he ice, dragging Sid with him. At the same instant a tremendous mass
of snow came down, one heavy block of ice just grazing him where he lay,
panting and breathless.

"Fred, old boy, that was a grand thing for you to do!" cried Melvin, who
with Teddy had just come up; and the sentiment was echoed by all the
others who clustered admiringly around him.

"Oh, that was nothing," disclaimed Fred. "We've got to get a hustle on
now and take him to the Hall."

They carried the unconscious Sid to his dormitory, and medical aid was
called at once. The doctor worked over him vigorously, and was soon able
to predict that in a day or two he would be all right again.

Fred took a hot bath and changed into other clothes, and had soon shaken
off all the shock of the accident.

He had barely finished supper when a message was brought to him that Sid
wanted to see him.

He went at once, without any thought of what awaited him.

CHAPTER XXVI

SID WILTON TELLS

Fred found Wilton propped up in bed, in a room off the main dormitory
that was used in cases of sickness or accident. He looked very white and
weak, and, although Fred had never liked the boy, he felt sincerely
sorry that he had had such a shock.

He reached out his hand with a friendly smile, and Wilton grasped it
eagerly.

"I can't thank you enough for pulling me out of the snowfall, Rushton,"
he said. "I don't remember much about it after it once buried me, but
they tell me that I was all in when you got me. It was an awfully plucky
thing for you to do, to hang on when that second mass was coming down,
and I don't believe there's another fellow in school that would have
taken the chance."

"Oh, yes there are, plenty of them," said Fred heartily. "I just
happened to be the nearest one to you. I'm glad to hear that you will be
all right again in a little while."

"All right in body, perhaps," said Sid with a faint smile, "but I won't
be all right in mind till I tell you something you ought to know."

"What do you mean?" said Fred wonderingly.

Sid turned to the boy who was sitting in the room to wait upon him.

"Would you mind leaving me alone with Rushton for a few minutes,
Henley?" he asked.

"Sure thing!" answered Henley, rising. "I'll come in again later on."

He left the room; and Sid turned to Fred.

"It's about the examination papers," he said, shamefacedly.

Fred's heart gave a leap as though it would jump out of his body.

"What do you me