather extraordinary means of
your escape, Holbrook, I will admit that my abilities as an amateur
Sherlock Holmes are too feeble. As I understand it from what you have
told us, these two Chinese in this Greensboro place seem to have been
strangely affected by the mark on your shoulder. Have you any
explanation of that?"

"I don't know whatever got into their heads," said Teeny-bits. "It's
beyond me. They jabbered away at a terrible rate in Chinese and acted as
if they were frightened."

"What is the nature of this mark?" asked Doctor Wells. "If you don't
mind telling me."

"Why, it's nothing," said Teeny-bits, "except a mark that looks like a
knife; a lot of the fellows have thought it was queer when they saw it
in the shower-bath room, but I never thought much about it because it's
always been there and didn't seem particularly strange to me."

"Mr. Stevens," said Doctor Wells, "I think you and Holbrook might go
over to Greensboro sometime this week and see what you can find. It
won't do any harm at least to try a little amateur detective work. I
wonder----"

Doctor Wells paused as if he thought it would be better not to say what
was in his mind. He had been about to mention something in regard to the
information that old Daniel Holbrook had given him on the opening day of
school,--the story of the accident at Hamilton station which had caused
the sudden death of the unknown woman who was supposed to be Teeny-bits'
mother. It had occurred to the Head that it might be just as well not to
talk over those matters in the presence of Teeny-bits.

When Mr. Stevens and Teeny-bits got up to go Doctor Wells shook hands
with them gravely.

"Holbrook," he said, "I haven't told you something that was in my mind
last night when I heard the news that came from the football banquet. I
was greatly pleased to learn that the Ridgley eleven had chosen you as
captain. I know that you will make a leader of whom we can be as proud
as we have been of Neil Durant."

Later Doctor Wells found occasion to tell Mr. Stevens the thing that he
had omitted: the hist