“All right,” agreed Dan. “I don’t care whether we paddle or swim; but that flag’s got to come down from there.”
“They’ll probably put another one up,” said Tom.
“Let ’em! We’ll have had our fun,” said Nelson. “What time had we better go, Dan?”
“About eleven, I guess. We want to wait until Verder and Smith are asleep so that they won’t hear us sneak out.”
“You don’t think Bob will be hurt at being left out, do you?” asked Nelson.
“I don’t believe so; anyway, I don’t think he’d go. And if any row comes up he won’t get into it because he won’t know anything about it. Come on; let’s go up.”
So the plotting ended and they went back to camp-fire looking beautifully innocent, and were so sleepy, all three of them, that no one would have suspected for an instant that they intended to stay awake until midnight. After camp-fire the launch took the visitors back to the Inn, but none of the Four went along; they didn’t know what time they would get back and they wanted the senior dormitory to be wrapped in slumber as early as possible; for, after all, the day had been a busy one and it might prove to be no easy task to keep eyes open until even eleven. The lights went out promptly at half past nine, and Dan and Tom and Nelson stretched themselves out between the blankets with the other occupants of the hall. It was hard work to keep awake during the next hour and a half. Nelson, despite his best endeavors, dozed once or twice, but was sufficiently wide awake to hear Dan’s bed creak and Dan’s bare feet creeping up the aisle.
“Awake, Nel?”
“Yes,” Nelson whispered.
“All right; come on. I’ll get Tommy.”