nto doing just what he wants, so that he never wants for
company. You can't send him to Coventry very well, so I don't know
that it will do much good to let him know that we know all about it."

"It will take down his conceit, Hal," said Arthur, "and that is one
of his biggest assets. A bit of ridicule of his fine plot will take
the starch out of him, and that's what he needs."

"Yes, to be sure."

The boys were in sight of the Van der Donk house by this time, but as
they had no intention of calling they turned around and went back to
the camp where they met Jack and his two friends just coming ashore.

"I have just heard how you got your black eye the other night,
Billy," laughed Jack. "J.W., here, said he was not to tell, but
we excused him under the circumstances. We came to the conclusion
that you got your black eye in trying to stop Herring when he was
getting out of the window of the doctor's cottage after he had put
back the manuscript he had been 'fixing,' as he called it."

"That's what we think," said Harry. "Billy has just been telling
us about it. We laughed at him that night, but he was cute enough
to keep the thing quiet until he found out more about it."

"Harry thinks it won't do any good to expose Herring," said Arthur,
"but I think it will."

"There is no especial need of it," rejoined Jack quietly.. "He
has only made a stupid mistake, and done me no harm whatever, and
it is really not worth while to pay any more attention to it.
I shall not, at any rate."

"I am sorry he is here, anyhow," said Arthur. "He is always making
a lot of trouble. The fellows don't like him and after the other
day when he claimed that he thought the Rocky Hill boys were playing
a trick on him, and would not go to the aid of the one who had the
cramp, not only our boys, but the other fellows are sore on him, and
if there are any more meets they will look out that he is not asked."

"They probably won't have any," added Percival. "They are really
bound to ask the whole Academy, and so they won't ask any one. That
will put an end to these meets, for they won't come up here as long
as they know they will meet Herring. For my part I think he ought
to be exposed, but, of course, it should be as Jack thinks. He is
the one most concerned."

"He may not stay here after this," said Jack.

"He did not care to stay here in the beginning, I understand,
preferring to go to some more lively place, and it is likely