happiness only with one's friends. There was Westby, aggrieved and
hostile; there was Carroll, sitting next to him, the queer, quizzical,
silent youth, with whom Irving had been entirely unable to establish any
relation of intimacy; no, there were no boys at his table with whom he
was intimate enough to appeal for their interest and congratulations.
And feeling this, he shrank from communicating the news,--though he felt
sure that even Westby, who was going to Harvard the next year, might be
interested in it; he shrank from anything like boasting. He found an
outlet soon; Barclay came to see him that evening.

"I looked for you this afternoon, after the giving out of the prizes,"
said Barclay. "But I couldn't find you."

"No, I didn't wait for that. Did you make a speech? I heard the boys
laughing and cheering as I came away."

"Oh, yes, I got off a few stale jokes and some heavy-footed persiflage.
It went well enough.--But I looked for you afterwards because I felt I
may have seemed rather short when you came up; the truth is, I was
racking my brain at that moment; Scarborough had just sprung the fact on
me that I must make the speech."

"Oh, it was all right," said Irving. "I'm sorry to have bothered you at
such a time. I was just a little agitated because Westby was rather
angry over being penalized in the hundred--"

"So I hear. Well, it was hard luck in a way--but after all you had a
perfect right to penalize him; he did foul, and he ought to be sport
enough to take the consequences."

"I suppose it wouldn't have been--it wouldn't be possible to run the race
over?"

"Certainly not. Besides, Westby has no right to say that if he'd started
even with Flack, he'd have beaten him. It's true that he gained half a
yard on Flack in the race; but it's also true that Flack knew he had
that much leeway. There's no telling how much more Flack might have done
if he'd had to. So if Westby says anything to me, I shall tell him just
that."

"I feel sorry about the thing anyway. I'm sorry I made a mess of it--as
usual."

"Oh, cheer up; it's not going to do you any harm with the fellows. A
little momentary flash from Westby and Morrill--"

"No, I wasn't thinking of myself."

"You weren't!" The bluntness of Barclay's exclamation of astonishment
caused Irving to blush, and Barclay himself, realizing what he had
betrayed to Irving's perception, looked embarrassed. But Irving
laughed.

"I don't wonder you're surprised.