half a dozen couples in the big chairs or on the divans in close
embrace. He paused, but Hester led him to an empty chair, shoved him
clumsily down into it, and then flopped down on his lap.

"Le's--le's pet," she whispered. "I wanna pet."

Again Hugh smelled the whisky fumes as she put her hot mouth to his and
kissed him hungrily. He was angry, angry and humiliated. He tried to get
up, to force the girl off of his lap, but she clung tenaciously to him,
striving insistently to kiss him on the mouth. Finally Hugh's anger got
the better of his manners; he stood up, the girl hanging to his neck,
literally tore her arms off of him, took her by the waist and set her
down firmly in the chair.

"Sit there," he said softly, viciously; "sit there."

She began to cry, and he walked rapidly out of the dining-room, his
cheeks flaming and his eyes flashing; and the embracing couples paid no
attention to him at all. He had to pass the door of the library to get
his top-coat--he made up his mind to get out of the "goddamned
house"--and was walking quickly by the door when one of the patronesses
called to him.

"Oh, Mr. Carver. Will you come here a minute?"

"Surely, Mrs. Reynolds." He entered the library and waited before the
dowager.

"I left my wrap up-stairs--in Mr. Merrill's room, I think it is. I am
getting a little chilly. Won't you get it for me?"

"Of course. It's in Merrill's room?"

"I think it is. It's right at the head of the stairs. The wrap's blue
with white fur."

Hugh ran up the stairs, opened Merrill's door, switched on the lights,
and immediately spotted the wrap lying over the back of a chair. He
picked it up and was about to leave the room when a noise behind him
attracted his attention. He turned and saw a man and a girl lying on the
bed watching him.

Hugh stared blankly at them, his mouth half open.

"Get th' hell out of here," the man said roughly.

For an instant Hugh continued to stare; then he whirled about, walked
out of the room, slammed the door behind him, and hurried down the
stairs. He delivered the wrap to Mrs. Reynolds, and two minutes later he
was out of the house walking, almost running, across the campus to
Surrey Hall. Once there, he tore off his top-coat, his jacket, his
collar and tie, and threw himself down into a chair.

So this was college! This was the fraternity--that goddamned rat house!
That was what he had pledged allegiance to, was it? Those were his
brothers, were th