"Not if there is any work to it."
"I've too much sense to ask you if there was."
"You put me in mind of a cannon cracker that hasn't been exploded," grunted Benny. "Fire away!"
"Victor Collins has a pretty good line on what the captain says and does, hasn't he?"
"Certainly!"
"Well, if you find out just why the captain went to see Mr. Barry, and what brought him over to annoy President Hopkins and tell me I'll give you a new note-book."
"The idea of asking me to act as a spy!" said Benny. "Outrageous! But I'll do it. Understand, of course, I don't like the job. What are crocodile tears, Brown? That's the kind somebody said you dropped every time the Ramblers play a game and are made to eat nothing but doughnuts."
"I know there's a bunch of trouble-makers in this school, but that doesn't worry me," answered Brown. "If the regulars had been winning games I'd probably be half asleep now reading a book. Get busy, Ben. Report to me after practice."
"All right. Please remember, 'Crackers,' I don't want any book that you've fished out of some waste-basket."
Three-quarters of an hour later a slight boy wearing a large checkered cap, and who was intently watching the "Hopes," now hard at work, was approached by the grinning Wilkins.