the trees,
and then, striking off to the right, he went through field after field,
and then through a gate, and along by the side of a deep ditch, to stop
short all at once, as a man started out of the hollow, and tried to hide
a small gun.

"Why, Magglin," cried Mercer, "you're after rabbits."

"Nay, nay; rats. They comes after the taters. Been fishing?"

"Come on," whispered Mercer, and he ran along by the hedge, turning once
more to the left, and at last pulling up in a clump of fir-trees, on the
north side of the big house.

"Now then," he said, "I daresay the Doctor hasn't come back, and the
ladies are sure to be with him. We'll creep in by the front door and
get up-stairs. Keep close to me."

He paused for a few minutes to get breath, and then started off, through
the shrubbery, across the lawn, and in at the front door.

The hall was empty, and he sprang up the well-carpeted staircase,
reached the first floor, ran lightly along a passage, and through a
baize door, which separated the Doctor's part of the house from the
boys' dormitories.

"All right!" he whispered, as he held the baize door for me to pass
through; "nobody saw us, and the boys will not be up here."

He led the way down a long passage to another staircase, ran up, and I
recognised the floor where our bed room was, when, just as we were
making a rush for it, a door opened, and the big fat boy Dicksee came
out, stared, and then burst into a roar of laughter.

"Oh, here's a game!" he shouted. "Old Senna's been diving after
podnoddles, and giving the new chap lessons."

Mercer rushed at him so savagely that Dicksee stepped back, and the next
minute we had reached our room, rushed in, and banged the door.

"Oh, isn't he a beast?" cried my companion, panting, and looking all
aglow now. "He'll go and tell the boys, but we mustn't say where we've
been."

Half an hour after, we went down, dressed in our other suits, feeling
very little the worse for our adventure, and just as we reached the big
schoolroom, the big clock up in the turret chimed.

"Why, we're in good time for tea after all," said Mercer. "They always
have it late on holidays. Quarter of an hour to wait. Let's go and
walk down to the boys' gardens."

He led the way out and across the playground to a gate in the hedge,
through which we passed, to come plump on the Doctor, three ladies, and
Mr Rebble, who carried a creel by the strap, and had a rod over his
shoulder.