Four Legs in the Morning — Norman Prentiss

Dr. Sibley, long-standing Chair of the English and Classical Literature Department at Graysonville University, has outlasted many of his detractors. In this collection of three linked stories, mysterious consequences await those who defy or disappoint him:

• a new colleague, whose avant-guard theories offend Sibley's traditional critical sensibilities, uncovers a new answer to an ancient riddle ("Four Legs in the Morning")
• a student plagiarist learns to regret his dishonesty ("Flannel Board")
• a young administrator attempts to curtail some of Sibley's power, until he discovers the fate of his predecessor ("The Mask of Tragedies")

All of these characters eventually learn - sometimes too late - that Dr. Sibley may be far more powerful than he seems.