Minshull was a tall young man, rather shabbily dressed, with a long solemn face diversified by little ranges of spots of an eruptive tendency. He greeted Lucius with some respect, for Lucius was a potential "blue," and Minshull would have been as incapable of keeping on his hat in church as of talking without due reverence to a "blue." "How's the governor getting on with his work?" asked Lucius with an abashed snigger. "Oh, pretty well," replied Minshull. "He works very hard, but of course he has to do everything from the beginning." "No chance of his getting through, I suppose?" said Lucius. "Oh, I don't know," said Minshull. "If he works as hard as he has been doing so far for the next three months he may just be able to scrape through in October." Lucius began to pace the room. "If he gets into Trinity I won't go up, that's flat," he said. "What! Not go up to the ''Varsity' when you've got a chance!" exclaimed Minshull. "My dear fellow, you don't know what you're talking about. You will regret it all your life if you don't." "Look here," said Lucius, "you were at Cambridge, weren't you?" "Yes, certainly," said Minshull, slightly offended. "I took my degree last year." "Well, how would you have liked to have your old governor playing the fool up there at the same college?" "I see no reason to suppose that Mr. Binney will play the fool," said Minshull stiffly. "I have put him up to everything he ought to know. He won't make mistakes. He is not likely to carry an umbrella with a cap and gown or anything of that sort." "Why shouldn't he carry an umbrella if it rains? Look here, can't you make certain of his getting pilled for this examination?" Minshull looked horrified. "What! and prevent his going up to the 'Varsity when he wants to?" he exclaimed. "Or if you can't do that and he's likely to get through, tell him that you don't think much of Trinity, and get him to go somewhere else." "There are plenty of good colleges in Cambridge besides Trinity," said Minshull, "although Trinity men don't seem to think so. My own college, for instance, Peterhouse, isn't big, but it is one of the best, if not _the_ best of the smaller ones." "Is it? Well then, get him to go there. Do you mean to say you don't think it's a beastly shame him wanting to come up and spoil all my time at Cambridge?" "I can't see----" began Minshull, but just then Mr. Binney came in, and Lucius left them to their labours, with the uncomfortable conviction that the toils were closing in on him and that there was no help at any rate to be gained from his father's tutor.