it has been fitted in and the edges painted in such a way that only the closest inspection would give a fellow a suspicion that there was any opening there."
At this moment there was a knock, and Browning came in.
"I thought you were coming next week?" exclaimed Page.
"Well, I found I'd nothing better to do than run down here. What's that you're looking at?"
The boys explained the matter to him, and in his slow way he admitted that if they were sophomores it would be quite possible to utilize this secret door in the course of hazing freshmen.
"As we're not in the hazing business now," he said, "I can't see any use for the place, Page, except for you to hide in when your creditors call."
"Huh!" retorted Page, "it's my habit to keep my bills paid."
"It'll make you unpopular if the fellows know that."
"I was telling Page," said Merriwell, "that if I had the room I'd take down that door entirely, get some andirons and burn a log of wood on a winter evening."
"That's a good scheme," returned Browning, "but if I should do anything of that kind I should never get a stroke of work done here; this room was never meant to study in, but it's an ideal loafing place."
With this he threw himself upon one of the window seats and looked out. The others took places on the other windows and for a few minutes their conversation turned upon college topics.
Then Browning, who was a little restless, as most students are immediately after a vacation, said he would have to be going. Page urged him to wait, but he shook his head.
"By the way," he said, with his hand upon the door, "I've got some news."
"Well?" said both the others together.
"I regret to say it isn't pleasant news, but it may be important to you two; it certainly is to me."
"Spring it!" exclaimed Page.
"Cut the preface!" said Merriwell.
"Babbitt has announced an examination for juniors in mathematics."
"What!"
Merriwell and Page were so surprised that they sat down suddenly. Browning remained standing by the door.
"It's a fact," he said.
"But what can that mean?" asked Merriwell. "We had our regular examination last spring."
"I know we did, but Babbitt's going to have another just the same."
"Where did you learn it?"
"On the bulletin board, of course. The notice was put up not more than an hour ago."
"When is it to be?"
"Three days from now."
Page looked blankly at Merriwell.
"I never was any good at mathematics," he said, "and after a summer without a thought of it I don't believe I could do an ordinary sum in multiplication."
"Well," responded Frank, doubtfully, "it can't be that the examination will have any serious consequences for us fellows if we passed last spring."
"There's no telling how serious Babbitt may make it," said Browning. "The notice on the bulletin board, of course, doesn't give any explanation, but I met Frost, the fellow who graduated a couple of years ago, you know, with high honors in mathematics, and who was made instructor in one of the lower departments of that course.
"I knew Frost quite well when he was a student, so I asked him if he knew anything about this."
"What did he say?"
"He smiled a little queerly and answered that Professor Babbitt had his own ideas."
"In other words, Frost wouldn't tell?"
"Oh, no, that's not it; Frost is a member of the faculty now, you see, and of course he has to speak very respectfully of the older men.
"I got a very distinct idea that Frost regarded Babbitt's examination as all nonsense, but he did explain to me what Babbitt's idea about it is."
"That's what we want to know."
"It's just this way," said Browning, sitting down. "It seems our class is enlarged by the addition of quite a number of men who have graduated from or studied at other colleges.
"They have applied for admission into the junior class, and there's got to be an examination for them, of course; in fact, the examination for such candidates is going on now."
"That's quite a usual thing," remarked Merriwell.
"Yes, certainly, but Babbitt has declared that the examination of last spring was very unsatisfactory. He says men can't go ahead in mathematics unless what they have done before is thoroughly learned, and he proposes to find out just what sort of talent there is in our class before he begins a year's work."
"He'll find out what I can't do!" groaned Page.
"Probably he knows that already," said Merriwell.
"That's the substance of it, anyway," added Browning. "Babbitt's idea is to strike an average as to what the class can do and proceed from that."
"Then I shouldn't think," said Merriwell, "that the examination should have any terrors for us."
"You'd think," exclaimed Page, "that Merriwell looked at an examination as he would a plunge in the surf, just a little dip for the fun of it, and it's all over. It won't be so with me."
"Don't worry," responded Frank, "you've got three days in which to cram."
"And that's just what I'll do, I'm thinking."
Page dropped his chin upon his hands and looked gloomily at the floor.
"I'm sorry to give you unpleasant news," said Browning, rising, "but I told you I thought it was important. So long."
With this he went out.
"Oh, well," said Page, after a moment, "I'm not going to be knocked out by that! I'll just go into the examination and do as well as I can and take chances; that's what the rest of us have got to do."
"That's the best way to look at it," Frank answered, "and I don't think I shall bother my head with cramming for it.
"If I were you, Page, I'd go down to some of those second-hand stores on the street and see if you can't pick up a pair of old-fashioned andirons. You don't want to get new ones, you know, for a place like this, they wouldn't seem appropriate."
"That's so," Page answered, with a queer smile, "I believe I'll adopt your suggestion at once. How would you place them?"
"Why, just as they are placed in every other fireplace," Frank answered, "one on each side; that is, if the old chimney will draw."
"Perhaps it won't," said Page.
"I hadn't thought of that," continued Frank. "It may be that the place was closed up because the chimney was defective. Let's see if we can find out."
