“I’d like to punch him!” he huskily muttered. “Jingoes! what is the matter with me? It made me furious to see him kiss her. I didn’t suppose anything could give me a feeling like that. What is the matter with me?” He was somewhat dismayed over it. After a time he slowly murmured: “By Jove! I am stuck on that girl! I didn’t know it before. That’s what ails me. If any one had told me I was hit so hard I’d felt like punching him. What am I going to do about it?” There didn’t seem to be much of anything to do, but his brain was awhirl, scores of wild fancies and ideas flashing through it. For a long time he paced up and down, gradually growing calmer. Finally he left his room and descended by the front stairs, whistling. In a careless manner he strolled into the parlor, stopping short and ceasing to whistle in apparent surprise as he beheld the four persons there. “I beg your pardon!” he exclaimed, starting to retreat. Inza rose. “Mr. Fillmore,” she called. “Miss Burrage,” he bowed. “I didn’t mean to intrude. I didn’t know——” “No intrusion,” she assured. “Let me introduce you to Mr. Merriwell. Frank, this is Mr. Fillmore, Mrs. Loder’s brother.” “Glad to know you, Mr. Fillmore,” said Merriwell genially, as he grasped Fred’s hand. “Miss Burrage wrote me about you. You’re captain of the Hopkins lacrosse team, I think?” “I have that honor.” “An honor it is,” nodded Merry. “You are captain of the lacrosse champions of the United States at the present time.” Fillmore was then introduced to Bart Hodge. He noted that an unusual tide of color had suffused the cheeks of Elsie Bellwood, and now, of a sudden, he realized that she, like Inza, was a wonderfully pretty girl. The two girls were of strongly contrasting types. “Mr. Fillmore has been very good to us, Bart,” said Elsie. “Which places Frank and me under untold obligations to him,” said Hodge. “I have only one fault to find with him. He should have written me that you were ill. It was a crime for you girls to keep it from me.” “I wanted to write,” said Inza; “but she wouldn’t let me tell you that.” “Why, it was nothing,” declared Elsie. “I wasn’t going to break up your trip just because I happened to be a bit out of sorts. I suppose the climate was too severe after spending the early part of the winter in the West.” “We wanted you to keep on with us,” reminded Frank. “It was your own fault that you returned East when you did.” Fillmore was urged to sit down, and he accepted the invitation. “Let’s see,” he said, “I believe Miss Burrage told me you were organizing a lacrosse team, Mr. Merriwell.” “It’s practically organized,” nodded Merry. “We’re going to play a few games at the close of the college season. We’ve arranged for two games already.” Fillmore lifted his eyebrows in surprise. “Well, you’re a hustler!” he smiled. “Are you going to have some Harvard players on your team?” “Five of them. Three were former Hopkins men.” “Will Herb Onslaw be one of the five?” “Yes.”