Part 1, Section 3 Summary

Fred met Professor Flowerdew--to whom he owes his position as Junior Fellow--at a gala for those recently awarded First Class degrees in science. The afternoon's music and refreshments were ruined by the downpour. The professor does not like parties in any case. He invited Fred into his office in the Physics Department: after climbing a narrow stairway and walking along a corridor whose walls were covered with photographs, the professor asked Fred what he knew about him. Little to nothing, said Fred. The professor, however, knew Fred to be a "bright fellow" who came from a rectory family. Fred, who stammered his pleasure at being noticed by the professor, said his next goal was to study under Wilson and learn his methods. He confessed his excitement at having seen Rutherford in the very building where they sat, the Cavendish (where it...