"Maybe not the right to really claim it. But all of us boys have slaved together to make it a success. It is as much their work as mine." "What do they intend to do with it?" "Pass it on to the school, I suppose. We haven't talked it over, though. We haven't got that far yet." "Well, all I can say is that if you handed it over to the school free of charge you would be darn stupid. Why not make some money out of it? Offer to sell it to the school if you think you must; but don't give it away." Paul shook his head dubiously. "The school couldn't buy it. They've nothing to buy it with." "Then you have a perfect right to sell it to somebody else," put in Mr. Carter quickly. "In the world of business, people cannot expect to get something for nothing. What you can't pay for you can't have. If the school has no money--" he broke off with a significant gesture. "Now if I offered you fellows a lump sum in June--a sum you could divide amongst you as you saw fit--wouldn't that be a perfectly fair and legitimate business deal?" "I--I--" faltered Paul. "Wouldn't it?" Mr. Carter persisted. "I suppose so," murmured Paul unwillingly. "Only, you see, I still feel that the paper should go to the school. I think the other fellows would feel so too." Nettled Mr. Carter rose and strode irritably across the room and back. Then he came to a standstill before Paul's chair and looked down with steely eyes into the lad's troubled face. "But you admitted just now that you and the staff had made the paper what it is, didn't you?" "Yes." "Then it belongs to you, doesn't it?" "In a certain sense; yes." "Now see here, Paul," began Mr. Carter. "You are the editor-in-chief of that magazine, and the head of the bunch. What you say would go with them--or it ought to. You could make them think about what you pleased. Why don't you put it up to your staff to sell the paper to me and pocket the proceeds?" "Because I don't think--" "I guess you could manage to think as I wanted you to if it were worth your while, couldn't you?" smiled the great man insinuatingly. "I don't quite--" "Turn it over in your mind. It is a straight business proposition. You land your _March Hare_ here in my office as my property at the end of June, and I will make it worth your while. Understand?" The great man eyed the lad keenly. "Not fully, I'm afraid." "But you would before I got through with you," chuckled Mr. Carter, rising. Paul rose too. He was very glad to have the interview finished. "We'll talk no more about this matter to-day," declared the editor lightly. "You think over carefully what I've said and come and see me again sometime." "All right, sir."