“Come take a walk, Max?” asked a gay voice behind them.
Max sprang up at once, exclaiming,—
“Hullo, Frank; where’ve you been all the morning?”
“In my room; I didn’t feel just right, so I cut church. Now I want to stretch myself a little. Come on.” And as the two boys walked away, Leon heard the new-comer ask,—
“Who’s the new fellow?”
“Hal Arnold’s brother.”
“Any good?”
By this time, they were too far away for Leon to catch their words, but he sat staring after them, as if dazzled by the rich, dark beauty of the stranger. When they were out of sight, he turned back to Alex.
“Who’s that?” he asked eagerly.
Alex, too, had been watching the boys, while something like a frown gathered on his face.