“I won’t need you, where I’m going,” he said. “The term is almost closed. By the time I get ready to come back, or hear from my folks I can start a new term, but I hope I’ll never have anything more to do with Professor Klopper.” Jack went to the window to look out, to see if it would be safe to drop the suit case, and then follow himself. To his surprise, coming over the back path, which he often used as a short cut to the village, he saw the professor and a policeman. “It’s too late!” he exclaimed. “He took the short way home, and got here quicker than I thought he would. He kept his threat, and is going to have me arrested. What’ll I do?” Jack thought rapidly. He had made up his mind that he would not submit to the indignity of being taken into custody, even though he thought he could, after some trouble, prove his innocence of the charge. “I’m not going to let them get me,” said Jack softly. “What had I better do? I know. I’ll hide in the big attic closet. He’ll never think to look for me there. But, before I go I’ll just make them think I got away out of the window. Then they won’t spend so much time looking for me.” Jack took a piece of rope, one of the many things in his room which he had stowed away, thinking he might some day find a use for it. He tied one end to his bed, and threw the other out of the window, taking care that the approaching professor and the officer should not see him. “There, they’ll think I got down by that,” he said, “though I never use it. The lightning rod is good enough for me. Now to hide!” Softly opening his door, which, fortunately was not bolted, and carrying his dress-suit case, he went up to the big attic, which took up the entire third story of the professor’s house. There was a roomy closet, or store room in it, and, selecting a place behind a large chest, Jack sat down there, stowing his case away out of sight. “I don’t believe they’ll find me here,” he said, with a smile. “Gee, but I’m glad I decided to skip out! I couldn’t stand it any longer!” He listened intently, and soon he heard his name being called by the professor. “They’ve found out I’m not in my room,” he said. “Well, let ’em hunt.” He heard his name being shouted again. “That’s Miss Klopper,” he remarked. “I’ve fooled ’em.” Then he heard confused sounds throughout the house, and he knew they were searching for him. But he had selected his hiding place well. Besides, the dangling rope did deceive the professor and the policeman. “The rascal has gotten away,” said Mr. Klopper, when a superficial search of the house failed to reveal the boy. “I did not think he would do that.” “Most any boy would, under the circumstances,” observed the policeman grimly. “You shouldn’t have told him you were going to have him arrested. If you’d come away quietly and got me we would have him now.”