ard. "It was
rather a dirty trick, but he was charming all the time. We seem to
have toured half England during the afternoon. And it was a capital
dinner. He brought the wine with him, the red wine of Burgundy, my
boy. And I was looking forward to some of that very special liqueur
brandy. He never travels without that. And now you've robbed me of
it."

The cold, fresh air coming on top of the red wine of Burgundy made
Chard more talkative than usual.

At five minutes past eight the debating hall of the Union Society was
not merely full: it was crammed with an unparalleled audience.
Normally a large crowd would have come to hear Chard: a dense crowd
would have come to hear Bavin. But Bavin versus Chard! It was unique.
And Chard was so reliable! He never failed on such occasions: he had
his impromptus ready and his answers well rehearsed.

But to the charms of oratory had been added this evening the
fascination of mystery. Rumour has swift wings in such a community as
a university, and already it was on everyone's lips that a colossal
'rag' had taken place, that Chard wouldn't be there for the occasion of
his life, that he had been kidnapped.

So those who didn't want to hear either Chard or Bavin had come to see
if Chard was going to turn up. All along the benches sat serried
multitudes of members, whispering, chattering, perspiring. Along all
those rows of faces, black and brown, yellow and white, spectacled and
pimpled, ugly and less ugly, there gleamed expectancy. And by the
doorway and up the gangways there jostled and pushed an ever-growing
crowd of curious young men. Perhaps they wanted to see Bavin:
certainly they yearned, they most definitely yearned, to know the truth
about Chard.

At last the officers filed in amid applause. One almost forgot to look
at Bavin, such was the eagerness to see if Chard had really vanished.
There was a loud murmur of surprise. He certainly was not there. Man
said to man: "I told you so. They've nabbed him."

"In the absence of the Junior Librarian," said the President, "I call
upon the Junior Treasurer to bring forward the weekly list of books."

That was all: no hint as to indisposition, no suggestion of Chard's
adventure. There were the usual jokes. Of course people asked about
Chard. The President said that he knew nothing of the Junior
Librarian. He trusted he would appear in time for his speech. And
when he read out the motion before the house