“What shall I do?”

“‘Do’?  Do nothing.  Just attend to your own business and let everything else go.”

“I thought I was attending to my own business,” said Peter John woefully.

“Oh, well, never mind, Peter John,” broke in Will with a laugh.  “It’s all over now and no bones broken.”

“I wish it was all over,” said Foster in a low voice to Will.

“I wish it was too.  He’ll be the center of interest by to-morrow.  And really, Foster, it did beat anything I ever saw.”

Foster Bennett smiled but made no reply, and together the three boys began to retrace their way to the station.  Peter John evidently was somewhat crestfallen and seldom spoke.  At the station no students were seen, and the trio at once started up the street toward the college.

“I suppose my things are in my room,” Peter John ventured to suggest.

“Yes, they’re there all right.  I went over this morning to see about them.”

“Thank you.  I’ll be pretty busy for the rest of the days I take it.”

“That won’t do you any harm.  You can come over and sleep on the couch in our room to-night if you would like to,” suggested Foster.

“Are you all settled?”

“Pretty much.  Enough so that we can make room for you.  There’s always room for one more, you know.”  Foster spoke pleasantly and Peter John was quick to respond.  They were now near the college grounds, however, and the interest of Peter John was quickly taken up in his surroundings.  Both Will and Foster were familiar with the name of every building by this time, and their residence of three days in the college town had already given to them a sense of part possession, and they glibly explained to their classmate the name and use of each building as they passed it until at last they halted before Leland Hall, where Peter John was to have his room.

“I’d like to know who’s to be my room-mate,” he said as all three turned into the low entry and began to mount the worn stairway.

“Probably he’s thinking of the same thing too,” laughed Will.  “Here you are,” he added as he stopped before the door of a room on the third floor.  “Yours is twenty-six, isn’t it?”

“Yes.”

“Well, here it is.”

“Come on in, fellows,” urged Peter John, opening the door as he spoke, and all three found themselves in the presence of a young man of their own age, who glanced quickly up from the box which he was unpacking as they entered.

CHAPTER III

NEW FRIENDS AND NEW EXPERIENCES

“One of you, I fancy, is Schenck, who is to room here with me.  I haven’t the remotest idea which one of you is the man, but whichever it is I’m glad to see him.”