noon
As it was , he dipped his head in cold water , opened the window wide , and filled his lungs with fresh air , then hustled into his clothes and rushed away , with the chapel bell clanging and his temples still throbbing . The whole forenoon was a drag , but he managed to get through the recitations fairly well . Over and over he promised himself that he would not indulge in another midnight feast until the time came when such dissipation was not likely to do him any particular harm physically . At noon as he was crossing the campus he was astonished to see Paul Pierson , a junior and the manager of the regular ball team , stop and bow . Unless it was Pierson who had pursued him on the previous night , Frank had never spoken a word to the fellow in his life . And this public recognition of a freshman on the campus by a man like Pierson was almost unprecedented . `` Ah , Mr. Merriwell , I would like to speak with you , '' said Pierson in a manner that was not exactly unfriendly .