“Yes, I changed my mind. I came back on an early train. You weren’t in and so I sat down to wait for you; I guess I must have come pretty near to falling asleep. Well, I must go to breakfast.”
Anthony fought for a moment against the restraint which gripped him. When he spoke his tones held the old warmth.
“Nonsense, Jack, stay here and have some with me. I haven’t any fatted calf to kill for you, but I can fry a couple of eggs and give you some good coffee, and——”
“I can’t drink coffee,” Jack answered, “but if you really want me to stay, I’ll be glad to. I—I’d rather not go to training-table this morning.”
“Course I want you to,” answered Anthony. “Why can’t you drink coffee, though?”
“Training.”
“What? Why, coffee never hurt any one; best thing in the world, coffee; strengthening, elevating, enlarging; good for body and brain. But tell me all about your vacation.”
And while Anthony bustled about over his little stove, handling pots and pans with a deftness remarkable in a person usually so awkward, Jack recounted his experiences rather shamefacedly.
“Right about the professor, wasn’t I?” interrupted Anthony once.