CHAPTER VIII
A TRANSACTION IN BOOKS
“Hello, Dick, may I use your French dictionary?”
Without waiting for a reply, Tompkins pounced upon the book. It was the fourth time in the last ten days that he had demanded the use of this particular book, while on two other occasions during the same period he had found it convenient to prepare his English versions at Melvin’s desk. If this had been all, Melvin would not have thought of objecting. To some boys ownership in books is but a continued series of lendings and borrowings, mislayings, losings, and findings. In Tompkins, however, this borrowing habit was of sudden and violent development. Similar tales of him had come during the past fortnight from other rooms.
“Haven’t you any books at all?” demanded the senior.
“A few,” replied Tompkins, with his nose in the dictionary.
“Well, haven’t you a French dictionary?”
“If I had, do you suppose I’d want to use yours?”
“You certainly had one once. What’s become of it?”
“Gone,” replied Tompkins, resignedly, turning back to the B’s to find the meaning of a word which he had looked up only a moment before,—“like the meaning of that long adjective I just looked up.”