And so they talked on till they reached college, and then
dispersed to their rooms to wash and dress and met again in
Drysdale's rooms, where supper was awaiting them.

Again Hardy did not appear. Drysdale sent a scout to his rooms,
who brought back word that he could not find him; so Drysdale set
to work to do the honors of his table and enjoyed the pleasure of
tempting the crew with all sorts of forbidden hot liquors, which
he and the rest of the non professionals imbibed freely. But with
Miller's eye on them, and the example of Diogenes and the Captain
before them, the rest of the crew exercised an abstemiousness
which would have been admirable, had it not been in a great
measure compulsory.

It was a great success, this supper at Drysdale's, although
knocked up at an hour's notice. The triumph of their boat, had,
for the time, the effect of warming up and drawing out the
feeling of fellowship, which is the soul of college life. Though
only a few men besides the crew sat down to supper, long before
it was cleared away men of every set in the college came in, in
the highest spirits, and the room was crowded. For Drysdale sent
round to every man in the college with whom he had a speaking
acquaintance, and they flocked in and sat where they could, and
men talked and laughed with neighbors, with whom, perhaps, they
had never exchanged a word since the time when they were freshmen
together.

Of course there were speeches, cheered to the echo, and songs, of
which the choruses might have been heard in the High-street. At a
little before eleven, nevertheless, despite the protestations of
Drysdale, and the passive resistance of several of their number,
Miller carried off the crew, and many of the other guests went at
the same time, leaving their host and a small circle to make a
night of it.

Tom went to his room in high spirits, humming the air of one of
the songs he had just heard; but he had scarcely thrown his gown
on a chair when a thought struck him, and he ran down stairs
again and across to Hardy's rooms.

Hardy was sitting with some cold tea poured out, but untasted,
before him, and no books open--a very unusual thing with him at
night. But Tom either did not or would not notice that there was
anything unusual.

He seated himself and began gossiping away as fast as he could,
without looking much at the other. He began by recounting all the
complimentary things which had been said by Miller and others of
Ha