“That’s all right,” said Browning, grimly. “Rattleton heard enough to know you might do it. If Merry is exposed, I shall know you did it, no matter how well you cover your tracks, and that will mean the end of your college life in this city. I’m not going to say any more. I have said enough. If you are not fools, you will go slow.” Then Bruce and Harry walked away, and Gooch and his freshman chum were left to their thoughts, which were anything but pleasant. “Confound him!” muttered Billings. “He would keep his word!” “Sure,” nodded Gooch, with something like a whimper in his voice. “I wouldn’t dare tell anything about Merriwell now, even if I knew I would be protected by the faculty.” “Oh, this Merriwell has such beastly luck!” snarled Billings. “Now, if the fool of a proctor had drowned in the river----” “That would have been great!” chuckled Gooch, fiendishly. “Then we would have been forced to tell, and Merriwell and his gang of pals would have gone to prison. Why didn’t the proctor drown!” “Well, I guess we may as well drop it. There is a charmed circle about Frank Merriwell, and no harm can come to him.” “I’m not so sure of that,” said Sidney, showing his white teeth. “There may be a way to cover him with disgrace.” “The fellows seem to have forgotten the watch incident.” “They have not. When something else in the same line comes up, they will remember it. Poor Harris was a good fellow, but Merriwell hounded him from college. The tables will turn at last. Before summer vacation you will see Frank Merriwell driven in disgrace from Yale.” “You may think so, but I doubt it.” “Wait,” said Sidney. “I am not going to blow on Merriwell, but there may be another way to pull him down from his lofty position.” As Browning and Rattleton were walking away, the latter looked back and saw Gooch and Billings talking excitedly. “I reckon we have settled them,” said the big fellow. “Hope so,” nodded Harry. “Say, old man, I have an idea.” “Name it.” “I have thought of something since I saw those chaps together and heard them talking.” “What?” “You remember how Gooch lost his watch the other night?” “Yes.” “And Billings, who seemed to be pretty full, took it out of Frank Merriwell’s pocket?” “Yes.” “Both of those fellows hate Merry. They are somewhat chummy, and they are mean enough for anything. So I think----” “That it was a put-up job between Gooch and Billings. That Billings made believe to take the lost watch from Merriwell’s pocket. That it was an attempt to make the fellows suspect that Frank stole the watch.” “Exactly.” Bruce stopped. “Bet you are right!” he growled. “I’m going back and say a few more things to those chaps. If we were somewhere else, I’d knock them both down.” Harry urged Browning not to go back, for he saw Bruce was fearfully angry, and he realized that the big fellow might forget he was on the campus and strike Gooch or Billings.