“You bet he doesn’t,” agreed Stuart.
“I’m glad to know that you would go back if it wasn’t for that,” said Neil. “You would, wouldn’t you?”
“I suppose so,” replied the other doubtfully. Then, seeing Neil’s puzzled look, he added quickly: “Of course I would!”
Neil’s face cleared and he smiled. “That’s the ticket! That’s what I wanted to be sure of!”
“Seems to me you’re mightily interested all of a sudden,” said Stuart dubiously. “I don’t see that it makes much difference what the reason is.”
“It makes all the difference in the world,” replied Neil earnestly. “Anyway, it does to me. You see, Stuart, I’ve thought all along that you ought to forget your—your differences with the coach and the others and just remember that the team needed you. And I guess I’ve blamed you when I oughtn’t to have. I thought it was just hurt pride that kept you away. Now I find that you had a pretty good reason. Don’t you see?”
Stuart thoughtfully stuck his military brushes together and nodded. “I see,” he answered. “You ready?” At the door he added: “You’re a queer idiot, old Neil!”
After breakfast Neil was missing and Stuart went across to Meigs to put in the time before church with Jack. Since Jack’s roommate was Stearns Wilson, Stuart had carefully avoided Number 17 of late, but now, since Jud McColl had eliminated his only excuse for being down on Wilson, there was no reason for staying away. Wilson, however, wasn’t in this morning, as it proved, and Stuart and Jack had the room to themselves. Something of the old intimacy between the two was lacking, it seemed, and the talk, if not exactly constrained, wasn’t like the talks they used to have. Stuart assured himself several times that he held no resentment against Jack, but the fact remained that somewhere there was a fly in the amber of their friendship. Stuart didn’t remain in Number 17 until church time, but left after a half hour or so, feeling oddly relieved when he had closed the door behind him, and returned to Lacey. Neil was still absent, and Stuart, selecting a magazine and throwing himself on the window seat, wondered where the dickens he could be.
If by some magic power he could have seen Neil at that moment he would have been very greatly surprised.