“Oh, he’s all right,” said Walter flippantly. “He means to do the right thing. I understand that as well as you do. The greatest trouble is that he doesn’t just understand a fellow――――” “Maybe a part of the trouble, Walter, is because he does understand. Ever thought of that?” “No, that isn’t the way of it. My mother does.” Dan smiled as he recalled the weak and somewhat vain little woman who thought she was manifesting a greater love for her boy because she upheld and defended him right or wrong. “Of course I know,” resumed Walter, “that my father is a mighty smart man. It takes a cool hand to get ahead of him. He’s the best business man in his line. Why, Dan, he’s built up the business his father left him till now he has just four times as many men in the shops as he had when he began. When you say that he had been here all the morning, why, that puts things in a different light. He probably ‘got busy.’ Understand, Dan, that I didn’t really mean to accuse you of going to him with stories about me, though you’ll have to own up that it did look a bit suspicious when I found him alone with you and that he knew all about me.” CHAPTER XXV A PLOT “Did you suspect me before Gus Kiggins told you to?” “Now, look here, Dan Richards, you’re making a fool of yourself! Don’t you suppose I ever have an idea of my own?” “I do.” “You don’t act as if you did. Look here, Dan, what’s the trouble between you and Gus, anyway? Are you jealous of him?” “Not to my knowledge,” replied Dan with a smile. “He thinks you are.” “You can put his mind at ease on that score.” “Then what is it? Are you afraid of him?” “Now you’ve found it.” “You are? He thinks you are, but I never would have believed it of you.” “I am.” “He is a powerful brute.” “I agree with you.” “And he’s the best boxer in the school.” “That’s what I’ve heard,” said Dan quietly. “Well, I don’t know that I blame you,” laughed Walter. “He isn’t exactly the kind of a chap I’d like to run up against on a dark street when I was all alone.” “I’m more afraid of him in the daytime when he’s with others.” “What do you mean by that?” demanded Walter sharply. “You know what I mean.” “No, I don’t.” “Look here, Walter,” said Dan earnestly. “I don’t mean to preach to you. I know I’m only a countryman and you’ve had lots of chances that I haven’t. But if I had as clear and quick a mind as you have and then had such chances to develop it as you have here in this school, do you know what I’d do?” “Yes. You’d buckle down to work.” “I certainly should.” “You don’t know everything, Dan,” said Walter, his pleasure at his roommate’s words arousing his good nature, as unstinted praise never failed to do. “I hate the stuff we’re getting here. Latin and algebra and physics! Bah! They make me sick. What good are they anyway? We’ll never use them again after we get out of this old trap.”