"See here, 'fresh,'" he said thickly, "I owe you an explanation. I don't want the other fellows to see me giving it to you. Come on, walk along with me."
At the corner, out of range of the windows of his fraternity house, he began his hurried, jumbling speech.
"I could see," he said, "how uncomfortable they made you. They tried to be decent, honestly they did. But they—they've never had—never had to entertain a—one of your sort before, don't you see? We—we don't ever take—well, it's all my fault. I'm so darn near-sighted that I didn't realize. I couldn't see—I didn't know—"
He could not go on, for his dull, honest face was fearfully distressed.
"What didn't you know?" I demanded.
"That you were—now, don't get sore, because I like Jews as much as any folks—and I can't see why we don't take them in our fraternity. Only—"
"Only you didn't realize I was a Jew," I said hotly.
"That's it—I'm so near-sighted that I—"
I did not wait for his stammered finish. I went swiftly away and home, my heart well-nigh bursting.