But there were studies and lectures they could not miss. Professor Gunn might be easy with them; not so Professor Gooch. He demanded their attendance and attention in the class-room. He was opposed to athletics of all sorts, and he took delight in detaining members of the football-team to listen to some dry-as-dust talk of his when they felt that they should be out on the field getting in some practise. As Professor Gooch, his spectacles on his nose, droned away one day about the Punic Wars, and Hannibal, and Rome, and the destruction of Carthage, Ted Smart noticed that Billy Bradley, who sat next to him, was napping. Ted thrust his elbow into Bradley’s ribs. “Ouch!” grunted Billy, with a start and a snort. Professor Gooch looked at him severely and continued in his droning voice: “Of the general character and history of the Carthaginians, from the founding of the city down to the wars with Rome, less is known than of any other great nation of antiquity.” “I’m glad to see you are so interested, Sir William,” whispered Ted, as Billy was dozing off again. “Eh?” grunted Bradley, with another start. “Er—er—hum!” snorted the professor, glaring at Billy over his spectacles, while Ted sat up very straight and looked supremely innocent and interested. Billy was flustered and confused. He fancied the professor had asked him a question, and he retorted: “Ya-as, ya-as, Hi quite hagree with you, sir.” Whereupon there was a suppressed titter, and the professor, thinking Billy was trying to be “smart” and make sport, said: “This, is a matter of history, young man, and it makes little difference whether you agree or not.” “Hexcuse me!” gasped Billy, almost, collapsing. The professor continued: “With the exception of a few inscriptions on medals and coins, a score of verses in one of the comedies of Plautus, and the periplus of Hanno, not a solitary relic of Carthage has been preserved.” “How sad!” whispered Smart. Then he snuggled over closer to Bradley. “Say,” he whispered, “what’s the longest word in the English language?” “Hi dunno,” confessed Billy. “But Hi’ll bet hanything Professor Gooch uses hit hevery day.” “Not so bad for you!” admitted Ted, for, as a rule, Billy was extremely dense and slow to see the point of a joke. “But you’ll be surprised when I tell you. The longest word, in the English language is smiles.” Billy showed interest at first, then looked doubtful, mildly surprised, absolutely astonished, and finally positively rebellious. “Go hon!” he hissed back at Ted. “Hi know better! Hare you taking me for a fool?” “Oh, dear, no!” said Ted. “I wouldn’t think of such a thing!” “Hi know a ’undred hother words that hare longer,” whispered Bradley. “I’ll bet you a treat you can’t name one word longer than smiles,” returned Smart, with great earnestness. “Hi’ll ’ave to go you. Hit’s dead heasy. Hi’ll give you the first word Hi think of. Hit’s transubstantiation. ’Ow is that?”