Then awkwardly, haltingly, he told the story.
“Of course I see now what I should have done,” he said in conclusion. “I ought to have insisted that my name shouldn’t be voted on—I ought to have withdrawn it—even if it meant telling people why. David’s almost too good a friend; he’s so kind and sympathetic; he didn’t want me to do that. And I was too willing to see things as he saw them.”
“Perhaps,” assented Mr. Dean, “and perhaps David gave you wrong advice. But somehow I should have been sorry if David had talked or acted in any other way. If I had been in David’s place, I hope that I should have done as he did.”
“But I can’t bear it now,” cried Lester. “Farrar’s coming to congratulate me because the best man won—and his admitting he was disappointed because he didn’t win! I tried to cheat you in that Latin class, I cheated David out of his theme, and I cheated the professor I handed the theme to, I’ve cheated Farrar out of the honor he deserved—but I’m not going to—I’m not going to! I want you to stiffen my backbone for me, Mr. Dean!”
“Why, my boy,” said Mr. Dean, much affected by the emotion in Lester’s voice, “I don’t believe it needs any stiffening from me.”
“Oh, it does. I’m weak, but I am going to try never to be so weak again. And I want to make things right with Farrar. Don’t you think I ought to? Don’t you think I ought to resign and make the class have a new election in which my name shouldn’t be considered?”
“I think,” said Mr. Dean, “that you ought to do the thing that will best satisfy your own conscience. Yes, I think that in the circumstances you ought to resign.”
“That, I know, is the way my roommate feels about it. Do you think that in resigning I ought to tell why?”
“I should think that might not be necessary; it may be enough if you merely say that for certain definite reasons you are not entitled to the honor and that you wish to resign in favor of a man who is entitled to it. Of course you may be pressed to give the reasons. If you are, you will have to decide, I think, whether to tell the whole story or not.”
“I know I’m a coward; I hope it won’t be necessary.”