The senior boy remains beside the desk while Parsley stands within the closed study. Shelves of Greek and Latin volumes hem them in, and the catalogue slip stays folded in Parsley’s fingers.
Senior Boy 2
Take this to a senior boy in the library. It is sealed, and you will not disclose a word of its wording, whether he asks directly or not.
He draws a small sealed note from inside his coat and holds it out. The paper bears no visible address beyond the recipient’s name, written in a firm hand.
Senior Boy 2
You are not merely carrying it. Observe the corridor. If anyone follows you, stop you, or questions where you are going, remember who they are and what they say.
His gaze drops briefly to the catalogue slip, then returns to Parsley. The instruction makes the errand a test: discretion in the library, usefulness on the way there.
Senior Boy 2
Bring back the answer, if there is one. Do not linger, do not invent an explanation, and do not let the note leave your possession until a senior boy takes it.
Beyond the closed door, the corridor remains quiet. The senior boy waits beside the desk with the sealed note extended, while the library and its occupants lie somewhere beyond the west stair.
+ New Item Acquired
Sealed note