“I can’t make connections with the trot in this place,” answered Dunn, calmly, “and Ben can’t. I don’t believe you can, either, if you did get eighty on the exam.”
Roger soon proved that he could—indeed, the problem presented no difficulties except such as Dunn’s stupidity had raised or his cunning invented. Having thus paved the way for his main business, Dunn leaned against the door-post, and, holding a finger between the leaves of his Virgil to strengthen the impression that he was stopping casually on the way back to his interrupted work, began to talk.
“You didn’t get the captaincy, did you?”
Roger gave a good-natured little laugh. “No, I didn’t, and I didn’t expect to.”
“You came mighty near it.”
“Four votes out of fourteen—that’s not very near.”
“I don’t mean that. You know what I mean.”
Hardie shook his head.
“The day before the election it was all settled that you were to get it. I heard so from McDowell and Bumpus and two or three others. Then something happened, and the vote went the other way.”
“What happened?” Roger was listening eagerly.