“Tom Dyer. He’s my room-mate. Plays right half, you know.”
“No, I’ve never met him.”
“Well, you must. He’s a good sort.” Then Loring’s face grew suddenly sad and he shook his head. “There’s only one thing wrong with Tom,” he said dejectedly. “He’s an Oxford fellow. But it wasn’t really his fault, Vinton, and you must try not to hold it against him. They got hold of him when he was young and innocent and regularly kidnapped him. We don’t speak of it here, and I only mentioned it so that you might avoid the subject. He’s dreadfully touchy about it.”
Dan promised gravely not to allude to the matter in Dyer’s presence and Loring brightened again.
“That’s right, find a decent chair,” he said. “Now, let’s see. Here’s paper and an envelope. Can you write with a fountain pen? I prefer them myself, they’re so nice and messy. This is a non-leakable one, you know, so look out for the ink. I’ve worn out two hunks of pumice stone already this fall. And here’s a stamp. It seems to have been at one time attached to a letter and subsequently rescued. But I’ve got some paste somewhere.”
“But what shall I say?” asked Dan.
“Eh? Oh, anything you like; there’s no fixed form for accepting, you know. You might just say that you accept with pleasure the invitation of Cambridge Debating Society, and let it go at that. I forget just what I wrote, but it was short and sweet. If you like you might add: ‘P. S. Down with Oxford,’ but I don’t know that it is necessary. That’s the ticket. Now here’s your envelope.”
“Thanks. Let’s see, Loring, is there one or two f’s in Oxford?”
“Here! What are you doing!” yelled the other. “Please don’t joke; my nerves aren’t what they were when I was young. That’s all right. Now we’ll just drop this into the box in front of Oxford, and then you can eat your supper with a clear conscience. My boy, when I think of what you escaped—” Words appeared to fail him. “But it’s all right now, it’s all right now. Bear up, Vinton.”
Dan was bearing up beautifully, and continued to do so for half an hour longer while they discussed the subject uppermost in all minds, football.