“Yes, sir.” This sounded bad, but Maurice was, at any rate, relieved that he hadn’t got to do any more lying. He hadn’t had an idea what to say.

“I needn’t remind you of other occasions on which incidents of this sort have occurred.” Jimmy smiled faintly for an instant, was immediately grave. “We won’t bring up old scores. I only want to warn you”—Jimmy took off his glasses again—“that if any more charges are brought against you, substantiated or unsubstantiated, the Master will be obliged to send you down.”

“Yes, sir, I quite understand.”

“You will see that the damages are settled between you. I have talked to the lady concerned, and you can thank me that she will be satisfied with fifteen pounds.”

“Yes, sir.”

There was a long pause. Jimmy puffed squeakily at his pipe.

“Tell me, Maurice, why do you do this kind of thing?”

“I don’t know, sir.”

Jimmy rose, crossed slowly to the mantelpiece.

“I simply fail to understand it.”

The clock ticked.

“Any sort of a damn fool can waste his time up here like that. But why do you?”

Maurice slightly shifted one foot.

“Do you know, your career at this college has been one of the biggest disappointments I’ve had in fifteen years?”

The clock ticked, incredibly loud.

“You could have been more to the life of this college than any other man of your year. I wonder if you’ll ever realise that.”

Maurice moved the other foot until the toes of his shoes were in line.

“And I’m not thinking only of the college. Have you ever considered what’s going to happen to you when you leave this place? What sort of a position do you think you can make for yourself in the world? You can’t simply bluff your way through life. That doesn’t work.”

“No, sir,” said Maurice faintly. Jimmy knocked out his pipe.

“When you leave this place, you’ll have to make a very big change. If you can. If you can.”

“Yes, sir.”

The clock ticked and ticked. Jimmy scratched the bowl of his pipe with a small sharp tool: “Very well. That’s all I wanted to say.”

Maurice did not rise too quickly to his feet:

“Thank you very much, sir, for helping us about the damages.”

This visibly pleased Jimmy. He said:

“The best way you can thank me is to try and make this term a little different from your others.”

“Yes, sir, I’ll try.”

Maurice hurried down the staircase, out across the Court. Well, he’d got off much better than he’d hoped. Jimmy was in a soft mood. The only snag was the fifteen quid. How in God’s name was he to raise it? Gerald must be made to pay at least half—more than half—he could afford it. But even so—yes, certainly I must wire to Edward at once, thought Maurice. And it’ll be worth it if I put “Reply prepaid.” That’d be two bob. He’d only got a quid, which he didn’t want to break into till this evening. But there was the college porter at the gate in his silk hat. Maurice headed for him.