\"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。
