"What do I care what they all say?" was the answer, delivered with a kind
of plaintive snarl.

"But we care."

"Care then! I pity you." And he turned his back fiercely on them, and
then groaned by way of half apology. Another tried him: "Come, give us a
civil answer, please."

"People that intrude upon a man's privacy, racked with pain, have no
right to demand civility," replied the sufferer, more gently, but
sullenly enough.

"Do you call this privacy?"

"It was, a minute ago, Do you think I left the boat, and came here among
the natives, for company? and noise? With my head splitting?"

Here Julia gave Mrs. Dodd a soft pinch, to which Mrs. Dodd replied by a
smile. And so they settled who this petulant young invalid must be.

"'There, it is no use," observed one, _sotto voce,_ "the bloke really has
awful headaches, like a girl, and then he always shuts up this way. You
will only rile him, and get the rough side of his tongue."

Here, then, the conference drew towards a close. But a Wadham man, who
was one of the ambassadors, interposed. "Stop a minute," said he. "Mr.
Hardie, I have not the honour to be acquainted with you, and I am not
here to annoy you, nor to be affronted by you. But the university has a
stake in this race, and the university expostulates through us--through