"Yes. To be brief, as I was returning from having delivered a lecture on early Assyrian manners before the Philosophical Research Society last night I saw a light in the boathouse. I approached and found Frank Racer attacking Gerald Welter. He had knocked him down, and——"
"It was in a fair fight!" interrupted Frank.
"Ah, then you admit that you were fighting?" asked Mr. Callum quickly.
"Of course," replied our hero. "And I told you why we were fighting. He tried to ruin our racing shell. If you'll call Welter here I think he'll be man enough to admit it, too!" finished Frank.
"Ah, unfortunately we can not have Welter here," said Professor Callum. "He has—er—withdrawn from the school."
This was news to Frank and Andy.
"Withdrawn from the school!" exclaimed the doctor. "That is unfortunate." It seemed that he regretted more the loss of tuition fees than anything else.
"You have heard what Frank Racer admits," went on the crabbed instructor. "I now demand that he be expelled for fighting."
"Um! Yes! Fighting," murmured Dr. Doolittle in a dreamy sort of voice. "Fighting is very bad. It is expressly forbidden, and those who indulge in it are liable to expulsion. I am sorry——"
"Doctor, let me speak!" suddenly exclaimed Frank. "I did fight, but there was a good cause for it. I'm going to tell you some things that maybe you don't know. After that I'm willing to be expelled."