“Oh, sure, I could, but―― Well, Mr. Cooper, it’s like this. I’ve sort of made up my mind that if I don’t pass I’ll just take a sneak. Honest, there’s not much fun at home in the summer. Mr. Winslow sticks there all through the hot weather, and if I want to go anywhere for more than a day he blame near faints. By gosh, I’d just like to know how much money my mother did leave me!” “Well, Tom,” said Mr. Cooper, tapping the ashes from his pipe, “I’d rather like to see you go through here at Wyndham. I have a fancy that Winslow will――I mean to say that you’ll get to college all right, old chap. Fact is, I’d really appreciate it if you’d try real hard to pass these examinations, Tom. Might consider it as a sort of favor to me.” Tom looked a little surprised, but a little pleased, too. He turned his gaze to Pat Tyson, who was doing a juggling act with four baseballs for the benefit of a group of early arrivals down by the bench, and after a moment said: “All right, sir. Sure, I’ll do my best, only――only I wouldn’t think it would make much difference to you, sir.” “Why not?” asked Mr. Cooper quietly. “You and I―― Well, to be frank, Tom, I’ve got to liking you. Quite a lot. I hope you don’t mind me saying that.” Mr. Cooper reddened and his voice held embarrassment. “No, sir, I don’t,” replied Tom stoutly. He still stared into the diamond, though. “I――I like it.” He turned and gave the man a brief glance and then, with a little nervous laugh, added: “It’s fifty-fifty, sir.” “Honestly, old chap?” Mr. Cooper’s tone was so eager, so pleased, so almost anxious as well, that Tom wondered and felt his own cheeks reddening. He didn’t like to be embarrassed. So he only nodded. After a pause Mr. Cooper said: “That’s the coach, isn’t it?” Rather a silly question when you came to think of it, for Mr. Connover, who was no more than forty paces distant, didn’t resemble any one but himself. But Tom answered: “Yes, sir,” seriously enough and pulled himself up preparatory to vaulting the rail. Then, rather diffidently, he said: “Don’t you worry about me passing, Mr. Cooper. I’ll skin through somehow!”