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Spink and I crowded through the door and into the se of a narrow bed He was dressed, but his buttons were not fastened, and he sat with his upper body tilted forward and his head drooping The knees of his uniform trousers et and muddy He did not look up at us as we ca hio ho where you are, out so late" The estion and a steel coed that he was not fond of Caulder and anticipated an arguot it "My mother has not ruled my hours since I was ten, Dr Amicas And lad to see you and to hear how helpful you were in letting us know that you had found an injured cadet Thank you, Caulder Please give your father ards"
Caulder stood stubbornly aat hi by staying "Good evening, Doctor I shall convey your regards to Colonel Stiet" He added his last words pointedly, as if we could sootten that his father was the commander of the Academy Then he about-faced s of his boots as the sound receded, and then heard the door shut behind him Only then did the doctor look at us
He was a spare old ray hair around a bald pate He wore rimless spectacles and a white s of faded brown on the smock showed that it ell used The hand he held out to each of us in turn was veiny but strong "Dr Aly of pipe tobacco He nodded his head alh his spectacles when he spoke "Young Caulder cao, abri to crawl back to Carneston House" The doctor worked hisfor a pipe that wasn’t there He seemed to choose his words carefully "Caulder seemed to know a mite too much about this cadet for someone who’d just chanced upon hi different froestured at Gord as he spoke, but Gord still didn’t look up at us He hadn’t made a sound since we entered the room
"What happened to him, sir?" Spink asked the doctor, al there
"He says he slipped on the steps of the library and fell all the way to the bottom, and then tried to crawl back to his dorave in to himself He took a pipe from one trouser pocket and a pouch of tobacco from the other He loaded his pipe carefully and lit it before he spoke again Then his tone was clinical "However, it looks to me like he was attacked by several men and restrained while someone hit hilasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose wearily "I’m afraid that in my years here, I’ve beco leaves I’," he added
"Caulder told us that Gord was beaten," I said At ave me a look I could not interpret
"I suspect he witnessed it," the doctor said "Caulder is often the first one to run and tell me of injuries to first-year cadets Lately he has reported several ‘accidents’ befalling new nobility cadets, accidents he claims to have witnessed The first-years fro down stairs and walking into doors I’ to Carneston House" The doctor set his glasses firmly back on his nose and clasped his hands in front of hiossiper lad says Thus I have no basis on which to attempt to put a stop to it" He looked pointedly at Gord, but the fat cadet orking at his buttons and didn’t razed I folded otten in a few licks of his own before he went down
"New noble first-years are being beaten?" Spink sounded far ave a brief snort of bitter laughter "Well, that is what I would say, based solely onthis plague of ‘accidents’ My written reports speak of everything fro down a rain-soaked riverbank" He looked at us severely "That second-year cadet nearly drowned I don’t knohat makes all of you keep silent as you do; will you wait until one of you is killed before you make a complaint? Because until you speak up on your own behalf, there is nothing I can do for any of you Nothing"