“Get what? Oh, that key? I don’t know. Let’s see it.”
“It’s a dormitory key,” said Alvin. “It says ‘8’ on it.”
“Oh, I—happened on it. Toss it over. I dare say some chap dropped it.” Monty put it in his trousers pocket, with a fine show of ease, but as he went back to bed, and settled down for slumber he wondered how he had missed it when he had emptied his pockets of the others, and blamed himself severely for his carelessness.
CHAPTER XIII
STANDART GETS ADVICE
Monty encountered Jimmy the next morning in front of School Hall. Jimmy was one of a dozen youths awaiting the nine o’clock bell on the steps. It was a brisk morning in the last week of October, but here in the sunlight it was comfortably warm. Jimmy disengaged himself from Ned Musgrave and Nick Blake, with whom he had been talking, and sauntered out to intercept Monty. He had a quizzical smile on his face as he thrust a hand under Monty’s arm, and turned him along the brick wall.
“Fine morning, Monty,” he observed blandly.
“Why not?”
“No reason at all, no reason at all. I’m glad it is. I’m glad for your sake.”
Monty gazed around over the turf. “I didn’t know loco weed grew in these parts,” he murmured.