They started in in the middle of the afternoon and worked together under Frank's direction until dinner time.
He proved to be as hard a task master as Babbitt himself could have been. The boys were not exactly surprised at that, for it was natural for Frank to do with all his might whatever he undertook, but they joked him a good deal while at dinner about turning professor.
"That's all right," Frank answered, "you can have your joke. If we come out on this as I expect to, you'll be glad enough that you adopted my plan."
"I must say I rather enjoy it," said Diamond, frankly. "Studying by one's self is dull work, but when there are half a dozen or so grinding away, somehow the time passes more quickly."
In the same way they worked until late that night, and began again early the next morning.
Diamond offered the use of his room as a meeting place, and Puss Parker, who had been let into the scheme, suggested that they come to his room, too. Frank said no.
"We began in Page's room," was the way he put it, "and we might as well work it out there."
"His room is so far out of the way!" grumbled Browning.
"A little walk won't hurt you any," responded Frank. "I'd much rather keep at it there, for I'm used to the room."
So it was agreed that the grinding should continue at Page's, and it did until the day of the examination.
They had other duties to perform, of course, during these days, but the regular work of the college had not entirely begun, so that most of their time could be put in to preparing for their examination.
They allowed none of the other students to interrupt them, and for that matter, most members of the junior class were grinding in much the same fashion.
They had only one caller during the entire period. This was Ford, but he did not find them at work. They were just returning to the room from dinner on the evening before the examination, when they met Ford leaving the house.
"Sorry I wasn't in," Page responded. "What was it, something special?"
"Oh, no," answered Ford, a little doubtfully, with a glance at the others in the party; "let it go until some other time."
"If it isn't important, then," said Page, "I wish you would, for we fellows are----"
"That's it exactly. We're trying to get up on mathematics and so we don't admit any callers."