s to cut
out all competitors for the Perry, but the shackles of his old serfdom
were still about him. When he showed signs of being restive to the old
claims, and recommended Cotton to do his own classics and mathematics,
Cotton coolly and calmly demanded repayment of sundry loans contracted of
old. Todd had not the pluck to face a term of plain living and high
thinking by paying his former patron all he owed him and exhausting all
his present tip by so doing, but flabbily, though discontentedly, caved
in, and became Cotton's jackal as before.

Cotton was by no means as bad as his endearing name might make you think.
He was a tall, heavy fellow, with a large, determined-looking face. He was
wonderfully stupid in the schools, but was quite clever enough to know it.
He had some good qualities. He was straight enough in all extra-school
affairs, did not lie, nor fear any one; kept his word, and expected you to
keep yours.

"You can't beat Hodgson of the Sixth, Gus, so what is the good of sweating
all the term? Hodgson's got the deuce of a pull over you to start with."

"I'm not frightened of Hodgson if you wouldn't bother, Jim."

"Can't do without you, old cock. You're just the fellow to lift my Latin
and those filthy mathematics high enough out of the mud to keep the beaks
from worrying me to death. I tried Philips for a week, but he did such
weird screeds in the 'unseens' that Merishall smelt a rat, and was most
particular attentive to me, but your leverage is just about my fighting
weight."

Gus had sniffed discontentedly at this dubious compliment; but Cotton had
smiled stolidly, and continued to use Gus as his classical and
mathematical hack. Besides, there was something about Gus's easy-going
lackadaisical temperament which exactly suited Cotton, and he felt for his
grumbling jackal a friendliness apart from Gus's usefulness to him.

This afternoon had been a fair sample of Todd's usual half-holiday.
Feeling no heart for any serious work for the Perry, he had spent it in
reading half a worthless novel, and skimming through a magazine, and
feeling muddled and discontented in consequence. He had the uneasy feeling
that he was an arrant ass in thus fooling time away, but had not
sufficient self-denial to seize upon a quiet afternoon for a little
genuine work.

Cotton soon returned from his bath, and the two cronies spent about an
hour in getting up the least modicum of their classics which would satisfy
Merishal