The prophecy proved to be not far from the truth. Trompet Shrugg was a scholar, a highly educated man. But to his students he was stern, abrupt, sometimes insultingly sarcastic. A large part of this sarcasm was directed at Garry in the days that followed. But the more Shrugg picked on him, the greater was Garry's popularity among his schoolmates. Nick and Rooster had been careful to circulate the story of the muddy football and the martinet of a teacher. This delighted the boys and made Garry into something of a hero, while much secret fun was poked at the stiff, pedantic Trompet Shrugg. Garry, however, found nothing amusing in the dislike the teacher of English had for him. He was subjected almost daily to numerous small slights and subtle bits of sarcasm, which he found it difficult to laugh off. He knew himself constantly watched, and his very eagerness to make no mistakes sometimes tripped him up. Garry had his worries outside the classroom as well as in. After the run-in between him and Sandy Podder the latter's enmity against the former captain of the Hill Street eleven grew, if possible, still more active. Podder and his cronies lost no opportunity to annoy and exasperate the lad. Sly winks and sneering glances passed between them when Garry was present, though their respect for his courage and strength prevented them from deliberately provoking him to hostilities. Strangely enough, Lent Stewart, the constant companion of Sandy during those first days at school, seemed to share the latter's enmity for Garry. "Though the only thing you ever did to that chump was to save his life," Ted said one day when they had chanced to overhear an insulting remark of Lent Stewart's directed covertly at Garry. "That's a fine thing to hold a grudge about." Things were very much in the same state when about a week later Garry and his friends entered the hall of the school to find an excited crowd about the bulletin board. "Something's up!" cried Garry. "Let's have a look!" As he and his friends pushed forward, some of those nearest stepped back so that the newcomers could have a good look at the board. At the same moment that Garry recognized Sandy Podder and Lent Stewart in the crowd he came face to face with quite another type of boy, Pete Maddern, the former captain of the Cherry Street football team. "Hello, Grayson!" Pete greeted Garry in a hearty voice. "Here's good news. First call for the gridiron." Garry's heart leaped and enthusiasm showed in his tone as he answered his "friendly enemy" in the same spirit. "Something doing at last, is there?" he said. "Suppose you're going to try for the team?" "Am I? You bet!" "And it's a team worth trying for, I tell you," came another voice. Garry turned to see Tom Allison at his elbow. Many who had witnessed the redhot games between the three grammar schools during the previous season watched the reunion of the trio with interest.