“Why,” Dangle said, “the fellow’s a pauper! he can’t even pay for his clubs! His father’s a common fellow, I’m told.”
“Yes, and I heard,” said Brinkman, “his fees up here are paid for him. Why, we might just as well have Bob in the fifteen.”
“A jolly sight better. Bob knows how to be civil.”
“It is a crime to be poor,” said Fullerton. “I hope I shall never commit it.”
“Well,” said Clapperton, ignoring this bit of sarcasm, “if he was well enough off to buy a cake of soap once a term, it wouldn’t be so bad. I believe when he wants a wash he goes down to Mrs Wisdom and borrows a bit of hers.”
“By the way, that reminds me,” said Dangle; “did you fellows ever hear about Mrs Wisdom’s boat? The lout had it out the other day in the rapids, and let it go over the falls, and it got smashed up.”
“What!” exclaimed everybody.
“Do you mean,” said Brinkman, “poor Widow Wisdom has lost her boat owing to that cad? Why, she’ll be ruined? However is she to get a new one?”
“That’s the extraordinary thing,” said Dangle. “It was she told me about it. She says that Rollitt went straight away to the lake and bought her a boat that was for sale there; and she’s got it now down in the lower reach; and it’s a better one than the other.”
“What!” exclaimed Clapperton, incredulously; “Rollitt bought a new boat! Bosh!”