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Spires and Gargoyles
Thelatterwasaquiet,ratheraloofslickerfromHotchkiss,wholivednextdoorandsharedthesameenforcedsinglenessasAmory,duetothefactthathisentireclasshadgonetoYale."Joe’s"wasunaestheticandfaintlyunsanitary,butalimitlesschargeaccountcouldbeopenedthere,aconveniencethatAmoryappreciated.Hisfatherhadbeenexperimentingwithminingstocksand,inconsequence,hisallowance,whileliberal,wasnotatallwhathehadexpected.
"Joe’s"hadtheadditionaladvantageofseclusionfromcuriousupper-classeyes,soatfoureachafternoonAmory,accompaniedbyfriendorbook,wentuptoexperimentwithhisdigestion.OnedayinMarch,findingthatallthetableswereoccupied,heslippedintoachairoppositeafreshmanwhobentintentlyoverabookatthelasttable.Theynoddedbriefly.FortwentyminutesAmorysatconsumingbaconbunsandreading"Mrs.Warren’sProfession"(hehaddiscoveredShawquitebyaccidentwhilebrowsinginthelibraryduringmid-years);theotherfreshman,alsointentonhisvolume,meanwhiledidawaywithatrioofchocolatemaltedmilks.
ByandbyAmory’seyeswanderedcuriouslytohisfellow-luncher’sbook.Hespelledoutthenameandtitleupsidedown—"Marpessa,"byStephenPhillips.Thismeantnothingtohim,hismetricaleducationhavingbeenconfinedtosuchSundayclassicsas"ComeintotheGarden,Maude,"andwhatmorselsofShakespeareandMiltonhadbeenrecentlyforceduponhim.
