ou know;
a bedroom for each of us and this big study. I've brought most of the
junk that I had at Kane, and I s'pose you've got some of your own."

"Not much," Hugh replied, rather ashamed of what he thought might be
considered stinginess. He hastened to explain that he didn't know what
Carl would have; so he thought that he had better wait and get his stuff
at college.

"That's the bean," exclaimed Carl, He had perched himself on the
window-seat. He threw one well shaped leg over the other and gazed at
Hugh admiringly. "You certainly used the old bean. Say, I've got a hell
of a lot of truck here, and if you'd a brought much, we'd a been
swamped.... Say, I'll tell you how we fix this dump." He jumped up, led
Hugh on a tour of the rooms, discussed the disposal of the various
pieces of furniture with enormous gusto, and finally pointed to the
photographs.

"Hope you don't mind my harem," he said, making a poor attempt to hide
his pride.

"It's some harem," replied Hugh in honest awe.

Again he felt ashamed. He had pictures of his father and mother, and
that was all. He'd write to Helen for one right away. "Where'd you get
all of 'em? You've certainly got a collection."

"Sure have. The album of hearts I've broken. When I've kissed a girl
twice I make her give me her picture. I've forgotten the names of some
of these janes. I collected ten at Bar Harbor this summer and three at
Christmas Cove. Say, this kid--" he fished through a pile of
pictures--"was the hottest little devil I ever met." He passed to Hugh a
cabinet photograph of a standard flapper. "Pet? My God!" He cast his
eyes ceilingward ecstatically.

Hugh's mind was a battle-field of disapproval and envy. Carl dazzled and
confused him. He had often listened to the recitals of their exploits by
the Merrytown Don Juans, but this good-looking, sophisticated lad
evidently had a technique and breadth of experience quite unknown to
Merrytown. He wanted badly to hear more, but time was flying and he
hadn't even begun to unpack.

"Will you help me bring up my trunk?" he asked half shyly.

"Oh, hell, yes. I'd forgotten all about that. Come on."

They spent the rest of the afternoon unpacking, arranging and
rearranging the furniture and pictures. They found a restaurant and had
dinner. Then they returned to 19 Surrey and rearranged the furniture
once more, pausing occasionally to chat while Carl smoked. He offered
Hugh a cigarette. Hugh explained that he did not