John was less sorry at leaving university than he would have imagined. It left in him a host of memories, mainly good, that would be released spontaneously from time to time by some random stimulus — a smell, a colour, a sound — and which he could take some delight in. But on the whole he parted from his university life like a fruit will part from a tree. It had done its job faithfully and well but could now no longer be of service. Coming as it did, at the right time, the parting was natural and painless. He looked forward to his new job with considerable excitement. His father had been right. On reflection, he realized his main interest lay in today’s problems, not tomorrow’s possibilities, and he was becoming increasingly interested in his father’s business.
In reality he was following
