n I came out. But I don't
think he had an idea of it, and only set my capping him down to
the wonderful good manners of the college. So we got quite thick,
and I piloted him across to Hardy's staircase in the back quad. I
wanted him to come up and quench, but he declined, with many
apologies. I'm sure he is a character."

"He must be Hardy's father," said Tom.

"I shouldn't wonder. But is his father in the navy?"

"He is a retired captain."

"Then no doubt you're right. What shall we do? Have a hand at
picquet. Some men will be here directly. Only for love."

Tom declined the proffered game, and went off soon after to his
own rooms, a happier man than he had been since his first night
at "The Choughs."

CHAPTER XX

THE RECONCILIATION

Tom rose in the morning with a presentiment that all would be
over now before long, and to make his presentiment come true,
resolved, before night, to go himself to Hardy and give in. All
he reserved to himself was the liberty to do it in the manner
which would be least painful to himself. He was greatly annoyed,
therefore, when Hardy did not appear at morning chapel; for he
had fixed on the leaving chapel as the least unpleasant time in
which to begin his confession, and was going to catch Hardy then,
and follow him to his rooms. All the morning, too, in answer to
his inquiries by his scout Wiggins, Hardy's scout replied that
his master was out, or busy. He did not come to the boats, he did
not appear in hall; so that, after hall, when Tom went back to
his own rooms, as he did at once, instead of sauntering out of
college, or going to a wine party, he was quite out of heart at
his bad luck, and began to be afraid that he would have to sleep
on his unhealed wound another night.

He sat down in an arm-chair, and fell to musing, and thought how
wonderfully his life had been changed in these few short weeks.
He could hardly get back across the gulf which separated him from
the self who had come back into those rooms after Easter, full of
anticipations of the pleasures and delights of the coming summer
term and vacation. To his own surprise he didn't seem much to
regret the loss of his _chateaux en Espange_, and felt a sort of
grim satisfaction in their utter overthrow.

While occupied with these thoughts, he heard talking on his
stairs, accompanied by a strange lumbering tread. These came
nearer; and at last stopped just outside his door, which opened
in another moment, an