The school was reached at last, and Ralph hurried across the playground and darted up to the dormitory. His coat was in his box. He felt in the pocket; the book was there--safe! There had been no need to worry! He had left it behind him, and it had been safe all the time! Warren had followed him, and Charlton was there, and half-a-dozen of the others. Charlton had taken no notice of him when he ran in. "There you are, you kite!" laughed Warren. "You left it here all the time, and you have been worrying yourself to fiddle-strings, as if it contained the most important things in the world, and just trembling in your shoes for fear any one should find it and open it, and----" Warren stopped short. A boy, running by, accidentally pushed against Ralph and sent the book flying from his hands. It fell at Warren's feet and burst open; and from it there fluttered on the floor, in plain view of every boy there--a five-pound note! CHAPTER XVI THINGS LOOK BLACK FOR RALPH A five-pound note! There it lay, face upwards; and for a moment there was silence in the dormitory. Every eye was turned upon the boy, who stood staring at that accusing piece of paper, as if turned to stone. If ever any one looked guilty, Ralph Rexworth did at that moment. It was so unexpected, so inexplicable--and worst of all, though not a word was spoken, he seemed to feel what his companions thought, to know that they looked upon him as a liar and a thief. As for Warren, he stood with open mouth and staring eyes, as if he could not believe his senses. So this was why Ralph had been so anxious about finding his pocket-book! But when Elgert, who had also come into the room, took in the scene and muttered scornfully something about "Like father like son," Warren turned on him savagely, with a contemptuous-- "Shut up, you cad! You, at any rate, should be the last one to speak, seeing that he saved your life on Saturday." And at that sharp reproof Elgert shrank away, abashed for once. Then Warren stooped and picked up the note, for it still lay there, and every one seemed too bewildered to move--and he held it out to Ralph. "Rexworth," he said, in low, grave tones, "this was in your pocket-book. It don't want much talking about, you can see what it looks like against you. But I want to say, and I feel that I must say it, I cannot believe that a chap like you can really be guilty of such a horribly mean thing. You and I have been good chums, and if any one had asked me my opinion, I should have said that there was no chap in the school I could more honour and trust. But this thing has got to be explained, and I must do my duty as a monitor, even if it gets my best chum into trouble. I must tell the Head of this. If I did not, some one else would, and it is my duty to do it."