It chanced that Gray-beard had lain awake from toothache, and was at that very moment looking through his window, the curtain of which he had neglected to pull down when he retired, and he saw, slowly descending outside, two dark objects; they grew longer and longer, then they suddenly ceased to move. For an instant he felt a slight shock of fright; but quickly recovering, he gradually made out the form of two feet and two legs without a body. He sprang out of bed, threw open the window, and in a severe tone demanded, "What's this! Who are you; what are you doing?" Lester struggled frantically to climb the rope; we tried to help him, but a large knot caught the edge of the window-sill, and we could not lift it over, nor could we let Lester down, for one of the Seven had entangled his legs in the coil, and before he had extricated himself, it was too late to save our companion. "Who are you?" again called Gray-beard, grasping the boy by the trousers. "It's me, Lester," replied the lad. Seeing that the game was up, we gently let Lester farther down, and he entered Gray-beard's room through the window. In the mean time one of the boys had run softly downstairs to open the hall door for Joel, who had not been discovered. Gray-beard woke us up in the morning at the usual hour, but of the disturbance during the night he said nothing. At breakfast the subject was not mentioned, although we listened with anxious expectation. To the twelve boys who were engaged in the escapade of the night, it seemed as though the preliminary exercises of the morning school session would never end, so desirous were we to have the punishment, whatever it might be, come quickly and we be rid of suspense. The last name on the roll was called; Gray-beard slowly closed the Register, put it in his desk, and during an impressive silence turned his eyes upon us to scan our faces. "Lester!" said he, at last, "you will step up to my desk, if you please." If there was a serious matter on hand, Gray-beard always said, "If you please." Notwithstanding the very polite invitation extended to him, Lester reluctantly walked to the desk. Every eye but two, those of Alexander, was fixed upon Gray-beard and Lester. Aleck had taken out his writing-book and was carefully copying the example given at the head of the page, "Honesty is the best policy." He took particular pains with the capital H, finishing the last part with concentric circles. "What were you doing last night," asked Gray-beard of Lester, "when I caught you outside of my window?" "I was going down to the ground." "Were you running away?" "No, sir." "Where were you going?" "I was going to the village." "What were you going to the village for?" No answer. "Who was letting you down; some one must have held the rope in the dormitory, who was it?" No reply. "If you don't answer my questions, I shall have to whip you; who else was going with you?"