fast!

"But I wouldn't have you miss seeing him," said Jim, "for I'm no end
proud of him; and when you've once seen him, you'll have seen the best
fellow going. That is," added he, "present company of course excepted."

"I'm sure he's a nice man."

"Nice! Of course, and therefore fit company for you and me; so come
along, old man. I never had such hard work inviting a man to breakfast
in all my life."

"I'm certain I'm ill-mannered," said George, "but I won't hold out any
more. You will--"

"Hurrah, that's settled, and here we are, too!"

With that he led the way up a staircase, on the second floor of which he
opened a door, and ushered George into his rooms. No one was there yet,
and there was consequently time to look about. Jim's rooms were nothing
very grand, but they were palatial compared with the "Mouse-trap."
Cheerful and well-lighted, with a pleasant look-out into the old
quadrangle, comfortably furnished, further enlivened with all those
adornments in the shape of swords, fencing-sticks, dumb-bells, etcetera,
without which no model undergraduate's rooms would be complete.

George could hardly help sighing as his thoughts flew back to his own
dingy cell under "H" staircase.

"Lay another plate, Smith," said Jim, addressing his "gyp"; "and now,
old man, make yourself comfortable."

And then the host, in a business-like way, devoted himself to the
mysteries of coffee-making and egg-boiling, in the midst of which
occupation Clarke and the other Saint George's man arrived.

George felt very miserable on being introduced and devoutly hoped the
fellows would have sufficient to converse about among themselves,
without it being needful for him to come under observation. This
reserve, however, he was not destined to maintain for very long.

"Halliday," said Clarke, "were you in chapel this morning?"

"Yes."

"Well, did you ever hear the organ so grandly played?"

George blushed deeply, half with pleasure at this genuine compliment,
and half with nervousness at the turn the talk was taking.

"And it wasn't the regular organist," said Clarke's friend, "for I saw
_him_ downstairs."

"No, it's some fellow--plough-boy or stable-boy; or somebody he's got
hold of, so I heard. Whoever he is, he knows how to play."

At this point Jim was as red in the face as George, and equally
embarrassed.

"Is the fellow at college, do you know?" asked Clarke's friend.

"I believe so, in fact--"

"In fact," b