Now that he had, for the first time in his life, been thrown into the midst of a crowd of boys of his own age, all of whom possessed, or at least seemed to possess, an indefinable something which he was aware was lacking in his own person, he felt strongly that something was wrong. Ned had been cordial, but his keen interest in the possibility of the nine securing a good pitcher doubtless accounted for that. Chesty had spoken frankly and without a suspicion that his words had been overheard. And Dan, in his quiet way, was suffering. His life had not been like that of the boys in the Tait School. He almost wished that he had not yielded to Mr. Borden’s persuasive words. At the normal school there were many who came from homes like his own. Several boys from Rodman had worked their way through that school. They had been waiters in the dining-room or cared for the grounds, served as aids to the janitor or had done various other humble duties by which they helped themselves. Dan’s thoughts were busied with these things while he unpacked, until at last his trunk was empty and its contents bestowed where they belonged. One of the last things he had found in the trunk was a study gown upon which his mother had labored evenings after the tasks of the day were done. The sight of it recalled her love and devotion so vividly that Dan threw aside his coat and donned the long odd garment before he responded to Walter’s call and came into the sitting-room. “Got everything done, Dan?” said Walter cheerily. “Can I help you any? For the love of country, Dan,” Walter abruptly added as for the first time he noticed his roommate’s gown, “where on earth did you find that thing? What is it? Did you use it to milk in?” “It’s a study gown,” replied Dan, blushing slightly. “Well, don’t study in it, Dan. If the fellows should see it they’d never stop guying you. It looks like a relic of the Stone age. Here, help me tack up this skin. Isn’t it a beauty?” Walter held up to view the skin of the huge snake which he and Dan had secured on Six Town Pond and Walter had had prepared by Silas the harness-maker. “Isn’t that a beauty!” he again exclaimed enthusiastically when the skin had been tacked to the wall. “That’ll make the fellows stand up and open their eyes. I wonder what Chesty will say when he sees it? By the way, Dan, do you want me to give you a pointer?” “Go ahead.” “Why――well――you see the ways of the fellows here are not just exactly as they are in Rodman, you know.” “Yes, I know.” “Well, you want to put your butter on the butter-plate and not on the rim of your serving-plate. You don’t mind my speaking of it, do you? You’ll pick these things up in a jiffy, but I thought――I didn’t know――but you’d like to have me tell you when I happened to see some little thing that is not just like――that’s a little different――――” “That’s all right, Walter. I know I’m not used to some things that you and Chesty――――”