The San Francisco call., 1905-06-04

recollect. Remember 1t, Bunny? Well,
wait a bit, and perhaps III be able to do
you better one. Give me time to think. -
He got up. lit fresh cigarette and fell
to pacing the room once more, but with
a slower and more thoughtful step, and
for much longer period than before.
Twice he stopped at my chair as though
on the point of speaking. but each time
he checked himself and resumed his
stride in silence. Once he threw up the
window. which he had shut some time,
and stood for some moments leaning out
into the fog which filled the Albany
courtyard. Meanwhile a clock on the
chimpeypiece struck one, and one again
for the half-hour, without a word be-
tween US.
Yet I not only kept my chair with pa
tience but l acquired an incongruous
equanimity in that half hour Insensibly
/ had shifted my burden TO the broad
shoulders of this sp1eadid friend, and my
thoughts wandered with my eyes as the
minutes passed. The room was the good
sized square one, with the folding doors.
the marble mantelpiece. and the gloomy,
old fashioned distinction peculiar to the
Albany. 1t was charmingly furnished and
arranged. with the right amount of negli-
gence and the right amount of taste.
What struck me most, however. was the
absence OF the usual insignia of a crick-
eter's den. Instead of the conventional
rack OF war-worn bats. a carved oak
bookcase. with every shelf in a litter.
filed the better part of the wall: and
where / looked for cricketing groups l
found reproductions of such works as
Love and Death and THE Blessed
Damozel," in dusty frames and different
parallels. The man might have been
minor poet instead Of an athlete OF the
first water. But there had always been
a fine streak of estheticism In his COM
pIex composition. Some of these very
pictures had myself busted in his study
at school: and they set me thinking OF
yet another of his many sides--and of the
little incidents to which he had just re-
ferred.
Everybody knows how largely the tone
of a public school depends on that Of the
eleven and on the character of the cap
tain of cricket in particular; and have
never heard 1t denied that in A. J. Raf-
hes' time our tone was good. or that
such influence as he troubled to exert
was on the side of the angels. Yet IL was
whispered in the school that he was in
the habit of parading the town at night
in loud checks and false beard. 1t was
whispered and disbelieved. / alone knew
it for a fact. for night after night had
pulled the rope up after him when the
rest of the dormitory were asleep. and
kept awake by the hour to let it down
again on given signal. Well, one night
he was over bold and within an ace of
ignominicus expulsion In the heyday OF his
fame Consummate daring and extraor-
binary nerve on his part, aided doabt-
less by some little presence OF mind on
mine, averted that untoward results and
no more need be said of discreditable
incident But ! caunot pretend to have
forgotten it in throwing myself on this
mans mercy in my desperation. And
was wondering how much of his Ieniency
was owing to the fact that Raffies had
not forgotten it either. when he stopped
and stood over my chair once more.
i've been thinking of that night we
had the narrow squeak" he began.
why do YOU start7''
ST was thinking OF 1t. too
He smiled, as though he had read my
thoughts.
'sWell. you were the right sort of little
beggar then. Bunny; you didn't talk and
you didn't finch. You asked no ques-
tions and you told no tales. / wonder If
you're like that now?'