"I think," thought Frank, "that I'll get even with Page for this in a way that will surprise him."
His match went out just then and he began to feel in the darkness of the stones that made the chimney. They were untrimmed stones, so that the interior surface was very irregular.
Just above his hand, but within reach, was an iron bar crossing the chimney; it was put there to bind the walls.
Frank drew himself upon this and then, being in the narrow part of the chimney, was able to work his way upward by clinging with hands and feet to the rough edges of the stones.
It was slow progress, but not difficult, and sure. The only question would be whether the opening at the top of the chimney would be large enough to permit of his crawling through.
He had got about halfway up when he halted in his journey. He had heard voices, and he recognized both of them.
He knew that he was on the level of the room above Page's, and he realized that the sounds of talking came to him distinctly because there was a fireplace there that connected with this same chimney.
The voices he heard were those of Prof. Babbitt and Instructor Frost.
"The fact is, Frost," Babbitt was saying, "I'm aiming this examination at certain men in the class, and I've no hesitation in saying so. There's that fellow, Merriwell, for example; I'd like to force him to do more studying."