ng happily as he seated
himself on the bed and tossing his cap toward the table. "It was Sawyer
did it. He put up the whole job. He fessed up when 'Horace' got at him.
Durkin met him coming out and----"

"Hold on!" begged Tom. "I don't quite get you, Steve!"

Steve laughed. "Sort of confused narrative, eh? Well, listen, then. Drop
those trousers and sit down a minute."

"All right, but the barge leaves at half-past----"

"Never you mind the barge, old man! You're not going in it. I'll come to
that later, though."

"Take your time," said Tom, dropping into a chair. "I love to hear your
innocent prattle."

"Shut up! It's like this, Tom. I met Durkin awhile ago and he got to
talking about that shoe-blacking stand. Remember the note he left here
that night?" Tom nodded. "Well, it came out that while he was putting it
under our door Eric Sawyer walked out and fell over him."

"Out of here?"

"Right-o! Sawyer said he'd been waiting to see me. Now you remember I'd
seen him coming out of Daley's room earlier, eh? Well, it seems that
Sawyer saw a chance to put up a game on me. So after I'd gone upstairs
again, he sneaked back to 'Horace's' room, got that confounded blue-book
of Upton's and waited his chance. After we'd left the room he came up
here and slid the thing among some books on the table there. While he
was in here Durkin came along and knocked and Sawyer slipped over and
locked the door. Then he waited until he thought Durkin had gone and
unlocked the door again and came out. But old Durkin had written a note
to us down under the light and come back with it and he was putting it
under the door when Sawyer came out and fell over him. Of course, when
Durkin told me that I had a hunch what had happened and I hot-footed it
to 'Horace.' He confessed that it was Sawyer who had told him he'd seen
me carrying off the book. So he streaked off after Sawyer, found him
somewhere and took him to Durkin's room. Sawyer----"

"Were you there too?" asked Tom excitedly.

"No, he told me to wait in his study for him. He was back in about a
half-hour looking sort of worried. Of course Sawyer had to own up. He
told 'Horace' that he'd just done it for a joke, but 'Horace' didn't
believe him for a cent. And there you are!" Steve ended in breathless
triumph. Tom viewed him round-eyed.

"What--what about Sawyer?" he asked.

"I don't know for certain, but I think Sawyer's on pro. Anyway, Tom, I
know this much: You don't go to any