CHAPTER XVI
LORING TAKES COMMAND
The chess game was never finished. Ten
o'clock arrived with nothing much left to be
said, and with scant lessening of the general
gloom. Loring insisted that by trying hard Tom could
get that theme handed in by the designated time, that
he could make up the other stuff easily, and that, if he
really set his mind on it, he could keep his English
work up to the required standard. But even Loring
realized that a little over two weeks was scant time
in which to convince a sceptical instructor of one's reform,
and that, with the best of luck, Tom could
scarcely hope for reinstatement early enough to be of
much further use to the Scrub. Clif's best suggestion
was that Tom see his adviser the first thing in the
morning, and ask him to intercede. Tom agreed to do
this, but plainly he was not hopeful. Mr. Parks and
he had not taken to each other greatly, and Tom's secret
conviction was that "Cheese" wouldn't be likely to go
to much trouble in the matter. Finally they parted,
Clif accompanying Tom to the door of Number 34
and leaving him with a lugubrious "Oh, well, cheer up,
Tom. Maybe it won't be so bad."
At breakfast Tom was strangely cheerful and ate a hearty repast. Yet nothing had happened to better
