"Serious! Why, man alive, you don't seem to realize that Merriwell narrowly escaped death outright!"
"Huh! I hadn't thought it was as bad as that."
"Well it was!" continued Diamond, and it seemed to take him a long while to get his cigar lighted, while Baker was slowly counting his change.
Miller was fussing with the cigar boxes with his head bent down.
"If Merriwell's muscles hadn't been as tough as steel," continued Diamond, "he would have croaked before this."
"Oh, no! Oh, no!" returned Baker, as if incredulous. "I'm sure you're exaggerating the matter, Diamond, on account of your interest in your friend."
"Exaggerate nothing!" retorted Diamond, indignantly. "I guess I've spent hours enough with Merriwell to know his condition."
"And you say he's worse this morning?"
"Decidedly! The critical stage in his trouble has come on and the doctor has cleared the students out of his room. That was why I was out for a walk instead of watching by his bedside. I'm going back there now, for I can't bear the thought of being so far away."
"Well, it would be simply awful," remarked Baker, with long breath, "if he should——"