Born in Exile Read Free Page A

voice made
the next announcement.
    'In Senior Greek, the first prize is taken by—Bruno Leathwaite
Chilvers.'
    'Then I suppose Peak comes second,' muttered Buckland.
    So it proved. Summoned to receive the inferior prize, Godwin
Peak, his countenance harsher than before, his eyes cast down,
moved ungracefully to the estrade. And during the next half-hour
this twofold exhibition was several times repeated. In Senior
Latin, in Modern and Ancient History, in English Language and
Literature, in French, first sounded the name of Chilvers, whilst
to the second award was invariably attached that of Peak. Mrs.
Warricombe's delight expressed itself in every permissible way: on
each occasion she exclaimed, 'How clever he is!' Sidwell cast
frequent glances at her brother, in whom a shrewder eye could have
divined conflict of feelings—disgust at the glorification of
Chilvers and involuntary pleasure in the successive defeats of his
own conqueror in Philosophy. Buckland's was by no means an ignoble
face; venial malice did not ultimately prevail in him.
    'It's Peak's own fault,' he declared at length, with vexation.
'Chilvers stuck to the subjects of his course. Peak has been taking
up half-a-dozen extras, and they've done for him. I shouldn't
wonder if he went in for the Poem and the Essay: I know he was
thinking about both.'
    Whether Godwin Peak had or had not endeavoured for these two
prizes remained uncertain. When, presently, the results of the
competition were made known, it was found that in each case the
honour had fallen to a young man hitherto undistinguished. His name
was John Edward Earwaker. Externally he bore a sort of generic
resemblance to Peak, for his face was thin and the fashion of his
clothing indicated narrow means.
    'I never heard you mention him,' said Mr. Warricombe, turning to
his son with an air of surprise.
    'I scarcely know him at all; he's only in one or two of my
classes. Peak is thick with him.'
    The subject of the prize poem was 'Alaric'; that of the essay,
'Trades Unionism'. So it was probable that John Edward Earwaker did
not lack versatility of intellect.
    On the rising of the Professor of Chemistry, Buckland had once
more to subdue signs of expectancy. He knew he had done good
papers, but his confidence in the result was now clouded by a dread
of the second prize—which indeed fell to him, the first being taken
by a student of no account save in this very special subject. Keen
was his mortification; he growled, muttered, shrugged his shoulders
nervously.
    'If I had foreseen this, you'd never have caught me here,' was
his reply, when Sidwell whispered consolation.
    There still remained a chance for him, signalled by the familiar
form of Professor Gale. Geology had been a lifelong study with
Martin Warricombe, and his son pursued it with hereditary aptitude.
Sidwell and her mother exchanged a look of courageous hope; each
felt convinced that the genial Professor could not so far disregard
private feeling as to place Buckland anywhere but at the head of
the class.
    'The results of the examination are fairly good; I'm afraid I
can't say more than that,' thus rang out Mr. Gale's hearty voice.
'As for the first two names on my list, I haven't felt justified in
placing either before the other. I have bracketed them, and there
will be two prizes. The names are—Godwin Peak and Buckland Martin
Warricombe.'
    'He might have mentioned Buckland first,' murmured Mrs.
Warricombe, resentfully.
    'He of course gave them out in alphabetical order,' answered her
husband.
    'Still, it isn't right that Buckland should come second.'
    'That's absurd,' was the good-natured reply.
    The lady of course remained unconvinced, and for years she
nourished a pique against Professor Gale, not so much owing to his
having bracketed her son as because the letter P has alphabetical
precedence of W.
    In what remained of the proceedings the Warricombes had no
personal interest. For a special reason, however, their attention
was excited by