“I tell you I don’t care whom you ‘only’ told. It’s ‘only’ all over the school. And it’s not the ‘only’ time you’ve behaved dishonourably.”
“I don’t understand you,” said Walter, who was rapidly getting into as great a passion as Kenrick.
“Betraying confidence is almost as bad as breaking open desks, and burning—” Such a taunt, coming from Kenrick, was base and cruel, and he knew it to be so.
“Thank you for the allusion,” said Walter; “I deserve it, I own, but I’m surprised, Kenrick, that you, of all others; should make it. That, I admit, was an act of sin and strange folly for which I must always feel humiliated, and implore to be forgiven. And every generous person has long ago forgiven me and forgotten it. But in this case, if you weren’t in such a silly rage, I could show you that I’ve done nothing wrong. Only I know you wouldn’t listen now, and I shan’t condescend—”
“Condescend! I like that,” said Kenrick, interrupting him with a scornful laugh, which made Walter’s blood tingle. “You condescend to me, forsooth.” Higher words might have ensued, but at this moment Henderson, still pursued by Whalley, came running up, and seeing that something had gone wrong, he said to Kenrick—
“Hallo, Damon! what has Pythias been saying to you?”
Kenrick vouchsafed no answer, but turning his back on them, went off abruptly.
“He’s very angry with you, Evson,” said Whalley, “because he thinks you’ve been telling Jones and that lot his family secrets.”
“I’ve done nothing whatever of the kind,” said Walter, indignantly. “I admit that I did thoughtlessly mention it to Power; and one other overheard me. It never occurred to me for a moment that Kenrick would mind. You know I wouldn’t dream of speaking about it ill-naturedly, and if that fellow wasn’t blind with rage I could have explained it to him in about five minutes.”
“If you merely mentioned it to Power, I’m sure Kenrick would not so much mind. I’ll tell him about it when he’s cooler,” said Whalley.