The Complete Poetical Works of Percy Bysshe Shelley - Volume 3

. They had spent an evening together, delightful to all three. This dinner and chat had become an annual affair, to give the old chums of St. Wilbur's a chan

or society had grown half so precious for any one of these three men as w

s the masters of St. Wilbur's had found its owner to be. He had never affected anything, for he had always been openly whatever he allowed himself to drift into. Neither of his friends liked many of his actions, nor the stories told of him

ooked clean. An ancestry of hard workers left limbs that lifted him to almost six feet of strong manhood. His skin was ruddy and fresh.

s handsome, well groomed and particular, without obtrusiveness in any one of the points. He was just a little taller than Callovan; but he was grayer and a great deal more thoug

t of the three. He had always been rich. His father had died a month before he was born. His mother paid for her only child with her life. Orville's guardian had, as soon as possible, placed him in St. Wilbur's Preparatory School and then in the College; but he was a careful and wise man, this guardian, so, though plenty of money was allowed him, yet the college authorities had charge

rville," said the doorman, when

careful Michael,"

t for confession," he said. "Michael will be here in a moment. He goes to confession every Saturday night and is a

uld get just a small dose of his piety. Candidly, I

at almost the same moment the doorman called out: "Your car is here n

e. She came down-town with her brother to meet the Dixes from Omaha, and that worthless pup has gone off and left her. She

s door. "I am sorry if I made you wait, sir," he said. "I had a fainting spell in the church an

you were late. That ill wind for you blew good to us, for we have Miss Fayall home wit

aughter of a rich man. Tonight her cheeks were flushed and her hand was very unsteady. Orville noticed both when she entered the car. He was startled, for Mario

her; but she averted her face from Orville as much as possible an

to fall short and Michael's head dropped on his breast. Alarmed, Orville looked up. He had a swift glimpse of a flashing red light. A chain snapped like a pistol shot. He heard an oath from Thornton, and a scream from Marion. Then, in an instant, he felt the great weight falling, and a flood of cold water poured through the open window of the car. He tried to open the door, but the weight of water agai