"Is your hand--did he hurt it--I mean is it all right?" stammered Phil. "Oh, yes," replied Tom, with a glance at it. "Sid gave it a wrench, but I guess it will be all right to-morrow. I can't understand him, can you?" "No, and I've given up trying." "No, don't do that!" begged Tom. "We've just got to save Sid." "But if he won't let us?" "We must do it in spite of himself. I will try to think of a way," and Tom threw himself back on the sofa, and turned his face to the wall. Phil walked softly across the room, and sat down in the big chair. Somehow it seemed as if their chum had gone, never to return. For more than an hour the two sat there, neither speaking, and the clock ticked on relentlessly. "Well," remarked Tom at length, with a sigh, "guess I'll turn in." Sid was in his bed when the two chums awoke in the morning, though neither Phil nor Tom had heard him come in. He did not refer to the happening of the previous night, but after chapel, which was made particularly solemn by a short sermon by the doctor on the prodigal son, Sid drew away from his chums, who started for their classes. "Where you going?" asked Tom, for Sid and he had the same studies this morning period. "Up to see Moses," was the answer, "Moses" being the students' pet name for Dr. Churchill. "Zane caught me again last night. I was out after hours without a permit. I'm in for it I guess," and Sid laughed recklessly. "Why, old man----" began Tom, and then he stopped. He did not know what to say. Then he felt it would be better to say nothing, and he hurried on to the lecture, anxious to have it over with, and get out on the diamond with his men, for the final game with Fairview was to come off that afternoon. Tom and Phil did not see Sid again until after the game, and then they felt in no condition to dwell upon his trouble, for Randall had been beaten by Fairview. It was a never-to-be-forgotten battle of the diamond. It opened well for Randall, for Tom felt a fierce anger at fate in general, that nerved him to pitch as he had seldom pitched before. Then things began to go backward, for his hand was in no condition to stand the fierce work necessary. Mr. Leighton saw this, and deciding to save Tom for the Boxer Hall game, took him out of the box, and put in Evert. After that it was all over but the shouting, and Fairview piled up eleven runs against Randall's five. It was a miserable and dispirited lot of players that filed back to Randall that evening, nor could the sympathy of Ruth and Madge take any of the sting out of it for Tom. "It isn't so bad," remarked Phil, in a consoling sort of voice. "We still have a chance." "A mighty slim chance," grumbled Tom. "Almost none at all. Oh, if old Sid had only been with us!" "There's no use talking about that now," went on Phil. "We simply must devote all our energies to the Boxer Hall game." "No use thinking of that unless Fairview loses to them," came from Tom, gloomily.