"And seven children," he interposed.

"No, only three. But I have a good business, and a house on the avenue,
and a decent social position, and I'm making money. And I don't like to
see you throw yourself away like this."

"Old man," said Hartman, "we are just of an age, and you would pass for
five years the elder. Your hair is getting gray, and thin on top. You
look fagged. And you owned to me that you came here to pick up."

He had me there a little. "Yes, I've been working hard. But I'm in the
swim. I do as others do. I help to make the wheels go round." I thought
I had him there; but you never can count on Hartman, except for an
answer of some kind.

"Wouldn't they go round without your help? And why should they go
around, anyway? It might be a variety to have them stop. What's the good
of it?"

I stared at him; but his eye looked more rational than his talk sounded.
"The good of it is that I am in things generally, while you are out."

"Exactly so. I am out, while you are in. As to things generally, I
prefer to be with the outs. It is a matter of taste, no doubt."

"Well, you are beyond me. But I brought myself in merely as an
example--not that I set up to be much of that--or an illustration, say.
I want to know about you." It may have been foolish, but somehow I felt
the old affection coming back as we talked. "What does it all mean,
Harty?"

He looked at me. "Do you really want to know, Bob?"

"Of course I do. Do you suppose I've forgotten the larks we used to
have, and the scrapes you got me out of, and how you coached me through
that exam, in Calculus? It's long ago, Jim; but I took it rather hard,
the way you dropped me."

He began to look as he used to: he wasn't a selfish fellow in those
days. "I never meant to be hard on you, Bob, nor supposed you'd take it
so: and I doubt if you did, though you think so at this moment. It was
part of a system; and systems are poor things, though we can't do
without them. I'll tell you how it was."

"Wait till I fill up.--Now go ahead."

"You don't smoke as you used to, Bob. Does the Madam object?"

"She doesn't like tobacco about the house, of course. And I'm not sure
it's good for me."

"Ah. Sorry to be leading you astray. There is no one to interfere with
my little vices. Well, Bob, I got tired of it. Not that that alone would
matter: one could stand being bored in a good cause. But I couldn't see
that it was a good cause."

"Would you mind explaini