er stayed in his rooms this afternoon to do his essay,
but went to sleep, and never woke up until it was too late to do it,
and then he remembered that you had one which wanted using so he read
it to Edwardes at five o'clock. I wish to goodness he hadn't put it
back in your rooms."

This was too much for me, and although Learoyd looked as miserable as
ever, I had to laugh.

"You wouldn't be so amused if you were in for the row I am," he said,
"they will probably take away my exhibition."

"I am in for exactly the same row," I answered. "I tried to read that
essay to Edwardes after dinner, and he looked as if he was going to
have a fit. I was out of the room in no time."

Then Learoyd and I just sat for two or three minutes and laughed until
he felt ever so much better.

"What are we to do next?" he asked. "After all, it was your essay."

"It was no wonder Edwardes jumped about," I said, "I thought he was
mad."

"So did I, until I saw Collier. But what are we to do?"

"You say you are in a fairly tight hole," I replied.

"Yes," he said, "I have been in for row after row all this term."

"Then I won't claim this wretched essay, and it can't matter to
Collier, because he hasn't got anything which the dons can take away."

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Why, Collier has got to tell Edwardes he borrowed the thing, and I
shall sit tight, so they will naturally think it is yours."

"I can't stand that," he replied.

"Why not?" I asked. "They won't do anything desperate to me, and of
course Collier won't mind at all."

I talked until I thought that Learoyd saw how much better my
arrangement was than anything he could suggest, and although he would
not promise to do what I proposed, I thought that I had arranged
everything when I left him. But Learoyd was not the sort of man who
would get out of a row by sacrificing any one else, and on the
following morning both he and Collier went to Edwardes and told him
exactly what had happened. It was very nice of them to do it, but it
deprived me of the comfortable feeling of having done Learoyd a really
good turn, and brought me to the ground again rather too abruptly to
please me. So having been kicked out of the room for nothing, I went
at once to Edwardes and tried to convey to him, as one man would to
another, that I would forget his treatment of me if he would let off
Collier and Learoyd, but especially Learoyd, as lightly as possible.
That mission of mi