“I’ve only a few minutes, Reggie, old boy,” said Tony, at last. “I am leaving in an hour and I am only half packed. I’ve got to say good-bye.”
Carroll turned at this: a pathetic smile was on his lips. “It has come so suddenly, boy ... it’s kind of taken the wind out of my sails.” He came over then and took Tony’s hand in his. “Tonio, ... I can’t say good-bye.... You’ll write to me ... you will come back surely.... I’ll be at Kingsbridge and often back at school.”
“I hope so, Reggie.”
“You don’t know, boy,” Reggie went on, still holding Tony’s hand, “I can’t tell you what your being here has meant for me—you and Bill. We haven’t seen each other much this year, and I reckon I’ve often seemed to you a poor sort of friend ... but, to put it poetically, old chap, ... the light o’ my heart goes out with you.”
Tony gripped the hand in his tightly at this. There was a lump in his throat too.
“Good-bye, Reggie.... I will write, and you be sure to write to me. Tell me all that’s going on.... Have an eye on Finch, will you? Poor duffer!”
“Poor duffer, indeed!” said Carroll, and then added, “Poor me!” Their hands clasped tightly, and then Tony was gone.
Reggie stood for a long time just as Tony had left him. “One by one the lamps go out,” he murmured, quoting a line from one of his own verses. He sighed. “So runs, so runs the world away....” There was a queer sharp pain at his heart. He sat down at last and opened his Horace again, and began to read, but the words conveyed no sense to his mind. He threw his arms out once, and whispered softly, pathetically, “Oh, Tony, Tony.... God bless you, boy; God bless you!”
Back in Number Five Jimmie and Tony were absorbed in the last stages of the packing. Morris, to whom Tony had explained the occasion of his going, had come in and was helping them. And his presence went a great way to cheer them up, for Morris refused for an instant, even in his own mind, to consider the possibility of Deering not coming back. He eased off their good-byes, and sent Lawrence over to cheer up Carroll, whom he knew would feel it more than the rest, for it was good-bye to Tony for him as he was in the Sixth and would be at Kingsbridge next year when Tony returned.