While the doctor was doing what he could for Phil, the two schools were entertained in royal style by Mr. Mongrace. But Dave and Roger could eat little, their thoughts being constantly with Phil. Three others who did not enjoy the feast were Plum, Poole, and Jasniff.
"Hang the luck, anyway!" growled the bully, as he and his cronies walked away from the table. "Jasniff, this is the worst yet."
"Who would have thought that they could pull themselves together like that," grumbled Jasniff. "Why, I never saw such work on any field. They went at the play like demons--nothing could stand before them."
"Yes, and Phil Lawrence got a broken head for his pains," said Poole, in a tone more of satisfaction than regret.
"I don't care a continental for Lawrence," pursued the bully of Oak Hall. "What I am thinking of is the money I have lost."
"And the money I've lost, too," added Poole.
"Well, we'll have to pocket our losses, that's all," answered Jasniff. "With Porter, Babcock, and Henshaw off the list I thought we'd make a sure thing of it--but we didn't, and there you are."
"I don't know what I am going to do about the money I put up," said Gus Plum.
"Write to your old man for some," suggested Jasniff. "Tell him you lost your money, but don't say how."
"He won't let me have any more just yet--said so in his last letter."
"My old man won't give up a cent until next allowance day, and that's two weeks off. I'll have to live on air till then."
A little later Poole was called away by one of the students, and Gus Plum and Nick Jasniff were left to themselves. Plum was in a quandary, for he had borrowed from several parties and now did not know how to pay the amounts back. Jasniff noticed his uneasiness.
"Don't take the loss so hard, Gus," he said. "Let us go off and have a smoke--it will settle your nerves. If we were in town we might get a drink. But we can't get it around here."
"Let's go back to the Hall, I am sick of it here," answered the bully of the school; and a few minutes later he and Jasniff started off, leaving Poole behind, in the company of several girls who had driven in to witness the football match. Poole always dressed very fastidiously, and sought the company of the girls whenever the opportunity offered.