“The principle?” Harry threw one knee over the other, joined the tips of his fingers, and looked over the tops of a pair of imaginary spectacles. “The principle involved in this case, Mr. Dorr, is—ah—er—well, in short, Phin, Johnny Sanger has as much money as any fellow in school, and it isn’t right for him to be so close with it. The habit will grow on him and he’ll become a miser. It behooves his friends to combat this tendency and—and—there you are, Phin! Simple, isn’t it?”
After Phin had gone, Harry went over to see Hansel and Bert, and the three held a council of war. It was agreed that it would be advisable for Harry and Hansel to make a trip into town in the morning and strengthen their defenses. And this was done. The landladies were not so compliant to-day, for Sanger had been around looking at their rooms. But in each case either Hansel or Harry managed to secure a promise that the room would not be rented until the following afternoon. And as the following day was Friday, they thought that the promise was liberal enough. They hurried back to school for a ten o’clock recitation, and awaited events. At two o’clock the battle was won. Sanger informed Hansel of the fact, only he didn’t put it exactly that way.
“I’ve taken that room at Mrs. Freer’s,” he said, “and we’re going to move in to-morrow afternoon.”
“That’s good,” answered Hansel, concealing his satisfaction. “How much are you going to pay? I suppose she knocked off that quarter?”
Sanger’s face darkened.
“No, she didn’t,” he said. “But I thought there wasn’t any use in making a fuss about twenty-five cents. I hate anything small.”
“Well, I’m glad you’ve got it,” answered Hansel, trying his best not to smile. “I think you’ll like it.”
“Thanks. Come and see us some time.”
Hansel nodded and waved as Sanger hurried on.
That afternoon Hansel and Harry got together and wrote notes regretfully informing the landladies that their rooms would not be required. And the next afternoon, Sanger, surrounded by his goods and chattels, sat in the first-floor room at Mrs. Freer’s, and perplexedly perused four notes, which in each case informed him that he could now engage the room he had looked at, since the party who had the refusal had decided not to rent.