ime you are in town. You must consider me a friend," he chuckled
again--"an old friend. And look ye here," his pleasant voice sank to a
whisper, "I daren't tip these tremendous swells, but I feel that I can
take such a liberty with you. Shush-h-h! Good-bye."

John scurried away, bursting with pride, feeling to the core the strong
grip of the strong man, hearing the thrill of his voice, the thrill
which had vibrated in thousands of soldier-hearts. Outside, Fluff was
awaiting him.

"Oh, Jonathan, you can sing, and no mistake."

"Five--six--seven mistakes," John answered.

The boys laughed.

John told Fluff what the hero had said to him, and showed the piece of
gold.

"What ho! The Creameries! Come on, Esme."

At the Creameries several boys congratulated John, and the Caterpillar
said--

"You astonished us, Jonathan; 'pon my soul you did. Have a 'dringer'
with me? And Fluff too? By the way, be sure to keep your hair dipped
close. These singing fellows with manes may be lions in their own
estimation, but the world looks upon 'em as asses."

"That's not bad for you, Caterpillar," said a boy in the Fifth.

"Not my own," said the Caterpillar, solemnly--"my father's. I take
from him all the good things I can get hold of."

John polished off his "dringer," listening to the chaff, but his
thoughts were with Desmond. He had an intuition that Desmond would
have something to say to him. As soon as possible he returned to the
Manor.

There he found his room empty. John shut the door and sat down,
looking about him half-absently. The Duffer had not contributed much
to the mural decoration, saying, loftily, that he preferred bare walls
to rubbishy engravings and Japanese fans. But, with curious
inconsistency (for he was the least vain of mortals), he had bought at
a "leaving auction" a three-sided mirror--once the property of a great
buck in the Sixth. The Duffer had got it cheap, but he never used it.
The lower boys remarked to each other that Duff didn't dare to look in
it, because what he would see must not only break his heart but shatter
the glass. Generally, it hung, folded up, close to the window, and the
Duffer said that it would come in handy when he took to shaving.

John's eye rested on this mirror, vacantly at first, then with
gathering intensity. Presently he got up, crossed the room, opened the
two folding panels, and examined himself attentively, pursing up his
lips and frowning. He