*

Principal Stanton sent for me, the second day after my arrival.

"I wanted to have a long talk with you before you got settled, Gregory."

His steely, blue eyes gleamed through his gold-rimmed eyeglasses.

"Sit down."

And we had a talk lasting over an hour ... about religion mainly. He was
surprised to learn that I knew a lot about the early Church fathers, had
read Newman, and understood the Oxford controversy ... had read many of
the early English divines....

"Gregory," he cried, putting his hand on my knee, "what a power for God
you would be, if you would only give over your eccentricities and
become a Christian ... a chap with your magnetism--in spite of your
folly!--"

He impressed on me the fact, that, now I was a senior, more would be
expected of me ... that the younger boys would look up to me, as they
did to all seniors, and I must be more careful of my deportment before
them ... my general conduct....

He asked me what I intended making of myself.

"A poet!" I exclaimed.

He spread his hands outward with a gesture of despair.

"Of course, one can write poetry if necessary ... but what career are
you choosing?"

"The writing of poetry."

"But, my dear Gregory, one can't make a living by that ... and one must
live."

"Why must one live?" I replied fervently, "did Christ ever say 'One must
live'?"

"Gregory, you are impossible," laughed Stanton heartily, "but we're all
rather fond of you ... and we want you to behave, and try to graduate.
Though we can't tell just what you might do in after-life ... whether
you'll turn out a credit to the School or not."

"Professor Stanton, I have a favour to ask of you before I go," I asked,
standing.

"Yes?" and he raised his eyebrows.

"I want to know if I can have that room alone, over the platform, in
Recitation Hall."

"You'll have to ask Professor Dunn about that ... he has charge of
room-transfers ... but why can't you room as the other students do?... I
don't know whether it is good for you, to let you live by yourself ...
you're already different enough from the other boys ... what you need is
more human companionship, Gregory, not less."

"I want to do a lot of writing. I want to be alone to think. I plan to
read Westcott and Hort's Greek New Testament all through, again, this
winter." ... This was a sop to his religious sentiment. I related how I
had first read the New Testament in the Greek, while on a cattle-boat,
in the China Se