before the dinner-party Michael braved everything and
wore one of the new double collars to school. Its extravagant advent
among the discreet neckwear of the Upper Fifth caused a sensation. Mr.
Cray himself looked curiously once or twice at Michael, who assumed in
consequence a particularly nonchalant air, and lounged over his desk
even more than usual.

"Are you going on the stage, Fane?" enquired Mr. Cray finally,
exasperated by Michael's indolent construing.

"Not that I know of," said Michael.

"I wasn't sure whether that collar was part of your get-up as an
eccentric comedian."

The Upper Fifth released its well-worn laugh, and Michael scowled at his
master.

However, he endured the sarcasm of the first two days and still wore the
new collars, vowing to himself that presently he would make fresh
attacks upon the convention of school attire, since apparently he was
able thereby to irritate old Cray.

After all, the dinner-party was not so exciting as he had hoped from the
sample of his new friend's conversation. To be sure he was able to smoke
as much as he liked, and drink as much champagne as he knew how without
warning headshakes; but Mr. Johnstone, the Member for West Kensington,
was a moon-faced bore, and his nephew turned out to be a lank nonentity
on the despised Modern side. Mr. Johnstone talked a good deal about the
Catholic movement, which somehow during the last few weeks was ceasing
to interest Michael so much as formerly. Michael himself ascribed this
apostasy to his perusal, ladder-high, of Zola's novel Lourdes with its
damaging assaults upon Christian credulity. The Member of Parliament
seemed to Michael, after his psychical adventures of the past few
months, curiously dull and antique, and he evidently considered Michael
affected. However, he encouraged the idea of ecclesiastical law, and
promised to talk to Dr. Brownjohn about Michael's release from the
thraldom of Classics. As for the nephew, he seemed to be able to do
nothing but stretch the muscles of his chicken-like neck and ask
continually whether Michael was going to join the Field Club that some
obscure Modern Lower Master was in travail with at the moment. He also
invited Michael to join a bicycling club that apparently met at Surbiton
every other Saturday afternoon. Mr. Wilmot contented himself with
silence and the care of his guests' entertainment.

Finally the Member for West Kensington with his crudely jointed nephew
departed