Gradually his batting average went up, but there were enough returned
rejections to make Paul Brennan view Jimmy's literary effort with quiet
amusement. Still, slowly and in secret, Jimmy built up his bank balance
by twenties, fifties, an occasional hundred.

For above everything, by now Jimmy knew that he could not go on through
school as he'd planned.

If his entry into Fourth Grade had been against scowls and resentment
from his classmates, Fifth and Sixth would be more so. Eventually the day
would come when he would be held back. He was already mingling with
children far beyond his size. The same permissive school that graduated
dolts so that their stupid personalities wouldn't be warped would keep
him back by virtue of the same idiotic reasoning.

He laid his plans well. He covered his absence from school one morning
and thereby gained six free hours to start going about his own business
before his absence could be noticed.

This was his third escape. He prayed that it would be permanent.




BOOK TWO:

THE HERMIT