is unpleasant interrogations. Michael
longed for Alan that together they might rag this worm who wriggled so
obscenely into the secret places of a boy's mind.

"Science is all the go nowadays," said Garrod. "And Science is what we
want. Science and Religion. Some think they don't go together. Don't
they? I think they do then."

"I hate science," said Michael. "Except for doctors, of course--I
suppose they've got to have it," he added grudgingly. "At St. James' the
Modern fellows are nearly always bounders."

"But don't you want to know what your body's made of?" demanded Garrod.

"I don't want to be told. I know quite enough for myself."

"Well, would you like to read----"

"No, I don't want to read anything," interrupted Michael.

"But have you read----"

"The only books I like," expostulated Michael, "are the books I find for
myself."

"But you aren't properly educated."

"I'm at a public school," said Michael proudly.

"Yes, and public schools have got to go very soon."

"Who says so?" demanded Michael fiercely.

"We say so. The people."

"The people?" echoed Michael. "What people? Why, if public schools were
done away with we shouldn't have any gentlemen."

"You're getting off of the point," said Garrod. "You don't understand
what I'm driving at. You're a fellow I took a fancy to right off, as you
might say. I don't want to see you ruin your health, for the want of
the right word at the right moment. Oh, yes, I know."

"Look here," said Michael bluntly, "I don't want to be rude, but I don't
want to talk about this any more. It makes me feel beastly."

"False modesty is the worst thing we've got to fight against," declared
Garrod.

So the argument continued, while all the time the zealous young man
would fling darts of information that however much Michael was unwilling
to receive them generally stuck fast. Michael was relieved when Garrod
passed on his way, and he vowed to himself never to run the risk of
meeting him again.

The visit of Garrod opened for Michael a door to uneasy speculation. At
his private school he had known the hostility of 'cads,' and later on he
had been aware of the existence of 'bounders'; the cads were always
easily defeated by force of arms, but this sudden attack upon his
intimacy by a bounder was disquieting and difficult to deal with. He
resented Garrod's iconoclasm, resented it furiously in retrospect,
wishing that he had parried more icily his impudent thrusts;