The next day, the next-door prefect offers a job to a talented young man named Gnash. The young man accepts the offer, but he's not sure whether he should accept or not. Gnash says he'll have to wait until the next exam three years from now to decide whether or not to accept the job offer. He's worried that if he doesn't do well in the exam, he won't be able to get a job in the future. The next morning, the young man tells Gnash that he has written a polite letter saying that his parents are sick and that he needs to return home.