"But your great friend who is walking with Katie--what did you say his name is?" "Hardy." "Well, he is a great scholar, didn't you say?" "Yes, he has just taken a first class. He is the best man of his year." "How proud you must be of him! I suppose, now, he is a great reader?" "Yes, he is great at everything. He is nearly the best oar in our boat. By the way, you will come to the procession of boats to-morrow night? We are the head boat on the river." "Oh, I hope so. Is it a pretty sight? Let us ask Katie about it." "It is the finest sight in the world," said Tom, who had never seen it; "twenty-four eight oars with their flags flying, and all the crews in uniform. You see the barges over there, moored along the side of the river? You will sit on one of them as we pass." "Yes, I think I do," said Mary, looking across the meadow in the direction in which he pointed; "you mean those great gilded things. But I don't see the river." "Shall we walk round there. It won't take up ten minutes." "But we must not leave the Walk and all the people. It is so amusing here." "Then you will wear our colors at the procession to-morrow?" "Yes, if Katie doesn't mind. At least if they are pretty. What are your colors?" "Blue and white. I will get you some ribbons to-morrow morning." "Very well, and I will make them up into rosettes." "Why, do you know them?" asked Tom, as she bowed to two gentlemen in masters' caps and gowns, whom they met in the crowd. "Yes; at least we met them last night." "But do you know who they are?" "Oh, yes; they were introduced to us, and I talked a great deal to them. And Katie scolded me for it when we got home. No; I won't say scolded me, but looked very grave over it." "They are two of the leaders of the Tractarians." "Yes. That was the fun of it. Katie was so pleased and interested with them at first; much more than I was. But when she found out who they were, she fairly ran away, and I stayed and talked on. I don't think they said anything very dangerous. Perhaps one of them wrote No. 90. Do you know?" "I dare say. But I don't know much about it. However, they must have a bad time of it, I should think, up here with the old dons." "But don't you think one likes people who are persecuted? I declare I would listen to them for an hour, though I didn't understand a word, just to show them that I wasn't afraid of them, and sympathized with them. How can people be so ill-natured? I'm sure they only write what they believe and think will do good." "That's just what most of us feel," said Tom; "we hate to see them put down because they don't agree with the swells up here. You'll see how they will be cheered in the Theatre." "Then they are not unpopular and persecuted after all?" "Oh yes, by the dons. And that's why we all like them. From fellow-feeling you see, because the dons bully them and us equally." "But I thought they were dons too?"