careful!"

"And so I was, Darsie! Give you my word, I was. For the first half of
the term I never got anything worse than three penny fines. It isn't a
deadly thing to stay out after ten. And I was so jolly careful--never
was so careful in my life. But just the night when it was most
important I must needs be caught. You can't expect a fellow to get away
from a big evening before twelve. But that's what it ended in--a big
jaw, throwing up all my past misdeeds, and being sent down. Now you can
slang away."

But Darsie made no attempt to "slang." With every word that had been
uttered her feelings of helplessness had increased. Ralph had
apparently made little difference in his ways; he had only been more
careful not to be found out! At the very moment when she had been
congratulating herself, and boasting of the good results of her
friendship, this crowning disgrace had fallen upon him. No wonder Dan
had been silent; no wonder that he had looked upon her with that long,
questioning gaze! The thought of Dan was singularly comforting at this
moment--strong, silent, loyal Dan, going forth valiantly to the battle
of life. Darsie's little face took on a pinched look; she shivered, and
drew the thin scarf more tightly round her. Her silence, the suffering
written on her face, hit Ralph more hardly than any anger; for the first
time something deeper than embarrassment showed itself in face and
voice.

"For pity's sake, Darsie, speak! Say something! Don't sit there and
look at me like that."

"But, Ralph, what is there to say?" Darsie threw out her arms with a
gesture of hopelessness. "I've talked so often, been so eloquent,
believed so much! If this is the outcome, what more can be said?"

"I _have_ tried! I _did_ want to please you!"

"By not being found out! It's not much comfort, Ralph, to feel that
I've encouraged you in deception. And all those nights when you stayed
out late, were you betting as usual--getting into debt?"

Ralph frowned.

"I've been beastly unlucky, never knew such a persistent run. That's
the dickens of it, Darsie. I haven't dared to tell the Governor yet,
but I positively must get hold of the money before the tenth. I'm bound
to pay up by then. It's a debt of honour."

Darsie's red lip curled over that word. She sat stiff and straight in
her seat, not deigning a reply. Ralph appeared to struggle with himself
for several moments, before he said urgently--

"The ma