THE BEST THING IN THE WORLD
right in the case of Charlie's roommate. The lie was not so much due to a generous impulse as to a deliberate intention of acting the part of a friend as acted upon the stage. And imitation, while sometimes noble, is not what you want or what you can comfortably lean upon in a friend. If you can't be honest with your friend, then he is not your friend—or else you are not his.
When your old pals, tried and true, can see you succeed and hear you praised and honestly feel glad about it clear inside, then they are pretty likely to be your real friends, especially if they are in a similar line of business. Contrary to the proverbial way of stating the case, it is not on the sunken rocks of misfortune but on the conspicuous Gibraltars of success that many friendships are broken. It isn't necessary, even if it were probable, for you to have these grand-stand tests you read about in books; if you can stand the every-day trial of seeing your friends get ahead of you, then you will pass the examination.
But we hate to acknowledge even to our-
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