“Like the dickens.” “Better sit down awhile then before you go up.” “I guess we’d ought to beat it,” said Bert. “It’s long after ten, and we’re supposed to be inside at ten, sir.” “After ten when you got here, wasn’t it?” “Yes, sir, a little.” “I thought so. Well, you can say now that I kept you. Take this chair, Burton, and put your head back. Bring that chair over there up, Hollins. Now I’m going to talk a little to this chap. He’s feeling pretty rotten, and that’s an advantage to me.” Chick grinned, but looked uneasily across at Bert. Mr. Cade busied himself with refilling and lighting his briar pipe as he went on. “You know, Burton, you haven’t been giving me a square deal this fall. I was looking to you to do big things. I thought you’d be a much better end than last year, but you’ve let me down badly. I haven’t complained, partly because I’ve been expecting you’d come around, partly because I didn’t want to start any unpleasantness. I saw quite early in the season that you were carrying a chip on your shoulder; why I don’t know; but I was careful not to disturb it. It wouldn’t have done any good to get you sore, old chap. Anyway, the way I doped it, you’d play the game when you got ready and not before. Of course I couldn’t wait for you after mid-season. You wouldn’t expect me to. And, as it has turned out, I was wise not to, for you haven’t come back yet. And now, of course, you’re not going to.” The coach paused and the silence was deep. Bert waited for Chick to defend himself, to offer an excuse, an explanation, but Chick made no answer and the coach went on. He had spoken easily, without a suggestion of rancor, and he continued in such manner. “You’re going up to college next fall and, unless you’ve changed your mind, to my college, Burton. And I guess you mean to play football. That’s right, isn’t it?” “Yes, sir,” answered Chick in a low voice. “Well, don’t you think you’re counting a whole lot on my--my forbearance? Do you realize that, if I wanted to be nasty--no, not even that; but if I wanted to take my revenge--I could very easily make it impossible for you to ever make a team there? Ever think of that, Burton?” “No, sir.” “Well, never mind. It’s a fact, though. But I haven’t any desire to get back at you like that. After all, while you’ve made things a bit more difficult for me and have delayed the progress of the team, you’ve been harder on yourself than any one else, I guess. This is your last year here and you’re not showing pretty. It’s a poor piece of business for a First Team player to do so badly in his last season that he has to sit on the bench during the big game. And, frankly, Burton, as things stand now, that’s what you’ll be doing Saturday.” “That’s for you to say, of course,” said Chick with some spirit, “but I don’t think I deserve that, sir. I--I may have been pretty poor sometimes, but I can still play better than Shelfer.”