“‘Hail, the conquering hero comes!’” chanted Jimmy when Monty pushed open the door of Number 14 Lothrop after supper that night.
“I’ve done my best for many years
And tried to hide my fame,
But now the glorious secret’s out:
And Hero is my name!”
Monty shied a book at him. “I’m going to lick someone pretty quick,” he threatened, “if I hear any more of this name business.” But the threat didn’t sound convincing, and Jimmy, as he rescued the battered book, only grinned. Dud ostentatiously dusted a chair and pushed it forward, and Leon, who had followed Monty into the room, accepted it, murmuring graciously: “So kind of you, I’m shuah!” But Dud fell on him indignantly and he was glad to slide, squealing, to the floor. When order had been restored Jimmy demanded a full and explicit description of how it felt to be a school hero.
“I suppose you have a sort of a glow, eh? A—a feeling of—of exaltation. It must be fine to float around over the heads of us lesser dubs——”
“Cut out the low comedy stuff, Jimmy,” begged Monty. “I came up here for a dime’s worth of sympathy and all you hand me is a lot of silly guff.”
“Sorry, dearie. Come across with the sob stuff. What’s blighting your young life?”