that tnissive,would have filled him with a wealth of joy and pride.
But now—he was merely conscious of good fortune, and of no
other emotion. While he sat there, idly dreaming, a shadow fell
athwart the seat, and a muffled step sounded on the sward.
Muirkirk never looked up until a hand grasped his and pressed it
warmly, at the same time that a voice said,
" Muirkirk, that was a magnificent game that you played to
day. Pm sorry that my congratulations come so late, but they
are sincere for all that. Truth is, I couldn't see you sooner, so I
took the other alternative and saw you later."
" Thanks, Broughton, awfully," said Muirkirk, drawing his
land from that of his friend, and returning the open letter to its
envelope. Broughton affected not to see the movement.
" Don't be modest, Muirkiik," he continued. " You know
yourself that if it had not been for those four sensational plays of
yours today, we would have been shut out. disgracefully, instead
of winning gloriously."
A heavy frown was gathering on the other's face, and once his
lips moved as though to expostulate. But they kept silence.
Broughton waited a moment after this outburst of praise, expect
ing some reply; but none came. • So, muttering something about
an appointment, and wondering mightily at the pre-occupied
manner and seeming rudeness of his classmate, he moved off
again. •
Muirkirk felt a pang of remorse as Broughton disappeared in the
gathering dusk.
" I acted like a cad, I know," lie said to himself, " but I
don't see why he had to drag that game before me again. As
though I were not sick of it already."
.He dug his cleats deep into the yielding turf and tore it
viciously, as though hoping by such means to efface the memory
of that afternoon. But it would not be so. And so he sat there
with his head bowed in his hands, reviewing the occurrences of
the past few hours. Only that morning he had gone into the
library after some reference book on Psychology, and had en
sconced himself in the farthest corner, with the coveted volume,
congratulating himself upon having the whole room to himself,
when two others entered. They were Junior Co-eds. Fortunately,
as Muirkirk then thought, they did not perceive him, and after
much chatter and delay they finally took to a small table not ten
feet away, and just on the other side of a tall case of books.
WITHIN THI: ZLLIPSE