tory exhibition at Selwyn somewhere in the nineties.

No one knew anything of this Van Hepworth. His name was on the school
boards, but he had never been seen or heard of since he had left
Fernhurst for the romantic atmosphere of Cambridge. But he had left
behind him a name that will be remembered in the School House as long as
history is taught by Finnemore. For on his last day, in a fit of
gratitude, he had left to future historians the legacy of his history
notebook. It contained all that Finnemore knew!

Every week Finnemore set three questions to his specialists--to be done
with books. He had a stock of these questions, and Van Hepworth had
written exhaustive essays on every one of them. All that was needed was
to consult the oracle, and then copy out what he had written. Sometimes,
by way of a change, Finnemore would think of a new subject. But Gordon
would say:

"Oh, sir, I have been reading about Mary de Medici, and am very much
interested in her. I wondered if I could do a question on her."

"Of course. I always like you to do what you are interested in. Let me
see. I have a nice little question on her: 'Mary de Medici: was she an
unmixed evil?' An interesting subject which raises quite a lot of
points. And I have one more question for you. 'Compare Richelieu and
Mazarin,' an interesting little psychological study. I think you will
enjoy them."

Then Gordon would have recourse to the unfailing authority, Van
Hepworth. Sometimes he felt too slack to copy out the questions at all.
On such occasions he would simply read Van Hepworth's essay straight out
of the old, battered book.

"I hope you won't mind my reading this to you, but I was in rather a
hurry and I doubt if you could quite read my handwriting."

Finnemore would listen with the greatest interest.

"Very nice indeed, Caruthers, very sound attitude to adopt. An essay
well worth preserving. You will copy it out neatly, won't you?"

"Oh yes, sir."

Gordon wanted to institute a Van Hepworth memorial, and put up a plate
to him somewhere. But there were many obstacles to this. The Chief might
want to know more about him, and the legend had to be kept secret. In
the end he contented himself with having the book bound in full morocco,
so that it might be preserved for future generations, for already the
cardboard cover had become sadly torn. Where Van Hepworth is now, who
knows? This only is certain, that although he has most likely by now
lost all c