Jack began. He did well enough for the first few lines and then began to stumble and hesitate.
“That will do!” snapped the professor. “You try, Fairfield.”
There was an indrawing of breaths. If the clash was to come, it would be with Tom, all thought.
Tom had the one day’s lesson perfectly. He rapidly translated that and stopped.
“Well, go on,” ordered Mr. Skeel, obviously ill-pleased that the student he suspected had done so well.
“That’s as far as I’m going,” said Tom quietly.
“What?”
“That’s as far as I’m going. That is all that is ever assigned to us for one day.”
“But I told you all to learn a double lesson.”
“And I refuse to do it. We all refuse to do it!”