"Oh, money will hire him to do any mean, sneaking thing!" came scornfully from Bart's lips.
"If he is caught with this scoundrel in black to-morrow night, he will be under a cloud here."
"He is under a cloud now. Twenty fellows saw me knock him down, and they'll never give him any rest till he sends me a challenge."
"Well, I don't fancy he will send you a challenge."
"Then his life will be made wretched while he remains at Fardale Academy."
"He has brought it on himself."
"Of course. A fellow can't be a sneak and have the respect of anybody who is decent. I found that out long ago."
The following forenoon Bart obtained permission to use the microscope long enough to make a drawing of the lines on the stone set in the mysterious ring.
Before going to recitation, Frank surrendered the ring to Bart, who hesitated about taking it.
"What if I should lose it?" he said.