They listened in silence.
"I knew it must come, Eric," said Russell at last, "and I am so sorry you didn't speak at the time." "Do the fellows ever talk in that way in either of your dormitories ?" asked Eric.
"No," said Russell.
"Very little," said Montagu.
A pause followed, during which all three plucked the grass and looked away.
"Let me tell you," said Russell solemnly; "my father (he is dead now you know, Eric), when I was sent to school, warned me of this kind of thing.
I had been brought up in utter ignorance of such coarse knowledge as is forced upon one here, and with my reminiscences of home, I could not bear even that much of it which was impossible to avoid.

But the very first time such talk was begun in my dormitory I spoke out.

What I said I don't know, but I felt as if I was trampling on a slimy poisonous adder, and, at any rate, I showed such pain and distress that the fellows dropped it at the time.

Since then I have absolutely refused to stay in the room if ever such talk is begun.

So it never is now, and I do think the fellows are very glad of it themselves." "Well," said Montagu, "I don't profess to look on it from the religious ground, you know, but I thought it blackguardly, and in bad taste, and said so.