United States -- Social life and customs -- 20th century -- Fiction
Every one, however, sang the doxology with great vigor, some of the boys
lifting up a "whisky" tenor that made the chapel ring, and to which Hugh
happily added his own clear tenor. The benediction was pronounced by the
chaplain, the seniors marched out slowly in twos, while the other
students and the faculty stood in their places; then the president,
followed by the faculty, passed out of the great doors. When the back of
the last faculty gown had disappeared, the under-classmen broke for the
door, pushing each other aside, swearing when a toe was stepped on,
yelling to each other, some of them joyously chanting the doxology. Hugh
was caught in the rush and carried along with the mob, feeling ashamed
and distressed; this was no way to leave a church.
Once outside, however, he had no time to think of the chapel service; he
had five minutes in which to get to his first class, and the building
was across the campus, a good two minutes' walk. He patted his cap to be
sure that it was firmly on the back of his head, clutched his note-book,
and ran as hard as he could go, the strolling upper-classmen, whom he
passed at top speed, grinning after him in tolerant amusement.
Hugh was the first one in the class-room and wondered in a moment of
panic if he was in the right place. He sat down dubiously and looked at
his watch. Four minutes left. He would wait two, and then if nobody came
he would--he gasped; he couldn't imagine what he would do. How could he
find the right class-room? Maybe his class didn't come at this hour at
all. Suppose he and Carl had made a mistake. If they had, his whole
schedule was probably wrong. "Oh, golly," he thought, feeling pitifully
weak, "won't that be hell? What can I do?"
At that moment a countrified-looking youth entered, looking as scared as
Hugh felt. His face was pale, and his voice trembled as he asked
timidly, "Do you know if this is Section Three of Math One?"
Hugh was immediately strengthened. "I think so," he replied. "Anyhow,
let's wait and find out."
The freshman sighed in huge relief, took out a not too clean
handkerchief, and mopped his face. "Criminy!" he exclaimed as he
wriggled down the aisle to a seat by Hugh, "I was sure worried. I
thought I was in the wrong building, though I was sure that my adviser
had told me positively that Math was in Matthew Six."
"I guess we're all right," Hugh comforted him as two other freshmen,
also looking dubious, entered. They were followed by four more, and then
by a stampeding group, all of them pop-eyed, all of them in a rush. In
the next minute five freshmen dashed in and then dashed out again,
utterly bewildered, obviously terrified, and not knowing where to go or
what to do. "Is this Math One, Section Three?" every man demanded of the
room as he entered; and every one yelled, "Yes," or, "I think so."
Just as the bell rang at ten minutes after the hour, the instructor
entered. It was Professor Kane.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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