“Not at all. I should eat with the others, but I’d take care to eat slowly and not overload myself. That’s all. I have no use for cranks, but a man may stick to what he knows is right, and avoid what he knows is wrong, without giving anybody the right to dub him a crank.” “Oh, I suppose that’s so, Merry. We all know you’re all right. But not every fellow can take care of himself and build himself up as you have done, though I reckon you were cut out for an athlete at the start.” “That’s where you suppose wrong. I was a weak boy, with poor health and an imperfect body. When I realized that such was the case, I set about trying to find out what to do to build myself up. It was slow work at first, for sometimes I went wrong. Even after I got on the right track my progress was so slow that it was disheartening. Sometimes I fancied I was not advancing at all; but I stuck to it and won out in the end.” “Well, we’re willing to give you all the credit you deserve,” said Jack; “but when a fellow has a stomach like an ostrich, what’s the use of dieting? When one can eat any old thing without having it hurt him, why should he deprive himself of the things he likes, and settle down on a coarse-food diet?” “When a chap is growing, he demands more food than when he arrives at maturity, but that food should be of the nature best calculated to make a perfect man of him. I am certain that it would be a better thing for the boys of this country if they were aware of this.” Starbright was paying little attention to Merry’s words, for his thoughts were all of a dark-eyed, beautiful girl whom he believed fickle and false. Merriwell had seemed to welcome the opportunity to talk of something far removed from the subject of his conversation with the freshman. However, he noted the moody look on the unusually good-natured face of Dick, and he rattled on with his talk to prevent Diamond from observing and commenting. “Why don’t you start out lecturing to the boys and young men of the country, Merry?” smiled Jack. “I know they would turn out in multitudes to hear you speak, and I think you might do much good.” “Perhaps you are right,” acknowledged Frank. “A man might spend his time in a less profitable manner.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------ CHAPTER XVI THE MAN INZA MET. Starbright was moody. Nothing seemed to arouse him from the dispirited, downcast state into which he had fallen. Being a big, strong fellow, in robust health, such an atmosphere was strange to him. Frank could not remember having seen the fellow just like that but once before, and that was when he was recovering from the spell of dissipation into which he had been thrown by the drug given him by his enemies. Diamond had never seen Dick in a gloomy mood, and he was surprised by it. He tried to rally the freshman, saying he must be in love; but Starbright simply frowned and shook his head.