“Rather not. I’ve been licking a young cad, that’s all.”
“Well, you don’t look as if you enjoyed it, anyhow. Has Tempest come back?”
“No—probably he’s expelled,” said I, determined to have things as miserable as possible.
“I sincerely hope not,” said Crofter, in a tone which quite softened me to him. “He doesn’t like me, but I’d be sorry if he left, all the same.”
“He thinks you and Jarman would like to see him kicked out. That’s the one reason why he might stay on.”
Crofter laughed sweetly.
“What a notion! Why, I’ve had a good mind to go to England myself and stick up for him.”
“It’s a good job you haven’t,” said I.
“What I’m afraid is, that he is worried about other things. I hope, by the way, you never said anything about what I told you the other day.”
“No,” said I, not quite candidly. For I had tried to tell Tempest, but he would not let me.