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leaving them to others because he disdained them. At last
the breaking-up day came, and he went to Mr. Perkins to
bid him good-bye.
‘You don’t mean to say you really want to leave?’
Philip’s face fell at the headmaster’s evident surprise.
‘You said you wouldn’t put any objection in the way, sir,’
he answered.
‘I thought it was only a whim that I’d better humour. I
know you’re obstinate and headstrong. What on earth d’you
want to leave for now? You’ve only got another term in any
case. You can get the Magdalen scholarship easily; you’ll get
half the prizes we’ve got to give.’
Philip looked at him sullenly. He felt that he had been
tricked; but he had the promise, and Perkins would have to
stand by it.
‘You’ll have a very pleasant time at Oxford. You needn’t
decide at once what you’re going to do afterwards. I wonder
if you realise how delightful the life is up there for anyone
who has brains.’
‘I’ve made all my arrangements now to go to Germany,
sir,’ said Philip.
‘Are they arrangements that couldn’t possibly be altered?’
asked Mr. Perkins, with his quizzical smile. ‘I shall be very
sorry to lose you. In schools the rather stupid boys who
work always do better than the clever boy who’s idle, but
when the clever boy works—why then, he does what you’ve
done this term.’
Philip flushed darkly. He was unused to compliments,
and no one had ever told him he was clever. The headmaster

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