The next morning at eight o'clock Tessibel walked eastward up the long hill toward the college. The "Cranium" fellows were yet asleep. The whole house was tired out from looking for their captured president. The underclassmen did not know that Graves had escaped, Frederick's enemies keeping them in ignorance as long as possible.
Tessibel turned into the carriage drive toward the fraternity with a fish-basket upon her arm.
A man cleaning snow from the flight of steps addressed her.
"What do you want here?"
"I want to see Mr. Jordan.... He air here, ain't he? I has somethin' for him."
"Give it to me," ordered the janitor, "I'll take it to him."
"Can't! He said as how I wasn't to give it to no one but hisself, and I won't, so there!"
"He ain't up yet."
"Don't care, I'll wait, then.... Tell him, will ye, that I air a waitin'?"
Dan Jordan wondered as he crawled slowly out of bed what a girl could want of him at that early hour. He met Tess at the front door, and without waiting for him to speak Tessibel said in an undertone.
"I has somethin' to tell ye.... I air Tess the squatter's brat, what ye gived the coffee to at the parson's house. I said as how I has somethin' to tell ye!"
"Will you tell me now?" asked Dan kindly. "You see, I can't ask you in here--"
"I ain't a comin' in," and lowering her voice with a furtive glance she almost whispered, "I knows--I knows where the minister's son air."
Dan started and looked at her sharply. She could mean no other than Frederick. He placed his fingers on his lips.
"You have fish to sell," he asked, "I will take them all. Go around to the back door and leave them...." Then in a lower tone he ordered, "Meet me in five minutes at the bottom of the hill."
The last of the sentence was breathed rather than spoken. Dan Jordan turned into State Street some minutes afterwards, and he could see the glistening red head of the fisher-girl as she swung her empty basket on her arm and jingled the money in her hand which she had received for the fish.
"Tell me quickly where Mr. Graves is," commanded Dan rushing toward her.
"He air in my hut," answered Tess bluntly.
"Did the boys bring him there?"