from first to last, the lighted windows up the hill looked very good. The thermometer was down to twenty in the morning and again the water was turned into the hydrants, the hose coupled and the frozen ground sprayed. This operation was repeated twice more during the day and when, in the late afternoon, Toby and Arnold walked down to the rink they found an inch of ice already formed. But it was not until the following afternoon that the rink was ready for use. The mercury was down to fourteen above zero at three o’clock and the final spraying at noon had supplied a surface as smooth and hard as glass. By a quarter past three four squads were at work, rushing and passing and, it must be acknowledged, sprawling over the ice. Later two teams were picked by Captain Crowell and the other fellows pulled their sweaters on again and lined the barrier and looked on. Most of the school was on hand, as well, and although there was no line-up that afternoon, they found plenty to divert them. Toby, of course, spent most of the practice time outside the barrier, but he profited not a little by watching the more fortunate fellows. Going back, he confided to Arnold that he was sure he would never be able to get around on skates the way those chaps did. Arnold, whose right to a place on the first team was generally recognized, had been hard at it and was feeling very perked up and cheerful and derided Toby’s doubts. “You wait till you’ve had a few days of it,” he said. “You’ll get the hang of it all right. There’s only one secret, Toby, and that is skate low. It helps you to keep your balance and makes it harder for the other fellow to body-check you. If you’re standing straight on your skates the least shove will throw you over, but if you’re skating low you can take a good hard check and keep your feet on the ice.” “I see that,” said Toby. “But you fellows dodge and jump around and turn so quickly! Why, I’d break my silly neck if I tried it!” “You’ll learn. Anyway, if you go in for goal, you won’t need to know so much about skating.” “How much does a pair of skates like yours cost?” asked Toby after a moment’s silence. “I paid five, but you can get a good pair for three and a half. Don’t buy any till you find out whether you’re going to play goal or not, though. If you play goal you’ll be better off with a pair of heavy skates with short blades. You can move a heap quicker in them.” “And how much would they be?” “Oh, three and a half, I guess. What’s the matter with wearing the ones you have?” “Could I? They’re sort of old-fashioned. I only paid a dollar and a half for them, and I’ve had them about three years.”