"Well--" Olva slowly lit his pipe--"there's something else too. He was always in with a lot of these roughs in the town--stable men and the rest. He used to get tips from them, he always said, and he's had awful rows with some of them before now. You know what a temper he's got, especially when he's been drinking at all. I shouldn't wonder if he hadn't a fight one fine day and got landed on the chin, or something, and left." "Oh! Carfax can look after himself all right. He's used to that kind of company." Olva gazed, through the smoke of his pipe, dreamily into the fire. "You don't like him," Craven said suddenly. Olva turned slowly in his chair and looked at him. "Why! What makes you say that?" "Something Carfax told me the other day. We were sitting one evening in his room and he suddenly said to me, 'You know there _is_ one fellow in this place who hates me like poison--always has hated me.' I asked him who it was. He said it was you. I was immensely surprised, because I'd always thought you very good friends--as good friends as you ever are with any one, Dune. You don't exactly take any of us to your breast, you know!" Dune smiled. "No, I think I've made a mistake in keeping so much alone. It looks as though I thought myself so damned superior. But I assure you Carfax was--is--quite wrong. We've been friendly enough all our days." "No," said Craven slowly, "I don't think you do like him. I've watched you since. He's an awfully good fellow---really---at heart, you know. I do hope things are all right. I sent off a wire to his uncle in town half an hour ago to ask whether he were there. I don't know why I'm so anxious. . . . It's all right, of course, but I'm uneasy." "Well, you're quite wrong about my disliking Carfax," Olva went on. "And I think, altogether, it's about time I came off my perch. For one thing I'm going to take up Rugger properly." "Oh, but that's splendid! Will you play against St. Martin's to-morrow? It will relieve Lawrence like anything if you will. They've got Cards, Worcester and Tundril, and they want a fourth Three badly. My word, Dune, that would be splendid. We'll have you a Blue after all." "A little late for that, I'm afraid." "Not a bit of it. They keep on changing the Threes. Of course Cards is having a good shot at it, but he isn't down against the Harlequins on Saturday, and mighty sick he is about it." Craven got up to go. "Well, I must be moving. Perhaps Carfax is back in his rooms. There may be word of him anyway." Olva's pipe was out. The matchbox on the mantelpiece was empty. He felt in his pocket for the little silver box that he always carried. It was a box, with the Dune arms stamped upon it, that his father had given to him. He had it, he remembered, yesterday when he set out on his walk. He felt in all his pockets. These were the clothes that he was wearing yesterday. Perhaps it was in his bedroom. He went in to look, and Craven meanwhile watched him from the door.