“I wouldn’t advise you to start saving up just now,” answered his brother.  “Better get some sleep first.”  And then he playfully shied a pillow at Sam’s head.

The next day nearly all the talk at Brill was about the fire and what Tom had done towards rescuing Miss Harrow.  Many insisted upon it that Tom had enacted the part of a real hero, and he was interviewed by a local reporter, and a number of newspapers printed quite an item about the conflagration and the part he had played.

But the students had little time just now for anything outside of their final examinations.  Many papers had to be prepared, and poor Tom often wondered how he would ever get through with any satisfaction, either to himself or his instructors.  With Sam, the task seemed much easier, for, as Dick had once declared, Sam was “a regular bookworm,” and no studies seemed to worry him in the least.

“If I get through at all, I shall be lucky,” vouchsafed Tom, after passing in a particularly hard paper.

“We’ll hope for the best,” returned Sam.

During those days came another letter from Dick, in which he stated that he had moved into the offices vacated by Pelter, Japson & Company, and was doing his best to get everything into working order.  He added that, on the request of their father, he had disposed of some stocks, and in their stead, had purchased sixty-four thousand dollars’ worth of bonds.

“My, that’s some bonds!” remarked Sam, on reading the letter.

“Well, bonds are usually much safer than stocks, even if they don’t pay so well,” answered Tom.

There was a letter from their Aunt Martha, who stated that their father did not seem to be quite as well as he had been the week previous.  She added that they had called in another doctor, who had stated, after an examination, that there was no cause for alarm—­ that Mr. Rover must be kept quiet and not worried, and probably, he would be his old self in another month or two.

“I am glad that the college is to shut down soon,” said Sam, when he and his brother were discussing this communication.  “I want to see dad and make sure things are not worse than Aunt Martha pictures them.”

“Exactly the way I feel about it, Sam.  They may be holding back something on us just so we won’t be worried.”

Two days later came the final examination for, both the Rovers, and they felt much relieved.  Songbird was also “out of the woods,” as he expressed it, and asked them if they did not want to join him and Spud in a short row on the river.

“That suits me,” cried Tom.  “I want to get out into the air somewhere.  I am done with classrooms forever.  If it was not for the look of things, I would be turning handsprings on the campus.”

“Ditto,” added Sam.

“Well, come on,” said Songbird.  And a few minutes later the four students were down at the boathouse, getting out one of the four-oared boats.