hn and his lantern. "The mean sneak has got
the best of us, Joe." He set his teeth hard together, and his face
turned white.

Joe dropped the doorknob, and whirled off the steps.

"Julius Caesar! where are you going?" began Tom, as Joel disappeared
around the corner of the dormitory.

"He's gone to see if John is coming, I suppose," said Davie weakly.

Tom, preferring to see for himself, skipped off, and disappeared around
the angle. "Oh--oh!" was what David heard next, making him fly from his
step to follow in haste.

What he saw was so much worse than all his fears as Tom gripped his arm
pointing up over his head, that he screamed right out, "Oh Joe, come
back, you'll be killed!"

"He can't come back," said Tom hoarsely. "He'd much better go on." Joel,
more than halfway up the lightning conductor, was making good time
shinning along. He turned to say, "I'm all right, Dave," as a window
above them was thrown up, and a head in a white nightcap was thrust out.

"It's all up with him now; there's old Fox," groaned Tom, ducking softly
back over the grass. "Come on, Dave."

But David, with clasped hands and white face, had no thought of
deserting Joel.

The person in the window, having the good sense to utter no exclamation,
waited till Joel was up far enough for her to grasp his arm. Then she
couldn't help it as she saw his face.

"_Joel Pepper!_"

"Yes'm," said Joel, turning his chubby face toward her. "I knew I could
get up here; it's just as easy as anything."

Mrs. Fox set her other hand to the task of helping him into the dimly
lighted hall, much to Joel's disgust, as he would much have preferred to
enter unassisted. Then she turned her cap-frills full on him, and said
in a tone of great displeasure, "What _is_ the meaning of all this?"

"Why, I had to go out, Mrs. Fox."

"Why?"

"Oh--I--I--had to."

She didn't ask him again, for the matron was a woman of action, and in
all her dealings with boys had certain methods by which she brought them
to time. So she only set her sharp eyes, that Dr. Marks' pupils always
called "gimlets," full upon him. "Go to your room," was all she said.

"Oh Mrs. Fox," cried Joel, trying dreadfully to control himself, and
twisting his brown hands in the effort, "I--I--had to go. Really I did."

"So you said before. _Go to your room._" Then a second thought struck
her. "Was any other boy with you?" she demanded suddenly.

Joel gave a sharp cry of distress as he started