verence that the two men on either side
of him were those famous rowing blues from New College, Permain and
Strutt; while some of them who had known these heroes at school sat
anxiously unaware of their presence and spoke of them familiarly as Jack
Permain and Bingey. There were several other cynosures from New College
and University near the President's chair, a vivid bunch of Leander
ties. There were also one or two old St. Mary's men who had descended to
haunt for a swift week-end the place of their renown, and these were
pointed out by knowing freshmen as unconcernedly as possible.

One by one the President released the decanters, and round and round
they came. Sometimes they would be held up by an interesting
conversation; and when the sherry and the port and the burgundy were all
standing idle, a shout of "pass along the wine" would go up, after which
for a time the decanters would swing vigorously from hand to hand. Then
suddenly Marjoribanks was seen to be bowing to Permain, and Permain was
bowing solemnly back to his host. This was a plain token to everybody
that the moment for drinking healths had arrived. A great babel of
shouted names broke out at the end of the Common Room remote from the
freshmen, so tremendous a din that the freshmen felt the drinking of
their own healths at their end would pass unnoticed. So they drank to
one another, bowing gravely after the manner of their seniors.

Michael had determined to take nothing but burgundy, and when he had
exchanged sentiments with the most of his year, he congratulated himself
upon the comparative steadiness of his head. Already in the case of one
or two reckless mixers he noticed a difficulty in deciding how many
times it was necessary to clip a cigar, an inclination to strike the
wrong end of a match and a confusion between right and left when the
decanters in their circulation paused before them.

After the first tumult of good wishes had died down, Marjoribanks lifted
his glass, looked along to where the freshmen were sitting and shouted
"Cuffe!" Cuffe hastily lifted his glass and answering "Marjorie!"
drained his salute of acknowledgment. Then he sat back in his chair with
an expression, Michael thought, very like that of an actress who has
been handed a bouquet by the conductor. But Cuffe was not to be the only
recipient of honor, for immediately afterward Marjoribanks sang out
"Lonsdale!" Lonsdale was at the moment trying to explain to Tommy
Graing