Breakfast on the following morning was a repetition of the dormitoryordeal. Kennedy walked to his place on Mr Kay's right, feeling thateveryone was looking at him, as indeed they were. He understood forthe first time the meaning of the expression, "the cynosure of alleyes". He was modest by nature, and felt his position a distincttrial.

　　He did not quite know what to say or do with regard to his newhouse-master at this their first meeting in the latter's territory.

　　"Come aboard, sir," occurred to him for a moment as a happy phrase,but he discarded it. To make the situation more awkward, Mr Kay didnot observe him at first, being occupied in assailing a riotous fag atthe other end of the table, that youth having succeeded, by adexterous drive in the ribs, in making a friend of his spill half acup of coffee. Kennedy did not know whether to sit down without a wordor to remain standing until Mr Kay had time to attend to him. He wouldhave done better to have sat down; Mr Kay's greeting, when it came,was not worth waiting for.

　　"Sit down, Kennedy," he said, irritably--rebuking people on an emptystomach always ruffled him. "Sit down, sit down."Kennedy sat down, and began to toy diffidently with a sausage,remembering, as he did so, certain diatribes of Fenn's against thefood at Kay's. As he became more intimate with the sausage, headmitted to himself that Fenn had had reason. Mr Kay meanwhile poundedaway in moody silence at a plate of kidneys and bacon. It was one ofthe many grievances which gave the Kayite material for conversationthat Mr Kay had not the courage of his opinions in the matter of food.

　　He insisted that he fed his house luxuriously, but he refused to bravethe mysteries of its bill of fare himself.

　　Fenn had not come down when Kennedy went in to breakfast. He arrivedsome ten minutes later, when Kennedy had vanquished the sausage, andwas keeping body and soul together with bread and marmalade.

　　"I cannot have this, Fenn," snapped Mr Kay; "you must come down intime."Fenn took the rebuke in silence, cast one glance at the sausage whichconfronted him, and then pushed it away with such unhesitatingrapidity that Mr Kay glared at him as if about to take up the cudgelsfor the rejected viand. Perhaps he remembered that it scarcelybefitted the dignity of a house-master to enter upon a wrangle with amember of his house on the subject of the merits and demerits ofsausages, for he refrained, and Fenn was allowed to go on with hismeal in peace.

　　Kennedy's chief anxiety had been with regard to Fenn. True, the lattercould hardly blame him for being made head of Kay's, since he had notbeen consulted in the matter, and, if he had been, would have refusedthe post with horror; but nevertheless the situation might cause acoolness between them. And if Fenn, the only person in the house withwhom he was at all intimate, refused to be on friendly terms, his stayin Kay's would be rendered worse than even he had looked for.

　　Fenn had not spoken to him at breakfast, but then there was littletable talk at Kay's. Perhaps the quality of the food suggested suchgloomy reflections that nobody liked to put them into words.

　　After the meal Fenn ran upstairs to his study. Kennedy followed him,and opened conversation in his direct way with the subject which hehad come to discuss.

　　"I say," he said, "I hope you aren't sick about this. You know Ididn't want to bag your place as head of the house.""My dear chap," said Fenn, "don't apologise. You're welcome to it.

　　Being head of Kay's isn't such a soft job that one is keen on stickingto it.""All the same--" began Kennedy.

　　"I knew Kay would get at me somehow, of course. I've been wonderinghow all the holidays. I didn't think of this. Still, I'm jolly gladit's happened. I now retire into private life, and look on. I've takenyears off my life sweating to make this house decent, and now I'mgoing to take a rest and watch you tearing your hair out over the job.

　　I'm awfully sorry for you. I wish they'd roped in some other victim.""But you're still a house prefect, I suppose?""I believe so, Kay couldn't very well make me a fag again.""Then you'll help manage things?"Fenn laughed.

　　"Will I, by Jove! I'd like to see myself! I don't want to do the heavymartyr business and that sort of thing, but I'm hanged if I'm going totake any more trouble over the house. Haven't you any respect for MrKay's feelings? He thinks I can't keep order. Surely you don't want meto go and shatter his pet beliefs? Anyhow, I'm not going to do it. I'mgoing to play 'villagers and retainers' to your 'hero'. If you doanything wonderful with the house, I shall be standing by ready tocheer. But you don't catch me shoving myself forward. 'Thank Heaven Iknows me place,' ............