“All that is food for thought,” replied Mr. Babcock, smiling. “I dare say that you’ve figured it correctly, Deane, but, just for the sake of argument, what about this theory? Suppose they’ve kept on using Grosfawk in practice and have carefully kept his name out of the papers with the idea of letting us think he isn’t to be bothered about. You know he _has_ played occasionally.” “Mighty little, sir. Maybe five times, and then only for a few minutes, probably.” “Still――” “Besides, sir,” interrupted Loring eagerly, “if Wolcott wanted us to think that Grosfawk was――was eliminated she would have used more certain methods, don’t you think? Wouldn’t she have let the report get out that he had been injured or that he was in Dutch with the Office or――or something? See what I mean, sir? She couldn’t be certain that we’d notice his not playing.” “Yes, probably she would have,” acknowledged the other. “Well, granting your idea’s the right one, Deane, who do you take it is to get Grosfawk’s job at catching passes and getting off with them? Or who has got it already?” Loring shook his head. “That’s what I can’t make out, sir. They’ve been building up a forward-passing game in secret, but the reports from there don’t actually say so. You’ve got to read between the lines. In the outside games five players have taken passes, and only one of them, Loomis, is mentioned more than the others. Loomis is their regular left end. He was on their team last year, and fellows I’ve talked with say he wasn’t much of a player.” Mr. Babcock was silent for a long moment. Then he asked briskly: “Think you could get to Cotterville next Saturday, Deane?” CHAPTER XXI SCRUB VERSUS SCRUB “Me, sir!” Loring looked startled. “I suppose you couldn’t. I forgot for the moment that you can’t get about as easily as the rest of us. It only occurred to me that, knowing what you do already, Deane, you’d be just the fellow. But never mind. I’ll find some one.” “Why, I could go, Mr. Babcock,” said Loring eagerly. “It――it sort of surprised me, that was all. And I’m not sure that I could do what you’d want, sir.” “I think you could. You see, I don’t want a report on the playing. I just want you to look around over there and see what goes on. There may be a nigger in the wood-pile, or there may not. If there is, you may not spot him, but it’s worth trying; and you’re the man for the job since you know the situation better than any of us. See who they use as substitutes and try to figure out why. If your hunch is the right one, Deane, they’ve got an end or a back over there that they’ve been keeping under cover. Look for him.” “Yes, sir. It’s sort of like spying, though, isn’t it?”