"And I'm such a rotter. You--you know what we came up here for?"

"I can guess." Norry's glance still rested on the floor. He spoke hardly
above a whisper.

"Nothing happened. I swear it, Norry. I meant to--but--but you
came--thank God! I was awfully soused. I guess you think I'm rotten,
Norry. I suppose I am. I don't know how I could treat you this way. Are
you awfully angry?"

"I was last night," Norry replied honestly, "but I'm not this morning.
I'm just terribly disappointed. I understand, I guess; I'm human,
too--but I'm disappointed. I can't forget the way you looked."

"Don't!" Hugh cried. "Please don't, Norry. I--I can't stand it if you
talk that way. I'm so damned ashamed. Please forgive me."

Norry was very near to tears. "Of course, I forgive you," he whispered,
"but I hope you won't do it again."

"I won't, Norry. I promise you. Oh, God, I'm no good. That's twice I've
been stopped by an accident. I'll go straight now, though; I promise
you."

Norry stood up. "It's nearly noon," he said more naturally. "Cynthia
will be wondering where you are."

"Cynthia! Oh, Norry, how can I face her?"

"You've got to," said the young moralist firmly.

"I suppose so," the sinner agreed, his voice miserably lugubrious.
"God!"

After three cups of coffee, however, the task did not seem so
impossible. Hugh entered the Nu Delta house with a fairly jaunty air and
greeted the men and women easily enough. His heart skipped a beat when
he saw Cynthia standing in the far corner of the living-room. She was
wearing her scarlet hat and blue suit.

She saved him the embarrassment of opening the conversation. "Come into
the library," she said softly. "I want to speak to you."

Wondering and rather frightened, he followed her.

"I'm going home this afternoon," she began. "I've got everything packed,
and I've told everybody that I don't feel very well."

"You aren't sick?" he asked, really worried.

"Of course not, but I had to say something. The train leaves in an hour
or two, and I want to have a talk with you before I go."

"But hang it, Cynthia, think of what you're missing. There's a baseball
game with Raleigh this afternoon, a tea-dance in the Union after that,
the Musical Clubs concert this evening--I sing with the Glee club and
Norry's going to play a solo, and I'm in the Banjo Club, too--and we are
going to have a farewell dance at the house after the concert." Hugh
pleaded earnestly; but somehow down in his h