Amory was content to sit and watch the by-play, thinking what a light touch Kerry had, and how he could transform the barest incident into a thing of curve and contour.

They all seemed to have the spirit of it more or less, and it was a relaxation to be with them.
Amory usually liked men individually, yet feared them in crowds unless the crowd was around him.

He wondered how much each one contributed to the party, for there was somewhat of a spiritual tax levied.

Alec and Kerry were the life of it, but not quite the centre.

Somehow the quiet Humbird, and Sloane, with his impatient superciliousness, were the centre.
Dick Humbird had, ever since freshman year, seemed to Amory a perfect type of aristocrat.