“Well, let me tell you one thing; if you go around talking the way you have to-night you’ll get yourself mighty well disliked—and serve you right! You needn’t think we’re going to take a lot of nonsense like that from a fellow who comes from a little old village academy that no one ever heard of!”
“What does Ames think of it?” asked Hansel irrelevantly.
“You’d better ask him.”
“I will. And I’ll tell you what else I’m going to do,” continued Hansel, with a look in his steady brown eyes that Bert found disquieting. “I’m going to do away with that sort of thing at Beechcroft, if not this year, then next. Will you help me?”
“Me?” gasped Bert, thoroughly taken aback. “No, I won’t!”
“Well, I didn’t suppose you would, although as captain of the team you ought to be the first one to do so. I’ll just have to go ahead without you.”
Hansel drew his book toward him and seemed to consider the subject closed. Bert regarded him a moment in silence. Somehow he felt worsted, impotent, and in the wrong. And the feeling didn’t improve his temper.
“A fat lot you can do,” he growled wrathfully.
“You wait and see,” was the placid response.