r the rest of this season."

Keith looked at the book more hopefully, and with hope came courage.

"I'll read it in three weeks," he said.

So he did, too, and when he turned in the book, the same teacher
happened to be on duty, recognized him, and began to ask questions. When
Keith had proved that the whole Olympian hierarchy was duly installed in
his acquisitive brain, the teacher said with an amused but
friendly smile:

"I think we shall let you have anything you want hereafter. What is it
to be this time--philosophy?"

"No, I want another book of exploration," answered Keith, thawing under
the smile. "And I want a real good one."

That was his favourite subject, and the book he chose was Speke's
"Discovery of the Source of the Nile." Once launched on that memorable
journey, he had no thought left for any explorations of his own.

VI

During the fall and spring terms of that first year Keith had no sense
of time. Days and weeks and months rolled by so smoothly that their
passing was unnoticed. It is a question whether at any other period of
his life--with one possible exception--he was more completely interested
and, for that reason, satisfied.

One day he observed casually that the old trees in the churchyard
sported tiny green leaves under a deliciously blue but still rather cold
sky. A few days more, and he heard that commencement was at hand.

It was a time of great excitement in school. Who would pass and who
would not? Falling through might mean another year in the same class,
but beyond all doubt it meant a summer spent at work instead of playing.
It was worse than a disgrace. It was a menace to liberty at the time of
the year when liberty meant most.

Being second in the class, it never occurred to Keith that he might fail
of promotion to a higher grade, but at that end there were possible
prizes to consider. The class was full of gossip and speculation. Boys
who had hardly spoken to each other before broke into heated discussions
or formed belated friendships. In one way and another the fever infected
Keith and spread from him to his parents, though his father as usual
feigned complete indifference. From his mother he learned long before
the startling fact was meant to reach his ears, that his father had
actually asked a day off at the bank in order to attend the exercises.
This news increased Keith's fear by several degrees. He had no idea what
might happen, and it would be unthinkably drea