little cad of a McLean had won out. Nobody likes him."

"Oh, I had no fear of him," answered Elliott. "I don't see what
induced him to go in, anyhow. He must have known he'd no chance. But I
was afraid of Stone--he's a born dabster at mathematics, you know, and
I only hold my own in them by hard digging."

"Why, Stone couldn't have taken the Fraser over you in any case, if
you made over seventy," said Roger with a puzzled look. "You must have
known that. McLean was the only competitor you had to fear."

"I don't understand you," said Elliott blankly.

"You must know the conditions of the Fraser!" exclaimed Roger.

"Certainly," responded Elliott. "'The Fraser scholarship, amounting to
four hundred dollars, will be offered annually in the Sophomore class.
The competitors will be expected to take a special examination in
mathematics, and the winner will be awarded two hundred dollars for
two years, payable in four annual instalments, the payment of any
instalment to be conditional on the winner's attending the required
classes for undergraduates and making satisfactory progress therein.'
Isn't that correct?"

"So far as it goes, old man. You forget the most important part of
all. 'Preference is to be given to competitors of the name Fraser,
Campbell or McLean, provided that such competitor makes at least
seventy per cent in his examination.' You don't mean to tell me that
you didn't know that!"

"Are you joking?" demanded Elliott with a pale face.

"Not a joke. Why, man, it's in the calendar."

"I didn't know it," said Elliott slowly. "I read the calendar
announcement only once, and I certainly didn't notice that
condition."

"Well, that's curious. But how on earth did you escape hearing it
talked about? It's always discussed extensively among the boys,
especially when there are two competitors of the favoured names, which
doesn't often happen."

"I'm not a very sociable fellow," said Elliott with a faint smile.
"You know they call me 'the hermit.' As it happened, I never talked
the matter over with anyone or heard it referred to. I--I wish I had
known this before."

"Why, what difference does it make? It's all right, anyway. But it is
odd to think that if your name hadn't been Campbell, the Fraser would
have gone to McLean over the heads of Stone and all the rest. Their
only hope was that you would both fall below seventy. It's an absurd
condition, but there it is in old Professor Fraser's will. He was ric