“Worse,” said Kitty solemnly. “Undeveloped. Never exercises them. Too bad. I’ve spoken to him often. Begged him. No good. Laughs at me. Show him some time, though. Where’s pedometer?” And Kitty, armed for the fray, strode out.
Rodney saw him a moment later from the window. Head and shoulders back, the faded brown turtle-neck sweater enveloping most of his body, Phineas Kittson disappeared rapidly from sight down the street, determination in every stride. Rodney smiled as he lounged back to the table and searched for a book.
“Queer old duffer,” he murmured.
Later Jack Billings sought him out and heard his story of the trouble before school. “I don’t see that you were much at fault,” he said finally. “Still Watson had an excuse, Merrill. You see, First Form fellows are supposed to be respectful to the upper form fellows; that is, the Third and Fourth Formers. It isn’t necessary always to say ‘Sir’ to them, but it’s proper to be respectful. Of course, when you get to know an upper form fellow it’s different. For instance, you needn’t stand on ceremony with me. None of the fellows in the house do, because we all know each other pretty well. But if I talk to a lower form chap from one of the dormitories or another house, I expect him to stick the ‘Sir’ on. I dare say it’s sort of a silly idea, but it’s the custom.”
“I didn’t know about it,” said Rodney. “I wouldn’t have minded saying ‘Sir’ to him if I’d known that was what he wanted. The trouble is, he’s peeved with me about that—that drugstore affair. And he says I’ve got to pay Doolittle for the sodas they drank. That isn’t fair, because I stipulated——”
“Where do you get hold of such big words, Merrill?” laughed Jack. “Go on. You ‘stipulated’?”
“That if the fellow didn’t have what they called for the first time I wasn’t to pay. And Watson said chocolate and he was out of that, and—and so it’s got nothing to do with me!”
“And you knew there was no more chocolate and knew that Watson always asked for it,” commented Jack, smiling. “On the whole, Merrill, I don’t think it would do you any harm to have to pay. It was—well, it was a little bit too tricky. Don’t you think so?”
Rodney considered. “Maybe it was,” he acknowledged at last. “But I don’t think he had any right to ask me to stand treat, Billings.”
“Yes, he had a perfect right. It’s a custom and customs are laws that haven’t grown up. While you’re here at Maple Hill you’ll have to play the game the way we play it, Merrill. Now, if I were you, I’d drop down to Doolittle’s this afternoon and pay up that score. If you’re short of cash I’ll let you have it.”