“Don’t be unreasonable, my lad,” he said, but his tone was much milder than before.

“I don’t that’s I am unreasonable.”

“The road is one belonging to this institution —­ in brief, a private road.  You became a pupil here when you entered our carriage, that, which brought you here.”

“Does everybody who rides in that carriage become a Putnam Hall pupil?” demanded Tom.

He saw that he was worrying Crabtree, and resolved to keep it up.

“Well — er —­ we won’t argue that point.”

“Then supposing we don’t argue anything until Captain Putnam comes back?  In the meantime if you will release me I’ll go to Cedarville and put up at the hotel for the night.”

“I shall not release you.”

“All right, then.  But if my guardian takes me away, mark my words, you shall stand a personal lawsuit for having locked me up here without having any right to do so.”

“Why —­ er —­ this to me —­ me, the head assistant here?” screamed Josiah Crabtree.

In his rage he ran over to Tom and caught him by the ear.

He had scarcely done so than Tom put out one foot, gave the teacher a shove, and down went Crabtree flat on his back.

“You villain!” gasped the head assistant, as he scrambled to his feet.

“Don’t you pinch my ear again,” retorted Tom.

The door was open, and before Crabtree could stop him he ran out into the hallway.

“Hold on!”

“Not much!”

“It will be the worse for you!”

“I’ll risk that.”

“Stop him, somebody!” screamed Josiah Crabtree at the top of his voice.

Without waiting, Tom ran down the hallway.  He knew not where he was going, and, coming, to a door, slipped through.  He now found himself in the rear of the Hall and a few seconds later ran across the back garden and dove into the farm lands.

“Free once more,” he thought.  “And I shan’t go back until I am certain Captain Putnam is on hand to receive me.  I wonder how Dick and Sam are faring?”

Thinking that his brothers would soon learn of his escape, and not wishing to be caught, he hurried on until the farm lands were passed and he found himself in a woods.

“I’ll sweep around in a circle and make for that road leading to Cedarville,” he concluded, and trudged on rapidly, for the woods were dark and lonely and not particularly to his liking.

Tom had covered the best part of half a mile:  when he saw a light ahead.  At first he thought it must shine from the window of some farmhouse, but soon made it out to be from a campfire, situated in something of a hollow and not far from a spring.

“Hullo!  Tramps or charcoal burners,” he thought.  “I wonder if they would be friendly?”

He slackened his pace and approached cautiously until within ten yards of where two men sat in earnest conversation.  One man was tall and thin and had a scar on his chin.  The other fellow was the thief who had robbed Dick of his watch.  At first Tom was not inclined to believe the evidence of his eyesight.