Part 28 (1/2)
Steve laughed. Then he said severely: ”You ought to know better than take chances like that, Tom. Suppose faculty got on to it. Besides, fighting's pretty kiddish for a Fourth Former!”
Tom viewed Steve amusedly over the wet towel. ”Coming from you, Steve, that sounds great!” he said.
”Never mind about me. What I do doesn't affect you. What were you fighting about?”
Tom looked vacant and shook his head. ”I don't know. Nothing special, I guess.”
”Don't be a chump! You didn't black his eye and get that beautiful nose for nothing, I suppose. What was it?”
”Well, Telford said--he said----”
”You're a wonder!” declared Steve. ”Don't you know what he said?”
”I forget. It was something--something I didn't like. So I slapped his face. That was on the gym steps. He said 'Come on back here.' I said 'All right.' Then we--we had it. Then he said he was wrong about it--whatever it was, you know--and we sort of apologised and sneaked off.” Tom felt of his nose carefully. ”I saw about a million stars when he landed here!”
”That's the craziest stunt I ever heard of!” said Steve disgustedly.
”And you want to hope hard that no one saw it. If faculty hears of it, you'll get probation, you chump.”
”I know. It won't, though. No one saw us.”
”Who's Telford, anyway?” Steve demanded.
”Telford? Oh, he's a Fifth Form fellow.”
”What does he look like?”
”Look like?” repeated Tom vaguely. ”Oh, he's a couple of inches taller than I am and has light brown hair and--and a black eye!”
”Is he the fellow who goes around with Eric Sawyer?” demanded Steve suspiciously. ”Wear a brown plaid Norfolk? The fellow who shoved me into the pool the night we had that fracas with Sawyer?”
”Did he? I don't remember. I didn't see who did that. I--I guess maybe he's the chap, though. I've seen him with Sawyer, I think.”
”What did he say?” asked Steve quietly.
”Who say?”
”Telford.”
”When?”
”To-day! When you had the row! For the love of Mike, Tom, don't be a fool!”
”I don't remember what he said.”
”Was it about--me?”
”You? Why would it be about you?” Tom attempted a laugh.
”Was it?” Steve persisted.