“Get away, you old donkey,” said Duncan sleepily; “’t, aint time to get up yet.  First bell hasn’t rung.”

“Come, sir, this shamming will only increase your punishment;” but the imperturbable Duncan stretched himself lazily, gave a great yawn, and then awoke with such an admirably feigned start at seeing Dr. Rowlands, that Eric, who had been peeping at the scene from over his bed-clothes, burst into an irresistible explosion of laughter.

Dr. Rowlands swung round on his heel—­“What!  Williams! get out of bed, sir, this instant.”

Eric, forgetful of his disguise, sheepishly obeyed; but when he stood on the floor, he looked so odd in his crimson girdle and corked cheeks, with Dr. Rowlands surveying him in intense astonishment, that the scene became overpoweringly ludicrous to Duncan, who now in his turn was convulsed with a storm of laughter, faintly echoed in stifled titterings from other beds.

“Very good,” said Dr. Rowlands, now thoroughly angry, “you will hear of this to-morrow;” and he walked away with a heavy step, stopping at the lavatory door to restore the tin basin to its proper place, and then mounting to the studies.

Standing in the passage into which the studies opened, he knocked at one of the doors, and told a boy to summon all their occupants at once to the library.

Meanwhile, the dormitory-boys were aghast, and as soon as they heard the doctor’s retreating footsteps, began flocking in the dark to No. 7, not daring to relight their candles.

“Good gracious!” said Attlay, “only to think of Rowley appearing!  How could he have twigged?”

“He must have seen our lights in the window as he came home,” said Eric.

“I say, what a row that tin-basin dodge of yours made!  What a rage the Doctor will be in to-morrow?”

“Won’t you just catch it!” said Barker to Duncan, but intending the remark for Eric.

“Just like your mean chaff,” retorted Duncan.  “But I say, Williams,” he continued, laughing, “you did look so funny in the whiskers.”

At this juncture they heard all the study-boys running down stairs to the library, and, lost in conjecture, retired to their different rooms.

“What do you think he’ll do to us?” asked Eric.

“I don’t know,” said Duncan uneasily; “flog us, for one thing, that’s certain.  I’m so sorry about that basin, Eric; but it’s no good fretting.  We’ve had our cake, and now we must pay for it, that’s all.”

Erie’s cogitations began to be unpleasant, when the door opened, and somebody stole noiselessly in.

“Who’s there?”

“Upton.  I’ve come to have a chat.  The Doctor’s like a turkey-cock in sight of a red handkerchief.  Never saw him in such a rage.”

“Why, what’s he been saying?” asked Eric, as Upton came and took a seat on his bed.

“Oh! he’s been rowing us like six o’clock,” said Upton, “about ’moral responsibility,’ ‘abetting the follies of children,’ ’forgetting our position in the school,’ and I don’t know what all; and he ended by asking who’d been in the dormitories.  Of course I confessed the soft impeachment, whereon he snorted ’Ha!  I suspected so.  Very well, Sir, you don’t know how to use a study; you shall be deprived of it till the end of term.’”