“He meant that your bluff didn’t fool him a bit, you silly ass, if you want to know. I told him I meant to fight Meyer the first chance I got. Then you came in and began talking too much, as usual.”
“Oh!” said Jimmy, grinning. “So that’s it? Well, now what’s to be done? I put it up to Star and he ab-so-lutely refused the invitation.”
“I guess that ends it,” said Dud. “I certainly don’t intend to have any scrap with him now when faculty’s on the watch. J. P. says they’d chuck me if I got caught at it. He’s not a bad sort, J. P.”
“Isn’t it the very dickens!” muttered Jimmy, plunging his hands in his pockets and viewing his chum forlornly. “Just when everything was coming around our way, too!”
Dud shrugged philosophically. “I’ll get even with him some time, even if I can’t fight him now,” he declared grimly. “Don’t you worry.”
“Yes, but that isn’t going to help us much now,” replied Jimmy perplexedly. “You see, I insisted that you were crazy for a scrap and Star will think——”
“Oh, who cares what Star thinks? Who cares what anybody thinks?” asked Dud impatiently. “I’m sick of the whole business.”
“We’ve got to save our faces, though,” said the other, shaking his head. “And so I guess——” His face lighted suddenly. “That’s the ticket! By Jove, Dud, we’ll get credit out of this yet!”
“What silly scheme are you thinking about now?” asked his chum dubiously.
“Why, all we’ve got to do is to tell the truth!”