Since when did Childermass ever give the impression that he was an easy man to deal with in regards to anything at all? Just as Sylvia avoids her sigh, so too does Childermass avoid his smirk in response to her obvious attempts to be rid of him.

"How very forward thinking of you," he replies, glancing down at the brochure in question. Yes, he had read it over -- quite extensively at that. "And what about upon graduation? I imagine you are preparing your students for the real world. What direction does the Institute direct them to take from here?"