The good sense of it appealed to all the chums, so they strolled away again, and came back three minutes late, Outside the door they halted. Some of the awe of the conscious freshman came upon two or three of the chums.
"You go in first, Dick," urged Tom Reade.
"It was you who got the invite, anyway," hinted Greg Holmes.
Laughing quietly Dick turned the knob of the door. He went in bravely enough, but some of his chums followed rather sheepishly.
Fred Ripley, who had dropped in five minutes before, saw them at once, and scowled.
"'Ware freshmen!" he called, rather loudly.
Nearly all the members of the regular and sub teams were present. Most of them were going through an Indian club drill at the further end of the room. At Fred's cry several of them turned around sharply.
"Oh, that's all right," called out Edgeworth. "These particular freshmen are privileged. Welcome, Dick & Co.!"
"Privileged? Welcome?" gasped Ripley, in a tone of huge disgust.
"What on earth is the High School coming to these days?"
"If you don't like to see them here, Ripley," broke in Thompson, "you know——-"