sembly.

Fitzroy stopped short in his discourse and thrummed impatiently with
clenched fists upon his inflated chest, as gorillas do. The rest of the
company eyed the entrance of the newcomer in puzzled, faintly hostile
silence.

"Oh, Venner," said the intruder, in loftiest self-confidence and
unabashed clarity of accent. "I haven't had those cigars yet."

He hadn't had his cigars yet! Confound his impudence, and what right had
he to buy cigars, and what infernal assurance had led him to suppose he
might stroll into Venner's in the third raw week of his uncuffed
fresherdom? Who was he? What was he? Unvoiced, these questions quivered
in the wrathful silence.

"The boy was told to take them up, sir," said Venner. Something in
Venner's manner toward this newcomer indicated to the familiars that he
might have deprecated this deliberate entrance armored in
self-satisfaction. Something there was in Venner's assumption of
impersonal civility which told the familiars that Venner himself
recognized and sympathized with their as yet unspoken horror of
tradition's breach.

"I rather want them to-night," said the newcomer, and then he surveyed
slowly his seniors and even nodded to one or two of them whom presumably
he had known at school. "So if the boy hasn't taken them up," he
continued, "you might send up another box. Thanks very much."

He seemed to debate for a moment with himself whether he should stay,
but finally decided to go. As he reached the door, he said that, by
Jove, his cigarette had gone out, and "You've got a light," he added to
Lonsdale, who was standing nearest to him. "Thanks very much." The door
of Venner's slammed behind his imperturbableness, and a sigh of pent-up
stupefaction was let loose.

"Who's your young friend, Lonny?" cried one.

"He thought Lonny was the Common Room boy," cried another.

"Venner, give the cigars to Mr. Lonsdale to take up," shouted a third.

"He's very daring for a freshman," said Venner. "Very daring. I thought
he was a fourth year Scholar whom I'd never seen, when he first came in
the other day. Most of the freshmen are very timid at first. They think
the senior men don't like their coming in too soon. And perhaps it's
better for them to order what they want when I'm by myself. I can talk
to them more easily that way. With all the men wanting their coffee and
whiskies, I really can't attend to orders so well just after hall."

"Who is he, Venner?" demanded half a doze