d. "Why not?"

"Well," answered Roy hesitatingly, "I--I'd rather you didn't."

"No reason!" said Harry scornfully.

"If they think I'd do such a thing," muttered Roy, "they can just keep
on thinking so. I guess I can stand it."

Harry looked puzzled for a moment; she was trying to get at his point of
view; then her face lighted.

"Splendid!" she cried. "You're going to be a martyr and be misunderstood
like--like somebody in a book I was reading! And some day, long after
you're gone--" Harry looked vaguely about as though searching for the
place Roy was to go to--"folks will discover that you're innocent and
they'll be very, very sorry and erect a white marble shaft to your
cherished memory!" She ended much out of breath, but still enthusiastic,
to find Roy laughing at her.

"I guess I'm not hankering for any martyr business, Harry. It isn't that
exactly; I don't know just what it is. But if you won't say anything
about it I'll be awfully much obliged."

"Well, then, I won't," promised Harry regretfully. "Only I do wish you
were going to be a martyr!"

"I shall be if I don't hurry," answered Roy. "I have math with Mr.
Buckman in about half a minute."

"Pooh! No one's afraid of Buck!" said Harry scornfully. "Cobby's the one
to look out for; he's awfully strict." Roy was already making for School
Hall. "You'll come and see Methuselah again soon, won't you?"

"Yes," called Roy.

"And you'll play tennis with me some day, too?"

"I don't play very well."

"Never mind," answered Harry, "I'll teach you. Good bye!"

CHAPTER VII

COACHES AND PLAYERS

October went its way, a period of bright, crisp, golden weather filled
with hard work for the football players. There were defeats and
victories both in that early season, but on the whole the team showed up
fairly well. Burlen and Warren and Pryor returned to practice at the end
of their probation and, although each was more or less stale, their
presence in accustomed positions heartened the team. Otto Ferris, too,
returned, but his advent was not portentous, since the best he could do
was to make the second as a substitute back. Bacon still held his place
at quarter, although in two games he had been kept out of the play, his
position being filled by Roy. The latter had done excellent work, but he
had not had the experience gained by Bacon, and this, together with the
fact that he and Horace did not work smoothly together, made it pretty
certain that Ba