第4章

"Where"sVic？"Bugdemanded。

"Idon"tknow，"Burgessanswered。

"Takemeup，I"setold。”Bugstretcheduphisarmsappealingly，andBurgess，whoknewnothingofbabies，awkwardlyliftedhimup。

"TuddlemetloselikeVicdo，"andthelittleonesnuggledlovinglyintheProfessor"sembrace。"Yourtoat"swet。

IsVicwet，too？"

"Yes，littleboy。Weareallintroubletonight。”

Burgesshadtosaysomething。

"Intwouble？Umph——humph!"Bugshuthislipstightly，puffingouthischeeks，aswashishabit。"Iwasintwouble，andIistwentedtoDonFonnybone。He"sdoodfortwouble-ness。Yougoseehim。

Poorman!"andthelittlehandstrokedProfessorBurgess"feverishcheek。

"Ifyou"llrunrightbacktobed，I"lldoit，"Burgessdeclared。

"Wecanlearnevenfromchildrensometimes，"hethought，asBugclimbeddownobedientlyandtoddledaway。

VincentBurgesswentdirectlytoDr。LloydFenneben，towhomhetoldthestoryoftheday"sevents，includingtheinterviewwithBondSaxon。HedidnotrepeatBond"swordsregardingVic，butonlyhintedatthesuspicionthattherewassomethingquestionableinthesituationinwhichVicwasplaced。

Nordidherefertotheoldman"smaudlindemandthatheshouldtakecareofDennieifshewereleftfatherless，andofhisswornpromisetodoso。

Burgessfeltas，iftheDean"sblackeyeswouldburnthroughhim，sosteadywastheirgazewhilethestorywasbeingtold。

Whenhehadfinished，LloydFennebensaidquietly:

"Youarewornoutwiththeexcitementofthedayandnight。

Gohomeandrestnow。I"velearnedthroughmanyastruggle，thatwhatIcannotfighttoafinishinthedarkness，IcansafelyleavewithGodtillthedaylightcomes。”

ThesmilethatlightedupthesternfaceandthefirmhandclaspwithwhichLloydFennebendismissedtheyoungmanwerethingsherememberedlongafterward。Andaboveall，herecalledmanytimesasenseofsecretshamethatheshouldhavefeltdegradedbecauseofhisassociationwithDennieSaxononthisday。

Butofthislast，thememorywasstrongerthanthepresentrealization。

Meanwhile，asthemadwaterssurgedaroundthebendintheriver，andsweptovertheshallows，VictorBurleighflunghisarmaroundElinorWreamandleapedbackfromtheveryedgeofdoom。

"Wemustclimbthebluffagain。BeagoodIndian!"hecried，gropingforafooting。

Climbingthewestbluffbydaylightforthesakeofadventurewasveryunlikethisstruggleinthedarknesstoescapethewideningriver，withawind-driventorrentofrainsweepingdownthelandbehindthefirststorm-fury，andElinorWreamclungtohercompanion"sarmalmosthelplesswithfear。

"Doyouthinkyoucanevergetusout？sheasked，asthelimestoneledgeblockedtheway。

"Doyouknowwhatmymothernamedme？"Thecarelessnessofthetonewassurprising。

"Victor!"shereplied。

"Thendon"tforgetit，"Burleighsaid。"It"sadreadfullyroughwaybeforeus，littlegirl，butwe"llsoonbesafefromtheriver。

Don"tmindthislittlebitofastorm，andyou"llgetpersonallyconductedintoLagondaLedgebeforemidnight。”

Inhershelteredlife，Elinorhadneverknownanythinghalfsodreadfulasthisstormanddarknessandboomingflood，butthefearlessnessofthestrongmanbesideherinspiredhertodoherbest。Itwasonlytwohourssincetheywereherebefore。

HowcouldsheknowthatthesetwohourshadmarkedthecrisisofalifetimeforVictorBurleigh。Withafriendlylittlepressureonhisarm，shesaidbravely:

"I"dratherbeherewithyouthanovertheriverwithanybodyelse。

Ifeelsaferhere。”

Vicknewshemeantonlytobecourteous，butthewordswerecomforting。

Onthecrestoftheledgethefiercenessofthestormwasrevealed。

Greatsheetsofwind-blownrainwereflungathwartthelandscape，andtheutterblacknessthatfollowedthelightning"sglare，andtheroaringofthewindandriverwereappalling。

Inallthistumult，awaytothenortheast，thebeaconlightabovetheSunrisedomewascuttingthedarknesswithasteadybeam。

"Seethatlight，Elinor？Wearenotlost。Wemustgetupstreamalittleway。Thenwe"llfindthebridge，allright。

Thecrowdwillgethomeaheadofus，becausethisistheroughsideoftheriver。”

"Oh，whatacomfortalightcanbe!"Elinormurmuredasshelookedupandcaughtthewelcomegleam。

Astheyhurriedalong，theSunriselightsuddenlydisappearedandtheyfoundthemselvesdescendingaroughdownwardway。

Presentlytherewererockwallsoneithersidehemmingtheminanarrowcreviceintheledges。ThentherainceasedandVicknewtheyhadsliddendownintoarock-coveredfissure，thattheyweregettingunderground。Theytriedtoturnback，buttheup-climbwasimpossible，andinthedarknesstheycouldreachnothingbutthesharpledgeofthecliffsheerabovetheragingriver。

Entrappedandbewildered，Vicfeltcautiouslyabout；buttheonlycertainthingswerethestraightbluffoverhangingtheflood，andthecavernouswayleadingdownward；whilethesamedelugethatwaskeepingVincentBurgessstorm-staidontheverandaoftheSaxonHouse，wasbeatingmercilesslydownonElinorWream。

"Wecan"tstayhereandbethreshedtopieces，"Viccried。

"Thiscrackisdrier，anyhow，anditmustleadtosomewhere。”

ItdidleadtowhatseemedtoElinoranendlesslengthofhideousuncertainty，untilVicsuddenlylosthisfootingandplungedheadlongdownsomewhereintotheblacknessofdarkness。

Elinorshriekedinterrorandsankdownlimplyonthestonefloorofthecrevice。

"Allabluff，"Viccalledupcheerily，inthesamestartlinglydeepsweetvoicethathadcaughtElinor"searontheSeptemberafternoonbeforethedoorofSunrise，andoutintheedgeofherconsciousnessthethoughtplayedinagain，"I"dratherbeherewithyouthanovertheriverwithanybodyelse。

Ifeelsaferhere。”

"Slidedown，Elinor。I"llcatchyou。Itisn"tveryfar，andthere"salittlelightsomewhere。”

ElinorslippedblindlydownthesideoftherockintoVicBurleigh"soutstretchedarms。Ashesetheronherfeet，somehow，thelittlelightfailed。Inalltheirstruggle，thispartofthewayseemedthedarkest，thechillest，themostdangerous，andasuddensenseofapresencehiddennearbypossessedthemboth，astheycameagainstablindwall。

AstouterheartthanVicBurleigh"smightwellhavequailednow。

Thetwowerelostunderground。Whatdeepercavernmightyawnbeyondthem？Whatlengthofdeadwallmightbartheirway？

Andmoreterrifyingstill，wasthegrowingsenseofahumanpresence，ahumanmenace，anunseentreachery。AsVicfelthiswayalongthestone，hishandclosedoversomethingthrustintoalittleniche，shoulder-highinthewall。Itseemedtobeasmallpitcherofuniquepattern，solidsilverbyitsweight。

Wasitthebootyofsomedeadandforgottenrobberchief，theburiedtreasureofsomeoldKickapooraidingtragedy，orthelootofalivingoutlaw？

Victhoughthefelttheoutlineofalettergraveninheavyreliefonthesmoothside，and，forareasonofhisown，droppedthething。

Mercifully，hedidnotcryoutatthediscovery，butElinorfelthishandonherarmgrowchill。

Adazzlingglare，tokenofthepassingofthestorm"sfireworks，outlinedanirregularopeninginthewallbeforethem，revealingatthesametimealargeroombeyondthewall。

"Here"stheholewherewegetoutofthistrap，ElinorWream。Ifsuchabiglightninglikethatcangetin，wecangetout，"Viccried。

Hecrawledthroughtheopening，andpulledherasgentlyaspossibleafterhim。Presently，anotherblazelitupthenightoutside，showingacavern-likespacethirtyfeetindimensions，witharockroofabovetheirheads，andalowdoorwaythroughwhichthelightfromtheoutsidehadcomein，andbeyondwhichtherainwasbeatingtremendously。

Evidentlytheyhadfoundarearentrancetothiscavern。

"Wearepastourtroublesnow，Elinor，"Vicsaid。

"There"stherealout-of-doors，andIfeelsureoftherestoftheway。Thisseemstobeasortofcave，andwehavecomeinkindofirregularlybythebackdoorordownthechimney。

Buthereweareattherealfrontdoor。Shallwegoon？"

Elinorleanedwearilyagainstthewall，wetandcold，andalmostexhausted。

"Let"swaitalittle，tillthisshowerpasses，"shepleaded。

"Youpoorgirl!Thishasbeenanawfulnight，"Vicsaidgently。

Theireyesweregettingaccustomedtothedarknessandtheysawmoreclearlytheoutlineoftheopeningtotheoutsideworld。

SuddenlyElinorshiveredasagainthenearnessofapresencesomewherepossessedthemboth。

"Let"sgo!Let"sgo!"shewhispered，huddlingclosetohercompanion，whosegriponherarmtightened。

Hewasconsciousofalightbehindhim。Glancingoverhisshoulder，hecaughtagleambeyondtheopeningintherearwallthroughwhichtheyhadjustcrept；andinthatgleam，avillainousface，withstillblackeyes，lookingstraightathim。

Thelightdisappeared，andheheardthefaintsoundofsomethingcreepingtowardthem。Viccouldfightanymanliving。

Naturebuilthimforthat。Hehadnofearforhimself。

ButherewasElinor，andhemustthinkofherfirst。

Atthatinstant，thedoorwaydarkened，andaformslippedintothecavernsomewhere。Oh，windandrain，andforkedbluelightningandthethunder"sroar，theriver"smadfloods，thesteep，slipperyrocks，andjaggedledges，allwerekindbesidethissecrethumanpresence，cruellysilentandtreacherous。

VictorBurleighdrewElinorclosertohim，andwhisperedlow:

"Don"tbeafraidwithmetoguardyou。”

Eveninthatdeepgloom，hecaughttheoutlineofawhitefacewithstar-brighteyesliftedtowardhisface。

"I"mnotafraidwithyou，"shewhispered。

Behindthemstealthymovementssomewhere。Betweenthemandthedoorway，stealthymovementssomewhere；butallsostillandslow，theystretchedthelisteningnervealmosttothebreakingpoint。Suddenly，abig，hardhandgrippedBurleigh"sshoulder，andadeadstillvoice，thatViccouldnotrecognize，breathedintohisear，"Goquickandquiet!

I"llstandforit。Go!"

ItwasoldBondSaxon。

ViccaughtElinor"sarm，andwithonestridetheysprangfromthecave"smouthuptotheopengroundbeyondit。

Somethingbehindthem，itmighthavebeenagroanorasmotheredoath，reachedtheirears，astheyspedawaydownanarrowravine。

Therainhadceasedandoverheadthestarswerepeepingfromtheedgesoffeatheryflyingclouds；andallthesoddenautumnnightwasstillatlast，saveforthegurglingwatersofalittlestreamdowntherockyglen。

TheSunrisebellwasstrikingelevenwhentheyreachedthebridgeacrosstheWalnut，andthebeaconlightfromthedomebegantotwinkleawelcomenowandthenthroughthedrippingbranchesoftheleaflesstrees。

Afewminuteslater，VictorBurleighbroughtElinorsafelytoLloydFenneben"sdoor。

"Wemadeitinbeforemidnight，anyhow，"hesaidcarelessly。

Elinorlookedupinsurprise。Theterrorsofthenightstillpossessedher。

"Whatahorriblenightmareithasallbeen。Thestorm，theriver，therocks，andthedarkness，andthatdreadfulsomethingbehindusinthecave。Wastherereallyanything，ordidwejustimagineitall？

Itwillseemimpossiblewhenthedaylightcomes。”

Victorlookedatherwithawonderfullightinhiswide-openbrowneyes。

"Yes，"hesaidinadeepvoice。"Itwillseemimpossiblewhendaylightcomes。Butwillitallbeasahorriblenightmare？"

"No，no；notall。”Elinor"sfacewaswinsomelysweet。"Notall，"

sherepeated。"Itisfinetofeelone"sselfsosafeguardedasIhavebeen。

IshallalwaysrememberyouasonewithwhomIcouldneveragainbeafraid。”

Burleighturnedhastilytowardthedoor，and，havingdeliveredhertothecareofheruncle，hebadethembothgoodnight。

Dr。Fennebenlookedkeenlyaftertheyoungmanstridingawayfromthelight。

Hisclothesweretornandbedraggled，hiscapwasgone，andhisheavyhairwasamassofroughwavesabouthisforehead。Thedirectgazeofhisgolden-browneyestookawaydistrust，andyetthefacehadchangedsomehowinthisday。

Ahintofanewpurposehadcreptintoit，apurposenotpossibleforDr。Fennebentoread。

Buthedidnotethesetofthehead，theerectformandbroadshoulders，andtheeasyswingingstepastheboywentwhistlingawayintotheshadowsofthenight。

"Asplendidanimal，anyhow，"theDeanthought。"Willthesoulmeasureuptothatprincelybody？AndwhatcanbethepurportofthismaudlinmouthingofoldBondSaxon？Bondisreallyalovablemanwhenhe"ssober；buthe"svindictiveanduglywhenhe"sdrunk。

Icanwaitfordevelopments。Whatevertheboy"shistorymayhavebeen，likethecourts，it"smybusinesstoholdeverymaninnocenttillhe"sprovenguilty；tobuildupcharacter，nottoundermineanddestroyit。

Anddestructionbeginsinsuspicion。”

CHAPTERVI

THEGAME

_TrulyyecomeofTheBlood；slowertoblessthantoban；

Littleusedtoliedownatthebiddingofanyman_——

KIPLING

BITTERweatherfollowedthenightofthestorm。

Bitingwindsbeatalltheautumnbeautyfromtreeandshrub。

Coldgrayskieshungoveracoldgrayland，andaheavysnowfallandapenetratingchillseemedtodestroyallhopefortheIndianSummerthatmakestheKansasNovembersglorious。

DennieSaxonwastheonlygirlofthepartywhowasnotaffectedbythestormattheKickapooCorral。ProfessorBurgess，whonarrowlyescapedpneumoniahimself，andwhodislikedirregularclassattendance，tookcomfortinthesightofDennie。Shewassofresh-checkedandwholesome，andshewentaboutherworkpromptly，forgetfulofstormandrainandmuddyways。

"Youseemimmunefromsickness，MissDennie，"Burgesssaidonedayasshewasputtingthelibraryinorder。

Underherlittlebluedustingcap，thesunnyripplesofherhairframedafaceglowingwithhealth。Shesmiledupathimcomfortably——

asmilethatplayedabouttheedgesofhisconsciousnessallthatday。

"I"veneverbeensick，"shesaid。"It"sagoodthing，too，forourhouseisaregularhospitalthisweek。LittleBugBuleristheworstofall。Hetookcoldonthenightofthestorm。

That"swhyVictorBurleigh"soutofschoolsomuch。

Hewon"tleaveBug。”

VincentBurgessdespisedthenameofBurleighnow。WhileVic"ssafeescortofElinorWreamhadincreasedhispopularitywiththestudents，BurgesshonestlybelievedthatoldBondSaxon"sdrunkenspeechhintedatsomedisgracethebigfreshmanwouldnotlongbeabletoconceal，andheresentedthehighplacegiventosuchalowgradeofcharacter。

Toamanlikehimselfitwasgallingtolookuponsuchafellowasarival。

So，hetightenedtherulesandexactedthelastmentalfarthingofVicintheclassroom。AndVic，easilyunderstandingallthis，becausehewasfranklyandfool-ishlyinlovewiththesamegirlwhomVincentBurgessseemedtoclaim，contrivedinathousandwaystomakelifeaburdentotheHarvardman。Ofcourse，BurgessshowednomercytowardVicforabsencefromtheclassroomwhilehewascaringforlittleBug，andtheblackmarksmultipliedagainsthim。

ElinorWream。hadbeenillafterthenightofthestorm。

VichadnotseenhersincethehourwhenheleftheratLloydFenneben"sdoor。Heknewhewasafooltothinkofheratall。

HeknewshemustsometimebewonbyBurgess，andthatshewasborntogentleculturewhichhishardlifehadneverknown。

Besides，hewaspoor。Notapauper，butpoor，andluxuriesbelongednaturallytoagirllikeElinor。Thestormoftheholidaywasabalmyzephyrcomparedtothestormthatragedeverydayinhim。

Forwithallthehopelessnessofthings，hewasinlove。

Poorfellow!Thestrengthofhisspiritwaslikethestrengthofhisbody——unbreakable。

Hehadnofearofpneumoniaafterthestormynight，forhewasusedtohardknocks。Andhemeanttogoagainbydaylightandexploretherockyglenandhiddenways，andtofindout，ifpossible，whosefaceitwasthatwasbehindthatcavernwall，whosevoicehadwhisperedinhisear，andwhatlootwashiddenthere。

Forreasonsofhisown，hehadmentionedthismattertonobody。

Butthecold，wetdays，littleBug"sillness，andthehardstudytokeepuphisclassstanding，tookallofhistime。

Especially，thestudy，thathemightnotbeshutoutofthegreatfootballgameoftheyearonThanksgivingday。Sunrisewasstiffinitsscholasticrequirements，andconscientioustothelastdegree。

Thefootballteamstoodonmentalabilityandmoralhonor，nolessthanonscientificskillandmuscularweightandcunning。

Dr。FennebenwatchedBurleighcarefully，fortheboyseemedtobealwaysonhisheart。TheDeanknewhowtomixcommonsenseandjusticeintohisrulings，sothewordwassentquietlyfromtheheadoffice——

thesuggestionofleniencyinthematterofBurleigh"sabsence。

Burleighwasgoodforit。Itlaywithhisprofessors，ofcourse，tograntorwithholdscholarshipranking，buttheDeanwouldbepleasedtohavealllatitudegiveninBurleigh"scase。

Bugwasbetternow，andVicwasburningmidnightoilinstudy，forthehoursofpracticeforthegameweredoubled。

OntheeveningbeforeThanksgivingthecoachcalledVicaside。

"Everythingissafe。Onlyonereportnotin，butitwillbeintomorrow。”thecoachdeclared。"IaskedProfessorBurgessaboutyourstanding，andhesaysyourgradesareawayaboveaverage。

He"sgottoreckonupyourabsentmarks，butthat"seasy。

Alltheteachersunderstandaboutthat。IguessDeanFunnybonefixed"em。Andnow，Vic，thehonorofSunriserestsonyou。

Ifyoufailus，we"relost。CanIcountonyou？"

Thetigerlightwasbehindthelongblacklashesundertheheavyblackbrows，asVicshuthiswhiteteethtightly。

"Countonme!"hesaid，andturning，heleftthecoachabruptly。

"Hey，there，Burleigh，holdonaminute，"Trench，therightguard，called，asVicwasstridingupthesteepsouthslopeofthelimestoneridge。

"Say，windafellow，willyou!Youinfernal，never-wear-out，humansteamengine。I"montosomethingsyououghttoknow。EvenalazyoldscoutlikeIamgetsacrackatthingsonceinawhile。”

"Well，getridofitonceinawhile，ifyoureallydoknowanything，"Vicresponded。

"Say，you"renervous。Coachsaysyouspendtoomuchtimeinyournursery；

saysyou"dbettergetridofthatlittlekid。”

"Tellthecoachtogotothedevil!"Vicspokesavagely。

"Say，Coach，"Trenchroareddownfromthehillslope，"Vicsaysforyoutogotothedevil。”

"Waittillaftertomorrow，"thecoachshoutedback，"andI"lltakeyoufellowsalongifyoudon"tdoyourbest。”

"Now，that"ssettled，I"lltellyouwhatIknow，"Trenchdrawledlazily。

"First，ElinorWream，whatDeanFunnybonecalls`Norrie，"isheadingthebunchthat"sgoingtoshoweruswithrosestomorrow，ifwewin。

Andyouknowblamedwellwe"llwin。TheycameinfromKansasCityonthelimited，justnow，therosesdid。Theshower"spredictedfortomorrowP。M。”

AsuddenglowlightedVic"ssternface，andtherewasnosavagegleaminhiseyesnow。

"IsElinorwellenoughtocomeouttomorrow？"

Hehadbeencaughtunawares。Trenchstaredathimdeliberately。

"Say，VictorBurleigh。”Hespokeslowly。"Don"tdoit!

DON"TDOIT!Itwillkillamanlikeyoutogetinlove。

Lordpityyou!and"——moreslowlystill——"Lordpitythefoolgirlwhocan"tseethesolidgoldintherougholdnuggetyouare。”

"What"stherestofyournews？"Vicasked。

"Igavethebestfirst。Coachtellsmeab-so-lute-lee，youareouronlyhope。ThehopeofSunrise，tomorrow。

You"vegotthebeef，thewind，thespeed，thehead，andthewill。

Oh，youangelchild!"

"Thecoachisclever，"Vicsaidcarelessly。

"Burleigh，here"stherubaswellastheRub-i-con。DennieSaxon"swise，andshetellsme——ontheside；inside，notoutside——thatyourabsentmarksonBurgess"maparegoingtocutyououtatthelastminute。

Don"tletBurgessdothat，Vic，ifyouhavetokillhim。

Couldn"twekidnaphimanddrophimintothewhirlpool？

OldLagonda"sinterestisaboutdue。Denniejuststoodhergroundtodaylikeacherub，andaskedtheHahvahdUnivusitymanrightoutaboutit。

Idon"tknowhowshegotthehint，onlyshe"sinalltheofficesandthelibraryoutofhours，youknow，andwhentheslimonefromBoston，yuhknow，saidashowhehadtostandfirmontheright，yuhknow，oldDenniejustsaysstraightandflat，`ProfessorBurgess，I"mashamedofyou。"

Dennie"sabrick。Anddoyouknow，Burgess，spiteofhiscussedthinhide，we"vegottotoughenforhimouthereinKansas；spiteofallthat，HELIKESDENNIESAXON。Theoraclehathorked，thesibylhathsibbed。

Butsay，Vic，ifhedoescomedownhardonyou，whatwillyoudo？"

"Comedownhardonhim，andplayanyhow。”

ThegrimjawandblackfrownleftnodoubtastoVic"spurpose。

LateNovemberisidyllicintheWalnutValley。Autumn"sgoldhasallbeenburnedinNature"sgreatcrucible，refiningthelandscapetoawiderangefromfrostedsilvertorichestPurple。Heliotropeandroseandamethystblendwithmistypinkanddaintygray，andthefaint，indefinableblue-greenhueoftherobin"segg，andoutlinedallindelicateblacktraceryofleaflessboughsanddarkenedwaterways。

EverysunriseisarevelationofInfiniteBeauty。Everymidday，ashadowysoftpictureofPeace。EverysunsetadreamofOmnipotentSplendor。

OnsuchaNovemberThanksgivingday，thegreatgameoftheseasonwasplayedontheSunrisefootballfield，whichalltheWalnutValleyfolkscameforthtosee。

Byoneo"clockLagondaLedgewasdeserted，saveforoldBondSaxon，whosatonhisveranda，watchingthecrowdsstreamby。

Attwoo"clockthebleacherswerepacked，andthesidelineswerebroadandblackwithagood-natured，jostlingcrowd。

Andeveryminutethenumberswereincreasing。

TrulySunrisehadneverbeforeknownsuchanauspiciousday，suchrecord-breakinggatereceipts，norsuchsurepromiseofsuccess。Thegamewascalledforhalf-pasttwo。

Itwasthreeo"clocknowandtheline-uphadnotbeenformed。

Eventhegentlewrangleoverdetailsandeligibilitycouldhardlyhavespunoutsomuchtimeasseemedtothewaitingthrongtobeuselesslywastednow。Evidently，somethingwaswrong。

Thecrowdgrewimpatientanddemandedthecause。

Outintheopen，thetwosquadswerewarmingupforthefray，whiletheofficialshungfireinagroupbythegoalpostsandtalkedthreateningly。

"What"sthematter？"

"Whenwillthefreightbein？"

"MerryChristmas!"

Sothecrowdshouted。Thesongswerewornout，theyell-leaderswereexhausted，andtherooterswerehoarse。

"Where"sVicBurleigh？"somebodycalled，andachorusfollowed:

"Burleigh!Burly!Burlee!Comehome!Comehome!Comehome!"

ButBurleighdidnotcome。

"Maybetheyareshuttinghimout，"somebodyelsesuggested，andtheSunrisebleacherstookfire。CallsforBurleighrenttheair，roarsandyellsthatthreatenedtoturnthismostauspiciouscollegeeventintopandemonium，andthejollycompanyintoaveritablemob。

Meantime，astheteamswereleavingtheirquartersearlyintheafternoon，thecoachsaidtoVic:

"RunuptoBurgessandgetyourgrades，Burleigh。It"samereform，butitwillsavethatgangofgame-cocksfromgettingoneoverus。”

IntherotundaVicandVincentmetfacetoface，thecountryboyinhisfootballsuitandbrownsweater，andtheslenderyoungcollegeprofessor，withfaultlesstailoringandimmaculatelinen。

Tenminutesbefore，BurgesshadbeeninDr。Fenneben"soffice，whereElinorWreamandagroupoffaircollegegirlswerechatteringexcitedly。

"Seetheseroses，UncleLloyd。”ElinorwasholdingupagorgeousbunchofAmericanBeauties。"ThesegotoVicBurleighwhenhegetsbehindthegoalposts。CostlotsofmyUncleLloyd"smoney，butwehadtohavethem。”

SmallwonderthattheveryodorofroseswashatefultoBurgessatthatmoment。

"MayIspeaktoyouaminute？"Vicsaidasthetwomenmetintherotunda。

Burgesshaltedinsilence。

"Thecoachsentmeafteryourstatementofmystanding。

We"vegotabunchofsticklerstofighttoday。”

"Ihaveturnedinmyreport，"Burgessrespondedcoldly。

"Sothecoachsaid，allbutmine。I"mlate。MayIhavemyreportnow？"

Vicurged，tryingtobecomposed。

"Ihavenofurtherreportforyou。”Itwasacold-bloodedthingtosay，butBurgess，thoughfilledwithjealousy，wasconscientiousnowinhisbeliefthatBurleighwasreallyalowgradefellow，deservingnoleniencynorrecognition。

"Butyouhaven"tgivenmeanystandingyet，thecoachsays。”

Vic"svoicewasdeadcalm。

"Ihavenostandingtogiveyou。Youarebelowgrade。”

Vic"seyesblazed。"Youdog!"wasallhecouldsay。

"Now，seehere，Burleigh，there"snoneedtoactanyruderthanyoucanhelp。”Burleighdidnotmove，nordidhetakehisyellowbrowneyesfromhisinstructor"sface。

"Whathaveyoutosayfurther？Ithoughtyouwereinahurry。”

Burgessdidnotreallymeanatauntinthelastwords。

"Ihavethistosay。”VictorBurleigh"svoicehadamenaceinitsdepthandpower。"Youhavedonethisinfamousthing，notbecauseIdeserveit，butbecauseyouhatemeonaccountofagirl——ElinorWream。”

"Stop!"VincentBurgesscommanded。

Iforbidyoutomentionhername。You，whocomeinherefromsomebarren，poverty-strickenprairiehome，wheregoodbreedingisunknown。

You，topresumetothinkofsuchagirlasDr。Fenneben"sbeautifulniece，whosereputationwasbarelysavedbyoldBondSaxononthestormynightaftertheholiday。You，whoareforcedforsomereasontocareforanunknownchild。You，whosetruecharacterwillsoonbefullyknownhere——

ifthisiswhatyouhavetosay，youmaygo，"headdedwithanimperiouswaveofthehand。

Themeannessofangerisinitsmastery。BurgesshadmeantonlytodisciplineBurleigh，butitwastoolateforthatnow。

Therotundawasveryquiet。Everybodywasdownonthefieldwaitingimpatientlyforthegametobegin。Burgesswasalsoimpatient。

TherewasaseatwaitingforhimbesideElinorWream。

"I"mnotquitereadytogo"——Vic"sfiercevoicefilledtherotunda——"becauseyouaregoingtowritemycredentialsforthisgame，andyou"lldoitquick，orbegformercy。”

"Irefusetoconsiderawordyousay。”Burgesswasfuriousnow，andthewhitefaceandburningeyesofhisopponentwereunbearable。

"Iwillnotgrantyouanycredentials，youlow-bornprize-fighter——"

AsuddengripofsteelheldhimfastasVictoweredoverhim。

Thesoftenedlightofthedomeoftherotunda，wheretheKansasmotto，"_AdAstraperAspera_。”adornedthestainedglasspanes，hadneverfallenonsuchasceneasthis。

"Seehere，Burleigh，you"llrepentthisunwarrantedattack，"

Burgesscried，tryingtofreehimself。"Bruteforcewillwinonlyamongbrutes。”

"That"stheonlyplaceIexpecttouseit，"Vicretorted，tighteninghisgrip。"Notimeforwordsnow。

ThehonorofSunriseaswellasmyhonorisatstake，andit"smyrighttoplayinthisgame，becauseIhavebrokennolaws。

Imayhavenocultureexceptthatofaprairieclaim；

andImaybepoor，and，therefore，presumptuousindaringtomentionElinorWream"snametoyou。But"——thebrowneyeswereablazingfire——"nobodycantellmethatanymanmustrescueagirlfrommetosaveherreputation，northatanydishonorbelongstomebecauseoflittleBugBuler。Uncultured，asIam，Ihavethecultureofacouragethatguardsthehelpless；

andill-bred，asImaybe，Ihaveagentleman"shonorwhereverawoman"sneedcallsformyprotection。”

Vic"sfacewasashy，forhisangermatchedhislove，andbothwereparalleltohiswonderfulphysiqueandendurance。

Inhisfury，thetemptationtothrottlethemanwhohadwrongedhimwasgainingthemastery。

"Vic，oh，Vic，they"rewaitingforyou。Turnon!

Don"thurthim，Vic。”BugBuler"spleadinglittlevoicebrokethemomentarystillness。

Vic"shandfellnerveless，andBurgessstaggeredback。

"Wasn"tyoudoodtoVic？Hewouldn"thurtedyou。Heneverhurtedme。”

Theinnocentfaceandgentlewordsheldastrangepowerovereachpassion-firedmanbeforehim。