"Vot vos der madder mit me?" exclaimed the voice of Hans Dunnerwust, Frank's German friend. "Dot nefer vos a funny stories! You don'd seen vot I larft ad! Dot peen a bathetic sdory. I oxbected you vould took mein handkersheft oudt und cried id indo, but you sed roundt und laugh ad dot bathetic sdory like I vos a lot of monkeys. You don't like dot as vell as I might!" Then there was another burst of laughter, and the knock of the bell boy was not heard. "Never mind," said Diamond, taking his traveling bag and giving the boy a dime; "I'll go right in." He opened the door and stepped into the room. Hodge, Browning, Merriwell and Dunnerwust were there. Bart was tilted back in a chair, with his feet on the table, while lazy Bruce was half sitting and half reclining on a sofa. Frank sat astride a chair, looking over the back of it at Hans, who had stood in the middle of the room as he told his "bathetic sdory." "Hello, fellows!" cried the lad from Virginia, heartily. There was a shout of welcome. Frank sprang forward quickly and grasped Diamond's hand. "Delighted, old man!" laughed Merry. "I was afraid you wouldn't come till I received your telegram stating that you would be on hand. Any trouble in persuading the mother?" "Not much, though she said it did seem that I might remain at home a while longer, and she told me to tell you that she is beginning to get jealous of you, as I spend so much of my time during vacations with you." "How you vos, Shack?" said Hans, getting hold of Diamond's free hand, the latter having dropped his traveling bag. "I vos a sight vor sore eyes, ain'd you! You don'd knew how dickled you vos to seen me." Hodge came forward and shook hands, expressing his pleasure, and, with sundry grunts, Browning succeeded in getting upon his feet, saying as he rose: "Suppose I'll have to stand to shake, or you'll challenge me. You Southerners are so confoundedly particular about courtesy and all that." Jack smiled. "I know you too well to resent it if you lay on your back and offered to shake hands with me. In fact, it surprises me to discover you hadn't rather fight a duel after you were obliged to get up than to get up when not absolutely forced to do so." "What baggage did you bring?" asked Merry. "A trunk. It will be brought to the hotel here." "There is no room for trunks on board the _White Wings_," said Frank. "You'll have to store your trunk and such stuff as you do not absolutely need till we get back here." "The _White Wings_? Is that the name of your yacht?" "Yes." "Good name. How did you happen to buy a yacht?" "Got a bargain of her. I came on to Boston with Miss Burrage, whose aunt was waiting here for her. I met Jack Benjamin. You remember him?" "Harvard man?" "Yes." "Plays football?" "Yes." "I remember him. His sister is a stunningly handsome girl." "Huah!" grunted Browning. "That explains how you happen to remember him."