“Ran into something, perhaps?” asked the coach gravely. “Yes, sir, I――ran into――something.” “Hm, something rather hard, too, I’d say. Perhaps you turned a corner too soon. If I were you, Kemble, I’d go to my room at once and fix that up. You’ll find arnica helpful. And it might be a good idea to use some talcum before going to supper.” “He’s a good scout,” muttered Tom as the coach retired. Although he followed the advice carefully, the result was not all he had hoped for, and whenever during supper he glanced up――which was infrequently, since he kept his head well down most of the time――he invariably encountered winks and grins. Also, he was made uncomfortable by the certainty that Old Brad, the Greek and Latin instructor, presiding at Table 13, was studying him with a suspicious eye. However, all’s well that ends well, and nothing unpleasant came of his indiscretion. By the next morning, save for an area of discoloration which no amount of powder would hide, his face was normal. As for the similar spots on his ribs, those fortunately didn’t show! By the middle of the following week Mr. Cooper had become a frequent caller on Loring after supper time. It became quite the usual thing to find him there when Clif and Tom went over from dining hall, and Clif, for one, was disappointed when he wasn’t there. Sometimes he played chess with Loring or Tom, but he was no master of the game, and generally the hour or more between supper and study hour was spent in talk. Mr. Cooper still remained something of a mystery, for none of the Triumvirate was rude enough to ask questions. They did learn quite a little about him, but their information came to them in unrelated fragments. They learned, for instance, that he had been in many countries in many capacities; in South America, at Bahia and Pernambuco; in India at Bombay and as far north as Kashmir; in Italy at towns they had never before heard the names of; in England and France and Germany and other countries as well. Once――that was before the World War――he had served in Algiers with the French Armée Coloniale. After the War, as he had told them earlier, he had been in the English Army in Scotland. What had gone between they didn’t discover then, although they knew he had seen service. Lately, how lately was not established, he had been in British Columbia; he referred to it as “B.C.” and confused Tom horribly. These facts appeared casually in the course of reminiscences. He never appeared to be trying to impress them with his experiences. Something reminded him of an incident, and he told it carelessly but always interestingly. His very manner of dismissing a whole glamorous land with a word or a phrase was in itself fascinating to the audience. But he was not always reciting yarns. More frequently he was listening to the doings of the boys, chuckling over the funny happenings of the day or giving grave attention to their problems. He showed no preference for any one of them, although