"Doc Macnooder is a wonder but he's not, well he's not quite the sort of
chap you want to associate with, Hippo. Understand?"

"I'm young but I'm not so green as all that," said Hippo winking wisely.

"In fact, Doc's a sponge and you made an awful break."

"I did, what's that, sir?"

"You shouldn't have shown him that twenty dollar bill. He'll never let
up so long as he remembers that."

"Skippy's right, Hippo," said Snorky.

"What'll I do?"

"Leave it to us. We'll think out some way."

After a good deal of thinking, they returned from a heavy performance at
Conover's, laden with a large creamcake, a half dozen eclairs, a box of
Huyler's and two pounds of Turkish paste, after placing an order for
tinned meats, cheese, saltines and root-beer.

"I say, this sort of removes the lurking danger, doesn't it?" said
Hippo, searching in his pocket for the last half-dollar.

"We'll store the grub in our rooms," said Snorky solemnly, "and then
there won't be any danger at all."

"Oh, thank you, kind sir," said the irrepressible Hippo, and only the
soothing presence of the layer cake against his breast kept Snorky from
a mood of wrath.

"If you've got to mother that little squirt," said Snorky wrathfully,
once they had returned to their room, "you'll have your hands full,
that's all I wish to remark. A fresher, nervier little nuisance--"

"Nuisance is going to get a lot of mothering," said Skippy with a
far-off look in his eyes. "But remember, old dear, that's why we're
here. That's why the faculty invites us to Lawrenceville."

"Well," said Snorky as he stowed away the purchases and arranged the
eclairs on the tea-table, "if we can keep him away from Doc Macnooder,
there's going to be a few compensations."

"Nuisance will neither be affectionate nor familiar by this time
to-morrow," said Skippy grinding his teeth.

"Cheese it! Hide the towels--here they come!"

A knock and then the voice of Hippo in flippant familiarity:

"All right, Skippy, we're good looking. Open up."

Skippy looked at Snorky and swallowed hard while his right arm worked
convulsively.

"Come in," he said with an effort.

The door opened and Miss Potterman triumphantly entered his life. Mrs.
Potterman was there and Hippo with his impertinent smirk but neither
Skippy nor Snorky saw anything else but that wonderful vision. Something
unbelievable had suddenly stepped out of their favorite Gibson picture
and was advancing in a halo. Violet