ol is, too. It
was mighty decent of Robey, wasn't it? Do you know, Don, Robey's got a
lot of sense for a football coach?"

Don often wondered what had occurred and been said at the interview
between Mr. Robey and Harry Walton. The coach had sworn Don to silence
at the termination of their interview. "If Walton asks you whether you
told me about the business you can say you did, if you like. Or tell
him I wormed it out of you, which is just about what I did do. But don't
say anything to anyone else about it; at all events, not as long as
Walton's here. I'm going to find him now and have a talk with him. I
don't think you need be at all afraid of anything he may do after I get
through with him. You fellows clearly did wrong in outstaying leave that
night, but you had a fairly good excuse and if you'd had enough sense to
go to faculty the next morning and explain you'd have all got off with
only a lecture, I guess. Your mistake was in not confessing. However, I
don't consider it my place to say anything. It's an old story now,
anyhow. Be at the gym at three with your togs, Gilbert, and do your best
for us from now on. I'm glad to have you back again. What I said that
afternoon you'd better forget. I'll show the school that I've changed my
mind about you. I suppose I ought to make some sort of an apology,
but----"

"Please don't say anything more about it, sir," begged Don.

"Well, I'll say this, Gilbert: You acted like a white man in taking your
medicine and keeping the others out of trouble. You certainly deserve
credit for that."

"I don't see it," replied the boy. "I don't see what else I _could_ have
done, Mr. Robey!"

The coach pondered a moment. Then he laughed. "I guess you're right, at
that! Just the same, you did what was square, Gilbert. All right, then.
Three o'clock." He held out his hand and Don put his in it, and the two
gripped firmly.

Hurrying back to Main Hall, Don regretted only one thing, which was that
he had in a way broken his agreement with Walton to say nothing about
their bargain. Coach Robey, though, had pointed out that the agreement
had been terminable by either party to it, and that in confessing to him
Don had been within his rights. "Walton can now go ahead and take the
matter to faculty, as he threatened to do," said the coach. "Only, when
I get through talking to him I don't think he will care to!"

And apparently he hadn't, for no dire summons reached Don from the
office that day