. . .
The imitations began again.
"I don't believe there's anyone you could not imitate!" said Mr.
Sandys rapturously.
"Oh, it's only a knack," said Guthrie, "but some people are easier
than others."
Howard bestirred himself to express some interest.
"Why, he can imitate YOU to the life," said Jack.
"Oh, come, nonsense!" said Guthrie, reddening; "that is really low,
Jack."
"I confess to a great curiosity about it," said Mr. Sandys.
"Oh, don't mind me," said Howard; "it would amuse me above
everything--like catching a glance at oneself in an unexpected
mirror!"
Guthrie, after a little more pressing, yielded. He said a few
sentences, supposed to be Howard teaching, in a rather soft voice,
with what seemed to Howard a horribly affected and priggish
emphasis. But the matter displeased him still more. It was
facetious, almost jocose; and there was a jerky attempt at academic
humour in it, which seemed to him particularly nauseous, as of a
well-informed and quite superior person condescending to the
mildest of witticisms, to put himself on a level with juvenile
minds. Howard had thought himself both unaffected and elastic in
his communications with undergraduates, and this was the effect he
produced upon them! However, he mastered his irritation; the others
laughed a little tentatively; it was felt for a moment that the
affair had just passed the limits of conventional civility. Howard
contrived to utter a species of laugh, and said, "Well, that's
quite a revelation to me.
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