"Ah! Well, I am glad, at least, that you have some sort of a legitimate excuse." I flamed out and rose to my feet. "Are you alluding to me, sir?" "Take your seat, sir. I deny your right to question me." "I will not take my seat. I do not propose to sit still and be insulted. I demand an answer to my question." "Take your seat, I say. I will report you to the Faculty," he shouted. "Then you will have to do so very quickly; for I shall report you immediately." And with that, I stalked out of the room. The Faculty met that afternoon and I laid my complaint before them, and as the students, knowing the inside facts, took my side, the Faculty held that the Professor committed the first breach and reprimanded us both. I was well satisfied after I had met and cut the Professor publicly. I now acknowledge the untowardness of the situation; but when the boys laughed, I pooh-poohed it. "I do not speak to old Sterner, but I will speak to her the first time I meet her." "I will bet you do not," cried Sam Pleasants. "Supper for the crowd," chimed in several. They were always as ready to bet as their long-haired ancestors were in the German forests, where they bet themselves away, and kept their faith, to the amazement of a Roman gentleman, who wrote, "_istam vocant fidem_." We were all in a room, the windows of which looked across the lawn toward the pillared portico of Professor Sterner's house, and some of the boys were gazing over toward the mansion that sheltered the subject of our thoughts. And as it happened, at that moment, the door opened and out stepped the young lady herself, in a smart walking costume, topped by a large hat with a great, drooping, beguiling, white ostrich feather. An exclamation drew us all to the window. "There she is now!" Without doubt, that was she. "Jove! What a stunner!" "She is alone. There is your chance." "Yes, this is the first time you have seen her; now stop jawing and play ball." "Or pay up." "Yes, supper for the crowd: porterhouse steak; chicken, and waffles to end with." So they nagged me, one and all. "Done," I said, "I will do it now." "You have never seen her before?" "Never." I was arranging my tie and brushing my hair. "You swear it?" But I hurried out of the door and slammed it behind me. I turned down the walk that led across the campus to the point whither Miss Poole was directing her steps, and I took a gait that I judged should meet her at the intersection of the walks. I was doing some hard thinking, for I knew the window behind me was crowded with derisive faces.