ming exceedingly bold under the confidence which the presence of his
friends gave him.

"We can, but we won't," said Hawley bluntly.

"Why not?" demanded Schenck.

"It's one thing to defend yourself, but it's another to fly straight
into the arms of the sophs. I don't wonder that some of the freshmen get
into trouble, they're so fresh. If the sophs didn't take it out of them
I think our own class itself would."

"That's so," responded Peter John cordially, "I've thought of it myself
lots of times. Now there's Merrivale--he rooms next to me, you know--he
ought to be shown that he's too fresh."

"What's he done?" inquired Foster.

"Why he came into my room last week and borrowed fifty cents, and he
hasn't paid it back yet, either!"

"Oh, well, just remember what Mott said, Peter John."

"What did he say?"

"He said every freshman would be paid back with interest."

"I don't want any interest," declared Peter John in all seriousness.
"I'll be satisfied if I'm paid back without that."

"You'll get it, though," laughed Will; and as his two companions also
joined in his laugh Peter John said no more, except that he "couldn't
see anything very funny in _that_."

The boys, however, did not longer delay where they were but quietly
returned to their rooms, nor were they again disturbed that night.
Indeed, for several days the quiet of the college life was not ruffled
and both Will Phelps and his room-mate began to hope that their troubles
were at an end. Mott, whom they saw on the following morning when they
were departing from chapel, laughed good-naturedly as he greeted them
and indeed his friendship for them seemed to be increased by the recent
experiences through which he had passed. Several times he came to the
room of Will and Foster and remained until his welcome was decidedly
that was displeasing to both the boys, though there threadbare. There
was something in his bearing was a certain indefinable something about
him that was not altogether unpleasant. His language, his bearing, and
his general appearance all betokened a certain coarseness of fibre that
somehow grated upon the feelings of Will and his room-mate, though they
could not have explained even to themselves just what it was. He was
such a marked man in college, however, and was looked up to by so many
that there was a certain pleasure in his personal attention and both
Will and Foster felt in a measure the flattery of his evident favor.

The col