what his name was. He was no longer a nonentity; he was looked on as
a coming man.

As the term wore on, the thought of exams. brought to Gordon only a
feeling of excitement. There was little likelihood of disaster; there
was the certainty of a good struggle for the first place between himself
and one Walford, a dull though industrious outhouse individual. But to
some of his friends exams. seemed as the day of reckoning. Lovelace
minor was frankly at his wits' end. He had slacked most abominably the
whole term. He had prepared none of his books, and his next-door
neighbour had supplied him with all necessary information. Now the news
was about that IV. B was going to sit with the Sixth Form for exams.
Terror reigned. There could be no cribbing under the Chief's nose.
Jeffries was in the same plight; but he was a philosopher. "If I get
bottled in every paper," he said, "it will only mean about two hours'
work on each subject. But if I am going to know enough to avoid being
bottled, it will mean a good eight hours' work at each subject: six
hours wasted on each. In these times of bustle it can't be done.
Caruthers, pass me that red-backed novel on the second shelf!"

Lovelace, however, was perturbed, and set out to prepare himself for the
ordeal. But his was a temperament that forbade application on any
subject other than horse racing. Every night he paced up and down the
study passages getting hints first from one person then another, and
always staying for a talk. By the end of preparation the result was
always the same--nothing done; and he and Jeffries both spent the last
Saturday in exactly the same way.

But with Mansell it was different. If he got a promotion his pater had
promised him a motor bike. At first sight this seemed impossible. Hunter
in fact laid a hundred to one against his chances. But for once Mansell
really tried at something besides games. For two halls he worked solidly
from seven till ten, preparing small slips of paper that contained all
the notes he could find in Gordon's notebook, and that could fit
conveniently into the back of a watch. Everything was in his favour.
Claremont was taking exams. The first paper was Old Testament history.
Mansell looked at his watch repeatedly; but suddenly he came to an
unexpected question. He endeavoured to extract an answer from the man on
his right.

Claremont spotted him.

"Well, Mansell, if I ask you if you are cribbing, I know you will deny
it, and