Had Stuart encountered Le Gette the next forenoon there would probably have been an explosion; perhaps blows. But, as luck had it, he didn’t, and by eleven-thirty, at which time an open hour fell to him, he had thought of a better, more subtle method of revenge. He went into the village and found Mr. Haynes. The coach, sitting in his shirt-sleeves by an open window of his living room, listened silently to the tale. When Stuart had reached the end of his eloquence he lighted his briar again and said: “Too bad, Harven. Possibly, though, you’ll be able to make it the next time. From what I hear, this chap Orr is too fine a fellow to be treated like that.”
“He’s a corker,” declared Stuart stoutly. “Yes, I’ll make it the next time all right, Mr. Haynes, but it’s this time that I’m talking about.”
“I see. Well, was there something you wanted from me? I’m afraid I’m not in a position to be much help to you, as much as I’d like to.”
“Why, I came to you because I wanted you to know just what a rotter Le Gette is! I’m not going to have that sort of a fellow on the team, sir. We don’t want his kind. The others wouldn’t if they knew. Of course, I’m not going to tell it around. It’ll get around without my telling, anyway. I just wanted you to understand what the reason was, Mr. Haynes.”
The coach blew a cloud of smoke from his lips and through it viewed Stuart in a puzzled fashion. “Let me get this right, Captain Harven,” he said after a moment. “Am I to understand that you’re proposing to—well, dispense with Le Gette’s services on the team?”
Stuart looked surprised, too. “Of course! I propose to fire him! What else is there to do? A fellow like Le Gette isn’t fit for the team. That’s what I’m here about.”
“I see.” Mr. Haynes was silent for the better part of a minute, while Stuart watched him with dawning suspicion. Then: “I don’t think the position you take is tenable, Captain Harven,” he said gently. “Because a private quarrel exists between you and Le Gette you propose to deprive the squad of a very clever player. Now——”
“The quarrel has nothing to do with it,” replied Stuart impatiently. “I can look after my own quarrels. But Le Gette did a sneaky, contemptible act. Don’t you see that? A football team is—is—well, in a way it’s a society, Mr. Haynes, a club. It has its social side as well as its other, and we don’t want to have dealings with a fellow like Le Gette, a fellow that will make a personal matter the excuse for harming one whom he doesn’t even know.”
“Are you sure you aren’t making this a personal matter, too? Are you sure it’s because you want to guard the members of the team from the contaminating influence of Le Gette? Or are you merely trying to get even with him? Better think about that a minute.”
“Of course I’m sore against him,” answered Stuart resentfully. “I don’t deny that. Any fellow would be. But, just the same, I’m acting for the—the welfare——”