must hold every one in there. Now then!" he added, as he pushed gently
against the door.

But the door failed to yield to the pressure. For a moment the astounded
freshmen knew not what to make of the unexpected resistance, and then
as a slight sound from within the room could be heard, Hawley grimly
braced himself against the door and whispering to his classmates began
to exert all his strength in his endeavor to open it.

For a brief time it resisted all their efforts, and then with a
resounding crash it suddenly yielded. But it seemed to the startled
freshmen as if the very walls themselves were giving way. There were the
sound of falling pieces of furniture and in the midst of the confusion
several of the sophomores suddenly darted from the room, and before
their enemies could recover from their surprise had gained the head of
the stairway and were fleeing from the building.

"Take after 'em! Don't let 'em get away!" called Hawley. "Hold on, it's
all right," he quickly added as he perceived Mott in the room. "We don't
care for anybody else for we've got the ringleader right here. Let 'em
go! Let 'em all go! We don't want anybody else."

There was a momentary hesitation on the part of the sophomores as if
they were minded to stand by their classmate, but as they peered about
them it seemed almost as if the entire freshman class were present, and
instantly discretion became the better part of valor, and they fled in a
body from the room and also from the building.

Several of the freshmen had seized Mott by this time, and his desperate
attempts to free himself were unavailing. Peter John had been quickly