The Doctor [40]
and so here she has been for the last two years. She shares my room when she is at home, which is not often, and still takes care of me."
"Most fortunate young lady she is," murmured the doctor.
"So I am going with them," continued Iola.
"Then I suppose nobody will see you." The doctor's tone was quite gloomy.
"Why, I love to see all my friends."
"It will be the usual thing," said the doctor, "the same circle crowding you, the same impossibility of getting a word with you."
"That depends on how much you--" cried Iola, throwing a swift smile at him.
"How much I want to?" interrupted the doctor eagerly. "You know quite well I--"
"How much time there is. You see, one can't be rude. One must speak to all one's friends. But, of course, one can always plan one's time. How ever," she continued, "one can hardly expect to see much of the very popular Dr. Bulling, whose attention is always so fully taken up."
"Oh, rot!" said the doctor. "I say, can't we get off a little together? There are nice quiet nooks about the old building."
"Oh, doctor, how shocking!" But her eyes belied her voice, and the doctor departed with the lively expectation of a very pleasant convocation day at Trinity.
The convocation passed off with the usual uproar on the part of the students and the usual long-suffering endurance on the part of the dean and faculty and those who were fortunate, or unfortunate, enough to be the orators of the day, the fervent enthusiasm of the undergraduate body finding expression, now in college songs, whose chief characteristic was the vigour with which they were rendered, personal remarks in the way of encouragement, deprecation, pity, or gentle reproof to all who had to take part in the public proceedings, and at intervals in wildly uproarious applause and cheers at the mention of the name of some favourite. At no point was the fervour greater than when Barney was called to receive his medal. To the little group of friends at the left of the desk, consisting of his brother, Margaret, and Iola, it seemed as if the cheering that greeted Barney's name was almost worthy of the occasion. Dr. Trent presented him, and as he spoke of the difficulties he had to contend with in the early part of his course, of the perseverance and indomitable courage the young man had shown, and the singular, indeed the very remarkable, ability he had manifested in the special line of study for which this medal was granted, the dead silence that pervaded the room was even more eloquent than the tumult of cheers that followed Dr. Trent's remarks and that continued until Barney had taken his place again among the graduating class.
Then someone called out, "What's the matter with old Carbuncle?" eliciting the usual vociferous reply, "He's all right!"
"By Jove," said Dick to Margaret, who sat next him, "isn't that great? And the old boy deserves it every bit!" But Margaret made no reply. She was sitting with her eyes cast down, pale except for a spot of red in each cheek. At Dick's words she glanced at him for a moment, and he noticed that the large blue eyes were full of tears.
"It's all right, little girl," he whispered, giving her hand a little pat. He dared say no more, for the sight of her face and the look in her eyes set his own heart beating and gave him a choke in his throat.
On the other side of Margaret sat Iola, her face radiant with pride and joy, and as Barney reached his seat, turning half around and in the face of the whole company, she flashed him a look and a smile so full of pride and love that it seemed to him at that moment as if all he had endured for the last three years were quite worth while.
After the formal proceedings were over, Dr. Bulling made his way to the little group about Barney.
"Congratulations, Boyle," he said, in the somewhat patronizing manner of a graduate of some years' standing to one who holds his parchment in his hand and wears his still blushing honours as men wear new clothes, "that was a remarkable fine reception you had to-day."
Barney's
"Most fortunate young lady she is," murmured the doctor.
"So I am going with them," continued Iola.
"Then I suppose nobody will see you." The doctor's tone was quite gloomy.
"Why, I love to see all my friends."
"It will be the usual thing," said the doctor, "the same circle crowding you, the same impossibility of getting a word with you."
"That depends on how much you--" cried Iola, throwing a swift smile at him.
"How much I want to?" interrupted the doctor eagerly. "You know quite well I--"
"How much time there is. You see, one can't be rude. One must speak to all one's friends. But, of course, one can always plan one's time. How ever," she continued, "one can hardly expect to see much of the very popular Dr. Bulling, whose attention is always so fully taken up."
"Oh, rot!" said the doctor. "I say, can't we get off a little together? There are nice quiet nooks about the old building."
"Oh, doctor, how shocking!" But her eyes belied her voice, and the doctor departed with the lively expectation of a very pleasant convocation day at Trinity.
The convocation passed off with the usual uproar on the part of the students and the usual long-suffering endurance on the part of the dean and faculty and those who were fortunate, or unfortunate, enough to be the orators of the day, the fervent enthusiasm of the undergraduate body finding expression, now in college songs, whose chief characteristic was the vigour with which they were rendered, personal remarks in the way of encouragement, deprecation, pity, or gentle reproof to all who had to take part in the public proceedings, and at intervals in wildly uproarious applause and cheers at the mention of the name of some favourite. At no point was the fervour greater than when Barney was called to receive his medal. To the little group of friends at the left of the desk, consisting of his brother, Margaret, and Iola, it seemed as if the cheering that greeted Barney's name was almost worthy of the occasion. Dr. Trent presented him, and as he spoke of the difficulties he had to contend with in the early part of his course, of the perseverance and indomitable courage the young man had shown, and the singular, indeed the very remarkable, ability he had manifested in the special line of study for which this medal was granted, the dead silence that pervaded the room was even more eloquent than the tumult of cheers that followed Dr. Trent's remarks and that continued until Barney had taken his place again among the graduating class.
Then someone called out, "What's the matter with old Carbuncle?" eliciting the usual vociferous reply, "He's all right!"
"By Jove," said Dick to Margaret, who sat next him, "isn't that great? And the old boy deserves it every bit!" But Margaret made no reply. She was sitting with her eyes cast down, pale except for a spot of red in each cheek. At Dick's words she glanced at him for a moment, and he noticed that the large blue eyes were full of tears.
"It's all right, little girl," he whispered, giving her hand a little pat. He dared say no more, for the sight of her face and the look in her eyes set his own heart beating and gave him a choke in his throat.
On the other side of Margaret sat Iola, her face radiant with pride and joy, and as Barney reached his seat, turning half around and in the face of the whole company, she flashed him a look and a smile so full of pride and love that it seemed to him at that moment as if all he had endured for the last three years were quite worth while.
After the formal proceedings were over, Dr. Bulling made his way to the little group about Barney.
"Congratulations, Boyle," he said, in the somewhat patronizing manner of a graduate of some years' standing to one who holds his parchment in his hand and wears his still blushing honours as men wear new clothes, "that was a remarkable fine reception you had to-day."
Barney's