“Now what on earth could those fellows have been up to?” I wondered, as I sat silently awaiting developments. As nothing further occurred, I concluded that the mischief must have been summarily postponed on account of my appearance. Whoever the mischief makers were, and whatever their plans may have been, they could not have regretted my presence on the scene more than I did myself. My head was aching and throbbing, while the stinging sensation at the one side of my forehead, and a little stream of blood, which I could feel trickling down my cheek, showed me how severe the blow had been. As I rose to my feet I groped about in the dark until I found my hat, which had rolled several feet away from me; and then, brushing off the dust, I stepped over to the spot where I had been sleeping, and examined the grass carefully to see if the mysterious visitors had left any traces behind them. No results rewarded my search; so, as I was more interested in my own condition than in their plans, I decided to let the matter drop. “We are quits,” I said to myself, as I walked away toward Colver Hall. “I gave you a bad scare, and you gave me a bad scar, though, after all, I think you have the best of the bargain. One thing is certain: the next time I fall in with any fellows bent on mischief, I’ll leave them to the tender mercies of proctor Murray. The rôle of night watchman doesn’t suit me at all.” On reaching my room I lit the gas, and examined my face in the mirror which stood over the mantelpiece. The skin had been broken, but the cut was not deep, nor the wound so bad by any means as it might have been, considering the force of the blow. On washing away the blood, I found my forehead somewhat swollen and purple, but in other respects fairly presentable, so I felt there was cause for congratulating myself on escaping so luckily. It seemed quite evident to me that the injury I had sustained had been purely accidental. It was more than probable that the two students, whoever they were, had been planning some escapade, and, when I suddenly rose and interrupted them, they had become startled, and had dashed off without waiting to learn who it was. Not seeing me in the dark, the last of the two had run straight over me, kicking me in the head. The appearance of the wound, the manner in which I had received the blow, and the effect it had in tripping up the runner and sprawling him out on the grass――all confirmed me in this solution of the matter. “It will probably be explained to-morrow,” I thought; “for when I am seen at morning prayers with a black and blue forehead, the fellow who kicked me will no doubt recognize the mark and let me into the secret. I suppose they were Freshmen, and up to some of their tricks.” I slept soundly all night in spite of my wound, and was awakened on the following morning by the sound of the college bell ringing for prayers.