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However stoically Gord er at every taunt Usually it was subtle, a scowl or a tightening of his shoulders or fists When it happened within our own cha the teaser to shut his mouth A number of times he and Trist almost came to blows over it Slowly it became obvious to et When I spoke to Spink about it, he admitted he are of that, but could not control his reaction If Trist had attacked hiht have been a better master of himself Somehow he had become Gord’s protector, and every time he failed in that role, it ate at him I feared that if it ever led to blows, one of us would be expelled froer than the last in that final week before our holiday The cold and the wet and the early dark of afternoon seemed to stretch our class hours and even our drill times to infinity The weather always see Our wool uniforrew heavy with damp and our ears and noses burned with cold When we returned to our dor soup, our uniforms would steam and stink until the air of our rooms seemed thick with memories of sheep We would take our places around the study table and try to keep our eyes open as our bodies sloarularly prodded us to stay awake and do our lessons, butout of a lax hand, and ht It was a slow and headachy torture to sit there I was burdened with the knowledge that the work y to do it It left tempers frayed, and sharp words flewthe table when soht with just such an incident In ed Trist’s inkwell "Careful!" Trist sharply rebuked him

"I did you no har but it set all our nerves on edge We tried to settle back into our studies, but there was the feel of a stor tension between Spink and Trist Trist had spoken glowingly several tie that would co, and of the days off he expected to enjoy with his father and elder brother He had oing to, and the wellborn girls he would escort on his various outings All of us had envied him, but Spink had see

Then Spink, vigorously rubbing out some errors in his calculations, vibrated our table Several heads lifted to glare at him, but he was furiously intent on his work and unaware of theain, and when Gord leaned over to point out a rowled, "Bessom, can’t you teach catechism elsewhere? Your acolyte is quite noisy"

It was no worse than any of his usual re It won hih from those of us around the table, and for a athered Even Gord only shrugged and said quietly, "Sorry about the noise"

Spink spoke in a flatly furious voice "I am not an acolyte Gord is not a Bessoht to study at this table as you do, Cadet Trist If you don’t like it, leave"

It was the last phrase that did it I happened to know that Trist hi with his math proof and I am certain he was every bit as weary as the rest of us Perhaps he secretly wished he could ask Gord’s advice, for Gord had swiftly and tidily coo Trist rose from his bench and leaned his palms on the study table to thrust his face toward Spink "Would you care to make me leave, Cadet Acolyte?"

At that point our study mentor should have intervened Perhaps both Spink and Trist were relying on hihting in quarters ranged froht was a tall, freckly second-year with large ears and knobby wrists that protruded froreat deal or if his long neck only made it see to be ordered back to their studies Instead, he announced, "I’ve left my book!" and abruptly departed froht in thewould encourage Trist and Spink to colowered at one another across the table, each waiting for the other to make the first move Spink had come to his feet to face Trist across the table, and the differences between the two could not be olden, his face as classic as a sculpted idol