“No.”
“You won’t?”
“No. If you will promise me to drop this thing here and let Merriwell alone, wild horses can’t drag anything out of me.”
Dunton lifted his head.
“You will remain my friend?”
“Yes, I’ll stick by you if you’ll quit this monkey business and walk a straight line.”
“I’ll do it, if Merriwell don’t floor me for this first round.”
“You must take chances on that. Brace up, now, and——”
“Yes; give me a drink. Here, I have something in my coat. I must take a big drink, or I can’t play through the last act. They won’t do anything with me till the piece is over, anyhow.”
He got out a bottle and took a heavy drink. To his surprise, Sargent declined to take anything.