He came in with a rush, acknowledged Rufus's presence slightly, and drawing a stool close by Winthrop, bent his head in yet closer neighbourhood.

The colloquy which followed was carried on half under breath, on his part, but with great eagerness.
"Governor, I want you to go home with me Christmas." "I can't, Bob." "Why ?" Winthrop answered with soft whistling.
"Why ?" "I must work." "You can work there." "No I can't." "Why not ?" "I must work here." "You can work afterwards." "Yes, I expect to." "But Governor, what have you got to keep you ?" "Some old gentlemen who lived in learned times a great while ago, are very pressing in their desires to be acquainted with me -- one Plato, one Thucydides, and one Mr.Tacitus, for instance." "You'll see enough of them, Governor; -- you don't like them better than me, do you ?" "Yes, Bob, -- I expect they'll do more for me than ever you will." "I'll do a great deal for you, Governor, -- I want you to come with me to Coldstream -- I want you to see them all at home; we'll have a good time.

-- Come!" -- "How do you suppose that old heathen ever got hold of such a thought as this ?" -- said Winthrop composedly; and he read, without minding his auditors -- "tis d'oiden, ei to zen men ei to katthanein, to katthanein de zen;" * [* Bunyan used to say, "_The Latin I borrow_." I must follow so illustrious an example and confess, _The Greek is lent_.] "_Who knows if to live is not to die, and dying but to live_." "I should think he had a bad time in this world," said Bob; "and maybe he thought Apollo would make interest for his verses in the land of shades." "But Plato echoes the sentiment, -- look here, -- and he was no believer in the old system.

Where do you suppose he got his light on the subject ?" "Out of a dark lantern.

I say, Winthrop, I want light on my subject -- Will you come to Coldstream ?" "I don't see any light that way, Bob; -- I must stick fast by my dark lantern." "Are you going to stay in Shagarack ?" "Yes." "It's a deuced shame! -- " "What do you make of this sentence, Mr.Cool?
-- " But Bob declined to construe, and took himself off, with a hearty slap on Winthrop's shoulder, and a hearty shake of his hand.
"He's so strong, there's no use in trying to fight him into reason," he remarked to Rufus as he went off.
"What do you suppose Bob Cool would make of your Platonic quotation ?" said Rufus.
"What do you make of it ?" said Winthrop after a slight pause.
"Eremitical philosophy! -- Do you admire it ?" "I was thinking mamma would," said Winthrop.
That year came to its end, not only the solar but the collegiate.