y I asked him to come.
He's an odd chap and slow to thaw, but there isn't another lawyer in
town, not even in the department, who's got his brains."

"They couldn't have, very well, could they?" evenly.

"I'll admit that was a trifle involved; but you know what I mean. He's
what in an undergraduate they call a grind. The kind biographers describe
as 'hewing forever to the line.' If we live and retain reasonably good
health we'll hear of him some day."

"And I repeat," smilingly, "I've heard of him a great deal already."

Armstrong said nothing, which indicated mild irritation.

"Excuse me, Steve," said the girl, contritely. "I didn't mean to be
sarcastic; that just slipped out. He has acted sort of queer, though,
considering he's your room-mate and--I had that in mind. I am interested,
however, really. Tell me about him."

Armstrong glanced at his companion; his gaze returned to his patent
leather pumps, which he inspected with absent-minded concentration.

"I have told you before, I guess, about all I know. He's a good deal of
an enigma to me, even yet."

"By the way, how did you happen to get acquainted with him, Steve?" From
the manner spoken the question might or might not have been from genuine
interest. "You've never told me that."

"Oh, it just happened, I guess. We were in the collegiate department
together at first." He laughed shortly. "No, it didn't just happen either
after all. I went more than half way--I recognize that now."

The girl said nothing.

"Looking back," continued the man, "I see the reason, too. He fascinated
me then, as he does yet. I've had comparatively an easy enough sort of
life. I was brought up in town, where there was nothing particular for a
boy to do, and when it came college time my father backed me completely.
Darley was the opposite exactly, and he interested me. He was unsocial;
somehow that interested me more. I used to wonder why he was so when I
first knew him; bit by bit I gathered his history and I wondered less.
He's had a rough-and-tumble time of it from a youngster up." The voice
halted suddenly, and the speaker looked at his companion equivocally.
"Still interested, are you, Elice? I don't want to be a bore."

"Yes."

"I'll give you the story then as I've patched it together from time to
time. I suppose he had parents once; but as they never figured, I infer
they died when he was young. He came from the tall meadows out West
straight to the University here.