"I tell you what," said Percy. "It's my notion Rollitt's not gone up the mountain at all. It's just a dodge of those two to get a jolly good spree for themselves. Pooh! They'll get lost. We shall have to go and look for them, most likely." "And then," said Lickford, "somebody will have to come and look for us." "And Rollitt's not here to do it," said Fisher minor. This cast the company back on to their original subject. "It's my notion," said Wally, "he's got on the island in the middle of the lake, like Robinson Crusoe." "Rather a lark," said Ashby, "to get up a search-party and go and look for him there." The idea took wonderfully. To-day was "Founder's Day," a whole holiday. They would certainly go and look for Rollitt on the island. The preparations disclosed an odd conception on the part of the explorers of the serious nature of their quest. Their stated object was to rescue a lost schoolfellow. Why, therefore, did they decide to take nine pennyworth of brandy-balls, a football, a pair of boxing-gloves, and other articles of luxury not usually held to be necessary to the equipment of a relief expedition? As regards food, they possessed too keen a recollection of the straits they had been put to up the mountain a few weeks ago to neglect that important consideration now. Naturally, ham and Abernethys were the victuals selected. Had not Rollitt made these classical as the staff of life during voluntary exile from school? They were compelled to put up with a very small sample of the former. Lickford had been bequeathed a bone by his senior yesterday, to which adhered a few fragments of a once small ham. Possibly it might, with careful carving, furnish nine small slices. It was better than nothing. They would make up for its deficiency by a double lot of Abernethys. So they trooped off to the shop. According to their own rules, this establishment was only open between 11 and 12 in the morning, and not at all on holidays. But another rule said that the committee might in certain cases suspend or alter the rules. Whereupon Percy moved, and Ashby seconded, the following resolution: "That this shop be, and is, hereby opened for the space of five minutes." The motion was carried unanimously. D'Arcy and Cottle, whose turn it was to be on duty, solemnly took down the shutters, and ranged themselves behind the counter. "What can I do for you, my little dears?" said the former, encouragingly. "Money down. No tick. Try some of our Rollitt's particular--three-halfpence each." "No, they're not, you cheat!--they're a penny. We'd better have two each," said Wally. "Hullo! I say," exclaimed D'Arcy. "Look here, you fellows." He pointed to the heap of Abernethy biscuits, on the top of which lay a sixpence. "That's what you call looking after the money," said Wally. "Left that there all night."