“I’m looking for Mr. Gale and Mr. Fletcher.  Have I hit it right?”

“I’m Gale,” answered Paul, “and that’s Fletcher.  Won’t you come in?” The visitor entered.

“My name’s Devoe,” he explained smilingly.  “I’m captain of the football team this year, and as you two fellows are, of course, going to try for the team, I thought we’d better get acquainted.”  He accepted the squeaky rocking-chair and allowed Paul to take his straw hat.  Neil thought he’d ought to shake hands, but as Devoe made no move in that direction he retired to another seat and grinned hospitably instead.

“I’ve heard of the good work you chaps did for Hillton last year, and I was mighty glad when I learned from Gardiner that you were coming up here.”

“You know Gardiner?” asked Neil.

“No, I’ve never met him, but of course every football man knows who he is.  He wrote to me in the spring that you were coming, and rather intimated that if I knew my business I’d keep an eye on you and see that you didn’t get lost in the shuffle.  So here I am.”

“He didn’t say anything about having written,” pondered Neil.

“Oh, he wouldn’t,” answered Devoe.  “Well, how do you like us as far as you’ve seen us?”

“We only got here yesterday,” replied Paul.  “I think it looks like rather a jolly sort of place; awfully pretty, you know, and—­er—­historic.”

“Yes, it is pretty; historic too; and it’s the finest young college in the country, bar none,” answered Devoe.  “You’ll like it when you get used to it.  I like it so well I wish I wasn’t going to leave it in the spring.  Very cozy quarters you have here.”  He looked about the study.

“They’ll do,” answered Neil modestly.  “Of course we couldn’t get rooms in the Yard, and we liked this as well as anything we saw outside.  The view’s rather good from the windows.”

“Yes, I know; you have the common and pretty much the whole college in sight; it is good.”  Devoe brought his gaze back and fixed it on Neil.  “You played left half, didn’t you?”

“Yes.”

“What’s your weight?”

“I haven’t weighed this summer,” answered Neil.  “In the spring I was a hundred and sixty-two.”

“Good.  We need some heavy backs.  How about you, Gale?”

“About a hundred and sixty.”

“Of course I haven’t seen the new material yet,” continued Devoe, “but the last year’s men we have are a bit light, take them all around.  That’s what beat us, you see; Robinson had an unusually heavy line and rather heavy backs.  They plowed through us without trouble.”