d the principals in some big row or
escapade cannot help being bound close together by common ties. A mutual
danger has brought together many ill-assorted pairs, and among others it
showed Gordon and Rudd that they had something in common with one
another. Gordon had always looked upon Rudd as a guileless ass who was
no good at games, did nothing for the House, and was only useful as the
universal provider of cribs. But after the Pack Monday Fair incident
Gordon saw that there was in Rudd a something which, if not exactly to
be admired, came very near it. It was a daring thing to challenge anyone
who was willing to come to the fair with him, and he had not shown the
slightest wish to back out of his agreement. Gordon decided to make his
better acquaintance, and in the process was brought face to face with
another fresh character, a type that was to set before him different
aims and standards. For Gordon was sharp enough to see more or less
below the surface. Rudd was a new type to him. It was clear that he had
some merits, especially pluck; and yet he was no good at games, and,
what was more extraordinary, did not seem in the least worried about his
failures. Gordon had always pitied those who could not scrape into the
Thirds.

"Poor devils!" he used to say in the arrogance of his own
self-satisfaction. "I expect they tried just as much as we did. And it
must be pretty awful for them to realise that they are no real use at
games at all."

He had never thought it possible that anyone with the slightest claims
to respectability could be quite indifferent to athletic success. But
Rudd was, after all, a presentable fellow, and yet he did not mind in
the least.

It was all very strange.

Only by trying to see the points of view of others do we get any real
idea of the trend of human thought. It is quite useless to start life
with fixed standards, and try to bring everyone to realise their
virtues. We must have some standard, it is true, or we should be as
rudderless boats; but it is of paramount importance that our standards
should be sufficiently elastic to include new movements; and not until
we have tried and weighed in the balance, and considered and sifted the
philosophies of others, should we attempt to form a philosophy for
ourselves.

By nature Gordon was arrogant and self-satisfied; but by meeting types
different from himself and in their company gaining glimpses of goals
other than his own, his character was