“Yes, but—er—do you think you had better go that way?” asked Jerry, smiling at the instructor.
“What way? Why, is anything wrong?”
The professor looked at his hands. He was carrying his collar and necktie.
“Bless my soul!” he exclaimed. “I did forget to put them on; didn’t I? I was wondering where I had put my specimen of Neonympha eurytus, or little wood-satyr butterfly. I wanted to show it to Professor Axton. I must have mislaid it. But never mind now. I’ll look for it later.”
He put on his collar and tie and accompanied the boys out of doors. The clouds had somewhat cleared away now and the new moon illumined the campus and silvered the surface of Lake Carmona. The boys looked about them at the groups of college buildings.
“It is a dandy place!” murmured Jerry softly.
“It sure is,” agreed his chums.
The boys found Proctor Thornton to be a rather stern-looking gentleman, who seemed to be on the alert and with an air as if he were constantly saying, or thinking:
“Now it doesn’t make any difference how innocent you look, I know you have either been up to some mischief or are going to make some. I won’t accept any excuses. I know boys and you can’t deceive me.”