Dick was lucky enough to find Roy Taylor at home, huddled close to the fireplace, and evidently busy with his studies. His welcome to-night was less suave than on the occasion of Dick’s previous visit. His greeting was almost impolite, and Dick, who on his way from the yard had resolved to keep his temper no matter what happened, already felt his anger rising. [Illustration: A declaration of war.] “I came to see you about crew work, Taylor,” he began. “In the first place we need you in the boat; in the second place we’ve got to have you.” “My dear chap----” began Taylor in bored tones. “No, wait a minute,” interrupted Dick. “Let me have my say. You’ve left us in a hole. It would have been better if you hadn’t started training at all; better than letting me think you were going to row and then backing down in this way; as I say, it leaves us in a hole. Besides that, it’s not--not patriotic. You know what a hard time we’ve got ahead of us; you know that we’ve got to have good material if we are to win out from St. Eustace; and you know that when you cut rowing you’re doing about all in your power to get us beaten.” Taylor flushed angrily. “That’s tommyrot!” “No, it isn’t; it’s the truth; you know it is, Taylor. And you know very well that if the fellows learned it you couldn’t stay here.” “Well, on my word!” ejaculated Taylor; “you’ve got a lot of cheek to sit there and--and throw insults at me. You must be crazy!” “I don’t think so; and I’m not insulting you, at least not intentionally. But I am telling what’s so. You’ve taken about the meanest course in the matter you could, and all the school would say so if they knew.” “I suppose that’s a threat,” sneered Taylor. “No, it isn’t. I have no intention----” “But let me tell you that I don’t care a fig for all your nasty insinuations, Hope; you can tell all the lies about me you want to. I don’t believe that the fellows will call it dishonest for a chap to give up crew work because he finds that he can’t do justice to his studies; I don’t believe that they will call it mean. I tell you, Hope, you crew and football and baseball beggars have got a false notion of school life; you think that all a chap comes here for is to row in your dirty old boat, or mess round with a football; that study is a secondary consideration. But it’s not that way, by ginger; no, sir; that’s where you are off!” “That’s nonsense,” replied Dick calmly. “And you know well enough that I don’t think any such thing, nor do any of the fellows here. What I do think is that the average fellow can do his studies and take part in sports and be all the better for it. Look at the Honor Men of last year; look----” “I don’t care a fig for the Honor Men of last year. What I say----” “Taylor, when you tell me that you’ve chucked rowing because you can’t keep up with your studies you’re saying what isn’t so,” cried Dick.