ire. "I'm going to say something
awfully mean, but I hope you won't get mad.... You remember you told
me once that you weren't a gentleman. I didn't believe you, but if you
buy yourself into that--that bunch of--of gutter-pups, I'll--I'll--oh,
hell, Carl, I'll have to believe it." He was painfully embarrassed, very
much in earnest, and dreadfully unhappy.

"I told you that I wasn't a gentleman," Carl said sullenly. "Now you
know it."

"I don't know anything of the sort. I'll never believe that you could do
such a thing." He stood up again and leaned over Carl, putting his hand
on his shoulder. "Listen, Carl," he said soberly, earnestly, "I promise
that I won't go Nu Delt or any other fraternity unless they take you,
too, if you'll promise me not to go Alpha Sig."

Carl looked up wonderingly. "What!" he exclaimed. "You'll turn down Nu
Delt if they don't bid me, too?"

"Yes, Nu Delt or Kappa Zete or any other bunch. Promise me," he urged;
"promise me."

Carl understood the magnitude of the sacrifice offered, and his eyes
became dangerously soft. "God! you're white, Hugh," he whispered
huskily, "white as hell. You go Nu Delt if they ask you--but I promise
you that I won't go Alpha Sig even if they bid me without pay." He held
out his hand, and Hugh gripped it hard. "I promise," he repeated, "on my
word of honor."

At seven o'clock Saturday evening every freshman who had any reason at
all to think that he would get a bid--and some that had no
reason--collected in nervous groups in the living-room of the Union. At
the stroke of seven they were permitted to move up to a long row of
tables which were covered with large envelopes, one for every freshman.
They were arranged in alphabetical order, and in an incredibly short
time each man found the one addressed to him. Some of the envelopes were
stuffed with cards, each containing the freshman's name and the name of
the fraternity bidding him; some of them contained only one or two
cards--and some of them were empty. The boys who drew empty envelopes
instantly left the Union without a word to anybody; the others tried to
find a free space where they could scan their cards unobserved. They
were all wildly excited and nervous. One glance at the cards, and their
faces either lighted with joy or went white with disappointment.

Hugh found ten cards in his envelope--and one of them had Nu Delta
written on it. His heart leaped; for a moment he thought that he was
going to cry.