ecrets."

On Wednesday and Thursday the Ridgley football team went through light
signal practice which was intended, as Coach Murray said, to "oil the
machinery" and "polish off the rough spots." Thursday afternoon the
whole school marched down to the field to watch the practice and to test
their cheering and their songs.

At dark when the team was in the locker building Coach Murray announced
that there would be no practice on Friday. "I want you to _forget
football_ from now until Saturday," he said. "Imagine that no such game
ever existed. To-morrow, go on a little walk somewhere or take it easy
in any way you like, but don't bother your brains with any football
thinking."

On Friday afternoon Tracey Campbell, at the suggestion of Bassett,
decided to "forget football" by taking a little tour in his father's
automobile. Tracey telephoned home, discovered that the elder Campbell
was out of town, and had little difficulty in persuading his mother to
send the chauffeur over to Ridgley with the car. Tracey suggested that
he might take along one or two members of the football team, but Bassett
made a remark or two that caused the substitute back to change his mind.
After driving to the "mansion" and leaving the chauffeur, Tracey and
Bassett rode out into the country and came back by the way of
Greensboro. Their conversation had been none too pleasant, for there
were certain things between them that furnished grounds for differences
of opinion. But Bassett was clever--more clever than most of the members
of Ridgley School believed him to be--and he had a way of putting his
finger on weak spots and causing irritation that resulted in action. As
on two previous occasions, the pair stopped at Chuan Kai's Oriental
Eating Palace, and there Bassett gave voice to what he considered as a
finality.

"Well," he said, "if Teeny-bits weren't on hand for the game, of course
you'd play in his place, as you deserve to, and then you'd get your
letter and the runabout."

"Well, he'll be there, so don't worry yourself about that," said
Campbell. "He's on the inside and nothing you can do--got a match? I'm
going to smoke."

"Didn't you tell me one time that Chuan Kai had a regular den upstairs
where no one ever went--except the Chinks?"

"I guess so," said Tracey.

"The trouble with _you_," was Bassett's next remark, "is that you can't
see a real chance when it's right in front of your nose. Now listen, and
I'll tell you something.