s morning,"
the doctor went on. "There may have been provocation on both sides but
we will not allude further to this and the rest of you will forget it or
at any rate not speak of it."

"That is not so easy," murmured Arthur to Harry. "It clears Jack in a
way, at any rate, and that is enough for me."

Jack went to his place and the doctor took his seat at his desk and
matters went on as usual.

Herring gave Jack the blackest of black looks when next they met but
Jack paid no more attention to this than if he had not seen it and
Herring muttered something under his breath which Jack did not hear.

"It seems rather strange," said Percival to some of the boys at recess,
"that Wise did not more thoroughly disapprove of the squabble of this
morning, but the reason I suppose is that he respected the mystery
surrounding Jack and did not care to clear it up by making too great an
investigation. Jack says his father is dead and I shall believe him and
that liar Herring had better keep his lips closed tight on the subject."

"You are breaking the doctor's injunction that we were to say nothing
about it, Dick," laughed Billy Manners, "but I suppose you couldn't
just help it. I know I couldn't."

"Well, that is all I am going to say about it," replied Percival and the
matter was not mentioned although, none of the boys could help thinking
of it at odd times.

Herring still treated Jack with disdain but was careful to avoid an open
rupture, the recollection of the stunning blow which the apparently
slight young fellow had given him acting as a deterrent to his wrath so
that he avoided the boy as much as possible while he still retained his
rancor.

Percival said nothing to Jack about his past life, preferring to let the
boy take his own time about clearing up the mystery which was no clearer
than before.

"I'll get even with Sheldon before I leave the Academy," declared
Herring to Ernest Merritt and another of his satellites a day or so
after the exciting scene in front of the school. "He can't walk over me
if he has got Dick Percival for his friend."

"You can't lick him," laughed Merritt, who did not have the same fear of
his associate that he formerly had. "He has a fist like a rock for all
that he looks so slight. You were three or four minutes coming round the
other day."

"Suppose he has?" snarled Herring. "I can train, can't I? If I send him
a challenge to fight, he can't refuse to take it up and keep his
self