The next morning the two boys hurried to the village after their French recitation and secured the money, and later Hugh paid his debts to Cathcart and Mr. Crump, and Bert dispatched a money order to Fallon and Turner. Hugh managed to appease Cathcart’s curiosity without involving Bert’s name, although he had a suspicion that Cathcart remained rather puzzled. Mr. Crump seemed disappointed at being paid back so soon and almost insisted that Hugh should keep the money longer. But Hugh finally satisfied him with a solemn promise to come to him again should he ever find himself in similar financial difficulties, and Mr. Crump, after going into the history of his family at some length and with much detail, tucked the bills in the pocket of his overalls, shouldered his broom and wandered on. That afternoon Mr. Crowley summoned Hugh into the line-up as though the late unpleasantness had never been and Hugh played through two twelve-minute periods with so much credit that he noticed afterwards a thoughtful and speculative look on the countenance of Hanser. CHAPTER XIX BEHIND THE BOATHOUSE On Thursday Coach Bonner did what the members of the first squad had been expecting him to do for nearly a week. That is, he had what Nick called “his annual mid-season spasm.” Declaring that the fellows had apparently forgotten the very rudiments of football, he announced no scrimmage and prescribed an afternoon of “kindergarten stuff.” The words are again Nick’s. The tackling dummy, of late more or less neglected, spent the most strenuous afternoon of its fall career. It was banged and thumped and ground in the loam until had it possessed a head, which it didn’t, its countenance must have proclaimed tragic distress. Not satisfied with a full three-quarters of an hour of tackling, Mr. Bonner put his charges at other degrading labors; passing, starting, crawling, pushing the “tumbrel.” The “tumbrel” was a wooden platform with what looked like a section of fence erected along one side. The top rail of the “fence” was padded and covered with canvas. The whole contrivance was some ten feet in length and under it were two wooden rollers. The linesmen, five at a time, alternately stood on the platform to weight the “tumbrel” down and pushed against the padded rail. The affair was officially known as the charging machine, but its operators, perhaps with the carts which bore victims to the guillotine during the French Revolution in mind, called it the “tumbrel.” Possibly it is unnecessary to add that it was just about as popular with them as the other vehicle was with its occupants.