for
yourself--you are not old enough to judge for yourself yet; but just
look about you in the place you find yourself in, and try to make things
a little better and honester there. You'll find plenty to keep your hand
in at Oxford, or wherever else you go. And don't be led away to think
this part of the world important and that unimportant. Every corner of
the world is important. No man knows whether this part or that is most
so, but every man may do some honest work in his own corner." And then
the good man went on to talk wisely to Tom of the sort of work which
he might take up as an undergraduate, and warned him of the prevalent
university sins, and explained to him the many and great differences
between university and school life, till the twilight changed into
darkness, and they heard the truant servants stealing in by the back
entrance.

"I wonder where Arthur can be," said Tom at last, looking at his watch;
"why, it's nearly half-past nine already."

"Oh, he is comfortably at supper with the eleven, forgetful of his
oldest friends," said the master. "Nothing has given me greater
pleasure," he went on, "than your friendship for him; it has been the
making of you both."

"Of me, at any rate," answered Tom; "I should never have been here now
but for him. It was the luckiest chance in the world that sent him to
Rugby and made him my chum."

"Why do you talk of lucky chances?" said the master. "I don't know that
there are any such things in the world; at any rate, there was neither
luck nor chance in that matter."

Tom looked at him inquiringly, and he went on. "Do you remember when the
Doctor lectured you and East at the end of one half-year, when you were
in the shell, and had been getting into all sorts of scrapes?"

"Yes, well enough," said Tom; "it was the half-year before Arthur came."

"Exactly so," answered the master. "Now, I was with him a few minutes
afterwards, and he was in great distress about you two. And after some
talk, we both agreed that you in particular wanted some object in the
School beyond games and mischief; for it was quite clear that you never
would make the regular school work your first object. And so the Doctor,
at the beginning of the next half-year, looked out the best of the new
boys, and separated you and East, and put the young boy into your study,
in the hope that when you had somebody to lean on you, you would
begin to stand a little steadier yourself, and get manliness an