apiece. That wouldn't be so much, eh?"

"Cheap, I'd call it," said Freer.

"We'd have beefsteak and things like that, you know," continued Saunders
enthusiastically, "things that are filling. No froth and whipped cream,
you know! And lots of gingerale!"

"Sounds good," laughed Tom. "I wish it was to-night. Do you think Mr.
Fernald will let us?"

"I don't see why not. I spoke to Mr. Conklin about it and he said he
would favour it if Josh came to him about it. If he won't let us go to
the village, we thought maybe he'd let us have our feed here after the
regular supper, if we paid for it ourselves. Well, you fellows show up
about eight. Don't forget, because we want to get the whole bunch there
and talk it all over and appoint a committee to see Josh."

Tom was silent for a minute after the visitors had departed. Then,
hesitatingly, "Steve," he said, "what's the good of acting like that
with fellows?"

"Like what?" asked Steve.

"You know well enough. Freezing up and talking as if you had a mouthful
of icicles. You might be--be decently polite when fellows come in. Freer
is a dandy chap, and Saunders is all right, too. But you treated them as
if they were--were a couple of cut-throats."

"I wasn't impolite," denied Steve. "As long as those fellows choose to
think what they do about me, you can't expect me to slop over with
them."

"You haven't any way of knowing what they think about you," said Tom
vigorously. "You take it for granted that every fellow in school
believes that yarn of Sawyer's. I don't suppose a dozen fellows ever
gave it a second thought."

"I know better. Don't you suppose I can tell? Almost every chap I know
treats me differently now. Even--even Roy--and Harry--act as if they'd
rather not be seen with me!"

"Oh, piffle!" exclaimed Tom indignantly. "That's a rotten thing to say,
Steve! Why, you might as well say that I believe the yarn!"

"You?" Steve laughed meaningly. "You wouldn't be likely to."

"Then neither would Roy or Harry. They haven't known you as long as I
have, but they know you wouldn't do a thing like that."

"I don't see why not," replied Steve stubbornly. "The book was found on
this table. And Sawyer says he saw me with it. I guess it would be
natural for them to believe what Sawyer says."

"They don't, though, as I happen to know," replied Tom stoutly. "Even if
you did bring the book up here, that doesn't mean that you were going
to--to use it. What really happened,