He grunted and gave short answers, and said "yes" and "no" to questions asked with the intention of drawing him out.
He was longing to get away somewhere by himself, to throw himself down some place on the green grass and forget his aches and pains and troubles.
He got up to go and find such a place, and found half a dozen of his following tagging after him.

He wanted to turn around and scream at them to leave him alone, but his pride restrained him.

A great wave of disgust and despair swept over him, and then an idea flashed through his mind.
Since he was sure to flunk in his examinations, why endure the afternoon's torture, which could not but be worse than the morning's?
And on the impulse of the moment he made up his mind.
He walked straight on to the schoolyard gate and passed out.

Here his worshipers halted in wonderment, but he kept on to the corner and out of sight.

For some time he wandered along aimlessly, till he came to the tracks of a cable road.