In due time John was sent to boarding school in Britain proper. There, he threw himself into academic and athletic pursuits with equal fervor. He never achieved outright popularity but he earned a decent reputation with both teachers and students.
John was not the first student of mixed ethnicity to attend, nor would he be the last. The curious looks and petty slights of the first year petered out as he made friends. But the memories of them haunted him. The moment he had his M.D. in hand he set about joining the army – in a regiment bound for India.
tbc