nd
pouting bow mouth. Michael congratulated himself upon securing the
prettier of the two. Winnie with her grey eyes and ordinary hair and
dark eyebrows and waxen skin was certainly not comparable to this
exquisite doll of his own.

At first Michael was too shy to make any attempt to kiss Dora.
Nevertheless the kissing of her ran in his mind from the beginning, and
he would lie awake planning how the feat was to be accomplished. He was
afraid that if suddenly he threw his arms round her, she might take
offence and refuse to see him again. Finally he asked Alan's advice.

"I say, have you ever kissed Winnie?" he called from his bed.

Through the darkness came Alan's reply:

"Rather not. I say, have you?"

"Rather not." Then Michael added defiantly, "But I jolly well wish I
had."

"She wouldn't let you, would she?"

"That's what I can't find out," Michael said despondently. "I've held
her hand and all that sort of rot, and I've talked about how pretty I
think she is, but it's beastly difficult. I say, you know, I don't
believe I should ever be able to propose to a girl--you know--a girl you
could marry--a lady. I'm tremendously gone on Dora and so are you on
Winnie. But I don't think they're ladies, because Dora's got a sister
who's in a pantomime and wears tights, so you see I couldn't propose to
her. Besides, I should feel a most frightful fool going down on my knees
in the path. Still I must kiss her somehow. Look here, Alan, if you
promise faithfully you'll kiss Winnie to-morrow, when the clock strikes
twelve, I'll kiss Dora. Will you? Be a decent chap and kiss Winnie, even
if you aren't beastly keen, because I am. So will you, Alan?"

There was a minute's deliberation by Alan in the darkness, and then he
said he would.

"I say, you are a clinker, Alan. Thanks most awfully."

Michael turned over and settled himself down to sleep, praying for the
good luck to dream of his little girl in blue.

On the next morning Alan and Michael eyed each other bashfully across
the breakfast table, conscious as they were of the guilty vow not yet
fulfilled. Miss Carthew tried in vain to make them talk. They ate in
silence, oppressed with resolutions. They saw Winnie and Dora in
Devonshire Park at eleven o'clock, and presently went their different
ways along the mazy paths. Michael talked of subjects most remote from
love. He expounded to Dora the ranks of the British Army; he gave her
tips on birds'-nesting; he told her