At first quite a crowd went with him, but by degrees the number decreased until only his own five immediate chums were with him.
"Say," suggested Reade suddenly, "since you're going to make a public, show of this, Dick, you ought to let our little crowd in on a private view." "What do you mean ?" Prescott quizzed.
"You know well enough what I mean," Tom retorted.

"You ought to tell our own little crowd in advance what the man on the clubhouse steps said." "Do you really think so ?" Prescott asked.
"I do," affirmed Tom.
"And so do the rest of us," asserted Dave Darrin.
"Well-----" Dick paused hesitatingly.
"Come, hurry up!" begged Greg.
"It's no more than fair to us," insisted Dan.
"On the whole," Dick continued, "I don't believe it would be fair to the other fellows." "You big tease!" blurted Harry Hazelton indignantly.
"No; I don't mean to tease you," Dick rejoined, his eyes twinkling.
"But I believe in playing fair in life.

Don't you, fellows ?" "What has this to do with being fair ?" demanded Tom.
"Why, just this: I promised to tell you all at five o'clock.
Now, if I were to tell a special few before that time, it would be a bit unfair!" "Not a bit," retorted Dave.

"You've had us dangling from the string longer than you have the rest of the crowd.

Therefore, we ought to know the answer before the other fellows." "It's a question of conscience with me," Dick replied soberly.
"Humph!" snorted Tom.