temperament, at once indolent and mercurial--a creature of moods and
tenses, as fiery as a Welshman, but full of lovable and generous
impulses?

The disparity between their ages also seemed to forbid anything like
equality of sympathy. Malcolm was at least eight or nine years
older, and at times he seemed middle-aged in Cedric's eyes. "He is
such a regular old fossil," he would say--"such a cut and dried
specimen of humanity, that it is impossible to keep in touch with
him; it stands to reason that we must clash a bit; but there, in
spite of his cranks, Herrick is a good fellow." But, notwithstanding
this faint praise, the inhabitants of the Wood House knew well that
there was no one whom Cedric valued more than his friend Malcolm
Herrick.




CHAPTER II

FALLEN AMONG THIEVES


Why insist on rash personal relations with your friend?
Why go to his house, or know his mother and brother and
sisters? Why be visited by him at your own? Are these
things material to our covenant? Leave this touching
and clawing. Let him be to me a spirit.--EMERSON.

Malcolm Herrick was a devout disciple of Emerson. He always spoke of