mathematical hack. Besides, there was something about Gus's easy-going
lackadaisical temperament which exactly suited Cotton, and he felt for his
grumbling jackal a friendliness apart from Gus's usefulness to him.

This afternoon had been a fair sample of Todd's usual half-holiday.
Feeling no heart for any serious work for the Perry, he had spent it in
reading half a worthless novel, and skimming through a magazine, and
feeling muddled and discontented in consequence. He had the uneasy feeling
that he was an arrant ass in thus fooling time away, but had not
sufficient self-denial to seize upon a quiet afternoon for a little
genuine work.

Cotton soon returned from his bath, and the two cronies spent about an
hour in getting up the least modicum of their classics which would satisfy
Merishall; and then they played chess, by which Gus was one florin richer.
A third game was in progress, but Todd managed to tip over the board when
he was "going to mate in five moves." Cotton thereupon said he had had
enough, but Gus avariciously tried to reconstruct the positions. He failed
dismally, and Cotton laughed sweetly. Now Cotton's laugh would almost make
his chum's hair curl, so he retorted pretty sweetly himself, "I say, Jim.
I can't get out of my head that awful hammering you fellows got this
afternoon. Think Biffen's lot likely to shape well in the House matches?"

"There's no telling, old man. But if they get moderate luck they'll be
waltzing about in the final."

"That's absolute blazing idiocy!" said Todd, knocking over more chessmen
in his astonishment.

"All right, Gus. To talk absolute blazing idiocy is my usual habit, of