His suddenness took Tad Sobber off his guard.
"Humph! I don't care whether you like it or not," grunted Sobber.
"See here, Tad Sobber, let us have an understanding," said Dick, calmly. "I understand that you are trying to bully everybody in this school. Now, this cannot be. We have had several bullies here and we have gotten rid of them all. We want no more."
"Humph! Trying to be the bully yourself, eh?" sneered Sobber.
"No, I am only giving you warning. The other boys have told me about you."
"Tad has a right to act as he pleases," put in Nick Pell.
"No, he has not. Captain Putnam expects every student here to be a gentleman."
"Oh, don't preach, Rover," cried Tad Sobber. "I can take care of myself without your advice."
"Well, I warn you to keep your distance so far as I am concerned and keep a civil tongue in your head," said Dick.
What this war of words might have led to there is no telling. Just at that moment the school bell rang, and all of the students had to hurry to their respective classes.
It may be mentioned here that Sam, Tom and Dick were now in the same grade. This may be wondered at, but the fact of the matter was that Sam, by hard work the term previous, had caught up to Tom, while Dick, because of being away on some business for his father at various times, had dropped a little behind.
"Had a little run-in with Sobber," said Dick to his brothers, when he got the chance, and related the particulars.
"He said something about me behind my back," said Sam. "I don't know what it was, but I am certain it was nothing complimentary."
"We must watch him," said Tom. "If we do not, he may try to play us foul."
As this was to be their last term at Putnam Hall, all of the Rovers determined to do their best in their studies, so they spent no time in fooling while at their classes. Once or twice Tom found it hard to resist playing a joke, but a look from Dick usually made him turn to his books again.
It was now the season for football, and several school teams had been organized. Tom and Dick were on one team, headed by Larry Colby. There was another team headed by Tad Sobber, and on this Nick Pell was a quarterback. How Sobber had ever gotten the captaincy of this team was a mystery.