rd in a matchbox floating
down the river."

Snow fell in February, and great snow-ball fights took place between the
Oxtails and the Cabbage-stalks in which the fortunes of both sides
varied from day to day. During one of these fights Michael hit Buckley
full in the eye with a snow-ball alleged to contain a stone, and the
bitterness between them grew sharper. Then Oxford won the boat-race, and
Buckley cut Michael publicly. Finally, owing to some alteration in the
Buckley home, Buckley became a boarder, and was able with sneering voice
to call Michael a beastly 'day-bug.' Such was the friendship of Michael
and Buckley, which lasted for sixteen weeks and might not indeed have so
much wounded Michael, when the rupture was made final, if Buckley had
proved loyal to that friendship. Unfortunately for Michael's belief in
human nature Buckley one day, stung perhaps by some trifling advantage
gained by day-boys at the expense of boarders, divulged Michael's
Christian names. He called out distinctly, "Ha! ha! Charles Michael
Saxby Fane! Oh, what a name! Kiddy Michael Sacks-of-coals Fane!"

Michael regretted his intimacy with one who was not within the circle of
Carlington Road. In future he would not seek friends outside Carlington
Road and the six roads of the alliance. There all secrets must be kept,
and all quarrels locally adjusted, for there Christian names were known
and every household had its skeleton of nurse or governess.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Fane did not come home and Miss Carthew assumed more and
more complete control of Number 64, until one day in spring Nurse
suddenly told Michael that she was leaving next day. Somehow, Nurse had
ceased to influence Michael's life one way or the other, and he could
only feel vaguely uncomfortable over her departure. Nurse cried a good
deal particularly at saying good-bye to Stella, whom she called her own
girl whatever anybody might say. When Michael perceived Nurse's tears he
tried hard to drag up from the depths of his nature a dutiful
sentimentality. For the last time he kissed that puckered monkey-like
face, and in a four-wheeler Nurse vanished without making any difference
in the life of Sixty-four, save by a convenient shifting about of the
upstair rooms. The old night-nursery was redecorated and became for many
years Michael's bedroom. Miss Carthew slept in Michael's old big lonely
front room, and Stella slept in a little dressing-room opening out of
it. Down in the kitchen, w