ht."

"That was the way of it, Beaufort?"

"Aw, find out," growled Beaufort. "I don't have to account to you for
what I do."

"Keep a civil tongue, Beaufort," counselled Mr. Conklin, "or it may
prove bad for you, my boy."

"You've been told before that you must keep off school property," said
Mr. Daley, otherwise known as "Horace."

"I'm not on school property," replied Beaufort defiantly.

"You're not now, but you have been or you wouldn't be here. After this
kindly remain away from the school entirely. We've had trouble with
you before."

"Sure and you'll have more if you get gay," answered the other with a
grin. "When anyone throws stones at my head he gets licked for it."

"Did you do that, Durkin?"

"No, sir," replied Penny quietly. "Thayer and I were lying under the
rock here when those fellows came up the hill. They saw us and went on
up. Then, pretty soon, they came down again and Beaufort pretended I'd
thrown a stone at him and came over here and insisted on a scrap."

"Pretended you threw it? What for?"

"Oh, it's some of Dreer's funny work," replied Penny. "He had it in for
me because--for something that happened a while back, and he got
Beaufort to pick a quarrel with me."

"What was the something that happened, Durkin?"

"I'd rather not say, Mr. Daley. It--it had nothing to do with this."

"What do you say, Thayer?"

"Penny's told it just the way it happened, sir. Beaufort wanted to fight
and Penny wouldn't until Beaufort made him. There wasn't any stone
thrown, Mr. Daley."

Mr. Daley looked puzzled. "Well," he said, "you'd better all return to
hall for the rest of the day. You'll--er--you'll probably hear from this
later." Beaufort took his departure non-chalantly, whistling as he made
his way through the woods. Dreer stood not on the order of his going,
but was over the wall almost before the instructor had finished
speaking. Penny and Clint followed more leisurely, leaving Mr. Daley and
Mr. Conklin in possession of the field of battle. They too, however,
presently continued their interrupted walk.

"What do you make of it, Jim?" asked Mr. Daley. Mr. Conklin smiled and
shook his head.

"Oh, I fancy Durkin told it straight. It's some private feud we happened
on. Too bad we didn't follow our first intention and go toward
the village."

Mr. Daley looked doubtful. "I'm sorry about Durkin," he said
regretfully. "Mr. Fernald has been trying to secure a scholarship for
him at one of the