"I declare," Merriwell added, "it makes me wish that winter had come so that I could see a roaring old blaze of logs here. Doesn't that strike you about right?"
As Page made no response, he turned to look at his classmate, and then discovered that the secret door to the fireplace had been closed.
With his eyes turned upward and seeing the little patch of light at the top of the chimney he had not noticed that the light from the room had been shut off.
"Hello, there!" he called, feeling along the wall to find the door. "I'm no freshman."
There was no sound from Page's room. Frank found a match in his pocket and struck it. From inside it was easy enough to distinguish the outlines of the secret door that concealed the fireplace.
It was not possible, however, to discover any way by which it might be opened. The latch was the kind used on doors, but strong, and with no knob on the inside.
Frank pushed against the door with some force. It did not yield in the least degree.
"Seems to me," he thought, "that Page has a queer idea of fun to lock me in like this. I've a good mind to kick the door down."
He thought a moment before deciding to do this, and reflected that it would hardly be a good-natured way of treating the joke.
If Page meant to have some fun with him by making him a prisoner, the joke would be all the more successful if Merriwell should get mad about it and break open the secret door.