He stood there enjoying my perplexity and idly twisting a piece of
string round and round his fingers. At length he said, 'Well, I don't
want to be hard on you. You may go and change this for me even now, if
you like. I'll give you three minutes to think it over, and you can come
down into the playground when I sing out, and tell me what you mean to
do. And you had better be sharp in coming, too, or it will be the worse
for you.'

He took his cap, and presently I heard him going down the steps to the
playground. I would have given worlds to go and join the rest at tea,
but I did not dare, and remained in the schoolroom, which was dim just
then, for the gas was lowered; and while I stood there by the fireplace,
trembling in the cold air which stole in through the door Ormsby had
left open, Marjory came in by the other one, and was going straight to
her father's desk, when she saw me.

Her first impulse seemed to be to take no notice, but something in my
face or attitude made her alter her mind and come straight to me,
holding out her hand.

'Cameron,' she said, 'shall we be friends again?'

'Yes, Marjory,' I said; I could not have said any more just then.

'You look so miserable, I couldn't bear it any longer,' she said, 'so I
_had_ to make it up. You know, I was only pretending crossness, Cameron,
all the time, because I really thought it was best. But it doesn't seem
to have done you much good, and I did promise to take care of you. What
is it? Ormsby again?'

'Yes,' I said, and told her the story of the commission.

'Oh, you stupid boy!' she cried, 'couldn't you see he only wanted to
pick a quarrel? And if you change it now, he'll make you change it
again, and the next time, and the next after that--I know he will!'

Here Ormsby's voice shouted from below, 'Now then, you, Cameron, time's
up!'

'What is he doing down there?' asked Marjory, and her indignation rose
higher when she heard.

'Now, Cameron, be brave; go down and tell him once for all he may just
keep what he has, and be thankful. Whatever it is, it's good enough for
_him_, I'm sure!'

But I still hung back. 'It's no use, Marjory, he'll tell everyone I
cheated him--he says he will!'

'That he shall not!' she cried; 'I won't have it, I'll go myself, and
tell him what I think of him, and make him stop treating you like this.'

Some faint glimmer of manliness made me ashamed to allow her thus to
fight my battles. 'No, Marjory, not you!' I sa