nedy to our
rooms, and he so very seldom asks us?"

"I suppose because he isn't over-partial to our company."

"Why not?" said Bruce, who considered himself very fascinating, and
quite a person whose society was to be courted; "and if so, why does he
come to our rooms?"

Brogten might, perhaps, have thrown light on the subject had he chosen.

"Well," he said, "I'll give him a hint."

"Do; and get him to ask De Vayne."

Brogten did so; Kennedy assented to asking Bruce, though he listened to
Brogten's hints, (which he instantly understood), with a sullenness
which but a short time before had no existence, not even a prototype, in
his bright and genial character. But when it came to asking De Vayne,
he simply replied to Brogten's suggestion flatly:

"I will not."

"Won't you? but why?"

"Why? because I suspect you and that fellow Bruce of wishing to treat
him as you treated Hazlet."

"I've no designs against him whatever."

"Well, I won't ask him,--that's flat."

"Whew-ew-ew-ew-ew!" Brogten began to whistle, and Kennedy relieved his
feelings by digging the poker into the fire. And then there was a
pause.

"I want you to ask De Vayne."

"And I tell you I won't ask him."

"Whew-w-w-w!" Another long whistle, during which Kennedy mashed and
battered the black lumps that smouldered in the grate.

"Whew-ew-ew-ew! Oh, very well." Brogten left the room. At hall that
day, Brogten took care to sit near Kennedy again, and the old scene was
nearly re-enacted. He turned the conversation to the Christmas
examination. "I suppose you'll be very high again, Kennedy."

"No," said he, curtly. "I've not read, and you know that as well as I
do."

"Oh, but you hadn't read much last time, and you may do some particular
paper very well, you know. I wish there was an Aeschylus paper; you
might be first, you know, again."

Kennedy flung down his knife and fork with a curse, and left the hall.
Men began to see clearly that there must have been some mystery attached
to the Aeschylus paper, known to Brogten and Kennedy, and very
discomfiting to the latter. But as _Kennedy_ was concerned, they did
not suspect the truth.

Brogten went straight from hall to Kennedy's rooms. He found the door
sported, but knew as well as possible that Kennedy was in. He hammered
and thumped at the door a long time with sundry imprecations, but
Kennedy, moodily resolute, heard all the noise inside, and would not
stir. Then Brogten