open; and stand at the top of the staircase, and he then commanded for a
great distance the only avenue in which danger was expected. If any
master's candle appeared n the hall, the boys had full three minutes'
warning, and a single loudly-whispered "cave" would cause some one in
each dormitory instantly to "douse the glim," and shut the door; so that
by the time of the adversary's arrival, they would all be (of course)
fast asleep in bed, some of them snoring in an alarming manner. Whatever
noise the master might have heard, it would be impossible to fix it on
any of the sleepers.

So at the top of the stairs stood little Wright, shoeless, and shivering
in his night-gown, but keenly entering into the fun, and not
unconscious of the dignity of his position. Meanwhile the rest were
getting up a scenic representation of Bombastes Furioso, arranging a
stage, piling a lot of beds together for a theatre, and dressing up the
actors in the most fantastic apparel.

The impromptu Bombastes excited universal applause, and just at the end
Wright ran in through the lavatory.

"I say," said the little fellow, "it's jolly cold standing at the top of
the stairs. Won't some one relieve guard?"

"O, I will," answered Eric, good-naturedly; "it's a shame that one
fellow should have all the bother and none of the fun;" and he ran to
take Wright's post.

After watching a minute or two, he felt sure that there was no danger,
and therefore ran up to Upton's study for a change.