“Bully! But you can’t frighten me. My father is D. Roscoe Arlington, and——”
“That is something you have told everybody in this school a dozen times, or more; but I should fancy you ought to see by this time that it fails to make an impression.”
Dick spoke like one who felt himself entire master of the situation, and that was one thing that infuriated Arlington, although he could not help being impressed by it. It was this air of perfect assurance of his position that marked Dick as one different from most lads and gave him influence and power to a degree. He was also magnetic, and those who learned to admire him as a friend grew soon to swear by him in everything and believe he could not make a mistake.
“I am not going to be dictated to by you! Put that in your pipe and smoke it! You can’t order me about. I was elected to the committee to fill the place made vacant by the resignation of Warwick, and on that committee I’ll stay.”
“You will not be on that committee to-morrow night. I give you your choice, you may resign or be fired off. But you had better resign, for you may be fired out of the school if you are fired off the committee.”
“Bah!”
“The charges that will be preferred against you on the committee are certain to leak out, and a call before the faculty must follow.”
“What are you talking about, anyhow? What charges will be preferred?”
“You will be accused of having dealings with Fred Kennedy, a gambler, of giving him money to bet against Fardale, and of being a gambler yourself. Thus you, one of the athletic committee, therefore deeply interested in the success of the football-team, are plainly a traitor working against your own school.”
“That’s fine!” sneered Chester. “It’s easy to make such a charge, but how are you going to prove it?”