'It is similar to the Homeric Question. You have heard of that, I
suppose?'
I knew that there was a discussion about the identity of the author of
the Iliad. When at school I had been made to take down notes on the
subject until I had grown to loathe the very name of Homer.
'You see,' went on my companion, 'the difficulty about _Tom Brown's
Schooldays_ is this. It is obvious that part one and part two were
written by different people. You admit that, I suppose?'
'I always thought Mr Hughes wrote the whole book.'
'Dear me, not really? Why, I thought everyone knew that he only wrote
the first half. The question is, who wrote the second. I know, but I
don't suppose ten other people do. No, sir.'
'What makes you think he didn't write the second part?'
'My dear sir, just read it. Read part one carefully, and then read part
two. Why, you can see in a minute.'
I said I had read the book three times, but had never noticed anything
peculiar about it, except that the second half was not nearly so
interesting as the first.
'Well, just tell me this. Do you think the same man created East and
Arthur? Now then.'