ng the door softly behind the visitor, gazed
at him in questioning disapproval.

"Well, Byrd, what can we do for you?" Mr. Fernald smiled, doubtless with
the wish to dispel embarrassment. But he needn't have troubled about
that, for Amy didn't look or act in the least embarrassed. "I'm afraid,"
continued the principal, "that I can't offer you a chair, for we're
rather busy just now. What was it you wanted to speak of?"

"I guess it looks pretty cheeky, sir, for me to butt in here," replied
Amy, with a smile, "but it's rather important, sir, and--and if
anything's to be done about it it'll have to be done tonight."

"Really? Well, it does sound important. Suppose you tell us about it,
Byrd."

"Thank you, sir." Amy paused, gathering his words in order. "It's this,
Mr. Fernald: when we fellows were put on pro--probation, I mean, it was
intended that we should all get the same punishment, wasn't it, sir?"

"Let me see, that was the affair of---- Ah, yes, I recall it. Why, yes,
Byrd, naturally it was meant to treat you all alike. What complaint have
you?"

"It isn't exactly a complaint, sir. But it's this way. There were nine
of us altogether. It was my fault in the first place because I put them
up to it. They'd never thought of it if I hadn't." Amy glanced at Mr.
Moller. "It was a pretty silly piece of business, sir, and we got what
we deserved. But--but none of us meant to--to hurt anyone's feelings,
sir. It was just a lark. We didn't think that----"

"We'll allow that, Byrd. Please get down to the purpose of this unusual
visit," said Mr. Fernald drily.

"Yes, sir. Well, eight of us it doesn't matter so much about. We aren't
football men and being on probation doesn't cut so much--I mean it
doesn't matter so much. But Tom Hall's a football man, sir, and it's
different for him. This is his last year here and losing his place on
the team was hard lines. That's what I'm trying to get at, sir. You
meant that we were all to be punished the same, but we weren't. It's
just about twice as hard on Tom as it is on the rest of us. You see
that, sir, don't you?"

There was a moment of silence and then Mr. Simkins coughed. Or did he
chuckle? Amy couldn't tell. But the principal dropped his eyes and
tapped his blotter with the tip of the pencil he held. At last:

"That's a novel point of view, Byrd," he said. "There may be something
in it. But I must remind you that the Law--and the faculty stands for
the Law here--takes no