"I told all I knew."
"Yes," he acknowledged; "your instructors were convinced of that."
"And I don't think I got enough credit for it. If I had the books here, I feel sure I could make this plain."
"Well, let 's look them over," he answered readily; and much to my astonishment he went to his desk and brought back all my blue-books.
I confess I had n't expected anything quite so definite as this, but I tried to appear as if I had hoped that it was just what might happen. We sat down side by side and read aloud—first an examination question (he had provided himself with a full set of the papers) and then my answer to it.
"'Explain polarized light,'" he read.
"'The subject of polarized light, as I understand it, is not very well understood,'" I began; at which my adviser put his hands to his head and rocked to and fro.
"If you don't mind," I said, "I think I'd rather begin on one of the others; this physics course is merely to make up a condition, and perhaps I 've not devoted very much time to it; it isn't a fair test." So we took up the history paper and read the first question, which was: "What was the Lombard League?" My answer I considered rather neat, for I had written: "The Lombard League was a coalition formed by the Lombards." I paused after reading it and glanced at my adviser.
"It was a simple question, and I gave it a simple answer," I murmured.
"I 'm afraid you depreciate yourself, Mr. Wood," he replied. "Your use of the word 'coalition' is masterly."