“Oh, I see! Then I’m to tell Dud that you refuse?”
“Tell him anything you like! And now you get out of here or I’ll throw you out!”
Barnes had displayed a remarkable aloofness up to the present moment, but now he raised his eyes at last from his book and judicially, even hopefully, compared the two before him. The result of the comparison, however, seemed to disappoint him, for he sighed and went back to his occupation again, apparently dismissing the matter from his mind.
“And what would I be doing?” asked Jimmy brightly. “I’ll tell you frankly, Meyer, that your attitude is a great surprise to me. It’s a great disappointment, too. I’d hoped for better things, Meyer. The fellows are going to be mightily disappointed when they hear about it.”
“So you intend to talk some more, do you?” demanded the other exasperatedly.
“Me? Oh, my, no! But these things have a way of getting out, you know, Meyer.” Jimmy shook his head sadly. “This school is a frightfully gossipy little community.” He got up and turned toward the door. “If you think better of it, all you’ve got to do is just let me know. I wish you’d think it over, Meyer.”
“You get out of here!” retorted Star threateningly.
“I’m going. I don’t know what Dud will say, though, when I tell him!”
“I fancy,” sneered Star, “that he will be a good bit relieved!”