It was a fine October afternoon when the members of the Crown started out, disconnectedly as usual, for their rallying place. But instead of stopping at the sacred rock, they continued on across the pasture into the woods. They hurried single file along a path for a quarter of a mile, and then came out upon a lonely, back-country road.
"We've got the start of everybody else in school," said Joe Herrick. "No masters out skulking will have got up as far as this yet, so we're all right going in—and if we're careful we'll be all right coming out."
After a time they came to a lonely, weather-beaten house, with three scrawny horse-chestnut-trees growing in the yard. The shades at the windows were discolored and torn, the stone step at the front door sagged away from the door-sill and left a gaping crevice. Altogether, the Pie House did not look very prosperous. But even in its dejected appearance it filled ten boys with excitement.
"One of you fellows stand down at the
