"It's just this way," said Browning, sitting down. "It seems our class is enlarged by the addition of quite a number of men who have graduated from or studied at other colleges. "They have applied for admission into the junior class, and there's got to be an examination for them, of course; in fact, the examination for such candidates is going on now." "That's quite a usual thing," remarked Merriwell. "Yes, certainly, but Babbitt has declared that the examination of last spring was very unsatisfactory. He says men can't go ahead in mathematics unless what they have done before is thoroughly learned, and he proposes to find out just what sort of talent there is in our class before he begins a year's work." "He'll find out what I can't do!" groaned Page. "Probably he knows that already," said Merriwell. "That's the substance of it, anyway," added Browning. "Babbitt's idea is to strike an average as to what the class can do and proceed from that." "Then I shouldn't think," said Merriwell, "that the examination should have any terrors for us." "You'd think," exclaimed Page, "that Merriwell looked at an examination as he would a plunge in the surf, just a little dip for the fun of it, and it's all over. It won't be so with me." "Don't worry," responded Frank, "you've got three days in which to cram." "And that's just what I'll do, I'm thinking." Page dropped his chin upon his hands and looked gloomily at the floor. "I'm sorry to give you unpleasant news," said Browning, rising, "but I told you I thought it was important. So long." With this he went out. "Oh, well," said Page, after a moment, "I'm not going to be knocked out by that! I'll just go into the examination and do as well as I can and take chances; that's what the rest of us have got to do." "That's the best way to look at it," Frank answered, "and I don't think I shall bother my head with cramming for it. "If I were you, Page, I'd go down to some of those second-hand stores on the street and see if you can't pick up a pair of old-fashioned andirons. You don't want to get new ones, you know, for a place like this, they wouldn't seem appropriate." "That's so," Page answered, with a queer smile, "I believe I'll adopt your suggestion at once. How would you place them?" "Why, just as they are placed in every other fireplace," Frank answered, "one on each side; that is, if the old chimney will draw." "Perhaps it won't," said Page. "I hadn't thought of that," continued Frank. "It may be that the place was closed up because the chimney was defective. Let's see if we can find out." So saying, he knelt and entered the fireplace. Once inside it was easy to stand upright, for the chimney was broad, and as he looked up he could see that it ran with a slight incline clear to the roof. "There's nothing to prevent a fire from being built here," he said, with his eyes turned upward. "Such a chimney as this would draw like a furnace." Page made no response.