“You know well enough what I mean,” Tom retorted.  “You ought to tell our own little crowd in advance what the man on the clubhouse steps said.”

“Do you really think so?” Prescott asked.

“I do,” affirmed Tom.

“And so do the rest of us,” asserted Dave Darrin.

“Well-----” Dick paused hesitatingly.

“Come, hurry up!” begged Greg.

“It’s no more than fair to us,” insisted Dan.

“On the whole,” Dick continued, “I don’t believe it would be fair to the other fellows.”

“You big tease!” blurted Harry Hazelton indignantly.

“No; I don’t mean to tease you,” Dick rejoined, his eyes twinkling.  “But I believe in playing fair in life.  Don’t you, fellows?”

“What has this to do with being fair?” demanded Tom.

“Why, just this:  I promised to tell you all at five o’clock.  Now, if I were to tell a special few before that time, it would be a bit unfair!”

“Not a bit,” retorted Dave.  “You’ve had us dangling from the string longer than you have the rest of the crowd.  Therefore, we ought to know the answer before the other fellows.”

“It’s a question of conscience with me,” Dick replied soberly.

“Humph!” snorted Tom.  “Well, I suppose we may as well give it up, fellows.  The only way we could worm it out of Dick would be to rub his nose in the dirt.  And he might fight if we did.  This is where I have to leave you.  So long!  I’ll meet the army at five o’clock.”

Smiling broadly, Dick went on his way home.  He put away his diploma, next removing his best suit and laying it carefully away.  Then he donned his more accustomed clothes and ran down to the store.

“It was a very enjoyable exhibition, Dick,” said his father.

“And I suppose our son feels that he’s a man now?” smiled Mrs. Prescott.

“No; I’m not, mother, and I don’t want to be in any hurry, either.  There’s too much fun in being a boy.  And now I’ve an appointment to meet a lot of the fellows.”

“Don’t let that appointment make you forget supper time,” his mother called after him.

Spoff Henderson and Toby Ross were already at the place of appointment.

“Here comes Dick!” called Spoff.  “Now, tell us.”

“Wait until the crowd gets here.” returned Prescott.

“Ain’t you the mean one?” growled Toby.  “And we ran all the way home and back.”

“Too much hurry is said to be one of the greatest American sins,” laughed Dick.

“Well, you’re going to tell us, anyway, aren’t you?” pressed Spoff.

“Yes; but give the crowd a chance to get here.”

Dave and Dan came along, then Tom, Harry and Greg.  Tolman and a few other fellows hurried up.

“You might tell us all about that business, now,” suggested Tolman.

“I see some more fellows coming up the street,” Prescott replied.  “I don’t have to tell more than once.”