rnestly. "But in experience I'm
years older than you."

"That must be why you're such a rotten field," commented Alan. "After
forty the joints get stiff."

"Oh, chuck being funny," said Michael severely. "I'm in earnest. Now you
know as well as I do that last term and the term before I was miserable.
Well, look at me now. I'm absolutely happy."

"I thought you were so frightfully depressed," said Alan, twinkling. "I
thought you'd had an unlucky love affair. It seems to take you
differently from the way it takes most people."

"Oh, of course, I _was_ miserable," Michael explained. "But now I'm
happy in her happiness. That's love."

Alan burst out laughing, and Michael observed that if he intended to
receive his confidences in such a flippant way, he would in future take
care to be more secretive.

"I'm showing you what a lot I care about you," Michael went on in tones
of deepest injury, "by telling you about myself. I think it's rather
rotten of you to laugh."

"But you've told everybody," Alan pointed out.

Michael took another tack, and explained to Alan that he wanted the spur
of his companionship in everything.

"It would be so ripping if we were both in love," he sighed. "Honestly,
Alan, don't you feel I'm much more developed since last term? I say, you
played awfully well yesterday against Dulford Second. If you go on
improving at the rate you are now, I don't see why you shouldn't get
your Blue at Oxford. By Jove, you know, in eighteen months we shall be
at Oxford. Are you keen?"

"Frightfully keen," said Alan. "Especially if I haven't got to be in
love all the time."

"I'm not going to argue with you any more," Michael announced. "But
you're making a jolly big mistake. Still, of course, I do understand
about your cricket, and I dare say love might make you a bit boss-eyed.
Perhaps when footer begins again next term, I shall get over this
perpetual longing I have for Kathleen. You've no idea how awful I felt
when she said she loved Trimble. He was rather a bounder too, but of
course I had to help them. I say, Alan, do you remember Dora and
Winnie?"

"Rather," said Alan, smiling. "We made pretty good asses of ourselves
over them. Do you remember how fed up Nancy got?"

So, very easily the conversation drifted into reminiscences of earlier
days, until the sky was quilted with rose-tipped pearly clouds. Then
they swung a Japanese lantern in the prow and worked up-stream towards
Richmond clustering d