Thus it was not only with his literary dreams, but also with his studies. He never seemed to be in his books, but I knew that at some secret hour he must work hard, for his recitations were generally brilliant.
He was a sly fellow, at times, especially when he chanced to be back with work. It was his habit then to get me in his room, when he would yawn and say:
“Priddy, what did the professor conclude about that Lochner fellow?”
Stephen Lochner was one of the Dutch painters we were studying.
I would tell him as well as I could. Then he would drawl:
“Uh, I didn’t follow the professor at all when he said that the early Dutch school, Van Eyck and the others—let’s see, how many were there?”
I would tell him, exactly, with names and dates, and then he would drawl:
“Sure you got them all, Priddy?”
“Yes, I have.”
“I’ll bet you’re grafting the course, Priddy, and haven’t been near the references in the library, eh?”