Afterwards they reviewed the afternoon’s events in the utmost good humor and with frequent laughter. Martin’s account of sitting on the step outside the door and reading choice bits of the school catalogue to the prisoner was especially amusing, and Willard revived the laughter when he supplemented gravely: “It was that bit about the open plumbing in the gymnasium that decided me! I couldn’t resist that!” When, finally, Bob and Joe had taken themselves off and the roommates were preparing for bed, Martin said: “Look here, what about your trunk?” Willard shook his head ruefully. “It’s at Lakeville by now, I suppose, and I’m likely to run short of shirts before I get it. I’ve got only one in my bag.” “You can wear mine, I guess,” answered Martin. “Better telephone to the station the first thing in the morning and get the agent to have them send it back.” “Maybe the quickest way would be to go over and get it myself,” suggested the other. “No you don’t! You stay right here! We went to too much trouble to get you to let you go over there and forget to come back!” “No fear,” laughed Willard. “I’ve paid my money here and I’ll have to stick now! Honest, Proctor, is Alton a better school than Kenly?” Martin paused in the act of disrobing and looked gravely judicial. “Well, we like to say it is,” he answered cautiously. “Is it bigger?” “Not much. They usually have a few less students.” “But the faculty here is better?” “Hm: well, I wouldn’t go so far as to claim that. Maybe it used to be, but Kenly enlarged hers a couple of years ago.” “I see. How about athletics: football and baseball and so on? Do we usually beat Kenly?” “Oh, I reckon it’s about a stand-off. One year we win at football and she wins at baseball. Or we win at both and she gets the track championship and the hockey series. Call it fifty-fifty.” “Well, then, what about the--the buildings and location and all that?” “No comparison as to location.” “Oh, Alton’s got the best of it there, eh?” “Alton?” said Martin contemptuously. “I should say not! Why, this place is stuck right down in the village, you might say. Kenly’s got about thirty acres of land on the side of a hill: trees and brooks and fields--why, say, she’s got four gridirons and four diamonds and a quarter-mile running track and a regular flock of tennis courts!” “Sounds good,” commented Willard. “What about the buildings over there?” “They’re all right, too. Guess they’re as good as ours, anyway. There are more of them. She’s got a corking gymnasium. It would make two of ours!” Willard sighed discouragedly. “But you fellows kept telling me how much better Alton was than Kenly!” Martin grinned slowly. “Sure! Why not? That’s patriotism. Every fellow’s got to think his school better than the other school!” “Oh! Then Alton isn’t _really_ any better than Kenly?” “Of course it is!” “In what way?” urged Willard hopefully.