As a result of all these wheels within wheels, a sort of damper was thrown over the whole table which was felt by every one, though few understood the cause. They only saw that the jokes fell flat, laughter was forced, or absent altogether, and the resulting silences long drawn out. Dick Merriwell was quick to see that something unusual had happened, and long before the meal was over he was sure that Hollister and Hildebrand had fallen out in some way. Knowing that there was nothing worse for the discipline of the team or more productive of poor work than internal dissensions, he resolved to find out what the trouble was; and, as they walked back to the campus through “Grub Alley,” he slipped his hand through Hollister’s arm. “Say, Bob, what’s the trouble between you and Blair?” he asked, in a low tone. Hollister hesitated. “Oh, we had a run-in this afternoon about Blake,” he said, in a rather pettish tone. “He told me that Jarv had been caught cheating at poker, and I as much as said he was a liar. I reckon I shouldn’t have been so strong, but he made me mad. He had no business to say such a thing about a friend of mine.” “I see,” Merriwell returned thoughtfully. “Do you mind telling me what his object was in giving you that information?” “It’s all come about through Jim!” Hollister burst out. “He needs to have his head punched. He’s got the insane idea that Jarv wants to see me dropped so he can cinch my place in the line. He came out with that silly story last night. Said Blake comes around on purpose to keep me from boning so that I’ll flunk in the classes and be thrown out. Of course, I shut him up quick, and I suppose he went to Blair with his fool story.” “Blake been coming around much lately?” Dick asked casually. “Quite a little.” “Almost every night, hasn’t he?” Dick persisted. “Well—yes,” Hollister acknowledged. “This week, that is.” There was silence for a few moments, which was broken by Merriwell. “I’m not much on knocking a man, Bob,” he said quietly; “but if I were you I wouldn’t trust Blake too far. I know of one or two things he’s done which weren’t quite——Well, you wouldn’t have done them yourself, old fellow.” Without waiting for a reply, he dropped Bob’s arm and walked quickly away, leaving Hollister more of a prey to doubt and suspicions than he had been before. He knew that Merriwell was a man who almost never said anything against a fellow student. If he did not like a man, or disapproved of him for any reason, he had as little to do with him as possible, but his lips were generally sealed. If he could not say anything good of a fellow, he preferred keeping silent. It was only on very rare occasions when something important was at stake that he gave an adverse opinion of a man, and, consequently, the few words he had just uttered concerning Blake were especially significant. They must have some foundation or Merriwell would never have given voice to them.