'How'd he get this far?' I said.
'I'm afraid I can't tell you,' Madelaine said. 'I am his academic adviser, but he has never been a student in a class with me. What strategies he employed to conceal the truth from us . . .' She turned her palms up and shrugged.
'What were his SATs like?'
'I don't really recall,' Madelaine said. 'It is, of course, confidential information.'
I looked at Susan. 'Confidential,' I said. 'Isn't it always?'
I looked at the three degrees on the wall. B.A., Georgetown. M.A., Ph.D., Queens College, New York.
'Do you have Dwayne's class schedule for this year, and previous ones?' I said.
'Of course,' Madelaine said.
'May I see the schedules?'
'What on earth for?'
'I am still looking for an answer. I am not getting anywhere with you. I thought I'd talk with his teachers.'
'With his teachers?'
'Yeah.'
'You can't do that,' Madelaine said.
'Confidential?' Susan said.
'No, but, I mean you can't just walk around the University asking all Dwayne's teachers about why he can't read.'
'Why not?' I said.
'Well, I mean, you'd have to make appointments, and, well, they wouldn't ... many of them wouldn't like it.'
'Would they not wish to reach an understanding,' Susan said, 'as to how a young man who can neither read nor write could get a passing grade in their courses?'
'Do you teach, Dr. Silverman?'
'I give a course at Tufts. Primarily I am in private practice as a psychotherapist.'
'Well, with a Ph.D. you've certainly been in an academic setting long enough to know, with your teaching experience at Tufts also, how prickly the academic world can be about any threat, real or imagined, to academic freedom,' Madelaine said.
Susan smiled. 'What greater threat is there to academic freedom than illiteracy? To any kind of freedom?'
'You will offend a great many people,' Madelaine said.
Susan smiled more widely.
'My colleague will weather that, I think.'
We all sat for a few moments.
Finally I said, 'Do we get the schedules?'
Madelaine shook her head. 'I'm sorry, I'm just not comfortable giving them to you.'
'Well,' I said, 'at least you have a good reason.'
I stood. Dr. Silverman stood. Dr. Roth did not.
'Wasn't it Dr. Johnson,' I said, 'who called academic freedom the last refuge of scoundrels?'
Dr. Roth said nothing. Dr. Silverman and I left.
We walked down the corridor and back down the stairs.
'Dr. Johnson said 'patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel,' ' Susan said.
'I know, but does Dr. Roth know?' I said.
'Unlikely,' Susan said.
President Cort's office was in the other wing of the administration building.
'I warn you,'' I said to Susan, 'this woman is infatuated with me. So be prepared to smother your jealousy.'
Susan yawned. 'I'll do what I can,' she said. We went into the President's office and June Merriman at her desk looked at me passionately.
'Oh, God,' she said.
'This will be hard,' Dr. Silverman murmured.
'June,' I said. 'This is my friend Susan Silverman.'
Ms. Merriman smiled with her lips only and made a small nod of her head.
'We'll need a list of Dwayne Woodcock's teachers, June.'
