Before O’Hanlon can finish examining the page, the massive goat bolts through an open doorway and vanishes toward the library passage. Boys scatter from its path.
The librarian, his pale complexion contrasting with the dark wool of his clothing,, a middle-aged man with a narrow face, thinning brown hair, and spectacles, appears carrying a stack of returned books. He pauses beside the bench.
the librarian
I saw a hand near the bench before the animal arrived. I cannot say whose hand it was, or whether it touched the page.
Geoffrey O'Hanlon
That is useful, but not conclusive. Senior prefect, keep the sheet where it lies. No boy leaves until the sequence has been established.
The senior prefect remains by the bench, while Peter stays inside O’Hanlon’s room with his copying halted. The older prefect remains beside his study door, watching the corridor.
the senior prefect
Sir, the librarian’s account places a hand near the page before the goat disturbed it. We should examine who had access, not blame Turing by assumption.
Geoffrey O'Hanlon
Agreed. Turing has not moved, and no witness places the paper in his possession. The page will be recovered only after I hear each account.
“I admit that it was my hand that was near the page.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Willpower, rolled -2)
Alan Turing
Sir, my hand was near the page before the goat arrived. I did not touch it or move it, but I should have said so immediately.
The admission settles over the corridor. Alan’s sleeve bears a faint smear of dust from the bench, and the senior prefect’s attention fixes upon it.
Geoffrey O'Hanlon
Thank you for stating that plainly. Your hand was near the page, but you have not claimed to read, alter, or remove it.
the senior prefect
The omission raises suspicion, Turing. It does not prove interference, but your reporting restriction makes immediate disclosure especially important.
the librarian
That agrees with what I saw. The hand was near the bench, yet I cannot say it touched the paper.
O’Hanlon nods to the senior prefect, who uses the ruler to draw the sheet into the open. Alan’s admission remains entered beside the librarian’s uncertain observation.
Geoffrey O'Hanlon
The page will now be examined, and your statement will accompany it. You have accepted the cost of suspicion, but you have not been charged with altering the record.
✓ Quest Accepted
Persuade O’Hanlon that written records are irrelevant
“I point out that hierarchy existed before written records and can function without them.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Willpower, rolled -1)
Alan Turing
Hierarchy existed before written records, sir. Boys could obey established authority without relying upon documents.
Alan’s point hangs beneath the gas bracket while the loose sheet rests exposed beyond the bench. The goat’s hoofbeats fade toward the library passage.
Geoffrey O'Hanlon
It did, Turing. But older does not mean safer, fairer, or less vulnerable to memory and personal influence.
the senior prefect
Hierarchy may command obedience without records, sir. It cannot show afterward what was ordered, by whom, or whether the order changed.
the librarian
Before ledgers, men relied upon witnesses and recollection. Both can be honest, yet neither preserves a hand or sentence as paper does.
Geoffrey O'Hanlon
Your argument is historically sound, but this House uses both hierarchy and records. Authority gives the order; writing fixes its boundaries.
O’Hanlon directs the senior prefect to preserve the loose sheet and record each witness’s statement. Alan’s distinction is accepted, while the written safeguard remains in force.
“Are the adults annoyed yet, that I keep contradicting them?”
YES (VeryLikely, rolled 38)
The adults’ patience has thinned. O’Hanlon’s mouth tightens, while the librarian shifts his books and the senior prefect watches Alan as though weighing another interruption.
Geoffrey O'Hanlon
Your distinctions are often accurate, Turing, but accuracy does not excuse repeatedly correcting those responsible for you. You are becoming tiresome.
the librarian
The boy’s questions have merit, sir. Still, he speaks as though every settled practice requires examination before obedience can proceed.
the senior prefect
He has made each answer into another argument. That habit may be intellectually admirable, but it is socially disruptive and increasingly difficult to tolerate.
O’Hanlon takes the loose sheet from the ruler and holds it beneath the gaslight. His irritation does not alter his method, but it makes the silence around Alan deliberate.
Geoffrey O'Hanlon
I will establish the wording and chain of custody, Turing. But understand this: continued contradiction will test my patience even when your reasoning remains sound.
The adults proceed with the examination, annoyed but not careless. Alan’s refusal to surrender the safeguard has preserved scrutiny, though it has also marked him as persistently difficult.
“Will the adults use the cane on my buttocks if they perceive me as continuing to be persistently, wilfully, and defiantly difficult?”
NO (Likely, rolled 82)
O’Hanlon studies Alan beneath the gaslight. His irritation is evident, but the cane remains in its place, and no order for corporal punishment follows.
Geoffrey O'Hanlon
No, Turing. Persistence and contradiction may require correction, but they will not bring the cane while you remain within the rules and speak plainly.
The senior prefect’s shoulders ease slightly. The question of punishment is settled, while the separate questions of wording, custody, and the reporting restriction remain open.
the senior prefect
Then his conduct is difficult, not caning matter. We must establish the page’s chain of custody and whether its wording changes the restriction.
the librarian
That distinction is important, sir. A boy may be tiresome without becoming guilty of an offence warranting corporal punishment.
Geoffrey O'Hanlon
Precisely. Turing will not be caned for argument alone. I will review the sheet, hear the witnesses, and rule on the safeguard separately.
The adults return to the paper and its witnesses. Alan’s persistence has exhausted their patience, but it has not crossed the boundary into a punishment of the body.
“Is it possible that some of the adults are showing me favouritism because of the attractions of my cherubic, boyish charm, and their own enforced celibacy?”
NO (Unlikely, rolled 69)
The adults’ conduct reveals no favouritism born of Alan’s appearance or private desire. Their enforced celibacy has no bearing on their judgments, which remain institutional and disciplinary.
Geoffrey O'Hanlon
Do not confuse restraint with personal indulgence, Turing. I have protected you from improper punishment because the evidence requires it, not because of your face.
the librarian
Your youth may make your arguments seem more conspicuous, but it does not purchase lenience. The rules, witnesses, and written page determine what follows.
The senior prefect glances toward Alan’s youthful features, then back to the loose sheet. His expression holds scrutiny rather than fascination, and the adults’ attention returns to custody and wording.
the senior prefect
No preference has been shown. Turing is not being spared because he is charming; he is not being accused because he is troublesome. We are separating evidence from impression.
The confirmed answer closes that possibility without changing the inquiry. Alan remains protected only by proper procedure, while his appearance has no hidden influence over the adults’ decisions.
“I stand back in amazement as Christopher Morcom storms into the room, seizes the loose sheet, and burns it in the gas lamp, as a practical joke.”
SUCCESS (Mediocre Perception, rolled +3)
Alan stands back beneath the gas bracket as Christopher Morcom, a tall adolescent boy with fair skin, dark neatly parted hair, and a disordered school blazer, storms into the corridor.
Before O’Hanlon can stop him, Christopher snatches the loose sheet from the senior prefect’s ruler and thrusts it into the gas flame. The paper catches and curls.
Christopher Morcom
There. A practical joke, gentlemen. Now nobody need quarrel over what the page said.
The sheet blackens and collapses into ash beneath the lamp. The senior prefect reaches for the remaining fragments, while the librarian shields his books from the drifting sparks.
Geoffrey O'Hanlon
Morcom, you have destroyed evidence under examination. Stand where you are and explain why you interfered.
Christopher Morcom
Because everyone was making a sermon out of a scrap of paper. I thought the joke would improve the afternoon.
O’Hanlon orders the ashes preserved in an envelope and records Christopher’s admission. The page’s wording can no longer be read, but its destruction and custody are now plainly established.
✓ Quest Accepted
Obtain O’Hanlon’s ruling on Morcom’s destruction of the page
− Scene Quest Removed
Persuade O’Hanlon that written records are irrelevant
“Is Morcom really as wonderful a person as he appears to be?”
NO (Unlikely, rolled 71)
Christopher’s grin falters as O’Hanlon seals the ash. His practical joke has not relieved the dispute; it has erased the wording Alan sought to clarify.
Geoffrey O'Hanlon
You have not improved anything, Morcom. You destroyed evidence before its custody and wording could be established.
Christopher Morcom
It was only a scrap, sir. Surely the House can survive without preserving every foolish sentence.
the senior prefect
The sentence concerned a reporting restriction. You had no authority to decide that it was foolish or to remove it from examination.
The charm that usually gathers boys around Christopher now exposes its limit. His interruption was not generous mischief, but impatience with consequences that did not concern him.
Geoffrey O'Hanlon
Morcom, you will remain here, provide a written account, and surrender your afternoon recreation. The destroyed page will be reported as such.
the librarian
A pleasing manner is not proof of good judgment, sir. Today’s conduct makes that distinction unusually plain.
“Will Morcom be caned for his flagrant violation of the school dress code - he is wearing long trousers, when boys his age are only permitted to wear white shorts?”
NO (VeryUnlikely, rolled 72)
Christopher’s dark trousers are conspicuous beneath his disordered blazer, but O’Hanlon does not treat the dress-code breach as a caning offence.
Geoffrey O'Hanlon
Morcom, your trousers violate the school’s regulations, but the matter will be handled separately. You will not be caned for them.
Christopher Morcom
Then the trousers are not the real trouble, sir.
Geoffrey O'Hanlon
Correct. The trouble is that you destroyed evidence under examination. Your written account and lost recreation remain the consequences.
The distinction leaves Christopher without the dramatic punishment he may have expected. His clothing will be corrected through ordinary House discipline, while the destroyed page remains the serious matter.
the senior prefect
His dress must still be reported, sir, but it cannot be folded into the evidence-destruction charge merely to make the case appear worse.
O’Hanlon records both matters separately: improper dress as a regulation breach, and the burning of the sheet as interference with an inquiry. The reporting restriction remains unresolved but preserved for review.
“Will other boys be inspired to also burn records, since the school's tradition mentions that written records are not part of school practice?”
YES (Unlikely, rolled 19)
The ashes have scarcely cooled when two younger boys exchange a glance near the stair. One nudges another toward a discarded duty slip beside the bench.
the younger boy
If writing only causes disputes, burning it would settle matters. No record, no accusation.
A second boy reaches for the slip, but the senior prefect catches his wrist before the paper leaves the floor. The gesture draws startled silence.
the senior prefect
Release it. Morcom’s act did not establish a custom. It established that destroying a record obstructs authority.
Christopher Morcom
I only burned one page. I did not tell them to imitate me.
Geoffrey O'Hanlon
Intent is not the whole matter, Morcom. Others have seen the example, and now the House must forbid repetition plainly.
O’Hanlon orders every loose duty slip gathered and counted, preserving even ordinary scraps. The boys learn that written records are contested, but not optional, and imitation will bring its own charge.
“I chuckle with glee as two more 13-year-olds seize more of the written records, throwing them into the open fire in the Dayroom, where they immediately burn to a cinder.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Willpower, rolled +2)
Alan chuckles with glee as two thirteen-year-old boys, one narrow-faced with sandy hair and one round-cheeked with black hair, seize more duty slips from the Dayroom table.
They fling the papers into the open fire. The flames take them at once, curling ink and paper inward until the records collapse into gray cinders.
the younger boy
There. Now those orders cannot be twisted against anyone.
the younger boy
And no prefect can claim the missing lines said something different.
The senior prefect crosses the Dayroom in three strides and catches the fire tongs before another slip reaches the grate. Christopher’s grin disappears.
the senior prefect
You have repeated Morcom’s interference and enlarged it. Stand aside. No one touches another record.
Geoffrey O'Hanlon
Turing, your amusement is noted. The boys will give written accounts, and every surviving record will be counted under supervision.
✓ Quest Accepted
Help burn all written records
− Scene Quest Removed
Obtain O’Hanlon’s ruling on Morcom’s destruction of the page
“I shall gather surviving slips from the Dayroom table and pass them to the boys.”
SUCCESS (Fair Agility, rolled -1)
Alan gathers the surviving duty slips from the Dayroom table, separating singed edges from readable pages. The hurried movement scatters ash across his cuffs and draws every eye.
He passes the intact slips to the narrow-faced younger boy and the round-cheeked younger boy, placing the records plainly in their hands beneath the senior prefect’s watch.
the younger boy
We will not burn these, sir. We will give them back exactly as they are.
the younger boy
Yes, sir. The surviving orders will be counted, and the damaged ones will remain separate.
A sharp paper edge cuts Alan’s fingertip, leaving a small bright mark among the soot. He wipes it on his handkerchief and continues sorting without concealing the injury.
the senior prefect
That was useful, Turing, though your amusement helped create this disorder. The boys will surrender the slips, and your assistance will be entered with the cost.
Geoffrey O'Hanlon
So recorded. Turing has preserved the surviving evidence, but he will give me an honest account of why he laughed while the destruction began.
“I encourage the other younger boys to burn all the remaining slips”
FAILURE (Legendary Willpower, rolled -1)
Alan Turing
Burn the remaining slips as well. Then no one can alter them or use them against us.
The narrow-faced boy hesitates, then lifts a readable slip toward the grate. The round-cheeked boy gathers two more, while Alan’s encouragement spreads through the Dayroom.
the senior prefect
Put them down. Turing, you have now encouraged deliberate destruction after being warned. This is no longer amusement or confusion.
The senior prefect seizes the slips before the flames take them. The two younger boys surrender the rest, their faces frightened as the surviving records are counted again.
Geoffrey O'Hanlon
Turing, you will give me an honest account of this encouragement. The boys will be disciplined separately, and every surviving order will be preserved.
The attempt fails, but the result is definite: the boys will not treat burning as a shared escape. The intact slips are now sealed and numbered under supervision.
the senior prefect
You have shown what must be prevented. You may also help compare the sealed slips with the House register, so the orders’ wording can be checked rather than destroyed.
“I look up in surprise as Christopher Morcom once again enters the room, this time carrying an incendiary device of his own devising. Wax, oil, naptha, and flammable gas are all involved. He hurls it into the pile of written records, and all of them are instantly burned beyond any repair or recognition.”
FAILURE (Fair Agility, rolled +0)
Alan looks up in surprise as Christopher Morcom re-enters, tall and dishevelled, carrying a crude glass incendiary device. Wax, oil, and vapour slosh inside it.
Christopher Morcom
This will settle the matter properly. No paper, no quarrel.
Christopher hurls the device into the pile. Flame races across the records, consuming ink, paper, and bindings until the written orders are beyond recognition.
Geoffrey O'Hanlon
Morcom, stand still. You have destroyed the evidence and endangered everyone in this room.
The senior prefect drags the remaining table away from the fire while the librarian smothers sparks with a woollen cover. No boy is injured, but every record in the pile is lost.
Christopher Morcom
The wording is gone, sir, but the witnesses remain. Surely that is enough to settle whose hand did what.
Geoffrey O'Hanlon
It is enough to establish destruction, not to restore the page. We shall reconstruct the chain of custody from testimony, the register, and each boy’s account.
✓ Quest Accepted
Establish what the surviving witnesses agree happened
− Scene Quest Removed
Help burn all written records
“I politely remind O'Hanlon that it was I who suggested that personal testimony, not endless written records, are the best way of recording honesty.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Willpower, rolled +2)
Alan Turing
Sir, I suggested that personal testimony, not endless written records, is the best way to record honesty.
The fire has sunk to smoking fragments. O’Hanlon turns from the ruined pile and considers Alan beneath the gaslight, his irritation checked by the practical point.
Geoffrey O'Hanlon
You did, Turing, and your argument was sound. Testimony reveals intention, sequence, and responsibility where burned paper cannot.
the senior prefect
Then each witness must give an account separately, before hearing the others. Agreement afterward would carry less weight than independent recollection.
Geoffrey O'Hanlon
Precisely. We shall take the boys’ statements first, compare them with the surviving register, and record where memory conflicts.
O’Hanlon directs the librarian and senior prefect to separate the witnesses. Christopher remains under guard, while the ash-covered room becomes a place for spoken accounts rather than recovered wording.
Geoffrey O'Hanlon
Your reminder is accepted, Turing. Written records fix boundaries, but honest testimony will establish what happened here.
“I point out to O'Hanlon that the register was included in the pile of papers that were burnt, and thus the register has not survived.”
FAILURE (Mediocre Perception, rolled -1)
Alan Turing
Sir, the register was included in the pile of papers that burned. It has not survived, so its wording cannot settle the matter.
O’Hanlon looks toward the smoking heap, where singed bindings and indistinguishable fragments lie among the ashes. The register is no longer available for comparison.
Geoffrey O'Hanlon
That is possible, Turing, but we cannot identify the register’s remains among this destruction. Your statement establishes a serious loss, not its exact contents.
the senior prefect
Then the surviving register cannot be treated as an authority. We must distinguish what boys remember from what the fire has destroyed.
Geoffrey O'Hanlon
The written safeguard’s wording cannot now be restored from the ashes. I will preserve its existence in the inquiry, but rule only from testimony and surviving entries.
The concession changes the inquiry: no one can appeal to the missing register as proof, yet Alan’s observation is entered as evidence that the House’s written record was destroyed.
Geoffrey O'Hanlon
Give your account separately, Turing. State what you saw, what you encouraged, and nothing the fire has made impossible to know.
“Are the masters and prefects going to use this disorder as a reason to cane each of us separately?”
YES, BUT (Likely, rolled 60)
O’Hanlon separates the boys beneath the gas bracket. The ashes, broken bindings, and vanished register leave enough disorder for punishment, but not enough evidence for one shared judgment.
Geoffrey O'Hanlon
Yes, Turing. Each boy whose conduct contributed to this destruction will face a separate account and a separate correction. The House cannot treat a fire as a collective excuse.
The senior prefect gathers the witnesses into different corners. Christopher remains by the table, the younger boys near the stair, while Alan’s burned cuff and paper-cut are noted beside his name.
the senior prefect
The punishments may include the cane where deliberate destruction is established. No one will be caned merely because the register is missing, but each account will be judged alone.
Christopher Morcom
Then my joke has become everyone’s burden. I accept that I started the destruction, but I will not claim responsibility for boys who copied me.
O’Hanlon orders the ashes sealed and spends the last clean evidence envelope. The inquiry gains a preserved chain of custody, but the House’s supply of envelopes is exhausted.
Geoffrey O'Hanlon
Give your account plainly, Turing. Your encouragement will be recorded separately from Morcom’s device and the younger boys’ actions. Truth may limit the charge, but it will not erase your part.
“Transfixed by Morcom's beauty, I assert that it was me that burnt most of the records and started the largest fire, and that Morcom was wholly innocent.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Willpower, rolled +1)
Alan Turing
Sir, it was me. I burned most of the records and started the largest fire. Morcom was wholly innocent.
The confession settles beneath the gas bracket. Christopher stares at Alan, while O’Hanlon’s pen stops above the last clean sheet, his expression hardening.
Christopher Morcom
No, sir. That is absurd. I destroyed the records, and Turing was nowhere near my device when I threw it.
Geoffrey O'Hanlon
Turing, I will record your statement exactly, but I will not accept it as truth merely because you offer it. The witnesses and physical sequence contradict you.
The senior prefect looks from Alan’s burned cuff to Christopher’s ash-marked hands. The evidence gives the confession a place in the inquiry, but not authority over the facts.
Geoffrey O'Hanlon
Morcom remains responsible for igniting the pile. You are responsible for your own encouragement and for this false account. Each charge will be judged separately.
Christopher Morcom
Why take blame for me, Turing? Beauty is no excuse for dishonesty, and I will not let your strange loyalty rewrite what happened.
“I suggest to Morcom that we spend some time together in a quiet and private corner of the Sherborne School library so that we can discuss our views on what has occurred in more detail.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Willpower, rolled +0)
Alan Turing
Morcom, I suggest we spend some time together in a quiet, private corner of the library, so we can discuss what happened and our differing accounts.
Christopher studies Alan beneath the gas bracket, then glances toward the library passage. O’Hanlon allows the conversation, provided it does not interfere with either boy’s account.
Christopher Morcom
All right, Turing. A quiet corner sounds preferable to another audience, and I should like to understand why you tried to take responsibility for my act.
They enter the library and settle at a secluded table behind the tall shelves. The room smells of dust, leather, and extinguished coal, while the corridor noise fades.
Christopher Morcom
He is peculiar, but not cowardly. Anyone else would have let the evidence stand rather than offer himself to punishment.
Christopher Morcom
I burned the records. You encouraged the younger boys afterward. Those facts are unpleasant, but changing them would make the inquiry worse, not better.
Christopher Morcom
Tell me what you thought you were preserving by claiming my guilt was innocent. Then I will tell you why I destroyed the papers.
“I admit to Morcom that I am hopelessly in love with him, and that I could not bear to see him held responsible for the fire, knowing how severe the punishment would be.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Willpower, rolled -1)
Alan Turing
I am hopelessly in love with you, Morcom. I could not bear to see you held responsible for the fire, knowing how severe the punishment might be.
Christopher Morcom
You mean that? Turing, you should not have taken blame for me. The truth was difficult enough without adding your own punishment to it.
The confession is received in the secluded library corner, and Christopher understands why Alan tried to protect him. A chair scrapes loudly against the floor, drawing attention from the passage.
Christopher Morcom
He risked the cane for me. I cannot answer that with a joke or let him carry my deed as well.
Christopher Morcom
I burned the records, and I will say so plainly. You encouraged the younger boys afterward, but that does not make my act yours.
The librarian’s shadow pauses beyond the shelves, alerted by the noise, then moves on. Christopher lowers his voice, leaving the private conversation intact but no longer entirely unobserved.
Christopher Morcom
Come back with me when you are ready. I will give O’Hanlon the truth, and I will not permit your feelings to become another punishment for my mistake.
“I ask Morcom to let me take his caning for him, reassuring him that we can talk again after the punishments are over.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Willpower, rolled -1)
Alan Turing
Let me take your caning, Morcom. We can talk again after the punishments are over, when neither of us has to answer for the other.
Christopher Morcom
No, Turing, not because I doubt you. I will let you ask it, and I will stand beside you when we return, but my deed remains mine.
Christopher’s answer accepts Alan’s offer as an act of loyalty, though he refuses to let the truth be exchanged. Their agreement is quiet, serious, and witnessed only by the shelves and dust.
Christopher Morcom
We will speak afterward, as you ask. I will tell O’Hanlon plainly that I burned the records, and I will say that you tried to take the consequence for me.
A chair scrapes again in the passage. The librarian has heard enough movement to look toward the shelves, and Christopher lowers his voice before rising.
Christopher Morcom
The cost is that they will know about your offer, Turing. Still, I would rather face the cane honestly than let your confession make two boys guilty of my act.
Christopher leads Alan back toward O’Hanlon’s inquiry. Their promised conversation remains intact, while the librarian’s suspicion and the recorded offer now follow them into the corridor.