"There is another in October," interrupted Mr. Binney. "I know. I shall present myself for that." "Then I will wish you good-morning, Mr. Binney," said the Tutor. "You will excuse me, but I have a good many pupils to see." Mr. Rimington summoned up his usual amiable smile and took leave of Mr. Binney with a warm grasp of the hand; and Mr. Binney went out through the ante-room, where the waiting crowd had swelled to unusual proportions, and clattered down the oak staircase into the court, hugging his precious sheaf of papers. In the Combination Room, that evening, Mr. Rimington and Mr. Segrave discussed Mr. Binney over their wine. "I did my best to dissuade him," said Mr. Rimington. "It is very hard lines on the boy." "He is a nice boy," said the other. "Wargrave"--this was Lucius's house-master at Eton--"says he is one of the best boys he has in his house; not at all brilliant, but of excellent character and a first-rate oar--just the sort of freshman we want, as we can't expect them all to be scholars. I'm afraid it will spoil his life here if his father insists upon inflicting himself on us. What sort of a man is he?" Mr. Rimington laughed. He would have liked to say, "Just a cocky little tradesman," but he was a charitable man. "If I were the boy," he said, "I would rather have him in London than at Cambridge. But I don't think we shall see him at Cambridge. He left school thirty years ago and has never learnt either Latin or Greek, or indeed anything that we want, excepting, perhaps, arithmetic, and we don't want much of that. Yet he expects us to admit him in October." "Oh, well then, we may set our minds at rest," said Mr. Segrave. "But it's a curious idea altogether." Mr. Binney had got back to Russell Square by that time and was just then engaged in writing out an advertisement for a resident tutor. CHAPTER III LUCIUS WINS A YEAR'S RESPITE A week after Mr. Binney's visit to Cambridge, he wrote the following letter to his son:-- "MY DEAR Lucius,--Yours of 29th ult. to hand. I note you are getting on with your work and enjoying yourself. I have now relinquished my attendance at the office, and have left the management in Mr. Walton's hands, merely dropping in for an hour or two once a week to see how things are going. As far as I can see he will carry on the business well during my three years' absence, and at the end of that time I shall take the reins again and you will begin work there. If all goes well I shall take you into partnership a year after that, by which time you ought to have fully mastered the details. "_Re_ work for Trinity Entrance Examination.