Chapter 2

Noticing that we weren't at dinner last night, Mr. Prud'homme stopped at our door. Finny explained how were had been swimming in the river, had a wrestling match, had to watch a sunset anyone would want to see, and then has to see some friends on business. The more Finny talked, the less stern Mr. Prud'homme got. I wasn't sure, but they might have an unregulated friendliness between them. Finny started talking about the tree again, which was probably more forbidden than skipping a meal, and how he had to do it in case they lowered the draft age to seventeen. After Finny's speech, Mr. Prud'homme stared at him and that was all there was to it. Because of Phineas' personality, the whole school loosened its grip on all the students. I also think that we reminded them of what peace was like; We had no draft board, no physical exams, no tests, or anything. We were the careless and wild life that the war was fighting to preserve. After Mr. Prud'homme left, Finny and I began to get dressed. He pulled out a very pink shirt that's made him look like a fairy. He claimed to wear it as an emblem. "I was reading in the paper today that we bombed Central Europe for the first time the other day" (18). Finny said he was wearing the shirt to celebrate because we didn't have a flag to hang out the window. After history class, the sternest master Mr. Patch-Withers asked him about it. He was amused at what Finny had to say, and it was then that I realized that he could get away with anything. Mr. Patch-Withers had the traditional tea for the Upper Middle Class at the Headmasters house where his wife would also be present. Finny started to talk about the Central Europe bombing, and starting spreading the discussion to others. It was amazing how he got Mrs. Patch-withers in on it too. "We must also be careful with works of art, if they are permanent value" (19). She added to Finny's list of what should and shouldn't be bombed. As the conversation went on, Finny unbuttoned his seersucker jacket, and revealed his belt, which was actually the Devon School tie. Mrs. Patch-Withers noticed and I thought he wasn't going to get away with it, but he did. He said that it tied in with the shirt and showed how everything, even the school, was connected to the war. On the way to the river, we talked about how we didn't really believe the bombings. As we were climbing up the tree, we decided to form a suicide society. "The Suicide Society of the Summer Session" (24), I said, which Finny then added super before it. As we got on the limb, I lost my balance and I panicked and then Finny's arm shot out to save me. We both made good jumps, but I couldn't get over that he practically saved my life, yet he was the one who made me go into the tree in the first place.