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lly。　Presently　he　came　to　a　familiar　place；　a　group　of　trees；　a　sheet　of　water；　and　the　ruins　of　an　old　embankment。　　It　was　the　ancient　tank　of　his　overnight　encounter。　　The　pool　of　his　dream？　With　doubt　still　in　his　mind；　he　walked　round　its　margin　to　the　sandy　level　beyond；　and　cast　about　and　sought　intently；　and　at　last　found；　and　then　found　clearly；　imposed　upon　the　tracks　of　several　sorts　of　deer　and　the　footprints　of　many　biggish　birds；　first　the　great　spoor　of　the　tiger　and　then　his　own。　　Here　the　beast　had　halted；　and　here　it　had　leapt　aside。　　Here　his　own　footmarks　stopped。　　Here　his　heels　had　come　together。　It　had　been　no　dream。　There　was　a　white　mist　upon　the　water　of　the　old　tank　like　the　bloom　upon　a　plum；　and　the　trees　about　it　seemed　smaller　and　the　sand…　space　wider　and　rougher　than　they　had　seemed　in　the　moonshine。　　Then　the　ground　had　looked　like　a　floor　of　frosted　silver。　And　thence　he　went　on　upward　through　the　fresh　morning；　until　just　as　the　east　grew　red　with　sunrise；　he　reached　the　cart…track　from　which　he　had　strayed　overnight。　　It　was；　he　found；　a　longer　way　back　to　the　camp　than　he　remembered　it　to　be。　　Perhaps　he　had　struck　the　path　further　along。　　It　curved　about　and　went　up　and　down　and　crossed　three　ravines。　　At　last　he　came　to　that　trampled　place　of　littered　white　blossom　under　great　trees　where　he　had　seen　the　bears。　The　sunlight　went　before　him　in　a　sheaf　of　golden　spears；　and　his　shadow；　that　was　at　first　limitless；　crept　towards　his　feet。　　The　dew　had　gone　from　the　dead　grass　and　the　sand　was　hot　to　his　dry　boots　before　he　came　back　into　the　open　space　about　the　great　banyan　and　the　tents。　　And　Kepple；　refreshed　by　a　night's　rest　and　coffee；　was　wondering　loudly　where　the　devil　he　had　gone。

THE　STORY

CHAPTER　THE　FIRST　THE　BOY　GROWS　UP

1

Benham　was　the　son　of　a　schoolmaster。　　His　father　was　assistant　first　at　Cheltenham；　and　subsequently　at　Minchinghampton；　and　then　he　became　head　and　later　on　sole　proprietor　of　Martindale　House；　a　high…class　preparatory　school　at　Seagate。　　He　was　extremely　successful　for　some　years；　as　success　goes　in　the　scholastic　profession；　and　then　disaster　overtook　him　in　the　shape　of　a　divorce。　　His　wife；　William　Porphyry's　mother；　made　the　acquaintance　of　a　rich　young　man　named　Nolan；　who　was　recuperating　at　Seagate　from　the　sequelae　of　snake…bite；　malaria；　and　a　gun　accident　in　Brazil。　　She　ran　away　with　him；　and　she　was　divorced。　　She　was；　however；　unable　to　marry　him　because　he　died　at　Wiesbaden　only　three　days　after　the　Reverend　Harold　Benham　obtained　his　decree　absolute。　Instead；　therefore；　being　a　woman　of　great　spirit；　enterprise　and　sweetness；　she　married　Godfrey　Marayne；　afterwards　Sir　Godfrey　Marayne；　the　great　London　surgeon。　Nolan　was　a　dark；　rather　melancholy　and　sentimental　young　man；　and　he　left　about　a　third　of　his　very　large　fortune　entirely　to　Mrs。　Benham　and　the　rest　to　her　in　trust　for　her　son；　whom　he　deemed　himself　to　have　injured。　　With　this　and　a　husband　already　distinguished；　she　returned　presently　to　London；　and　was　on　the　whole　fairly　well　received　there。　It　was　upon　the　reverend　gentleman　at　Seagate　that　the　brunt　of　this　divorce　fell。　　There　is　perhaps　a　certain　injustice　in　the　fact　that　a　schoolmaster　who　has　lost　his　wife　should　also　lose　the　more　valuable　proportion　of　his　pupils；　but　the　tone　of　thought　in　England　is　against　any　association　of　a　schoolmaster　with　matrimonial　irregularity。　　And　also　Mr。　Benham　remarried。　　It　would　certainly　have　been　better　for　him　if　he　could　have　produced　a　sister。　　His　school　declined　and　his　efforts　to　resuscitate　it　only　hastened　its　decay。　　Conceiving　that　he　could　now　only　appeal　to　the　broader…minded；　more　progressive　type　of　parent；　he　became　an　educational　reformer；　and　wrote　upon　modernizing　the　curriculum　with　increasing　frequency　to　the　TIMES。　　He　expended　a　considerable　fraction　of　his　dwindling　capital　upon　a　science　laboratory　and　a　fives　court；　he　added　a　London　Bachelor　of　Science　with　a　Teaching　Diploma　to　the　school　staff；　and　a　library　of　about　a　thousand　volumes；　including　the　Hundred　Best　Books　as　selected　by　the　late　Lord　Avebury；　to　the　school　equipment。　　None　of　these　things　did　anything　but　enhance　the　suspicion　of　laxity　his　wife's　escapade　had　created　in　the　limited　opulent　and　discreet　class　to　which　his　establishment　appealed。　　One　boy　who；　under　the　influence　of　the　Hundred　Best　Books；　had　quoted　the　ZEND…AVESTA　to　an　irascible　but　influential　grandfather；　was　withdrawn　without　notice　or　compensation　in　the　middle　of　the　term。　　It　intensifies　the　tragedy　of　the　Reverend　Harold　Benham's　failure　that　in　no　essential　respect　did　his　school　depart　from　the　pattern　of　all　other　properly…　conducted　preparatory　schools。　In　appearance　he　was　near　the　average　of　scholastic　English　gentlemen。　　He　displayed　a　manifest　handsomeness　somewhat　weakened　by　disregard　and　disuse；　a　large　moustache　and　a　narrow　high　forehead。　　His　rather　tired　brown　eyes　were　magnified　by　glasses。　He　was　an　active　man　in　unimportant　things；　with　a　love　for　the　phrase　〃ship…shape；〃　and　he　played　cricket　better　than　any　one　else　on　the　staff。　　He　walked　in　wide　strides；　and　would　sometimes　use　the　tail　of　his　gown　on　the　blackboard。　　Like　so　many　clergymen　and　schoolmasters；　he　had　early　distrusted　his　natural　impulse　in　conversation；　and　had　adopted　the　defensive　precaution　of　a　rather　formal　and　sonorous　speech；　which　habit　had　made　a　part　of　him。　　His　general　effect　was　of　one　who　is　earnestly　keeping　up　things　that　might　otherwise　give　way；　keeping　them　up　by　act　and　voice；　keeping　up　an　atmosphere　of　vigour　and　success　in　a　school　that　was　only　too　manifestly　attenuated；　keeping　up　a　pretentious　economy　of　administration　in　a　school　that　must　not　be　too　manifestly　impoverished；　keeping　up　a　claim　to　be　in　the　scientific　van　and　rather　a　flutterer　of　dovecotswith　its　method　of　manual　training　for　examplekeeping　up　ESPRIT　DE　CORPS　and　the　manliness　of　himself　and　every　one　about　him；　keeping　up　his　affection　for　his　faithful　second　wife　and　his　complete　forgetfulness　of　and　indifference　to　that　spirit　of　distracting　impulse　and　insubordination　away　there　in　London；　who　had　once　been　his　delight　and　insurmountable　difficulty。　〃After　my　visits　to　her；〃　wrote　Benham；　〃he　would　show　by　a　hundred　little　expressions　and　poses　and　acts　how　intensely　he　wasn't　noting　that　anything　of　the　sort　had　occurred。〃　But　one　thing　that　from　the　outset　the　father　seemed　to　have　failed　to　keep　up　thoroughly　was　his　intention　to　mould　and　dominate　his　son。　The　advent　of　his　boy　had　been　a　tremendous　event　in　the　reverend　gentleman's　life。　　It　is　not　improbable　that　his　disposition　to　monopolize　the　pride　of　this　event　contributed　to　the　ultimate　disruption　of　his　family。　　It　left　so　few　initiatives　within　the　home　to　his　wife。　　He　had　been　an　early　victim　to　that　wave　of　philoprogenitive　and　educational　enthusiasm　which　distinguished　the　closing　decade　of　the　nineteenth　century。　　He　was　full　of　plans　in　those　days　for　the　education　of　his　boy；　and　the　thought　of　the　youngster　played　a　large　part　in　the　series　of　complicated　emotional　crises　with　which　he　celebrated　the　departure　of　his　wife；　crises　in　which　a　number　of　old　school　and　college　friends　very　generously　assistedspending　weekends　at　Seagate　for　this　purpose；　and　mingling　tobacco；　impassioned　handclasps　and　suchlike　consolation　with　much　patient　sympathetic　listening　to　his　carefully　balanced　analysis　of　his　feelings。　　He　declared　that　his　son　was　now　his　one　living　purpose　in　life；　and　he　sketched　out　a　scheme　of　moral　and　intellectual　training　that　he　subsequently　embodied　in　five　very　stimulating　and　intimate　articles　for　the　SCHOOL　WORLD；　but　never　put　into　more　than　partial　operation。　〃I　have　read　my　father's　articles　upon　this　subject；〃　wrote　Benham；　〃and　I　am　still　perplexed　to　measure　just　what　I　owe　to　him。　　Did　he　ever　attempt　this　moral　training　he　contemplated　so　freely？　　I　don't　think　he　did。　　I　know　now；　I　knew　then；　that　he　had　something　in　his　mind。　。　。　。　　There　were　one　or　two　special　walks　we　had　together；　he　invited　me　to　accompany　him　with　a　certain　portentousness；　and　we　would　go　out　pregnantly　making　superficial　remarks　about　the　school　cricket　and　return；　discussing　botany；　with　nothing　said。　〃His　heart　failed　him。　〃Once　or　twice；　too；　he　seemed　to　be　reaching　out　at　me　from　the　school　pulpit。　〃I　think　that　my　father　did　manage　to　convey　to　me　his　belief　that　there　were　these　fine　things；　honour；　high　aims；　nobilities。　　If　I　did　not　get　this　belief　from　him　then　I　do　not　know　how　I　got　it。　But　it　was　as　if　he　hinted　at　a　treasure　that　had　got　very　dusty　in　an　attic；　a　treasure　which　he　hadn't　himself　been　able　to　spend。　。　。　。〃　The　father　who　had　intended　to　mould　his　son　ended　by　watching　him　grow；　not　always　with　sympathy　or　understanding。　　He　was　an　overworked　man　assailed　by　many　futile　anxieties。　　One　sees　him　striding　about　the　establishment　with　his　gown　streaming　out　behind　him　urging　on　the　groundsman　or　the　gardener；　or　dignified；　expounding　the　particular　advantages　of　Seagate　to　enquiring　parents；　one　sees　him　unnaturally　cheerful　and　facetious　at　the　midday　dinner　table；　one　imagines　him　keeping　up　high　aspirations　in　a　rather　too