Murray had disappeared.

"I can't well help knowing that fellow, considering that he was at
Wellingham with me for five years."

"He didn't tell me he was at Wellingham."

"He would have in another minute, and that he was captain of the school
and the footer fifteen, and what he was fed on as a baby and how many
muscles he had got in his big toe," Ward jerked out as he pulled
furiously at his pipe, which he had already tried to light two or three
times.

"I thought he seemed a nice sort of man," I said.

"I expect you think everybody you see nice sort of men," he replied
rather queerly, though he laughed as he spoke.

"I hope so; it is a jolly comfortable state to be in," I answered.

"But a very dangerous one. You must get awfully left."

I picked up _Wisden's Cricket Almanack_, which had been one of the
things in my bag, and began to read it, for I had taken a fancy to
Murray and did not see much use in listening to what I felt Ward wanted
to say about him.

"You will probably be friends with Murray for about a month, and then
it will end with a snap," he said.

"I can promise you that if I am friends with him for a month it won't
end with a snap, even if his toes simply bulge with muscles," I replied.

"If anybody warned you against a man you would take no notice."

"It depends who warned me, and whom I was warned against. And since it
is no use pretending things," I added, "I don't see much wrong in a
fellow because he happens to remember something about baby's food."

"He might be a bore."

"So may anybody," I answered, for Ward's persistence was beginning to
annoy me. He got up from his chair with a great laugh, and put his
hands on my shoulders.

"We mustn't begin by having a row with each other," he said.

I stood up so that I could get rid of his hands, and felt inclined to
say that I did not want to begin at all, but I stopped myself. There
was something in the man that attracted me. I may be peculiar, but I
like people who shake the furniture when they laugh, having suffered
much from a master at Cliborough who never let himself go farther than
a giggle.

"I suppose we must go and see these blessed dons. They want to see us
at half-past ten, don't they?" he said.

I looked at my watch and found that it was nearly eleven o'clock, so we
bolted down-stairs and across the quadrangle as hard as we could. It
was a very bad start but I had completely forgotten that we had to go
to the