“Thank you, I hope so too,” answered Dick, and Sam said about the same.  The two boys felt at once that the doctor would prove their friend so long as they conducted themselves properly, but they also felt that the aged president of Brill would stand for no nonsense.

Having been questioned by the doctor and one of the teachers, the boys were placed in charge of the house master, who said he would show them to their rooms in the dormitory.  Dick had already explained the absence of Tom.

“Your father wrote that you would prefer to room together,” said the house master.  “But that will be impossible, since our rooms accommodate but two students each.  We have assigned Samuel and Thomas to room No. 25 and Richard to room No. 26, next door.”

“And who will I have with me?” asked Dick with interest.  He did not much fancy having a stranger.

“Well, we were going to place a boy with you named Stanley Browne, a very fine lad, but day before yesterday we received a new application and the applicant said he desired very much to be put with the Rovers.  So he can go with you, if you wish it.”

“Who was the applicant?” asked Dick quickly.

“John A. Powell.  He said he was an old school chum of yours at Putnam Hall and had been on a treasure hunt with you during the past summer.”

“Songbird!” cried Dick, and his face broke out in a smile.  “Oh, that’s good news!  It suits me perfectly.”

“Did you call the young man Songbird?” queried the house master.

“Yes, that’s his nickname.”

“Then he must be a singer.”

“No, he composes poetry—­or at least verses that he calls poetry,” answered the eldest Rover.

“I wish some more of the old Putnam Hall crowd were coming,” put in Sam.  “Think of having Hans Mueller here!” And the very idea made him grin.

“Hans isn’t fit for college yet, Sam.  But there may be others,” added Dick hopefully.

They soon reached the dormitory, located across the campus from the main building and followed the house master up-stairs and to rooms No. 25 and 26.  Each was bright, clean and cheerful, with big windows looking to the southward.  Each contained two clothes closets, two beds, two bookshelves, a bureau, a reading table, two plain chairs and a rocker.  The walls were bare, but the boys were told they could hang up what they pleased so long as they did not mar the plaster.

“The lavatories are at the end of the hall,” said the house master.  “And the trunk room is there, too.  Have you had the trunks sent up yet?”

“No, sir,” answered Dick.

“Then let me have your checks and I will attend to it.  I see the man has already brought up your suit cases.  I hope your brother has no trouble in recovering the one that was lost.”

“When is John Powell coming?” asked Dick.

“To-morrow, so he telegraphed.”

The house master left Dick and Sam and the two boys looked over the rooms and put some of the things from their suit cases in the closets and in the bureaus.  Then they walked down to one of the lavatories and washed and brushed up.  Everything was so new and strange to them that they did not feel at all at home.