“Up, fellows--up! This is a horse on us! It’s not the faculty! These fellows are in disguise, and they’re hoaxing us!” Then the three professors made a break to get out by that door, dropping the match. The room was in darkness, and there was a furious battle for a few moments. Some one brought out the lamp and lighted it. The light showed an interesting spectacle. Browning, still up against the door, was seated on the fellow who had represented Prof. Such. Rattleton was holding down Prof. Babbitt; but it took Sidney Gooch and three others to keep the third one from getting away. “It’s no use, fellows,” said Bruce, grimly. “We’ve got you, and you may as well give up.” The false Prof. Mower did so, with a laugh. “You are right,” he confessed. “You caught us easy.” Bruce turned his captive over. His spectacles had been lost in the scuffle, and his disguise was torn away, so he was readily recognized. “Griswold, you confounded little villain!” roared Browning. “I have a mind to give you a good basting! You rammed about two inches of that brad into me!” Danny Griswold, for it was the little joker, laughed heartily, saying: “I guess some of the others felt it.” “I guess yes!” cried one. “You found me.” “Me, too!” admitted another. The removal of “Babbitt’s” disguise revealed Charlie Creighton, who was convulsed with merriment. “Well, fellows,” said Prof. Mower, “you turned the tables on us that time, and you did it in a hurry, or you would not have caught us.” He pulled off his false beard, and Frank Merriwell was before them. “You?” cried Browning. “I’ll wager something you put this job up.” “Guilty,” laughed Frank. “Boys,” thundered Bruce, “as punishment, we ought to hold him and turn a quart of that punch down his throat.” “Mercy!” cried Frank. “Shoot me if I am to die, but do not torture me to death!” By this time those who had hidden in other rooms realized something violent had happened, and were trying to get in. Bruce pulled his captive from the door and admitted them. They set up a howl for vengeance when they learned how they had been hoaxed. Mrs. Henderson came upstairs and begged them to be quiet, but she was unceremoniously conducted to the head of the stairs, informed that a collection for her benefit would be taken up soon, and instructed to remain below. While the students were debating over the punishment that should be meted out to the captives, Sidney Gooch suddenly cried: “Fellows, I’ve been robbed! My watch is gone!” CHAPTER XXVIII. A POOR JOKE. “It must be you lost it in the fracas,” said one of the freshmen. “Let’s look round for it.” “Be careful not to step on it, fellows,” said another. “It must be on the floor here.” “I don’t see how I lost it in the scuffle,” said Gooch. “See here; it was taken off this snap--or it came off,” he added, slowly. Sidney’s manner plainly indicated a firm conviction that he had been robbed.