"They have no business to, of course?" "Go in? No, of course not--only the two who chum have any right in it. Here we are, and--there, they are in now!"--as a scuffling and burst of laughter came from the inside of the study before which the boy had halted. "Oh, what are they doing! Will you stop until they have gone?" "Not I," answered Ralph grimly. "That study is mine as well as yours, and I mean to see that we have it to ourselves, Charlton. Come on, and we will see what is up." And saying this, Ralph threw open the door and walked into the little room, followed by his companion. CHAPTER V MAKING THINGS STRAIGHT A burst of laughter greeted Ralph's ears as he opened the study door, and some one said: "Look sharp. Here he comes! Hurry up there, Elgert!" But the laughter died away somewhat awkwardly when the boys saw that Charlton was not alone, and one or two of the boys came up to Ralph. "Hallo, you new fellow! They surely haven't put you to chum with Charlton, have they? What a shame! I should kick against it. Some one else must make room for you." Such were the remarks of those who had taken a fancy to Ralph, but he paid no heed to it all. He just calmly gazed round, as if counting the number of boys there and taking their measure; and then he quite as calmly shut the door, locked it, and put the key in his pocket. Those present looked in surprise for a moment--some laughed, and one, a tall, handsome boy, came haughtily up to him. "What do you mean by that?" he demanded. "How dare you lock that door?" Ralph regarded him with the utmost coolness. No one had told him who the boy was, and yet he seemed to know--he felt sure that this was none other than Horace Elgert himself. "Wait a bit," he said calmly. "So far as I understand, this study belongs to Charlton and myself. We have a perfect right to lock the door." "But not to lock us in," retorted Elgert. "Open it at once, and think yourself lucky that you don't get a licking for your impudence!" "Steady!" was Ralph's answer. "It seems to me that if you had not been where you have no right to be, you would not have got locked in; and now that you are here, you must wait my pleasure as to going out." This was beginning school life with a vengeance, but Ralph believed in settling things once and for all, and his indignation was hot as he saw what these half dozen lads had been doing. But Horace Elgert was not a boy to be spoken to like that, and he came striding up to Ralph to take the key by force. "I will soon settle you," he began, and he aimed a blow at this impertinent new boy's head, only somehow the blow did not get there. Ralph adroitly stepped aside, and the Honourable Horace Elgert stumbled to the ground violently. "A fight! A fight!" cried the rest; but Ralph smiled and shook his head. "Oh, no, my friends. I have something better to do, and this is not the place for fighting."