bit of a fool, do you know!"

This unexpected announcement, coming from this unexpected quarter,
naturally astonished me. "What do you mean?"

"Oh," said he, still rather embarrassed, "it's no concern of mine at
all, but when you came here about a year ago you were rather a nice
boy."

"Well," said I, not knowing exactly whether to be pleased or vexed.

"Well, you're not a nice boy now, you know!" I said nothing. I knew he
was right, and his abrupt words struck home harder than he thought for.
When Jack Smith, the night before, had called me a liar and a coward, I
had fired up angrily. But when the rackety Doubleday now told me I
wasn't a nice boy, I somehow felt a sudden pang of shame and humility
that was quite new to me.

"I suppose you're going to flare up," continued Doubleday, noticing my
silence, "when you've pumped up the words. I'll wait."

"No, no," said I, not looking up. "Go on."

"It doesn't concern me a bit how you and your precious friend get on,"
pursued my companion, cutting a quill pen, "and I see you're not in the
same boat now by any means. But that's no reason why you should make a
regular all-round ass of yourself in the way you're doing."

I looked up inquiringly. "I don't quite understand," I said, meekly.

"Well, I suppose you don't exactly imagine you've anything to be proud
of over last night's performances?" said he.

"No, I was ashamed of myself for that," I said.

"Humph! I suppose you'd come again to-night and do the same thing if I
asked you?"

I hesitated. "I don't think--" I began, but there pulled up. I knew
well enough I _would_ go if he asked me.

"Of course you would," said he; "you'd go anywhere. Just because a
fellow a peg above you asks you, _you'll_ go and make a fool of yourself
and risk every chance you've got, because you've not the pluck to make
yourself disagreeable!"

How true it all was! Yet why had I never seen it before?

"I'm afraid--I'm sure you're right," I said.

"I don't flatter myself," went on Doubleday, beginning on a new quill,
"I'm very particular. I dare say I'm about as rackety a lot as any
you'd pick up near here. But somehow I've no fancy for seeing a fellow
going to the dogs out of sheer folly. It spoils my pleasure, in fact."

"I have been a fool, I know," I said.

"Of course you have, and so you will be unless you kick. Well, I'm off
now," added he, taking up his hat. "I dare say I've offended you, and
you'll call