The Hypocrite

at his friend's traducers-and they were many-had never really got down below the crust of cynicism and surface immorality of mind as he

ace in intellect, but of a blameless lif

wealthy father, he ambled easily through life, enjoying everything, and bein

veryday circumstances, his mind experie

nsciousness-his love for Gobion; and every night he humbly and ear

taring into the fire and talking simply and hopefully about the trials and temptations of a young man's life. Very frankly he had talked with a noblen

they sat alone, and Gobion talked airily with a fa

versation a high purpose and a stainless purity,

value of money, for he would come to him unconcernedly and borrow ten pounds to get out of some

the friend of his soul, albeit that Gobion had had most of his avai

te he lay in bed half dozing, wit

what he would talk about, whether he would wear what he called

ng over the part he would have to play at breakfast, and devising some way of breaking the news of his

bedroom when he noticed that he looked in capital health,

d, but Gobion was nothing if not an art

ting table, and carefully pencilled two dark sepia lines under his eyes, sever

tt's bedroom door opened uncer

jump

to be so slack. I'll be up

I'll go back into th

t they sat for a time in

, the ga

ha

one-ut

do you

ve been in exams, and what a sma

es

e and hopeless, and has taken my name off the book

ever mind, remember we promised to stick to each othe

t some money. I have had some work offered me on

n, you always succeed-look

a p

nty pounds I don't want.

k I will, I owe you too much as it is. I do

d man, you must

l, i

me write you a cheque, you can ca

t his hand and looked him in the face. With wonderful intuition he knew exactly what the other expected,

t to do, but I will have tea here at four and you can come to the station after. My train leaves at 5.30.

e. He strolled up to the bank feeling well fed and happy, and the strangeness of his position induced a plea

ms in Grove Street, where, as he expected, he found

his feet thrust into a venerable pair of dancing pumps with the bows gone, was indignantly

"First this mornin'," he said,

rtevant. These men

When shall

Lane, in three weeks' time, ready for a cam

ren't you afraid of m

risk of that. W

thirty

to the station?

rry off most of their spare cash, I think it would be wiser t

of his favourite phrases, and then raisi

, "the three consonants"; and t

and modest swindle; they had no illusions about each other, but now they a

uch to do to indulge in sentiment. He hoped to

rly knocked down Professor Max Müller, who was carrying a brown paper parcel and walking very fast. The Jap shop-girl in a new hat passed with a smile, and a Christchurch man and rowing blue came out of the "Mi

bion, and he felt strangely moved to think tha

ood there for a moment irresolutely, frowning, and t

a girl sat before the fire with her

sed her. She was a pretty, fresh-looking girl, and would have been prettier s

her on to his knee, smiling at her, and

arms, and began to rattle away in a rather high-pitch

y" (with the accent on the aw) once or twice in nearly every sentence, and it wa

l of hair, thinking what a

ar, I'm go

mean f

aid so,

ered up her forehead. She looked

nderstand,

guvnor has stopped supp

. and we've had such an awfully

began

erplexedly o

I'll write to you and co

.. I l-liked you s-so much bett

fter lunch and arrange things properly. I'm in a

all

ve me a B. and S. I

and went behind the counte

have some fi

naughty li

don't you?"... She looked

ay

had such

ep me going til

oy; well,

ce. Good-bye for t

curtsey. "I shall expec

the door, breathing a sigh o

ut of that," he thought, his cheeks

the worst

ivate chapel of the clergy-hou

innocuous but unnecessary Keble man, and felt incline

ed up-most people's faces

boy? Come in-com

d books littered the floor and chairs, and even invaded two big writing-tables covered with papers. Over the mantelpiece was hung a print of Andrea Mantegna's Adoration o

ood an iron frame, holdin

iests had been in that ro

the various sisterhoods settled, and arrangements made for the

-quarters of what that amusing print The English Churchman wou

Gray said, "You have

answered sadly

s all this? A boy like

p. You know how I have tried to work and lead a decent life; but he won't

or boy!" And the ol

you think you ca

over the first three months. I expect

ou any

avily in debt in

e. You have always been so frank with me, and told me all your troubles

ully good

or five-and-twenty pounds, that will keep you going for a month or two. You kn

very much; I haven't led a very happy life at Oxford, but I have tried ... and you've been

You have not been very bad. Thank God that you are pure and don't drink. God bless you-go out a

people, and the wonderful irrepressible gaiety of the High just before lunch on a fine day cheered him up; and he cashed the second cheque, enj

to college and pac

ings after him. He told his scout he was going down for a few days, and that Mr. Scott of Merton would forward all letters.

position. As far as he could see things were not so very bad; he could probably earn enough by journal

ke into his lungs, smiling at the idea of his morning's work, and won

orbed in our own personality. The clever scoundrel is always an egotist; and

spitting fire, his thoughts turned swiftly into memorie

d led him to pose even to his father and mother; how, when he found out he was clever, he used to lie carefully to conceal hi

ice wholly without remorse, and every now and again he wildly and passionately confessed his sins and turned his back on them, as he thought, for ever.

nd thrilled all the poetry and fervour in him, that he would talk simply and beautifully, and stir his friends into a passion of enthusiasm by his ideals. The gloriousness of youth bound them all together, and in the summer quiet of some old-world college garden the wolf and the lambs held sweet converse, generally in the chosen language of that universit

ene in Europe. Scott's arm in his, and the grey

saw himself as he was. For once he dared to look at his o

r ten men stood on the platform of the

called the "good" set

y pressing him to write and

apers and magazines, and Scott appeared at the door of the r

me most of them saw him. Sadly they said good-

ing Gobion's hand, afraid to speak. Gobion felt a horrible remor

n began

bless you, old un,"

m," said Gobion to himself, lighting a ciga

way, and they s