“There wasn’t any reason!” exclaimed Ned warmly.
“Perhaps not—and yet as a business proposition, look at it for a minute. It isn’t very modest of me to say so, but Mr. Borden thought—or at least he implied—that what influence I had over Walter would pay what it might cost his father to have me room with him. But look at it! You all say that Walter is a ‘chump.’ He’s away down in his classes and if I should suggest to him to do certain things that would be the surest way of getting him to do just the opposite. Walter doesn’t like me. He chums with Gus Kiggins——”
“He doesn’t stick to anything very long, and there isn’t any reason for believing that Gus will be an exception.”
“I am not sure of that. Gus seems to have him under his thumb.”
“Get him out from under it.”
“How?”
“Can’t some of us help?”
“How?” again inquired Dan with a smile.
“Oh, we can have a talk with Walter, or we can put it up to Gus.”
“No,” said Dan. “Perhaps a word with Walter sometime, if it came in all right might be a good thing, but I don’t want you to say anything to Gus.”