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The doctor lowered his face, sniffed at Tiber suspiciously, and then drew back "Well, he certainly doesn’t s doesn’t lay a et this sort of mud on himself in town" He lifted his head and stared at Ordo "He’s damn lucky not to be dead after a blow to the head like that" When Ordo said nothing, the doctor glanced at his assistants "Load hiet him back to the infirmary"

The doctor stood and held the lantern for the two orderlies, who carefully edged Tiber onto the stretcher In the lantern’s feeble light, the doctor looked older than he had in his office The lines in his face seeht have gotto walk back to his dormitory," Ordo suddenly volunteered We all turned to look at hi sounded laborious to reed, for he suddenly snapped at hi you saw and sign it Burvelle, you go back to your dormitory And Caulder! Get yourself hoht"

Caulder had been holding back at the edge of the circle of light He had been staring at Tiber, his expression one of both fascination and horror At the doctor’s words, he startled, and then scaht I stooped and picked up Tiber’s satchel and papers

"Give those to me," the doctor commanded me brusquely, and I passed them over to him

The doctor’s path led in the same direction as mine, so I walked on the other side of the stretcher froht of the lanternhis features He was very pale

I left the miserable cavalcade at the ay to Carneston House The s in the upper floors were all dark, but a lantern still burned by the door When I went inside, I took the last of eant Rufet He stared at hts-out I thought he would take me to task over it, but he only nodded and said, "Your friend said you’d run off to see about someone as hurt Next time, come here first and report it to me I could have sent some of the older cadets with you"

"Yes, sir," I said wearily I turned to go

"It was Cadet Lieutenant Tiber, you said"

I turned back "Yes, sir He’d been beaten up pretty badly He was drunk So I don’t think he put up eant Rufet knit his brows at me "Drunk? Not Tiber That boy doesn’t drink So" And then, as if he suddenly realized what he had said, the sergeant snapped his jaws shut "Go to bed, Cadet Quietly," he told me an instant later I went

I found Spink waiting for htshirt He followed me into our room, and as I undressed in the dark, I quietly told hi He was silent I shook out my damp uniforain toht to take to bed with me I tried, instead, to focus my mind on Carsina, but she suddenly seeirls, perhaps, did not h the rest of my first year I was in my bed before Spink asked his question

"Was the liquor on his breath?"

"He reeked of it" We both knehat that meant As soon as he recovered, Tiber would be suspended and face discipline If he recovered

"No Ithe smell at you? Or was it just on his clothes?"

I thought about it for alike that I just sot close to him"

Another silence followed my words Then, "Dr Amicas seems very sharp He’ll know if Tiber was really drunk or not"

"Probably," I agreed, but I wasn’t sure I believed it There wasn’t much I had faith in anymore

I fell asleep, and dreaainst her tree and I stood before her Rain was falling on both of us Although it drenched me, it did not wet her As soon as it touched her, it was absorbed as if her flesh were thirsty earth I didn’t entle and soft, and its chill touch was allen felt very faainst the weather, but sat bare-li it "Come," she said "Walk and talk with h your eyes"