he in particular seemed lifted immeasurably
above us, for he was--as might have been expected already a marked
man in his class. The rooms which he shared with his cousin made a
tremendous impression on Tom and me, and seemed palatial in comparison
to our quarters at Mrs. Bolton's, eloquent of the freedom and luxury
of undergraduate existence; their note, perhaps, was struck by the
profusion of gay sofa pillows, then something of an innovation. The
heavy, expensive furniture was of a pattern new to me; and on the mantel
were three or four photographs of ladies in the alluring costume of the
musical stage, in which Tom evinced a particular interest.

"Did grandfather send 'em?" he inquired.

"They're Ham's," said Ralph, and he contrived somehow to get into those
two words an epitome of his cousin's character. Ham was stouter, and his
clothes were more striking, more obviously expensive than ever.... On
our way homeward, after we had walked a block or two in silence, Tom
exclaimed:--"Don't make friends with the friendless!--eh, Hughie? We
knew enough to begin all right, didn't we?"...

Have I made us out a pair of deliberate, calculating snobs? Well,
after all it must be remembered that our bringing up had not been of
sufficient liberality to include the Krebses of this world. We did not,
indeed, spend much time in choosing and weighing those whom we should
know and those whom we should avoid; and before the first term of that
Freshman year was over Tom had become a favourite. He had the gift of
making men feel that he delighted in their society, that he wished for
nothing better than to sit for hours in their company, content to listen
to the arguments that raged about him. Once in a while he would make a
droll observation that was greeted with fits of laughter. He was always
referred to as "old Tom," or "good old Tom"; presently, when he began to
pick out chords on the banjo, it was discovered that he had a good tenor
voice, though he could not always be induced to sing.... Somewhat to the
jeopardy of the academic standard that my father expected me to sustain,
our rooms became a rendezvous for many clubable souls whose maudlin,
midnight attempts at harmony often set the cocks crowing.

"Free from care and despair,
What care we?
'Tis wine, 'tis wine
That makes the jollity."

As a matter of truth, on these occasions it was more often beer; beer
transported thither in Tom's new valise,-