Attending which institution our story finds them.

There was Ned Wilding, whose mother was dead, and their father was
cashier of the Darewell Bank.

Bart Keene was a stout-hearted youth, more fond of sports than he was of
eating or sleeping, his father used to say. As for Stumpy, he was just
the sort of a lad his name indicated. Happy, healthy, hearty and with a
fund of good nature that nothing could daunt.

Frank Roscoe was rather different from his chums, but they were very fond
of him. Spite of his occasional fits of strangeness. Frank had lived with
his uncle as long as he could remember. He had never known his father or
mother, and his uncle never spoke of them. In case Frank asked any
question concerning his parents, Mr. Dent would manage to turn the
conversation into some other channel.

There seemed to be some secret hanging over Frank. What it was he did not
know himself. Nor did his chums. They only knew that, at times, it made
him gloomy and morose, and they never referred to it in Frank's presence,
because they did not want to hurt his feelings.

Those of you who have read the previous books of this series do not need
to be introduced to Ned and his chums, but for the benefit of the boys
and girls who get this volume first it may be well to tell something of
the two previous ones that they may better understand our story.

In the first, called "The Heroes of the School," was told how the four
lads succeeded in solving a rather queer mystery. They were going through
the woods one day when they met a man behaving very oddly. From then on