"Got some rather bad news for you, I'm afraid," began Mr. Appleby.

　　"I'll smoke, if you don't mind. About Wyatt.""James!""I was sitting in my garden a few minutes ago, having a pipe beforefinishing the rest of my papers, and Wyatt dropped from the wall on tomy herbaceous border."Mr. Appleby said this with a tinge of bitterness. The thing stillrankled.

　　"James! In your garden! Impossible. Why, it is not a quarter of anhour since I left him in his dormitory.""He's not there now.""You astound me, Appleby. I am astonished.""So was I.""How is such a thing possible? His window is heavily barred.""Bars can be removed.""You must have been mistaken.""Possibly," said Mr. Appleby, a little nettled. Gaping astonishment isalways apt to be irritating. "Let's leave it at that, then. Sorry tohave disturbed you.""No, sit down, Appleby. Dear me, this is most extraordinary.

　　Exceedingly so. You are certain it was James?""Perfectly. It's like daylight out of doors."Mr. Wain drummed on the table with his fingers.

　　"What shall I do?"Mr. Appleby offered no suggestion.

　　"I ought to report it to the headmaster. That is certainly the courseI should pursue.""I don't see why. It isn't like an ordinary case. You're the parent.

　　You can deal with the thing directly. If you come to think of it, aheadmaster's only a sort of middleman between boys and parents. Heplays substitute for the parent in his absence. I don't see why youshould drag in the master at all here.""There is certainly something in what you say," said Mr. Wain onreflection.

　　"A good deal. Tackle the boy when he comes in, and have it out withhim. Remember that it must mean expulsion if you report him to theheadmaster. He would have no choice. Everybody who has ever broken outof his house here and been caught has been expelled. I should stronglyadvise you to deal with the thing yourself.""I will. Yes. You are quite right, Appleby. That is a very good ideaof yours. You are not going?""Must. Got a pile of examination papers to look over. Good-night.""Good-night."Mr. Appleby made his way out of the window and through the gate intohis own territory in a pensive frame of mind. He was wondering whatwould happen. He had taken the only possible course, and, if only Wainkept his head and did not let the matter get through officially to theheadmaster, things might not be so bad for Wyatt after all. He hopedthey would not. He liked Wyatt. It would be a thousand pities, hefelt, if he were to be expelled. What would Wain do? What would_he_ do in a similar case? It was difficult to say. Probably talkviolently for as long as he could keep it up, and then consider theepisode closed. He doubted whether Wain would have the common sense todo this. Altogether it was very painful and disturbing, and he wastaking a rather gloomy view of the assistant master's lot as he satdown to finish off the rest of his examination papers. It was not allroses, the life of an assistant master at a public school. He hadcontinually to be sinking his own individual sympathies in the claimsof his duty. Mr. Appleby was the last man who would willingly havereported a boy for enjoying a midnight ramble. But he was the last manto shirk the duty of reporting him, merely because it was onedecidedly not to his taste.

　　Mr. Wain sat on for some minutes after his companion had left,pondering over the news he had heard. Even now he clung to the ideathat Appleby had made some extraordinary mistake. Gradually he beganto convince himself of this. He had seen Wyatt actually in bed aquarter of an hour before--not asleep, it was true, but apparently onthe verge of dropping off. And the bars across the window had lookedso solid.... Could Appleby have been dreaming? Something of the kindmight easily have happened. He had been working hard, and the nightwas warm....

　　Then it occurred to him that he could easily prove or disprove thetruth of his colleague's statement by going to the dormitory andseeing if Wyatt were there or not. If he had gone out, he would hardlyhave returned yet.

　　He took a candle, and walked quietly upstairs.

　　Arrived at his ............