“I’d give my very head to be in your place,” sighed Ted. It chafed his spirit to think of the German Universities and Libraries, travel, mixing with clever men, being wasted on this unwilling [225] ]young Goth, while he must go hungry for them all his days.
“I’d give—your head—too,” was little Alf’s answer, made staccato for safety.
“But you really are a lucky young dog, you know,” Clif said; “a fortune to your hand—two fortunes perhaps! I wish I’d had a cherubic smile, Alf, and a love-curl, and eyes of blue when the old gentleman and the little wisp of a lady came along.”
“Look here,” said Alf, and he got up and tumbled his heap of books as usual into the book-cupboard, “I’ve promised the Pater I’ll go, but I’ve got another month to have fun in, and if any one speaks to me about that dirty German sausage place I’ll fight him.”
Then they separated for bed.
[226]
]CHAPTER XXI
‘GOOD-BYE, GOOD-BYE!’
“Now is not this ridiculous?
Now is not this preposterous?
A thorough-paced absurdity.
Explain it if you can.”