Hugh with the frankness of his admiration. Norry’s hero-worship had always embarrassed him, but he did n’t like it when the worshiper began to criticize. He admitted the justness of the criticism, but it hurt him just the same. Perching on a pedestal had been uncomfortable but a little thrill¬ ing; sitting on the ground and gazing up at his perch was rather humiliating. The fall had bruised him; and Norry, with the best intentions in the world, was kicking the bruises.
Nevertheless, he felt better after the talk, deter¬ mined to win back Norry’s esteem and his own. He swore off smoking and drinking and stuck to his oath. He told Vinton that if he brought any more liquor to their room one of them was going to be carried out, and that he had a hunch that it would be Vinton. Vinton gazed at him with round eyes and believed him. After that he did his drinking elsewhere, confiding to his cronies that Carver was on the wagon and that he had got as religious as holy hell. “He won’t let me drink in my. own room,” he wailed dolorously. And then with a sudden burst of clairvoyance, he added, “I guess his girl has given him the gate.
For weeks the campus buzzed with talk about the Prom. A dozen men who had been detected flagrante delicto were summarily expelled. Many others who had been equally guilty were in a con¬ stant state of mental goose-flesh. Would the next
