“I don’t care whether he would or not. It just isn’t a fair deal to leave him out.” Roger turned to Sumner. “There’s no use talking to Pete; he’s nothing but a savage. You’ll get it for him, Jack, won’t you? You can work your mother for it. Think what it would be yourself to be left out of a thing when all the others are in!” “Think what it would be to be Dunn,” said Pete; “that’s a much more horrible thought.” But Sumner was a friendly soul. “If you’re really set on it, I’ll see what I can do,” he said. “I shouldn’t want him to commit suicide out at Adams’s!” Sumner’s words were exactly those which Ben Tracy had used to Dunn the evening before, but his deeds, as will appear later, were wholly different. Before the football meeting, Talbot suggested that Horr deserved the captaincy, and would perhaps make as good a captain as any one else. Roger assented readily, and cast his vote in accordance with Pete’s suggestion. With Harrison, Eaton, Talbot, Sumner, and other boys of the first class out, there was left little room for choice. He had not thought of himself as a possible candidate. When the votes were counted, and the announcement was made that Horr had eight votes, Hardie four, with one each for McDowell and Ben Tracy, Roger felt grateful that four fellows had thought so well of him as to give him the compliment of their votes, but it did not occur to him either to question the loyalty of friends or to wonder why Horr should be preferred before him. A day or two later Dunn came to the dinner-table beaming with joy, and slapped Ben Tracy hard on the shoulder. “I’ve got it!” he announced jubilantly. “It’s all right.” “Got what?” asked Ben, staring blankly. The face which for the last forty-eight hours had reflected nothing but spleen now shone with satisfaction. Dunn flourished a square white envelope. “My invitation for the Fridays. It was just delayed.” “Good for you!” exclaimed Cable. “I congratulate you,” purred Mrs. Adams. Hardie smiled, but said nothing; Ben Tracy continued to stare, puzzled to find that some good angel had relieved him of his unwelcome task. After dinner Dunn drew Ben into the corner of the general room, and poured fervent expressions of gratitude into his ear. “Talbot and Hardie thought they were going to get me stung,” he exclaimed, “but they didn’t succeed. I had some friends myself! You’ve helped me in this thing, all right, Benny, and I won’t forget it!” “I haven’t done anything,” protested Ben, weakly, “at least nothing worth while.” “It’s worth a lot to me. I’ll get even with you for it some day,—and I’ll get even with that sucker, Hardie, too; he’s put those fellows against me.” Dunn’s first step in getting even with Hardie was taken that very evening, and the method of it showed that some of Jason’s brain cells were more highly developed than those on which he relied in the preparation of lessons.