class at the League?" he suggested
casually--too casually.

This was a sore subject with Charley. Evan had him there. "Oh, blow
the class!" he said, scowling. "A fellow doesn't get a chance like
this once in a lifetime." He boiled over again. "I say, I didn't
mention her eyes, did I? Lord! They're like immense brown stars!--Oh,
that's rotten! I mean velvety, glowing--oh, words fail me! You'll
have to take her eyes on trust!"

Evan refused to be diverted. "You cut the class last time," he said.
"What do you expect to get out of it?"

"Lord! One would think you wanted to get me out of the way so you
could make up to her yourself!" said Charley, frowning.

Evan glanced at him sharply. This, however, was a random hit. Charley
was quite unsuspicious.

"Only I know you're a hermit-crab, a woman-hater!" he went on.

"It's only last week you were chasing after a blonde," Evan persisted
remorselessly. "When she threw you down you swore you'd go to work."

"Oh, well, I'll go to the old class," muttered Charley. "I'll get the
gas mantle to-morrow."

Evan breathed freely again.

When Charley was safely out of the way Evan made haste to array himself
in the best that their joint wardrobes afforded. They shared
everything. His conscience troubled him a little over his treatment of
Charley, but he salved it with the thought: "Well, anyway, I saw her
first. I quarrelled with her before he even laid eyes on her." Evan
gave anxious thought to the matching of ties and socks, and spent many
minutes in vigorously brushing out a slight tendency to curl in his
hair. He despised curly hair in a man.

But when he was all ready a sudden fit of indecision attacked him, and
he flung himself into the old chair, glooming. She had all but driven
him out of her room the night before. Well, if he presented himself at
her door now, it would be simply inviting her to insult him. Even
though she didn't mean it, even though she might want him to come (Evan
had that possibility in mind, though his ideas as to the psychology of
girls were chaotic), how could he give her the chance to put it all
over him? Surely she would despise him. On the other hand, he could
hardly expect her to make the first overtures. Evan sighed in
perplexity.

It was not that he liked her any the worse for being so difficult; on
the contrary. But he had to think out the best thing to do under the
circumstances, and the trouble was he wanted t