But I couldn't deceive him with this, for a moment; so I soon changed the subject.
I introduced prizes and said that the Doctor was particularly keen about the subject of geography and always gave the best prizes for that.
"I know," he said, "and I should have had a jolly good chance if it hadn't been for you."
"You would," I said. "In fact, but for me you would be a snip for it."
We talked a bit and then I said—
"I wonder if your father would rather you made your mark by fighting me, or by winning the geography prize in your first term? Of course, to win any prize in your first term is a great score for a chap."
He said that he hadn't thought of it, and after I pressed him a lot, he admitted that there was no doubt the prize would suit his mother best, but he thought very likely if he won a fight it would suit his father best.
He said—
"My father's a soldier, and I'm going to be one; and so, naturally, fighting is more in my line than geography."
But I doubted this, and, in fact, I proved that a mere fight was nothing, whereas geography was a great deal and at least as much use to a soldier as fighting—especially after he had lost a battle.