It was little more than very successful “memorizing,” of course, but Brayton saw that a good deal could be done with a memory like that, and he was especially delighted at having so promising a pupil. He was not yet so experienced or so enthusiastic a teacher as to have rejoiced over the acquisition of a “dull boy.” No teacher is a thoroughly good one till he reaches that point. When he gets to it, however, he is safe to enjoy himself for the remainder of his life, for the supply of dull boys is as sure as frost in November. “Pretty tough game of ball you boys had to-day,” said Brayton, after the lesson was over. “Good game,” said Val. “Bar plays like a professional.” “Is that the way so many of them got battered?” asked Brayton. “No, sir,” said Val; “they got that in the boxing lesson.” “Boxing lesson?” exclaimed Brayton. “Why didn’t you use gloves?” “They were in too much of a hurry for that,” replied Bar. “In fact, Dr. Dryer seemed to disapprove of it. He came out and stopped us before it was finished.” “Hum! Yes. I think I see how it was,” said Brayton. “You’d better wear gloves next time, Bar. You’ve knocked quite a piece of skin off your left hand.” “That?” said Bar. “Oh, Hy Allen ran his head against it. He has a very hard head.” Brayton took Bar’s injured hand and deliberately felt of his arm, muttering to himself: “Hard as iron. How came he ever to get into such training as that at his age? Something very unusual,” and then he added aloud: “I think I’ll get you to help me keep the peace this term. Hy Allen won’t want to try that again very soon, and I think the rest will agree with him.” If Brayton had but known it, Zeb Fuller and his friends were “agreeing” to that very thing at that moment, as they gathered in council around the log at the mill-dam. Their coming determination was expressed in the words of Bill Jones. “Tell ye what, fellers, we shan’t feel sure about them city chaps till we’ve had ’em down here for a swim. We didn’t let ’em come last term, you know.” “That’s true,” replied Zeb Fuller. “It’s our duty to see they keep themselves clean. Oh, if I could but persuade Solomon to soak in the pond for a while at the bottom of it!” CHAPTER XXII GHOSTS IN THE ACADEMY BELFRY There was one man who had never been able to get Bar Vernon fairly out of his head since the first day he saw him, and that man was old Judge Danvers. Not but that the busy lawyer had plenty of other things to occupy him, but there was something in Bar and his mysterious “old time” which was well calculated to excite the curiosity of one whose whole life had been spent in solving “riddles” of one kind or another.