Frank started to climb up on the table, but as soon as his knee was upon it a half dozen of the seniors yanked the table from under him and he fell to the floor. There was a great roar of laughter at this, but Merriwell kept his face straight and did not so much as grunt. "No black mark that time!" he thought. "I told you to get on the table!" roared Baker. Frank obeyed this time by making a sudden jump that brought him squarely upon the center of the table before it could possibly be yanked from under him. There was a roar of applause at this, and the students gathered around to listen to the essay. Frank took his manuscript from his pocket. "What was the subject you were told to write on?" asked Baker. Frank looked at the paper and read: "Why is a Hen?" The four other juniors exchanged winks; each one of them had been told to write upon the same topic. Just then there was a knock at the door, and, after a moment, Bruce Browning was admitted. Browning was already a member of the order, although he was a classmate of Frank's. He had become so by being dropped at the end of his freshman year, as already related in this series of stories. When that happens a popular student keeps up his society relations with his former classmates, so that Bruce, although he was a junior in the standing of scholarship, was a senior when it came to society matters. The fact that he was still a classmate of Merriwell's had led him to decide that he would take no part in the initiation. The students, therefore, were surprised to see him enter. "I thought you weren't to be here!" exclaimed Baker. "I wasn't," Browning answered, "but I've got something important to say to you." He spoke in such a serious tone that Baker at once went over to him, and after a few whispered words they shut themselves into Baker's bedroom, which adjoined the study. "You remember Miller?" asked Browning. "You mean the tough customer that sells cigars?" "Yes." "I do remember him; what of him?" "He's got a grudge against Merriwell. I think Frank at some time or other interfered in some dirty work he was up to, and so he's laying for Frank." "Well, what of it?" "He's heard that Frank has been elected to the 'Pig,' and he declares that he'll take advantage of the initiation to raise hob with him." "Huh!" "I thought I ought to let you know about it." "Well, yes, but I don't see what Miller can do." "Nor I, either, but it'll be just as well to be on your guard, you know." "All right, and we'll try and look out for it." "How's Merriwell getting on?" asked Browning. Baker grinned. "He's standing it like a man," was the reply, "just as we supposed he would, but he'll get black marks enough to sink a ship before the night's over." Browning chuckled. "I'll bet he takes those black marks seriously," he said.