“Really?” The news seemed to affect them all, The Fungus, Ned and Sandy, with lively interest and surprise. “Think of that! Why, Cal, you’ll be a regular Beau Brummel.”
Cal didn’t know what that was, but he smiled good-naturedly. “It’s just a cheap suit,” he explained. “This one’s getting sort of shabby.”
“Now that you speak of it,” laughed Sandy, “it does seem a bit worn about the edges.”
“Where’d you buy it?” asked Ned gruffly.
“Simmons’s.”
“Rotten hole,” Ned grunted. “I told you where to go.”
“I forgot where you said,” answered Cal meekly.
“Could have asked, couldn’t you?”
“I didn’t want to.” Sandy and The Fungus exchanged glances. That something was very wrong between Ned and Cal had been apparent for some time, but what it was no one could guess.
“Bet you you got stung,” said Ned with more than a trace of satisfaction in his tones.