behind her the sun struck
through the house into the shadowed street.

Jeremy's public manners were, when he pleased, quite beautiful--"the
true, old-fashioned courtesy," gushing friends of the Cole family used
to say. He was preparing to be very polite now, when suddenly the voice
of the Dean's Ernest ordering people about in the garden struck upon his
ear. He had not seen the Dean's Ernest for nearly three months, for the
very good reason that that gentleman had been experiencing his first
term at his private school. Last year young Ernest and Jeremy had been,
on the whole, friendly, although Ernest, who was nine, and strong for
his age, had always patronised. And now? Jeremy longed to inform his
friend that he also shortly would proceed to school, that in another
six months' time there would be practically no difference between them.
Nevertheless, at the present moment there was a difference... Ernest had
a whole term to his credit.

New arrivals gently insinuated the Cole family into the garden. Helen,
proud and cold, Mary, blinking and nervous, stood pressed close together
whilst other little girls stared and giggled, moved forward and then
backward again, until suddenly Canon Lasker's Emily, who was fifteen
and had such long legs that she was known as "the Giraffe," came up
and said: "Isn't it hot! Do you play croquet? Please-do! I'll
have--the--blue ball..." And the Coles were initiated.

Meanwhile, Aunt Amy had said: "Now, Jeremy, dear, run about and make
friends." Which so deeply infuriated him that he choked. Oh! supposing
the Dean's Ernest had heard her!...

And he had! A mocking voice behind him said: "Now, Jeremy, dear--"

Jeremy turned round and beheld the Dean's Ernest mockingly waiting his
retort. And he could not retort. No words would come, and he could only
stand there, his cheeks flushed, aware that Ernest had grown and grown
during those three months, that he wore a straw hat with a black-and-red
ribbon upon it, that round his long ugly neck was a stiff white collar,
and across his waistcoat a thick silver watch-chain.

"Hallo!" said Jeremy.

"Hallo!" said the new Ernest scornfully.

A long pause.

Then Ernest, turning on his heel, said to someone behind him: "Let's get
away from all these girls!" The tears burnt in Jeremy's eyes, hot and
salt. He clenched his fists and gazed upon a garden that swam in a
mist of tears and sunlight. He felt a sudden strange impulse of family
affection. He