he was responsible for allowing such talk in his
lecture-room, and Joe said so far as _he_ was concerned, he resigned
from Burney's classes right there. That started it, and practically the
whole class got up and walked out with Joe. They said Burney streaked
off home, and Dora was left alone in there, with her head down on her
desk--and I guess she certainly deserves it. A good many have already
stopped speaking to her."

Ramsey fidgeted with a pen on the table by which he sat. "Well, I don't
know," he said, slowly; "I don't know if they ought to do that exactly."

"Why oughtn't they?" Fred demanded, sharply.

"Well, it looks to me as if she was only fightin' for her principles.
She believes in 'em. The more it costs a person to stick to their
principles, why, the more I believe the person must have something
pretty fine about 'em likely."

"Yes!" said the hot-headed Fred. "That may be in ordinary times, but not
when a person's principles are liable to betray their country! We won't
stand that kind of principles, I tell you, and we oughtn't to. Dora
Yocum's finding that out, all right. She had the biggest position of
any girl in this place, or any boy either, up to the last few weeks, and
there wasn't any student or hardly even a member of the faculty that had
the influence or was more admired and looked up to. She had the whole
show! But now, since she's just the same as called any student a
murderer if he enlists to fight for his country and his flag--well, now
she hasn't got anything at all, and if she keeps on she'll have even
less!"

He paused in his walking to and fro and came to a halt behind his
friend's chair, looking down compassionately upon the back of Ramsey's
motionless head. His tone changed. "I guess it isn't just the ticket--me
to be talking this way to you, is it?" he said, with a trace of
huskiness.

"Oh--it's all right," Ramsey murmured, not altering his position.

"I can't help blowing up," Fred went on. "I want to say, though, I know
I'm not very considerate to blow up about her to you this way. I've been
playing horse with you about her ever since freshman year, but--well,
you must have understood, Ram, I never meant anything that would really
bother you much, and I thought--well, I _really_ thought it was a good
thing, you--your--well, I mean about her, you know. I'm on, all right. I
know it's pretty serious with you." He paused.

Ramsey did not move, except that his right hand still fi