eived by the lamps outside, that a crowd of faces, pale in the
darkness, was staring through the high iron palisade which surrounded
the school. They had seen his light, and were now watching for his
coming out. He knew that upon the smallest additional excitement the
locked gates and palisade would not keep them off more than half a
minute; so he instantly barred the shutters, and betook himself to the
porter's room. As he crossed the small open corner between the two
doors, he heard the _sough_ of their angry speech swelling and falling
like a wind in the upper regions of the night; but they did not see
him. Fortunately, there was a side door in the railing, seldom used, of
which the key hung in the porter's room. By this door Alec let himself
out, and relocked it. But the moment he turned to go home, he heard an
urchin, who had peeped round a corner, screech to the crowd across the
enclosure:

"He's oot at the back yett! He's oot at the back yett and awa'!"

Another yell arose, and the sounds of trampling feet.

Alec knew that his only chance lay in his heels, and took to them
faithfully. Behind him came the crowd in hot pursuit. The narrow
streets rang with their shouts of execration. Such curses could hardly
be heard elsewhere in Europe. Alec, knowing most of the courts and
passages, doubled on his pursuers in the hope of eluding them. But
discovering that he had his instrument still in his hand, he stopped to
put it down the bars of a grating, for a cut from it would have been
most perilous, as he had been using it a day too soon; and before he
had gained another turning, his pursuers were on his track and had
caught sight of him. But Alec's wind and muscles were both good; and in
five minutes more he was at the back entrance to his own lodging,
having left the mob far behind him. He darted up to Mr Cupples, and as
soon as he found breath enough, told him his adventure, saying with a
laugh, as he concluded,

"It's a mercy there's as muckle o' me to the fore as can tell the
tale!"

"Jist tak' ye tent, bantam," returned Mr Cupples, who had suddenly
assumed a listening attitude, with his head on one side, "or ye mayna
tell the neist. Hark!"

From far below arose the dull sound of many feet on the stone-stairs.
Mr Cupples listened for a moment as if fascinated, then turning quietly
in his chair, put the poker in the fire. Alec rose.

"Sit down, you fool!" cried Cupples; and Alec obeyed.

By this time the mob