"Well, in a way. He'd just come from one of our fraternity meetings. He wanted to tell me that, when you are back, they will probably offer you an election." "What? To your fraternity?" "Yes." He paused and watched me amusedly. "It doesn't seem to thrill you." I smiled back at him. "No, not the way I would have in freshman year." "Yes--that's how I thought you'd feel. You needn't be afraid of hurting my feelings--or Trevelyan's, either--by declining. They're a little too late, aren't they?" "Oh, it isn't that. I don't want them to think me ungrateful, you see--but I've passed that stage. There are so many other things for me to care about, now." I was thinking of Frank Cohen's remark about the number of Jewish underclassmen who wanted counsel, leadership--and, now more than ever, I was sure of myself. "I understand," said Mr. Richards, shaking my hand at parting. "Good luck to you--or better still, good faith to you! A man's work and a man's God--you've found them at last." * * * * * That night, in my room at college, I found on the mantle shelf the big, brass, seven-branched candlestick which I had seen in the room of the class president. It was Fred's gift to me. And, thinking of those years, I lit the seven candles, one by one, and watched them struggle feebly, desperately, until all of them were calm and bright, their flicker ended--until the Menorah, with its uplifted arms, and all the little space about it, shone with a radiance that was firm and beautiful. +-----------------------------------------------+ | Transcriber's Note: | | | | Typographical errors corrected in the text: | | | | Page 13 friendhsip changed to friendship | | Page 22 aint changed to ain't | | Page 32 is changed to it | | Page 43 stifly changed to stiffly | | Page 53 Sidney changed to Sydney | | Page 54 Sidney changed to Sydney | | Page 56 Sidney changed to Sydney | | Page 69 "be began to laugh" changed to | | "he began to laugh" | | Page 80 occurences changed to occurrences | | Page 115 checks changed to cheeks | | Page 123 guesed changed to guessed | | Page 182 relunctantly changed to reluctantly | | Page 188 embarrased changed to embarrassed | +-----------------------------------------------+