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After completing the answers, I
looked at the clock. Twenty minutes

past four, and the paper was to go on
till 5 o’clock! Why was not the paper
set for two and a half hours, instead
of three? I looked eagerly at the
verandah outside. If only I could
pluck up courage to hand in the
paper and go out!

Then, I spotted Krishna Pillai, our
master. I sat upright. His eyes were
on me. I pretended to be busy with
the answer paper; I might as well
do a little revision. I read a few lines
of my answer to the first question,

which left me bored. Turning over the
sheets, I kept gazing at the last answer, pretending I was revising.

Krishna Pillai had gone. I looked at the clock, hoping it must be 5 o’clock now. It was only
half past four!

I turned to see what the others were doing. Gopal was writing and writing, almost lost to
the world. Sridhar too was writing with his tongue thrust out of his mouth, and moving it

right and left, with tilts of his pen. Raju gazed at the ceiling, scratching his chin with the
pen, probably to get more ideas. Hari leaned back in his chair. The invigilators walked up
and down the room. The supervisor was sleeping in the chair.

I briskly took my answer book, handed it over to the invigilator and walked out. I kept
the question paper folded in my pocket. I stood on the verandah waiting for my friends to
come out.

I had various plans of spending my summer vacation. My uncle at Madras had invited
1
me to stay with him for a few days. How fine to roam about freely on the Marina Beach, in

the evening, enjoying the cool sea breeze!

Madras had nice libraries and eating places, and also good Why do you think
cinema houses showing the latest English films. the narrator was able

Then to North Kerala to my aunt, who had invited me to her to finish his exam paper
Just a Minute!
country house. I had longed for the last day of the exams. so early?
And that day had come!

gazing: looking steadily at
1 now, known as Chennai someone
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