Sidney Cumston, the big boy, who had laughed at little Jack Tiverton, dropped the plank, and turned pale, while not a boy spoke or moved.
"Come, come!" said Sidney, when he caught his breath, "we're a precious pack of sillies! Help me lift this big board, will you?"
"Will you?" came from the loft, in the very manner in which he had said it.
Again he dropped the plank.
"What does it mean?" cried Sidney.
"Mean?" came his last word repeated.
The boys were now thoroughly frightened.
"Come!" cried Sidney, "let's leave here!"
"Here!" came a repetition of his last word, and big as he was, he had turned to run, when a faint ripple of smothered laughter came down from the loft.
Immediately Sidney's pale face flushed red. It flashed through his mind that these younger boys had seen that he was frightened.