“Oh, he’ll get through all right enough,” said Hamlin, carelessly.
“Who else was up there when you left?” asked Gordon.
“Only Dixon, Freeman, Lee and Clark. Clark had handed in his paper and was waiting for Freeman. Here they come now.” And the two boys stopped and waited for the other two.
“Bobby certainly is working the self-government plan for all it is worth to-day,” said Freeman, as he and Clark joined the others.
“Anything new?” asked Hamlin.
“He’s left those three, St. John, Lee and Dixon, up there in the room to finish, and told ’em to put their papers in the lower drawer in his desk when they get through; and the last one is to lock the drawer and give him the key in the morning.”
“He certainly is putting them on honor,” said Gordon; “but I guess it’s safe enough with those three fellows.”
The three boys left in the class-room worked on in silence for half an hour. Then Lee had finished his work, and putting his paper in the drawer, he departed, followed a few minutes later by Dixon. Both boys cast wondering glances at St. John, who was usually among the first to pass in his papers, but he paid no attention to them, not seeming even to notice when they left the room.
He had finished all but one of the problems given. That one he had tried in vain to solve. His tired brain would not recall the theorem required. As Dixon left the room, St. John dropped his head on his desk with a weary sigh, but in a moment he started up again, and bent over the question-paper.
“Why can’t I think of it?” he said half aloud. “Of course I know it. I’ve solved that problem no end of times.”