.

Loman stopped and spoke to them as they came up.

"Hullo! you fellows," said he, in as free and easy a manner as one
fellow can assume to others who he knows dislike him, "I wanted to see
you. Which way are you going?--back to the school?"

"Wren and I are going a stroll together," said Callonby, coldly;
"good-bye."

"Half a minute," said Loman. "I suppose you heard the results of the
Nightingale read out."

"Considering I was sitting on the same form with you when they were, I
suppose I did," said Wren.

"That's all right," said Loman, evidently determined not to notice the
snubbing bestowed on him. "Mine wasn't a very loud score, was it?
Seventy! I was surprised it was as much!"

The two Sixth boys looked at him inquiringly.

"The fact is, I never tried to answer," said Loman, "and for a very good
reason. I suppose you know."

"No--what?" asked they.

"Haven't you heard? I thought it was all over the school. You heard
about the Doctor missing a paper?"

"Yes; what about it? Was it found, or lost, or what?"

"No one owned to having taken it, that's certain."

"I should hope not. Not the sort of thing any fellow here would do."

"That's just what I should have thought," said Loman. "But the fact is,
some one did take it--you can guess who--and you don't suppose I was
going to be fool enough to take any trouble over my answers when I knew
one of the other fellows had had the paper in his pocket a day and a
half before the exam." And here Loman laughed.

"Do you mean to say Greenfield stole it?" exclaimed both the friends at
once, in utter astonishment.

"I mean to say you're not far wrong. But you'd better ask some of the
Fifth. It's all come out, I hear, there."

"And you knew of it before the exam?"

"I guessed it; or you may be sure I'd have taken a little more trouble
over my answers. It wasn't much use as it was."

Loman had the satisfaction of seeing the two Sixth boys depart in
amazement, and the still greater satisfaction of seeing them a little
later in confidential conference with Simon, from whom he guessed pretty
correctly they would be sure to get a full "all-round" narrative of the
whole affair.

"I'm all right with the Sixth, anyhow," muttered he to himself. "I only
wish I was as right with that blackguard Cripps."

"That blackguard Cripps" had, next afternoon, the peculiar pleasure of
welcoming his young friend and patron under the hospitable roof of the
Cockc