“Run into the gym the first chance you get and find out. And make a note of it, Ramsey. Well, see you again. I enjoyed playing. Maybe we can have another game some day.” He was purposely careless and vague, and found his reward in the flicker of disappointment in Ramsey’s eyes.
“I’d like it, too,” murmured the boy. “I suppose you’re pretty busy, though.”
“Fairly, yes. I tell you what, I’ll drop around some evening and we’ll compare schedules. Maybe we can get in an hour now and then in the mornings. If I were you, though, Ramsey, I’d try to find some fellow to play with meanwhile. Take your racket down to the court in the afternoon and hang around. You can generally run across some one looking for a game. So long!”
They parted in the corridor and Toby, hurrying along the west hall, told himself that perhaps, after all, Horace Ramsey was worth troubling about. Anyway, no harm had been done, and if Ramsey did take up tennis again positive good would result. All the boy needed was to get rid of a lot of fat by healthful exercise and wise eating. “Got to get that bum heart notion out of his head, though,” Toby added. “Probably got as good a heart as I have, or any other chap. Fine scheme to bring a boy up with the idea that he can’t play tennis or take exercise because his heart is weak! Swell way to strengthen it, loafing around and eating everything that’s rich and soggy! Of course, he may have something wrong with it; it’s possible; but I don’t believe it. I’ll get him to go to Mr. Bendix and see what he says.”
At three o’clock Toby rapped on the portal of Number 31 according to agreement. Tubb bade him enter. Tubb was not, as Toby observed, ready for football. In fact, Tubb didn’t look to be ready for anything but to make himself disagreeable. Ramsey was not there.
“Thought you were going to be all ready,” announced Toby as he closed the door behind him. “Get a move on, Tubb, it’s three now. Where are your togs?”
“I didn’t get any,” answered the other defiantly.
“Why not? Didn’t they have them? Did you try——”
“Oh, what’s the use? I’m not going out for football. What chance would I have? I don’t know any one and I haven’t any pull. And I ain’t much good at it, anyway.”
“You can learn, can’t you? There isn’t time to argue about it, Tubb. You can get your togs to-morrow. I’ll get you fixed out all right for to-day. I’ve got an old pair of pants in my locker, and we can borrow shoes. You’ve got an old sweater, haven’t you?”