Felgate's impulse was to follow him and apologise for his ill-bred words.

But his evil genius kept him back; and before bed-time arrived he not only repented of his repentance, but reproached himself for not saying a great deal more than he had.

Felgate had a wonderful gift of self-delusion.

He knew he had acted wrongly and meanly.

"And yet," he argued, "smoking is no crime, and if the school rules make it one, it doesn't follow that I'm a sinner if I have a whiff now and then.