Expulsion would follow, unless there could be some explanation of the matter. Frank knew that he could explain nothing, and the thought of the disgrace that awaited him was very hard to bear. With it all, however, there was a consciousness of absolute innocence that gave him strength to leave the room much as if nothing had happened. "My best friends will know that I am not guilty of any such conduct," he reflected, "and the rest of them may think as they like." At the outside door of the hall, he paused, in doubt as to what he should do next. Knowing that Babbitt, already disliking him, would insist on his expulsion, Frank was inclined to go straight to his room and pack up his belongings. The event had made everything about the college extremely distasteful to him, but it was only for a moment, and then he realized how sad he would feel at having to go away from good old Yale forever. "It won't do," he said to himself, emphatically. "I must make some kind of effort to clear myself; there's no hope of persuading Babbitt that I'm innocent, but there must be members of the faculty who would believe me, and it would not be right to go away without trying to show them that I've been straight in this. If I should leave without making the hardest kind of a defense, everybody would be justified in believing me guilty." With this thought in mind, Frank debated for a moment whether it would not be well to go straight to the office of the dean and tell him all he could about it. "That won't do," he concluded, "because Prof. Babbitt will report the matter to the dean at once, and if I should go there first, it would look as if I were trying to get an advantage by assuming frankness. No, the only thing to do is to go over to the room and wait there until I'm summoned; that will come soon enough, but I wish the summons were here now." Frank's wish was gratified. He had just come to a decision as to what he should do, and was going down the steps of the hall when one of the instructors who had acted as an assistant at the examination came hurrying after him. "Merriwell, wait a moment," he said. Frank turned and touched his hat. The instructor looked worried, and his voice trembled a little as, laying his hand on Frank's shoulder, he said: "Merriwell, Prof. Babbitt has sent me to tell you to report at the dean's office as soon as the examination is over." "Very well," Frank responded, "I'll be there." "I hope," added the instructor, hesitatingly, as he looked earnestly into Frank's eyes "that there's an explanation of this thing, Merriwell." "So do I," Frank responded, "but what it is, is more than I can tell now." The instructor sighed and returned to the examining room. Frank saw several students approaching whom he knew and, not caring to have any conversation with them, he started away at a rapid pace. There was a full half hour to pass before the examination would come to an end.