Adam took a deep breath and replied, `Could you run to a hundred pounds?'
His Lordship gave a cheerful laugh. `I could, but I think you deserve more than that.'
To Adam a hundred pounds was an immense sum and he had hardly dare ask for it. His eyes widened with excitement as Ruffan went on:
`But there is a snag about my giving you a lump sum. As you are a minor we'd have to disclose it, and such a gift would be very difficult to explain. I've been thinking, though. You are a sensible chap and realise that a good education is the royal road to the trimmings that make life worth while. What do you say to my sending you to an English public school, then a university? None would question my doing that, because you're bright enough to warrant it.'
Overwhelmed at the new future opened up to him, Adam stammered his thanks.
`We'll have to play this carefully, though,' his benefactor resumed. `Got to show people I'm taking an interest in you. I tell you what. The guns arrive tomorrow for our first shoot on the Glorious 12th. I'll take you out with me as an extra loader, and later let you have a crack at the birds yourself.'
So, during the rest of August, Adam was skilfully established as a youngster of whom His Lordship thought a lot, and early in September no one at the Castle was greatly surprised when they learned that he was going to send him to school in England.
When first making the suggestion Ruffan had counted on the fact that his seat, Loudly Hall, was not far from Marlborough. As he was a Governor of that famous school, he should have no difficulty in getting Adam into it; but he had overlooked the fact that his protégé?? was over age for entry. However, Teddy Ruffan was not a man to be put off easily and the headmaster was a broad minded man with a very natural desire to have scholars who promised to do his school credit. In consequence, when he saw the excellent report sent in by Adam's schoolmaster at Portgower, he was persuaded to take the boy.
Thus, towards the end of September, happy, excited and preening himself on the splendid new outfit with which His Lordship had provided him, Adam travelled south to become a denizen of an utterly different world from any he had known or dreamed of. But very soon he was to rue the day he had left his native Scotland.
It was not that his new companions deliberately bullied him, but he was a fish out of water. His background, upbringing and accent were all different from those of his companions and, after he had fought and thoroughly beaten a much older boy who laughed at his accent, he was regarded as dangerous and unpredictable, so was left strictly alone.
He had been used to loneliness, but not loneliness among a crowd of jostling, laughing boys; so for a time he was miserable. But at least there was one compensation; it threw him back upon his work, and his masters found him to be their star pupil. In addition, Marlborough has not only a truly splendid library; it has been indexed so thoroughly that all the ramifications of any subject can be found with ease. To Adam this proved an abiding joy and he spent most of his spare time there, reading voraciously at first about the far flung expeditions of the Norsemen and later about that other, tropical, country of which he still had occasional dreams. While looking through an illustrated History of Early Civilizations he had recognised this to be Mexico. In the library he also discovered Alexandre Dumas and Baroness Orczy and, between serious reading, he devoured their books with delight.
His visions of Mexico became ever more vivid. He saw it as a land of extraordinary contrasts: snow capped mountains and rank vegetations only vaguely seen through the steam resulting from a tropical downpour; of architects whose mathematics were so exact that they could safely erect buildings the like of which had never been dreamed of in northern Europe; but which had still not devised the wheel that made many labours so infinitely easier; of a people to whom sunshine brought unbelievable plenty, yet whose hearts were filled with constant fear because it was an arid land and rain to make the crops grow could be bought only by the sacrifice of young men and virgins to the ferocious gods who, through their priests, ruled the country.
In spite of its sinister, fanatical and dangerous priesthood, this country of sunshine, music and brown skinned women held for Adam much more attraction than the bleak, rain swept northern lands with their people's primitive way of life and their long, dull winters; so he made up his mind that, as soon as he possibly could, he would visit Mexico.
It was in his second summer at Marlborough that he was quite suddenly pulled out of his lonely, studious life. There had been an epidemic in the school which had struck several members of the cricket First Eleven. The epidemic was over, but its victims were still convalescing and the match of the year was due to be played. Adam was a good bat, but a poor bowler and weak on fielding; so, in spite of his height and strength, he had got no further than doing well in the Third Eleven. But it was batsmen that were needed. The Games Captain took a chance and included Adam in the side.
He was put in sixth wicket down when already there seemed no hope at all of Marlborough 's winning the match. Adam stayed the course, knocked up a hundred and five and carried his bat.
Towards the end of the match the excitement grew intense. Adam's last hit was a boundary, winning the match for Marlborough by three runs. The watching boys streamed on to the pitch, cheering like mad, seized Adam, hoisted him on their shoulders and carried him in triumph back to the pavilion. The Games Captain wrung his hand and told him then and there that
he was capped. From that moment he was looked on as a hero.
At the beginning of his last year he received another distinction. Like other public schools, Marlborough has its Literary Society, but it differs in that there it is an elite. At most colleges any boy
who is interested in books may join and listen to the talks given by well known writers who are invited down to address the Society; at Marlborough the membership is limited to twelve senior boys, and only they may do so.
For some time past Adam had been contributing articles on sport to the school magazine, and it had never even occurred to him that he might qualify for this honour. Then, for his own amusement, he wrote three short stories about a Viking. To his surprise and delight, when the next vacancy occurred, he was invited to become a member of the Society. The double crown of his cap for cricket and membership of the literary elite, coupled with his cheerful character and good looks, made him immensely popular and during his last terms no youth could have had a happier life.
In the holidays, too, he thoroughly enjoyed himself, for Lord Ruffan's interest in him had continued. When in Scotland he took Adam fishing and shooting with him, and at other times had him to stay at Loudly Hall in Somerset; delighting to show him off to his friends as an example of what a public school education could do.
He had changed during his time at Marlborough. His crop of unruly curls had been cut and coaxed into inoffensive waves, Ruffan's tailor had clothed him suitably and nothing remained of his broad Scottish accent but a pleasant burr. All the rough corners had been rubbed off him and he felt at ease in any company.
Arrangements had been made for him to go up to Cambridge and, his ambitions having been fired by his membership of the Literary Society, he now hoped to become a professional writer, which would enable him to travel.
Then, three days after Adam left Marlborough for the last time; Teddy Ruffan had an apoplectic fit and died. Although it was not fully brought home to Adam for some days, for the second time the bottom had dropped out of his world.