d run away. The search in the night
had been fruitless; and to add to the general excitement, that morning
the Examiner was to commence the _viva voce_ part of the examination.
The hour of preparation, from seven to eight, was not a very
industrious one. Boys were too full of surmises, and Mr Prichard, who
happened that morning to be in charge of the school-room, was too much
disturbed about Harry's disappearance to pay much attention to the
whispers which were spreading through the room. Breakfast, too, was by
no means the usual ordinarily quiet meal.

The only boys who betrayed any symptoms of nervousness or uneasiness
(all were excited, of course) were those who had joined Egerton and
Warburton in their assault on Harry the previous night.

These looked guilty; but their ringleaders preserved the utmost
coolness and indifference; and a casual observer, if asked, would have
said, "Well, if there are two boys more than any others who certainly
have nothing to do with the whole affair, those two are Egerton and
Warburton."

So much for guilt, and the mask it can so well assume.

Before the nine o'clock bell had ceased ringing, every boy was in his
place in the big school-room--a rare occurrence, indeed--waiting
eagerly for the appearance of the Doctor. For boys like nothing better
than a "row" when they themselves are not implicated. And remember,
those who were so implicated were but an exceedingly small fraction of
the whole number. What the guilty ones felt will best be known by
those who have been in a similar position.

Dr Palmer entered with the Examiner, a fresh-coloured young man, in a
very new gown, and a very new hood, thrown jauntily over his shoulders.
The doctor was grave and stern, and looked at nobody. The Examiner
played with his watch-chain, and looked at everybody, running his eyes
rapidly along the different desks and forms. And the other masters
followed in due order. And, when all were in their respective places,
prayers were said, and Dr Palmer, amid breathless silence, spoke as
follows:

"You are most of you, if not all, aware of what occurred last night.
One of your number, Campbell, has, in a fit of rashness and haste, run
away, and as yet has not been found. There must be some special reason
for this;" and the Doctor paused and looked round the room. "I left
him in my study at half-past seven last night, having his tea, and as
happy as he could be under the sad circumstances o