days!"

"Still, Will, there is only one way out of it for you."

"I suppose so," responded Will, his heart sinking as he spoke.

"Yes, it must be faced. I know it's hard, but you can't get around it,
Will, and I'm sure you don't want to run from it. As I told you, it
isn't as if your Greek professor was the only one of his kind you will
meet in life, for his name is legion and you will find him everywhere.
The only thing for you to do is to keep on with your tutor and prove
yourself to be the master. If you do that, the experience, hard as it
is, may prove to be one of the best that could come to you."

Will was silent for a moment before he spoke, and then he said
impulsively, "Well, pop, I suppose you are right. I'll do my best."

"Of course you will," responded his father quietly, though his eyes
were shining. "It isn't so hard for you as it is for Mr. Schenck."

"Is Peter John worse?" inquired Will quickly.

"Yes."

"Isn't there something we can do?" said Will eagerly.

"No, nothing," said Mr. Schenck. "My boy is very sick, but all we can do
is to wait. He is having good care. The only comfort I have is what they
tell me about him and what he has been doing since he came to college."

Both boys looked up quickly, but neither spoke and Mr. Schenck
continued. "Yes, there's a young man I have met since I've been here who
has told me many things about my boy that comfort me now very much."

"Was it Mott?" interrupted Will.

"Yes, that was his name. You know him too, I see. He seems to be a very
fine young man. He told me that Peter was one of the leaders in his
class, and that everybody in the college knew him. He said too, that he
had won his numerals--though I don't just understand what that means."

"It means that he has the right to wear the number of his class on his
cap or sweater," said Will. "That's more than I've won." He had not the
heart to undeceive the unhappy man, though both he and Foster were aware
that Mott had been overstating the facts in his desire to comfort Peter
John's father.

"Well, I hope he'll get well," said Mr. Schenck with a heavy sigh,
"though it does seem as if such things always happened to the brightest
boys. I'm going to stay here for a few days till I know he's better
or--" The sentence was not completed and for a time there was a tense
silence in the room.

At last the men departed, Mr. Schenck to go to his son's room where he
was to sleep while he remained in Winthr