on top of the Secretary.
'Number three oh six?' the Secretary whispered, without looking up from the book. 'R. Gordon?'
'Yes,' I croaked.
The world stood still. The traffic stopped, the plants ceased growing, men were paralysed, the clouds hung in the air, the winds dropped, the tides disappeared, the sun halted in the sky.
'Pass,' the man muttered.
Blindly, like a man just hit by blackjack, I stumbled upstairs.
The bar of the King George was full. I crashed through the door like a hot wind.
'I've passed!' I screamed.
The bar rose in turmoil. I couldn't see any of it. It was a pink jumble of faces, a numb sensation of handshakes, a dim perception of backslapping.
'Congratulations, sir!' shouted the Padre, thrusting his hand through the mob. 'Congratulations, Doctor! Here you are, sir. A quart tankard, sir. With my every best wish.'
Someone pushed the deep pewter mug into my hands.
'Down the hatch!'
'One gulp, old man!'
I was too breathless to drink. I wanted to laugh, cry, dance, and run all at the same time.
'I can't believe it!' I exclaimed. 'It isn't true! The first thing I knew I was shaking hands with the old boys and signing my diploma.'
'How about the other two gentlemen?' the Padre called.
'Oh Lord!' I felt suddenly guilty. 'I'd quite forgotten to wait for them!'
At that moment the door flew open. There entered Benskin and Grimsdyke wearing each other's jackets, attempting to pull in with them a violently neighing carthorse.
'I think it's all right,' the Padre said.
The party went on until closing time. Every student in the school seemed to be inside the tiny bar. I emptied and re-emptied my tankard. Everyone was shouting and singing, leaning on each other, jostling their neighbours, slapping their friends on the back. The angry owner of the horse had been asked inside and was now singing The Lily of Laguna to a co-operative audience. The room filled tighter as the news of more successes was brought in, like victories to a triumphant headquarters.
'Bottle's through,' I heard Evans bawling over the hubbub. 'So's Sprogget.'
'How about you?' I shouted back.
Evans delightedly stuck his thumb in the air.
I suddenly found myself jammed between Benskin and Grimsdyke.
'Hooray!' shouted Benskin, ruffling my hair.
'It's bloody funny!' Grimsdyke shouted. 'Bloody funny!'
'What is?' I bawled at him.
'We're three bloody doctors,' he hollered. We burst into roars of laughter.
My feelings in the next few days were those of a private unexpectedly promoted to general overnight. In a minute or two I had been transformed from an unearning and potentially dishonest ragamuffin to a respectable and solvent member of a learned profession. Now banks would trust me with their money, hire firms with their cars, and mothers with their daughters. I could sign prescriptions, death certificates, and orders for extra milk, and no one could contradict me. It was wonderful.
As soon as the exam results were out the Chiefs made appointments to the resident staff of St. Swithin's. I became house-physician to Dr. Malcolm Maxworth, and had to begin work the next week. I saw from the list that Evans had been awarded the plum position of house-surgeon to the Professor, and Grimsdyke became a junior obstetrical officer. Sprogget had not bothered to apply for a job at St. Swithin's and Benskin was not given one. The Dean had vetoed the appointment.
I packed up and left the Bayswater flat. The landlord had been wanting to get rid of us for some time and took the opportunity of taking possession himself. We had a row about damages, but Sprogget settled it by threatening officially to report the plumbing to the local Medical Officer of Health unless the estimate was reduced considerably.
In the hospital I was given a small, bleak room with an iron bedstead, a desk, a chair, and a telephone. But I unpacked with delight-I was living there free of charge, and at last, at the age of twenty-three, I was earning some money.
There was a letter waiting for me, addressed ostentatiously to Dr. Gordon in Benskin's handwriting. I opened it.
'Dear old boy,' it began. 'I expect you will be surprised to hear that I have got married. As a matter of fact, I have for a long time been bloody keen on Molly (the nurse I proposed to that night), and we decided to do the old ring stuff as soon as I got through. I didn't say anything to you coarse fellows, because you have such warped ideas on such things. I have a job waiting for me in general practice at home, and we are now having the old honeymoon in Cornwall. Let me warn you against the swank of calling yourself doctor, old lad. I signed myself in the visitors' book as Dr. Benskin, and we had only just got into bed when the porter came banging on the door shouting at me that the cook had scalded herself. The marriage was consummated, but only just. Your old chum, Tony.'
'I'm damned!' I said. 'The old stoat!'
I was still staring at the letter when the 'phone rang. It was Sister Virtue, whom I now had to work with as a colleague. Her tone was only a little less severe than the one she used on students-to her, new housemen were hardly less reprehensible.
'Dr. Gordon,' she rasped. 'When are you going to appear in the ward? I have a stack of notes for you to sign and three new patients have been admitted. You can't expect the nursing staff to run the hospital on their own.'
I looked at my watch. It was six in the evening. I had to tell the Padre about Benskin.
'Half-past six, Sister,' I said. 'I've only just arrived. Will that be all right?'
'Not a minute later,' she snapped, discontinuing the conversation.
I walked across to the King George with Benskin's letter.
'I knew it all along, sir, if I may say so,' the Padre said calmly. 'It's always the same with the ones that run a mile if they see a nurse and talk big about staying single. I've seen it a good many times, now, sir. And you watch out, Dr. Gordon-I bet you're next.'
'Well, I don't know about that, Padre. There's no one on the cards at the moment.'
'Ah yes, sir, but wait till you've been about the hospital a bit as a doctor instead of a student. Why, the nurses are all over you. You get proper spoilt, you lads do.'
'I must confess noting a certain sweet co-operation among the girls I hadn't found before. Perhaps you're right. Anyway, I'll watch my step.'
I took a few sips of my beer.
'It's quiet in here, Padre, to-night.'
'Early in the evening yet, sir.'
'I know…but it seems oppressively quiet, if you know what I mean. I suppose it's because there's been so much fun and games going on the last few days. It's…well, lonely. This qualification business is all very well, but it soon wears off. For about three days the world is at your feet, then you realize it's the beginning, not the end. You've got to fight a damn sight harder than you did in your exams to do your job decently and make a living.'
'That's right, sir. They all say the same. You've got to face it, them carefree student days is over for good. Life is hard, sir. It's bad enough for a publican, but a damn sight worse for a doctor.'
'Well, let's not get miserable about it,' I said. 'Still, these last few days I've begun to wish I'd got a bit more out of my education.'
