"I've had enough of that," said he; "ask Samouil to take my place." Samouil agreed; he was a good player, but he found a formidable opponent in Aram, and the group soon became very much excited. Archag watched them for a moment, then went off to chat with Garabed in another corner of the room. Nejib was sitting near them, absorbed in a book. "Hi, there," said Archag, "what are you buried in so deep? You haven't taken your eyes off your old book for the last hour." He drew near without ceremony, and read out the title of the book at the top of his voice: "The Arabian Nights!" If a thunderbolt had fallen in the hall the boys could hardly have been more startled; they knew how severe Dr. Mills was upon any who read improper stories; and "The Arabian Nights" had a terrible reputation at Aintab. Profound silence followed Archag's imprudent words; the boys dared not breathe a syllable. Mihran hodja turned pale, went to Nejib and asked for his book. The boy handed it to him without a word, but he was as white as a ghost. The master turned over the leaves, hoping the book might prove to be an expurgated edition, put it in his pocket with a sigh, and left the room. When he had closed the door, Nejib flung himself upon Archag and gave him a vigorous box on the ear. Our friend tripped him up, and when his opponent was on the floor, punched his chest. The boys had hard work to separate them, for they were both very angry. "As if I knew 'The Arabian Nights' was a forbidden book!" said Archag. "I simply asked him what he was reading. Don't be worried; I shan't speak another word to him." Nejib, for his part, insisted that Archag had done it on purpose, that he was a spy and ought to be expelled from college. Finally, peace was restored after a fashion. Archag's anger cooled quickly, and he thought no more about the matter. But Nejib did not forget. President Mills gave him a punishment of three days on bounds, on bread and water, together with a very bad conduct mark, and also wrote a letter of complaint to Dr. Rossinian. The young fellow, who was quarrelsome by nature, then merely waited for an opportunity to take his revenge. CHAPTER VIII AN ACCIDENT