Irritated him.

Swat, he whispered, but Garrick ignored him.

Sean was bored. He shifted restlessly in his seat and looked at the

back of Karl's neck, there was a ripe pimple on it. He picked up his

ruler to prod it. Before he could do so Karl lifted his hand as if to

scratch his shoulder but there was a scrap of paper between his fingers.

Sean put down the ruler and surreptitiously reached for the note.

He held it in his lap, on it was written one word.

Mosquitoes Sean grinned. Sean's imitation of a mosquito was one of the

many reasons why the previous schoolmaster had resigned. For six months

old Lizard had believed that there were mosquitoes in the room, then for

the next six months he had known there were not. He had tried every

ruse he could think of to catch the culprit, and in the end it had got

him. Every time the monotonous hum began the tic in the corner of his

mouth became more noticeable.

Now Sean cleared his throat and started to hum.

Instantly the room was tense with suppressed laughter.

Every head, including Sean's, was bent studiously over a book. Mr

Clark's hand hesitated in writing on the blackboard but then went on

again evenly.

It was a clever imitation; by lowering and raising the volume Sean gave

the effect of an insect moving about the room. A slight trembling at

his throat was the only sign that he was responsible.

Mr Clark finished writing and turned to face the room.

Sean did not make the mistake of stopping, he allowed the mosquito to

fly a little longer before settling.

Mr Clark left his dais and walked down the row of desks furthest from

Sean. Once or twice he paused to check the work of one of his pupils.

He reached the back of the room and moved across to Sean's row. He

stopped at Anna's desk.

It is unnecessary to loop your L's like that, he told her.Let me show

you. He took her pencil and wrote, You see what I mean. To show off

when writing is as bad as showing off in your everyday behaviour. He

handed her back her pencil and then pivoting on one foot he hit Sean a

mighty crack across the side of the head with his open hand. Sean's

head was knocked sideways and the sound of the blow was very loud in the

quiet room.

There was a mosquito sitting on your ear, said Mr Clark.

in the following two years Sean and Garrick made the change from child

to young manhood. It was like riding a strong current, being swept with

speed along the river of life.

There were parts of the river that flowed steadily: Ada was one of

these. Always understanding, with the ability to give her understanding

expression, unchanging in her love for her husband and the family she

had taken as her own.

Waite was another. A little more grey in his hair but big as ever in

body, laugh and fortune.

There were parts of the river that ran faster: There were landmarks

along the course of the river. Some of them small as a pile of rocks in

shallow water: Some of the landmarks were big as headlands: And at the

end the river plunged over the last waterfall and swept them into the

sea. of manhood.

Garrick's reliance on Sean. He needed him more strongly each month that

passed, for Sean was his shield.