“Yes, yes, keep quiet, boy,” said Crawford; and in a lower tone he added, “Don’t you fret. He’ll come out all right enough.”
But in his heart Crawford was thinking, “He won’t come out all right if I can prevent it, and I think I can.”
CHAPTER IV.
A BLOW FOR CLARK.
“Mr. Horton, can we have the use of this room for an hour or so after school to-day?”
It was Gordon who asked the question.
“We including—?” said Mr. Horton, inquiringly.
“All the section, I hope,” answered Gordon. “Some of us, Mr. Horton, have made up our minds that there has got to be a change in D section. We don’t like the reputation that we are getting.”
“I am very glad to hear you say so, Gordon,” said Mr. Horton earnestly. “I feel deeply ashamed of it myself, and have been giving most serious thought to the matter for some time past. But if you boys will set yourselves to work in real earnest, you can accomplish far more than is possible for me.”
“I don’t know, sir, how much we shall be able to accomplish,” said Gordon, “but some of us are bound to try. The trouble is, that there are in our section so many that don’t care anything about their standing either in their studies or in deportment. All they seem to think about is having a good time. We’ve been talking the matter over, Graham, Sherman and I, and we’re afraid that we can’t get a majority to act with us.”