During the two days that Joel had been in school Sproule had nagged him incessantly upon one subject or another, and so far Joel had borne the persecution in silence.

"But some day," mused Joel, "I'll just _have_ to punch his head!" Richard Sproule was a member of the senior class, and monitor for the floor upon which he had his room.

He had, perhaps, no positive meanness in him.

Most of his unpleasantness was traceable to envy.

Just at present he was cultivating a dislike for Joel because of the latter's enviable success at lessons and because a resident of Hampton House had taken him up.