"You mean to suggest, I suppose, that some of the fellows here took the flag?"
"To speak frankly, I do; but I know well enough that you've not had a hand in it."
"Thanks for your good opinion; but I don't know that I deserve it. After all, why shouldn't I have had a hand in it? The fellows here look upon you as the enemy, and you look upon us in the same light. Haven't we a perfect right to get possession of the enemy's flag if we can?"
"Yes; in fair and open battle. But this wasn't in fair and open battle; it was a theft."
"That's rather a hard word, Percival. It's as good as saying some one here's a thief!"
Wyndham spoke with greater warmth than Paul had ever heard him speak. For the first time he saw an angry light in his eye.
"Forgive me, Wyndham! I've hurt your feelings; I can see that I have. And you are the last in the world I would do that to. I'll withdraw theft. Let's call it strategy."
The cloud vanished like magic from Wyndham's face.
"That's a very polite and nice way of putting it, Percival," he smiled. "You're a great deal more considerate of my feelings than I am of yours. I tell you what"—his face became serious again—"it's done me a lot of good since I knew you; since I was able to open my heart to you and tell you about the little brother who was taken from us years back. I've often wished that I was at Garside to stand by you. It must be very lonely for you over there."
"No, indeed; it's far from lonely, but sometimes it has been very, very hard to bear. If Moncrief had only stood by me, and all the rest of the school had been against me, I would not have minded; but——"