In the same way they worked until late that night, and began again early the next morning. Diamond offered the use of his room as a meeting place, and Puss Parker, who had been let into the scheme, suggested that they come to his room, too. Frank said no. "We began in Page's room," was the way he put it, "and we might as well work it out there." "His room is so far out of the way!" grumbled Browning. "A little walk won't hurt you any," responded Frank. "I'd much rather keep at it there, for I'm used to the room." So it was agreed that the grinding should continue at Page's, and it did until the day of the examination. They had other duties to perform, of course, during these days, but the regular work of the college had not entirely begun, so that most of their time could be put in to preparing for their examination. They allowed none of the other students to interrupt them, and for that matter, most members of the junior class were grinding in much the same fashion. They had only one caller during the entire period. This was Ford, but he did not find them at work. They were just returning to the room from dinner on the evening before the examination, when they met Ford leaving the house. "Ah, Page, I was just up to see you." "Sorry I wasn't in," Page responded. "What was it, something special?" "Oh, no," answered Ford, a little doubtfully, with a glance at the others in the party; "let it go until some other time." "If it isn't important, then," said Page, "I wish you would, for we fellows are----" "Sporting your oak, are you?" "That's it exactly. We're trying to get up on mathematics and so we don't admit any callers." "All right, then," said Ford, "I'm doing much the same at my own room. Good luck to you." Frank did not keep the boys at work late that evening. They had pretty well covered all the ground that he had chosen, and he believed that they would be better able for the test the next morning, so at ten o'clock he ordered them to their rooms, and they obeyed as readily as if they were a crew training under their captain for a race. At nine o'clock the next morning all the junior class assembled in one of the big rooms of Osborn Hall. Prof. Babbitt was there ahead of them with a number of assistants to look out for keeping the students in order and to prevent any possible attempt at cheating. The students found their places by means of slips of paper on the top of each desk. Merriwell was a little amused to notice that he was placed far from the friends with whom he usually associated. "I wonder if Babbitt thinks I would cheat?" he thought. There was a bundle neatly done up in brown paper on the professor's desk at the head of the room. He stood near it until all the students were in their places, each with a pad of blank paper before him, and a number of sharpened pencils.