hat time of the day, and, to his great joy, he
saw him driving in his gig. The boy ran and shouted, and speedily
attracted the doctor's attention when his son shouted, 'Something
wrong in the "lab!"'

He ran into the playground, and there half-a-dozen voices called,
'They have carried them all to the master's house.'

Here he found two of the boys well-nigh recovered, but the third one
was still unconscious, and Horace seemed even worse. His hand and arms
were badly burned with the acid, and there were splashes of it on his
face.

The masters were doing what they could to get the deadly poison out of
his lungs, but it seemed as though Horace and the third lad had
inhaled so much of the gas that all their efforts were in vain. The
doctor looked grave when Mr. Skeats told him the boys had been
breathing hydro-cyanic acid gas. The application of artificial
respiration was redoubled, but it was not until nearly four o'clock
that Horace began to revive, and what Leonard felt during those awful
hours of suspense could be better imagined than described! The
laboratory had been locked up, as soon as it was known what had
happened, so that the affair might be inquired into. No boy was
allowed to go home either, although Taylor had complained of being
very ill, and had wanted to leave early.

Not until it was known that Horace was out of all immediate danger was
there a word spoken, and then Dr. Mason said, 'I am ready to hear any
explanation that you may wish to give me as to the cause of what has
happened. I have heard all about the attendant circumstances and the
rescue of these lads. What I want to know is, who caused the
disaster?'

Not a sound broke the silence of the school when the doctor had said
this. Leonard was ready to tell of his share in the affair, but as he
glanced at Taylor he received such a look of warning as made him cower
in his seat, and the school broke up wondering what would happen
next.

CHAPTER VIII.

RIGHTEOUS RETRIBUTION.

Warren volunteered the information that Howard's mother had gone away
from home, and only his elder brother could take care of him, if he
was sent there, so that it was decided that he should remain in the
master's house for the present; and Warren went to let Fred know that
his brother would not be home all night.

'Why, what is the matter?' asked the young carpenter anxiously.

'There was something wrong in the "lab." this dinner-time. Nobody
knows just how