Off with your clothing, all of you!” whispered Torn.  “I’ll manage this affair.  Pretend to be asleep.”

“But, Tom, it’s my fault —­” began Dick, when his younger brother cut him short.

“Into the bed —­ I’ll be all right, Dick.”

Satisfied that Tom had some plan in his head for smoothing matters over, the other boys disrobed with marvelous rapidity and crept into their beds.  While this was going on the knocking an the door continued.

“Boys, open the door!” said George Strong.  “Open the door, do you hear?”

“Answer him!” whispered Tom to Larry, whose bed was nearest him.  “Pretend you have just awoke,” and he flung himself on the floor, with one of a pair of big rubber boots in each hand.

“Oh —­ er —­ Mr. Strong, is that you?”

“Yes, open the door.”

“Why —­ er —­ is it locked?

“Yes.”

At once Larry tumbled from his bed, unlocked the door and stood there rubbing his eyes.  “Excuse me, Sir, for not hearing you before.”

“I want to know what the meaning is of the noise in here?” said George Strong severely, as he gazed around the dimly lit apartment, for the lamp was turned low.  “You boys are —­ gracious me!  What’s this?”

The teacher started back in genuine surprise, and his words aroused all of the boys in the beds, who followed his gaze in equal wonder.

For in the center of the floor sat Tom, his eyes tightly closed, a rubber boot in each hand, and rocking backward and forward with great rapidity, as if rowing.

“Two lengths ahead!” muttered Tom.  “I’ll beat you yet, Larry!  Three lengths!  Oh, but this is a dandy race!  Pull away, you can’t beat me!  Oh!  There goes an oar,” and, bang! went one of the rubber boots against the base board, and Tom made a leap if diving into the water after it, sprawling and spluttering as he pretended to swim.

“He’s got the nightmare again!” shouted out Sam, quick to understand Tom’s dodge.  “Tom, wake up there!” I

“The nightmare!” echoed Mr. Strong.  “Is it possible?  Poor boy!  Wake up, Thomas!” and he caught Tom by the shoulder and shook him and finally set him on his feet.

“The oar —­ I will have the — Oh!” Tom opened his eyes and stared around him blankly.  “Why —­ er —­ what’s up?”

“My boy, you’ve had the nightmare,” answered the teacher kindly.

“Nightmare!”

“I told you not to eat that pie tonight,” put in Sam.  “He saved his pie from dinner, and ate it just before we came up here,” —­ which was true.

“Er —­ I thought I was on the lake racing Larry Colby,” murmured Tom and hid his face as if in embarrassment.  “What did I do?” he faltered.

“You almost raised the roof, that’s what you did,” answered Dick.  “You had better send home for some of those digestion tablets you used to take,” and then he hid his face in the blankets to keep from laughing out loud.