Page:The plastic age, (IA plasticage00mark).pdf/304

280 saw any one fight more gamely. He ’s a fast man than you are, but you almost beat him. I co gratulate you—excuse the word, please—on yo guts.”

Somehow Hugh could n’t stand Henley’s enth siasm. Suddenly he blurted out the whole stor his drunkenness at the Prom, his split with Cynth —he did not mention the visit to Norry’s roomhis determination to redeem himself, his feelii that if he had won that race he would at lea have justified his existence at the college, an finally, his sense of failure.

Henley listened sympathetically, amused ar touched by the boy’s naive philosophy. He d not tell him that the race was relatively unimpc tant—he was sure that Hugh would find that o for himself—but he did bring him comfort.

“You did not fail, Hugh,” he said gently ; “y( succeeded magnificently. As for serving your c( lege, you can always serve it best by being you self, being true to yourself, I mean, and that mea being the very fine gentleman that you are.” P paused a minute, aware that he must be le personal; Hugh was red to the hair and gazing u happily at the floor.

“You must read Browning,” he went on, “ar learn about his success-in-failure philosophy. P maintains that it is better to strive for a million ar miss it than to strive for a hundred and get it.