Sandys' intellectual curiosity took a series of ever-widening
sweeps, Howard caught his neighbour regarding him with a half-
amused look, and became aware that she was wondering if he were
playing Jack's game. Their eyes met, and he knew that she knew that
he knew. He smiled and shook his head. She gave him a delighted
little smile, and Howard had that touch of absurd ecstasy, which
visits men no longer young, when they find themselves still in the
friendly camp of the young, and not in the hostile camp of the
middle-aged.

Presently he said to her something about Jack, and how much he
enjoyed seeing him at Cambridge. "He is really rather a wonderful
person," he added. "There isn't anyone at Beaufort who has such a
perfectly defined relation to everyone in the college, from the
master down to the kitchen-boys. He talks to everyone without any
embarrassment, and yet no one really knows what he is thinking! He
is very deep, really, and I think he has a fine future before him."

Maud lighted up at this, and said: "Do you really think so?" and
added, "You know how much he admires you?"

"I am glad to be assured of it," said Howard; "you would hardly
guess it from some of the things he says to me. It's awful, but he
can't be checked--and yet he never oversteps the line, somehow."

"He's a queer boy," said Maud. "The way he talked to the Archdeacon
the other day was simply fearful; but the Archdeacon only laughed,
and said to papa afterwards that he envied him his son. The
Archdeacon was giggling half the afternoon; he felt quite youthful,
he said."