from the friendly, rather puzzled high-school element. From the
moment he realized this Amory resented social barriers as artificial
distinctions made by the strong to bolster up their weak retainers and
keep out the almost strong.

Having decided to be one of the gods of the class, he reported for
freshman football practice, but in the second week, playing quarter-back,
already paragraphed in corners of the Princetonian, he wrenched his knee
seriously enough to put him out for the rest of the season. This forced
him to retire and consider the situation.

"12 Univee" housed a dozen miscellaneous question-marks. There were
three or four inconspicuous and quite startled boys from Lawrenceville,
two amateur wild men from a New York private school (Kerry Holiday
christened them the "plebeian drunks"), a Jewish youth, also from New
York, and, as compensation for Amory, the two Holidays, to whom he took
an instant fancy.

The Holidays were rumored twins, but really the dark-haired one, Kerry,
was a year older than his blond brother, Burne. Kerry was tall, with
humorous gray eyes, and a sudden, attractive smile; he became at once the
mentor of the house, reaper of ears that grew too high, censor of conceit,
vendor of rare, satirical humor. Amory spread the table of their future
friendship with all his ideas of what college should and did mean.
Kerry, not inclined as yet to take things seriously, chided him gently
for being curious at this inopportune time about the intricacies of the
social system, but liked him and was both interested and amused.

Burne, fair-haired, silent, and intent, appeared in the house only as
a busy apparition, gliding in quietly at night and off again in the