That was the worst." The boys, two
or three of them, took up the cry, "'Twas beastly mean."

"Contemptible! Just like Jenk!" went all over the playground.

"Well, he isn't to go," repeated Van with a sigh; "and Joel says he was
as bad, because he went out at night to fight."

"Why, he had to; Jenk dared him. And he couldn't have it out in the
dormitory; you know he couldn't, Whitney," said one of the boys in
surprise.

"Oh dear! I know," said Van helplessly. "Well, Joel says it's no matter
that the racket was stolen out of his room, and--"

"No matter!" ejaculated the boys, a whole crowd of them swarming around
him, "well, if that isn't _monstrous_!"

"Oh, Joel's afraid that Dr. Marks will expel Jenk," Percy, very
uncomfortable to have Joel blamed, made haste to say. "Don't you see?"

"Well, he ought to be turned out," declared one boy decidedly. "Never
mind, we'll make it so hot for that Jenk, he'll want to go."

"No, you mustn't," declared Percy, now very much alarmed. "Oh, no, you
mustn't, Hobbs; because, if you do, Joel won't like it. Oh, he'll be so
angry! He won't like it a bit, I tell you," he kept saying.

The idea of Joel's not liking it, seemed to take all the fun out of the
thing; so Hobbs found himself saying, "Well, all right, I suppose we've
got to put up with the fellow then. But you know yourself, Whitney, he's
a mean cad."

There seemed to be but one opinion about that. But the fact remained
that Jenkins was still to be one of them, to be treated as well as they
could manage. And for the next few days, Joel had awfully hard work to
be go-between for all the crowd, and the boy who had made it hard for
him.

"You'll have to help me out, Tom," he said more than once in despair.

"Pretty hard lines," said Tom. Then the color flew all over his face. "I
suppose I really ought, for you know, Pepper, I told you I wanted at
first that you should lose your racket."

"Never mind that now, Tom," said Joel brightly, and sticking out his
brown hand. "You've been awfully good ever since."

"Had to," grunted Tom, hanging to the hand, "when I saw how mean the
beggar was."

"And but for you I should never have found the racket, at least not in
time." Joel shivered, remembering the close call he had had from losing
the game.

Tom shivered too, but for a different cause. "If I hadn't told him, I'd
always have hated myself," he thought.

"Well, Joe, I wouldn't after this give away a racket. Now you see