The Rector’s first impulse was to put an end to this conversation immediately, but this unusual display of determination by one of his subordinates (although, admittedly, the most independent of them) induced him to act more cautiously. But he had only one goal in mind: not just to tweak his upstart deputy’s nose, but to hit him hard with the full weight of his fist, to put paid to any desire to pester him with questions once and for all.
“Generally speaking, I shouldn’t have to give you explanations,” he said in a quiet voice, with a cold reserve that marked very precisely the distance that separated them. “But, I’m not going to live forever. The time will come when one of you will be sitting in this chair; and it’s about time you understood how important it is for a leader to take dec
