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some tables, than I at once became disabused of the notion that I should
attract the general attention, while the expression of my face, which at
home, and even in the vestibule of the University buildings, had denoted
only a kind of vague regret that I should have to present so important
and distinguished an appearance, became exchanged for an expression
of the most acute nervousness and dejection. However, I soon picked
up again when I perceived sitting at one of the desks a very badly,
untidily dressed gentleman who, though not really old, was almost
entirely grey. He was occupying a seat quite at the back of the hall and
a little apart from the rest, so I hastened to sit down beside him, and
then fell to looking at the candidates for examination, and to forming
conclusions about them. Many different figures and faces were there to
be seen there; yet, in my opinion, they all seemed to divide themselves
into three classes. First of all, there were youths like myself,
attending for examination in the company of their parents or tutors.
Among such I could see the youngest Iwin (accompanied by Frost) and
Ilinka Grap (accompanied by his old father). All youths of this class
wore the early beginnings of beards, sported prominent linen, sat
quietly in their places, and never opened the books and notebooks which
they had brought with them, but gazed at the professors and examination
tables with ill-concealed nervousness. The second class of candidates
were young men in gymnasium uniforms. Several of them had attained to
the dignity of shaving, and most of them knew one another. They talked
loudly, called the professors by their names and surnames, occupied
themselves in getting their subjects ready, exchanged notebooks, climbed
over desks, fetched themselves pies and sandwiches from the vestibule,
and ate them then and there merely lowering their heads to the level
of a desk for propriety's sake. Lastly, the third class of candidates
(which seemed a small one) consisted of oldish men--some of them in
frock coats, but the majority in jackets, and with no linen to be seen.
These preserved a serious demeanour, sat by themselves, and had a very
dingy look. The man who had afforded me consolation by being worse
dressed than myself belonged to this class. Leaning forward upon his
elbows, and running his fingers through his grey, dishevelled hair as he
read some book or another, he had thrown me only a momentary glance--and
that n