“That’s the trouble; I don’t know just what I ought to do. If anybody asks me, I’ll say that I’m not supporting Lester, and that I can’t advise any one else to. Then of course I’ll be asked why, and I shall simply have to say that I can’t tell, but that I have good reasons. Perhaps that isn’t going far enough. Perhaps I ought to go round and see all the fellows that I’ve called on in Lester’s interest and tell them that in my judgment it’s all off.”
“If you do either of those things,” declared David, “you’ll start a lot of gossip. If you can’t conscientiously vote for Lester, don’t; that’s all right. But don’t go round trying to influence people to vote against him. You’ll only blow up a scandal that won’t do any one any good.”
“I don’t see exactly how.”
“Why, some of Lester’s friends will be indignant and will demand that you tell what you know or else keep quiet. You’ll be driven to hinting and finally to telling. And I must say I think that it would be a great misfortune, not only to Lester, but to the class, to have publicity given to this matter.”
“Yes, but on the other hand is it fair to keep quiet and perhaps let Lester have the honor that some one else deserves?”
“That seems to me of small importance. If it isn’t Lester, it will be Farrar or Colby. They’ve had pretty much all the recognition they need—captain of the eleven and captain of the crew; they’ll be second and third marshals, anyway. I shouldn’t worry about them.”
“Lester can’t enjoy it very much if he’s elected.”
“He certainly can’t. He doesn’t want to be elected. But I don’t feel called upon to protect him from it.”
“I still can’t see how or why he ever came to do it,” said Richard.
“No, but I feel sure he’ll never do anything crooked again. Don’t make him feel he’s a leper, Dick. Give him another chance.”