"The captain is not here, and I shall deal with you as you deserve," he said.

Tubbs sank down on a chair and began to attend to his nose with his handkerchief. Sam remained standing, but his whole manner showed that he did not consider he was being treated fairly.

"What both of you boys deserve is a good thrashing," said the teacher, after a pause.

At this Sam looked his surprise. Thrashing was not permitted at the Hall. The worst that could happen to a student was to place him in solitary confinement over night, after a supper of bread and water.

"As I am not permitted by the rules to thrash you, I shall put you in the stone cell over night," went on Jasper Grinder.

"Together?" questioned Tubbs, from behind his blood-stained handkerchief.

"No. You shall go to the cell; and Rover shall be placed in the empty storeroom next to it."

"The cell is ice cold, and so is the storeroom," protested Sam.

"It is not my fault that you must be placed there, and you will have to put up with the cold," was the curt answer.

"I shan't stay in a cold room!" cried Sam. "It's not fair."

"You shall, and I'll put you there myself!" e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed Jasper Grinder.

"Tubbs, don't dare to stir until I return."

So speaking, the unreasonable teacher caught hold of Sam once more, and despite the youngest Rover's struggles hustled him out of the office and through a long hallway, at the end of which was located the storeroom he had mentioned. The key to the room was in the lock.

"Now stay there until you are willing to behave yourself," said Jasper Grinder, and shoved Sam into the apartment. "For your impudence to me you shall go without your supper to-night."

"That remains to be seen," replied Sam, but in such a low voice that the teacher did not hear. Then the door was closed and locked, and Jasper Grinder hurried away with the key in his pocket, to make poor Tubbs a prisoner in the stone cell.

"Here's a pretty mess, and no mistake," thought Sam, as he sank on a bench, the only article of furniture the room contained. "I'm being treated worse than Tom was treated by old Crabtree when first we came to the Hall. And all because I called Tubby by his nickname! If this keeps on a fellow won't dare to breathe out loud when Grinder is around. What a pa.s.sionate fellow he is at times! He glares at a fellow as if he was going to eat you up!"

While Sam remained on the bench he heard footsteps in the hallway and a howling protest from Tubbs. Then he heard the rich youth thrown into the stone cell next to the storeroom and left to his fate.

It was nipping cold, and, even with the window tightly closed and nailed over with slats, Sam could not endure it to remain on the bench long. Leaping up he began to stamp his feet and slap his arms across his chest to get them warm. Soon he heard Tubbs doing the same thing.

"I guess he's worse off than I am," thought the youngest Rover. "That stone cell hasn't any bench in it any more, and it must be twice as cold and damp as this room. It's a shame to put anyone there in this freezing weather. I don't believe Captain Putnam would stand for it if he was here."

He tried to speak to Tubbs, but the wall between was too thick, and he soon gave up the idea. Then he continued to stamp his feet and slap his arms, and even went through an imaginary prize fight, in order to warm up. It was now growing dark, and with the darkness the atmosphere of the storeroom became colder and colder.

CHAPTER III.

TOM ON A TOUR OF DISCOVERY.

Poor Sam was removed from the gymnasium so quickly that neither d.i.c.k nor Tom had time to protest, and when they reached the main door of the school building they found it shut and locked in their faces.

"Say, this is an outrage," burst out Tom. "Sam wasn't to blame for that fight. He didn't trip Tubby up."

"I know he didn't," put in Fred Garrison, who had come up also. "It was Larry Mason. But I shan't give Larry away."

"Neither will I."

"Mr. Grinder always carries matters with a high hand when the captain is away," put in d.i.c.k. "And he gets red-hot at the least little thing."

"He doesn't deserve to be a teacher here," came from George Granbury, who had followed the others. "To my way of thinking, he's worse than old Crabtree was, even though he is perhaps better educated."

"I'd like to know what he is going to do with Sam," said d.i.c.k, with a serious look on his face. "Sam has made such a good record this term I hate to see it broken."

"He'll do something to punish 'em both," came from Fred. "It will be too bad, though, if he puts 'em in the stone cell. They'll freeze to death such a night as this is going to be."

"I won't allow it," e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed d.i.c.k. "Why, that would be inhuman!"

"I'm going in by the back way and find out what's going on," said Tom, and promptly disappeared around the corner of the Hall. He was soon inside the building, but to his chagrin found every door leading to Captain Putnam's private apartments and to the stone cell and the storeroom locked. Having gone through the mess-rooms and through several of the cla.s.srooms, he rejoined the others, who had gathered around the fire in what was called the students' general living room,--an apartment set aside during cold weather solely for the boys' comfort, where they might read, study, play quiet games, or do similar things in order to make themselves feel at home.

"How did you make out?" was the question immediately put.

"Made out, and that's all," said Tom gloomily.

"What do you mean?" came from d.i.c.k.

"Every blessed door is locked, and so are the windows. I can't get within two rooms of the office."

"Did you hear anything?" asked George.

"Yes; I heard a noise like somebody stamping."

"Where did it come from?"

"I think it came from the stone cell. But it sounded like somebody stamping on wood."

"Perhaps it came from the empty storeroom," cried d.i.c.k. "More than likely Mr. Grinder has placed Sam and Tubby there. I wish he'd come here. I'd question him."

"Your wish is gratified," whispered George. "Here he comes now!"

The door at the far end of the room had opened, and now Jasper Grinder came forth in a hurry. He was about to pa.s.s to another room at the rear of the school when d.i.c.k stopped him.

"Mr. Grinder, may I ask what you have done with Sam?" he asked.

"I have placed him in confinement until Captain Putnam returns," was the snappy answer.

"Did you put him in the stone cell?"

"It is not for you to question me, Rover."

"In this cold weather it isn't fit for anybody to be in that stone cell.

Sam may catch his death of cold."