Page:The plastic age, (IA plasticage00mark).pdf/208

188 I ’ll give you C’s or D’s on them and let you di your own shallow grave by yourself. But if yo want to try to write as well as you can, I ’ll give yo all the help in my power. Not one minute can yo have so long as you don’t try, but you can have houi i.f you do try. Furthermore, you will find writing pleasure if you write as well as you can, but yo won’t get any sport just scribbling off themes b cause you have to.”

He paused to toss the three themes across t? desk to Hugh, who was watching him with astonisl ment. No instructor had ever talked to him th; “You can rewrite these themes if you want to Henley went on. “I have n’t graded them, ar I ’ll reserve the grades for the rewritten theme and if I find that you have made a real effort, I discuss them in detail with you. What do y< Say?” “I’d like to rewrite them,” Hugh said soft know they are rotten.” “No, they are n’t rotten. I’ve got dozens tl are worse. That is n’t the point. They are i| nearly so good as you can make them, and only yc best work is acceptable to me. Now show me wl you can do with them, and then we ’ll tear them shreds in regular fashion.” He turned to his d< and smiled at Hugh, who, understanding that 1 conference was over, stood up and reached for
 * way before.