At three Leonard laid down his book, yawned and looked through the window. It wasn’t raining as it had been an hour ago; it was raining harder! “As a weather prophet,” reflected Leonard, “I’m a flivver.” He yawned again. Then: “Let’s put on our coats, Slim, and get out,” he suggested. “This is deadly.” There was, however, no response, and Leonard lifted himself on an elbow and looked across. Slim’s book was laid flat across his chest, and he was fast asleep. “Sluggard!” grumbled Leonard. He pillowed his head in his hands and considered. He might go to sleep, too, but he didn’t want to. He might arouse Slim and persuade him to go out. Or he might let poor old Slim alone and splash over to The Hill and see Johnny McGrath. That’s what he would do!
His final act before leaving the room was to slip a piece of paper between Slim’s gently folded hands. On the paper was written: “Gone to Europe. Back at five. Sweet dreams.” Mrs. McGrath answered Leonard’s ring and told him that Johnny was up in his room and that he should go right up. Meanwhile she divested Leonard of his dripping mackinaw and bore it off to the nearest radiator to dry. Johnny was hunched in a big chair when Leonard reached the head of the stairway and could see into the room. His knees were close to his chin, and a big book was propped against them. But the book was quickly laid aside when he saw the visitor. He pushed a chair close to the radiator and forced Leonard into it, bidding him put his feet to the warmth, and then drew up a second chair for himself, beaming welcome the while.
“Sure, you’re an angel,” he declared, “to drop in like this, General. Where’s Slim that he isn’t with you?”
“Fast asleep, the lazy coot. I guess last evening was too much for him, Johnny.” They had progressed to the stage where “McGrath” had given place to “Johnny.” “Did you hear about it?”
Johnny nodded and laughed. “Yes, young Shawley was telling me this morning. I’m sorry I didn’t go down and see the fun. You and Slim were too smart for them, eh?”
“Well, we got there, although I’ll confess they had us worried for awhile. What I don’t understand is why they locked us in the room. They must have known we’d have got out sooner or later.”
Johnny nodded again. “I’ll tell you about that. ’Twas Reilly put the freshmen up to it, or most of it. They had it planned, they thought, so Slim couldn’t get to the dinner. They expected he’d start early, and there was about twenty of the freshies waiting for him down by the gate, where they could have got him either way he’d gone.”
“Got him?” queried Leonard.
“Oh, sure, nothing rough, you understand. But they had a fake note from Coach Cade asking Slim to stop and see him, and one of them was to give it to him, the rest being out of sight. The coach went away over Sunday at five-forty, but Reilly had in some way got him to leave the key to his rooms. Well, the plan was that Slim was to call at the house over there on the corner, and some one was to say ‘Come in,’ and the room would be dark and then, the first thing Slim would know he’d be safe in the big closet for the evening.”