“I saw only his back, and the light was dim. I couldn’t be certain whether it was you or Ordway.” “Oh!” Bert shot a glance at Hugh, now sitting up in bed and hugging his knees. “Then――then perhaps it will interest you, Wallace, to learn that it wasn’t Ordway, after all! It happened to be me, old man. Put that in your pipe and smoke it!” And Bert viewed the other truculently. Cathcart smiled gently and shook his head. “That won’t do, Bert,” he said. “Ordway’s owned up, you see.” “Because he thought I didn’t want to be reported. Besides, he didn’t own up. He only said――――” “Oh, come, Bert! What’s the use?” asked Cathcart. “I know it was Ordway.” “You do? Even when I say it wasn’t? When I say it was me? You’re mighty smart, aren’t you?” Cathcart colored and frowned. “Very well,” he said stiffly. “I’ll report you both and you can settle it between you. I’m not quite such a fool as you seem to think, Winslow.” “I’m not _thinking_,” replied Bert impolitely. “Stow it, you chaps,” Hugh broke in. “Be fair, Bert. Cathcart’s only doing what he has to. Much obliged for lying, old chap, but I don’t really mind being reported. It’s all right, Cathcart,” he added reassuringly. “I’m the culprit. Sorry to get you out of bed.” Bert opened his mouth to speak, thought better of it and shrugged. Cathcart nodded to Hugh and went out. When the door was closed behind him and Bert had turned the key with a venomous click he strode back to Hugh’s room and eyed him wrathfully. “Why the dickens did you have to butt in?” he demanded. “I could have made him believe it was me in another minute. You haven’t got as much sense as――a――as a――――” “Proctor?” suggested Hugh helpfully. Bert grunted. Hugh threw the clothes aside and swung his feet to the floor. “Mind tossing me those pajamas?” he asked. “Thanks. Now, look here, old chap――――” “You’ll get the very dickens, that’s what you’ll get,” interrupted Bert. “Where were you? How did you get in? Didn’t you know――――” “Yes, old dear, I knew all about it. The degrading truth is that a half-dozen of those beastly lower middle chaps got me and a couple of juniors and locked us up in a classroom in School Hall and I had to shin down the coats and trousers――――” “Shin down the _what_?” Hugh smiled. “The coats and trousers. We tied our coats together, you know,――and my trousers, too,――and I got down that way and got in a window at the back and unlocked the door. Then I climbed in through the library.” “Who were the lower middlers?” demanded Bert hotly. “Couldn’t see them. Dare say I shouldn’t have known them if I had. It was all over in a jiffy. Someone grabbed me from behind, another chap throttled me and the whole lot pushed me upstairs. Next thing I knew I was locked in that room with a pair of silly juniors named Twining and Struthers. Struthers wasn’t so bad, but Twining was a mean little bounder. I say, you’ve a remarkable looking mouth, old chap!”