The Pothunters

of morning school, To

master of the Sixth, sadly, ju

s,

r that note

e, s

up, Graham. Come, you a

further concealment was useless

to Jim after school. 'Constant practice h

directly after lunch. There's a most unholy r

this burgla

to tell you now. Se

the study door, Jim embarke

al room in which the prizes had been placed. Or rather, he had left it there several days before, and had not needed it till that night. At half-past six the Pavilion had been locked up, and Biffen, the ground-m

tion in the Great Hall with the common herd of th

ep. over in the Hall, and it was strictly forbidden for anyone to quit the House after lock-up without leave. And, besides, it was long odds that Thompson, the Sixth Form master, would not have the notes, as he had dictated them partly out of his head and partly from the works of various eminent scholars. The second course was out of the question. The only other Sixth Form boy in the House, Tony and Welch being away at Aldershot, was

the risks of a drop to the ground. No, it was too far. Not worth risking a sprained ankle on the eve of the mile. Then he thought of the Matron's sitting-room. This was on the ground-floor, and if i

y had the window been securely fastened up, but the culprit had had a spell of extra tuition and other punishments which had turned him for the time into a hater of his species. His own fate, he knew, would be even worse, for a prefect is supposed to have something better to do in his spare time than breaking into pavilions. It would mean expulsion perhaps, or, at the least, the loss of his prefect's cap, and Jim did not want to lose that. Still the thing had to be done if he

s groaning in the slight breeze that had sprung up, and far away the distant roar of a train. Then a queer thing

see a form loom up beside him in the darkness. It was us

impulse was to give chase, but prudence restrained him. Catching burglars is an exhilarat

t to get his book, and

r someone might have heard one or bo

window. In a few seconds he was up himself without injury. He found it a trifle hard to keep his balance, as there was nothing to hold on to, but he managed

other window of the room was wide open. He shut it for no definite reason, and noticed that a pane

etreat, 'I must have given him a bit of a start with my half

unlocked, and he would be able to get in again. Nor would the fact of his being out excite remark, for it was the custom of the Hou

iced, and the precious book of notes, to which he applied himself with such vigour in the watches of the night, with a surreptitious candle and a hamper of apples as aids to study, that, though tir

est to Jim's recital of his adventu

o and do,' he said. 'J

join in hi

If they find out that I was in the Pav. at the time when the cups

'd never dream of accusing a Coll. chap of stealing Sport

erhaps

ourse

d be frightfully sick if he got to know abou

ght, ce

ns? He used to stay out after lock-up. That was absolutely all he did. Well, the Old 'Un dropped on him like a h

have escaped his memory. Even now Cairns was to be seen on the grounds with a common Schoo

'd lose your cap all

em hunt about all over the shop for clues and things, and the odds are they'll find me out, even if th

having one

' said Jim, dejectedl

n't believe detecti

ably have gumption

al sleuth-hounds was greater than Tony's, and