“Of course. What else? We’re here to lick Mount Morris, aren’t we? If you can help, it’s up to you to do it. Be as sorry for Bert as you like, but don’t let it interfere with your game, Hugh. It’s up to him.” The entrance of Roy Dresser put an end to the topic, and presently Hugh went back to Lothrop. Bert was not there, for which Hugh was glad. He got ready for bed, found a magazine to read and crawled in. But the magazine lay face-down on the spread, for the talk with Pop Driver had provided him with material for much perplexed meditation. CHAPTER XXIII IN THE LIME-LIGHT The next morning Bert had apparently forgotten his grievance, although he looked as if he had spent an unrestful night and was fidgety and troubled. Hugh saw little of him until practice time. That afternoon there was only light work for the players and the scrimmage with the second team was short, if lively. Bert and Zanetti started the game and later Bert went out in favor of Hugh, and Zanetti gave way to Vail. The latter seemed as good as ever today and went to work with a will. Hugh, during the time he was in the game, had few opportunities for offensive work but made one good rush of some ten yards when he was let loose outside left tackle. Siedhof played a few minutes in Hugh’s place at the end of the scrimmage. The first showed the effect of the week’s work and undoubtedly displayed a better defence than theretofore. During the fifteen minutes of actual playing time it scored twice on the second and held its opponent safe. Football enthusiasm had been rampant for over a week and already two mass-meetings had been held. The third came off that Friday evening and everyone piled into the assembly hall and cheered and sang and whooped things up generally. The Mandolin and Banjo Club occupied the stage and supplied music for the songs. Hugh secretly thought the enthusiasm a bit “made-to-order” as he expressed it. But Hugh had not yet accustomed himself to the idea of organized cheering, which he still considered a trifle ridiculous. But he liked the singing and got into the songs with a will. Captain Trafford predicted victory for the Scarlet-and-Gray; Coach Bonner warned them against overconfidence, and Mr. Smiley quoted much Latin and made them laugh frequently. As a demonstration of loyalty and faith in the team the meeting was a great big success, but it didn’t affect the result of next week’s game the least particle, and so, in Hugh’s mind, was rather a waste of energy. Even Wallace Cathcart attended, and Hugh, to his surprise, caught him with his mouth very wide open and his face very red, cheering like mad. The first and second team players sat together in front and Hugh found himself beside Tom Hanrihan. Hanrihan had displayed a kindly interest in Hugh’s career from the first, and tonight, in a lull between a cheer for Coach Bonner and a song, he said confidentially: