"Why," asked his father.
"Because Dally says I ought to," replied Keith.
"Well, he ought to know," said the father.
But when Keith appeared in the schoolyard during one of the pauses next day, he was met from every side by the cry:
"There's the explorer! There's the explorer!"
The younger boys jeered openly at him. The older ones pretended to ask him serious questions about his plans. For days he was the laughing stock of the whole school, and even on his way to and from school he was pursued by jibes and taunts. Through it all Keith stuck quietly to his guns, without a sign of retraction or evasion. And in the end his seriousness conquered. But from that day he was known to the entire school as "the explorer," and he heard that term more often than his own name.
XI
It was the afternoon of the last day before commencement. The atmosphere in the class was solemn and more than a little wistful.
"It is our last hour together," said Dally when all were back in their seats after the pause. "History is on the schedule, but--schedules are not made for moments like these. Let us just have a friendly talk."