A clever stroke or two with the landing-net, and then the little square of glass was in their hands. It was scratched somewhat, but unbroken. Tinkle laid it on the grass carefully. "That is one," he said. "Now let us try for the others." He weighted his line heavily, and started. He fished and fished, and at last he was rewarded--up came the pocket-book; and soon after, up came another book with a stone tied to it. "It is a crib," pronounced Tinkle. "Come on, Green; we are in an awful mess, and we are in for a caning, I suppose; but we have caught our fish, and I don't care a bit." The two boys raced back to the school, and they were accosted in the playground by Warren. "Hallo, you two kids! Where have you been, and how did you get into that state?" the monitor asked. "You are over an hour late. Have you seen anything of Rexworth?" "No, Warren. Isn't he in? We wanted him. Oh, we have got something to tell him!" "You will have something to tell the doctor," answered Warren grimly. "He is bound to want to know what you have been up to." "Don't go, Warren. Do listen to us. It concerns Rexworth and Charlton. We know about Elgert." "What is that?" cried Warren, turning. "What do you mean?" And the boys, with many "you sees" and "you knows," told their story, and exhibited their treasures. "Here, you come with me!" said Warren. "You are a pair of little bricks. Come with me!" "Where to, Warren?" they asked, as he hurried on--not in the direction of their room, but towards the Head's house. "Where are we going?" "To the Head himself. He must deal with this. Don't you be frightened. I don't think he will punish you for being late, after he knows what kept you. Come on and speak up like men!" "Why, Warren!" exclaimed Dr. Beverly, in mild surprise, when the monitor of the Fourth entered his presence, accompanied by the two little draggled objects. "What is this? Have these boys been in the river? Take them to the housekeeper at once. They are soaking wet!" "They won't hurt for a minute or two more. They have something to tell you, sir--something I thought that you ought to hear before any one else." "Indeed!" said the Head. "And what is it? Speak quickly, and let them go; they will catch bad colds." So Warren told the story for them, and placed their catch before the Head. And Dr. Beverly, great man as he was, shook these two happy juniors by the hand, and called them clever boys, and dismissed them to revel in special tea in the matron's room after he had strictly enjoined both them and the monitor not to say a word of this, even to Charlton or Ralph Rexworth. But Ralph had not come home, and it was getting late now. He had been long enough to get to Crab Tree Hill and back twice over. What could have happened to Ralph Rexworth? CHAPTER XXX WHAT DETAINED RALPH REXWORTH