“I have a very small hall bedroom,” I replied wonderingly; “a number of us have the whole of the top floor.”
10Somehow, I must repeat, this unexplained intrusion of a total stranger into my private affairs did not offend.
“Then you must have a big sitting-room. How many of you?”
“Four.”
“Can you lick all the others?”
I stopped to laugh. By some shrewd guess he had hit on our chief difficulty as a community. We were all four country boys with a good deal of residuary energy and high spirits; and we were not popular with the tenants underneath.
“You see I’m pretty big─” I reminded him.
“Yes, I see you are. That’s why I’m with you. Do you think you can lick me?”
I stopped short again, in surprise.
“What in blazes─” I began.